DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own any of the characters from ADJL. They belong to Disney. I do however own Rose and Jake's adopted daughter, Emily, along with the angel Joy and anyone else you don't recognize. If anyone would like to use any of these OC's, please ask my permission first.
Thanks!

God loves you
Enjoy!

"One Rose, Too Many Thorns"

Chapter 14-A Miracle from Above

Rose sighed as she walked into the house and closed the door.

"Jake? Jake!" Rose called out, wanting to know where her boyfriend was.

"In the kitchen!" Jake called back, hanging up the phone with Spud. He had been venting his frustration about Rose's sudden take off from him.

Rose entered the kitchen and gave Jake an apologetic look. She came up to him and gave him a hug before kissing his cheek. She then buried her face in his shoulder and let the tears fall once again.

"Jake, I-I I'm sorry! I'm so sorry for running off like that. I just needed some time. I couldn't deal with what Susan told me right then. I needed to talk to Katie."

Jake nodded as he felt a twinge of jealousy in his heart. Why had Rose run to her friend instead of leaning on him? As Jake thought this, he started feeling guilty for feeling jealous of Rose and Haley's relationship as well. He had no right to do that. Haley was better now, thanks to Rose. Rose had helped their little sister come back to them. And for that, Jake was grateful to his Rosebud.

"It's okay," Jake assured Rose, giving her a kiss and hugging her close. "It's okay. It's gonna be okay. Please, just talk to me. I need to know what's going on. I want to help you, but I can't if you won't let me in."

Rose nodded and sighed. She tried to think of the right words to say that would explain the situation best without freaking Jake out.

"Jake, Susan called me this afternoon. She told me something about the baby. Something's wrong with her. And…and it's something they can't fix. Susan told me that she might be born blind." Rose took a deep breath, relief flooded through her that she had been able to tell him. "Susan told me some tests came back and something wasn't right. She also said that I had a choice to make. She told me that I could…" Rose met Jake's eyes and turned away. She turned back and gave him a Look he knew only too well. "I… Don't worry." Rose assured him. "I'm not going to give her up. I Love her too much. She means too much to me. I Know I should have talked to you first before I made the decision, but I…"

"It's okay," Jake said, a sigh of relief escaping his lips. "It's more than okay. I'm glad you decided to keep her. She's going to be different, yes, but no little girl is going to be loved more."

Rose grinned and threw her arms around Jake. She finally felt a little better about this whole situation. Katie was right in that this was a test from God. This was to see if Rose would put her faith in Him and trust Him through this time.

Rose loved her daughter with all her heart already and she wasn't even here yet. It didn't matter to Rose that her daughter wasn't going to be able to see. She loved her anyway. And just because their daughter wouldn't be able to see with her eyes, didn't mean she couldn't see with her heart. And as far as Rose was concerned, that was the best source of sight God could have given her.

"I love you, Jake." Rose said, resting in his arms later that night. The couple had put their eldest daughter to sleep and they were now enjoying some time together.

"I love you too, my Rosebud. I love you so much." Jake wrapped Rose in a hug and kissed her lips. The two stayed like that for awhile. "And this baby will be loved just as much. I promise you that. I also promise you that NOBODY will hurt her. If they even try, they'll have to deal with the AmDrag."

Rose nodded, feeling reassured. But almost as the relief had come, Rose felt a twinge of panick in her heart. She subconsciously touched her left forearm and glanced at Jake with fear.

Jake, reading Rose's mind, shook his head firmly.

"Rose, don't worry. She won't be marked. And if she is, we'll just get it removed."

Rose nodded, but the tears were already threatening to fall.

"Jake, you don't get it. That's not enough."

"What do you mean?" Jake asked, not catching on.

Rose took a shuddering breath as she answered her boyfriend's question.

"The Huntsclan has a way of detecting when a new member is born. That's how they found me so quickly. They knew for months. My parents thought it was random, but I found out otherwise when I was thirteen. The Huntsman admitted it to me." Rose had started to shake as she rested a hand on her slightly swollen stomach. "Jake, we have to protect her. She can't be taken. She can't!"

"Shh, shh, it's okay, Rose. It's all right. I promise to protect her and you. She'll be fine, I promise."

Rose nodded, but she was still shaking as Jake held her close in an effort to keep her calm and ease her fears.

Four months flew by quickly and Rose was nearly due. She hadn't gotten much bigger, but her cravings were waning and her appetite was less. She didn't worry about this though. Susan had warned her that it would happen. She explained that some women went through it and it was normal.

Rose and Jake had been planning the baby's nursery for a month now. They had picked out the wallpaper and the crib out together. The only thing they hadn't picked out yet was a name.

Rose assured Jake that one would come when they least expected.

Rose grinned as Jake produced a picnic basket and set a blanket down. He had been planning this picnic for awhile now and Rose wasn't surprised by his kindness. But she was surprised at the picnic itself.

"Did I ever tell you that I love you?" Jake asked, bringing Rose closer and giving her a kiss.

"Yeah. But I can stand to hear it again. I love you too, dragonboy. I love you so-" Rose's sentence was cut off by a sharp pain in her stomach. The first sharp pain was followed by another and another.

Rose finally doubled over in pain and started breathing hard. SHE knew there was no getting to the hospital now. They were atop the empire state building and even if Jake flew them to their destination, Rose couldn't wait. The baby was coming and now.

"Rose! Rose, what is it?" Jake asked, oblivious to the reason for his girlfriend's distress.

Rose had been feeling pain all day and Jake had just chalked it up to too much swimming the day before. He had taken Rose and Emily to the local pool and both of his favorite girls had enjoyed themselves. He had invited Haley along, but Haley was going to the mall with Becca.

Rose gave Jake a look that clearly stated she was annoyed.

"Oh, I don't know!" She said, through gritted teeth. "Maybe the baby's coming."

Jake nodded, then what Rose had just said hit him full on.

"Say what!" He exclaimed, totally unprepared to deliver a child.

Rose rolled her eyes, despite the pain she was in. Jake would never change and for that, Rose was grateful.

"The baby's coming." She said, before another contraction hit, making her let out a cry of pain that broke Jake's heart. He wanted nothing more than to take it away, but he knew that wasn't possible.

"Okay. We need to get you to the hospital. Come on, it's gonna be okay. I'll fly you there."

"Jake, no!" Rose exclaimed, pushing his hand away. "I can't wait. She's coming now."

"What! Can't you just tell her to wait? You're her mother, she has to listen to you."

Rose gave Jake a look before another surge of pain engulfed her.

"She's stubborn! At least we know one trait she gets from you! Besides, it's not like I can cross my legs and force her to stay put."

Jake glared at Rose. He let the comment go. There were more important things at hand.

"Well you can at least try, can't you?"

Rose sent him a glare that sent a shiver down his spine.

"Dragon!" Rose growled, her tone one of Huntsgirl.

"Sorry. Okay, let's get focused here." Jake said, trying to dodge Rose's temper.

"Jake, you're gonna have to deliver her." Rose said, squeezing Jake's hand as another contraction hit.

"Say what! No! No way! Sorry, but the AmDrag does NOT deliver babies! I couldn't even stand the sight of blood when Haley cuts her knee."

"Jake, you can do this. I know you can." Rose said, hoping her words of encouragement would help Jake find the strength to do this.

Jake nodded, fueled by Rose's encouraging words. He knew she meant them.

"All right. I can do this. I can do this. What do I do first?"

Rose let out a small laugh that sounded more like a sob.

"Maybe Mom will know what to do." With that, he called his Mom's cell phone. But to Jake's dismay, she wasn't there.

After hanging up, Jake called the only other person he could think of that would help him out. Well this particular creature wasn't exactly a person, but he would hopefully be able to help them out all the same.

"Jake, who are you calling?" Rose asked, another contraction causing her to scream

"Fu. We need help and Mom's not home."

"Fu!" Rose exclaimed. "Jake, we're desperate, but we're not that…OW!"

Jake ignored Rose as he dialed Fu's cell phone.

"Hey, talk to the Fu!" Fu exclaimed in his usual happy tone.

"Fu! Thank goodness you picked up. I need your help! Rose is going in to labor and we can't get to the hospital!"

"And I'm guessing' you want me to try and help you?"

"Do you know ANYTHING about delivering babies?" Jake asked, emphasizing the word 'anything.

"I'm gonna let that one slide, kid. And yeah, I happen to know a thing or two. The main thing is to keep Rose calm. If you can do that, you're doing great already. And don't say anything that will tick her off."

"I think I got that part covered already." Jake said, giving Fu a Look he couldn't see over the phone. "What else?"

"Hold on. I'm looking! All right, once the baby's out, you need to cut the chord and then get Rose and the baby to a hospital to get checked out."

"I know that part already! What do I do in the meantime?"

"Just keep Rose calm and talk her through the pushing. The most important thing is breathing."

"Okay, breathing. Got it."

"OW!" Rose cried as another surge of pain made its way around her abdomen. She glared daggers at Jake. "When this is over, dragon, remind me to slay you!"

Jake let the comment slide and made a mental note to forget to tell her.

"All right, Rose, you're doing great." Jake encouraged. "You're gonna start pushing soon. I'll tell you when." HE then returned to the phone conversation with Fu. "Uh, FU, when should Rose start pushing?"

"After the contractions stop." Fu replied, hoping he was telling Jake the right information.

The contractions stopped five minutes later and Rose started to push. It was painful and tiring, but worth it.

It took Rose an hour, but she was able to do it.

"All right, Rose, last push." Jake said, giving Rose as much encouragement as he could muster. He was nervous, but trying not to show it for Rose's sake.

Rose took a deep breath and screamed in pain as she pushed for the last time.

A baby's cry could be heard two minutes later, much to Rose and Jake's delight.

"You did it!" Jake exclaimed, giving Rose a kiss. "You did it!"

Rose shook her head as she smiled down at her newborn baby girl.

"No, Jake. We did it. I couldn't have done it without your help. I love you, dragonboy."

"I love you too, my Rosebud. More than you'll ever know." With that, Jake leaned over and planted a passionate kiss on Rose's lips.

Rose returned the affection just as the baby started to fuss.

"Aw, are you feeling left out, little one?" Rose asked, patting the baby's shoulder gently. "Mommy and Daddy love you too. We love you so much. And you have a big sister named Emily, who is anxious to meet you too. Yes she is."

Jake smiled at his girlfriend and new daughter. HE loved them both so much. He was very proud of Rose.

It wasn't until Jake heard Fu yelling into the phone, did he realize he had forgotten about him.

"Oh, sorry Fu. I'm here. Everything's fine. She's here. She's so beautiful."

"Did you cut the cord?" Fu asked, wanting to get the last piece of business out of the way.

"Not yet. I'll do that now." Jake then realized that his claws wouldn't do the job. He was too nervous and he didn't want to hurt the baby.

"Jake, listen, I'll help you," Rose offered, her voice strong, but a note of exhaustion in it. With that, she guided Jake's claw to the spot and let him do his job.

After the cord was cut, Jake gathered Rose into his arms and headed for the hospital.

"Well, we did it." Jake said, smiling down at Rose. "It was scary, but we did it. Nothing can go wrong now."

Almost exactly as the words left Jake's mouth, he felt the first drops of rain hit his head.

"You were saying, dragonboy?" Rose said, a smirk on her face.

"Aww man!"