So we meet again

"I under stand what she is going through," Cecilia said quietly, "If you remember it wasn't long ago that my own mother passed away. I was older than Anali is but i had a really hard time coping, and I wasn't even really close to my mother. I think that was about the time i turned my hair blonde. One of my biggest mistakes ever." Cecilia giggled at the memory when she thought it would get Elijah and her father to pay any attention to her. "The day of the funeral or my fathers second wedding, i'm not sure which anymore, i locked myself in my room. Eli found me with a bottle of some kind of alcohol and cigarettes. Still that didn't matter." she shook her head at her naive childish self.

"I remember..." Jake said softly. "I remember everything that happened while I was still around..." he told her. "And even though you might not believe me, I was always there... I couldn't do much to intervene in your life, since to everyone around you I was nothing more than a pathetic halfblood who had no say in anything." he paused. "I tried to watch out for you as best as I could, but I guess it wasn't good enough, was it?" he said sadly. Maybe if he'd been more willing to get involved more, he could have prevented some things...

"You saved my life, Jake," Cecilia said smiling up at him, "That is the best thing you could have ever done for me. Everyone else would have just left me for dead thinking I was some drunk drugged up bum who passed out in the alley. You saw what was really going on. I could never thank you enough for that. I never got to thank you for that." She wanted to reach out and touch Jake in some way, she wanted to comfort him but she didn't know how. "Thank you," She whispered her hand slowly reaching out to rest on his shoulder. Cec wanted to hug him, hold him. She wanted to know all of this was real and not just a dream she was having.

"I couldn't just leave you there." he said softly. "I had no idea what to do, but I couldn't just leave you in that alley on your own. I knew you needed help, so I did what I thought was best. I guess it was a good choice." he added. Jake wouldn't have forgiven himself if something happened to Cecilia and he hadn't helped her. He would have rather died than leave her there in that alley.

"You have nothing to thank me for. I only did what any other person who knew you would have." he told her softly. Before he even thought about it, he reached out and hugged her. "I couldn't have handled the thought of you dying there if I hadn't helped you." he said in her ear. "I couldn't let you die..."

Cecilia's arms wet around Jake's as he whispered in her ear. "I'm glad you couldn't let that happen. I don't know what I would do if anything would have happened to you. And you are here and i'm here because of you. My own stupidity put me in that situation. I love you, Jake." She whispered hugging him tighter. "I missed you." Cecilia didn't want to let go of Jake. She didn't want him to leave again, she didn't want to leave him. But, she knew she would have to for at least a little while. "Jake," She whispered looking up at him.

"I missed you too." he said softly, holding her a bit tighter. He'd missed being able to hold her the way he was now. He missed being able to see her. Jake just missed Cecilia in general. He hated that she would have to leave as soon as Anali woke up. "I love you too Cecilia... I always have." he told her softly, pulling away slightly to look at her. He heard her say his name and he looked at her, "Hm?"

"Promise I'll see you more often?" She asked the love and pain clearly readable on her face and in her eyes. "I don't want to lose you too." She whispered her eyes begging him not to let her leave. begging him not to leave her alone again. "I don't want to miss you anymore." she spoke softly but she did not know why she didn't just say it out loud. maybe it was the wrong time but she meant it. She meant every word she had said and it wasn't hard to see that on her face. the face that gave everything about cecilia away. there was nothing she could hide, and right now there was nothing for her to try to hide.

"I promise Cec..." Jake responded softly. "I promise you won't miss me anymore... and you won't lose me. I'll always be here for you, from now on." he added softly. He wasn't going to leave Cecilia alone again, and he definitely was not going to become like her family who left her on her own for the most part. He was always going to be around her and he would always be there for her... And for Mollie.

"Thank you," Cecilia whispered smiling up at Jake. "So what else did you want to talk about?" she asked blinking as she smiled at Jake. Just then Mollie decided it was time to wake up and started to fuss at Cecilia. "Hold on," She sighed moving to pick up Molllie. "Shh, baby." She whispered checking her daughters diaper to see if that was why she was crying, but it wasn't. "She must be hungry." she spoke softly and dug around in the diaper bag for a bottle.

Jake was just about to answer Cecilia when Mollie woke up and started fussing about something. He watched Cecilia as she tended to the little girl and he thought about how Anali must have been at that age. He wished he could have been there for her since she was born. He wished he could have carried her, fed her, played with her since her birth.

"Better late than never..." he muttered softly to himself, still looking at Cecilia with Mollie. At least now he'd be able to be involved in Anali's life, even if it was after missing three years of her life. And now, he could be around Mollie and watch her grow up since she was a small baby.