So we meet again

"That would be nice if everyone is okay with it," Cecilia answered looking down at Anali who had began to protest but was stopped by the shake of her fathers head. She had to admit Jake was a good father, a much better parent that Cec ever felt she could be. Maybe if she asked he would be willing to give her some pointers or hints on how to give Mollie a good upbringing.

"Let's go then. The place we normally go to is just down the street." he said. Anali was still pouting about having Cecilia go with them but she was actually enjoying having a baby around. It was something she wasn't used to since she was an only child. Jake knew how much Anali wished she had a younger sibling, but with her mother gone and Jake not exactly having a partner, it would be a while before she got one.

"Anali come on." he said softly. The three year old looked up from the stroller and shook her head. She wanted to walk beside the stroller in case Mollie woke up. Jake looked to Cecilia to see if it was okay.

"She's fine," Cecilia said giving Jake a slight nod. Anali was interested in Mollie even if Cecilia didn't quiet understand why. She smiled and walked along side Jake pushing the stroller with Mollie and Anali walking along side of it. "Did you have any plans after you got lunch?" Cecilia asked Jake looking up at him through her lashes as she always did. her smile lighting up her face making her look happier than she had been in almost a year.

Jake looked at Anali who was almost in the stroller with the younger girl and he smiled.He really wished he could give Anali what she wanted, but there was really no way he could. Neither could her mother. It saddened him but there was just nothing that could be done.

He looked at Cecilia and shook his head. "Not really. We were just planning to go back home. We tend to stay inside most of the time, we're only going out to eat now because she loves this restaurant." he told her. "I'm sure Anali would love if Mollie can home with us for a while, if you'd want to come over for a bit before you go back home." he suggested.

"That would be much nicer than sitting in that cottage," Cecilia said glancing down to check on her daughter. "She's going to be up all night," she said quietly mostly to herself than anyone else. "I wish i could show you around but everyone knows to well what happened last time i went out somewhere i thought i knew and didn't find you." Cec bowed her head in shame as she talked of the time she ran into felix barker in knocturn alley.

"Whaddaya mean?" Anali asked softly, looking up from the stroller to Cecilia as she spoke. Jake looked at Cecilia then at Anali and sighed. "It's something you wouldn't understand right now Anali." he told her and Anali looked at him with a confused look on her face. She didn't understand what her father meant by that she wouldn't understand right now.

"Do you mean I'm not old enough?" she asked, looking like she'd been hurt. Jake sighed again. "In a way, yes. You wouldn't understand what happened." Jake explained to the young girl. "Oh." the three year old answered lightly and shrugged.

Jake looked at Cecilia and a frown crossed his face. "Cec, are you afraid it'll happen again?" he asked, wondering if he'd just messed up by asking her.

"Yes," Cecilia answered sadness showing in her eyes, "Everyday I fear he will come back. The event has haunted my dreams since." She stated quietly, "Not only am i scared that might happen, i'm afraid he will go after Mollie next." she sighed and looked down at her child. "Wouldn't you be too?" She asked quietly glancing up at Jake. She had never seen him look scared around her, he had always brought her comfort with out meaning to.

"Don't worry anymore. He won't hurt you again. No one's going to allow it." he said. Jake placed his hand on her shoulder and looked at her. "Especially not me." he added. He didn't want what happened to Cecilia to happen again and he was going to prevent it for as long as he could. Having had some time as an Auror, Jake was well equipped to keep Cecilia safe while she was around him. And even if anything happened to her, he would be able to help out more than he had last time, when he'd only found her and had not been able to prevent anything.

"But you're right. I would be scared. If anything happened to Anali... Well, let's just say I'd give my life to keep her safe." he told her. His biggest fear now was losing the small girl that had slowly won his heart in the past six months.

"I couldn't understand what you mean," She whispered, "I'd give anything to protect Mollie. I don't know what I would do if i didn't have her. It seems as if i have lost everything, everyone but her." a calming sensation seemingly washed over Cecilia as Jake told her he wouldn't let Felix hurt her again. "Thank you," she said quietly hoping he knew what she ment with out her actully saying it.

Listening to what Cecilia said, Jake couldn't help but notice how fragile she seemed now. The girl he'd met before, this wasn't her. She was much more afraid of the world now, mostly afraid of having a repetition of the past. He understood though. After what she went through it was hard to recover. But she had a daughter to fend for now.

"Cec, you have to be strong for Mollie, you know that right?" he asked her. "You have to be strong and be able to take care of Mollie. If you keep fearing that he'll come back... Mollie will grow up fearing that someone will come after her mother and herself. She'll never feel safe and she might develop some kind of illness that will prevent her from living life the way she should." he explained. It had happened to his friend after something similar happened to her mother and she hadn't been able to cope with it well.

She wasn't around anymore... And Jake always felt responsible for not being able to help her through it all. Even though it wasn't even his fault at all.