I'm glad that you guys liked Chapter 26! I know that I did!

This chapter switches a lot. It goes from Jacob's P.o.V., to Leah's P.o.V...And then back to Jake's again. Most of it is bittersweet and sad, but there are some 'happy ha-ha' parts here and there.

Before we get to the story, I'm thinking about doing another story, too. Of course, it will be JacobxLeah, but it'll start from when they first met (back when they were four), to when they have their fight and Leah leaves. And there won't be much romance...Maybe little crushes. Oh, and Leah will, of course, be going out with Sam for a little portion of it, but it'll be a Blackwater friendship fic. Doesn't that sound good? It probably won't be a happy ending, but I want to write it so that you guys would have some insight to their past. Does it sound good? Review this chapter and write your opinions. Or, you can PM me. If a majority of you says 'yes,' then I'll go ahead and start writing! Team Seth. Leah and Jake has already given me her opinion. It's a 'yes!' If I get at least four more 'yeses,' then I'll go ahead and write it!

I'm definitely looking forward to hearing from all of you!

~SashaFierce12.0

Chapter 27

Jacob's P.o.V.

"...'Your tender mercies, I see! Day after day...!'" Mom sang. I sat in the back of our beat up old Volkswagen, listening to her sing along to her favorite gospel tape. She wasn't a good singer-no one in our family was!-but I liked hearing her sing.

"Mommy? Do you think Dad will like the gifts we got him?" I asked. I held the yellow gift bag in my hands. I was proud at the gift that I got him...But I wanted Mom's opinion first. She looked in the rearview mirror at me and smiled.

"I think he'll love it, Jakey!" she answered. Then she went back to singing. I kicked my legs back and forth, humming along with her. She played the tape so much, I knew almost all the songs!

I looked outside my window. It was raining really hard. But I've been in La Push since I was four, and I knew how much rain we got here. It was really dark outside, too. I was really scared of the dark, but I didn't tell anyone...

Except Mom...And Leah.

I smiled. Leah was my most best friend in the whole entire world. "Mom? Is Leah gonna' come to Dad's party t'morrow?" I asked. Mom looked at me in the mirror again.

"Yeah. Leah will be there...And Seth...And Sue and Harry. It's gonna' be-" she looked back at the road and gasped. Then she moved the car to the right. I held on to the gift tighter, I was scared. "Hold on, Jake!" she yelled. Then she turned the car into a tree. A giant truck slammed into us hard. Mommy unbuckled her seat belt and flew to the back seat with me. "Jake!" I let go of the gift just as my arm was crushed by the door.

"Ow! My arm!" It really hurt. I started to cry. "Mommy!" Mom was lying next to me, her eyes wide open. "M-mom?" Her eyes moved up and she looked at me. She opened her mouth, but the only noise that came out was a weird raspy sound. She looked down, and I did, too. A giant tree branch was sticking out of her stomach. She looked back up at me. I was crying harder. She reached up and wiped away my tears. Then she smiled and closed her eyes. "Mommy! ...Mom..." I didn't care about my broken arm. It hurt, but nothing hurt more than my mom being gone. I grabbed onto her arm with my good hand. It was really cold.

My tummy really hurt, and I felt dizzy. I rolled over and threw up. When I was done, I held onto Mom's arm again. I stared up at the top of the car until I heard a lot of shouting.

"Hello! Hello? Are there any survivors? Hello!" someone yelled. I turned to the door. I opened my mouth, but all I heard was a gurgly sound. I coughed, and then opened my mouth again.

"I-I'm here!" I yelled as loud as I could. I heard a lot of splashy footsteps.

"I heard something!"

"Over there!"

I saw a light, and then someone broke the window by Mommy. I looked over there. Someone shined a light in my face. "We got a kid in here!" the man yanked open the door. He looked down at Mom. "I'm sorry, Kid, I'm going to have to move her," he said, grunting while he moved Mom out of the way. I blinked tears out of my eyes and sniffed. Then I kissed her hand. The man took her and set her on the wet road. Then he reached for me. "I'll be careful of your arm, okay?" I looked down and blushed.

"I...I threw up," I whispered shyly. The man's eyes softened.

"It's okay. I won't tell anyone," he whispered back. He leaned in and cradled me in his arms. Then he pulled me out. I looked back at Mom's body and started to cry again.

She was dead...And it was all my fault...

My eyes shot open and I sat up. I looked at Leah, who was sleeping soundly. I listened for Jayah, but she was quiet. With my hearing, I could hear her breathing silently. I got out of bed and rubbed my face with my hands. I flinched when my left arm touched my face. Every time I thought about that day, it would always start to ache. And it hurt to touch it.

I threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Then I walked over to Leah and kissed her cheek. Her mouth twitched, but she didn't wake up. I walked to Jayah's room and leaned into her crib to kiss her forehead. I stroked her head, and smiled at her. Then I walked downstairs and put on some shoes. After that, I grabbed my keys and walked outside. I got into my Rabbit and started driving. I didn't know where I was going yet; my hands would guide me. When I recognized where I was driving, I slowed down a little bit. But then I sped up. I stopped my car and got out. I blinked rain drops out of my face and walked through the silver gates. I kept walking until I got there. Kneeling down, I moved old weeds from the stone, revealing her name.

Sarah Jennifer Black

Mother...Wife...Friend

January 23, 1974-May 28, 2003

A tear rolled down my cheek. Eight years ago today, she was killed by that tree branch. And what happened to me? I was stuck with a cast on my left arm for the next two months. It wasn't fair at all. I wiped the tear away from my cheek and sat down next to the gravestone. All of a sudden, she was right there next to me. Sitting on top of her stone. She looked down at it, then she looked at me.

"Jacob..." she started. Her voice was a whisper. I looked at her, then looked back down. She was wearing the clothes that we had buried her in. The pretty blue dress that Dad had gotten her for her birthday. "Jacob. Look at me," she commanded. I did as I was told. I would never disobey her. She grinned; an exact replica of mine. Rachael always told me that I looked like her. "You've grown up so much!" She reached out to touch my shoulder, but her hand went right through me. Instead of her warm and loving hand, I felt a ghostly breeze. Mom shook her head, and continued smiling. "I see you've been keeping La Push safe for everyone!" I nodded and smiled.

"Yeah...But it's been pretty boring lately. No more vampires to chase. I guessed we scared them away when we finally killed Victoria," I shrugged. Mom nodded.

"I know about that. I'm really proud of you guys...How's school?" she asked. I grinned. "Gasp! I made you smile!" she giggled. I laughed along with her.

"I graduated last week," I told her proudly. Mom gasped and clapped her hands.

"My little Jakey's all graduated! I'm so proud of you!" I looked back out at all of the other gravestones. Then I turned back to her.

"Mom...A couple of months ago-"

"I know. You imprinted. On Leah. I'm so happy for you! You've know each other for so long...! You guys are great together. How're you two doing?" I smiled again.

"Me and Leah...Leah and I...We welcomed Jayah Emily Sarah Clearwater-Black into the world last week. Your first grandchild, Mom..." I looked down, thinking about my little Jayah. Mom made a little gasping sound.

"Jayah...Such a pretty name," she whispered.

"She's beautiful, Mom. Big brown eyes...Silky black hair...She's gorgeous," I breathed.

"Does she sleep through the night yet?" Mom asked. I laughed.

"She's keeping us awake, I'll tell you that! But not as much as her first night at home. We had no sleep!" I laughed again, and Mom laughed with me.

"Reminds me of you. You were always a mommy's boy. You never wanted me to set you down! Forget about getting any sleep! You practically kept the whole neighborhood up with your screaming and carrying on!" she giggled again. I sighed and listened to her. I missed her laugh.

We talked for a while after that...Until it started to get light outside. We laughed and we cried a little...I told her about the Pack and the imprints...About our new friendship with the Cullens...And how I was working for Sam, and taking college classes online. Every time it got brighter, it seemed like Mom was disappearing. At dawn, I could see right through her. She sucked in a breath.

"I have to go now, Jake," she whispered. My eyes started to fill with tears again. I didn't want her to go. It was like old times...When we were together. How we could talk forever about nothing at all. I blinked back my tears and stood up.

"I'll miss you," I choked out. "I'll bring Jayah by soon...Even if I don't see you...You'll see her." Mom nodded, and became more and more invisible. Right now, I had to kind of squint my eyes to see her. And I had enhanced sight!

"I'll miss you, too. I love you, Jake," she whispered. Then she was gone. I couldn't see her anymore.

"Mom?" I asked. I didn't want to actually believe that she was gone from me again. But I knew that I had to. I looked down. A cool breeze blew by me, and I shivered despite my body heat. I looked at her gravestone again. "Bye..." I started walking back to the Rabbit. I got in and drove back home.

I opened the door and walked inside. I instantly heard Jayah's cries. I rushed to her room so Leah didn't have to get up. I picked up my daughter and began rocking her. She stopped crying.

"So you just wanted to be held?" I asked in amusement. She went back to sleep after a couple of seconds. "C'mon. Let's go downstairs. We can make Mommy some breakfast." I held her close to me and walked back downstairs. I set her carefully in her playpen, making sure that she was warmly in her blanket.

I walked to the kitchen and began to make pancakes and eggs. When the pancakes were done, and neatly set in a pile on a plate, I looked at the clock on top of the stove.

8:34

Leah should be waking up soon. I began making eggs. Then I turned and smiled when I saw Leah walking downstairs. She yawned and stretched out her arm.

"Hey, Daddy," she joked. I grinned.

"Hey, Mommy. Did you sleep well?" I asked her. She walked to the playpen and touched Jayah's head. Then she walked to the stool at the breakfast nook.

"I was...Until I saw that you weren't next to me," she pouted. "But then I got happy again when I smelled food." I turned around and put some eggs on a plate for her. Then I put some pancakes next to it. Leah went to the pantry and took out the syrup. "What about you?"

"Hm?" I asked. My mouth was full of eggs. Leah squirted some syrup on her pancakes.

"Did you sleep good?" she asked. I swallowed and contemplated on what to tell her. I drove to the graveyard and talked to my mother's ghost?

Hell, no! At the closest chance she could get, she would most likely drive me to a nut house.

"I had a dream...About Mom..." I answered finally. Her eyes softened. "...The day of the crash...I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. So I paid her a visit." I cut a piece of my pancake and put it in my mouth.

"Sorry I asked. I didn't realize the date," Leah blushed. I shook my head.

"S'okay. I would have brought it up some time today, anyway." We were silent for a few minutes. That was until the door opened. Alice walked in dragging Jasper in behind her. The rest of the Cullens and Sue followed.

"'Morning to you, too!" Leah laughed, standing up to put her plate in the sink. Then she went into the pantry and took out the jar of formula. She looked in the dishwasher and pulled out a bottle.

"What kind of day would it be if we didn't come over?" Alice asked. She walked to the playpen and picked up Jayah. "Hello, my little Blue Jay! You are so cute when you're napping, yes you are!" Alice cooed. Leah rolled her eyes and shook up Jayah's bottle.

"You wanna' feed her for me? I have to go get dressed," Leah asked, holding out Jayah's bottle. Alice nodded eagerly and took the bottle from her. Then she sat down and began feeding Jayah. I stood up and began washing dishes.

"Let me take care of that, Jake," Sue said. She took the dishrag out of my hand. "I'm bored, and I need something to do." She bumped me out of the way with her hip and laughed.

"Thanks," I told her. I dried off my hands and walked into the living room. Rosalie and Emmett were engrossed in some show on TV. Jasper was watching Alice feed Jayah, and Edward was heading over to our piano. He had given it to us as a 'housewarming gift.' I found it kind of funny, because neither me or Leah could play. I think it was so he could have a piano away from home. I walked over towards him. He had began to play a tune that I didn't recognize. I didn't listen to classical music.

"You should," Edward said to me. Great. He was listening to my thoughts. "It's calming." He played some more.

"Yeah. For you! I would probably fall asleep after the first two seconds!" Edward laughed. "When Jayah gets older, you should teach her to play. That'll be nice." Edward nodded and started to play something else. Then he smiled.

"Want to learn a song? I promise, it's so easy, Emmett could play it." I heard Emmett growl from the living room. I laughed and pulled up a chair.

"Okay, teach me." Edward pointed to a white key.

"Every time I pause, you just hit that one note. Got it?" I nodded, smiling. Edward began to play, and every time he paused, I hit the key. I laughed as I did so, it was funny. When he ended, he gave me a high five. "Told you it was easy!" I laughed with him. The door opened, and everyone else who wasn't at our house came in.

"Where's Dad, Rach?" I asked Rachael. She sat down next to Paul. She looked at me with sad eyes, and my question was answered. "Oh..." I said. He did it every year on this day. He would sit in the living room all day and stare at her picture. I used to try and get him to stop, it was so sad to see him that way...But it was always no use. Soon, we-me and my sisters-would just leave him like that. I would do everything in my power to stay away from him. And I still do...At least on today. I shook my head and walked to the living room with a smile on my face. Alice had already burped Jayah, and was cradling her in her arms. I held out my hands and Alice handed her to me.

"It's time to get you, Miss Jayah, ready for today," I kissed her cheek. I took her upstairs to her room and set her on the changing table. After changing her and putting her pajamas in the dirty clothes hamper, I walked to the closet. Alice and Rosalie have been working nonstop making clothes for Jayah. Her closet was filled with dresses and other clothes. I pulled out a pink and white overall set. I turned around and held it out. "You like this, Jay? Cry if you don't." Jayah didn't make a sound. She just kicked her legs around and looked up at the ceiling. I smiled and put it on her. I was happy she didn't start crying. After the dress was on, I put white socks on her.

"My baby looks sexy!" Leah exclaimed, walking in the room. She laughed and rummaged through a drawer. She pulled out a white headband with a giant fake daisy on the front. She stretched it over Jayah's head and turned it to the side. "Lookin' good, Blue Jay!" she laughed. She picked Jayah up with a kiss. I smiled at my two girls.

"You look good, too, Lee," I said. Leah looked down at herself. She was just in jeans and a nice blouse. But I liked it. It showed she didn't try too hard. Leah rolled her eyes and walked out of the room. I followed her.

"There she is!" Jazmyn squealed from her place on the couch. She jumped up and grabbed Jayah from Leah's arms. "You look so cute today!" she turned back to Leah. "What's the occasion?"

"What? I can't play dress up with my daughter once in a while?" Leah laughed. She sat down by Seth and soon they were talking. I looked out the window...And there she was. Mom was standing there. She looked at me, smiled, and then looked at Jayah in Jazmyn's arms. Her eyes softened. I leaned down and pecked Leah on the cheek.

"I'll be right back, okay?" Leah nodded. I walked outside and onto the porch. Mom was still standing there.

"And here I was thinking that I'd never see you again," I joked. Mom turned to me. I could see through her, but not as much as I could earlier this morning. "Didn't I tell you?" Mom grinned.

"Yeah, you did," she looked down. "I stopped by the house earlier...Your father...I've never seen him so sad." I looked out at the path back towards Dad's house. "Go see him, Jake. He needs you."

"Mom, I've tried to, you know, cheer him up. But it happens every year. He shuts himself in the house and doesn't come out. I've tried...Rachael...Even Rebecca, but we can never do it." Mom walked towards me...Actually, she floated. I hadn't realized that her feet were gone.

"Just do it...For me?" her ghostly hand moved down towards my cheek. I felt a cool breeze. I closed my eyes for a second, remembering the time when it was full of warmth. When I opened them back up, she was gone. I sighed and walked down the porch steps. I headed to Dad's.

When I came up to the house, I stopped. I stared at the windows. They were dark. I tried to see into them, and I could see Dad in there. He was seated in his wheelchair staring at the TV screen. The dim light coming from it illuminated his face. I took a deep breath and walked in. He didn't even acknowledge that anyone was here. I waited there for a few seconds, unsure of what to do. Finally, my eyes rested on the TV screen. He was watching the home movies that we had made. My mother's face was in all of them. I smiled sadly at the video of my eighth birthday party. I had on a party hat, and she was next to me with a similar hat on. I remembered how she had helped me blow out the trick candles. I watched as we laughed time after time again when they kept popping back on. We had been so happy then, and I took it for granted, not knowing that it would be the last birthday that she ever spent with me.

I hadn't noticed that I was crying until I felt something fall off the edge of my chin. I didn't wipe it away, though. I sniffed, and Dad kind of moved his head towards the right. He didn't say anything.

"I think about her all the time, Dad. And when I do, I always feel guilty. It doesn't seem fair how she died and all I got was a stupid broken arm...!" I whispered hoarsely. My left arm throbbed with pain, but I ignored it. "...I was asking her a question. It was stupid...But I had been so concerned about it. It was dark...And raining. Hard. But she decided to pay attention to me instead. She looked in the rearview mirror. And started to answer it..." my voice broke. "...B-but then...Then she looked back at the road, and swerved violently. We ran into a tree. She jumped into the back seat with me, just as a truck came and hit the other side of the car...It crushed my arm. I didn't know what to do. I laid there...And I called her name. She didn't answer. I looked at her...And saw the tree branch in her stomach. I was crying, and she reached up to wipe away my tears. Then..." I squeezed my eyes shut and looked down. I was shaking. But not the usual tremors that I felt when I was about to phase. I was practically sobbing. "...Then she closed her eyes. I called her name a couple more times after that...I didn't want to believe that she was actually gone. But she was. And I couldn't do a damn thing about it." I opened my eyes back up again. My dad was staring back at the TV screen. This video was the one we had made on our trip to Seattle. Mom was all smiles. She let out a giggle as she pushed Dad's wheelchair to the Space Needle. I vaguely remembered that. I was only about six at the time. It was when Dad first got his wheelchair. It was new, but we were adjusting.

I looked back at Dad. He shook with inaudible sobs. "It's not. It's not your fault, and it never has been. It was all in God's will. He wanted to take her, and He took her. No questions asked." He wiped his eyes. End of sentence. I stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do. Finally, I walked out of the house. I continued crying, and I couldn't stop. It was as if dam keeping all my tears inside me had cracked...And then finally broke. I ran into the forest, taking off my clothes in the process. Then I phased. I ran to The Spot. I stopped there and stared at the tree, forever bent where Mom's car had crashed into it. I sat down on my haunches and stared at it. Big tears fell out of my eyes and down my fur. I howled. Someone phased and I laid down on my stomach. Tears blurred my vision as I continued staring at the tree.

"Jake?" Embry asked.

"Yeah." Even in my thoughts, my voice shook. Through Embry's thoughts I could see his pitiful face. I growled. "Stop! Just...I want everyone to stop!" I growled some more and stood up. I phased back and retraced my steps to pick up my clothes. Slowly, I made my way back towards my house. When I could see it, I wiped the tears from my face. But I knew that they would know that I'd been crying. I didn't need a mirror to know that my eyes were rimmed with red. I squeezed them shut and opened the door. Then I opened them again. Everyone kind of paused when they saw me, then went back to what they were doing. Leah looked worried, and stood up. She walked over to me, bouncing Jayah in her arms.

"What's wrong, Jake?" she asked. New tears sprang to my eyes. I wasn't able to stop the single tear that fell off the tip of my nose. I looked at Leah, and hoped that she could read minds. I wanted to be alone. I started to walk up the stairs, and knew that she hadn't gotten my telepathic message. She handed Jayah to someone, and followed me. "Jacob, what's wrong?" she asked again. I kept walking upstairs.

"I want to be alone, Leah," I told her. Being the stubborn person she is, she kept following me to our room. Tears started to fall fast again.

"Jacob, just tell me-"

"Nothing. Nothing's..." I plopped onto the bed and put my face in my hands. I started to shake with more sobs. The spot on the bed next to me sank down a little bit from the weight of Leah's body. She hugged me the best she could in the position that we were in. I leaned into her.

"It's okay..." she started. I shook my head and looked up at her.

"No. It's not. It was all my fault. If I hadn't asked her that stupid question..." I looked back down, wishing that I had some sort of time machine that could send me back to that car ride. "...It's my fault..."

0000000000000000000000

Leah's P.o.V.

I held Jacob in my arms. His head was lying on my lap, and I stoked his hair. I hadn't seen him cry since he was eight. Sure, he let a tear or two slip when Jayah was born, but this was different. He was totally and utterly...

Crying. Sobbing. That thing a human did when they were sad. Big, fat tears rolled from his blood-shot eyes. It was so hard seeing him like this. He had survived seven other years without Sarah...And I guess it was just all getting to him now.

I held Jacob some more, until I heard his steady breathing. I looked down, and saw that he was sleeping. Poor guy...I knew that he had woken up early this morning. I watched him put on clothes, and then finally leave. I knew that he had had a bad dream. And it kept him up. That was at around two. Right now, it was ten in the morning. I knew that he hadn't gotten any sleep. Plus, he needed the rest. Jayah was still keeping us awake.

I moved his head off my lap and on to the mattress. Then I got up and moved his legs so they were lying on the mattress as well. I looked at his tear-streaked face. Usually, he looked peaceful when he was asleep. But right now he didn't. He looked like he was in pain. I knew that it hurt him. He really did think that it was all his fault...His mother was more than just a mother to him.

She was like his best friend.

I took my housecoat and threw it over him. Then I turned out the light and walked downstairs. Everyone was still there, and Esme, Mom, and Emily were in the kitchen making dinner. Jayah was in her playpen napping. I sat down next to Seth and huffed out a breath.

"He's sleeping right now," I whispered to no one in particular. "I haven't seen him like that in such a long time. It scared me." Seth and some of the other guys looked at the stairs leading to our room.

"He was at that spot on the high way today," Embry said. He looked at me. "By what I could see, he was pretty torn up." I nodded.

"He is. He explained the whole story to me. Everything. He thinks it's his fault." Rachael started shaking her head.

"It most definitely is not!" then she looked back at the stairs, and spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "...I didn't even know he thought of it like that." It was silent after that, except for the noise of pots clanging in the kitchen, and the baseball game on TV. I finally stood up and decided to help with dinner. It was my house, after all.

"What are we cooking?" I asked, squirting some sanitizer on my hands. I rubbed them together as Esme cut up some peppers.

"Spaghetti and meatballs. You want to help? Can you take that meat over there and roll it into spheres?" she gestured with her head towards a stack of packaged beef. I nodded and got to work. As I rolled the meat up, I thought about Jacob. I took glances at the stairs.

I didn't know that he felt like that, either. We had never talked about Sarah's death since we were eight. It was a promise that we had made. Sure, we shared memories about her, but never had we talked about the crash...

That was...Until today.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when Jayah started crying.

"Don't worry! I got her!" Rosalie exclaimed. I smiled appreciatively at her, and returned to rolling up meat balls. After I was finished, I put them in a bowl and took it to Esme and Mom.

"Finished," I announced. Mom smiled.

"Awesome. I'll put them in the oven," she replied. I washed my hands and went to Rosalie to retrieve Jayah from her. I held out my hands.

"I believe you have something of mine?" I asked, giggling. Rosalie laughed with me and held Jayah out to me. "What was wrong with her?" Rosalie shrugged.

"I think she just wanted to be held." I nodded and cuddled Jayah close to me.

"Mommy loves you, my little Blue Jay!" I plopped down on the couch and planted kisses on her face.

"Claire loves Jayah, too!" Claire exclaimed, climbing onto the couch next to me. I sat Jayah on my lap so she could look at her 'cousin.' Claire knew to be careful around her, and gently touched Jayah's nose. Jayah instantly scrunched it up and sneezed. I laughed. "Eww! S'lobbry!" Claire giggled. She jumped off the couch. "Hi, Jakey!" she exclaimed. I turned and looked at Jacob. His eyes were still red, and he was rubbing one of them. He sniffed and looked down. He kind of smiled, but it looked forced.

"Hey, Claire-Bear," he reached down and ruffled her hair. I quickly turned back towards the others and shook my head.

Don't talk about you-know-who! Dang, I hope everyone could read my face. Some of them nodded, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Jacob walked over to me and kneeled down on his knees, his arms lying on the arm rest. He looked at Jayah.

"Hey, honey," he whispered hoarsely to her. Jayah opened her eyes at the sound of his voice. She kicked her feet around, and started whimpering. I smiled and handed her to Jake. He took her and stood up.

"Mind putting her down for me, Jake?" I asked. He nodded and walked up the stairs, humming along the way. I turned to Paul.

"Toss me the baby monitor, will you?" I asked him. I held my hand up and caught it when it was thrown at me. I turned it on.

"What are you doing?" Emmett asked. I smiled and put a finger to my lips.

"This is what I do when he thinks I'm sleeping. When he goes to Jayah's to check on her, I turn on the monitor." I listened, and then shushed everyone. I listened to Jake humming.

00000000000000000000

Jacob's P.o.V.

"Nap time, Princess," I whispered to Jayah. I walked into her room and turned on the lamp. Then I set her down in her crib. She started to whimper and whine. "C'mon, Jay. Sleep..." I whispered. She didn't stop. I sighed and started to hum. "You're really gonna' make me do this? You and I both know that I have the singing voice of a dying moose!" I hummed some more, and began to sing softly. "...Your loving kindness, towards me. Your tender mercies, I see; day after day..." I sang Mom's favorite hymn. Tears sprang to my eyes again, and I blinked them back. It hurt. Really bad. My eyes were still really red and they stung.

I stroked Jayah's back and continued singing some more. Then I went back to humming. She was asleep in no time. I leaned down and kissed her; right on her cheek. It was the same place Mom kissed me every morning I woke up, every afternoon when I got home from school, and every night when she tucked me in to bed. I couldn't help the tears that started falling at that moment.

"Sleep tight, Jayah. I'll be here when you wake up, I promise," I told her, my voice cracking. Mom said that to me every night. I used to have a fear of the dark, believe it or not, and she would tell me this every night when she tucked me in. I was going to continue it, even if Jayah was too little to actually have fears yet. I leaned down and kissed her again, then turned off the lamp. I closed the door, but left it open a crack, out of habit. I wiped my eyes as I walked downstairs.

"Jacob, don't do that. It'll only make your eyes hurt more!" Rachael scolded, walking towards me. I paused and looked at her. She sounded so much like Mom. I dropped my hands to my side.

"Yes, ma'am," I replied sarcastically. I rolled my eyes and continued to the kitchen. Sue was putting some spaghetti noodles into a giant bowl. Esme poured on some sauce after that. She smiled when she was done, and cupped her hands to her mouth like a megaphone.

"Food's ready!" she yelled. Everyone stood up, but she held up her hand. "Ladies first!"

When everyone else was situated and had their food, I sat down next to Leah. She chewed, and then knitted her eyebrows together.

"You're not eating?" she asked. I shook my head and looked down.

"I'm not hungry, I guess," I replied numbly. I put my left arm on the armrest of the couch, then yanked it back again. It really hurt.

Great. Now I sound like a whiny kid.

"Since Jake's not eating, can I get his share?" Jazmyn asked, her hand raised in the air. Everyone laughed. I cracked a smile.

"You don't have to raise your hand, Jazz. We're not in school," Collin laughed. Jazmyn giggled and returned to her food. I sat back and sighed. This always happened.

One day. One day out of the whole entire year. Today. This specific day. I can never be happy. After Mom's death, I never learned to move on. And, come to think of it, neither has Dad. I wanted to move on, I really did.

I just never thought it'd be this hard.

I squeezed my eyes shut again, ignoring the sting. Leah leaned her head on my shoulder.

"You okay, Blue?" she asked. I opened my eyes again and stared at the wall.

"Hangin' in there, Red," I replied quietly. I turned to the window and saw Mom again. She raised her head, then floated down the porch. I moved Leah gently. "I'll be right back." She nodded, and stared at me as I quickly walked out of the house. I shut the door behind me and crossed my arms, looking at Mom. "Three times in one day. Am I in trouble, or something?" Mom shook her head and looked up.

"This will be the last time you'll ever see me, Jake," she whispered. My head shot up.

"N-no. Mom...Mom! I need you...!" I whisper-yelled. I reached out to put my hands on her shoulders, then remembered, and put them back by my sides. "Y-you can't leave me." Again, tears sprang to my eyes. I started to shake again. "I...I'll never forgive myself. You shouldn't have been the one in the casket that day...It should have been me."

"No! Don't say that! Be happy, Jake. Be happy that it wasn't you. Be happy that you're living...And that you have a wonderful imprint and beautiful daughter. Be-"

"I can't just 'be happy,' Mom. I can't. It's not that easy." Mom snorted a humorless laugh.

"Don't I know it." We stared at each other for a few moments. Big, fat tears continued to roll down my cheeks. "It's time for me to leave now, Jacob." I looked down.

"You promised. You promised you would never, ever, ever leave me. And you pinky swore on it, too," I whispered. I didn't care that I sounded like a blubbering child right now.

Not at all.

"And I'm still staying true to that promise. I haven't left you, and I never will. I've always been with you...Remember when you were ten, and you almost fell off that ladder?" Mom asked. I stared at her. Of course I did. The ladder had tipped way back, and I was sure that I would fall. I held on for dear life, waiting for the impact, but it never came. My eyes were squeezed shut the whole time, and when I reopened them, the ladder was back neatly as it was before. I had looked around for anyone that was around. Maybe they had saved me. But no one was there.

"Y-you?" I asked, my voice shaking. Mom nodded her head.

"Me. So, you see? Just because you can't see me, doesn't mean that I'm not here. I always have been. But...If it makes you feel better..." she held out her pinky. "I promise that I, Sarah Jennifer Black, will never, ever, ever leave you, Jacob Ephraim Black." I smiled a little. I held out my pinky for her to shake. She reached for it, and, for a split second, I could feel her warmth. But it was gone all too soon. Her ghostly hand slid right through mine. She rolled her eyes and huffed. Then she looked back up. It was dark, but the full moon lit up the sky. She looked back at me. "I love you, Jacob. Give Rachael and Rebecca big kisses for me...And keep Billy strong. Tell them I love them with all my..." she looked down and smiled. "...unbeating heart." She giggled. I gave a short laugh. Mom floated back a little, and looked at me again, her eyes sparkling and full of love. Tears were still falling fast down my cheeks. She raised her hand and waved. I tried to wave back, but my arm was glued to my side...

...And when I finally got it up, she was gone.

Yeah...Not the happiest ending...

You know the drill.

~SashaFierce12.0