Copyright disclaimer: Twilight and all recognizable characters are sole property of Stephenie Meyer.

Chapter 23: Starting Over

Jacob had been watching her for a few minutes since he opened his eyes. Bella mumbled and started to stir. Her hands patted over his bare chest and her eyes sprang open. He smiled at her shocked expression.

"Jake, it's really you."

"Yeah, in the flesh, just like you." She then moved her hand over her own body.

He pulled her closer. "We're naked?"

"Of course, it's for healing purposes only." She smiled before closing the distance between them. It was their first kiss on the lips in over two weeks, "or maybe for a few more reasons. Ahhh, you feel so damn good." Jacob didn't want to think about loosening his hold, he was so happy to have her in his arms again, but he needed to see how she was feeling.

She realized she had an IV in her arm. He held up his opposite arm to show her his matching one. "Carlisle says if you drink this morning, we can get these out."

"Good, but why do you have one? I think I missed something when I was out of it."

Jacob told her how as soon as he was in her direct proximity, he also became consumed by fever and infection. Reuniting was going to bring them back around but Carlisle wanted them to have a boost and to get better rapidly with no pain involved. He gave them hydration and medication through the IV.

She tried to remember the dramatic conclusion, but only knew bits and pieces. He intended to fill her in. "Edward and Caius?"

"Dust in the wind, both of them. Damn, honey. That wolfman told Rose, you rigged all that explosive shit. Is that true? Because, I gotta hand it to you. Killing him was almost too easy. You fucked him up."

She held up her arms to flex both biceps, "Tiny human woman, mighty mind... vampires are no match."

He laughed, but he meant it. She was an asset to that rescue mission going so smoothly and swiftly. He never underestimated her, for sure, but that was above and beyond what he expected.

"I'm so glad to hear the world is rid of them. No one on our side was hurt, were they?"

"Nope, all those that joined me on the rescue mission are present and accounted for."

"Oh my gosh, did Gabriel make it out? What about Damien?"

Jacob's chest rumbled. Those two werewolves didn't mesh well with the pack. They were distrustful of the vamps too, but Carlisle had managed to contain them. "Leave it to you to get involved with true werewolves, is there any supernatural being you won't befriend?"

She swatted at him. "I didn't have a choice if I wanted to live. Gabriel is actually quiet remarkable and you all better be nice to him. He saved my life. You got my note, I presume?"

"Yeah, yeah. That's why the guys backed down, but Lahote was about to rumble with that other one, Damien. He's not quite as tame."

"What's Carlisle doing to help?"

Jacob wasn't sure but he was using some medications to try and calm them. He had them safely tucked away for a few days because of the full moon, but they both had been reassured Carlisle would treat them humanely, not the way they were accustomed to.

Her demeanor changed when she brought up something that weighed heavily on both of them. "I saw Linx die. He was trying to protect me to the bitter end. It was awful. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it."

"I know, I'm so sorry. He's a true hero and we're going to pay him back as best as we can."

"His daughter."

"Yes, she's ours as soon as she's born."

"I know. I dreamed her."

"You did? So did I, among other things."

"Meaning?"

"We'll talk about it later. I don't want you to strain so much first thing." Jacob told her they were waiting on her to hold Linx's memorial. She insisted they do something special to honor his memory as soon as she could pull it together. "We will, honey. I promise."

"I've been torturing myself with this but what about Embry? He's okay or you would have said a memorial for both of them. I'm so relieved. I mean, I knew all along the children were safe but I never knew what might have happened to Emb."

"Yes, honey, the kids are fine other than missing you like crazy. You're right, Embry didn't die but he isn't exactly okay either." Jacob told her about the shot, the lifesaving surgery in the midst of the woods because he was too unstable to move. "He's having a really hard time coming to grips with the amputation. It's been so hard on him being disconnected from the pack. We've been out 24/7 on the search. I stopped by whenever I could, but I think he resents me in a way. I told Carlisle to take the leg. There wasn't enough time to ask Samantha but she would have said the same thing."

"I need to see him."

"You know, I think that's exactly what he needs to start healing completely. Physically, he healed rapidly once the doc removed the leg but mentally, he has a ways to go and part of that is the guilt he holds onto. He thinks he should've sensed something sooner."

"It's not his fault."

"I know, he'll get better. He just needs more time. I'm sure of it."

Bella kissed his mouth again. "There's just one more thing I need."

Jacob kinda wiggled in closer already feeling his body react to her flesh and kisses. She shook her head side to side. "Down boy, not that. Give me a few more days of recuperation. My babies, Jake. Where are my children? Tell me they are on the way here."

Shot down, but he understood why. He wasn't really trying for that so soon. "Sure, sure. I sent out texts as soon as I woke up. Paul is bringing AJ, he's been hanging out with Wyatt. Those two are going to be trouble when they get older."

She blurted out what Edward told her, "He didn't phase did he?"

"Yes, but only to save Brooklyn with Tiki. We got him back and he hasn't shown any signs since. Carlisle thinks the wolf will stay dormant as long as there isn't another emergency."

"Oh good and that's my smart girl, Takani. I told you we needed a dog. Ha. I'm always right."

"Yeah, yeah. You've got a knack for being a know-it-all. That's the best damn dog in the world. I'm convinced of that fact and for the record, I don't anticipate anymore emergencies for the rest of our lives. I'm so over them."

"Me too. How's my sweet baby girl? I actually still have milk for her. It's a long story but Gabriel bought me a pump. I bet she's forgotten though."

"Actually, no because Leah's volunteered to be her wet nurse and for some reason, I knew you wouldn't have a problem with that. I thought it was an amazing offer."

Bella got all teary again. "What? That's beautiful. Wow, my sister rocks. I love her." She told Jacob she wanted to sit up and find some clothes, maybe get cleaned up before the kids got there. He helped her pull on a robe and asked Sue to come in for a little help. She said they both looked so good, she could take out their IVs.

Right before Jacob was ready to take her to the shower, Bella had a visitor. "Dad," she walked into Charlie's arms. "I'm so happy to be home."

"Me too, kiddo. This about destroyed us all. I think I have a thousand more gray hairs. You look so much better than when we got you here last night. This husband of yours, he never gave up, you know."

Jacob kept those few moments of hopelessness to himself. He would tell her everything when she ready. He'd tell her about the rest of the family they'd one day add to the mix and all about seeing Ness and Taha Aki. The kids were the next priority of the morning. Charlie gave them privacy, so they could get ready. They still had a few obstacles ahead, like the memorial and helping Embry. There was still the question of what to do with those two werewolves, but Carlisle claimed to have a plan. Jacob forgot what it felt like to not have intense worry hanging over him. He definitely felt a bit lighter.

The following day, they decided on visiting Embry. She hugged his neck and told him how happy she was to be able to look into his eyes again. Bella and Embry had a long talk in private. She knew what it was like to harbor resentment and hold onto unnecessary guilt. "You're still you and I know Samantha thinks so too. We all know it and we'll help anyway we can, but you're the one that needs to accept it now." She couldn't imagine what it must feel like to be so strong, robust and active only to have your whole world flipped on its axis.

They talked for almost an hour. By the end of their conversation, she thought he was in much better spirits. "It's nice to see that beautiful smile again, Emb."

"Same here. Thanks for coming today while you're still recovering." Bella almost felt like herself. The reunion with Jake was the best treatment possible.

"You know, I have it on good authority, there might be a new baby on the horizon and I'm not just talking about us."

"She's not pregnant yet."

"Yeah but as soon as she graduates, she told me you two were going to try and we all know how it is with you guys, try means your wife is knocked up within the month."

He expressed one area of concern. "I don't even know about trying to find a new leg. There's no medical history. It almost seems impossible to go to any doctor. What if I never get the chance to run and play ball with my kids or teach them how to swim, surf or anything like that."

"Carlisle's already working on it, didn't they tell you?"

"What? No, I hadn't talked about it with anyone."

"I swear, by the time he's done with the search, you'll have the best prosthetic limb on the market. Have you seen some of the ones offered to disabled vets that want to maintain their active lifestyle? You'll be running again in no time, just in time to be standing by Samantha's side when you two welcome your first child."

"Yeah, maybe, but I'll never run with the pack again." He added, eventually he'd wanted to stop phasing but it hurt to lose it at once. "I don't even feel him there. It took everyone else months but my wolf abandoned me in an instant."

Bella hugged him tight. "I don't think that's what he did. I think he's protecting you while you heal. It'd be too rough if he was itching to get out when it's not possible for you to give in. He's still a part of you and like Jacob says, 'pack's always pack.' That's how it is with Sam, Jared, Leah and all the mates."

Before Bella left, Embry said he really needed to speak to Jacob. She waited at the table with Samantha for another half hour or so. She wasn't sure what those two said to one another but Jacob looked a little misty when he came back out.

"You ready?" Both women bit their lips, not sure what to say. "What? Why's everybody looking at me like that? Let's go Bells, so Sammi can take care of that sentimental sap she's married to. I've had too much male bonding for today."

There was one more meeting Bella insisted on. Jacob firmly said, "No," but that wasn't going to fly.

"They'll always be my extended family. I have to see how they're doing. Edward was their son, brother, family."

Jacob insisted that they had buried the Edward that was a part of their family long ago. The Cullens had been on her side and with the pack for years. "Not to mention, I don't want you anywhere near those werewolves yet."

"Jake, Gabriel is my friend. He would never hurt me."

In the end, she won out, but they compromised. He went to the Cullens with her. Bella knew what Jacob said was right, but she could really see the sadness and loss they were experiencing, especially with Esme. They knew it had to be done, but it didn't make it any easier even though they never had false hope, he wouldn't change. Carlisle was excited to tell her a little more about how the werewolves were adjusting. He accomplished calming Damien down for the first time ever according to Gabriel.

"They're both extraordinary. Rosalie has been sharing her collection of law books with Damien. He's a voracious reader and Gabriel is amazed at the advances in modern medicine. I promise, I'll make sure they're cared for. They need supervision and I can't send them back to Europe, so trust we'll maintain responsibility for them."

Jacob even agreed to a meeting. He wanted to personally thank Gabriel for saving her. He was tense in their presence but hopefully, over time, the pack and the werewolves could coexist, similar to the way they learned to get along with the Cullens.

Gabriel reached out his arms for Bella as they were leaving that afternoon. They both looked to Jake and he nodded, but he kept one hand on her the entire time. Bella gave him a quick hug and kiss on the cheek. "You're finally going to have a good life. I'm happy for both of you."

The day finally arrived, the pack would lay Linx to rest. It was a somber occasion but Bella knew it would be a healing experience. She and Jacob were feeling a hundred percent within a couple of days. The minute her children were in her arms again that first morning back, she knew she would be strong for them. They were precious miracles. She fretted many times in the dark during her captivity that their young minds might block her out after so many days away, but it wasn't so. AJ leaped into her lap without hesitation and threw his arms around her neck, "Mommy home!" She was certain he'd grown, but Jacob told her to stop worrying. He was still a kid and all momma's boy for several more years. Brooke nuzzled against her in an instant as well. Bella recognized she was soon rooting for her nursies and Sue advised her it was safe. She knew the antibiotics and pain killers weren't contraindicated, so thanks to Aunt Leah, she was still able to resume her special time with her daughter.

They had a simple service. All the pack and Linx's mother attended. Bella had her favorite picture of him blown up. Some of the guys shared memories of him. They had a table with pictures and mementos where his urn sat. Billy gave a very moving talk that highlighted the sacrifices all great warriors make, some pay the ultimate price. It was an emotional day for all of them. Bella hadn't had a chance to speak to Abby, but she found her during the reception that was held after the memorial.

"Hey, can we talk in private?"

"Yes, of course."

"Jacob says it's okay, but you've both been through so much. It's only a couple months away."

"We're already committed if this is truly what you want."

"It is. For once, I wanna do the right thing. I only have a couple of requests." Bella wondered if Abigail would want contact with her daughter. She had weighed the options in her mind and with Jake. Did they want to do a fully open an adoption, but then Abby's record wasn't so great. They had to do what was best for their daughter. Turns out, she didn't even bring that up. "Could you please tell her that I wasn't completely terrible whether you disagree with that statement or not."

"Of course, I would never speak ill of you. I will tell her you put her welfare above anything else and that you loved her and always will."

"I do. I honestly thought with Linx, we'd managed. He was so generous and that was never my strong suit, but alone, I'm just not going to be able to do what I should. She deserves better. Everyone knows you and Jacob have an epic love story. You make good money and well, you did have a great house, I guess you'll have another one eventually. Your kids have a great life and I want her to be a part of that."

"We will love her so much, Abby. I promise."

"One more thing."

"Sure, what is it?"

"Linx loved lilies. That's why I told Jake to order those for the service."

"Yeah, I remember. I like lilies too."

"I wasn't sold on the name, but I think he wanted her to be Lily. You can talk it over with Jacob, but it might be nice if that was her name or maybe her middle name. It's up to you. I just wanted you to know. Well, my friends are out there waiting on me. I can't really be around all this too much more, but tell Emily I'll be home before too late."

That night once the kids were asleep, Bella talked to Jacob about her conversation with Abby. "Lily, huh?"

"Yeah. Is that alright?"

"Sure, sure. Our new daughter is Lily. I can't wait to meet her."

"I haven't forgotten how you used to bring up adoption to me when biological children weren't possible."

"Yeah and you always shot me down. See, you aren't the only one that's right sometimes. I can be right occasionally. I always knew in my heart, you had so much to offer to a child in need. I think it's going to be amazing. We're rescuing that little girl, she most definitely needs us."

"I'm never going to stop missing her father, but it will be special to always have a part him."

Abby reminded Bella of one more thing that they'd put off discussing. "Jake, where are we going to live?"

He blew out an exaggerated breath, "I've been making calls and I've already filed all the insurance paperwork, but I'm not sure yet."

"I need to go there. I have to see it with my own eyes."

"Bells, come on, not yet. It's not pretty. You've had a long couple of weeks, the kidnapping, captivity, the illness and we just buried our brother. Give it some more time."

"Don't baby me, Black. I want to see what's left of the home we built together. I need to grieve what's lost and be thankful for what we still have."

Bella, Jacob and the kids spent the following morning running errands. She had to go into town and sign more documents at the insurance place. Jacob stopped off at work and tentatively put in a new start date. He was going back the next week. They had lunch in town, then drove the long country roads that led to the property.

"You sure about this?"

"Yes, I need to do this. Remember, I'm tougher than I look."

He laughed and pulled her closer to give her a kiss at her hairline. "That you are, come on. Stick with Daddy, AJ. I don't want you getting hurt." Jacob said there was lots of debris scattered around. They walked the driveway, she was slow to look up because once she did, the reality would hit her. Bella kept Brooke in a baby wrap while Jacob carried AJ in one arm. His other arm held onto her but she stood firm as she looked at the ruins.

Piles of charred lumber, broken windows and a stone fireplace were pretty much what was left. She and Jacob spent so many months planning out every last detail of that lake house and then construction took twice as long as that. It was perfectly suited for them and now it was gone, all in one afternoon. Losing Linx and Embry's injury lessened the blow to her. The human lives were more important than anything material. At least, Jacob had the fire safe in the closet and some of their most precious mementos, her jewelry and their wedding photos were saved. Somehow, Jasper was also able to retrieve much of the information off the computers but Bella backed up everything to a cloud normally. Her work, the foundation and the blog were too important to her. She knew their pictures were saved as well.

She couldn't help shedding a few tears. The house would be missed. Her tears were soon replaced by angry words, "Damn Edward and Caius, I hate them so much. They didn't win. Our house might have crumbled but we're still standing. Are we going to rebuild it here?"

Jacob said that's what he wanted to talk to her about. He was conflicted. The property was theirs and they'd have plenty of insurance money to build another home, but part of him thought they should stay on the reservation for now. "I know the threats have been dealt with, but Dad's not getting any younger and I still have a large pack to take care of. Would you mind if we found something in La Push?"

"No, I was thinking that too."

He said maybe they could get a fixer-uper, anything as long as they got out of Charlie's house. He appreciated how Charlie and Sue took care of them whenever they needed it most, but Jacob had a thing about privacy with his wife.

"I'm going to miss this place."

"Yeah, but the cabin's still intact. We can come out here and stay whenever you want. I'm not selling... too many memories here."

"Yep," she got emotional again recalling so many wonderful times with Jake, the pack and their kids. Brooklyn was even born here. "Some really great ones, but... " Bella looked away from the house. She turned towards the spot in the driveway where she lost Jacob that one dark night, then she glanced near the woods where she killed her first and only humans for what they did to him. Her eyes scanned the property, down towards the lake where Linx breathed out his last breath. "There were some bad ones too."

They spent a little while longer walking the perimeter. Jacob showed Bella how far away he found the kids. She heard his voice crack when he described how he'd almost given up hope they made it out alive. He sat AJ down so he could run around a little, since they were away from the destruction. Brooke had been lulled to sleep by the rocking motion of their walk. She held her arms open, so he pulled her into a side hug.

"I can't imagine what that was like. Well, maybe a little. I smelled the smoke as he was fleeing with me. It was the first thing on my mind when I woke up and for a second, I was consumed by it. For some reason, I finally had peace that they were okay even before I read the paper. He tried to break us, Jake, in every way, but we stronger than he realized."

"I don't ever want to talk about him again."

"Neither do I. Hey, I just had a great idea."

"Oh yeah, then I'm sure we're doing it. What is it?"

"Instead of a house, let's build more cabins out here. That way, we can still have a really awesome pack hangout but everyone has their own space." His eyes brightened, the wheels were turning.

"I think that sounds great. It might take a while."

"That's fine. I'm not going anywhere."

He squeezed her close and gave her warm luxurious kiss on her lips, "Nope. I can promise you most definitely are not. You will be by my side from here on out."

~Thanks so much for reading.

I'm so anxious to bring the rest to you.