Like she had every day since their wedding night, Juliet woke up feeling different. It was a good different though. Her hair was a mess and her body was sore. She pulled the silk sheets closer to her even though she was warm enough. Gnomeo's arms were wrapped around her like steel. She could feel his heartbeat against her back, his hands on her waist. She sighed happily for she loved waking up with Gnomeo. His voice was the first thing she heard and his eyes were the first thing she saw. She treasured the moments they spent in the white sheets and soft sunlight whispering and laughing before they got dressed for the day. Noticing how soundly Gnomeo was sleeping, she tried to go back to sleep by squeezing her eyes shut but it was so use. Suddenly he stirred and she felt his lips on the tip of her shoulder.

"Good morning." He whispered. His voice was still raspy with sleep.

She turned to face him. "Good morning to you too." Juliet replied unable to keep her hands off him.

"We have to get up." He reminded her after a few minutes of neither of them making any attempt to get out of bed.

"It's so comfy here." Juliet replied not wanting to leave the security and safety she felt when she was wrapped in the sheets with Gnomeo far away from the outside world.

"I know but we have to, baby." He told her brushing the hair from her forehead gently.

She sighed and as he rolled over pulling the blankets with him. Juliet let out a yell of protest as the cool air hit her skin. Quickly she reached for her silk robe and went to the window where Gnomeo stood, surveying the view from their room. It was mostly just bushes to give them privacy. She'd always imagined a garden there. She leaned back on her husband and he rubbed her shoulders.

"You know we still don't have a name." He told her. Juliet moved his hands to her stomach which was just starting to bulge.

"I don't want to name it until we meet it." She reminded Gnomeo.

"What about Lucy for a girl? You mentioned liking Rose. Or for a boy we could do Jack or-"

"We'll wait and see." She told him, gently kissing his lips.

"I'm just so excited to be a dad." He said, grinning.

"Me too." She replied, trying not to say the shadows of doubt that crossed her mind. The truth was that Juliet was terrified out of her mind. She hadn't had a mother in years and she knew deep down there were places where her mother failed. She had no one to mimic and no one to really turn to. She was surrounded by people she loved but she felt just a little bit alone.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" Gnomeo called, not turning around.

"Sir? You have a guest." The butler said through the door.

"Who is calling this early?" He replied.

"Rosalie Carshe."

Gnomeo and Juliet paused and looked at each other befuddled.

"I think you'd better see this, she's quite distraught." The butler said through the door.

"We'll be right down." Gnomeo told him.

Hey friends! AH PLEASE DO NOT HATE ME

i know it has been like forever trust me i feel awful honestly i don't know why it took me so long to get this out just school and stuff but here i am and it's not the most action packed chapter but it's still pretty good and for eveyone who patiently waited for this-it's for you.

Anyways, i am looking foward to reconnecting with everyone on here (I WILL ANSWER MY PMS!)

read and review and suggestion are always welcome

i'm so sorry this took an eternity. Look for more of my Tybalt story coming as well.

enjoy and i do love you all and I'm sorry i kind of fell off the grid for a little bit

Without speaking, they dressed as quickly as possible and hurried down the creaking stairs. They found Rosalie waiting for them. She looked at them in shock. There were dark circles under her eyes and her golden curls hung limply under her hat. Her plum tulle dress artfully disguised her growing stomach, but nothing could disguise the redness of her eyes and cheeks.

"Rosalie? What are you doing here?" Juliet asked, surprised at her raggedy appearance

"He's gone." She whispered, seeming unsure of where she was.

"Who? Who's gone?" Gnomeo asked urgently as they approached her.

"Charles. Charles Sowden. He-he's gone and he's not c-coming back." She whimpered, taking a shallow breath. Juliet met Gnomeo's eyes but there was nothing but confusion.

"Well Rosalie, where has he gone?" She asked softly.

Rosalie took a breath and paused, "He's dead."

"Oh my God." Gnomeo breathed.

Juliet couldn't describe what she felt when she heard the news. It was relief, it wasn't grief, it wasn't shock, it wasn't horror, it wasn't satisfaction. Maybe it was all of them, but she had no words and her face went slack. She felt Gnomeo's arms around her but she could barely feel.

Rosalie's words pierced her.

"He killed himself about two days ago." Rosalie continued quietly.

Juliet buried her face in Gnomeo's chest. She needed him to tell her it was alright. She needed him to tell her that the memories weren't real anymore and she needed him to tell her he still loved her. He gently lifted her face to face his and wiped the accidental tears with his fingertips. She didn't know how long they stood there until Rosalie broke the heavy silence.

"He left me estate and money. I don't know what to do with it."

Juliet looked at her. "Take the money. Sell the house. Get out of town and have the baby and never come back to this place."

Rosalie looked bewildered, "Where will I go?"

"Don't you have any family that lives anywhere else?"

"My mother's side of the family is from Virginia." She replied.

"Go there. Leave this behind. " Juliet told her. She felt her resolve to keep remotely calm fading. Rosalie stood up brining herself to full height.

"I thought you wanted to help me not expel me from the city."

"I am helping you and if you don't want it, please leave." Juliet said evenly.

"Juliet-" Gnomeo interjected, but she cut him off.

"Charles Sowden was a monster." Juliet began. "And I'm sorry for your loss. But you have no business here anymore. I can't help you."

"I don't need your help." Rosalie told her. "And I l loved him, despite your opinions of him."

"You have no idea what he's done." Juliet said.

Rosalie looked afraid. "I don't want to know. I can't bear anymore."

"Be careful Rosalie." Gnomeo said as turned to leave. Rosalie looked at him confused.

"Wherever you're going, be careful." He repeated.

"Thank you." She whispered.

With that, she turned around and left the house. It would be a long time before she saw Gnomeo and Juliet again.

When the news of Sowden's untimely death reached Lady Bluebury she was beside herself."

I had no idea he was so sick." She repeated to her son as tears escaped her cornflower eyes.

"I know, Mum. It's alright really." Gnomeo offered.

"Oh we must have a funeral, we must." She replied, blowing her nose into a lacy hankercheif. Gnomeo felt his stomach drop a little. Sowden kind of deserved the ending he received. Instantly, he regretted the thought. A man was dead and he left a child and a business behind. It was a tradgedy despite the life Sowden lead. In that moment, he decided to not tell Lady Bluebury all that had transpired in the house before He and Juliet had jumped off the roof. He knew Juliet would agree. It was no use turning people against Sowden now. He had met a cold and lonely death of suicide. They were all even now.

Therefore, Lady Bluebury insisted on having a funeral for him. Of course, Gnomeo and Juliet ultimately decided to attend.

"His body is so stiff and pale in the casket." Juliet whispered to Gnomeo as they filed past the mahoghany coffin. "It reminds me of mother, all those years ago."

"He looks nothing like himself." Gnomeo agreed, his hand on Juliet's back. This was going to be a long day for both of them.

The church was filled with white roses and organza that made it unbearably sweet. As the mass began with a somber hymn, the guests were fittingly somber. Rosalie sobbed the entire time, causing mascara to run down her cheeks beneath her black netted veil. Few in attendance

understood that a manic man had died and the fate of the Bluebury Industries hung in a balance. Beneath the black veils and drizzling skies, lay a field of worry. What would happen next? People offered their condolences as they left the muddy graveyard, but Gnomeo could only nod. He wondered if Sowden could see them now from wherever he was. As gentle sunlight peeked through the rainclouds, he tried to feel peace and hope. But that night as he watched Juliet remove her black veil and noticed the tiredness and sadness on her face, the worry returned.

So Gnomeo spent long hours with Juliet in the office trying to make sense of all the papers and responsibility Sowden had left him to deal with. There were meetings with the board, papers to sign, and functions to attend. He noticed the toll the new role was playing on him. He was tired and irritated. He began to think that maybe this wasn't what he wanted. However, now was no time to quit on anything. He had a pregnant wife, a new house, and a new business.

"You're going to worry yourself sick." Juliet told him one night. It was a late and chilly night and instead of coming to bed an hour ago like he'd said he would, he was in the office buried in work and she'd come to find him.

"I can't not worry." He told her briskly. "There's so much to sort through and learn."

Juliet sighed and pulled her robe tighter. "Baby, there's always something to sort through. And besides, I miss you."

He finally looked up at her. Juliet could see the weariness clouding his usually bright eyes.

"Get up from that desk." She demanded.

"Jules, I can't." He protested.

"Get up!" Juliet repeated, more stern. Taken aback, he stood up, his eyes still skimming a document. Juliet snatched it and flipped it over so Gnomeo couldn't read it.

"Hey!" He exclaimed.

"Gnomeo Caudillo Bluebury, you have been holed in this office for weeks and frankly it's getting old. You won't talk about it to anyone and when you do talk it's short and forced and then you go right back in there! And I understand all the responsibility you've got coming at you."

"I don't think you do" He interjected.

"Maybe I better would if you'd say something about it! Let me help you!" She walked over to him and draped her arms gently around him.

"You shouldn't have to worry about it." Gnomeo said darkly.

"It's you and I remember? It's not you fighting just for me, it's us fighting for each other."

"I know." He replied. "It's just this was supposed to be our happy end, and this is anything but that."

Juliet rested her head on his shoulder. "I know."

"All I really need is you, and instead I got stuck with all of this." Gnomeo told her, kissing her head.

"Alright, Mr. Bluebury we can either keep doing this paperwork or we can go upstairs to our big bedroom and you can make love to your wife."

He grinned at her, "I give in."

"Good." She laughed as he picked her up in his arms.

Finally, after Juliet had fallen asleep, Gnomeo could think. His mind was racing with things he now knew that he feared to say. He couldn't explain to Juliet why he was being so distant lately. He knew she'd want to know, but he didn't know how to say it. These days, he never knew what to say. The ease of being two kids in love was gone. Is this what marriage was? Would it always be this stressful and hard? Would he have a constant worry forever? He watched Juliet turn over in her sleep, the curves of her body illuminated in the moonlight that streamed in from behind the drapes. Her eyes fluttered open.

"Go to sleep." She whispered, before falling back into a dream.

Gnomeo wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes, but didn't sleep for a long while.

MONTHS LATER

"How much longer?" Juliet panted.

"Not long." The midwife replied.

"You said that 10 minutes ago! I want this baby to come out!" Juliet argued. The labor had started that night during dinner. She'd been in increasing pain since then for twelve hours and it was nearly morning. In all the chaos, she'd only allowed Nanette and Gnomeo in the room with her.

"Hang in there, baby. You can do this." Gnomeo encouraged her.

"Easy for you to say!" She replied. The pregnancy had not been as easy as she'd hoped. The morning sickness was awful and by the end of it she'd been confined to her bed. She bit her lip as another round of pain washed over her.

"It's time to push!" The midwife called.

"You can do it!" Nanette told her. "Your mom would be so proud of you right now."

Juliet could barely hear her, or Gnomeo, or the midwife. All she could hear was herself and the pain.

"It hurts" She whimpered. She was so tired and thirsty. It was nearly seven in the morning and the sun was just rising. All she really wanted was to sleep.

Gnomeo squeezed her hand. "We're going to meet our baby."

"You need to push now!" The midwife said harshly.

"Juliet," Nanette exhaled. "This is the last part honey. After this it will all be like a bad dream."

Juliet squeezed her eyes and pushed. Pain washed over her body and she screamed.

"There's a head! I see the head! One more push!" The midwife yelled.

"One more! You can do it!" Gnomeo told her.

She pushed again, and in a flash of pain it was over as the baby slid out. There was a pause.

"Why isn't it crying?" Juliet whimpered, panic rising in her chest. Suddenly, a tiny cry erupted and Juliet felt tears stream down her face as she fell back exhausted. All she heard was Gnomeo telling her, "She's so beautiful, really she's perfect."

She looked up at him as Nanette gently dabbed her forehead.

"It's a she?"

He handed her a tiny bundle of white. "It's a perfectly healthy baby girl."

Juliet felt her breath stop as she gazed down at the face of her tiny daughter. She could already see features like Gnomeo's chin and her upturned nose.

"She has your nose." Gnomeo whispered.

The baby slowly opened her eyes, a perfect blend of blue and green.

"She's perfect." Juliet replied softly, breathing in her new baby scent.

"I'll tell everyone the news, they'll be thrilled." Nanette exclaimed.

"Thanks Nanette." Juliet said.

"You did great today. She would have been so proud" Nanette told her, kissing her forehead. Juliet knew that Nanette meant her mother.

As Nanette left, Gnomeo climbed up on the bed next to her.

"I can't believe she's ours." He said still in awe of their little daughter. "She's so tiny"

"What are we going to call her?" She asked him. They'd talked about names before but nothing was concrete.

"I liked Lucy and you liked Rose." He reminded her. Juliet looked down at the little pink bundle in her arms.

"She's not either of those."

Gnomeo looked at her. "What is she then?"

Juliet closed her eyes. She was imagining a field. Featherstone's garden. Gnomeo was holding her and they were looking out over the vast estate. The fields were purple. There were tiny purple flowers in her hair.

"Violet."

Gnomeo looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Look at her, she's tiny and beautiful, just like a violet flower." Juliet explained.

He smiled at the two most important girls in his life. "I like it. Violet it is."

"You pick the middle name." She told him.

"Do you still like Rose?" He asked. Juliet nodded.

"Welcome to the world, Violet Rose Bluebury." He said gingerly, stroking her tiny head of blonde hair.

Juliet held her daughter close to her, feeling her warm breath on her chest.

I'll always protect you, I won't let anything happen to you, I promise." In that moment, her daughter was her whole world and for a little while everything was perfect and how it should be.

That night, Juliet decided she needed some air. It was evening and the moon hung behind smoky clouds and gentle breezes tickled her bare arms. She found herself amongst the moon lilies in the garden. Thoughtfully, she remised of all the times she and Gnomeo had stolen away to their gardens in the dead of night. She remembered secret meeting and white nightgowns and stolen kisses and moonlit promises. She'd never imagined they'd make it this far to where they were now. Through the window, she could see Gnomeo in the nursery. He stood over Violet's bassinette, holding the tiny bundle with such love and tenderness that she could feel her heart melting. She knew that she was so lucky he was her husband. As she watched from the serene garden, she felt a wave of sadness. Her mother should be here. Her mother would have loved Gnomeo and Violet. Juliet would have loved to have advice from her mother and been able to share the miracle of her daughter and her wedding with her. Oh Mother, she thought. I wish you were here to see all this. I've come so far from where you let me. Tired of being alone, she turned to go back inside when she heard a rustle in the bushes. She dismissed it quickly before hurrying inside.

The next few days were filled with help and visitors. Nanette made sure Juliet and Violet had their every will fulfilled. Gnomeo was absolutely obsessed with his daughter and would wake up with Juliet to feed her even when it was insanely late. She wasn't really feeling the lack of sleep yet though, anytime she wanted to do something Lady Bluebury or Lord Redbrick would always be willing to spend some time with their new granddaughter. Violet was slowly becoming the princess of the house and everyone was acting as happy as she was. Gnomeo was finally coming out of the office and she was finally losing the baby weight. They had asked Featherstone to be Violet's godfather and Nanette was the godmother. For the first time in forever, everything seemed to be perfect.

One day, Juliet was rocking her daughter in the nursery. It was late morning and sunlight was streaming through the shiny pink curtains that matched the light pink theme of the room. Suddenly, there was a slight knock on the door.

"Hello?" She called.

"It's just me." A familiar voice said softly, as the door opened.

"Gnomeo!" She exclaimed happily.

"Hey you." He said grinning and walking over to her. "How are my favorite girls?"

She sighed and kissed his cheek lightly. "We're fine, just having a lovely morning. How are you?"

"Alright." He replied as Violet reached her tiny fist in the air. "Featherstone's here, if you're up to visit."

"For him, of course!" She replied, standing up. "Could you hold her for a second?"

Gnomeo tenderly took Violet into his arms.

Juliet stood up and brushed off her dress and went downstairs.

"Featherstone!" She exclaimed when she saw him.

"Juliet!" He replied, embracing her quickly.

"It's so good to see you!" She exclaimed.

"You too! And how's my favorite goddaughter?" He asked her.

"She's wonderful." Gnomeo replied, coming up behind them with Violet in tow.

"She's already getting big!" Featherstone laughed, taking Violet in his arms, happily. Juliet thought what a shame it was that Featherstone had no children of his own.

"So what brings you by, mate?" Gnomeo asked, as drinks were poured.

"Well, there's something I need to tell you both." Featherstone replied, sipping his drink.

"What is it?" Juliet inquired.

"Well, I've been doing some research and I think I've found Adelia."

"Your true love!" Juliet gasped.

"I think this is really her and this is my one chance to know for sure." He said, happily.

"So, where is she?" Gnomeo asked, curiously.

"London, England." He pulled out a crumbled piece of paper from his shirt pocket. Gingerly, he unfolded it.

"This is the address I found. I have enough money for a one way ticket and a hotel room for a few nights so I can figure out if this is real or not."

"You're leaving?" Juliet asked.

He looked sad. "For a while, yes. I don't really know."

"Gosh, we'll miss you but good luck, mate." Gnomeo said, clapping Featherstone on the back.

"We're really happy for you." Juliet added.

"I'll write you and tell you what happens, I just really have a good feeling about this." Featherstone grinned. As they talked for a while, Juliet couldn't help but think of how everything was changing so fast, but everything seemed to be positive and happy. Could things really stay this way for long?

I PROMISE to never make y'all wait so long again.

much love and hope you are doing well with school and such. If you ever need anything, please turn to me!

xoxoxoxoxoxo- lorelibelle54