A/N at the end

S. Meyer owns all these characters. But this plot was all me, so please don't take it.

Epilogue

Happily Ever After

BPOV

It was early afternoon when I pulled into my driveway and I could not have been happier to be home. I had just finished up the last leg of my book tour and I ached to get inside the house to my family.

I had spent the last few months bouncing from city to city doing book signings and readings. I had fought with my publishers tooth and nail to do as little traveling as possible. I knew promoting a book was important but what was at home waiting for me far surpassed that importance.

Even though I had negotiated the deal to ensure that I was never gone for more than a week at a time it was still excruciatingly painful every time I had to leave. When I went to my first reading I couldn't have been more nervous. Despite the constant encouragement from Edward the idea of people questioning me on what I had written terrified me.

I did my first signing for the support group that had played an important part in my healing. Any qualms I had about my book being open to the public were put to rest that day. I shared my story with them and just like the rest of my signings the people were beyond receptive.

At every stop I'd end up in tears at some point, not necessarily because of losing Hannah, and nearly losing my marriage but because of the stories that these women, and some men, would share with me.

I think they viewed me as someone who had fought the same battle they had. Since I had shared so openly they felt they could do the same. It really was an amazing experience, and an extremely therapeutic one. Still, with every day I was away I longed to be home.

I quickly shut off my car and nearly ran to the door, not caring that I had left my bags in the trunk. I opened the door and was greeted with complete silence. I searched the house and found no signs of life. I was about to call Edward and see where he was when I heard laughter coming from outside.

I quietly stepped out onto the patio and stood silently for a moment taking in the beauty that was my life. Edward was playing catch with Ayden while my beautiful daughter, Lilly Faith Cullen, sat on a blanket in the grass watching them and giggling every time the ball went into the air.

Lilly was a little over a year old and my little terror. She had her father's hair, just like Ayden, but she had my eyes. She was beautiful. She was adorable, loving, smart beyond her age, and way too much like our family. At one she already had a set personality that kept us on our toes. My angel had Alice's energy, Rose's attitude at times, and she had Emmett's childhood mischievous streak. Luckily for her she had a pout and blush that combo that made it incredibly hard to scold her. Not that Edward would ever be able to anyway, she was his princess.

Ayden had taken to Lilly instantly. He decided from day one that he was her protector. A couple of months ago Emmett had been tossing Lilly up in the air and she loved it. She let out a loud squeal that Ayden had taken as a scream. He charged up to Emmett and demanded that he put his baby sister down that second. Emmett laughed and Ayden's face got red as he started slowly counting to three.

We all burst out laughing at him acting like a little adult and Edward had to have a talk with him about who he needed to protect his sister from. Uncle Emmett couldn't have been more proud of his nephew then he was right then.

I was pulled out of my reminiscing when Lilly noticed me and started bouncing and calling for me. I ran and scooped up my baby girl and walked toward my boys.

Edward turned to see me and his face broke out into a wide grin. Ayden slammed into my legs at full speed and wrapped his arms around my thigh in a death grip.

I laughed as I leaned down to kiss him on the head. Edward dropped the ball and closed our distance in two smooth strides. He wrapped his arms around me tightly being careful of Lilly and Ayden. He smiled at me once more before pressing his lips to mine. One hand moved to caress the side of my face as he deepened our kiss. The only good thing about leaving was coming home.

"You're never writing another book." He whispered against my lips.

"If I recall it was your idea Edward." I replied before pecking his lips once more.

"It was a stupid idea; don't ever listen to me again."

I knew he was teasing. Edward had been nothing but supportive through the entire process. When I was away for more than three or four days at a time I would call whining about wanting to come home and he would be there to give me a pep talk and refocus me.

I carried Lilly inside while Ayden rode on Edward's back. It wouldn't be too long before he would be in school, and I was not at all ready for that.

"Anything in particular you want to do today love?" Edward asked as he sat Ayden down.

"There are a lot of things I want to do today, but most of them will have to wait until tonight." I said quietly.

"You're killing me, you know that don't you?" He said in a sigh.

I just laughed and walked into the living room. I had entirely too much fun teasing him, but he knew when it came down to it I would be able to back up my talk.

"Honestly I just want to sit around and be with you and the kids and not worry about anything. Is that okay, or was there something you'd rather do?" I wasn't sure if he had planned anything or not.

"That's perfect. It is Sunday, but everyone won't be over until later." He reminded me.

Sunday's had become even more hectic than they were in the past. We now had three new little ones demanding our attention. Alice hadn't been happy with the fact that I had to miss a couple of Sunday's occasionally to work on the book, but she got over it fairly easy. I think it just annoyed her that her or Rose had to prepare a meal on those days when I was away.

"That's fine, we have plenty of time." I sighed, sitting down on the couch.

"The school called today, they wanted to know when and if you're coming back." Edward laughed.

I pulled Ayden onto my lap as Edward took Lilly. "Ugh do I have to?" I groaned.

Edward laughed and blew on Lilly's stomach making her giggle loudly.

"Nope." He smiled not looking away from his daughter. "You don't if you don't want to."

I sighed deeply. "I want to. I miss being in a classroom. I miss having students, but I would love to be able to stay at home too." I looked at Ayden who was curled into my chest looking completely content and peaceful to just be in my arms. I knew it wouldn't be too long before he wouldn't want to let me love on him this way. Having to constantly leave for travel had made me much more appreciative of what I had and I didn't want to miss another moment of it.

"You don't have to decide anything right now; your position is being held until the end of the year. Take a couple weeks and think it through. I'm fine with whatever you decide. It's not like you won't have to take another sabbatical soon anyway."

"You're right. I think that's what I'll do. Thank you, Edward." I said smiling at him.

He smiled back and stood up with Lilly while she rubbed her eyes with her tiny fists.

"I'm going to put her down for a nap." He said as he started to walk out of the living room. "Do you want Ayden to…" he started before I cut him off.

"In a bit, I'd really like to just hold him for a while. Soon I won't be able to." I told him quietly because Ayden was already starting to drift off, apparently they had been playing hard. Ayden rarely slept during the day anymore, much to Rose's dismay him and Rosalyn had both outgrown naps.

Edward gave me a big smile as he carried our daughter to her room.

I sat staring at my son and thinking about how things had changed in the past couple of years. Edward and I still went to therapy occasionally, not that we had any serious problems but we weren't perfect and we were both still learning.

I still felt an ache when I thought of Hannah but I had made my peace with that loss, with our loss. On our living room wall among the sea of pictures of our in-laws, ourselves, and Ayden and Lilly, hung a shadow box frame that had Hannah's sonogram picture, the picture taken of her when she was born and the letter 'H' that had been above her crib.

Edward had put it together for me for mother's day when I was pregnant with Lilly. Neither of us found it the least bit odd to have it hanging on our wall. She was a part of us that couldn't be replaced or forgotten.

"She's out like a light." Edward sighed as he came back into the room.

"So is he. I'm going to go put him in bed. It can't be comfortable to sleep in this position."

Edward frowned and lifted Ayden off my lap effortlessly. "You will do no such thing." He frowned as he carried him off to put him in his room.

I rolled my eyes at his constant over-protective nature. It didn't really bother me it was just how he was.

"I know you rolled your eyes at me when I left the room." Edward whispered in my ear from behind the couch, causing me to jump, then tingle from his warm breath on my neck.

"I did no such thing." I stuttered.

"Promise?" he mumbled while kissing my shoulder.

"Um, maybe there was a little eye rolling." I breathed.

He clicked his tongue at me and stood up straight walking around the couch.

I whimpered at the loss of contact from his lips. He just smiled as he set down on the couch next to me.

"See…I could be covering every inch of you in kisses but you had to go and act like a brat…now who am I supposed to kiss?" He teased, looking thoughtful.

I moved a little further away from him just so I could lay back and rest my head on his lap.

"I love you." I said reaching up to run my fingers along his angular jaw.

"I love you." He replied not taking his eyes off of me. His capable hands began gently sweeping my hair out of my face and before I knew it I was falling asleep.

EPOV

I sat watching Bella sleep and basking in the peaceful silence. I'm surprised she had made it this long before passing out.

She was always exhausted when she had to go and promote her book. I was beyond proud of all she had done, she worked hard, and was deserving of every bit of praise she received.

The book had done very well and I was impressed by how well Bella took both the compliments and the criticism that come with writing anything.

Bella and I had followed through with her plan to donate a great deal of the revenue from the book to the NICU that had tried to save Hannah, and to the support group that had helped Bella. I think it made Bella feel less guilty about making money from the tragedy we had endured.

Things were not always easy but we made it through. When Bella was pregnant with Lilly we hit a few snags.

We were so excited when the doctor told us we were having a girl, but after about thirty seconds of elation the guilt and fear set in. We were able to talk about it with one another and use each other for support.

We didn't let things build up anymore. We still had the occasional fight or disagreement but we didn't walk away from it. Everything that had nearly driven us apart in the past ended up bringing us closer together than we had ever been. I was exceptionally proud of what we had accomplished. Ayden and Lilly were happy and healthy and Bella and I had a better relationship than we ever had before.

I ran my fingers along my wife's stomach, trailing the barely there baby bump that she had recently developed. I couldn't wait for our newest addition to arrive and join the family. As my fingers moved toward Bella's hip my mind drifted to the night we had conceived our currently un-met child. Well, it might not have been the actual night it happened but I liked to think so.

The hot water eased my muscles as I stood in the shower washing away the hospital scent. Bella and I were having a night to ourselves, the first in longer than I care to admit. Rosalie was taking the kids for us tonight and we would return the favor for her and Emmett tomorrow night.

I noticed the house had gotten unusually quiet, which could only mean that the kids had been picked up and it was just Bella and I for one amazing night. I couldn't wait to hurry and get out of the shower to see what my wife had planned for us tonight. Bella had decided she wanted to plan this date night since I had apparently planned the last one.

I had just started to wash my hair when I heard the bathroom door click opened and I smiled to myself.

The shower curtain was pulled open and I was greeted with one of my favorite sights in the world. Bella stepped into the shower, her long brown hair flowing gracefully down over her shoulders. I lost myself in my stare before she cleared her throat.

"Are you just going to let me freeze?" She asked with a smile.

Without a word I pulled her in front of me by her hips trying to watch each droplet of water as it rolled over her beautifully toned body. Her head was tilted back into the water her hands ran over her hair.

"Beautiful" I murmured to myself.

She was a vision. I couldn't help myself as stepped closer to her. My arms wrapped around her on their own accord as my hands ran their way down to her lower back. She sighed softly and the sound made me even harder than I was.

My lips found refuge on her collar bone and she moaned at the contact.

"You shouldn't have come in her Mrs. Cullen. We're never going to get to where ever it is we're going on time." I whispered against her skin.

Her fingers found my jaw as she raised my head until my eyes met her's.

"We're not going anywhere." She said quietly.

"I've planned a full evening for us right here at home." She said with a small smirk. I wasn't sure if more beautiful words had ever been spoken.

My lips instantly fused to hers and her hands entrenched themselves in my hair.

"Make love to me." She commanded softly barely letting her lips leave mine.

"Your wish, my command" I smiled and so did she. I kissed her fiercely enjoying ever whimper and moan that came from her.

There were no more words passed simply the sound of our pleasure and the drops of water beating around us.

I released a throaty moan as her hands slid down my neck to my chest and continued to descend to my hard cock. My hands explored every inch of her body while I attempted to keep my sanity as her fingers slid up and down my shaft.

I wrapped my hand around the back of her knee and hitched her leg around me entering her in one smooth motion. I didn't stop kissing her instead swallowing the deep moan she emitted when I filled her.

I leaned back against the shower wall not allowing an inch of space between our wet bodies. The only coherent thought that flashed through my mind while I dove deeper and deeper inside her was how perfect this moment with her was.

I felt Bella's breathing grow rapid and I moved my mouth to her earlobe, biting it just hard enough to make her scream out in pleasure. I pumped harder and faster until I felt her walls clench down around me, sending us both over the edge. She cried out and I pulled her close to me as we came down from our physical high.

"I love you." Bella sighed as we slowly separated.

"and I you" I replied with what little air I had left.

We cleaned up quickly and stepped out of the warmth of the shower into the cold air. I noticed Bella trying not to pout as I ran a towel through my wet hair.

"What's wrong love?" I questioned concerned.

"It's not a big deal." She said with a timid smile.

"Bella." I chided gently.

She sighed heavily before answering me. "We didn't break anything this time." She mumbled. "I think maybe we're losing our touch." She finished with a dramatic pout.

I knew she was kidding but that didn't stop me from ripping the towel from her body, grabbing her by the waist and carrying her back into that shower.

We were going to do this right!

Needless to say, we once again have a loose shower knob, but I couldn't be happier about it.

I was pulled out of my little trip down memory lane by the sound of Ayden's door opening in the hall behind me. Before I could call him to come into the living room I heard him run in to Lilly's room and wake her up.

"Damn it." I muttered. I was relieved Bella was asleep so I wouldn't be lectured about my language with the kids in the house. I gently lifted her up off of my lap and went to take care of my kids.

BPOV

I awoke to the sounds of 'Twinkle, Twinkle' being played on the piano, a few shades shy of perfect. I smiled to myself as I made my down the hall. When I opened the door to the spare room I was greeted with another one of the favorite moments in my life. Edward and Ayden both sat at the piano bench; Lilly perched on Edward's knee. He was playing patty-cake with her hands. I'm sure that was just to keep her from interrupting Ayden's lesson by banging on the keys.

Ayden sat with a look of sheer concentration while Edward smiled at him encouragingly. Ayden missed the final note and sighed dramatically and hung his head.

"You're getting a lot better Ayden, really you are." Edward said honestly.

"I thought it was great, sweetie." I hoped he'd smile but he just grunted and went to walk away from the piano."

"Son, come back here." Edward said in a calm yet serious tone.

Ayden sighed but turned back to Edward. His sad, green eyes broke my heart.

"Dad, I can't do it." He mumbled.

"Hey, I don't want to hear you use that word. Now come sit back down for a second." Edward said in an encouraging tone. I moved to pick up Lilly so that she wouldn't be in their way.

"Buddy, if you don't like playing the piano, that's fine with me. You don't have to if you don't want to. But, I want you to understand something; you can't give up when things get hard. Anything worth having takes work, and if you want something bad enough the work you put into it is always worth it in the end."

Ayden nodded his head slowly then looked up at me.

"He's right." I said, thinking about how long it had taken Edward and me to learn that very lesson.

"Do you want to try again?" Edward asked.

Ayden nodded and I watched as Edward leaned down to whisper something in his ear. Ayden smiled widely and shook his head up and down emphatically.

As 'Twinkle Twinkle' started to play again Edward got up from the bench and smirked at me. Without a word, he walked toward me smoothly and took my hand.

He pulled me as close as he could, with Lilly on my hip, and began moving us to the not quite gentle sounds of the piano. I couldn't help but laugh to myself as I rested my head on his chest.

"What's funny? He's not that bad." Edward whispered in my ear.

"It's not that." I said looking up at him. I told Edward about how bizarrely… right this felt. When we would dance together, when it was just the two of us, it was such a romantic, private thing. Now after going through both hell and high water we were still here. The only difference was now we had a toddler attached to us, one on the way between us, and our son playing the music we were dancing to.

We were still us, the two people who believed all we needed was each other and everything else would work itself out. We were still the same two people who had believed in a happily ever after. We were just a smarter version of that couple now and we had both learned knew that 'happy' doesn't necessarily mean perfect.

Later that evening our home was filled with family.

Alice, Rosalie, and I were in the kitchen making the side dishes for dinner and Rosalyn was helping. She was starting to take on more and more of her mother's characteristics. We were talking about our kids while the guys were outside manning the grill.

"I still can't get over how much Jackson looks like Jasper; he is the spitting image of him." Rosalie said.

It was true, Jasper couldn't deny that boy if he wanted to. Alex looked more like a blend between the two, but was equally as gorgeous.

"Yeah, yeah, so when are you going to get around to having another little one?" Alice bugged Rose, like she did every week. Rose had always said that right now she was completely content with Kallie.

"Eh, I think she's good right now with the two she has." I laughed. Rose shot me a confused look and I motioned out the window to Emmett. He was walking though the yard like a monster while the kids hung off of him like leaves on a tree. We all snickered at the sight of my childlike brother.

Edward and Jasper stood on the patio, laughing and talking animatedly with one another. It was still great to see Edward laugh, even after all this time.

A short while later the rain started and everyone came inside and packed the dining room where we ate.

I took in the sight of our large family talking and laughing with each other and felt abundantly blessed. Dinner continued without a hitch and it wasn't long before everyone headed home to get some rest.

After the kids were down for the night, Edward and I made our way to our room. We slid in to bed and he wrapped his strong arms around me pulling me to where my head rested on his chest. We told each other goodnight and told each other we loved them like we did every night. The sounds of his deep restful breathing filled the room within minutes.

This was my happily ever after. There weren't any rides into the sunsets, or horse drawn carriages. There were arguments, scraped knees, PTA meetings, 'I'm sorrys', late nights, kids crying, and grocery shopping. There was happiness and tragedy, love and anger, and misunderstandings and forgiveness. It might not be a story book ending but this was my fairy tale and I felt lucky to have it.

A/N: Wow, I really wasn't expecting to be this bummed about this story ending. I'm probably going to tear up when I hit that 'complete' button. It took me forever to post this epi and I'm sorry about that. It just kept feeling wrong. Thanks to Gracecullen94 for helping me out with it.

To all of you have read this story, I want to sincerely say thank you for sticking with me, even with things for these two were....um...unpleasant. : )

To my reviewers, you ladies are amazing! If it weren't for you this story would not have been what it is. I mean that quite litteraly considering I had zero intention of ever doing an EPOV until you all nagged (and i say that with love) me to death about it. Thank you for that and for being so supportive of this my little story. I'm really sad this tale is over but it was time. I'm about 70% sure their won't be a sequel but I never say never so who knows.

I will occasionaly post some outtakes from their lives just for my own amusment. Those will be in the 'extras' story so be sure to put that on alert. If there is anything you really want to see let me know and I might be able to work something out.

I have a couple ideas on what I want to write next but I haven't narrowed it down yet. Go take the poll on my page and help me decide, please.

Well ladies, I believe that is all. I really hoped that you enjoyed this epilogue and the story as a whole. Now one last time, go ahead and review for me, you know you want to.

Thanks so much for reading,

Robin