Chapter 19

Jasmine's POV

"Well this isn't a sight you see every day." I say referring to Jerry lounging on the three seater couch in sweats and a tank top donned in all black.

"Why are you in the house at this hour?" I ask dropping my duffel bag by the chair sitting beside Jerry. Its half past noon and by this time he would be working with the Alpha, or in the pack house and sometimes on pack patrol.

"I know right. I just didn't have anything lined up to do" he says almost pained. Only Jerry loves to work this much. He's like a handyman he can do anything; from fixing electricity, fixing pipes and the likes. Did I also mention that he's an amazing cook? He's like competing with my mom.

"Good for you" I say. I don't have time to react as he drags his arm by head to cradle my head between his arm and his chest giving me a noogie. I try to wiggle away but his strength is immeasurable compared to mine so instead I beg.

Of course he doesn't answer me so I do the next thing that comes to my mind, I lick him. Immediately he screeches like a banshee and releases me moving to the other side of the couch putting space between us.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he shouts at me as I laugh. I don't answer him instead I laugh harder rolling to the floor to annoy him further.

"It's not funny you know." He says a hint of disgust laced with his voice. I roll over to face him from my position on the floor. I look up at him and muster the best puppy dog face I have mastered over the years.

"I'm sorry but you wouldn't let go" I mumble

"You did not have to lick me"

"I know" then I break out with an infectious smile then a smile breaks out on his face his previous act forgotten. He stands up from the couch stretching. He must have been here since morning then I conclude in my mind.

"Get your ass off the floor and let's go visit Nicole"

"Oh....Did Jacques ask you to babysit her or something?" I ask him standing up to brush off the imaginary dust from my body. When I look back at him he has one of his eyebrows raised up questioningly.

"No he did not, why would you ask that anyway?"

I shrug in reply throwing him a be down in ten over my shoulders as I sprint up the stairs.

Ten minutes later after a lot of what are you wearing, are you dressing for a baby, and hurry up's. I was finally downstairs, I took a well-deserved shower watching off the rest of the grime of this morning's training then I went ahead to dress in jeans and a thin sweatshirt only towel drying my hair so it was still damp.

We closed the door behind us and I waited for Jerry at the sidewalk in front our house as he locked the door. I don't think anyone would steal because their scent will be all over the place but I can't be so sure, so prevention is better I guess.

We start making our way to Jacques house, it wasn't that far really just a few turns here and there besides his house is close to the pack house in case there's an emergency or the Alpha needs him and the pack house is like the centre of our underground world.

"So how was your day?" Jerry asks me unexpectedly. He's never really the one to start conversations unless its about pack matters.

"It was pretty cool. I trained in my wolf form with someone else, but I wouldn't really call it training since my opponent almost bit my head off" I rambled on.

His eyebrows shoot up showing that he's interested in what I'm saying.

"I thought I smelt blood on you when you came into the house earlier"

"Oh" I trail off.

"I didn't want to ask in case it was something else and there wasn't any visible injury on your body" he finishes with a cough.

"What other thing?" I ask trying to make him uncomfortable. He shoots me an uninterested look, one that says he knows what I'm trying to do and that he's not going to answer me. But I don't give up instead I ask him again, this time in a  straight-forward manner.

"You mean if I was on my period" I tease, a goofy smile decorating my face.

He starts choking as the last word of my sentence proceeds out of my mouth. I burst out laughing at him and I try to calm him down by patting his back soothingly in a way instead he moves away from me to walk faster. I catch up with him to walk by his side. I glance at his face to see he has no expression on his face.

"Don't be mad Jer" I say tightening the grip of my hand on his forearm.

"I'm not mad" he quietly says. "Its just weird for my sister to..you know" he trails off.

"I know. But you smell it every month"

"Oh my God will you shut up!" he exclaims, his arms shooting up in the air.

So I did. For the next few minutes only the noise of everyone else on the streets were heard and if you could also count our heartbeats and shallow breaths.

"Who?" he asks. Realizing that he was referring to earlier when I told him about who I supposedly trained with.

So I answered "Natasha".

"Oh" is all he says. And I replied with a "Yeah." We didn't say anything else as we made our way to Jacques house.

"Does Gillian we are coming?" I ask. It would be weird if we barge into their house unexpected.

"Yes, she does."

When we got to their house I knocked on the door a little bit enthusiastic. Jerry shakes his head at me at my display, I poke my tongue out at him he just rolls his eyes.

''Come in the door is opened." I hear Gillian's middle pitched voice say through the door. I proceed to open the door stepping in, Jerry right behind me.

The house looks neat and beautiful except from a very drained out Gillian who is sprawled on a chair looking extremely tired with the bags under her eyes, her brown hair looking so dull, even the sweats she's currently donning looks too big for her small frame. And all this is because of the tiny pup in a baby rocker looking up at us with her twinkling green eyes. The thing is that Lycan babies are extremely active especially in their early stages of growth.

"Hey guys, nice of you to drop by" Gillian says clearly tired.

"It's nothing. You look like you could fall over any minute" Jerry says, a hint of concern in his voice.

"I'm this close to growing crazy" she says gesturing with her fingers a small width of space between them. Wow she's so close I think in my mind.

"I take it that it hasn't been easy" Jerry comments gesturing to the bundle of joy in her crib.

"No it hasn't" she replies putting a hand over her eyes." She hasn't slept a wink since yesterday." I raise my eyebrows up at that information and like as if the baby would answer me I look at her a questioning look marring my face. Nicole doesn't understand me instead she giggles.

"She's been doing that all day" Gillian says standing up to stretch.

"We watched a movie last night and an actress giggled at something someone said and since then Nicole hasn't stopped giggling" she explains.

"You look like shit" I comment.

"Gee thanks" she replies sarcastically

"Why don't you go take a nap or relax, Jerry and I will take care of Nicole and probably put her to sleep."

"You'll do that for me. Thank you so much." I wave her off with my hand pushing her in the direction of the corridor where their bedrooms are located.

"If you guys are hungry help yourself, I just fed Nicole so she would be fine for the next few hours. If you need me just come call me" she rambles on finishing with a tired yawn.

"We'll be fine just rest" I say as we approach the door of her bedroom. She turns the handle of the door and then she turns to me and then she gives me a quick embrace.

I make my way back to the living room to see Jerry carrying Nicole in his hands looking at her with something I can only describe as longing.

He doesn't notice me standing there staring at him, even Nicole doesn't even know the gaze her uncle has on her; like something he can never have.

"Where there's life there's hope" I say softly hoping to catch his attention. It does because he looks up at me and gives me the saddest smile I've ever seen.

"I know" he whispers.

Nicole giggles dissolving the thick moment into a lighter one which causes a smile to light up on our faces.

"Oh my gosh she's so adorable" I squeal taking her from Jerry as I settle in the couch. I can't just help it but to pinch her chubby cheeks. She tries to slap my hand away from her face but I still continue my assault on her face.

"She's so small and soft" Jerry remarks a smile on his face.

"I know right" I reply squeezing her small body gently. A smile lights up the baby's face showing her teeth-less gum.

"Any ideas on how to get her to sleep?"

"I don't know but I remember Mom leaving you to tire yourself out". "Sing her a lullaby or something" he adds.

"I don't know any lullabies"

"Neither do I"

"Gee thanks a lot brother" I remark sarcastically, then Nicole giggles while Jerry chuckles.

"Let me hold her a little more" he requests. I hand over Nicole to Jerry and watch how she keeps reaching for his hair only to grab it and watch it slip through her tiny fingers.

Letting them have their moment I walk into the kitchen to get something to eat. I find a bag of chips that are no doubt Jacques', so I take that and bottled water from the fridge. I eat half of the chips in the kitchen and take the rest to the living room. I see Jerry making a funny face at Nicole. The little infant just giggles endlessly.

I decide to watch a movie knowing that Jacques himself is somewhat a movie freak. In no time I find a good action movie to entertain myself with leaving Nicole in the hands of Jerry.

An hour and a half later I turned my head at Jerry and Nicole to see Nicole sleeping peacefully in his arms. During the movie I heard him move around i think I heard him sing too and let's not forget Nicole's giggles.

"How long has she been out?" I whisper lowly so that the baby won't wake.

"About ten minutes" he says. He has a weird glimmer in his eyes as he gazes at baby Nicole.

The door opens to reveal Jacques and Jeremy. I put my fingers to my lips motioning for them to keep quiet. They tear their eyes away me to look at Jerry with Nicole in his arms asleep. On making eye contact with Jerry, Jacques falls to his knees and starts to thank the moon goddess.

We all give him looks but he doesn't seem to care.

"Finally!" he exclaims as he gracefully stands from his position to take the baby from Jerry.

He excuses himself to drop the baby inside. He comes back out a minute later.

"Bro you don't know what you just did, but I owe you one" Jacques says plopping down in a seat tiredly.

Taking a closer look at him he even looks worse than Gillian, his red hair askew, his clothes had numerous wrinkles on them and let's not forget the bags he was carrying under his eyes.

"Its nothing bro, all I did was make her laugh and she tired herself out" Jerry tells Jacques.

"Just like Jasmine" Jacques says squinting his eyes and looking at me.

"Yeah" Jeremy agrees.

"Whenever you didn't want to sleep or you were being unusually grumpy or bitchy, Mom would just put you in a corner and she would leave you there till you cried and screamed your eyes out and eventually slept" Jacques explains.

"She was and still is annoying" Jeremy buts in. I cross my arms over my chest sending each of them a playful glare.

"I know I'm annoying sometimes but at least talk like I'm here" I huff. All of them chuckle in response.

Jerry stands to his feet stretching his body.

"Why are you here?" I ask Jeremy. He doesn't answer me instead he just shrugs.

"We should get going; Mom wants us to pick some things from the store." Jeremy says glancing at me and Jerry.

"Thank you guys for coming and helping with Nicole" Jacques says

"Don't thank us; this is what family is for" I say.

"Just so you know this is just the first week you have a whole lot of months ahead of you" I say putting a hand on Jacques shoulder, looking into his green eyes similar to mine a teasing smile on my face.

"I know" he bursts out fake crying into my shoulder

"Its okay you'll live" I say patting his back. He hugs me tighter before releasing me.

"I will by the Moon's Goddess grace" he says wiping nonexistent tears from his eyes. "I heard you kicked ass in training today".

My face lights up with a big smile "Yes I did".

"Good, keep it up" he cheers giving me a high five.

He gives Jerry and Jeremy a bro hug before releasing us saying he has sleep to catch up on.

"See you guys later" Jacques says as we make our way out of his house.

"What exactly does Mom want us to get?" I ask Jeremy.

"Just foodstuffs and clothes, that's what she told me" he replies. "She said to meet Mrs. Hilary for it"

"Ok"

We make our way to the pack house in no time since it is not in any way far from Jacques house.

I can help but to feel a little bit worried about Jerry. I did not like the longing look on his face. He looked like as if he knew he was never going to have a child. I want to change that, he has to know he can fall in love with anybody whether true mate or second chance mate.

It is true that our mates are our other half, predestined and so perfect for each other. Now that he has lost his true mate, he feels like as if he can never have true happiness again, there might be his second chance mate out there but everyone knows they are extremely rare and hard to come about. I have to help him realize that there is still true happiness outside the bubble of true mates.

So that's why I'm going to set him up in a blind date, my plan will go into motion later. With that thought in mind I rub my hands evilly and smirk, my action causes Jerry and Jeremy to look at me in confusion. I just brush it off by laughing which results them in rolling their eyes.