Chapter Fourteen:

We begin this chapter on a sad day. Edward Summer-Moon is being laid to rest after passing away from old age. His young pregnant widow, and two of his children stood in the warm sun to wish him farewell.

Layla felt lost. This whole town no longer had any of the meaning it once held when Eddie was alive. Now Layla knew that she had to get out. For sanity's sake, she needed some space and time. Perhaps a trip back to Bridgeport to see her mother would do her, and her son, some good.

Emerald wasn't so happy to watch her step-mother begin planning to leave. But she knew how hard Layla was taking Eddie's death, and maybe it would be good for Layla to get away for a bit, have the baby in Bridgeport, and come back when she's ready.

A few weeks later Layla collected her little boy from Emerald's arms and bid goodbye to the life she had loved. With a taxi waiting for her to take her over to her mother's place in Bridgeport, Layla wasn't sure she'd come back to the town that held so many memories of Eddie.

Emerald had to get used to living in a big house completely alone. Luckily for her, there was one person that Emerald could always count on for comfort.

Tyler was there for her friend. Upon getting a call from Emerald, Tyler raced out to the park to meet her closest friend.

Tyler was the comfortable shoulder to cry on that Emerald badly needed.

Life slowly got back to normal for Emerald. Her house was lonely, and the family she had always been surrounded by were suddenly all far away. But her friends Tyler and Cody provided a welcome distraction.

Cody was Emerald's newest friend. She sold him a sketch a while back, and they'd stayed in contact. Cody had asked Emerald out one afternoon, so Emerald headed out to Sunflower Park.

Suddenly the friendship the pair had known until now, no longer seemed enough. The ever charming Cody decided to go for it with this shy girl next door.

Luckily for him, Emerald felt the same. The two got quite romantic that night in the privacy of the sunflowers.

As the weeks went on, Emerald and Cody's relationship continued.

With no one else in her house, Emerald decided to expand her bedroom. She knocked down the wall between her and Elijah's old room. She couldn't stand to stay in the bedroom that was once her fathers.

While Emerald was lost in her romantic little world, Cody wasn't as innocent as he seemed. But no matter how many times Tyler warned her friend, Emerald would not be swayed on her opinions of her first love.

The months were flying past. Emerald and Cody appeared completely and totally in love.

Tyler and Emerald were still close friends, whatever Tyler's opinion of Cody.

What Emerald wasn't sharing with her friend, or her boyfriend, was the one thing that she perhaps should have.

Emerald decided that she needed to test her boyfriend, before telling him what she suspected. But when she brought up the subject of eventual marriage, Cody freaked out. And that was when Emerald knew that she could never tell Cody that she suspected she was pregnant.

Cody had no idea what his girlfriend was keeping hidden from him, and so he was quite happy with himself.

Emerald knew that she couldn't keep this a secret for much longer. Luckily Cody didn't stay over nights, or he might have noticed her morning sickness.

Tyler hadn't heard from her friend in a couple of weeks, so dropped by to say hello.

Emerald welcomed her friend, but decided to keep the pregnancy a secret for now. She was planning on trying one more time to tell Cody about the baby.

Emerald was so nervous the next day when she and Cody were settling in to bed for an afternoon cuddle. But it was now or never.

The last thing Emerald would have thought possible actually happened. Cody flipped out about the baby and told her that he was leaving, and that she'd never see him again.

As Cody strutted out of the house that day, Emerald's heart broke. She was pregnant and alone in her huge house.

So Emerald called Tyler.

She came clean to her best friend that night. And so Tyler offered to move in. After all, she needed to find a new place anyway and Emerald was going to need all the help she could get.

Tyler settled in and Emerald's morning sickness took hold. But now that things were done with Cody and Tyler was around for support, Emerald felt better than she had in weeks. Even if her head was in the toilet.

Tyler helped her pregnant friend in any way she could. The girls got along great and life went on.

The weeks began to roll past and Tyler settled in. As with Layla, Tyler found she liked the lifestyle by the pool at her new place.

Keeping Emerald well rested was priority one for Tyler. The girls enjoyed eachother's company and it helped Emerald's broken heart to have her best friend so close by.

 Tyler comforted her friend the best she could. She promised Emerald that she would never be alone and that Tyler would be there for as long as Emerald needed to help raise this baby.

It meant a lot to Emerald. As the time moved on, Emerald began to realise just how much Tyler meant to her.

And it seemed Emerald meant a lot to Tyler too. A spark was suddenly ignited and the electricity levels in the house soared.

Soon Emerald's baby bump began to show.

Emerald's doubts about raising this baby alone resurfaced. And so she went to the one person that she knew would be able to calm those doubts.

Tyler was there for Emerald when she needed her. But there was something that Tyler wanted to tell her friend.

There was a spark between them that hadn't been there before. That spark made them both nervous, but someone had to make the first move.




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And so Tyler did.

Chapter Thirteen:

The small family was celebrating the birth of little Derek.

Eddie was so proud of his young wife and the little bundle of joy he thought they might never be blessed with.

Having retired some time ago, Eddie was content to be as involved as he could with raising his little son. And he loved every bit of it.

The months were going by so fast. Derek was growing up day by day. Layla and Eddie, having been given the child they so longed for, were free to focus more on Eddie's ailing health. Layla knew her husband was feeling the effects of a long life. Perhaps the vampirism cure he had taken when he was just a young man was taking it's toll on him now.

Eddie tried to hide from his wife the worry he felt. He could feel with every passing day just how mortal he was. And so he used his days to soak up as much of his family as he could.

It felt like the household was on standby. Layla watched her husband closely as the months went by and could see him getting tired so much faster. But the one thing she knew hadn't changed, was the love he had in his eyes for her.

Emerald and Tyler continued to be good friends. Spending her days helping out where she could with Eddie and Derek meant that Emerald needed, and often found with Tyler, a welcome distraction.

Eddie's good days were getting less and less. And so Layla took over most of the practical caring for Derek.

 Eddie began to get his affairs in order. He rarely left the house these days and so Emerald took to helping him out with the creation of a will. She thought it might be a good idea for him to finally reconcile with his brother and her mother, however she was not quite brave enough to broach the subject with him.

The only thing Eddie worried about was Layla. She seemed to be coping ok with his assurances that he would be around for a while to come, but he knew deep down she was scared to lose him.

Emerald was in no hurry to leave. She had helped her father through the dark days when Chloe had left, she had witnessed his happy marriage to Layla and now she was going to help out with the next few months when she knew the price he paid to be cured of vampirism was catching up.

Soon it was Derek's birthday. The family gathered, and the, uh.... maid, to celebrate with the little youngster.

 Derek was much like his father. And delighted in discovering things about the world around him.

Soon it would be Layla's birthday. And with the air of mortality hanging over Eddie and Layla's heads, they talked about reconciling with Will. But Eddie wasn't sure if being confronted with his brother, who would still be in the prime of his life, would be a good idea. Perhaps on a day when he was feeling a little stronger.

Emerald's sketches were selling for more and more money. She was selling them to art galleries all over the country.

Layla was soon celebrating her birthday. Despite the fears she now held about her husband, Layla was happy with the way her young adulthood had panned out, and was looking forward to the next stage of her life.

Eddie and his son got along like, well like father and son.

Little did Eddie or Derek know that Layla was hiding a wonderful secret.

She had been feeling so very sick for the past week or so. And she finally got confirmation on that which she had suspected. Layla was pregnant!

Her aging husband was so happy with the news. They forgot their worries about Eddie's health, and they revelled in the happy news.

 Layla tried to explain to her young son that she would be having another baby. He seemed happy with the news, but then he could have just been giggling like a toddler because he was one.

With the news of the pregnancy just barely sinking in to the family, Layla and Eddie were enjoyed a nice quiet night ater putting Derek to bed.

But while Layla was appreciating how lucky she was to have what she had, Eddie was about to leave her forever.

At just 64 years old Edward Summer-Moon passed away. He left behind a pregnant wife, a young son and two grown children.

Layla's cried brought Emerald running. And although she had been waiting for this day for months, it still caught Emerald by surprise.

Explaining to her little half-brother that their father would not be returning was perhaps one of the hardest things Emerald had to do. Layla was inconsoluable with grief so Emerald took over the job of telling people, and planning the funeral.

As if by some cruel irony Layla's pregnancy began to show.

Sleeping in that big master bedroom that she had shared with her husband was perhaps one of the hardest things Layla had to do. She had been preparing for this day for so long, but in the end she wasn't ready to lose her beloved Eddie.

 Having to tell Elijah that their father had passed on was tough on Emerald. But she bore the responsibility. She also called her mother. Whatever Emerald thought about her mother, it was important that Chloe be informed.

Will heard about his brother's death. It saddened him greatly. Whatever happened between these brothers was in the past. Many long nights Will had spent thinking about returning to his childhood home and making up with his brother, but he had forgotten about the mortality of the world outside his vampire curse. And now it was too late.

Soon it was the day of the funeral.

Emerald comforted her step-mother and they prepared for the short walk over to the graveyard. The remains of Emerald's grandmother Raven and grandfather Finn were also buried at this graveyard.

Little Derek was upset over his father's death, but Emerald was quite thankful that he was still just a little too young to fully understand.

Emerald and Layla decided to have the funeral during the day; Eddie had loved the sunshine. Which sadly meant that his brother was not able to attend.

It was a simple ceremony to commemorate the life of a wonderfully kind man.