A/N: Thank you so much for your really lovely response to the last chapter of this story and to the story as a whole. I have loved writing it and reading all of your reviews and messages. Here is the epilogue, with more author's notes at the end (which shouldn't surprise you). For background music, I highly suggest the hymn that inspired the title. I like the BYU choir's a cappella version. I hope you enjoy this epilogue.


.-.-.

Some Bright Morning
24. EPILOGUE: it is well (it is well) with my soul

.-.-.


"I see it, Mama! I see the plane!" The little girl bounces on her toes with enough enthusiasm to make her shiny dark pigtails bounce.

"That's just a gull, silly." Her older sister shakes her head. They've both tipped their dark heads back, hands shading their eyes to search the sky – clear azure with just a few wispy clouds.

"Stay away from the edge, girls." Savvy reaches for her younger daughter's hand, drawing her back on the old wooden planks. "You know you need to be careful on the dock."

"We know, Mama," Catherine says patiently, having assumed full responsibility as older sister the moment they brought Cora home to the larger apartment the family calls home now. "But when are they gonna get here?"

"Soon. You'll see them as soon as we do, honey."

"But when?" Cora demands, echoing her big sister. With her hands on her hips and little pink sunglasses atop her head, despite what science might say, she resembles her mother enough to take Weiss's breath away.

"Try to be patient, sweetheart." Weiss tugs lightly on one of her pigtails. "They'll be here – "

" – in the island's time," Catherine finishes, dark eyes crinkling up with the satisfaction of a correct answer. The sun shining off her hair makes it warm when Savvy strokes the length of her ponytail.

"That's right." Savvy smiles down at her older daughter. Thoughtful and focused, Catherine sometimes calls to mind with eerie precision the young Weiss Savvy first met, who would get so lost in a book he wouldn't even hear her approaching. "Or at least Captain Eaves's time," Savvy amends.

"… which is about as reliable as Beaufort time," Weiss murmurs next to her, and Savvy reaches out to swat him. He pulls her in for a kiss instead, and she doesn't object.

"Is that the plane?" Cora tugs on her father's hand, pointing upwards at a streak of wispy white cloud. "Daddy, is that it?"

"Nope." At her expression of disappointment he gives her hand a squeeze. "Keep watching, babe. They'll be here."

.-.-.

Addison walks through the airport in silence as families corral and comfort children and couples kiss hello and goodbye, toward the familiar row of rocking chairs in the Charlotte airport.

The chairs are memorable from all the times she's flown through the busy hub; there's something charming about them, even if they're faux-homey, even if airports are mostly dehumanizing and distressing. This journey, though.

This journey is different.

Stamped in her memory is the last time she walked this path alone, and all the very different times that followed.

Like that first time, now, she recognizes the back of his head with its looping dark curls first. But even though Derek has teased her for years that he can always hear her from at least two hallways away because of the distinctive clicking of her heels, he doesn't turn around.

Not even as she clicks her way right next to him.

Her heart still speeds up to be this close to him … even if their separation can be counted in minutes.

She opens her mouth to say his name as she approaches, to try to get his attention, but then closes it again. She'd rather let another minute go by unobserved, watching the two of them.

With their heads close together, his curls dark brown and hers light, they look like parts of the same whole. Like pieces of her heart. Seconds pass, or maybe hours, in silent warmth, sun glowing through the big windows as the rocking chair moves back and forth, back and forth.

She's not sure who notices her first, because they turn as one.

"Mommy!" her daughter cries with delight.

Addison leans down to kiss her rosy cheek, carefully cupping her hand around the bundle strapped to her chest; Derek's hand has risen at the same time, automatically it seems, to support them both.

"I can multitask," she reminds him, smiling at his expression, as she holds out the undisturbed cardboard tray with its three plastic cups. Derek detaches his iced coffee and the little cup of milk for their daughter, giving her a sip first. Then he steadies the rocker next to him, holding it still so Addison can sit down.

Their daughter beams at her, then turns back to Derek.

"Tell me now, Daddy." She tugs on his sleeve. "You said you'd tell me when Mommy was back."

"Tell her what?" Addison glances over.

"Daddy said I wasn't born on the island," the little girl explains carefully, "but Uncle Weiss said I was."

"He did?"

"Uh-huh." She nods, curls bouncing. "I heard him," she adds, ducking her head a little to suggest, maybe when I wasn't supposed to.

Addison exchanges a glance with Derek, then turns back to their daughter. "You weren't born on the island, sweetheart. You were born in the hospital, and then we took you home."

"Oh." She looks up at her mother, her sweet face a little puzzled. "But then why – "

"Addie," Derek intercedes. "Look at the time. We should get to the gate. I don't think Eaves will want to wait, not when we're already behind schedule."

.-.-.

"They're late!" Catherine announces decisively, her little arms folded over the smocked chest of her brightly-colored sundress.

"They're not late, sweetheart." Savvy toys with her daughter's silky black ponytail. "They'll get here when they get here." The breeze curls around them now, lifting Savvy's long hair; Weiss has to brush it aside to lean in and whisper.

"That is circular," Weiss murmurs, for his wife only.

She reaches up to pat his cheek, holding his face close to hers for a moment.

"Well. So's the island, honey."

.-.-.

"Is that the plane, Daddy?"

"That one?" Derek lifts his daughter up so she can get a better view. "I don't know, sweetie, it looks pretty big."

"Yeah." She giggles, resting her head against his. "It's too big."

Addison smiles at both of them, cupping a protective hand around the sleeping baby on her chest. To think Derek once considered Captain Eaves's well-used turbo-prop to be tiny.

"That's it! That's it!"

Derek is about to remind his daughter, gently, that her shout might disturb other passengers, but he can only see smiles on the few people in earshot at the little girl's genuine excitement.

"It sure is." He kisses the side of her head, gathers their luggage, and they make their way down onto the tarmac as the little plane settles and the propellers wind down.

Outside, it's windy, even though the propellers are off. Addison puts up a hand to keep her hair from blowing in her face, her other hand shielding their sleeping son while Derek manages both their luggage and their daughter.

With a familiar clunk, a rectangle opens up on the side of the plane, a narrow metal staircase descending to the ground. Charlotte wriggles in Derek's arms, trying to get down, and he sets her on the tarmac, keeping a firm hold on her hand.

A familiar silver-haired face appears.

"Well, hey there, Miss Addison!" Their pilot descends the stairs, smiling broadly. "Look at you. Traveling a little heavier these days, huh?"

"Just a little." Addison smiles at him. "Good to see you, Captain Eaves."

He shakes Derek's hand warmly, then leans down to greet the little girl bouncing on her tiptoes with excitement.

"Charlotte Shepherd, look at you, you've gotten so big."

"I'm four." She beams at him and holds up four fingers.

Eaves looks suitably impressed, then turns back to Addison.

"And wait a minute, who's this handsome fellow I haven't met yet?"

"This is James." Addison strokes the baby's cheek, impossibly soft under the back of one finger. "It's his first trip to the island."

"Ah. It is." Captain Eaves nods. "Well, I'll try to go gentle on the landing, then."

Derek raises his eyebrows.

"Can I sit in the cockpit, Captain?" Charlotte is bouncing on her toes again. "Can I?"

"Hang on a minute, sweetie." Derek re-captures her hand as she practically vibrates with eagerness. "Let's board first."

"Y'all are my only passengers on the flight this morning," Eaves assures them as he guides them toward the narrow metal staircase descending from the small plane.

"We were hoping." Derek scoops Charlotte up with one arm and hefts their luggage with the other; Addison walks with a sleeping James strapped securely to her chest.

"I can take my bag, Derek," she reminds him.

"Oh, I know you can. I can also take your bag," he counters.

"Yes, I noticed." She pauses, lifting a hand to his face. "I'm not an invalid, you know."

"I know that too. But you're already carrying a lot." He pauses to stroke his sleeping son's cheek, lest he be offended at being referred to as a lot.

Addison relents and climbs the ladder ahead of him; he stays protectively at the bottom until she's boarded, then climbs up with Charlotte and their bags in tow.

Charlotte resumes her unanswered request as soon as Derek sets her down.

"Please can I sit in the – "

"Hold on, sweetie, try to be patient," Derek encourages, directing her into a seat while he unloads all their luggage and helps Addison settle their sleeping son into the carseat already waiting for them.

The fourteen-seater is snug with the four Shepherds taking up the full row, the smiling blonde flight attendant checking on the seat belt securing James's carseat after enthusiastically greeting each member of the family.

Charlotte is sitting patiently in her window seat, little feet swinging above the ground, inclining her head frequently toward the open cockpit, where the back of Eaves's silvery-grey head is visible while his hands do something Derek is certain of with the controls.

Then he turns around.

"Where's my first officer?" Captain Eaves calls.

"Go ahead, Char." Derek lifts her down from her seat with a kiss and she covers the narrow aisle happily. Once she reaches the cockpit, she climbs confidently into the second narrow seat. They can't hear what Eaves says to her, but her giggles carry through the small cabin.

Addison leans across what passes for an aisle, smiling. "Good thing she never tries this on real planes," she notes, shaking her head.

"Don't let Eaves hear you call this not a real plane," Derek warns, returning her smile.

Charlotte is leaning forward now, pointing to something on the dashboard. Her curls bounce when she nods vigorously at something Captain Eaves says to her. Addison just watches her for a moment, one of her hands resting on the baby's carseat. Her daughter's curls are darkening now, a soft golden brown. The fine hair on her head was pale at birth, brightening through her toddlerhood into a glowing blonde – as if the island itself sprinkled color on it.

"Mommy, look!" Charlotte calls from the cockpit, turning around with a big smile that makes her look heart-meltingly like her father.

"I see you, sweetheart." Addison gives her daughter a little wave.

She'll never tire of seeing her.

.-.-.

"I still don't see the plane," Catherine says glumly. "I looked and looked, Mama."

"It's coming, honey." Savvy strokes the top of her head. "Remember, Captain Eaves has to fly all the way from Charlotte – and before he can even leave, he has to wait his turn to take off."

"I don't like waiting my turn," Cora interjects cheerfully now – and accurately, making her parents smile.

Their younger daughter's expression turns thoughtful. "Mama." She pulls at her mother's shirt. "Charlotte, and Aunt Addie, and Uncle Derek – "

"and baby James," Catherine adds.

" – and baby James," Cora concedes. "They're all Shepherds. Right?"

"That's right, honey."

"But they're Beauforts too?" Cora is glancing at the old wooden sign:

welcome to beaufort grove

Savvy smiles down at her daughter. "You and your sister have a different last name, don't you, and so do I. Your Granddaddy is a Sevier by birth but he's a Beaufort now. Lots of Beauforts are called something else these days. Most of them, in fact."

Cora nods, looking satisfied, and then turns to her father. "Pick me up," she instructs, grabbing his hand. "I wanna see the plane first."

"No, me!" Catherine reaches for Weiss's other hand.

"Oh, you're in demand, honey." Savvy leans in to kiss his cheek and Weiss, grinning at his wife, squats to pick up one of their daughters in each of his arms.

"I'm used to it," he says, with a well-practiced long-suffering air, and then leans in for another kiss.

"The plane!" Cora shrieks moments later; Weiss is pretty certain he's going to be deaf in his left ear, but it's worth it to witness his daughters' excitement.

Catherine, the more cautious of the two, ducks a little against him while the plane glides in from overhead, briefly hiding her small face in his neck as the strong breeze hits. Cora, on the other hand, tips her head back and claps with delight.

"They're here!"

Weiss holds onto both girls until the plane is parked and Eaves has opened the little cockpit door with a jaunty wave.

Then he sets them down. "Walk, don't run, and be careful of the baby – girls, listen – "

But they're both already halfway to the plane.

By the time Savvy and Weiss catch up, Derek has already descended the little staircase with their daughter and their bags, set the bags on the ground and turned Charlotte over to her godparents, and then returned to the foot of the ladder, his hand extended to escort Addison and the baby.

The three little girls are celebrating their reunion with much delighted chatter.

"Sav." Addison leans in, one hand cupped around the infant strapped to her chest, and kisses her friend on the cheek. "Not that I don't love how much they love each other, but – weren't we all at Natural History together just last week?"

Together, they watch their excited daughters exclaiming over each other as if it's been years.

Savvy wraps an arm around Addie's shoulder. "Well … it's different out here," she says.

"True."

"And it's James's first time." Savvy leans in now to admire the tiny boy. "Oh, he's more beautiful every time I see him, Addie."

Catherine skips over. "Can I see the baby too, Aunt Addie?"

"Of course." Addison strokes the top of her head, smiling down at her. Carefully, she crouches down so that Catherine can look into the carrier.

"Ooh. He's so little." Catherine tilts her head up when Addison stands back up again. "What's his Hebrew name?" she asks with interest.

Weiss, who looks like he's trying very hard not to laugh, winks at Addison.

"He doesn't have one, sweetheart, he's not Jewish," Savvy says to her daughter, giving Weiss a mock glare. "He's just James."

"My Hebrew name is Chaya," Catherine says happily. "It means 'life.' Mama says her mama would have liked it."

"She sure would have, honey." Savvy smooths her daughter's silky black hair.

Catherine points one small hand toward the bundle on Addison's chest. "Is he really just James, Aunt Addie?"

"Well, James Archer Shepherd," Addison says, and then it's her turn to glare at Derek.

"Don't say it," she warns.

"I didn't say anything!" He lifts his hands in mock surrender.

"You were about to say it. You were about to say …" she leans forward to hiss in his ear "…Jazz."

"What's wrong with Jazz?"

"As a genre? Nothing. As a nickname for our son? I don't know, honey, where should I begin?"

"Jazz," Charlotte repeats happily. "Jazzy's my baby brother," she adds.

"See, she likes it," Derek smirks.

"She's four," Addison reminds him. "She likes a lot of things we don't, do you want to make a list?"

Before he can answer, Cora calls their daughter's name with urgency. "Charlotte!" she cries again. "C'mere, hurry! I see the boat!"

Catherine and Charlotte run over together.

"Careful on the dock – " Savvy calls, as Weiss and Derek track the three small figures.

The two women watch their husbands corral their daughters.

"Mm, wearing James means Derek does most of the running – and I can't really complain." Addison smiles.

"You gave birth to him; you deserve a break," Savvy assures her.

They watch the three little girls standing on the weathered old dock that juts into the riverbank. As always, the strip of pavement that serves as the runway in Beaufort Grove dips directly into the coast of Three Rivers. It's as if you could walk right in, or land the plane right on the water.

Or wait on the same old dock that's stood there seemingly forever for a boat from the island to come fetch you.

Much excitement can be observed in the three small girls, sunlight dappling their bright heads as they point and exclaim over the white shape of a boat that's started to emerge across the expanse of Three Rivers. Catherine, with her silky black hair in a long ponytail, Cora, with her two pigtails, and Charlotte, whose curls are lighter in the southern sun. Catherine has slung a friendly arm over Charlotte's shoulders; Charlotte is holding one of Cora's hands.

"They're so cute together," Addison murmurs.

"Watch out, that's how we all start," Savvy advises. "One minute they're cute kids playing on the dock and next they're commanding getaway cars for multiple felonies."

"It was one felony and a few lesser included charges," Addison says, "and they were dropped. Whose side are you on, Sav?" she asks teasingly.

"Yours, Addie. Always yours." She fumbles for her hand and squeezes as they watch the water.

.-.-.

"Beau!" Savvy calls as the large white boat makes its gentle bobbing way the last feet to the dock.

"My favorite cousin. And cousin-in-law, who's going to help me tie up the boat," Beau says, reaching a hand toward Weiss. He kneels down on the dock with some good-natured grumbling, and Beau vaults his way out so the two men can make short work of the knots.

"It's good to see you, Beau," Addison says once he's standing up again.

"Not as good as it is to see you. The Shepherds and their little lambs, what a sight for sore eyes." Beau embraces her carefully, leaving space for the infant strapped to her chest. "Hello there, little man."

"Uncle Beau!"

He scoops Charlotte up and tosses her into the air, making her squeal with delight. "Miss Charlotte, look at you. Seems like just yesterday my little girl was your size." He sets her down with a rueful smile. "Now I can barely lift her at all."

"Me too!" Cora cries and while Derek and Weiss sort out the bags, Beau lets each of the girls take a turn.

"All right, let's leave a little muscle for the fireworks," Beau says, dropping a kiss on the top of Catherine's shining head before he sets her on the dock. "Who's ready to set out?"

"Me!" Cora holds up her arms and Beau, shaking his head and smiling, scoops her up, then holds out a hand for Catherine.

Charlotte, meanwhile, has run back to her parents. "Look at the big boat!"

Derek takes her hand. "Let's get your life jacket on, sweetie."

He wraps his free arm around Addison's shoulders as they walk toward the boat.

"You've upgraded again," Derek notes. Rather than the shining little mahogany runabout Derek came to know well on his first trip to the island, Beau's piloting a large white boat, a thirty-foot bowrider with thick sides to keep the rough seas at bay and plenty of seating for all of them.

"Upgraded?" Beau, who has been rooting in the carry chest of the large boat, turns around and raises his eyebrows. "This minivan isn't exactly an upgrade over the Miss Addie."

Addison blushes. "You're still calling her that …."

"Boats name themselves, Addie, it's not my fault." Beau smiles at her, then tosses one child-sized life jacket toward Derek and two to Weiss. "My Avery really pushed for the Mister Derek, too," he recalls thoughtfully.

Derek shakes his head, amused. "She's a nice craft, Beau, and I don't think she'd like to be called a minivan."

"You're probably right." Beau points a finger in his direction. "And you know I don't say that lightly."

"I know." Kneeling in front of his daughter, Derek tightens the straps on the small orange lifejacket that smells salty and marshy, a bit like the island itself. Charlotte beams at him and he taps her little nose fondly – a round button he recalls from childhood pictures of his wife – where new freckles are already starting to emerge.

The new boat is roomy and comfortable – Beau finishes loading their luggage and keeps her still with one foot, helping all of them board. Derek waits for Weiss to climb in first, then Savvy, and they hand all three girls down in their faintly damp lifejackets, hair blowing in the warm breeze.

"Careful," Derek says quietly as he guides Addison over the side, both his hands on her while she cradles the baby against her chest.

Once she's settled he vaults in after her and the families take up comfortable seats on the padded white benches, facing each other.

Beau climbs into the driver's seat, mirrored sunglasses blocking his eyes but not his broad smile.

"It's perfect, Beau. So comfortable." Savvy is turned around to look at her cousin, one of her arms around Catherine, who is cuddled against her. On her other side, Weiss is holding Cora on his lap.

"Thank you, honey. Only the best for my favorite crew of Yankees." Beau grins at her. "Tell you what. All y'all keep having more babies, and I'll keep buying bigger boats." He turns the ignition, then pauses. "Someone's gonna have to break this plan to Lily, though, she might not be too pleased – especially with Junior headed off to college this year."

.-.-.

Two families on the wide passenger benches of the big white boat.

Four parents.

Three little girls, and one very small boy. Their bonus baby.

Addison was reticent to share the news at first, almost seeming guilty about the miracles of medicine and science that came together to produce their baby boy. Medicine and science that have done so much for Savvy – saved her life, maybe; saved her cousin's life, certainly – but at the cost they knew it would take.

Savvy wouldn't have it, though, sitting Addison down not halfway through her pregnancy in their favorite cafe and telling her in a tone that brooked no argument that the only thing that would upset her is if Addie didn't send her every single ultrasound of her new nephew.

Now James is the lone boy of the four children. For now, anyway, but at least his father can relate – and they're done, these growing families.

Except that Weiss, who insisted for years that he wanted nothing more than his two perfect daughters, has started lately to relent on a third.

So maybe you never know, when a family is done growing.

.-.-.

Beau pilots the craft slowly, almost reverently across Three Rivers under the hanging yellow globe of a sun. The passage is smooth and rocking with the sounds of water slapping the sides of the boat and gulls crying overhead. Cool droplets of salty water that splash intermittently on sun-warmed skin.

This slowly, it's easy to talk.

"Uncle Beau!" Catherine is turned in her seat now. "Is Avery on the island?"

"She sure is, honey." He smiles at the little girl. Catherine was toddling after Avery when she was still the only one who could walk, Avery sweetly patient with her from her first days. "She was itching to come with," Beau says, "but you know she's glued at the hip to Minna since Augie and Russ brought her over this morning, and Bos's twins are already here, and I couldn't fit all y'all in the boat. Avery's tickled to have these three gals come join the crew. This generation of Beauforts is doing pretty well on the girls' side."

"Morgan just had twin boys, though, I heard," Addison says.

Heard is typically modest; at Savvy's request, Addison consulted frequently on the surprise multiple pregnancy even while she was pregnant herself.

"True. Well, my baby sisterdid always like to rebel." Beau glances back at Addison with a smile. "And you've got your new little fella."

"Daddy." Charlotte pulls at Derek's lightweight shirt and he looks down at her, smoothing some of her rumpled curls. "Now will you tell me? How come Uncle Weiss said I was born on the island?"

"Yes, thank you for that, Uncle Weiss," Derek says, raising a pointed eyebrow at his friend. The tips of his ears flush.

"Sorry," he mouths to Derek.

Beau glances back at them, looking amused, apparently having heard everything. The motor cuts away, silence descending.

"What's wrong?" Savvy asks, looking at her cousin.

"Nothing's wrong," he assures her. "Just seemed like we might need quiet for this one."

Derek opens his mouth to object, but he can't exactly argue with him.

Meanwhile, Charlotte's blue eyes are curious, squinted a little against the sun.

Derek isn't quite sure where to begin.

"Maybe Uncle Weiss meant you were born because of the island," Beau suggests casually from the driver's seat.

Derek sees Addison's cheeks turning pink now, but he accepts the starting point.

"Was I born 'cause of the island, Daddy?" Charlotte gazes up at him, playing with the straps of his life jacket.

"Yeah, Char, you were." Derek lifts her onto his lap; cuddling is a little more difficult with two life jackets but they manage. He rests his other arm along the back of the seat, his fingers brushing Addison's shoulder. She smiles at both of them.

Beau glances at Savvy and Weiss, sitting between their two daughters, clearly sensing this conversation might need privacy. "Hey, girls." He leans over the driver's seat, lowering his voice a little as he addresses Catherine and Cora. "One of you want to come up here and help me re-charter the course to the island?"

"I do!"

"No, me!"

Savvy and Weiss exchange an amused glance.

Played like someone with five kids.

Beau helps both girls over the barrier to the controls and settles them next to him. They're talking animatedly about the course, and Savvy and Weiss both turn in their seats to watch, giving Derek, Addison, and Charlotte privacy.

Addison turns in her seat too, one hand cradling the baby against her chest. Her free hand finds Derek's and they squeeze, gently, at the same time, as if to say: here goes.

.-.-.

"Daddy?" Charlotte is gazing up at him, still waiting for her answer. "I was born because of the island?"

Slowly, he nods.

Charlotte turns to her mother. "I was?"

Addison nods too.

Charlotte considers this. "How come?" she asks finally.

"Well." Derek looks at Addison. "Before you were born, Mommy and I … well, we weren't being kind."

"Really?" Charlotte looks suitably appalled, as can only a preschooler whose parents, extended family, and teachers have driven home the importance of being kind.

"Really," Derek confirms.

"But you're supposed to be kind."

"That's true." Addison strokes her daughter's cheek, warm from the sun. "But back then … well, we were feeling kind of sad."

"How come?" Charlotte asks.

"Well … a few reasons. But then something really sad happened. Aunt Savvy's mom-"

"Great Auntie Kate."

"That's right, Great Auntie Kate. She died. And everyone came out to the island to say goodbye."

"Oh." Charlotte considers this. "And you and Daddy came to the island."

"Right."

"Me too?" Charlotte asks, turning to Derek now.

"No, sweetie, you weren't born yet. It was just Mommy and me."

"You were sad? You and Mommy?"

"Yes. We were sad … and mad," Derek says.

"You were mad?" Charlotte cranes her neck toward her mother. "At Mommy?"

"Well … yeah." Derek holds her a little tighter at the concerned expression on her face. "Mommy and I were a little mad at each other, Char, but it's okay. Because when we were on the island, well, we started remembering what was really important and we stopped being mad and we made up."

Charlotte's eyes widen. "You said sorry, Daddy?"

"He did," Addison confirms. "We both did. And then Daddy left," she adds.

"I didn't leave," Derek frowns. "I came back."

"You can't come back without leaving," Addison points out.

"You can't – never mind," Derek says with dignity, turning back to Charlotte. "The point is, I came back. And I stayed. I stayed, and Mommy stayed, and then when we left the island … we left together."

"Did you go home?" Charlotte asks.

"Well … we had two different homes then, Char," Derek says carefully. "Mommy was living in New York."

"And Daddy was living in the middle of nowhere," Addison supplies.

Derek lets that one go. "So when we left the island, Captain Eaves flew us to Charlotte."

"Where the rocking chairs are," Charlotte says, smiling at the mention of the city with which she shares a name.

"Exactly."

"And then you went home?" she asks.

"Well, we weren't quite ready to go home yet, so we … decided to stay for a while."

"In the airport?"

Derek laughs, kissing the top of her sea-scented head. "No, in the city. In Charlotte. You know the picture at home, over the fireplace? With the stone bridge, and the red leaves?"

Charlotte nods.

"That's from then. Turns out it's … pretty great there."

"Good restaurants," Addison adds.

"Nice architecture."

"Friendly people."

"And the hotels …" Derek's voice trails off.

"Excellent hotels," Addison supplies.

Then they both pause.

"We stayed for two weeks," Derek tells Charlotte, who is gazing up at him, lost in the rhythm of the story. "We didn't work, no one interrupted us, and we just … remembered how to be kind."

"You were kind again!" Charlotte seems pleased with this turn of events, and both parents nod in agreement. She pauses. "You stopped being mad," she confirms, looking up at her father.

"That's right," he says.

"And then I was born? In Charlotte?" Now she looks to her mother.

"No … you were born in Manhattan, sweetheart," Addison says.

"About nine months later," Derek adds.

"Thirty-nine weeks," Addison corrects.

"Same thing."

"Not really."

"The point is," Derek clears his throat a little, "you may not have been born on the island, sweetie, but it's still a very special part of how you came to be."

Charlotte considers this. "I was born because of the island," she repeats.

Both parents nod.

"What about baby James?"

"Well." Derek holds his daughter a little closer. "This is baby James's first trip to the island. So everything will be new for him."

"Yeah." Charlotte seems pleased by this. "Will it be new for us, too?" she asks.

Derek finds himself exchanging a glance with Beau, who has apparently been at least half-listening. He doesn't mind; it's not like Savvy's cousin doesn't know the story. Wasn't, at least in some sense, part of it himself.

"Well … I think some people might say everything on the island is always new, no matter how many times you've been there," Derek says.

Beau doesn't turn around again, but there's something in the set of his shoulders that tells Derek he agrees.

And maybe – he's even a little impressed.

"Don't get a swelled head, Shepherd," Beau calls from the driver's seat.

Okay … maybe not impressed.

Charlotte is smiling up at him. "Your head isn't swelled, Daddy," she assures him sweetly.

"Oh, love is blind," Addison murmurs in his ear and he tries hard to glare at her but the pretense is too difficult when his daughter is sitting on his lap, with her damp lifejacket and bright eyes and eager expression, and his wife is next to him with their sleeping son cradled against her.

"No, it's not," that's all Derek says, raising an eyebrow at her, "because I can see everything."

She leans her head against his shoulder without speaking as Beau starts up the engine again.

.-.-.

The remainder of the journey to the island is at is always has been: long and short all at once, the end of one thing and the beginning of another.

They cross Three Rivers into that other world, waiting, waiting until the curve at Black River, and then –

"I see it, Mommy!" Charlotte strains on her father's lap, pointing.

"The dock!" Catherine cries. "Look, Mama!"

Savvy is grinning when Addison looks at her; her gaze taken up by her two daughters.

"We're here!" Charlotte turns to her mother with a big smile. "Right?"

"Right."

They come to a stop at the same old wooden dock Derek remembers from his first trip to the island. Beau holds the boat steady, summoning Derek to help him tie it up, and the men take turns helping the others out onto the dock. With a promise to see them all soon, Beau heads up the dock, over the worn path, through the reeds, maybe toward the shell beach.

When Derek turns back, Catherine, Cora, and Charlotte are standing on the dock deep in thought as the river slaps gently against the worn wooden planks. Low hanging foliage, rich and green, calls to mind his first trip to the island.

"We're gonna look for starfish," Catherine explains, spokeswoman for the three girls. "On the beach."

"Good idea." Savvy smiles down at them, exchanging a warm look with Addison.

"And then we're gonna make wishes," Charlotte supplies, "if we find one."

"Starfish wishes come true," Catherine says. "Give to get."

"We're gonna find a starfish," Cora adds, with her trademark confidence. She smiles up at her mother. "Right?"

"I don't know, sweetheart." Savvy strokes her cheek. "Only the island knows."

"'Cause the island's magic," Catherine says. Cora nods solemnly, the breeze lifting her shiny dark hair.

Charlotte looks from her friends to her parents.

"Mama." Cora tugs at Savvy's hand, then whispers something in her ear.

Savvy nods, then turns to Addison and Derek. "We're going to run up to the cottage – we'll see you at the hearth, after?"

"Of course."

Charlotte looks up at her parents. "Do starfish wishes really come true?"

Addison and Derek exchange a glance.

"It depends on the wish," Addison says after a moment.

Charlotte isn't satisfied. "But magic isn't really real. Is it?"

Derek's eyes are very soft when Addison looks at him, when he reaches out a hand to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She smiles at him as his thumb lingers on her cheek; for a moment, five years disappear.

"It's different on the island," Derek tells their daughter, the spell broken, back in the present.

Charlotte takes this in.

Their small daughter stands in a ray of sunlight on the old wooden dock, her little red sneakers planted on the worn planks, the breeze off Three Rivers moving her golden-brown curls. There's a soft sound just then – James, waking up, blinking sleepy blue eyes in the fragrant island air as Addison strokes his back through the carrier.

A gull cries overhead and something scurries in the reeds swaying at the edges of the dock.

Is the island inhabited, Derek asked long ago? It's complicated.

Maybe it's not.

Maybe it's magic.

"Magic," Charlotte repeats, a little doubtfully, even though he didn't say it out loud.

Addison is smiling at their daughter, then turns her head to share the smile with her husband. It lights her eyes – no, her whole face.

"I don't know, Char," Derek says. "Mommy and I, we can't really answer your question. The thing is, you have to decide for yourself."

"I do?"

Both parents nod. "And the only way you can do that … is on the island. So, you ready to go?"

Charlotte nods decisively. "I'm ready," she says.

Derek lifts his daughter into his arms, wrapping his free arm around his wife as she cradles their cooing infant son.

And the little family of four walks together across the old wooden dock as the island welcomes all of them back.


.-.-.

the end

.-.-.


Thank you so much for reading! It's a departure for me to outline and write a story that, fine, is long by normal standards but is pretty darn tight for me. I loved exploring Savvy's extended family and making an Addek backstory that was a little different from my standard sad-baby-past (not that I don't love that). As I'm sure you picked up, the epilogue takes place five years after the last chapter. I loved the idea of Addison and Derek extending the magic of the island by spending some time alone after they left. And if they were still together after the two week ban ended, well ... I guess you can figure out what happened.

Once more with feeling, THANK YOU! You are the best audience. You have been so generous in your feedback with this story, and here I am asking again: what did you think of the epilogue? I love reading your thoughts, and you are the reason this story exists, so I hope you will review and let me know.

Bye for now. Just because this story ended doesn't mean it's over, and if that sounds circular - well, so's the island.