A/N: Brea, Tria and Mama Swimmer have a relaxing day in the warm mud spring. They muse about their families. Bron is visited by a member of his herd.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Land Before Time and its characters. Original character's are mine though.

EPILOGUE

Months had passed. Brea was living in the Great Valley permanently with Bron, Littlefoot, Shorty and their grandparents. Shorty had really blossomed and stopped being angry and withdrawn. Every now and then he'd refer to Littlefoot as brother. But what was really shocking was when he started calling Bron dad.

They had all been playing together. Shorty and Littlefoot had reared up on their hind legs knocking into one another, just rough housing. This had eventually led to both of them clearing the bushes and down a slope. Shorty landed on top of Littlefoot on a field of holes that shot vaporized water from beneath the surface. If they had been struck with the vaporized water point blank, they'd be in trouble.

"Dad!" Both Littlefoot and Shorty called out to Bron in unison.

Bron had heard this and went racing towards them. He grabbed both of them by their tails and lifted them out and away from the holes as the ground started rumbling. Seconds later, vaporized water shot out of the ground.

Bron deposited them both in the grass. "Are you two alright?" Both nodded their heads.

"Thanks dad!" Littlefoot went racing up towards the hill again without waiting for a reply.

"Thanks, dad." Shorty shyly repeated, not sure how Bron would take it. Bron smiled a knowing smile. He thought he heard them both calling out to him and he was right. Bron bent down and nuzzled Shorty. He smiled.

"You're welcome son." Shorty then took off in the same direction as Littlefoot.

From that day on, Shorty had only referred to Bron as dad.

Brea and Tria were currently relaxing in the warm mud spring together. After touring the Great Valley and meeting its many inhabitants, Brea, Tria and mama swimmer really hit it off. They all had adopted children. Mama swimmer and Brea were closer as they both were part of blended families.

"This feels great, thanks for sharing this with me Tria."

Tria laughed. "No problem Brea, I'm glad I have someone to share this with. Cera joins me sometimes. But I think she'd rather be with her friends."

"Kids," they both said in unison. They laughed together.

"If you don't mind me asking, how are things with you and your family?" Brea asked.

"Things are fine. In the beginning it was tough as Cera didn't like or want me anywhere near her father. Understandably so. I let her choose the kind of relationship we would have. She eventually warmed up to me. Then Tricia came along and I think she's the one who fully broke down Cera's walls."

Brea had a thoughtful look on her face. "Sometimes it's the siblings that have the power to do things like that. I know in our case it was Littlefoot who broke down Shorty's walls."

"How so?" Tria asked.

Brea thought about this. "On the day I had announced I was going to leave the Great Valley, this had upset Shorty. He was completely inconsolable. Eventually he calmed down enough to where he began speaking of his own mother. This prompted Littlefoot to speak about his mother as well and in doing so, it got Shorty to open up. I knew then that I couldn't leave. Besides, who could say no to Bron? He's such a handsome longneck that's beyond extraordinary." Brea gushed and had a dreamy look about her.

Tria laughed. "I'll take your word for it, Topsy makes me swoon too."

Brea laughed as well. Tria calmed down a bit, "Are you and Bron going to have little ones someday?"

"We've talked about it, and decided we're fine with the two we have. My boys keep us plenty busy and on our toes, including Chomper and Ruby as well."

"Oh, Chomper and Ruby?"

"Yep, we've taken them in as well. Occasionally Chomper would come to our nest and sleep there at night. He'd come so often, that Ruby took notice. She came along a few times, then eventually they just stayed. And we couldn't be happier to have them."

Tria smiled just then. Brea thought Bron extraordinary. But Tria thought they both were extraordinary. A family of leaf eaters that took in a sharptooth and a fast runner. You had to be extraordinary to do that.

Mama swimmer had come walking up, she settled into the warm mud.

"Sorry I'm late ladies, I wanted to see Ducky and Spike off before I came here. Did I miss anything?"

"No, Brea was just telling me of her family with Chomper and Ruby being the latest additions to it." Tria filled her in.

"That's wonderful that you've taken them in dear. For the most part, all of us here in the Great Valley looked after them, but I know they are happy that they have you and Bron." Brea nodded.

Mama swimmer was no stranger to having a different species as part of her family as well. "We love having Spike with us and whenever the far walker spiketails visit the Great Valley, we let Spike stay with them. It's important he learn things from his kind too. And when they leave, he returns home to us."

Tria looked at Brea. "How do you handle letting Chomper and Ruby visit their parents, since their kind aren't really allowed in the Great Valley?"

Brea didn't have to think long about it.

"Whenever they are missing their parents, we all accompany them to the Mysterious Beyond as a family. It was easier to communicate with Ruby's parents since they speak leaf eater. With Chomper's parents, that was a different story."

"We're talking about grownup sharpteeth, right?" Mama swimmer asked.

"Yes, they became allies and friends after Bron helped Chomper's father kill Red Claw."

"I'm not sure I could ever consider sharpteeth as allies and friends. But that's great though." Tria said with a shake of her head.

"So anyway Ruby and Chomper stay for about seven days with their parents. Bron, Littlefoot, Shorty and I go to our meeting spot in the Mysterious Beyond and we retrieve them and return back to the Great Valley."

"Do you ever run into trouble?" Mama swimmer asked.

Brea shook her head. "No. Not at all. Since Red Claw's defeat, Chomper's father is the new biggest and baddest of them all. Well him and Chomper's mother. And since we're friends with them, an attack on us would invite trouble from them. So they leave us alone."

"Wow that's incredible. I take that back, I can be friends and allies with sharpteeth, if it got other sharpteeth to leave me alone." Tria said. All three laughed at this.

"How do you take care of their special food needs though?" Mama swimmer asked.

"Littlefoot was friends with them first and got used to their diet. Bron had no issues with their diet either. Seeing as though he took Chomper to eat every day when he and Littlefoot were grounded after wandering into the Mysterious Beyond alone. I had no issues with their diets either. I've seen lots of things in my travels and it didn't bother me. Shorty had issues with it though. So while Littlefoot and Bron took Ruby to the shallow water for snapping shells and took Chomper to the low hills for the furry diggers. I stayed back with Shorty. Eventually it was Shorty who was curious as he was the one who asked if he could go too. After seeing how and what they eat, Shorty eventually became okay with it. He understands that they have to eat the way they do to survive. Just like everyone else."

"And that doesn't ruin your appetite?" Tria asked.

"Nope not at all. There's always trees near where we take them, so while they are doing their thing, the four of us eat as well. So by the time everyone has had their fill, we all leave together as a family." Brea finished.

"Wow that is something. You ladies ready for this mud on your faces?" Mama swimmer asked as it was easier for her to smear the mud since she had hands rather than front feet.

"Let's do this!" Brea spoke for both Tria and herself.

Mama swimmer took her time smearing the mud and once she was done, she smeared some on her own face. They sank deeper into the warm mud all sighing in relaxation.

The gang were all playing under Bron's watchful eyes. Brea was in the warm mud spring with the other moms. Bron let her have that time to be with the other grownups. A few grownups from his own herd would visit from time to time. The mama longneck whose daughter Littlefoot had saved would visit every so often. Thanking Bron over and over again for having such a wonderful son. Her little one would always find Littlefoot and monopolize his time.

"So when are you and Brea going to have little ones of your own?" She asked as she stood next to Bron as they both continued looking on.

Bron smiled turning his attention to her. "Brea and I have four already. And we're good with that. Besides I think you're forgetting I looked after a lot of little ones for a long time by myself till they were adopted by grownups in the herd."

"Four? But I only see the two young longnecks there." They both looked at Littlefoot and Shorty playfully trip so the little one could tag them.

"Yes, and in addition to those two, those other two over there." Bron motioned to Chomper and Ruby who were playing leap frog.

The mama longneck squinted her eyes. "Wait a minute, that's a sharptooth and a fast runner." She pointed out.

"Yep that's correct. My daughter and three sons keep both Brea and I on our toes." Bron smiled fondly at that.

"The rumors are true then." She murmured.

"It's only hard to believe as it's something that's different. We fear that of which is different. But if you open yourself to new things, you'll find that it's not so different after all." Bron finished with a soft smile.

The mama longneck was taken aback. A family of leaf eaters taking in a fast runner and a sharptooth. She knew Bron to be kind and insightful. But this was something else. He didn't have the responsibility of being the herd leader, and they all knew that. But they still treated him as such and would seek his council and advice from time to time. The mama longneck smiled on as she watched all of the children play. Eventually she and her daughter had left them.

As the bright circle started to set, the gang were all being called home.

"Alright you four, let's get a move on." Bron called out. Littlefoot, Shorty, Chomper and Ruby had run over to Bron. One by one, he lifted them with his tail and deposited them on his back. The five of them headed back to their nest. Brea and the elder longnecks had greeted them. One by one, the children slid off of Bron. Brea made her way to Bron nuzzling him a bit. Then she nuzzled her four. The children regaled her and the elder longnecks about their day.

Eventually Chomper had pulled Littlefoot aside. "Thanks for letting me stay and be a part of your family." Chomper said shyly.

"Oh Chomper, we've been family since the day I hatched you." Littlefoot said as he nuzzled Chomper a bit. Chomper hugged him.

"Hey guys what's going on over here?" Ruby and Shorty walked up.

Littlefoot was glossy eyed. "I'm just so happy we're all a family."

Shorty knocked into him. "Me too!"

"Hey me too!" Ruby clasped her hands together.

"And me! Don't forget about me." Chomper announced.

"Hey you four, what's going on over here?" Bron asked, as he, Brea and the elder longnecks walked up.

"We're all happy, so happy we're a family!" The kids said in unison.

The four grownups smiled. There were many things in life Bron didn't understand. But he knew that together with his family they could weather and survive any storm. As long as they were together.

A/N: Thank you for reading my story. I hope you enjoyed it. I've had a great time writing it.

R and R please, thank you.