Leia went into labor inside the police cruiser. They rushed her to the hospital. Starbuck was right behind them. She had a concussion, two broke ribs and her wrist had been re-sprained. Not to mention the hair Leia had pulled out. She was given pills so she could lactate. So when they heard, everyone came rushing. By everyone, Angela, Hodgins, Sweets, Daisy, Booth, Brennan, Lisey, Fisher and even Cam. Emma and Wendell came a few hours later, their honeymoon cut short. They came at one a.m, wearing Las Vegas t-shirts and hockey mask wedding rings they had purchased at a comic book store. Their arrival distracted everyone for a few minutes. Booth gave Wendell a Danish as a wedding gift.
At 4:36 am on November 21, Matthew Lance Addy was born. He was seven pounds and 19 inches long. They brought him in an hour after he was born. While he had inherited his father's skin color and hair color, he had his mother's eyes and curls. In short, he was a very, very cute baby. The baby from his mother's dreams.
"He looks so much like you Zach," Angela cooed.
"I call godmother!" Lisey and Emma said in unison.
"Good work man," Hodgins said to Zach.
"I'm an uncle. I'm an uncle." Sweets seemed to be stuck on repeat.
"You are so cute, I am going to spoil you, yes I am." Daisy babbled in baby talk.
"I want to have a baby," Brennan said.
"Do you want me to be the father?" Booth asked.
"I don't usually care for children," Fisher said and Lisey hit him upside the head with her purse. Matty began to move his hands, seeking his mother's breast. "Though I may make an exception for this one."
"For the record, we are not having one of these for a long time," Emma said.
"Works for me," Wendell said and kissed the top of her head.
"Where did Booth and Brennan go?" Cam asked.
A few hours later, things had calmed down. Everyone had gone home. Zach was sleeping next to the baby's crib. Matty woke up around eight. He didn't want to be fed, but he was acting fussy. Zach picked him up for the first time and held him close.
"There, there," he said. Nothing. So, he tried something that worked on his nieces and nephews.
A long long time ago
I can still remember
How that music used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And maybe they'd be happy for a while
Matty quieted. He stared up at his father with wide, amazed eyes. Starbuck woke up and watched this for a little bit. It was sweet to see this.
"He knows his father," she whispered. At the sound of her voice, Matty turned towards her and extended his hands.
"He knows his mother too," Zach said.
xxx
Three months later...
"And do you, Lance Sweets take Daisy Wick as your lawfully wedded wife?"
"I do."
"Then by the power vested in me by the District of Columbia, I pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride."
When they kissed, everyone cheered. It was a small wedding, held inside the Jeffersonian. Starbuck was the matron of honor, Zach was the best man, Brennan, the maid of honor and Matty was the ring bearer. Brennan was eight weeks pregnant, and Hodgins and Angela were already wed. They had taken the Emdell route and gone to Vegas a few weeks ago. Their witnesses had been Starbuck, Zach, and a wino that had wandered in, mistaking the chapel for the liquor store next door.
Leia was in prison. She had been given life in exchange for information on her crimes. The day the FBI came for him, Starbuck's birth father had shot himself. She had him cremated and threw the ashes in a lake. Grace tried to contact Sweets and Starbuck. But they chose not to talk to her. It was easier that way.
The reception was also at the Jeffersonian. While Sweets and Daisy had their first dance, the photographer came up to Zach, Starbuck and Matty and took their picture. When she saw it, Starbuck almost cried. They looked so happy, so...right. Her little family.
"Are you okay?" Zach asked her.
"Yes," she whispered. "Everything's perfect."
xxx
How Everything Turned Out (25 years later)
Starbuck wrote 5 novels after her second poetry collection. Her first 'Sooner Surrender' was based on her and Zach's relationship. It became a movie and won 11 Oscars.
Zach became head of the Medico-Legal Lab. He never did learn how to be bureaucratic. They had two more children, Byron Zachary and Catalina Belle.
Emma became her generation's Caroline Julian. She and Wendell had two children, Alicia Starbuck and Caroline Elizabeth.
Lisey became a fashion designer. She and Fisher got married when she got pregnant with their first child, Jennifer Sarah. They had five more, Enzo Colin, Kelly Ophelia, Jacob Paul, Bella Starbuck and Emma-Lynn.
Angela and Hodgins stayed in D.C. They had two children, Freya Temperance and Victor Zachary.
Booth and Brennan had twins, Christine Angela and Henry John. They never married, but stayed together for their entire lives.
When a Medico-Legal lab opened up in NYC, Sweets and Daisy moved up there (Fisher ended up working there as well). They had three children, Guinevere Starbuck, Thomas Arthur and Anne Marie.
Matthew Addy and Christine Brennan ended up together, which surprised no one. They just had their first child, Maia Catherine.
Everyone lived happily ever after. Well, as realistically as possible.
THE END.
XXX
Author's Note: Wow. I feel so sad that this has ended. I want to cry a little bit. In fact, I shall. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and encouraged me. Look out for my next Zach fic 'Mood Rings'.
Love,
Annie
