Hello everyone,

This has been quite a ride. It was an emotional journey from start to finish and I hope you all enjoyed the journey.

All I can say is, I have some plans in store, but currently, I am trying to finish most of my WIPs before doing anything else. I do advise you all to stay tuned.

Thanks so much for being here for this fic and all the others you all are reading. Thanks for your support and encouragement throughout these escapades.

Please review ...

Two Weeks Later

Bella lay against the pillows watching her husband sleep. Yesterday afternoon they had a memorial for Emmett at the insistence of Esme and Alice. She'd grieved with them as they cried, taking turns holding both women. They all wept for what was, what could've been and what would never be.

She knew Edward refused to believe Emmett was truly gone, saying he wouldn't be at ease until they had a body to put in the ground. On occasion, Bella would catch him staring out at the river as if he expected Emmett to rise from the waves. She couldn't even express how much it saddened her that would never happen.

Feeling the sting of tears prick her eyes, she blew a deep calming breath, pushing back the need to bawl all over again. She reached out across the pillows, brushing the hair from Edward's forehead. As if sensing her presence, his lashes flickered until his gaze met hers.

He swallowed hard, his throat working past his own building emotion. While he wouldn't allow himself to cry, Bella could see the shadows of pain edging his dark blues.

When he reached for her she went, sliding over his chest and settling her lips on his. Kissing him softly, she whispered, "Have I told you lately how handsome you are?"

Edward wound his arms around her waist, pulling her until her full length rested against his as he returned her kiss. Breaking the connection he nuzzled her jaw, feathering kisses to her neck. His low rumbling voice doing wicked things to her. "As often as I tell you how beautiful you are to me."

When she felt his length harden beneath her, she straddled his hips, rocking back until he slipped inside her. Ever so slowly, relishing every move, every feeling, every kiss, Bella rode him.

She groaned with this insatiable appetite for the man beneath her, her head falling back when he sat up, his arms wrapped tightly around her until she felt every inch of him pressed against her. With each thrust, she whispered her love, dropping kisses against his ear.

When their release crashed through them in pleasurable waves, Bella's head fell back, crying out as Edward kissed his way down her silken throat. "God, I love you so much. I don't how I would've gotten through any of this without you."

Bella pushed his hair back, tracing the lines next to his mouth. Sadness filled her at that moment. Edward had just begun to learn to smile again, and his happiness, at least some of it, fell into the Mississippi River. "We rely on each other, Edward. That's how this marriage works. You've done so much for me."

Silently they sat there merely holding one another, drawing strength and comfort. While she drew circles on his shoulders, his fingers lightly combed through her hair. His lips had just found hers once again when the knob of his door turned. Glaring at the wood, he growled at the structure, "Who is it?"

Scratching resumed on the other side of the door and a small voice called through the crack. "It's Lily, your daughter, I'm looking for the princess. Do you know where she is?"

The first real smile pulled at Bella's lips when the corners of Edward's mouth tilted. Their eyes met, and a silent conversation ensued. Edward tapped her hip, urging her off his lap, saying, "I think it's past the time we tell Lily you will be her new mommy."

Suddenly more nervous than she ever expected to be, Bella scrambled from the bed and hurriedly pulled on her pajamas. She'd just slipped the tank top of her head when Edward snapped the waistband of his sweats over his hips.

With amusement dancing in his eyes, he wiggled his eyebrows in her direction as he went to pull the door open. Grinning down at his daughter, he tweaked her pigtail. "How are you this morning?"

"Fine, but I have been looking for—." Her explanation died away as she looked around the bedroom and spotted the princess. "There you are."

When she would've continued, Edward held up his hand, catching her attention. "Before we hear about everyone here in the house, there is something I need to tell you, Lily." Offering his hand, his heart fluttered when her tiny fingers wound around his and held tight. Slowly, Edward dropped to his knees beside Lily, watching her closely as he spoke. "What would you say if I told you that the princess will now be your mommy?"

Her bottom lip wobbled as she looked at Bella and back to Edward. Her cheek pinched as her bright eyes filled with tears. Leaning close to her daddy, she whispered, "The princess will be my mommy? I've never had a mommy before. Will she love me?"

Edward swallowed the emotion choking him, brushing the big fat teardrop from Lily's cheek. "How could she not love you? You are the most beautiful girl in the whole world."

Bella sniffled, tears coursing down her cheeks as she approached father and daughter. Coming down to her knees before them, she took Lily's free hand and kissed her fingertips. "I would be so happy if you would let me be your mommy, and I promise to love you as much as I do your daddy."

Lily squealed with satisfaction, tears still streaming from her eyes as she threw her arms around Bella's neck and squeezed tight. "I will love you so much too."

Life didn't get any better than this, Edward decided, studying his wife, hugging his daughter as if she were her own. Without realizing he was moving, he took them both in his arms, kissing Lily's cheek before pressing his lips against his wife's. As he held them in his arms, he made a silent vow to protect them at all costs.

He would gladly murder anyone who tried to harm or take them away. With the death of Emmett still fresh in his mind, and in his heart, his jaw hardened. He had so much to protect and it pained him beyond his wildest imaginings he'd been unable to pull Emmett up.

His fingers wound through their hair, holding them tight, while Lily and Bella both wept. Finally, he pulled back, kissing the reddened eyes of his daughter and his wife. "This isn't the time for sadness. We are starting our lives together. Smile."

With a grin of his own, he tickled his daughter until a giggle burst free. Laughing he continued to tickle her side until she collapsed in uncontrollable laughter filling his room.

Bella laughed too, pinning her new daughter with a wicked smile. "Lily, you know the best part of having a mommy is?"

"What?" She squealed breathlessly as she fought her father's fingers away from her belly. "I need help, Mommy."

Bella nearly fainted at the sound of that sweet voice calling her mommy. Warmth bloomed in her chest and flowed through every part of her being. Determined to withhold the waterworks this time, she pinned her daughter with a look. "On the count of three, we get Daddy. How about that?"

"Oh no," Edward yelled, leaping to his feet, darting away as Bella and Lily both gave pursuit.

When they had him cornered and there was no escape, Edward playfully glared at his daughter and wife. "Don't even do it. Stay back."

"Never," Bella promised, she and Lily closing in, wiggling their fingers in the air with Edward effectively trapped in the corner.

Lily and Bella proceeded to tickle the big bad mafia king, laughing as he shouted his discontent all the while laughing. Finally, the playfulness of the moment started to pass, and Edward hugged them both to him, kissing their foreheads. "I sure hope you never stay away. I love you both so much."

-m-

Esme stopped in front of her son's door, drawn by the shouting and laughter. Quietly, she watched Edward hug them to him while professing his love. This was a bittersweet moment for her.

One son relished his new lease on life, while she was forced to let her eldest go. Her throat ached as she fought the desire to cry, instead soaking up the moment.

Obviously, something important had happened, and later she would want to hear all about it. Right then, however, Bella's mom was coherent and asking for her. The first real words the woman had spoken since coming here.

Clearing her throat, she winced, hating intruding on their gathering. When three sets of eyes bounced in her direction. "Bella, your mother is awake and asking for you."

Bella moved faster than she ever had before, kissing both Edward and Lily, she hopped to her feet and raced to her mother's room. She found her propped against the pillows with a hesitant smile on her face, her eyes laced with fear and excitement. "You're awake. How are you feeling this morning?"

Renee whimpered as her face crumbled. After living a decade in a dank chamber in the mayor's mansion, believing she would die there, she was gazing upon her beloved daughter. Happiness edged her voice, and she frantically began to speak as she held out her arms. "God, Bella," she cried as Bella pulled her into her chest. "I never thought I would see you again. You were so little the last time I saw you. Now, you are a grown woman, and I have missed your whole life."

"You won't miss anymore," Bella mumbled as she too cried as she held her mother. "I'm so—so sorry we didn't find you sooner. I will never be able to forgive myself for not finding you sooner."

Renee sniffed, breathing in the scent of her daughter. "I thought about you every day. You were what got me through every minute. This isn't your fault, Bella, none of it. I don't want you blaming yourself."

A noise near the door caught their attention and both women turned to see Edward and Lily hovering close to the threshold. Renee wiped the tears from her cheeks, offering a soft smile. "And who might you two be?"

Bella squeezed her mother's fingers, a radiant smile brightening her cheeks. "Mom. That is my husband Edward and our daughter Lily."

Renee gasped as she studied Edward and Lily, another tear leaking down her cheek. Regret and sorrow laced her voice as she whispered, "You've started a family. Another thing that was stolen from me."

Edward took Lily by the hand and ushered her deeper into the bedroom. "Come on, baby, let's meet your other grandma."

"I have another Nana?" Lily asked, curiously scrambling onto the bed next to Bella and Renee.

Edward stepped back into the shadows of the bedroom letting the women chat. When Lily giggled at something Renee said, he smiled gently feeling true peace for the first time in his entire life. Wandering to the window, he looked out over the mighty Mississippi.

Whenever he spied the river, Emmett would be the first thing to come to mind. He studied the length, his gaze dancing from tree to tree, and a movement near the forest caught his attention. His heart squeezed as he spied a white wisp of smoke hovering near the tree line.

For a moment, only a moment, Irene became plainly visible, her arm lifting with a final wave. Edward's jaw clenched, knowing this was their final goodbye, and in turn, he lifted his hand.

She must've seen him because she then disappeared into the forest. Edward stood there for a long moment, saying farewell to his past. When a lighthearted laugh came from the bed, he turned his back on the window and joined his wife and daughter. Contentment filled him as he sat on the edge of the bed, listening to Lily's animated description of her ponies to her new Nana.

He laced his fingers with Bella's as she rested her back against his chest. Whispering next to her ear, "Thank you for stumbling into my backyard, my ballsy banshee."

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