31 year old Erin righted her shirt after feeding the one-month-old baby, standing up and approaching the nearby crib. She burped the baby girl and gently laid her down in the crib, brushing her hand over the soft hair on her little head. Wren Everly Black was a tiny baby girl with Jake's brown eyes and golden hair a bit darker than Erin's. When she'd been born, Jake commented on how he was glad they'd finally had a child with Erin's hair color, and he hoped desperately that it wouldn't darken as she got older.

Erin watched with a warm smile as her baby daughter's eyes slid closed. She waited a few moments before silently leaving the room. She walked just across the hall to another door and cracked it open.

Nick, who was now twelve, was sitting at his desk on one side of the room, working on his laptop. Across the room, Noah was sitting on the floor, leaning sleepily against the side of his bed as he slowly rolled a car back and forth over the floor. He'd turned 2 a few months back and they'd moved him into Nick's room so Wren could have his room, which was the bedroom closest to the entryway to the living room, and in extension Erin and Jake's bedroom.

"Hey. You two should be getting ready for bed." Erin told them quietly, walking into the room and approaching her son. She gently lifted him into her arms and laid him down on his bed. She took his car from him and tucked him under his covers.

"Daddy tell stories?" Noah asked sleepily, rubbing his eye with a tiny fist.

Erin smiled and sat on the edge of his bed. "Yes, I'm sure Daddy will be in here soon. He was helping Aspen after her bath, last I saw." Turning to look across the room, she saw Nick still typing something. "Nick. It's bedtime. Please at least get ready for bed."

"I'm working on my history paper." he told her, looking over his shoulder at her.

"I can help you look it over tomorrow sometime, okay? But it's late. You need to start getting ready for bed."

"Okay." Nick agreed, saving his paper and turning his laptop off before climbing into bed. Just as he did so, the door creaked open again and Jake peaked inside. He smiled at his wife and the boys.

"Hey. Aspen's asking for you to tuck her in." Jake told Erin, approaching her and kissing the top of her head.

"Okay." Turning back to Noah, she leaned down and kissed the top of his head. "Goodnight, honey. Sweet dreams."

She stood up and kissed her brother on the head, wishing him the same before leaving the room and entering the only other bedroom in the hall, just across from the boys' bedroom. She peaked in and saw her 6 year old daughter sitting up in her bed, her quilt over her legs as she stroked the stuffed wolf in her lap.

Aspen looked up as Erin approached her, sitting down next to her and wrapping an arm around the little girl. Aspen instantly leaned into her mother's side, closing her eyes and smiling as Erin ran her fingers through her damp hair.

They sat quietly for a moment. Erin had one arm around her daughter, and her other hand lightly played with the soft ear of the stuffed wolf.

"Mommy?" Aspen asked in a quiet voice.

"Yes, sweetie?" Erin asked gently, tilting her head to look down at her daughter.

"Why do you have owies?" she asked, running one little hand over the inside of Erin's forearm.

Erin's eyes traveled to the skin her daughter was referring to. Where her old scars crisscrossed over her arms from when she used to cut herself. She almost forgot about them. Her life had become so perfect, she rarely had a bad day where darkness crept in, threatening to suffocate her.

"These are very old owies." she whispered, unsure how much to tell her little girl. She wanted to shelter her children from the cold, cruel world as much as she could. She never wanted her children to feel the pain she'd felt back then.

Gently, she lifted her little girl up and set her gently on her lap, turning her sideways so she could rest her arm on Aspen's lap so they could both stare down at the many scars.

"I used to be very sad and alone when I was young. I didn't have a big family like I do now. I…I used to hurt a lot." she admitted quietly.

"I don't want Mommy to be hurt." Aspen said sadly, looking up at her mother with big, sad blue-gray eyes that looked like a reflection of Erin's own.

"I don't hurt anymore, sweetie. And you want to know why?" Erin asked, gently tucking some of Aspen's black hair behind her ear. The little girl nodded, some of the sadness leaving her eyes. "Our family took me in. All your aunts and uncles, Sam, Emily, Quil, and everyone…they made me a part of their family. And your Daddy…he became my protector." Erin admitted with a small smile at the hidden meaning. "He was there for me. He took care of me and loved me. He helped me stop hurting."

"Good." Aspen smiled sweetly, hugging her stuffed wolf to her chest. "Will I have my own protector when I grow up, Mommy?"

Erin smiled, still playing with her daughter's soft hair. "You don't need to grow up to have a protector, honey. Your daddy will always protect you, and so will all your uncles and aunts and me. You can come to any of us for anything, and we'll be there to protect you. Okay?"

"Okay, Mommy. I love you."

"I love you, too, honey." Erin told her, kissing the top of her head and cradling Aspen to her chest.

Gently lifting the little girl again, Erin stood up and then laid her daughter back in bed, tucking her quilt up to her chin. Leaning down, she kissed her daughter on the forehead.

"Goodnight Aspen. Have sweet dreams." Erin whispered.

"Night, Mommy. I love you."

Erin smiled as she stepped out of the room, gently closing the door behind her. She looked up to see Jake leaning against the wall right next to the door.

"Hey. The boys asleep?" she whispered, leaning her shoulder against the wall near him and crossing her arms over her chest.

Jake smiled. "Yeah. They both fell asleep like a minute into the story. So, I came out here to see how you were doing with Aspen."

Erin's lips quirked up in a slight smile. "So you heard everything?"

Jake had officially stopped phasing a couple years ago, so he didn't have super senses, but he still remained in charge of pack-related things, as well as being the Chief of the tribe.

"I did." Jake answered with a single nod.

"You're not upset with what I told her, are you?" she asked, a little worried. They'd never really discussed how much of Erin's past with depression to tell their kids.

"'Course not." Jake chuckled, leaning away from the wall and wrapping her in a tight, familiar hug. While it didn't hold the heat it used to when he was a wolf, it still had the same comfort. "Besides, you were right. I'm your protector, and I'll always protect my family and my kids."

Erin smiled, leaning her head on his chest. "I know."

They'd come a long way since Jake first imprinted on Erin. They'd had their struggles, both alone and together, and they still managed to come out of it stronger.

Erin turned her head to rest her chin on Jake's chest, looking up at him. Jake looked down at her, locking his hands together on the small of her back to keep her close.

"Still happy you imprinted on me?" she whispered.

Jake gave her his familiar, bright smile before leaning down and pressing a sweet kiss to her lips. He pulled away just enough to whisper against her lips, "Best thing that's ever happened to me."

XXX

And they all lived happily ever after

The End

There, now I can be satisfied labeling this story as complete. I hope you all enjoyed Jake and Erin's journey. Let me know what you all thought of the story as a whole, and feel free to check out any of my other stories.