Once everyone left, Jaz's little family closed ranks. She'd been concerned about Phia, relaxing when Kasey and Chrissy took charge of her. As had always been her fall back in the past Jaz turned to Jacob needing to make sure Phia would be taken care of.

"Phia will be safe at the main house. Once Nate calms down he can talk to her and if she's ready to go home with him so be it. Until then she'll be staying in the main house under Braedon's protection."

Jaz embraced him, the feel of his arms around her as familiar and comfortable. "She doesn't deserve all this."

"I know my sweet, but neither did you. Rest easy Jaz, relax if you can and just be with your family." He sighed, doing his best not to look to serious. "Nate will want to know more about your son. To be honest I can't really blame him. But this is your story. Your child. Your pain. Only you can decide when, or even if he learns any more than what you've already stated." He kissed Jaz on the top of the head looked directly at Eli and Cade letting them know to watch over her then left for the main house.

Jaz turned hearing a scuffle coming from the kitchen and found Cord all but dragging Emma into the living room. She looked from one to the other waiting for an explanation. "Emma was going to leave. I told her she was family and better stay. Right?"

"Right." Smiled Jaz. "Come Emma," Jaz held out a hand to the woman. "You are as Cord said family. You guessed at much of what was told today and kept it to yourself. You stepped in and took care of my home and my children without anyone asking for help. You've more than earned your place here. Please stay, there are a few more things I'd like to share with you all?"

Emma was a little overwhelmed, but let Cord lead her to the couch. Jaz sat beside her with Eli, Cade and Cord sitting on the floor opposite with the coffee table between them. On the coffee table now sat the box with the baby mementoes in it. They waited quietly knowing whatever Jaz had to show them would be in there.

Picking up the box Jaz placed it next to her on the couch. With shaking hands she lifted the lid putting it beside the box. "There's more in here. I'm just not ready to share it all with everyone else. At least not yet."

Taking out the baby blanket Jaz spread it over the coffee table then ever so carefully placed the contents of the box on it. First of all the blue teddy bear, then the booties. There were also several sets of baby clothes some hand knitted. The urn she placed to one side on the table itself holding it with fingers lingering... not wanting to let go.

Pulling out a large envelope she emptied it onto her lap. Baby photographs. Dozens of baby photographs. Some with Jaz and the baby, some with both Jaz, Jacob and the baby and many more of just the baby. Jaz looked at each and every one before placing them on the table for her family to see.

Calmness swept over Jaz surprising her; she imagined this would have been just as painful as the telling of her story. As she looked up she saw wonder in her children's eyes.

"He's got your eyes," stated Eli.

"He's got your smile," said Cade.

"I bet he had just as much love in him as you do mum." Cords words bringing a tear to all their eyes.

Emma wiped at her eyes, "Jaz he's so much like you were as a baby."

Jaz couldn't help but smile. These were the words she needed to hear. Words she'd been desperate to hear from friends and family for so long. And now... now she was truly hearing them. "Yes he was the most beautiful baby."

"Boys aren't beautiful they're handsome." Stated Cord making her smile.

Eli picked up a smaller envelope, "You've still got the negatives. You might consider having one or two enlarged. That way you can frame them, have them on display either here in the living room or in your bedroom."

Jaz had kept her son's existence a secret for so long she hadn't ever considered the possibility of doing what Eli had suggested. "I'm not sure if I'm ready to do that just yet Eli. It's a good idea though, something to think about."

She glanced at the wall above the fireplace wondering what it would be like to have a photograph of her son there for all to see. A pang of guilt suddenly hit her. "I'm not trying to punish Nate by not showing him these, or telling him my son's name." she clasped her hands in her lap thinking. "He has been a secret for so long. All that time he wasn't truly mine. I want him for myself, for us just for now. I'm not ready to share all of this... can you understand?"

"Yeah," began Cade. "Cord and I both know what it's like to carry a secret. We had each other to help keep it and even though Jacob knew, I kinda get the feeling you were alone most of the time anyway, even when you came back here. He's your son. You have a right to hold on to him close for as long as you want. I... that is we are honoured that you feel safe enough to share so much of him with us."

"I for one am grateful to be part of your family Jaz. When Tempest left home and I understand why she left," Emma sighed. "I felt like I'd lost part of myself as well. Being here, helping out has made me feel like... useful again." She lowered her face unable to say more.

"Emma I meant what I said. You're family." Jaz looked at each person there, "We may not be of the same blood, but we're family and that bond will hold true."

Jaz glanced back at the fireplace, "If I were to have a photograph done to perhaps place over the fireplace, which would you suggest?" They spent several hours looking at photographs, deciding which one would look best where.

It was getting late, no one wanted to leave and when Emma rose to return to her home Cade insisted she take her room saying she'd bunked in with Cord. Though Jaz would have liked both her children to sleep with her, she was still too raw, in need of her own space.

Eli decided he'd shift and sleep downstairs. He could have gone back to his own room, but was loathe to leave. Nate had been his best friend for many years, knew him well enough to know he wouldn't back off where Jaz was concerned.

The fact that Nate had been a father for however short a time and been denied the knowledge would be eating at him. Nate would want to know more about his son. He'd want... no more likely demand Jaz tell give him details of his son including photographs and most importantly his name.

Jaz was calm at present, calmer than she'd been in some time. Eli wanted to keep her that way at least for as long as possible. She was still fragile, the prospect of Jaz having face off with an irate Enforcer could push her back to where she'd been several days ago. The day Jax had found her. He was not prepared to let that happen. Not on his watch!

So Eli roamed the house until everyone settled for the night. Only then did he get comfortable by the fire in the living room. The house was quiet, those within either asleep or close to it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Phia had been beyond distraught when she'd been ushered away from the meeting at Jaz's home. After being closeted in the bedroom Kasey allocated to her she'd refused to leave it, not wanting to see or speak to anyone.

When she hadn't come down for dinner Gilbert had taken a tray up to her insisted she eat, because as he stated even if she wasn't hungry she had her child to consider. So she ate, not a great deal, but enough to appease the man.

She paced the room unsure of what to do. Nate was her mate, but her emotions were waring with each other - anger, disappointment, confusion and so much hurt all making it painful to think... to breathe. In the end exhaustion took hold. Climbing into bed it took moments for her to drift off to sleep.

Hours later Phia was brought to wakefulness with a start. Eyes wide she searched the room for what had woken her, when she heard it again a hand reached up to cover her heart as if to ease a hurt there. Far in the distance was the unmistakable sound of a wolf howl. This wasn't just any wolf though, it was her mate. His howl was so painful, so mournful it brought shivers up Phia's spine.

Without thinking Phia got out of bed, quickly making her way downstairs to the front door. It took no time at all to reach the front porch, when she heard footsteps coming behind her she didn't hesitate, she ran. Her mate was hurting, he needed her and in that moment all she could think about was getting to Nate. So she ran, she didn't think she just ran.

The night was cool, bringing a chill with it. Phia ignored it, focusing on her goal. She heard Braedon calling out to her, ignored him hoping he'd let her go. She'd never been much for running or out manoeuvring people and made the mistake of glancing over her shoulder. In that instance she felt arms engulfing her body, lifting her, preventing her from going any further.

Screaming, beating out at her capture in a bid to escape Phia shivered and backed down when he finally growled at her. "Enough little one. You'll end up hurting yourself."

She glanced up and whimpered. "Damian? What are you doing, let me go."

Damian shook his head, knowing full well she'd be able to see him in the moonlight. "If I let you go are you going to run off?" when Phia couldn't look at him he had his answer.

"Damian?" Braedon had caught up to him, Gilbert close behind carrying a blanket and handing it to Damian.

"I've got her, Braedon. I heard Nate out there," he indicated the bushland behind him with his head before looking at Phia again. "Somehow I doubt he'd be happy if we let you go running around the bush alone at night trying to find him." Phia tried to wiggle out of his arms, he held on tighter.

"Phia, Damian's right. I know you're worried about him, but going out there in the middle of the night won't help." Braedon sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I'll take her home, stay with her until Nate gets back. I'll make sure she doesn't go wandering off on her own."

Braedon hadn't had a great deal to do with Damian since he'd come to the Compound, but knew he had experience with submissive's. He looked from Phia to Damian as if trying to decide when Damian spoke again. "She trusts me. More importantly he trusts me with her."

Phia remained silent most of the way as Damian carried her home. "I can walk." She finally stated, needing to say something.

"You're wearing a thin night-dress and your feet are bare. There's a chill in the air and you're shivering. No way in hell am I about to let you walk." He shifted her in his arms to get the blanket Gilbert had given him further around her, hoping she'd realise he was right. When she stayed quiet he figured she had.

Damian had no idea what was going on, only that something had been going on concerning several people higher up than him. He was a sensible man, realised he didn't need to know, didn't want to get any more involved other than getting Phia home safely.

As they reached Phia's home he sensed her anxiety grow. Placing her on the doorstep he waited for her to open the door then followed her in. Phia gasped. "You can't be in here! Nate won't like..."

"Nate will understand I'm here to keep you safe until he gets home. You should go upstairs and get changed, your night-gown is wet with dew." When she stood where she was unmoving he gave her a stern look. "Scoot. Or do I have to help you get changed too?" Phia ran for the stairs.

Damian shook his head doing his best not to laugh as he made his way to the kitchen. By the time Phia came back down he had two mugs of hot chocolate ready. He pulled out a chair at the kitchen table for her, waited until she was seated then took the seat opposite her.

They drank in silence for a few minutes, Damian keeping a read on her heart-beats making sure she was calm. "Phia, I heard Nate. Sounds like he's in a great deal of pain. You can help with that, but not if you go wandering off trying to find him. You're likely to get yourself hurt or lost and he'd be pissed with me for letting you go."

He drank more of his hot chocolate, "I'll shift and spend the night outside the house. When he gets home I'll explain that your likely to smell like me and why. He knows I looked out for you when we were up north, knows I'd watch over you if it's needed.

"When you've finished your chocolate you should try and get some sleep, I can't see him showing up before morning. I'll tell him you wanted to go after him." Damian smiled. "It'll make him feel good that you wanted to, even better that I was there to stop you. Okay?"

Phia nodded, "Okay." She finished off her drink and came to her feet taking her mug to the sink. "Damian, I umm, that is." She wiped at tears, suddenly finding herself being turned around and engulfed in the arms of the Enforcer who'd brought her home.

"It'll be okay Phia. Things usually have a way of working themselves out." He held her close knowing he was a poor substitute for her mate, but never the less he was there and glad he could give her comfort no matter how small.

Early next morning an exhausted Nate found Damian leaning against the railing by the front steps of his home, a mug of coffee in his hand. His eyes were closed and he appeared to be relaxed as if taking in the morning sun. He scented his mate inside and growled.

"Good morning to you too Nate." Damian sat forward, finishing off his coffee before he continued. "Phia's inside. She heard you last night and tried to go after you." He caught the shocked expression that quickly crossed Nate's face.

"I stopped her, carried her home and made sure she didn't go looking for you. If she smells like me that's why. She's been through enough Nate. Now that she's pregnant she needs to be taking care of herself not worrying about you."

Again Nate growled. "Growl all you want, you know I'm right. When your mate heard you last night, she ran out of the main house in her bare feet wearing only her night clothes prepared to go search for you. She's worried, hurting and confused. I've got no idea why, but she's afraid, afraid enough to go running into the bush in the middle of the night without any knowledge of where she's going.

"Phia's strong Nate, but don't ever forget what she is. She'll take on all your hurt and all your pain in an effort to fix whatever the hell is wrong and she'll end up blaming herself when she can't fix it. Whatever it is, you need to consider whether it's worth destroying her, because it's a real possibility."

Damian got to his feet handing the empty mug to Nate. "Phia makes a good cup of coffee. She deserves better Nate.

Nate gave Damian a nod in acknowledgement and headed inside. He placed the mug in the sink, turning when he heard Phia behind him. He opened his arms and there was no hesitation. She came to him, let him wrap himself around her. "I'm sorry love, so very sorry."

"It's okay Nate, we can talk about later, right now I just want you to hold me." And he did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Phia wasn't the only one that heard Nate's mournful howls that night. Jaz ended up with both her children climbing into bed with her wanting to make sure she was all right. Emma stood in the doorway making sure they were settled before returning to bed and Eli, knowing his family were tucked in safely upstairs continued to pace the downstairs rooms to ensure all would stay that way.

Next morning Eli surprised them all by making a start on breakfast, insisting Emma relax and let him cook for her for a change. They all stayed close to the house that day and most of the next. Eli or Cade only leaving when it was necessary.

Trace, Cade's mentor stopped by and since she didn't want to leave Jaz, they trained in the backyard, Cord either watching or following along if he was able. He was fascinated with the swordplay, in awe of the way they both wielded their weapons. "This is so much better than watching TV. I sure hope you teach me how to use a sword one day?" Trace smiled at the boy, while Cade worried at the dangers of her brother wielding a sword.

Jax came by in the afternoon. Emma put up a pot tea and everyone left Jaz and him alone to chat. "The other day was, well it was a hell of a lot to take in for any one. Your brothers are still coming to terms with what you told us. I think it'll take them a while before they'll be ready to really sit down and talk to you about it all."

Jaz nodded. "To be honest it was a hell of a lot for me to take in. I mean, I know it was my story, but finally hearing it out loud made it so much more real. Even though it eased something inside of me, it'll take some time before it settles if you know what I mean?"

Jax laughed, "Yeah I know what you mean. Just take it one day at a time okay and know that if you ever need a friend or somewhere to sit and rest for a while..." Jax pulled an envelope out of his jacket pocket and handed it to her.

Jaz looked at him in surprise. "You're leaving." Jaz opened the envelope smiling when she saw the contents, a slip of paper with an address on it and a key. "An open invitation Jaxson?"

He grinned. "You come visit any time you want. Stay as long as you want for that matter. Just give me a call to let me know you're on the way."

"You've been a good friend Jaxson. I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to get to know you. Please know that you are always welcome in my home as well. When do you leave?"

"First thing in the morning." He sighed, "I'd like to talk to Emma before I go, see if there's anything she'd like me to say to Tempest. She's welcome to come with me if she likes. I'm sure Tempest would love to see her."

"If I know Emma she'll be in the kitchen. I'm not sure if she's up to going with you. She hasn't gone much further than our local town since she settled here. I do know she's missed her daughter though."

Jaz got to her feet, Jax along with her. "Thank you for all your support Jaxson, it was much appreciated and who knows, I may just take you up on your offer to come visit." They hugged before she stepped back, then he moved towards the kitchen to speak with Emma.

It turned out Emma wasn't up to the trip, but asked Jax to let Tempest know she missed her and that she should visit soon. Jax left quietly next morning headed back to the noise of the city, his job at the station and to face Tempest and Wade.

He wasn't looking forward to explaining why he'd taken off the way he did. In his defence he hadn't really wasn't himself, was worried about his girls and nothing or no one was going to stop him from seeing that they were indeed safe. That being said, he'd also learnt a great deal about Were's while he'd been at the Compound and also made a few friends.

Jaz wasn't sure when or if she'd ever see Jaxson again. She did know he was a good man, one who would keep their world secret, mayhap even help when it was needed.

Jaz couldn't help but smile as she stood overlooking the road watching as Jaxson's car moved past her. There were some within the Pack who had hoped Jaxson was her mate. She smiled softly. That would have made things so much simpler, but after everything she'd been through, Jaz wasn't at all certain she was capable of sharing her life with someone in that way. Not anymore.

Jaxson Gregory had become a friend, a good friend. One she knew in her heart she could call upon if she was ever in need. She wasn't about to sully their friendship by trying to force a relationship that should never be. Yes he was a good man, a man who deserved a true mate.

As she walked back towards her home, she veered towards the clinic to see how Maddock was doing, found him sitting out front with Marcus and Adam organising gear to go fishing. A moment later Eli joined them.

"So," she began. "Who's doing to cooking when you get back?"

It was Adam that answered, "Well we were hoping if we brought back enough to feed everyone, you might supply the fixing that go with the fish?" he smiled hopefully.

"That being the case you'd best catch a great deal of fish. I'm assuming Angelique will be dinning with us as will Emma."

"Crap! We better get going then." Marcus gave Jaz a worried smile and returned his focus to his fishing gear.

When Jaz was out of hearing range Eli slapped Marcus on the shoulder. "There's a fishing cooperative not too far from where we're going to be fishing. If we don't catch what we need, we can always buy it."

"Thank god for that!" stated Maddock. "Fishing is supposed to be enjoyable, you know relaxing. Not hard work." They laughed, got organised and headed out.

Jaz knew about the fishing cooperative, as did most of the women at the Compound. It didn't matter, the men got some down time and brought home a range of seafood. She came to a stop, brushing loose her hair off her face remembering past barbeques in her home. When the men had been fishing, it had always been Nate who did most of the cooking.

So much is changing; has already changed. I doubt Nate will ever take charge of the barbeque in my home again. I can't see him being part of my life at all now.

Jaz sighed, gave herself an internal head shake dismissing thoughts of Nate and past barbeques, making her way home to inform Emma that they would need to prepare salads and such for their evening meal.

She almost made it home when Nate crossed her path. Unsure exactly how to deal with the situation she remained silent waiting for him to speak first.

"Jaz." He looked almost ill, as if he hadn't eaten or slept in days. "I swear I didn't know. I was so young. My focus was on finding my place here at the Compound. I knew I'd eventually become an Enforcer. When your brother's approached me that's all I saw. Jaz I'm sorry. I didn't see you, didn't notice the changes in you, and didn't sense the baby. I was told not to see you again. If I did that would be the end of my chances of becoming an Enforcer."

"What do you want Nate?"

"Tell me about him Jaz. My son, please. What was he like, who did he look like? What was his name?"

Jaz could feel her eyes tear up, was determined not to cry in front of this man who'd used her, walked away from her, refused to see her when she was so desperate to tell him about the child she was carrying.

Shaking her head she looked Nate in the eye. "I can't. He's mine Nate. For now at least. Give me time to grieve his loss, something that's been denied me all these years." Jaz wrapped her arms around herself struggling to maintain control. "You have a child on the way Nate, isn't that enough?"

Jaz walked away half expecting Nate to follow, demand she tell him what he wanted to know. For whatever reason he didn't, was grateful for it, kept walking until she was inside her home with the door closed behind her. Jaz looked out the living room window to see Nate standing at a distance watching the house.

Nate stood undecided as to whether or not he should follow Jaz, was about to move forward when Phia called out to him. He stood looking at the house a moment more then turned moving off towards his mate's voice. He wouldn't push Jaz for now, he'd give her time, but he had a right to know about his son. He had a right to know his name and she would tell him, maybe not today, but soon.