a/n: well here's the last chapter. there's an epilogue and then my usual disclaimer and announcement stuff so still keep your eyes peeled! thanks for all your support, i'm glad you guys have enjoyed this... improvised story.

cheers and thanks,

~temporaryinsanity.

Playlist: none

"So where is my surprise?"

She handed him a yellow envelope. "In here."

"Yeah. There's a couple things in there. The first one is from me. A wedding present."

He pulled the first sheet out of the envelope. It had a Department of Motor Vehicles header and he squinted in confusion. It was a… gift receipt? License PIANOMAN, registered to Edward Cullen… make and model… holy shit! It was a brand new Volvo XC60. "You bought me an SUV?"

"Yup."

"Why? I mean… not that I'm complaining, but… why?"

"We know you like your old Volvo but we figured we should get something more… family oriented. Don't you think?"

Suspicious, he nodded.

She smiled. Good, it should cart the five of us around just-"

"Five?" His eyes must have been bulging out of his head. What did she mean by five?

Bella just smiled again. "The next ones are from the lawyer and my doctor."

"Oh…kay…" still confused, he scanned the next document. It required his signature… for permanent legal custody of Vanessa Newton, for legal paternity… he could adopt Nessa! "Bella Baby I… I don't know what to say." He was absolutely floored.

"Say you'll be my daddy for real," Nessa pleaded.

"You're okay with this?"

"Yeah. I also wanna… change my last name."

He swallowed.

"When the adoption goes through I'll be Vanessa Cullen."

"I would be… honored." He hugged her for a long time, and sat with her in his lap while he signed all the pages that would mark him as Nessa's father forever. He couldn't help but wonder how all this happened. Adoptions took ages. But then he remembered who was helping Bella and Nessa with all of this and he shuddered. Jenks could get it done.

"We still have to send the papers to Jenks and go to court, the appointment is on Tuesday at ten in the morning."

He nodded, still reeling at all that was going on.

"Since Dad is speechless why don't you just show him the last one, mom?"

Bella giggled at him and slid the last paper out of the envelope.

"Blood tests? Why am I reading this?"

"I told you he wouldn't get it momma."

"He'll get it. He's a smart guy and his dad is a doctor."

Edward ignored them talking about him like he wasn't there, and read the blood test result. Her blood counts were normal and she was perfectly healthy, thank God. There was something else, a note on the bottom. Presence of a hormone consistent with the… pregnancy test taken? She was pregnant again!

He swallowed again. Last time she was pregnant it hadn't gone so well. Well okay, it was fine, since she didn't even notice, but her delivery from what he understood was awful and nearly cost her her life and the life of their baby. Pregnancy was risky, he didn't want her to get hurt. Or worse…

Panic rose in his chest, closing in on his throat and choking him.

"Edward? You're pale. Are you okay?"

"We just got married… I can't lose you yet."

"Lose me? Edward, I'm just having a baby."

"But last time that happened I was gone and you were in so much pain, and they said you lost a lot of blood and Carly and-"

Nessa wisely left the room, slipping upstairs quietly.

His wife (he really liked that) sat down next to him, taking his hands. "Edward the reason why Carly's delivery was so… insane, because I don't really know how else to describe it, was because I didn't even know that she was in there. You said it yourself, we were completely unprepared for a baby. Doctors have a little more work to do when they have no idea that you're pregnant, much less in labor. This time I know, and we can see the doctor and hear the baby's heartbeat, and the doctor will tell me what to do when it's time to deliver, and they will be there to make sure nothing goes wrong."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

"Okay."

The weekend passed peacefully, and they went to their appointment on Tuesday with the judge so he could declare Edward to be officially Nessa's father.

They went through the motions of the judge entering the court and then they sat down as Jenks went through all the legal business that involved it. Bella's fingers dug into his knee more than once to keep his leg from bouncing.

He couldn't sit still. He still didn't believe he was so damn lucky to be named the official father of someone as amazing and intelligent as Vanessa Newton—Cullen. Vanessa Cullen. Jenks had already finished with the name change stuff. His breath caught in his throat. The judge was addressing them directly now, and they were told to stand. He didn't hear anything past the judge giving his blessing and congratulations to them, saying that the adoption had been approved.

He was in a daze all the way home, barely seeing the trees outside the window. He needed music. Music had always been his comfort zone, his area of security where he could express himself without being hurt. The meaning of that had changed for him, though. He hid behind his music for a long time, closing himself off and becoming very lonely. Now his music was the way he expressed his love for his wife – he had a wife!—and daughters. Holy cow he had daughters. Two of them, as amazing as humanly possible. He was so grateful.

His fingers flew across the keys for hours, expressing, composing, arranging, and at the end, the pieces of music that were born of the gratefulness and joy that had him bursting at the seams. When he finished playing it through, not a sound could be heard in the whole house. Even the dogs were silent.

He wondered how long he'd been there and where everyone was. To his surprise he found a sleeping Carly curled into Bella's chest and Nessa curled into her side on one of the love seats in the piano room with him, watching him with awestruck expressions.

He stretched and then sat down on the couch with them. "How long have I been composing?"

Bella smiled. "We got home at eleven-thirty. It's almost eight."

"Wow… did you guys eat?"

"No. we've been watching you."

Edward grinned. "Well come on then. I have some new material for Cookie's now. And we have plenty to celebrate today."

He had plenty to celebrate alright. His life was right again. It couldn't get any better.