Chapter Twenty-six - Epilogue

Disclaimer – Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

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To share what I've been given, some kids eventually.

This is all I ever wanted from life…

.

Bella hung up the phone, a distracted, goofy grin on her face. She glanced at the kitchen clock – it was still too early for him to be home yet. She giggled and then quickly clamped her hand over her mouth. I have a surprise for you…

"But Mom…"

Bella's attention was pulled back to the conversation the ringing telephone had interrupted. She rolled her eyes – 'But Mom' was a phrase she heard daily.

"But nothing, sweetie. I don't care if your father is your teacher, Mhina; you still have to practice every day," Bella said. "Wash your hands and get your fanny moving."

"Mommy, Mhina doesn't really need to practice, you know," Sage stage whispered from the kitchen table as her older sister stomped off to wash her hands. "She plays the bestest of anyone I know… Well, besides you and Daddy, I mean."

Bella ran her fingers through Sage's chestnut waves. "I know, baby. But she needs to follow directions from her teacher. And Daddy said to practice every day." She touched a finger to Sage's nose. "And you need to practice, too."

"I know, Mommy." Sage looked up at Bella with her big brown eyes, so like her own and her father's that it made her heart ache just a little bit. "Don't tell Mhina, 'cause she'll tease, but I like practicin'."

"I won't say a word, monkey." Bella looked at Fred, her ten-year-old golden retriever, thumping his tail happily against her leg. "Fred won't tell sister, either."

From the music room, Bella heard Mhina begin her scales. "Mom! I'm ready!" Her musical voice practically sang the words along with the scales she played so expertly.

"Okay, sweetheart, I'll be right there," Bella called to her from the kitchen. She turned to Sage. "Go wash your hands now, okay? Then come in and sing with sister. She loves when you sing with her."

Sage ran to the bathroom to wash, with Fred following behind her. Bella finished putting away after-school snacks and made her way to the music room. Sage was correct – Mhina didn't actually need to practice for skill, she possessed a natural gift for music that was stronger than her mother's or father's. She had talked early and was singing lullabies to Sage before she was three years old. Edward had been shocked when, at the ripe old age of three, she'd sat on his lap and mimicked his notes almost perfectly. She had an ear, but she also felt the music, understood the music, and by eight had written many songs on her own and with her sister.

Sage didn't have the same talent – she enjoyed playing and singing, but it wasn't part of her being, part of her make-up the way it was with Mhina. Sage was just happy making music, and she could be found on any given afternoon playing something simply because she liked the way it sounded.

"Mom! Are you coming?" Mhina called as Bella poked her face in the room. "Oh, there you are! I thought you forgot about me," she said as she ran her fingers up and down the keys. "Sage wants me to play The Butterfly Song again, but Daddy told me to practice what we were practicing last week."

"Why don't you start with what you were playing with Daddy, and then you can play The Butterfly Song for Sage when you're done, okay?"

Sage handed Mhina her folder with her music and then climbed up onto the bench next to her. Bella smiled each and every day as the two of them did that exact thing. Whoever was playing got the center of the bench, but their eight- and six-year-old bottoms fit on the bench together without a problem. Not having any frame of reference as an only child, Bella fostered the closeness between the sisters as much as possible. What could be better than a built-in best friend, she wondered. She accepted the fact that soon Mhina would hit that age when her little sister wasn't cool enough or interesting enough for her to hang out with, so Bella was going to try to make this closeness last as long as she could.

Mhina played each of the pieces Edward left for her with little correction – a simple 'slow down' or 'watch your tempo' was all she ever really needed during practices. Bella enjoyed just listening to her play, and enjoyed the sisters' closeness. Hopefully, Sage was mellow enough that when the time came that her sister decided she was no longer cool enough to hang out with, she would handle it well.

Bella chuckled to herself. Sage handled most things well. Perhaps it was the lullabies when she was an infant, perhaps it was having Mhina for a sister, but she was happy and relatively even-tempered for a six-year-old. Where Mhina was excitable, Sage was mellow; where Mhina had a hard-headed streak, Sage was easy-going. They were almost polar opposites, and yet there was nothing that Mhina wouldn't do for Sage. And vice versa.

Listening to her daughter play, Bella realized that ten years had passed by in the blink of an eye. Edward's visions about their daughters had been spot-on. When Bella first realized she was pregnant with Mhina, she told him very clearly that she did not want to know what she looked like, or anything else about her – she'd wanted to be surprised. And Edward, the wonderful husband that he was, kept his information to himself as he watched his 'mini-me' being born.

Mhina was so like him in coloring – with her clear green eyes, pale porcelain skin and auburn curls. Esme had noticed it at the time she was born – so much that she brought Edward's baby pictures during her next visit. Once he'd gotten past his embarrassment, Edward agreed that the resemblance was remarkable. As she grew older, Mhina displayed more and more of the traits she'd inherited from her father.

It had been harder for Bella to not ask questions while she'd been pregnant with Sage. She wondered constantly if they would be similar, or completely opposite. Would she have Mhina's red curls or darker hair; Edward's clear green eyes or her own brown? And even when she caved and asked, Edward hedged, dancing around a straight answer they both knew she didn't really want. Bella smiled thinking about how patient Edward had been with her as she begged for information he'd had. How would he react to a surprise of his own? She was so relieved that he'd had the self-control to keep the information to himself when Sage was born, with her cap of wispy dark hair and her dark eyes so much like Charlie's.

Sage was her mother's daughter. And her grandfather's granddaughter. While she had more of Edward's red in her hair, she'd inherited Bella's brown eyes and the trail of freckles across her nose. She was tiny while her sister was taller, and both had their father's graceful hands and fingers.

Both girls were the apple of their grandmother's eye, and shortly after Mhina was born, Esme convinced Carlisle that it was time to retire and move to the beach full-time. Having grandparents so close was a godsend; although her relationship with her own mother was mended and stronger than ever, Renee was never going to be the type of grandmother a child baked cookies with or had sleepovers with – it just wasn't the type of person she was. The girls loved driving to Jacksonville and visiting with Grandma Renee and Grandpa Phil, watching baseball games and making pottery, but the everyday grandmother duties were Esme's.

And she took those duties seriously. Bella couldn't have molded a more wonderful mother-in-law if she'd tried. Esme gave the right amount of everything – attention to the girls, respect to Bella and Edward as parents, space to raise their own children their own way, and advice only when asked. Nana Esme was the person the girls wanted to watch them on date night – when Mommy and Daddy stepped away, got dressed up and became Bella and Edward again. And Nana Esme's house soon became a combination amusement park and shopping mall, and Mhina and Sage begged to sleep over at least once a week.

Somehow during those sleep overs, Mhina had become Papa Carlisle's fishing buddy. It was amazing, really, given her penchant for mischief, that she enjoyed sitting with Carlisle on the dock and patiently waiting for the fish to bite. Carlisle said that when she was younger, she passed the time by singing songs about the sun or the sea, or by making up stories about why the fish were different colors. As she grew older, they talked a lot, about school or music, even medicine.

Occasionally Sage joined them, but she found that she didn't quite have the stomach for baiting the hook the way her sister did. She would rather sit with Mhina and sing the songs, allowing Papa to stick the yucky worms on the hook and worry about the fishies.

More often, Sage helped Nana Esme bake, or they focused on something creative, like painting pictures, putting together puzzles or making crafts. Sage had a special kind of patience that most six-year-olds didn't have, and could spend hours putting together a puzzle or painting, singing silly songs to entertain Esme while they worked. And since the girls spent so much time with Esme and Carlisle, Esme bought a piano for them to play. It was gestures like those that made her the beloved grandmother she was.

"Mom?" Mhina interrupted Bella's musings. "Can I play Sage's Butterfly song now? I finished everything Dad left for me to practice." Her face was eager; the songs the girls wrote were much more fun to play than the classical compositions Edward had her practice.

"Sure, pumpkin," Bella agreed. Hearing her voice, Fred got up from his seat at the foot of the piano and bumped Bella's hand for a pet.

"I'm a little butterfly, spread my colorful wings…" both girls sang in harmony, and Bella's eyes filled with tears, as they usually did, listening to them sing together.

It was so like the first time she sang with Edward, shy and nervous yet thrilled to have him finally sing for her, as well. He'd sung one of her favorite songs, a song that still sent chills down her spine, and she could do nothing but sing it right back to him and watch as his eyes grew wide in shock and appreciation.

They'd set a precedence that night, and after that they began playing and singing for each other on a daily basis. Bella found that after jumping in the first time, much of her discomfort had disappeared by the time Edward sang her song for her. He said he'd wanted to have it ready when he proposed, but he simply wasn't comfortable with the arrangement by the time they left for Savannah. Instead, it had made one hell of a birthday surprise.

Bella had insisted that no one buy her any gifts, and as he seated her on the piano bench next to him and began to sing his incredible words, Edward had smirked with the knowledge that he hadn't bought a thing. As the first stanza fell from his lips and he reached the chorus, she gasped in awe at his words, tearing up when he sang the words 'today and everyday'. Having his words inscribed inside her ring was amazing, but hearing him sing them melted her heart and left her a pile of goo on the piano bench. When he got to the line about saying hello in the café she lifted her eyes to his in surprise, falling in love with him all over again when she realized he'd captured his first vision with his remarkable words and created a song. He'd told her it was her song to do with what she wished, but after much conversation they'd realized that it was their song. When Edward was ready to share it with the world, they would.

Bella looked at the clock, wondering what was holding him up – Edward usually made it home before the girls started their jam. Sage and Mhina were giggling over an impromptu dramatic finish of The Butterfly Song, and their contagious laughter had Bella giggling right along with them.

"Mom, sing!" Sage bounced on the bench as Mhina played the open notes to their song. Mhina gave her bouncing sister an exasperated look and then turned to her mother, her eyes speaking volumes.

"Okay, baby, I'll sing. You come here, though, and sing with me. You're going to bounce sister right off the bench."

Sage scurried quickly to Bella, tucking her tiny six-year-old body under Bella's outstretched arm and hugging Fred with her free arm. Mhina threw her mother a grateful glance as she re-started the opening notes and the three began to sing.

Forever can never be long enough for me to feel like I've have long enough with you.

Forget the world now, we won't let them see. But there's one thing left to do.

Now that the weight has lifted and love has surely shifted my way.

Marry me… today and every day.

Marry me, if I ever get the nerve to say hello in this café.

Say you will.

When they reached the bridge, Bella looked up, sensing Edward the doorway. She felt him there – her heart recognized his return as clearly as if she'd heard his footsteps. There was an oddly blank look on his face as he watched them sing, and Bella smiled knowingly as she motioned for him to join them – he must have seen this happen already.

Edward crossed the room, and Mhina scooted over to make room for him on the bench. Together father and daughter finished playing rest of the song, and the four voices joined in the most beautiful of harmonies, it never failed to give Bella chills. And along with those chills came one thought – this is all I ever wanted from life. A path to follow with a husband to love who loved her in return, children to fill her days with wonder and happiness, and friends and family to share that happiness with. And a surprise…

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And be for them what I've had; a father like my dad.

This is all I ever wanted from life…

.

Edward heard the giggling as he walked in the front door. He recognized The Butterfly Song immediately – the girls had written it together. Mhina was responsible for most of the melody, but the adorable words about the butterfly being small and frail, yet able to do anything – well, those were Sage's.

His eye caught picture frames as he wandered back toward the music room. A picture of Mhina as red-faced infant snuggled against her mother's chest, brand new and exhausted from her trip into the world sat next to a picture of an older Mhina holding her red-faced sister Sage and smiling proudly at the camera. And their mother, his wife, smiled along, looking so tired yet glowing with adoration and pride at her two daughters.

As Edward stopped to gaze at these pictures, he realized that his whole world existed within these frames, his three girls, his reasons for smiling each day. His gaze fell upon the picture of Sage, Mhina and Fred, the hairy golden retriever who was part watchdog, part bodyguard, but one hundred percent faithful best friend to the girls. His bed even sat on the floor in their room, among the dollhouses, princess crowns and stuffed animals. Fred was the first and best toy the girls ever had.

Their laughter drew him to the music room, where he heard whom he was sure was Mhina begin to play their song; Bella was lighter and completely confident with the notes, and Sage hadn't mastered the timing of them yet. As he reached the doorway and saw Bella with Mhina and Sage, he realized he was watching the middle of his very first vision happen.

God, she's still the most beautiful, the most perfect thing I've ever seen.

She'd been that way the day they met, and every day since then, but never as absolutely stunning as on their wedding day. They'd married exactly one year to the day they met, which wound up being a Sunday due to the leap year. Their small group of family and friends joined them at the bed and breakfast for the weekend, and Renee and Phil had driven up from Jacksonville. Bella's friends Angela and Ben flew in from Washington; Edward had met them on Bella's birthday and had immediately liked them. Change Your Tune had even closed for the weekend – Edward wanted all of his friends with them.

The owners of the bed and breakfast had made the wedding exactly what Edward and Bella had wanted. The gardens were in full bloom, and white and red roses were placed on flat surfaces all over. There was gentle piano music in the background. Sneaky Bella had placed some of his own recordings in with some classical compositions – Sophie's lullaby was played when she strolled down the path, dropping rose petals along the way, and an instrumental recording of their song was played instead of a wedding march as Bella walked down the path toward him.

It was exactly as he remembered. Bella had insisted on keeping her dress from him even though he'd seen it, just in case it was different. It wasn't, of course. It was graceful and simple, the white silk draped over shoulders in delicate straps, embracing her breasts like the petals of the roses she held, surrounding her waist gently and falling to the ground in soft waves. She held red roses wrapped in white silk ribbons as she stood at the edge of the path, and her arms opened slightly, just as he remembered.

In the background, the song played and he mouthed the words to her alone.

You wear white and I'll wear out the words 'I love you' and 'you're beautiful…'

The song continued to play, and he continued to mouth the words to her as she walked gracefully towards him. He saw the silvery tracks of tears on her face and realized that there were tears on his own cheeks, as well. Their path hadn't always been smooth, sometimes it had been downright rocky, but they had worked hard together, improving their communication and putting their relationship first. That hard work had brought them here.

When she reached him, the music swelled around them and everything was just… more. The sun shone brighter, air smelled sweeter and the love inside them grew to include every person seated in the garden. The ceremony was short, but moving, and when Bella placed her ring on his finger, he felt an extraordinary sense of completion with its weight. As the preacher continued to speak, the last rays of the setting sun touched their matching gold bands, bonding them together.

When Bella tugged on his sleeve, he met her expectant eyes with a grin and a wink and then turned his attention back to the preacher, who finally announced them husband and wife. He kissed her chastely, loving the feel of her hands as they clasped around his neck. And as the cheers from their family and friends began, the music began to play again. Edward rested his forehead against hers.

"I love you, wife."

"I love you, husband."

Edward was pulled from his wedding memories by the sound of his three favorite girls singing the song he'd written for Bella – the song inspired by the very first vision of her in the café. There was something inexplicable about hearing Bella sing it with their daughters, whose voices were strikingly similar to hers, just on a younger, higher scale. They blended so well that he was struck each time he was lucky enough to hear them.

And then she looked up, just as he mouthed the words along with his girls.

Promise me you'll always be happy by my side…

She smiled as she motioned him to join them. Mhina looked up at him as he entered the room, grinning as she scooted over to make room for him at the piano. He took the lower notes as she took the higher notes, and together they played in tandem. He added his deeper voice to theirs, and his perfect little family of four finished singing the song he'd written for the love of his life.

"That was great!" Sage clapped from Bella's side. "Mhina plays so good, doesn't she, Daddy?"

"She certainly does, munchkin," Edward agreed. "You play very nicely, too. And you have a lovely voice. Just like Mommy and Mhina."

"Thank you, Daddy," Sage said, leaving Bella's side to hug Edward from behind. "You're the bestest daddy in the world."

"You're welcome, babydoll." Edward picked her up and placed her on his lap, twisting a lock of her dark hair around his finger. "Sister played beautifully, didn't she?" Sage nodded in agreement.

"Thanks, Dad," Mhina said from his side, her green eyes twinkling. "You missed The Butterfly Song – Sage was pretty inventive with her latest ending. I think I need to write it down before I forget the new stanza."

Sage jumped off Edward's lap. "I'll get your notebook; I remember the words perfectly." She ran out of the music room and her little feet pounded up the stairs and down the hallway to the girls' bedroom.

Bella joined Edward and Mhina at the piano, running her fingers through Mhina's curls first before settling her hand at the base of Edward's neck. He tipped his head back into her hand, closing his eyes and savoring her touch.

"Sell any new songs today, Dad?" Mhina asked casually, but with a grin on her little face.

"Nope. Write any new songs today, princess?" Edward asked with a raised eyebrow. She'd definitely written more than he'd sold.

"Maybe…" she said evasively. "Sage was singing this little bit about being taller than the tallest tree and the next thing I knew, we had a couple of verses written about it already."

"Make sure you keep track of any song Sage helps you with the words so she gets credit, too." Edward didn't tell her that he copyrighted everything they'd written, either separately or together, both the lyrics and the music. Every month, Bella took her notebook and scanned the latest entries. He later translated them, filled out the forms and sent everything off to the Register of Copyrights. He didn't take any chances with his own work, and he wasn't taking any chances with his children's work, either.

Bella had convinced him record their song so many years ago and he'd sent it to Garrett on a whim, looking for feedback. Garrett had nearly broken down his door trying to convince him to record it in a studio and release it. He and Bella had discussed it for days, making lists of the pros and cons of becoming a recording artist. Ultimately, they'd agreed that it wasn't the path Edward had chosen to follow. He was a songwriter and a composer, not a performer. As much as he loved to play, and although he was told he had a wonderful voice, performing in front of an audience was just not what he wanted to do. He wanted to create music.

So instead, Garrett had connected Edward with people who wanted to record his songs and wanted him to write songs for them. And after nearly eight years, it had become his livelihood. He'd composed scores and songs for movies and written songs for various recording artists, some famous, some not so much. He was able to pick and choose the work, which made it the perfect job. The project he was currently working on was a small independent movie being filmed in the area, and he'd been visiting the set for the past few weeks to watch the filming and get a feel for it. The score wasn't one of the biggest, but the producer had requested him personally.

He still owned Change Your Tune, but he didn't manage it anymore. Mike had been the official manager for a years. Jess had been assistant manager for a while until Tyler's job sent him to Europe. Everyone had been sorry to see them go, but it was the best choice for them. Eric's girlfriend Lauren became assistant manager and even through their breakup, they managed to keep a remarkably cordial working relationship.

Sage came back in with Mhina's notebook, and together they worked through the latest song, starting and stopping often to make sure they got the words just right. Edward and Bella stepped back to the doorway of the music room to watch them, amazed, as always, at their talent.

"Hello, wife." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her forehead. Her smile was radiant.

"Hello, husband." She wrapped her arm around his waist and snuggled up against him. "Wanna go sit outside with me?"

"I'd love to." Making sure the girls were content in their writing, Edward led Bella through the house, into the kitchen and out the back to the deck with Fred following behind. "More privacy here," he explained.

"Smart man." As she had done for the last ten years, Bella waited while Edward sat comfortably in his favorite lounger and then promptly cuddled into his lap, which she considered her favorite spot ever. Fred sat at Edward's feet and dropped his chin on Bella's lap, adoration in his big brown eyes.

"Comfy?" he asked as he wrapped both arms around her and she nuzzled under his chin. This was the reason for the privacy; Mhina was getting to that 'Ew, gross – Mom and Dad are showing affection' stage.

"Mmm hmm. Best spot ever." She let out a long and satisfied sigh. "How was your day?"

"Good. They're almost done filming, so I won't be gone so much anymore." He'd be cooped up in the music room, and then at the studio, but he didn't want to get into that now.

"Hush, this is the path we chose, remember? You're home by the time the girls get home from school, well usually… but they get their time with you."

"What about you?" he worried. Bella had given up her full-time job when Mhina was born and worked freelance only when she really felt like it. "You're spending a lot of time alone now that Sage is in school all day."

"I don't mind – I enjoy being able to do school stuff with them. Plus, I've picked up a little more freelance work. And a couple of moms have asked about piano lesson, so that keeps me busy too." She looked at the pathetic eyes on her lap. "Plus, I've got Fred. I'm never alone."

Edward laughed. "True. I just hate that I miss little things like today – our perfect little family. I love to hear you sing with them."

"We hate when you miss things like that, too." She looked up at him. "You'd seen that before, hadn't you? You had that blank 'what the fuck' look all over your face."

"You caught that, huh?" He chuckled. "That was part of the very first vision in the café, the first part was the wedding, the second part was that very moment in the music room…" he trailed off, not wanting to discuss the last part.

"How many parts were there?" she asked. Of course she asked.

He took a deep breath and told her – they kept nothing from each other. "Three. The last part – we're very old. It makes my heart ache to even think about it," he admitted.

"Very old? Well that's great, though, right? I mean, it sucks that we have to grow old and die, but at least we get to grow old together, right?"

"I've tried really hard not to relive it because you're very frail. But I'm older than you, so yeah, we're old. And I don't know why you're frail, you're just frail."

"I could be frail for a lot of reasons, baby. Maybe I'm recovering from being sick." She pulled his face towards her own. "You got all freaked out over that piano vision, sure that I would leave you. And I didn't. Maybe this one isn't what it seems, either."

Edward thought over her words and realized she was right. Maybe he just needed to see what would happen. "Maybe it's not." He kissed her softly. "But even if it is, it's comforting to know we live a long and happy life together."

"It is, and we do." She shifted back so she could see his face clearly. "You said something before about our perfect little family – do you think our little family is perfect?"

Edward studied her face. There was a reason she was asking such an odd question, and placing her emphasis where she did. "Of course I do… the only way it could be more perfect is if it were bigger." They'd tried for more children after Sage, but child number three didn't appear to be anywhere on the path they'd chosen. Satisfied with two, they hadn't searched for reasons.

"Oh… so if it were bigger, our little family, it would only be more perfect?" she asked, and Edward's heart began to race.

"Where are you going with this, babe?" he asked, his hands beginning to shake.

She blinked and the casual mask she'd been wearing fell from her face. "I think, perhaps, we need to prepare for more perfect." Her smile was enormous and it hit Edward what she was saying.

"Are you sure? Bella, another? We get three?" he asked, completely in awe.

"I'm sure, and so far I think it's just number three… the doctor called me back this afternoon to schedule my first pre-natal appointment."

"When… how far, how long?" Edward couldn't even form a coherent sentence, his brain was whirling around and around on this new information. He'd always assumed they'd only have the two girls – another child was a miracle.

"Sometime around Thanksgiving, eight weeks – I think. I'll know better after the appointment with the doctor." Her smile simply grew. She was beautiful, so beautiful.

"Is everything… I mean, you're thirty-six – that's not too late, well obviously it's not too late, but…" Edward closed his eyes and prayed for lucidity. "You know what I'm trying to say."

Bella laughed at his babbling. "Yes, dear. I know what you're trying to say. I am on the older end of the spectrum, but I am by no means too old. The doctor will monitor me and Three very carefully, I'm certain of it."

"Three?" Edward choked out.

"Well, it was easier with Mhina and Sage, we could just call the baby 'her'. This baby has caught us off guard and I will not call him or her 'it'. So 'Three' works for me."

Astounded at her logic, Edward nodded. "You're right, works for me." He rubbed his hand over Bella's flat abdomen. "Welcome to the family, Three."

Bella looked up at him, tears in her eyes. "You're happy, right?"

"Oh, Bella, of course I'm happy. I'm thrilled." He brushed the first tear away as it began to fall. "I love you, I love our children. I love our child-to-be."

"I love you, too." Bella sniffled. "I love our children and our child-to-be, but I hate these hormones. I'd forgotten all about them."

"Just think, you've got two little helpers in the house. You didn't really have that last time, no matter how much help Mhina insisted she was at two." Edward continued to rub her belly. "You've got us all here to help, let us help."

"I will." She wiped the leftover moisture away. "When should we tell them?"

"Do you want to wait?" Edward asked. "We can wait, if you feel more comfortable, or we can tell them now."

"I don't want to wait." Bella was confident and sure. "Sage will love being a big sister."

"She will." Edward looked at his watch. "Remember that Rose and Emmett are bringing Cole over for dinner before they go over to Mike and Seth's. Do you want to wait until after?" Cole was a year younger than Sage and her very best friend, other than her sister.

"No, let's tell them now." Bella nudged Fred off her legs before turning on Edward's lap to face him. Fred went back into the house. "In case I haven't mentioned it lately, I love you very much." She kissed him slowly and deeply, moaning low in her throat. "There go the hormones again."

"I love you, too, hormones and all." Edward returned her kiss, stopping only when he remembered the small children in the house. "Thank you for being my wife, my partner and the mother of my children. Both born and unborn."

Before they could get up to find the girls, Mhina and Sage came out to the deck looking for them, Fred following close behind, as always. Mhina was uncharacteristically impassive about the fact that Bella was curled up on Edward's lap. Sage was thoughtful and curious.

"Are you all right, Mommy?" she wondered, coming to sit on the end of the lounger with her parents.

"Mommy's fine, monkey," Bella assured her. "Mhina come sit down. Mom and Dad want to talk to you guys about something important."

Mhina pulled up a chair and sat down next to her parents. "Is it about the baby? Sage keeps talking about it."

Edward stared in stunned silence at his elder daughter. Luckily Bella had retained the ability to speak.

"What?" Bella asked Mhina softly, hesitantly. "What baby, sweetie?"

"Our baby, Mommy," Sage answered. "I've been dreaming about our baby for weeks now."

"How do you know it's our baby, pumpkin?"

"'Cause in my dream, you're rocking the baby, and then Mhina's there holding the baby, then I get to hold the baby, too" She looked at Edward, who was just regaining the ability to speak. "You make me promise to be extra careful with our baby, Daddy."

"Oh, my God," Edward whispered to Bella. "Do you think…"

"I think Sage is right, girls. Mommy is having another baby," Bella began. She turned to Sage. "You are going to be a big sister. And since Mhina is such a great big sister, I bet she'll show you how it's done."

Edward quickly caught on – this wasn't the time or place to address Sage's announcement. As the girls hugged their mommy and kissed her belly, he realized that he needed to have a talk with his parents. Perhaps the visions were a family trait. But that was something to wonder about in the future. The present was time to spend focusing on friends and family – and family-to-be.

Once all the explanations were done, Bella suggested they go inside and start dinner. She reminded Sage that Cole was coming for dinner, and she could tell him the good news if she wanted. Mhina asked if she could call her cousin Sophie – Edward just needed to make one phone call first. So they headed into the kitchen to prepare dinner, one happy family.

With Fred following faithfully behind.

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A/N - Scene-opening lyrics from 'Lifening' by Snow Patrol.

Lyrics used throughout the chapter from 'Marry Me' by Train.

Lyrics from 'The Butterfly Song' are from Disney's Austin & Ally. My kids sing it constantly and make up their own lyrics. Swear to God.

I hope everyone enjoyed our visit with the Cullens – ten years later. No one knows whether Three is a boy, or a girl, or one of a pair... Not even Sage. ;)

And I hope you giggled with me at that last line. I couldn't help it... Fred made me write it.

Thank you to Katie (tanglingshadows) and Jen (JenGreen03) for pre-reading and telling me the story was worth posting. Special thanks to Katie for sharing her brain with me and sitting up late at night chatting about plot points, character development and story arcs. Oh, and convertible sex. Special thanks to Jen for her constant reassurance that my writing was good enough.

Thank you all for reading. I've made some great friends through the posting of this story, and I am so grateful for all of you.

If you wouldn't mind clicking that little button down there one last time and leaving me some love, I'd appreciate it.

This has been a fantastic ride - thank you all for taking it with me!

xoxo

Jen