Author's Note: Yay last chapter! So these two endings can be substituted or they could both of happened (if you changed the names of the kids in the second one) just so you know, the Darcy kids in the second ending are the ones that make a brief appearance in my other fanfic Nothing in the World. I just thought they were cute, so I decided to use them again. : ) Hope you enjoyed the literary ride, and won't find either ending too predictable, cliché or cheesy. My next Austen fanfic will be for P & P entitled The Black Pawn. Synopsis: A mysterious girl arrives at Netherfield one night during the time of Elizabeth and Darcy's engagement, the next morning Lady Catherine arrives and that afternoon Mr. Darcy breaks off his engagement with Elizabeth. So yeah, I think you know that I don't own either Emma or P&P. Enjoy the final chapter!
--Ending 1 (fast forward roughly five years)
"Emma?"
Mrs. Elizabeth Darcy looked at her husband in puzzlement, holding their newborn daughter in her arms. Her husband looked down at the two of them with loving eyes, stroking the child's thin copper head of hair. The baby seemed to smile as she slept, as if she had heard the name and was content with it.
"Does the name not suit you?" Mr. Darcy asked his wife awkwardly. Elizabeth smiled and leaned her face against her husband's hand.
"It's a wonderful name," she said, "it suits her perfectly. But where did you get it from." Mr. Darcy smiled as he remembered that evening. What a blessing it had been. There will still times today when he wondered if he would have had the courage to propose to Elizabeth again if it hadn't been for her.
"I met a young woman," Elizabeth gave her husband a suspicious look and cocked one of her eyebrows. Mr. Darcy laughed and leaned down to kiss her head, gathering her shoulders in his arms. Hadn't Ms. Woodhouse given him a look like that? "When I was on my way to propose to you a second time I met a young woman of that name. We talked for a short time and after listening to her own story of unrequited love," Elizabeth blushed slightly at hearing that causing her husband to smile again and hug her even tighter. "She was able to give me new hope that you might accept me." Elizabeth turned to look at her husband, moving her head up to give him a brief kiss on the lips.
"It sounds as though I have her to thank for you." Mr. Darcy chuckled.
"That you might my dear…that you might." They just stared at each other for a moment, the room silent except for their child's quiet breathing.
"Emma it is then," murmured Elizabeth quietly.
And now on to Highbury…
Emma Knightley leaned back her husband gratefully, exhausted from the pains of labor. Mr. Knightley held their new son gently, letting his chestnut colored hair fall against his mother's arm. The three of them rested against the headboard of the bed, watching the shadows of the candles play across the walls.
"What would you like to name him?" Mr. Knightley asked finally. Emma pursed her lips in thought. She could already tell that the child took after her husband. Only one other person had ever reminded her of George.
"William," she said happily heaving a sigh of exhaustion, content, but mostly love. Her husband looked at the child in a pondering way for a moment.
"It suits him exceedingly well," he said. Emma smiled.
"I think it will. It really is a wonderful name." The two looked at each other before Mr. Knightley took his wife's face in his hand, bringing it to his to kiss her.
"I think he will grow to be very much like him," thought Emma as she felt the warmth of her husband's lips "but Fitzwilliam was such a distasteful name."
-- Ending #2 (fast forward roughly twenty years)
Mr. Darcy looked over his daughter lovingly as he drew her back from their embrace. He and Elizabeth couldn't help but let a few tears fall now that Beatrice was married. She looked absolutely beautiful with her golden hair falling gently down her shoulders over her white dress. Her green eyes sparkled as she took her husband's arm. Mr. Darcy had had his doubts about the young man, since Beatrice was of a slightly higher class, but watching them now he saw himself and Elizabeth when they were married.
A tall black haired figure appeared beside them, his striking blue eyes struggling to hold back tears of his own. Elizabeth eyed her son mischievously. "You may as well admit it Sebastian, you are going to miss your younger sister." Sebastian just shook his head unconvincingly and went to embrace his sister and shake hands with her husband, Alexander.
So that was it. The wedding had been just as Mr. Darcy had expected. All of his and Elizabeth's relatives had been there (with the exception of the Wickhams and the DeBourgh's, thank goodness) and the only one who had been able to keep calm the entire time was Beatrice. Both of her parents had to admit that she was an extremely level-headed and intelligent girl, much like the literary character for whom she had been named. Not that Sebastian wasn't equally as intelligent or wise in his decisions. He was simply hot-headed at times, as most boys are at the age of three-and-twenty. Mr. Darcy could tell that Georgiana and Elizabeth would greatly miss his daughter's pointed wit and cool consul.
"Oh there are your parents Alexander," said Beatrice eagerly, bringing Mr. Darcy out of his thoughts. Although both children had met the other's families, neither Mr. Darcy nor Elizabeth had met either of Alexander's parents. Mr. Darcy was exceedingly eager to meet the Knightley's as the name sounded familiar to him though he could not quite remember why. When he turned to look at them he nearly collapsed from surprise.
"EMMA?!" Everyone in the group turned to look at him with equal amounts of surprise and puzzlement, except of course Emma Knightley. She smiled radiantly at him and reached out to shake his hand.
"I thought it was you Mr. Darcy. You certainly have not changed much since I met you, and after such a long time." Getting over his surprise at seeing his old friend again Mr. Darcy stifled a laugh.
"Nor have you." The two turned back to look at the confused faces of everyone else in the group. Finally Elizabeth stepped over to the two of them, her eyebrows furrowed.
"Wait you two have met before?"
Emma laughed merrily and took the hand of the tall, silver haired man who was
Alexander's father. "My dear this is an old friend of mine, Mr. Darcy. Mr. Darcy this is my husband, George."
Mr. Darcy wrapped his arm around Elizabeth's shoulder. "Emma, this is my wife." He paused a moment, his eyes glazed with the memories of the night the two of them had talked. "Elizabeth."
Emma gave a half smile as her eyes lit up before taking Elizabeth's hand in both of hers. "It's wonderful to finally meet you," she said tenderly. Elizabeth's expression gained a new level of surprise at the "finally".
Getting over his wonder at last Mr. Knightley put a hand on his wife's shoulder. "Come, why don't we talk over some refreshment."
"Indeed," said Beatrice enthusiastically, "I'm quite curious to know when the two of you met before. The rest of the group murmured their agreement as they made their way across the lawn of Pemburly toward the table laden with punch and wedding cake.
As they walked Elizabeth glanced back to see Emma poke Mr. Darcy's shoulder playfully. "I told you that you wouldn't need any luck," she said happily. Elizabeth smiled as she heard her husband's deep chuckle.
"You were right. I did have reason to hope."