Thanks to Tif S for reviewing.

In this ending chapter Annie is referred to as Latin American. Her cla is Baby Kaely- I don't know if she actually is Latin American or if she's got some other ethnicity or skin color. But I don't want to change the celebrity look alike's now and them for her parents are (Adam Rodriguez and Naya Rivera) So I hope everybody's okay with it if I'm wrong.

June the 24th 2014, The happy birthday

It was exactly six months since Annie had come to live with us, it was six months since Seth and Summer had told us about little Sawyer. It was the day Sawyer was due to be born and it was also Annie's tenth birthday.

"Are you excited?"

I, Kirsten, Ryan, Sophie Rose and Annie were walking through the hallways of Berkeley memorial hospital towards the maternity ward. But it was just so quiet I had to ask something and looked down on my daughter.

"More excited than ever before." Sophie Rose held her breath when we walked through the door that had "maternity ward" written on it- and as we'd heard it Summer and Seth had room number sixteen.

"Well hello." Already before we could go see them we met Dr. Neil Roberts- Summer's dad sitting in the hallway. "No, don't go in yet. I would have myself but they asked me to just stay outside so they could be on their own, away from both nurses, doctors and family members for a few minutes before their life together starts for real."

We were lucky the whole hallway was filled with chairs for waiting family members. We could still sit in a group even though there were a total of six of us.

Annie could never sit still for very long, but when she did turn a cartwheel and then stood on her hands in the middle of that hospital hallway I should have told her not to do it. That this place was too crowded or too narrow to do that kind of things.

"When she came to ours she was just breathing…" Sophie Rose said all of a sudden and when I looked to my side I could see her watching Annie with her head leaned slightly to the side. "…Nowadays she's alive…" She looked up at me. "…Isn't she?"

I couldn't have said it any better myself.

"Sophie…" I patted her shoulder. "Can you go sit next to Ryan. I think there's a very special birthday gift we will have to give to Annie before we meet little Sawyer, Seth and Summer."

The name Sawyer had stuck from Christmas. No way was it changing now.

I looked to my other side where Kirsten sat and she too nodded at me to start.

"Hey. Annie?" The Latina turned to me when I called her name. "Can you come and sit here?" I patted on the seat next to me. Annie jokingly rolled her eyes at me but with quick steps came sitting down next to me. "Look, we've been talking for a bit. I and Kirsten, Seth and Summer, Sophie Rose and Summer… And we think…"

I paused, Annie's eyes had just sort of lit up for a moment. But when I paused the light disappeared again and she spoke before I had had the time to find the right words.

"You're going to kick me out now are you?"

"Actually no…" I said and just a tiny bit of hope sparkled in Annie's eyes again. "…We have talked. I have also talked to Doug- your social worker. And apparently he had planned this all along… And we think that you could officially be a part of our family- and if you want that. Then I and Kirsten could adopt you. And Ryan and Sophie Rose and Seth and Summer and Sawyer too of course. But I and Kirsten would be your legal guardians and yeah…. Yeah."

It felt as if I had spent every minute since Christmas Eve of asking Annie if she wanted this.

And right now every second felt as long as the time that had passed while we all held our breaths waiting for Annie to say something at all.

"Hello guys."

I wasn't the only one who jumped when suddenly the silence- thick enough to cut through with a knife when the door to sixteen opened and Seth came out

"Do you want to come and meet your little grandson or nephew."

Ryan sighed slightly. I knew he wanted nothing else than the Sawyer that came along- boy or girl. But he and Sophie Rose had bet on it and now he pulled up a bill from his pocket and handed it to his younger sister while we walked into the room and I couldn't help for my heart to beat so hard it was as if it was beating right out of my chest.

"Hey everyone." Summer smiled tiredly from where she sat on the hospital bed with the baby in her arms. "Come meet Sawyer." I could see Summer glance and smirk towards me and her dad. "Sawyer Neil Sanford Cohen."

And there my heart beat faster than ever- a baby with my name as middle name… Well both of his grandfathers' names but still. And looking to Seth and Summer and Sawyer my heart could have jumped right out of my chest in pride.

"Mine came first." Neil said all of a sudden. "That means my name is better than yours."

"Mine came last, and people will actually hear it instead of hearing your name that is just sort of hidden in the middle."

Neil pouted like a little child and couldn't argue against that. On the other side of the room Seth had taken Sawyer from his mother's arms and just stood shaking his head at us.

"Are you two going to be fighting about names the whole day? Or are you now going to start fighting about who should get to hold him first?"

"It should be me." Neil almost shouted. "Since my name was the first one in his middle name."

"Nuh- uh." I quickly thought of arguments against him. "It should be me, because Seth's holding Sawyer now and Seth is my son and will therefore let me hold him first. Will you Seth?"

Seth only shook his head- he seemed to quite enjoy this as he only watched along with the others with my and Neil Roberts' friendly play- fighting.

"Annie should be first."

Sophie Rose's voice sounded louder than both mine and Neil's, I hesitated for a minute.

"They have the same birthday now. Don't they? So it only makes sense." ¨

I looked down and to my side, Annie had frozen while the rest of us nodded and agreed- as well as the two, proud parents and Annie took a step back shaking her head.

"Don't you want to?" Seth asked. "What's wrong?" Annie half squeaked, half mumbled something. "I'm sorry. I couldn't quite understand that."

"I'm gonna break him."

"No you're not." Seth held Sawyer, sleeping tightly in his arms while coming over to us. "Babies might look tiny and fragile. But actually they're designed for new parents that haven't got a clue about what they're doing. Just hold your arms up like this." Annie was as nervous as anyone could ever be but did as she was told and Seth carefully placed Sawyer in her arms. "And besides. You thought of his name so it's only right… There, just hold your hand and arm like that to support his head…" Slowly Seth let go of his son and then took a step back. "It's as if you were born to do this."

Annie was frozen where she stood, it was as if she didn't dare to move in fear of hurting him. She barely even breathed but then she turned her head and looked down on Sawyer and finally she breathed out.

"Can I hold him now?"

After not long Sophie Rose was getting impatient- not strange for a six-year-old eager to meet her nephew. Annie nodded stiffly and Seth took Sawyer from her. Annie finally relaxed again and looked to the ground only for a second before she turned to Summer who was talking to her.

"Happy birthday Annie."

"So what did you think about your birthday present?" Seth asked, but then suddenly froze. "Did you guys give it to her yet?" Kirsten nodded at him and I saw he breathed out. "Well… then what do you think of it? Do you want to stay with us and be a part of our family?"

Annie suddenly seemed shy and almost hid behind me, I could feel her hand wrapped around the fabric of the back of my shirt and she didn't answer at all at first.

"I think…" I started at first. "…I think you're a bit overwhelmed. Are you?" I patted her shoulder and she nodded slightly. "Well, we'll have a whole lifetime to talk about it so no rush at all."

Nothing has ever felt as good saying as it felt when I said that we'd have a whole lifetime. And not as nervous. Then especially not while I was watching my little grandson.

Looking at them just made one feel like there was no more bad in this world. Didn't it?

When I patted Annie's shoulder again there came an answer at last. Then almost all in one word.

"The answer is yes. Yes, yes, yes. I want to stay with you. I want to be adopted. And you lot…" She suddenly flinched and silent. As if she'd suddenly said something bad. Then when she started talking again it wasn't as fast and quieter. "You guys are a lot better family than my parents…" She looked up at me. "You welcomed me into your home, just like that, you said I didn't have to eat so fast because you weren't going to take the food from me…"

The room had gone awfully silent while Annie kept talking.

"…I called Ryan Blondie. I was rude, I smelt. I tried to steal… But you weren't angry. You talked to me- you didn't hit me once. You took care of me when I was sick. Sophie Rose and Casey wanted me to show them over and over how I turn cartwheels so that they could learn. Sophie Rose threw my photo out the window because I accidentally shrunk her shirt in the laundry."

Annie silent and so did the whole room- so did the whole world while she looked around and Sophie Rose handed the baby over to her mum.

"And you guys don't get it. You've always had it. You just take it for granted… You're a real family and there hasn't ever been anyone there who wants to take it from you… So that's why the answer is yes. Because I want to stay with you and I don't want there to ever again be anyone to take away from me everything I love and care for."

The room fell silent once again. And everyone- including me was staring down towards the girl next to me. And Annie suddenly seemed uncomfortable and sunk down on one chair- possibly wanting to sink through the floor and one last mumble was heard.

"I'm sorry. I don't know why I told you so much. I should have just told you yes."

I sunk down on the chair next to her and leaned closer to her so I could talk without everybody hearing what I said.

"What you said was beautiful. Now just wait a minute."

Neil shot forward and took Sawyer from Sophie Rose's arms when she was so concentrated on Annie she almost dropped him. Ryan sat on the other side of the room far gone into his own thoughts, Seth looked thoughtful where he sat and played with Summer's hair. Summer looked lovingly towards the baby in her father's arms.

"I'll go buy something to eat for us all."

Kirsten was visibly touched by what Annie had said. But not wanting to admit it or show how much I could see her feeling her pockets to check if she had everything. And before I could ask her anything she was out of the room.

And then slowly everything went back to normal, in just a few seconds. Sophie Rose was whispering to Ryan about something and he lifted her up on his lap to whisper something back, Neil sang falsely and Seth and Summer held each other's hands so tight it was as if to never let go.

"Can I change my name?"

The question surprised me when it came from next to me and Annie. And it took me a couple of seconds to understand what she had meant.

"If you mean that you want Cohen to be your last name when we adopt you then yes. If you want."

"Not just the last name. But that too please. Well, we both know Annie's a stupid name. My parents hated it too, but my dad wanted to make one name that was similar to his own- Anthony. And I mean, I'm so used to it I wouldn't be able to change it just like that. But I… kind of borrowed your laptop Sandy… I hope that was okay… And looked up whatever longer names Annie could be short for… There were quite a few."

"Of course that's okay." I smiled at her. "As you might know, Sophie Rose does it all the time. We might have to get her one for her birthday… anyway… Did you find one you liked?" She nodded. "Which one?"

"It's quite a unique one."

Annie bit her lip as if suddenly hesitating if she dared saying it.

"And I also want my mum's name- Grace as a middle name. But it's. Ehrm… It's Andromeda."

I could feel a slight smile forming on my lips. Letting a child deciding her own name could always and in all possible ways. Now, before I had answered out loud I laid my arm around her shoulders and chose my words carefully.

"Andromeda Grace Cohen…" I looked around the room., Seth had climbed up next to Summer on the bed and sat with his arm around her shoulders- both of them had fallen asleep. Ryan sat on the other side and Sophie Rose- who kept giggling at something he said sat on his lap. Neil stood in a corner with baby Sawyer in his arm and Kirsten just came back into the room with drinks and sandwiches for everyone. "That doesn't sound so bad does it?" She shook her head slightly. "We can sort that out. So that's the name for a fresh start. But that's the easy part. Are you ready for this whole crazy bunch to become your family? Do you really want it?"

This time it was Annie's turn to look around, see the plastic packages with sandwiches that Kirsten laid two on the bedside table and then handed out to anyone who weren't asleep or holding a baby, seeing and hearing Dr. Neil Roberts singing falsely to the baby, seeing the way Seth's curly hair was filled of dried sweat and pointed in every possible direction.

And every other detail that made us a family.

"I've never wanted anything more."

Annie silent and ran a hand over the fabric over her hoodie. White and with a print of a red and black butterfly and the text "free as a butterfly". I had been quite surprised when Annie showed us the things she owned and she had owned more of this shirt in different sizes than all of her other belongings.

"Mum didn't have a lot of money." She had told me. "But she liked to spend it on me, and she liked butterflies. And then she found this hoodie and bought at least two off different sizes so I'll always have one. And I'll always have some. But I don't dare use them because they're going to get dirty and I'll rip holes in them."

"Rather used and showing it than hidden away all clean. Or what was it that we said?" When I saw a stain on the sleeve I figured that must be it. "Or… Is there something else?..." I did realize that while Annie was fingering on a stain on the church. "That's okay. We can wash it off as soon as we get back."

I should have realized it wouldn't be so simple, maybe it wasn't about a shirt, maybe it wasn't. But Annie had loved her mother very much and with her not here.

"Are you thinking about your mum?" My voice took another tone when continuing. "You know, if we adopt you that won't mean she's any further away. She's always going to be your mum and nothing could ever change that."

"I know."

I did know Annie didn't believe in anything that came after death. Otherwise I would have maybe thought of more to say.

"Look! A butterfly."

Both I and Annie flinched when Sophie Rose shouted so it must have been heard on the moon. She was standing by the window looking and pointing at something and Annie quickly got up and ran over to her.

"Look. It looks just like the butterfly on your shirt."

Annie looked out the window on the one butterfly on the window seal. She then looked down on her shirt and back on the butterfly and nodded.

"It does."

The two girls watched out the window for a few, endless seconds passed by. I was standing behind my youngest daughter and the one butterfly on the window seal suddenly turned towards the window and in the way it was as if it was looking straight at Annie.

And then it lifted and flew away.

Sawyer's so little Annie barely dares to move holding him. Haha, that's based on something my sister always tells me about when she first met me. She did have three half siblings on her mum's side before then. But then I was born prematurely and she just sat with me in her arms and was absolutely still as she thought she'd break me if she moved.

Random fact

I was actually planning to take a break from writing until I have an own laptop again. But then I was planning for this chapter. (I've had it pretty much planned out since I first started the story, it was just deciding in what order everything would come and then write it) so the pause didn't go very well. And no, I do not have a life outside of fanfiction.

Well. That's it for this story. I hope you liked it. And may the Cohen's live happily ever after.