EPILOGUE

THREE MONTHS LATER…

It was a cold wintry night in February when Charlotte Matheson Monroe gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Her labor had been very long and arduous but she fought through it like she did everything else- with courage and strength. Bass had stayed by her side throughout the whole ordeal and to say he had been nervous was an understatement. Memories of Shelly flashed through his head but he pushed through them and kept his focus on Charlie…and their son.

Dr. Elsa Pataki had been an OB/GYN before the blackout and had been sent to Willoughby by Frank Blanchard specifically for Charlie. It was a good thing too- at one point the baby was presenting himself at an angle with his shoulder first but she was able to turn him and it was smooth sailing after that. Both Marion and Emma assisted with the birth.

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The past three months had brought many changes, most of them good, and things in Willoughby were returning to normal. The rest of Connor's unit had arrived in town about a day and a half after he did and people felt a sense of security they hadn't felt in quite a while.

As the Ranger's defeated the Patriot's in the north more and more of them returned to Texas to take up posts all across the state- they fought and drove out the clans and paid homage to those who had lost their lives.

Connor, along with Scanlon and the rest of his unit all piled into Miles' small house when they first arrived until the roof could be repaired on town hall. When it was they set up their headquarters as well as sleeping quarters there.

The livery was rebuilt bigger than before to accommodate the Ranger's horses as well as any visitors who may come to town.

As things grew safer more and more of the farmers returned home to start again- the Rangers as well as Andy and Rick checked on them from time to time to make sure everything was okay.

Willoughby began to return to the happy place it had once been and people were friendly to one another and made sure to look out for each other- that was one lesson well learned from the clan attack- they knew together they were stronger than ever but apart they would succumb to tragedy.

Gene moved in with Marion after Christmas- he had come to the conclusion that life was much too short to be away from the woman he loved any longer than necessary even if it were only a few short blocks. They were happier than ever.

Music came alive once again at the bar with the Jensen brothers and other bands bringing the place to life. For Hayley Mayhew's 18th birthday her father let her attend a performance with Bass and Charlie- he had long since apologized for his behavior and realized he owed them for his daughter's life. When Hayley heard Jeff sing it was obvious to Charlie and Nora- the girl was in love! The great thing was he was no longer oblivious to her attentions and it was clear the attraction was mutual. With Alex Mayhew's permission they began dating.

Miles and Nora moved back into his house after the Rangers cleared out and were more in love than ever. Bass said he wouldn't be surprised if Nora got pregnant herself- Miles was so eager to be a great uncle and spoil the baby, Bass said, that he would soon be wanting one of his own. Both were so happy in Willoughby that they had no plans as of yet to ever return to Austin.

Connor and Bass spent a lot of time together, so happy to be in each other's lives once again. Connor was ecstatic about having a new baby brother or sister and helped his father build a small crib which they gave to Charlie at Christmas- the baby would be able to sleep in it until he was at least a year or two old. Miles, along with Alex Mayhew's help, built a rocking chair for her.

And Charlie? Well, Charlie struggled with her last few months of pregnancy- her blood pressure remained high and she had constant back pain. Dr. Pataki prescribed mandatory bed rest which of course drove Charlie nuts. Her friends and family made things easier on her by visiting her daily- Marion taught she and Nora how to knit and they made a blanket and booties for the baby- Emma eventually joined them and made a hat. Hayley came to talk to her about her times with Jeff and how excited she was to have a boyfriend. She couldn't wait to meet Charlie's baby and promised she would babysit lots. Jeff and Jim came and even sang for her. Miles would come and tell her stories about he and her father as kids and stories about Bass. Connor and Scanlon would come visit and bring her trinkets from town and talk about the old days in their camp and when they lived at the gas station. They also told her all about life as a Texas Ranger- the battles they'd been in, the places they'd been- Charlie loved hearing about it all.

Bass gave her the best gifts of all- he would cuddle with her for hours, massage her back and kiss her lovingly- he would tell her old stories as well, ones about his grandfather and Miles and Ben. It didn't matter how many times she'd heard them; she always enjoyed them.

Even Dr. Pataki had a story to tell- she had news of Rachel. She had seen her several times while in Austin and knew the doctor who worked with her very well.

"Your mother…she has good days and bad days," she began, "she talks about you all the time- she misses you and hopes that someday she will be able to see you again."

Charlie nodded taking this in, "How is her mental state? I mean…do you know if she talks about my baby?"

"She does," Dr. Pataki nodded, "but I can tell you this- she no longer believes your baby is Danny…and that is a very big step- a very good thing."

Charlie smiled slightly saying, "Yes it is."

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Charlie cradled her newborn son in her arms and kissed his forehead- Bass sat beside her with his arm around her while he caressed the baby's cheek with his hand. The baby soon latched onto his daddy's finger with his tiny hand and wouldn't let go- the moment brought tears to Bass' eyes.

"Oh Bass, I didn't think it was possible to be any happier than I already was," Charlie said, fighting exhaustion.

Bass kissed her forehead, "Me too, Charlotte, me too."

Emma came in and said, "Sorry to interrupt but the crowd downstairs is getting very antsy to meet the little guy."

"It's okay, Emma," Charlie smiled, "let them in."

As the group of their closest friends and family filed in they each came forward to kiss the baby and hug both Charlie and Bass- congratulations went all around. Miles was dying to hold the little guy and so Bass took him carefully from Charlie and walked over to him.

"Now you have to support his head…"he started.

"I know, I know you idiot- You forget I have a niece and nephew I used to play with?" Miles smirked at his best friend.

"Well, that was a long time ago," Bass said, "so just makin' sure you don't hurt my kid."

Connor was the next to grab him and asked, "So what's my little bro's name?"

Bass sat down next to Charlie once again on the bed. Charlie spoke, "We've decided to name him Jackson Miles Robert Monroe."

There was a small gasp from Emma as she heard her late husband's name, "Oh." Tears clouded her eyes, "He would've been honored." She went to Charlie and they hugged for a long moment.

Miles was also touched but joked, "Well that's a mouthful."

"Okay, Okay," Dr. Pataki said, "I hate to interrupt but my patient is in dire need of rest and it's very late…you can visit again tomorrow."

Another round of hugs and kisses were given as everyone began to leave until finally, Bass and Charlie and Jackson were left alone.

"I could look at him forever," Charlie breathed.

"He is beautiful…like his mother," Bass smiled.

"I don't know, I see a tiny curly tendril of hair on his forehead…just like his daddy," Charlie said.

"Well, whoever he takes after doesn't really matter- he'll still be the most beautiful baby in the world," Bass gushed.

"Not biased or anything," Charlie laughed.

"Not at all," he grinned. "Now you heard the doc it's time to get some rest, babe." He slowly got up and came around to Charlie's side of the bed- he gently picked up a swaddled Jackson saying, "Our girl needs her sleep, buddy- so do you. But when you get hungry just give us a holler." Charlie giggled at this and watched as Bass kissed the bridge of Jackson's nose and put him safely in his crib right next to their bed. Then he crawled back into bed with the woman he loved.

They hugged each other and kissed and fell asleep quickly in each other's arms, both with smiles on their faces as this was the happiest they'd ever been.

For them life had never been better.

END

Author's Note: Thank you to BassCharlie, Lemon Supreme, Saderia and the guest who reviewed the last chapter- it was greatly appreciated. I hope you enjoyed my story- thank you to all have stuck with me through it all. Happy holidays!