Okay everyone, here is your two-for-one special for getting these last two chapters tonight. And I want to send out a HUGE THANK YOU for those who have stuck and put up with me after all this time. If if weren't for you guys, I probably wouldn't continue to be in the game. And to those wondering if this will be my last E7 fic or not, well, that I'm not entirely sure yet. I still have one unfinished story on file and whether or not that gets finished will be figured out in time. For now, here's my last Eureka Seven installment of this story.

Part 10- Epilogue

Life for us went well a year after things got started. The restaurant, though starting out slow at first, quickly got going after that. News of a new diner in town opening up soon had people scrambling, especially when they found out who owned it. "Hilda! Welcome back!"
"Thank Anemone. What's the special today?"
"Three piece chicken dinner with the works."
"Sounds good. We'll take two of them to go."
"Aww…you're not staying today?"
"Wish I could, but me and Matthieu are busier than usual today."
"Understandable. They're coming right up. Renton, two three to go!"
"Got it! Hi Hilda!"
"Hey Renton! So, Anemone, how are things on the home front?"
"Wonderful. Kids are doing great, we can't believe Elizabeth is a year and a half already, and well…it's sad not having Eleanor around anymore."
"Still, she was happy having the diner back to the way she remembered it. Can't believe it's been two months already."
"She felt like family too. That's the sad part."
"Well at least she was able to see the place reopen. That was the best thing I think she ever saw in her life."
"Other than marrying the love of her life when she was young, I think this took second."
"You know what I mean." Hilda said with a smile. "Oh, thanks Renton."
"Anytime Hilda. I'll see you in the morning."
"You got it. Night guys!"
"Night!" I said cheerfully. Locking the door behind her, it was finally time to close up for the night. Sighing tiredly, I watched as Renton went to clean the kitchen for the night. I had the dining room pretty much done other than a few tables to wipe down after some late customers had come in. All that was left for me to do was count the deposit for the night and close down the front counter area. "Renton, how much do you have left to do?"
"Just a few dishes then sweeping and mopping. I should be done shortly."
"Okay!" I yelled back into the kitchen. "Yeah…" I whispered to myself while looking around at our store. "this…is what I was meant to do."

"Momma! Poppa! Welcome back!" Maeter cheerfully yelled as we walked in the door home.
"Thanks sweetie. Where's grandpa?"
"In the living room."
"Okay. Go upstairs and get ready for bed."
"Okay!"
"Grandpa, we're home!"
"Renton! How was the diner tonight?"
"Busy as usual. How were the kids tonight?"
"Fine as usual. Jackson was a bit rowdy, but that's about it."
"Typical for a young golden retriever." I giggled. "Hi grandpa."
"Hey dear. How are you?"
"Tired, but alive."
"Well at least you're alive." he chuckled.
"Very funny grandpa."
"I try to be. You two eat yet?"
"No."
"Dinner is in the fridge then. Make sure you eat before going to bed."
"We will. Thanks grandpa again for everything. I still hate leaving the kids for you to watch while we work."
"I'll hear no complaints about it Anemone. Now go eat."
"Yes grandpa." I giggled. Kissing him quickly on the cheek in thanks, I went to the kitchen to warm up me and Renton's dinner while he and him continued to chat about life.

"Why is business still down?" Talho groaned in agony. It was the same exact year after Anemone had left her that business went from it's all time high to back down to it's usual standard chain of business. Sure, she was still making plenty of money, but it was still not what she wanted. "Dammit! I've tried advertising, discounts, coupons, and yet it's still not doing anything different. Am I doing something wrong?"
"I wish I knew." Jane sighed. "But hey, everyone else is happy and content with where they're at. Why can't you be for a change?"
"Probably because of my stubbornness I suppose. How are things out front?"
"Per usual Talho. Everyone is happy, eating nicely and no complaints. It's as relaxed as it's always been."
"Did you hear about that cute little diner that opened up on the end of town?" a middle aged woman said as Jane and Talho did a walk through inspection.
"Oh, have I heard about it? I've been there! Some of the best home cooking I've had in ages!"
"Was it really that good?"
"Better than ever! Remember those home made pies they used to have here?"
"Do I ever! They're the main reason I came here."
"Well those same pies are over there now."
"Oh are they! Now I have to get over there! I miss the blueberry ones with the strawberry bits. It was to die for."
"I finally got to have that famous lemon meringue one that I've been craving. I swear I was in heaven again."
"What is this place?" Talho began to wonder as she continued to listen in. "And why would they have those there?"
"So, who owns the place?"
"This lovely young lady. My…what was her name now…let's see…it was…a…a…OH! Anemone! Anemone Thurston!"
"Oh, the wife of Renton Thurston! I never would have guessed!"
"NO WAY!" Talho quickly said in her mind again as the gears turned in her mind. "That's why I haven't seen or talked to her!"
"So what's the name of this place?"
"Eleanor's family diner."
"Where is it again?"
"Near the edge or town near River Way Avenue."
"Oh, I know where that is. Right on the river front."
"Exactly. It's a quaint little place too! Reminds me of home when mom used to cook for me when I was a child."
"Guess I know where I'll be having dinner tonight then."
"You're not the only one…" Talho said quietly as she walked away.

"Here you go. One chicken fried steak dinner and one Caesar salad. Anything else we can get you two today?"
"No, thank you." the gentleman said with a smile.
"Alright, have a good day then." Katie said with a smile before walking away. "Got anything else going boss?"
"Not at the moment Katie. Why don't you go get a drink and relax for a few minutes."
"Thanks Anemone."
"Sure. Charles, you need a drink?"
"I'm good boss, but thanks!"
"Okay! What a day…"
"Hey honey!"
"Sweetie! Hi! How was work?"
"Normal as per say. How are things here?"
"Just fine. But aren't you off from here today?"
"I felt like coming in to help. Can't a loving husband do that?"
"Just be quiet and get in the kitchen!" I laughed as he ran towards the back.
"Yes ma'am!"
"What a man." I laughed to myself. "He never ceases to amaze me."
"Is he always that caring Anemone?"
"Sadly yes, but that's why I love him Katie."
"I can tell." she giggled. With a quick smile I went towards the end of the counter to chat it up with a couple of our regulars as Katie went to take care of a few table and collect a few of her tips. We were still a small time operation, but I figured that was the best way to keep it. I had no dreams to expand or branch off or anything like that. What we had was exactly what I wanted. I was still chatting away when the sound of the doorbell signaled the arrival of new customers. "Hi there! Welcome to…TALHO! What are you doing here?!"

"Uh-oh, I better go handle this. Charles, watch the kitchen!"
"Sure chief!"

"Oh, Anemone. Hi…" Talho replied somewhat sheepishly. "How are things going?"
"Just fine until you came along. Do you need something?"
"Tea is fine if you have that."
"Oh, sure. Just have a seat wherever you like."
"Thanks."
"Anemone."
"Oh, Renton. Is everything okay?"
"That's what I want to ask you."
"I'm not sure. But if I need you, I'll be sure to call."
"Alright." and with a quick kiss to my cheek, he went back into the kitchen.
"Katie," I then said as I got Talho's drink. "You're in charge for the time being."
"Oh, okay. No problem."
"Thanks." and with a tense smile, I went over to Talho and joined her at the booth she was sitting at. Looking at her though, it was easy to see that she was not only trying to hold back her anger, but her bitterness and sadness at the same time. "Here you go Talho."
"Thanks." she sighed. "So…how are things going with you?"
"They're going good actually." I said nervously. "We're happier than ever these days."
"Oh, I see. How are the kids?"
"Again, doing good. Elizabeth is growing up way too fast and so are the others. How is Douglas?"
"Still as stubborn as ever." she giggled. "He's got a lot of Holland in him."
"That he does."
"So, when did you open this place?"
"A year ago not long after I quit working for you."
"Oh, I see. How is business?"
"Slower during the beginning of the week, but busier towards the end of the week. It's about usual for us really. How about you?"
"About the same I suppose. Listen Anemone, I really want you back. In fact…"
"No Talho. You've been told that hundreds of times already. I'm doing something now that I love and doing it the way I want to. I make my own hours, my own schedule, and run things the way I see fit. And in all, it's going great. Why can't you just leave it at that for once and move on like I have?"
"Because I'm not happy, that's why!" she then yelled softly. What really surprised me were the tears that suddenly began to fall from her eyes of which really had me in shock. "I miss you girlfriend! The last year has been absolutely miserable for me. My marriage is still on the rocks, I've been depressed, sad, and most of the time, lonely."
"And who's at fault for that?"
"From what everyone keeps telling me, myself."
"Well you just answered the hundred thousand dollar question then. Why do you think I left like I did?"
"I suppose you're right. But still, what did I do wrong to deserve this?"
"That's an easy one to answer also."
"Yeah, I know. I just thought that maybe hearing it from you would put that nail in the coffin."
"It should have the moment the first person mentioned it to you."
"And there's the dagger." she sighed sipping her drink. "Guess it is too late, isn't it."
"It was almost a year ago Talho. Things have changed quite a bit since then."
"I can tell. This is a cute place though. Must have taken a lot of work to get it up to this point."
"Yes, but it was a labor of love which is what made it all worth it."
"What about the name of it though? Who is Eleanor?"
"She's the elderly woman who owned it before us. With her permission we revamped it and opened it with her namesake in mind so her tradition could stay alive. Sadly though she passed away two months ago before the one year reopening anniversary came up."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Sounds like she was a nice lady."
"I almost considered her family we got so close. That's what makes it hard to keep going, yet it's the same thing that keeps the determination of keeping it open."
"Keeping the dreams of one woman alive by doing it yourself. You've really changed Anemone. I must say it's been for the better too."
"Thanks Talho. That still means a lot coming from you."
"Sure. Listen, is there any chance at all that maybe perhaps we can start over from scratch and go back to the way we were before?"
"Only if you'll allow that change and let me do what I want to in life. You have to remember Talho that we make our own paths in life. Though those paths may fork off and force us to go into different directions, our friendship will never end. The distance will only make it stronger."
"Anemone…"
"Friends?"
"Forever." she said as the tears continued to flow. "Thank you."
"If it's for you, I'll do anything. Correct me, almost anything."
"Fair enough." she laughed.

That same night after we got home, the kids were already sleeping and grandpa was as well making me think that he himself had a long day as well. I was changing out of my uniform and was down to my undergarments, of which were nothing special really considering it was just a regular bra and typical bikini undergarment. But it was still enough for my dear husband to come up from behind, wrap his arms around me, lay his head on my shoulder and kiss my neck gently. "Ooh…what put you in the mood?"
"What? Just because I'm kissing your neck means I'm in the mood? What's wrong with just paying attention to the most beautiful woman in the world?"
"If that's a compliment, I'm more than willing to accept it."
"It's not a compliment, it's a fact."
"Well then, I guess I can't deny it." I said softly as we began to dance gently with each other. "I love you dear."
"Love you too hon. This life with you has been the more amazing than I could have possibly dreamed of. Just how did we get so lucky?"
"With a lot of love, caring, a few ups and downs, and again, a lot of love."
"Don't forget the patience and understanding as well."
"Yes, those as well." I sighed peacefully. I could still feel the muscular tone of his chest and arms around me as due to his job, had become quite buff and strong as of lately, a thing which quite frankly, turned me on quite a bit. "Do you think that this is how we'll live the rest of our lives?"
"If it is, it's a dream come true Anemone. I'd stake my life on that."
"As would I love." I replied. Turning to face him, I quickly wrapped my arms around his neck and let our lips meet in a loving kiss that to this day still sent my knees into a jelly like state. I was amazed at this as no one other than Dominic had been able to do that to me. Luckily for me Renton knew that and drew his arms around my waist tighter to hold me up until we released ourselves and looked into each others eyes. It was at that moment that I saw the rest of our lives together in his eyes. I really knew then that our lives would be the same then as it is now. "Renton…"
"Yes dear."
"I'm ready."
"Ready for what?"
"I want to have another baby. I want us to continue to growing our family."
"Anemone…are you sure? We're busy enough already with what we have now plus with the diner…"
"Renton, please…I know I can handle it. Nothing means more to me than our family and I want to continue growing it as long as we're able to."
"That could mean a lot of kids dear. You sure you're up to it?"
"If it's with you, I can do anything." At that moment, I knew that was it. I had just sealed my fate with my words. Not that it mattered though. It was what I wanted for us. A comfortable life with a lot of kids, our diner, and perhaps Renton continuing on his grandfather's legacy as well. If not, we could almost guarantee that Maurice would. But that didn't matter at the moment as my world began to spiral around me with Renton suddenly kissing back down my neck and shoulders as his hands slowly and meticulously ran their fingers around my body, over my sensitive spots, caressing my chest and bottom before slowly and agonizingly undoing the hooks of my bra. He then slowly slipped it off my shoulders and off my body, his lips continuing their torturous assault as he began to kiss over my chest, drawing sharp and agonizing breaths from my body. By this time my body was on fire and knew what was going on and had no intentions of stopping it. Neither did I for that matter as I was enjoying every moment of pleasure as it ran through my body. By this time Renton was kneeled down and had been casually drawing my panties off my rear, down my thighs as he traced and kissed along them, down past my knees and off. What caught me off guard was when he suddenly kissed me down there, sending my body into whirlwind of stars and just about every color of the rainbow as my body went into overdrive and hit an all time sensual high until I could no longer take it. By the time he was done, I was a mass of quivering jelly that was like putty in his hands. I finally recovered after a few minutes and hadn't noticed that in that time he had already removed his boxers, had my legs around his waist, my arms back around his neck, and me up against the far wall away from where anyone could hear. We went back to kissing each other and it was like I was in heaven as the feel of our bodies felt so amazing together that we just had no reason of wanting to stop each other. I pretty much knew for a fact that tonight we'd probably be getting very little sleep if any. But hey, I was up to the challenge if he was. "Renton…" I then panted. "become one with me. Take me now and make me yours forever."
"You already are mine for forever." he said softly with another kiss. "You sure about this though? We still have time to talk about this."
"I'm more than ready sweetie." and gently coaxing one of his arms from around me, I motioned for him to guide us to heaven. Without another word being spoken, he entered my inner most sanctum and kept going until I could fully feel his warmth within me, fulfilling what I had been wanting for ages. "Mmm…this feels amazing. It's been a while sweetie."
"Almost too long." he chuckled. Leaning in for another kiss, he had yet to move within me and that was alright. It had been a little while since we've been able to make love to each other so he wanted to make sure I was comfortable fitting around him. After our kiss I groaned slightly which gave him the clue that I was ready. So slowly yet steadily, he began to stroke in and out not with lust or passion, but only with pure and undying love. "Anemone…"
"Renton…" I said softly. "Thank you. You have given me so much in my life since we've met and though I was able to repay you back with Elizabeth, I hope I can continue paying you back for the rest of my life."
"You don't owe me anything sweetheart. What we do is out of love and that's all that matters. Now let's make this night special."
"Sure." I cooed. "Anything you want."

Well what I had predicted to happen did. We made love several times that night and as usual, we made each time last longer than the first until finally, our bodies were completely spent. We woke up that following morning after what I had guessed was only about four hours or so of sleep. Tired? Sure, I was exhausted. But it was a good exhausted that I wouldn't have traded for the world. Neither would my husband who felt me wake up and suddenly and without warning slipped into me again from behind, sending another gasp of pleasure to escape my body as he began to once again move within me. It pretty much reminded me of the first time we made love. "Morning sweetie." I managed to gasp out. "How did you sleep?"
"Amazingly well." he whispered into my ear. "How about you?"
"The same." I cooed. "Love you."
"Love you too." he grunted softly. It was another half an hour before he and I once again got done showing our feelings and passions towards one another. But we knew we had to get moving though since it was Sunday. Today the diner would be closed, none of us would work, and we would just spend the day together as a family. That's the way it was now since the day we opened the diner and the kids absolutely loved it. By the time we were dressed and ready to go for the day, everyone had been up and at it downstairs either watching TV or playing outside in the back yard depending on who was doing what at that moment. Looking at each other after reaching the bottom of the stairs, we finally realized that we had made it.

Two years later…

"Mom! The twins are crying again!"
"Coming!" I yelled to Elena. "Renton, mind checking on Erica and Eureka please!"
"Sure sweetie." he said as he passed by me and kissed me on the cheek. "How are Tabitha and Jennifer?"
"Sleeping peacefully at the moment now that they're settled down." I sighed. Yes, you heard right. That wish I wanted a little over two years ago came true. We first became pregnant that night after we made love to our first set of twins. One of them we agreed should be named after Eureka to honor her memory and then we had the other set, thus Tabitha and Jennifer. And now we were expecting another child. Luckily this time only one and a boy of whom we were going to name after Dominic. "How about Eureka and Erica?"
"They're downstairs playing quietly with Elizabeth."
"That's good. You going to the diner today?"
"Yeah. As soon as things are settled down here. You going to be okay?"
"I'm more than okay love. I'm in heaven…" and with another kiss, he was off to run the diner for another day. At the moment we had Katie on the opening shift with Charles and Renton and Julianne would take the closing shift to keep things running. Julianne was hired a year after me and Talho had reconciled and was working out great. Thank god for that blessing.

And that everyone, is how our life is. Here I am at twenty seven with more kids than a normal woman of my age should have. But who am I to judge? We're strong, we're healthy, we have our usual lovers quarrels, but those are quickly made up for with kisses and hugs, and as for our kids, well, we figured that we'd take a break from the going on five we have now and see where our lives end up. All I know though is that if it's anything like we have now, I, or should I say we, are definitely up for the challenge.

Fin