Author's Note: I posted and a few minutes later AGW got the betaed version back to me. Sorry for jumping the gun, but I will be AWOL most of the day, so I wanted to make sure it posted. A big thanks to AgoodWITCH for her beta work even when feeling ucky, as well as Sarah and Deena for prereading, and all the WC girls who gave me their impressions as I worked on this. This is the last thing we will see of these guys. I hope you are all satisfied with their HEA :)

Epilogue

I woke up with a twinge, lying alone in the bed I shared with Edward. I shifted as my back registered another sharp pain. I sat up slowly, moaning at the sensation before glancing at the clock, three fifteen in the morning. I winced as I calculated how long before Edward would be home from his shift. It was the wee hours of New Year's Eve, which more than likely meant he would be even later than usual, which wasn't good.

I leaned over to reach for the phone when another twinge hit, followed by a pop and a gush. I yelped, dialing Edward's number quickly only to get his voicemail. I cursed before moving to sit up on the side of my bed and began calling for my kids.

"Braxton, Millie, I need you! Wake up! Braxton! Milllllieeeee!"

It took about three good yells before I heard the sound of feet pounding on the hardwood in the hallway. The bedroom door flew open to reveal my nearly six foot tall son looking disheveled and freaked out as he stood in the doorway with his hair pointing in all directions. It had been ten years since we had moved to Everwood, and during that time Braxton had grown into a charming, popular, athletic sixteen year old who practically ruled the school.

"Brax," I gasped as another pain hit. "It's time and I can't reach Dad. I need you and Millie to take me to the hospital. I'm going to call your Grandma to come stay with Bailey and Max. Go get dressed, make sure Millie is up. Have her come help me get dressed while you go scrape and warm the car and grab my hospital bag."

He nodded before dashing out of the doorway full speed. I barely had time to dial Esme when Millie came skidding into the room dressed in a pair of sweats and my old Arizona State sweatshirt which I hadn't been able to squeeze in for the past few months thanks to my very prominent condition. Edward and I married six months after he asked me to marry him in a beautiful little ceremony in the gazebo in the town square. Two months later with my more than adequate lawyer lending a hand and referring us to the best lawyer in all of California, Edward and I filed a custody appeal. Leah fought at first, but in the end, she didn't really want to do more than make a good show. By the following Christmas, Millie was home where she belonged and had remained there ever since. I was now Mom and Leah, who had only contacted her a handful of times since we gained custody of her was 'that woman.' Millie had turned out gorgeous, just like her mom, tall, beautiful, and sought after by far too many boys to keep her father sane, but that was where the resemblance ended. Just as she had been at six, Millie was still the kindest hearted, most loving person on the planet, which just made her all the more gorgeous.

I directed her toward the closet with a nod to which she gestured her understanding just as Esme answered.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Esme, but it's time and I can't reach Edward. I'm having the kids drive me to the hospital and was hoping either you or Carlisle would be willing to run over to stay with Bailey and Max."

Esme gasped before the sounds of fabric rustling met my ears. "I'll be there in mere minutes, sweetheart. Don't you worry." I ended the call quickly to make the next crucial call.

I was early and this wasn't good. Due to my vertical incision with Braxton, I had no choice but to have repeat C-sections or risk uterine wall tearing and endangering both of us. I called the doctor who sounded panicked as I was ordered immediately to the hospital where an OR would be prepped for an emergency C-section. I felt so flustered and upset. We had it all planned…two weeks from today! Edward already arranged for extended leave to help, babysitters had been arranged, the whole nine yards was planned to the nth degree, and now it was all going down in chaos and stress.

After hanging up and letting Millie help me to the bathroom, pausing once to catch my breath as a particularly sharp pain lanced through my lower back, we hurriedly changed me out of my wet pajamas and into dry clothes before Millie helped me get on shoes and assisted me down the stairs. When I reached the bottom, Bailey and Max were waiting for us, hugging me immediately.

Bailey was thirteen now and was going to be an absolute beauty soon, but unfortunately was suffering through her awkward stage. Braces and glasses masked her beauty to a degree, but her eyes and her smile told a story that would someday be obvious for all around her. She too was kind, learning a lot from Millie, but also a bit bossy with a touch of my control freak tendencies. This translated into her being an excellent student, but also a bit of a smart mouth. The smart mouth tendencies were missing this early morning, as she looked at me in concern with her arm around her little brother Max.

Maxwell Carlisle Cullen was born four and a half years after Edward and I were married. He looked so much like Edward it wasn't even funny, from his messy auburn hair all the way down to his crooked smirk. He was a handful and a half, full of more energy than our other three kids combined had been at his age, but he also had a good heart. He wanted so badly to be good and yet kept falling a little shy of the mark. I couldn't help but hope that he'd settle with time. His time in Kindergarten already seemed to be teaching him a bit more control, but he still had a long way to go. He was sniffling as I went to put on my coat, breaking my heart. I hugged him one last time before hugging Esme and thanking her again before letting Millie and Braxton lead me down to the car.

I called the Forest Service Dispatch office to have them relay the message on the car ride to the hospital before trying his cell phone every few seconds until time ran out and we arrived at the hospital. Life kicked into a whirlwind as I was wheeled immediately to Labor and Delivery to be prepped for surgery while the kids looked on anxiously. As the nurse left to go grab the supplies to sink my IV line, I made up an errand for Braxton, getting Millie alone.

I held her hand and breathed my way through another contraction before turning to her with serious eyes.

"We're going to be okay, Millie, but I have some things I need you to do for me. This being an emergency C-section, your Dad won't even be allowed in the room with me, much less any of you guys. I know this is going to be hard, but I need you to try to keep them as calm as you can. This is going to be okay and in a couple of hours your new little sister will be here. Okay?"

Millie swallowed, squeezing my hand before nodding. The nurse came back in, inserting the IV and catheter before taking me through the next round of tests. My hands shook as I waited on the edge of the bed, my two kids standing on either side of me with their hands on my shoulders as I waited for the wheelchair that would take me to the OR. My lip trembled and my eyes began to well with tears as the nurse came in to help me move to the chair. I wanted so badly to see Edward before this began, to tell him I loved him just in case something went wrong. I wanted his reassurances and his support, but instead I was going in alone without even getting to see him.

The kids hugged me before walking toward the waiting room as the nurse wheeled me down the stale green corridor. We were mere feet from the double doors that led to the OR when I heard the voice I wanted to hear most yell my name. I asked the nurse to stop and turned to see Edward flying down the hallway toward me, his face looking desperate.

When he reached me, he hugged me tightly and kissed my lips. "I love you, Bella. I'll be waiting for you. I'm going to harass them into letting me sit with you in recovery."

I shook my head. "No, I want you to stay with the baby if they'll let you. I want her to know we're there for her."

He nodded before kissing me one more time and moving aside. His hand holding onto mine as long as it could before we were forced to release. The OR was cold as I entered. Everything was a blur as they moved me to the table, made me stay as still as possible while the anesthesiologist inserted the spinal block and I was down on the table. The medication sent me for a loop, making me heave most of the time and struggled to breathe between. I was scared and miserable and more than anything I wanted Edward there. It seemed like an eternity before I felt the tugging and pressure and then total relief when I heard those first perfect cries.

"It's a girl," the doctor exclaimed as he lifted her so I could see her over the sheet that separated their gory work from my field of vision. The glimpse was far too brief, but I was certain I had seen a mop of dark hair on her head, as opposed to the rusty red Max's had been. As they worked to close me up, I cried tears of joy mixed with tears of regret that Edward ended up missing it all. I focused on the nurses across the room prepping her and cleaning her after they weighed her, announcing to me that she was just shy of eight pounds.

Once she was cleaned and wrapped, they brought her over and held her down next to me, her big glassy eyes blinked at me as I tried to talk to her through my froggy, gag wearied voice. "Hi little girl. I'm your Mommy. You're going to meet Daddy very soon. I love you." I kissed her tiny crinkled forehead before the nurse took her away and laid her in a clear isolette before pushing her out the doors and into the hallway. Once she was gone, the pressure of my worry over her safety past, as well as the nausea as my blood loss was stemmed, and I began to drift off in an exhausted sleep.

I woke up twice on the way to the recovery and during the transfer, whimpering at the pain I was already in. I didn't remember it hurting so much with the other kids, but I was also younger then. My body was probably trying to make me remember that I was 43 and should probably stop at four deliveries. I happened to agree this time around.

I finally drifted off again through the discomfort only to wake to Edward holding my hand beside me on the bed. He smiled at me before showing me a bunch of pictures of the baby. She was so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes again.

"We have officially run out of time, Love. We have to decide on her name."

I sighed and nodded as I flipped through the images before stopping on one where Millie was holding the baby, beaming like no tomorrow. She apparently wasn't bothered by the fact that she was going to have to share her birthday with her new little sister. This little girl's early arrival was going to put the kybosh on all our special plans, but I had a feeling Millie wouldn't take it that hard, and she could still go and spend the night with her friends later this evening as she had planned.

I smiled as I looked at the daughter I had just bourne from my body being held by the one that held my heart as if she had been as well. My smile widened as I gazed at the picture before looking up at Edward. "How about Emmalie? We could call her Emma, but it would also be sort of like Millie since she was born on her birthday."

Edward cocked his head and smiled. "I thought we weren't naming this child after anybody…totally original."

I rolled my eyes. "She was born on the girl's birthday, Edward. She's missing out on her full day of festivities. It's the least we could do, besides, I really like Emma Cullen."

Edward leaned down to kiss me before sitting back with a smile. "So do I. Now what about a middle name?"

I frowned as I thought about the question. I actually hadn't gotten that far yet. Finally, it hit me and I smirked at him. "Well if we're blowing the originality thing out of the water, why not do it thoroughly and go with Suzanne?"

Edward chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. "Mom would love that." I nodded in agreement.

A few hours later, I was finally placed in a regular room as our immediate family crowded around the bed to smile down at Emma as I held her in my arms, my heart feeling warm and cozy. Max climbed into bed beside me and cuddled up, running a single finger down her face. As I looked around the room, I knew that our family was now absolutely complete, and no accomplishment, not my career, my novels, the five movies based on my works that had come out in the past decade…none of it even came close to comparing to the accomplishment I felt as I smiled up at my loved ones. Things weren't always easy, and just as with Emma's birth, rarely went as planned, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

Eleven years ago, I had come to this place a broken woman, brokenhearted and full of bitterness, and along the way I had been not only restored, but made even better. I would forever be grateful for the events that lead me to this place and to the man who owned my heart completely and gave me the loving family I never believed I would ever have. He was my home and my miracle.

Author's Note: FYI, Suzanne is Esme's middle name. My beta was confused by that because it was never mentioned. In my mind it was implied, but I wanted to clarify in case it confused others. I hope you enjoyed it!