At Sorrow's Door

By Lady of Spain

Disclaimer: S. Meyer owns Twilight

A/N: This story is dedicated to silkyjacob who patiently waited for me to get back in the saddle and take up my pen. This one's for you, sj! BTW, get out the Kleenex, you'll need it.

Chapter 1: Angel in our Midst

The sweat was rolling off her face. Damn, I wish this was over already. Were the other two this difficult?

Bella sighed loudly. "I can't Jake, I can't. I'm too tired."

"Don't give up now, honey. You're almost there. You can do it. Just a couple more pushes and it'll all be over."

"It better be a girl this time, or you'll be sleeping under the trees from now on," she shouted at me.

With great effort and a lot of grunting, she pushed again. A head covered in dark hair appeared. The next push resulted in my little girl, Carlie, sliding into my hands, and entering our world. I was so excited, I fairly sang, "You did it, Bells. It's a girl!"

"A girl? I can't see her. Are you sure?"

"Uh, yeah … I'm pretty sure. I don't see any extra ornamentation if ya get my meaning."

"Thank goodness. You've been exonerated."

Leah cut the cord and handed our baby to Bella. "Gawd, that was a long labor. We all need some sleep." She pointed at me, and ordered, "Jake, can you get another towel for me."

She reached for the towel I pulled off the shelf. "Thanks, but don't leave yet."

"I wasn't goin' anywhere."

You got that right, Daddy, 'cuz I need a bucket for after I deliver the placenta, and then—you can drain the pool and clean it out. I don't wanna hear any complaints either. Bella's done all the work so far; now it's your turn."

My eyes rolled at that stupid statement. "Did I say anything?"

"No, but there's always a first time."

Geez, you'd think she would know me by now. I slunk off to get the bucket, muttering all the way.

Leah's head snapped back over her shoulder like a mean ol' owl. "I heard that."

"Sure, sure. I didn't think it'd get past ya."

Nodding her head, she quipped, "Damn straight."

One week later:

I sat down next to Bella on the couch. She looked so content, nursing Carlie. Scratching my head, I asked, "Are you sure she's ours?" Dumb question, I know. "What I mean is; she doesn't even wake up to eat. Not like Liam or Ephraim. Those two were always squawkin' and fussin', ready to suck in anything in their path."

"I know. Isn't it wonderful? She's such a good baby."

I leaned over, rubbing the dark wisps of hair on her little head. "It's more than wonderful. It's unbelievable. Here I was counting on sleepless nights. Somebody pinch me. I must be dreaming."

A faraway look passed over those chocolate eyes. "Let's hope it continues, I've had enough nightmares to last a lifetime."

Four months went by and Carlie was the main attraction for all the little girls on the rez. She was so docile, that they'd come over to the house and dress her like she was a baby doll. I very rarely heard her cry except when Liam played too rough with her.

Well, one Saturday I came into the house from the Taj. And no, I wasn't working on the Rabbit. That fossil bit the dust eons ago. Anyway, Carlie was two years old at the time, and she was wailing to beat the band. Spotting Liam wrestling her to the ground, I said, "Hey, Liam … gently, gently. She's a person, not a punching bag."

Liam let her go and looked up from the floor. "Ah, Dad, I wasn't hurtin' her."

I picked her up and wiped away her tears. "Then why is she crying?"

He shrugged, trying to look all innocent. "I dunno, maybe a bug bit her."

"Yeah, right." With a stern look at my youngin', I blurted, "Don't you have some chores to do?"

An ugly frown enveloped his face. "No, I already did them."

As he turned away, he mumbled, "You're no fun anymore, ever since she showed up. Stupid brat, why'd she havta mess everything up for? I wish she would just die."

My mouth gaped open at his words. "What did you say?"

"Nothin'."

"You stay right there, Liam."

"Bells," I shouted. Can you come in here for a minute?"

Her voice wafted thru the door from the kitchen. "Oh, for Pete's sake. I'm in the middle of making dinner."

"Please—I need you to take Carlie."

"Great, never fails. Now I'll have two rug-rats under my feet."

She walked into the living room, wiping her hands on a towel tucked around her waist, Ephraim, covered in flour, traipsing behind her. Bella's eyebrows rose as she saw me glaring at Liam.

"What's going on, boys?"

"Later," I said, as I handed Carlie to her.

Grabbing Liam by the scruff of the neck, I snarled, "You're coming with me, now!"

"But I didn't do nothin'. I was just playin' with her."

Bella gave me the eye. "Jake …"

I shook him gently, glancing down at the guilty party. "I'm not gonna beat him to death. We're just gonna have a little chat, he and I."

Liam's eyes grew wider, as he locked them with his mother's. "Mooooom …"

"Don't look at me. I can't help you. Go with your dad, Liam." She turned to our other son. "C'mon, Ephraim, you can help me bread some more chicken. Only this time, remember what happened. You need to close the bag before you shake it, right?"

"Okay, Momma. I'm not in trouble, huh?"

"No, you're not. You're Momma's little helper."

I watched as she returned to the kitchen; Carlie clinging to her shoulder, and Ephraim, holding onto the make-shift apron.

I took Liam into our bedroom and hunkered down so I could be on eye level with him. "Okay, Liam, now why do you think I brought you in here?"

"I dunno."

"Yeah, ya do. Think real hard."

Liam scrunched up his brow, but not one word came outta his mouth. Letting out a breath, I asked, "What did you say when you thought I couldn't hear you."

He lowered his head. "Oh …"

"Yeah, oh. You wanna tell me why you wish your sister was dead?"

Peering up into my eyes, he brayed, "She's always messin' up my legos, and my other stuff too."

"So does Ephraim. I didn't hear you complaining about him, so that's not it. What's the real reason?"

With tears starting to pool, he confessed, "You don't love me anymore."

Geez, that was a punch to the gut. "Whaaaat? Why would you think that?"

"Because you and Momma are all the time, kissin' and huggin' her."

"You want us to hug and kiss you?"

"No, but we never go anywhere without her butting in."

"Tell me something, Liam, did she go fishing with us last weekend?"

"No …"

"Well, why not?"

"Because she's too little."

"Do I let her ride with me on the back of my bike?"

"No …"

"Do I let her help me in the Taj when we visit at Grandpa's house?"

"No…"

"Liam, I'm not gonna punish you, but I don't ever want to hear you say a thing like that again, understand?"

He nodded as I held out my arms. I hugged him fiercely and kissed his cheek. "I love you to the moon and back. The only reason Carlie gets so much of our attention is because of her age. She's still so small and needs us more than you do, but that doesn't mean that we love you any less than her. When she gets bigger, you'll have more fun with her, and want her to be with you. Just be patient."

"Okay, Daddy. I promise not to hurt her anymore."

I stood up and said, "Okay then. Let's shake on it."

Taking his little hand, I shook it and smiled. "That's my boy."

Three Years Later—Laie, Hawaii:

Kapono, aka, Al, was home from work on his lunch hour. Rebecca placed a couple of sandwiches and some potato salad in front of him and sat down. "I don't know what to do anymore, Al. He's like a different person ever since he started hanging out with Tiki and the Surfside Six." The last three words hissed out between her clenched teeth.

Kapono tore off a large chunk of the first sandwich, chewed and swallowed. That done, he brayed, "Nah, you're blowin' this all out of proportion, Becca. He's a kid. He needs to blow off some steam."

Canting her head, she informed Kapono. "He's 16—he's more than a kid. Tawa's getting rebellious, I tell you. This morning, while vacuuming his room, I found pot hidden under his trash can. Pot! You've got to speak to him. He won't listen to me."

The second sandwich was history, and the last spoonful found his mouth. With a wipe of his chin with a napkin, he said, "All right. I'll talk to him this evening when he gets home from school, but right now, I've got to go back to work."

"That's another thing. I'm not positive that he's even going to school. I'll call the attendance line to check on it."

"Hang loose, Wahine, worrying like that will put wrinkles in that beautiful face of yours."

He grabbed his airline lanyard from the table and stood. A grin stretched across his lips, and he added, "Aloha, Becca. Now give your moke kane one big smooch, eh?"

With arms akimbo, she spat, "You're such a male. Can't see beyond the end of your nose."

Winking at her, he said, "I see one lovely passion flower standing in the kitchen."

"Oh, go soak your head in the ocean."

"Later, Kuuipu."

"Don't start with the pidgin, Al, I'm not in the mood."

Kapono stepped forward. "I'll do one better." He pulled her to his chest, and laid one on her."

Tawa did not come home that night nor the following. Rebecca was beside herself, calling people to find out where he was, while Kapono scoured the area in their Jeep. Several people said that they'd seen him out surfing with his friends, Folau Alatini, Tiki Ramos, and the other bad influences.

Finally, on the third day, someone directed Kapono to the Papalii's home—a home that had been vacant for years. The sound of loud music from ukuleles and singing, filled his ears as he neared his destination. The place looked like it had been brought to life again, and not in a good way—the Island Way.

The whole house reeked of alcohol and the sweet odor of marijuana. Besides Tiki's crew, there were young women in various stages of undress lying here and there. Kapono nearly had to shield his eyes in some instances.

There, in that den of iniquity, he found Tawa, staggering around like a sailor on leave. Kilauea, the big man was pretty laid back about some things, but this was just too much. He was seeing red. This was not happening to his oldest son. What kind of example was he setting for his brother Billy, and his little sister, Lani Kai? Billy worshipped the sand Tawa walked on, and tried to emulate him in everything he did.

Kapono couldn't believe his own eyes. He hardly recognized his son. It was as if Tawa had been transformed. Who was this bleary-eyed kid with the slurred speech?

"Aaa! Waz up, brah?"

His dad's eyes practically popped out of his head. "First off, I'm not your brah, I'm your father. And second of all, the party's over, and you're coming home with me."

He grabbed Tawa's shoulder, who then twisted away, slapping at Kapono's arms. "I'm not leaving. You can't make me, ol' man."

"Don't make me get physical with you, Son."

Tawa shoved at his father's chest. "Ha, you think you can take me?"

"You bet your sweet stick!"

Kapono pushed Tawa from behind toward the front of the living room, as Tiki yelled, "Choo-hoo, look at Junior bein' towed by his tutu."

Ignoring the remark, Kapono continued struggling with Tawa, inching toward the entrance. And so it went, Kapono dragging Tawa's butt out the door and to the Jeep outside. Shaking his head all the way, his father restrained himself. So angry was he, that he dared not speak, silently driving back to their home.

Once they reached the house, he pushed Tawa through the door. All the while his son was cursing, with his arms flailing about.

Rebecca's anxiety for Tawa's safety, rapidly changed to outrage when she saw the condition he was in. His glossy black hair was straggly and unkempt, his clothes smelly and grimy, and his intelligent dark eyes were now dull and reddened.

"Tawa!" she shrieked. "Will you just look at yourself? Thank the Lord your grandparents are gone. They'd be ashamed of you. I'm ashamed of you. Go clean yourself up; then get in bed, and sleep it off. Your father and I will deal with you tomorrow when you've regained your senses."

Meanwhile, in La Push, Bella and Jacob were happily unaware of the chain of events which would intrude on their lives.