Welcome back to Last Call! How about a peek into the future? This is about three plus years down the road after the epilogue ended. Enjoy! And please read the lengthy Author's Note at the end. :)

~Future-Take~

EPOV

"Okay, time to tally the votes!" Emmett announces before diving into the pool and resurfacing next to his daughter, causing her to scream in delight. "Tristan, since you seem disgusted that we're even having this debate, you're the guy who gets to read the results," he finishes, as his sons start climbing up in his arms to use him as a human springboard.

"Oh, would you three stop and just get back down here so we can play this game, already!" James is lying flat on his back in the sand, shouting from the beach below.

James, Jasper, Emmett and I were playing a great game of beach volleyball until twenty minutes ago, when Alice made the mistake of calling her husband 'Goose'. We all cracked up but he became highly insulted and it spurred the most ridiculous argument ever, culminating in an eight-way vote on 'who is who' on the court. It's a blind ballot and we simply have to choose who's who among the four of us : Maverick, Goose, Iceman or Slider, from the famous beach volleyball scene in Top Gun.

Tristan shakes his head and takes back his red Phillies cap, currently being used as the ballot box. "I can't believe you guys are all dragging me into this dumb fight. What the heck is 'Top Gun' anyway?"

Rosalie clutches her heart. "Don't you have Netflix? Haven't you sat your son down to watch this classic?" she asks Alice, who's rolling her eyes at her husband while Jasper is pacing furiously on the deck.

"Honey, the only reason I called you 'Goose' is because Anthony Edwards turned out to be a doctor on ER! You're a doctor, Jasper! See the parallel?" she whines, exasperated.

Jazz turns, narrowing his eyes at his wife. "Oh doctor-shmocter! Goose is NOT the sexy one and we all know it! You wound me, Mary Alice," he delivers, stoically.

We're all laughing at Jasper's pain, poor guy. I've got the mirrored sunglasses on right now, so I think I have 'Mav' locked up tight.

Speaking of tight...my eyes are drawn to my sensational wife, stretched out on the double lounger in a fire-engine-red bathing suit that rivals the cut of Pamela Anderson's in "Baywatch".

Fucking amazing, that woman of mine.

I think she looks lonely, though; time to rectify that.

"Room for me over here?" I ask without waiting for an answer and crawl next to her long, tanned, sexy frame, kissing up her arm, shoulder and neck. She gets a smile on her face and raises her hand to her brow line, barely cracking one eye open to check me out. She rolls toward me and throws her right leg over mine, curling into my body. I'm only wearing my swim trunks right now, and I can feel the dampness of her suit seep into my skin.

"Mmmm, always. You're looking sexy as ever, running and dodging all over the court down there. I may have to have my wicked way with you later, Maverick," she murmurs into my ear while scratching her fingers across my chest.

"I think that can be arranged, pretty girl. Now that the baby's finally sleeping through the night, we don't have anyone disturbing us anymore…makes me feel twenty-five all over again, y'know?" I whisper, running my fingers up and down her smooth thigh.

She giggles. "Yeah, twenty-five was a good year for you, wasn't it? But then again, so were twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-…" she snaps her head up and looks at me. "Hey, wait a second. Are you saying things haven't been good in the bedroom since Cora arrived? Because I'm gonna have to beg to differ on that one, Mr. Cullen. I don't think we've ever slowed down!"

I start laughing at her defensiveness, "No, no, no…I'm talking about ME! I'm totally speaking for myself when I say I feel run down! I just worry that I'm not living up to the standards I set way back when we first got together…well, back together." She smacks my chest and clicks her tongue.

"You're selling yourself short and you know it! Ever heard me complain?" she purrs with silliness in her tone. "And IF you heard a complaint out of me, it's only because I was sore and tired…you sir, always have been, and continue to be…an animal." She finishes her compliment by biting my nipple and causing me to practically leap off the lounger.

"HO-ly shhhh—,"

Bella gasps and I stifle my words, knowing we're in mixed company with little people everywhere. It's like a day care center on the deck and in the pool, I swear. Plus, we have a few in the house taking their afternoon naps.

Babies, babies…everywhere, babies!

James and Charlotte have a two-year old girl, Jasmine. She's the light of my brother's life, I'm not exaggerating. For them, baby came first, wedding came later. They got married in a little chapel up near the Barnegat Lighthouse in a quiet candle-lit ceremony on Valentine's Day this year.

Rosalie and Emmett seem to have a real baby-making factory going on over at their place. Danny is eight; then they have Ashley who's six, sharp as a tack and the spitting image of her mother's beauty. Donovan and David, their twin boys, are four and seriously give Emmett a run for his money. He actually decided that if Rose doesn't get her tubes tied soon, he's going in for the big V which makes all of the guys cringe, but those two boys are holy terrors, each one with dimples deeper than the next! And finally, their youngest is Julia, who just turned a year old yesterday.

Then there are Jasper and Alice. They thought they were finished after Tristan, who's now fourteen, and Emerson, who's nine. A spur of the moment vacation to Vegas late last fall changed all that. Apparently 'What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas' didn't apply to those two, because he knocked her up royally and she gave birth to "Baby Felicia" as we all refer to her, three weeks ago. So much for being done! They had to go out and purchase every baby item from scratch 'cause they'd given everything away years earlier. Surprise, surprise!

And finally, Bella and I have our two precious daughters who, I'm certain, hung the moon and stars. At thirty-four years old, I can confidently say that my little girls have me willingly and happily wrapped around their teeny fingers. Cora's now three and a half and Chelsea Leigh is nine months. Out of our whole group, Donovan and David are closest in age to Cora and are constantly fighting over who gets to play with her, sit next to her, build sand castles with her, etc.

Boys. It's starting already. I knew I should've finished that freaking basement all those years ago.

"Come on Tristan, put your father out of his misery so we can get back to the game!" Emmett shouts from the shallow end where he's throwing kids right and left. Everybody's favorite pool toy is Uncle Emmett-slash-Daddy.

"Okay, okay. The votes are in. Here we go," Tristan announces.

"Eight votes for Uncle Emmett as Slider." Rose claps and I whistle while Em pauses from the children-tossing to do his best Mr. Universe pose.

"Eight votes for James as Iceman." Bella woohoos and I whistle along with Charlotte, as James throws a fist pump in the air from his sandy, reclined position.

Emmett starts to drumroll with his tongue. This is it. From the tense look on Jasper's face, you'd think his manhood and all his dreams are hinging on this vote.

"Seven votes for Uncle Edward as…Maverick." I start cracking up when I see Jasper's jaw drop open.

"I cannot believe you people!" Jazz exclaims.

"And seven votes for Dad as—,"

"I am SO not Goose, gimme those votes, Tristan!" Jazz starts studying all of the crumbled pieces of paper, holding the results of his shattered dreams.

"Hey, I have a question!" I shout to Jasper, laughing. "How the heck am I Goose, Jazz?"

He drops the papers he's sifting through and crosses his arms. Alice comes over and starts massaging his shoulders and his wounded ego.

"Because you played the piano and sang 'Great Balls of Fire' at my bachelor party!" He calls back across the deck with a tone in his voice that would indicate I'm apparently the village idiot for not making the connection.

I close my eyes and shake my head. "Jazz, I have never played a piano in my LIFE, dude. What you're remembering is YOU sitting down and playing the worst rendition EVER of that song while you were off your rocker at Abilene's."

"No way, that was NOT me," he protests.

"Jazz…it was you, man, give it up…I was there." Emmett laughs from the pool after pitching Donovan over his shoulder.

I give Bella a kiss and roll off the lounger.

"Okay…are we ready to get back into the game?" I ask, walking toward the steps. "Jazz, seriously, I wouldn't expect you to recall anything in detail from that night. We had to carry you out of the bar after that show you put on. But not before you started playing an off-key version of 'Heart and Soul'. It was tragic."

Everyone is howling at Jasper's expense at this point. He's hanging his head in defeat, realizing he's fighting a losing battle. Alice bends down to whisper in his ear, and whatever she says immediately perks him up because he jumps out of the deck chair and declares our game on again.

I'm sure she promised him some outrageously kinky sexual act…that boy NEVER moves that quickly for any other reason on the planet, and he's an emergency room doctor!

~~~~~L~A~S~T~C~A~L~L~~~~~

"Come on, guys! Dinner's on!" Bella shouts down to us. We're on our fifth game and the match is tied up. Sorry pretty girl, there's no way any of us are walking away from the court right now.

Emmett's powerful serve flies to my left and I dive for it, popping it up so that James can put it over the net for us. I scramble off the sand and jump up against the net in order to block an attempted spike from Jasper. I successfully tip the ball behind his fingers as it—

*CRACK!*

I feel blinding pain in my ankle and the next thing I know, I'm eating a mouthful of sand.

"SON OF A BIHHHH-SCUIT!" I scream out, rolling over onto my back as I grasp at my lower leg. All three guys are suddenly at my side and I hear the girls yelling and scrambling in the background.

"Shit…I heard that. Did you hear it break?"

"I heard it. Sounded like a dull firecracker or something."

"Edward, look at me." I hear Jasper calling my name as I try to pry my eyes open through the crazy agony I'm in.

I feel a whoosh of air and the sand shift next to me as Bella's face comes into view. "Babe…oh my God, honey…are you okay?"

Jazz's clinical voice starts in again. "Edward. On a scale from one to 'I just stepped on a Lego'…how much pain are you in?"

I try to force out a laugh, but it's not happening. I've taken some bad falls in my life, but this one's for the record books.

"I don't know about the Lego…but this fucker hurts worse than a Barbie shoe in the dark…does that answer your question?" I groan in misery.

I hear sharp intakes of breath all around indicating that the guys know just how much pain I'm in.

"Aww shit. A Barbie shoe is CRAZY pain, man…no joke," Emmett adds seriously as Jasper continues, "It's swelling up big time. It's gotta be broken. Can we take your truck, Em?"

"Yeah, let me yank the kids' booster seats outta there. He can stretch out in the back. Bells, you wanna come?"

"No," I interrupt, "I'll be okay, baby. Stay here with the girls. You know how they freak out if we're both gone when they wake up from a nap," I plead through the pain.

Bella sighs, looking really conflicted, but acquiesces. "I hate not being there with you…you know that, right?"

I give her the best smile I can muster for the moment and pucker my lips, requesting a goodbye smooch. "I know you do, and I love you for it. The guys'll be with me. I'll call you."

"Come on, E. Sit up, let's get you to the car," James says, guiding my arm over his shoulders. Jasper flanks me on my right and Emmett lifts both my legs as I'm carried in the most awkward way ever toward Emmett's Suburban.

"I'll bring down some pillows so you can keep it elevated in the car!" I hear Bella shout from behind us.

"Hey Jazz…all those nights I stayed up late helping you study in med school…pretty sure I don't recall the pain scale talking about Legos…where did all my training go, dude?" I ask, trying to keep my mind off the overwhelming fire that's burning through my left leg right now.

He shakes his head before responding. "Man, look…I'm delirious with sleep deprivation. I'm functioning on about three hours of sleep since Thursday. Baby Felicia has the worst case of colic known to man, I'm certain of it. The only thing that calms her down is watching Oobi in the middle of the night."

"What the fuck is an 'Oobi'?" James pipes up as Emmett reaches to open the back door.

"You don't want to know…trust me," replies Jasper but Emmett busts in. "Look, I'll take Oobi any day over the damn Fresh Beat Band…if I hear Rose talk about how long Twist's fingers are just one more time, I'm gonna throw my widescreen through our bay window."

We all laugh at Emmett's bitter retort until I remember that I've walked in on Bella watching the Fresh Beat Band on many occasions when Cora has suspiciously not been in the room.

Huh. It might not be as funny anymore. But…I take solace in the fact that the four of us have grown oddly quiet, and perhaps it's not just me overthinking things.

And suddenly I wonder if we all will be having a sit-down with our respective wives tonight regarding Twist's digits.

~~~~~L~A~S~T~C~A~L~L~~~~~

BPOV

I'm racing down Long Beach Boulevard back toward the house having just left the B&B in the very capable hands of Julie, our go-to gal whenever I need time off. And I definitely need and deserve a little time off right now.

I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Thankfully, James is in total control of the operations at Last Call and doesn't need me at all, plus Kate is always there to back him up when needed, but I have about a dozen other things I'm personally juggling at the moment.

I'm looking into sitters who can keep Chelsea when I'm out and about for hours at a time. I've been zipping around getting a backpack, lunchbox, new sneakers and a handful of new outfits for Cora's first day of preschool next Tuesday. Then I have to make sure I'm home every couple of hours for Chelsea to nurse, because the little diva never took to drinking from a bottle. It's my boob or…well, it's my boob and that's that. Edward says he can't blame her; he told me he'd throw a fit too if I tried to pass off something else as my breast. Then, of course, I'm waiting on my poor husband night and day, who's now parked in our great room, laid up on a newly purchased double hospital bed with a broken ankle AND a broken foot, which requires a cast up to his knee. It was such a bad break, the doctor said he has to be completely off his feet for the first three weeks. He'll be in the plaster cast for at least eight weeks and then probably in a walking boot for another eight.

These last few days since the Labor Day party have been totally insane. Thank goodness Carlisle and Esme volunteered to take the girls for a long weekend to give me some respite. They'll just be down the road in Harvey Cedars so I can still scoot over there to nurse Chelsea from time to time, but ultimately, I can focus on Edward and take care of him…or at least get the great room set up and organized in a more efficient way so that he can still do some things for himself when I'm out of the house.

I pull into the driveway, grab the groceries and make my way up the front steps. After opening the door, my eyes widen as I take in the scene around me in the foyer. It looks like something out of war-torn Afghanistan. I take a few steps wondering if a band of looting toddlers ransacked the neighborhood and my house was one of the unfortunate victims. There are toys and books everywhere. My sandals accidentally crush what looks to be a mixture of Apple Jacks, goldfish and raisins all over the hardwood floor. There's even a stream of toilet paper trailing from the powder room in the foyer, down the hallway and into the kitchen…it might go as far as the great room, I haven't gotten that far to assess the damage. But my gut tells me the whole roll was used…and that was a brand new roll this morning, too. Ugh.

"Hello?" I call out meekly, assuming my husband has been hog-tied and gagged, that being the only reason our home could possibly look like this.

"Mommeeeeeee!" I hear Cora squeal from beyond the hall while I round the corner into the kitchen and look out onto the abyss of destruction. I've never seen anything like this.

"Oh, thank God you're here," Edward whimpers, dropping his head back. "They took over, honey. They took over and there wasn't a thing I could do about it." He throws his arms up in defeat and shame.

"I see that. It looks like a tornado touched down, babe. When did they even wake up?" I question, picking up Chelsea who's currently smearing applesauce all over the coffee table. "I was only gone for three hours and they'd just fallen asleep!" I squeak in confusion.

Poor Edward is beside himself. "I KNOW! They were knocked out until about an hour ago. I forgot to silence my phone and James called to check in on me. The ringer woke the baby and then her crying woke Cora. After that it was all a blur of carnage and pillaging. By the way, I've renamed the girls Corasaurus Rex and Chelzilla." His head falls back on the hospital bed again, exhausted and humiliated from the ridiculous, yet totally believable story.

I clean up Chelsea's hands and face with a few baby wipes and put her in her high chair with a fistful of cheerios to play with. "Cora, baby, help Mommy and pick up your books, okay?"

"But Momma, there's too many books! I can't read all these books! Chelsea kept pulling them off my bookshelf! I tried to stop her!"

I chuckle at her petulance. "I didn't say you had to read them, Cora Lynne Cullen, I want you to get them picked up off the floor, lovey." I pull her wildly curly hair off her face and back into a ponytail with the rubber band I find at my feet. I finish with her hair and give her a pat on the bottom to signal her that's she's free to keep cleaning up.

"So you tried to help Daddy with the baby?" I bend down and start to gather the toilet paper in my hands. As I suspected, the entire roll was strewn around like this is a frat house the night before Halloween. The trail leads me to the foot of Edward's bed and I smile, shaking my head and leaning in for a kiss from my frazzled hubby.

He reaches up with both his hands, cupping my face and pulling me in with desperation. "Thank God you're here. I was worried you'd open the front door and run screaming from the house, never to be heard from again!" He shakes off his dramatic imagery by pressing his lips to mine over and over.

"I tried to help with Chelsea, Momma, but she wouldn't LISTEN to me! Daddy just told me to follow her around. So that's what I did." Cora pauses to take a breath and I pull away reluctantly from my husband's delicious lips and giggle, listening to my sweet daughter try to explain her babysitting techniques.

"She kept wanting to try to get up the stairs in the hallway, but the gate blocked her. Then I left some snacks on the floor that she could find and eat that led back to Daddy and me and it worked!" she announces; her hands above her head in 'ta-daa!' pose, extremely proud of her diversionary tactic. Of course, it only ended up doubling the mess, but she's three years old and she tried, cutie pie.

I look back at Edward for more of the story. "I tried shouting orders from here, but you see how well that worked. We tried…sorta. I mean, as best we could. I'm sorry. This place is a disaster," he sighs in disgust.

I laugh, glancing around. "Yeah, it is. But thankfully, your mom is coming in about twenty minutes to take the girls for the next three days. Hopefully, I'll have it cleaned up before they get home on Monday," I finish with a teasing tone.

Edward pouts, looking up at me with sorrowful eyes. Pitiful. This leg has him completely helpless and he hates it. I find the mess more hilarious than unnerving. We're blessed with a very happy marriage and two healthy, vibrant little girls…messes happen. I learned a long time ago not to let the insignificant things rattle me. We're lucky Edward's broken bones didn't require surgery. I can do this.

What did Chaka Khan say? She's every woman? Well, so am I!

~~~~~L~A~S~T~C~A~L~L~~~~~

Phew! Girls are gone, I've cleaned up the mess, made breakfast for dinner for Edward and me, gave him his nightly sponge bath (his favorite part, and mine), just finished taking my own shower and now I'm ready to collapse. I'm so thankful that we found a double hospital bed so I can still sleep next to him every night. I don't think we've slept separately since I asked him to move in with me all those years ago!

I slip on a pale yellow cotton camisole and matching panties and pad downstairs with the latest "Cuisine" magazine. I'm always looking for fun new recipes to try out at the B&B.

I turn off all the lights and find Edward propped up in bed watching "Jaws" for the four hundredth time in our married life. He's addicted to it, but I'm not complaining, 'cause I am, too. There's no better movie than the original "Jaws". And hello? Spielberg's a freaking genius!

"Hey, baby…need anything before I come to bed?" I ask as I approach the great room.

"Yeah actually, can you grab my Sudoku book? You probably picked it up during the Great Clean-Up of 2020 this afternoon…I think it's on the island over there," he calls out, pointing.

"Sure!" I walk over and sift through the papers, locate it, grab a pencil and start heading back.

"Could I also have a beer?"

I smile at him, turn around and make my way to the fridge. Grab a Yuengling and a bottle of water for myself and start walking back.

I step down into the room toward his bed and he pipes up again, "OH! And one of Cora's bags of chocolate teddy grahams? I've been craving those since I watched her eat them at lunch today." I breathe in steadily, trying not to show that I'm getting slightly irked at the barking of orders…after all, I did ask him if he needed anything…but, y'know.

I turn back toward the pantry, grab his snack and head back over to him. Three steps away from the foot of the bed and he says, "Just one other thing!"

My jaw tenses a bit and I can feel my nostrils flare as I attempt to control my breathing. I raise my eyebrows in question while I plunk down his book, beer and snack bag. "What else?"

"You," he growls through a devilish grin, causing me to chuckle to myself and kneel up on the bed and straddle his hips.

"Well, how can I turn down a request like that?" I whisper and start peppering kisses on his cheeks, eyelids, his chin and finally his lips. His hands slide up the back of my thighs and palm my ass while he groans into my mouth as our kiss deepens.

"You know I only kept asking you to go back toward the kitchen because I love watching you from behind in this little sleep set," he pants, in between dusting lips and licks. "You're driving me mad, woman!" I giggle and allow him to take control for the moment by kissing my neck and collar bone, slowly trailing his tongue down to my chest. My body hums in anticipation of what's to come.

"Mmmm." I can't help myself as he squeezes my ass while gently nibbling on the tops of my breasts, my hands tangling through his hair. I'm relishing the feeling of his three days' worth of stubble, scraping against my sensitive skin. I may have purposely not given him a shave for the last few days just to enjoy this sensation.

He's been so sleepy because of the prescription painkillers, that we haven't been intimate all week long. And I'm NOT counting the couple of hand jobs and one blow job I managed to bless him with during his sponge baths. My perpetually busy, mover and shaker of a husband has been going stir crazy with cabin fever this week. Poor guy needed a release so badly, that by the time I'd get back downstairs to climb into bed after my shower looking for a little loving myself, he'd be long passed out.

"Oh God, I've missed your tits," he moans before sucking one of my nipples into his hot, wet mouth while gently massaging the other breast and teasing my nipple with barely-there touches.

"Ahhh," I gasp, loving the feeling of his tongue swirling all over me.

"I can't wait anymore," I whimper. "I need you inside me baby, I've missed you so-hooo much this week!" I'm gasping, pulling my fingers roughly down his biceps and across to his bare chest.

"Yessss," he hisses, acknowledging that my grinding has awakened his cock, now standing rigid with excitement beneath his sleep pants. I swing my legs back together to quickly remove my panties while he tugs his pants down his muscular, tanned thighs.

Impatiently straddling him again, I rip my top off and toss it to the floor while Edward's nimble fingers seek out my drenched pussy.

"Jesus, you're fucking soaked, baby," he whispers, knowing how I love his gruff dirty talk. His fingers swiping at me, but never entering…he gathers a puddle of moisture and starts teasing my clit with the sodden pads of his fingers. "I take it you're ready for me, then?" He chuckles, and proceeds to suck on my neck's tender pulse point as I try to concentrate enough to line us up properly.

"Nnnnngh, more than ready," I manage to whine as we make delicious contact and I sink down on him and just pause for a second to catch my breath.

Ecstasy…pure ecstasy with this man of mine.

"My wife is so goddamn sexy." He smiles and leans back on the pillows ready to enjoy the show while I ride him like a fucking stallion. His hands are on my breasts, squeezing in time with my up and down motion.

We're grunting in unison, the sensations too much to handle quietly. Plus we know the girls are a few miles down the road, so we can be as rowdy as we want. Too bad one of us is an invalid or else we'd really be able to kick this night into high gear!

I swivel my hips, squeezing him as I gyrate, causing him to pinch his eyes shut and drop his mouth open, his breaths coming out as huffs and occasional mumbled obscenities. "Goddamn, Bella."

"Oh my…unghhh…so…so amazing, baby…are you cuh-coming?" I squeak out in small pants and lean back a bit, my open invitation for Edward to play with my clit, which he accepts, gladly.

It only takes about ten more seconds and I'm wailing as my orgasm rockets through my body while Edward bellows, "Fuuuuuck!" and allows his head to fall back against his pillows.

I continue to ride him, even though I've slowed my movements significantly. I start to tilt forward again then—

"AHHHH!" I crash my body down onto his chest and freeze as an arresting pain shoots through my calf, paralyzing me.

"Baby…baby…what is it?" Edward barks, frantically.

My eyes are squeezed shut and I somehow gasp out, "Chhhh- UGH! Charley…Horse."

Holy shit, the pain. THE PAIN! I don't get them often, but when I do, they blaze through me and the agony is excruciating for the thirty seconds they last.

Poor Edward doesn't know what to do, he's still inside me, so he just rubs my back while I'm breathing heavily on him. Slowly, the throbbing subsides and I start laughing. That causes him to start laughing and soon we're full-on cackling at the dramatic finish to our sexy session of love-making gone terribly awry.

"That was quite the dismount, Mrs. Cullen…I give it a nine-point-nine," he exclaims in between guffaws.

I retort, catching my breath in between belly laughs, "Nine-point-nine, huh? Why not the ten?"

"Injury to the judge. You smacked your head on my collar bone and it took me by surprise. I can't, in good conscience, give you the full ten when I've seen much better performances from you," he explains, logically, causing me to laugh some more.

I roll off him and stretch my leg, which is not fully recovered at the moment, but getting there.

"Seriously though, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be alright. Just a really lousy time for a charley horse, I suppose," I yawn, curling back into his warm chest. I inhale deeply, and enjoy the mixed scents of his crisp-smelling body wash and our sex wafting around us.

"Could've been worse though," he starts and I tip my head up from where I nestled myself in the crook of his shoulder, "could've happened before we came…that would've really sucked. I would have been forced to demand a do-over."

He starts chuckling again, and I join in while reaching for the sheet that we kicked to the edge of the bed.

"I love you, baby. Thank you for everything you're doing for us. I know it's not easy," he murmurs into my hair, and gently kisses my temple.

"Hey. It's what we do, right?" I smile, already feeling sleep claim me, but never forgetting to respond, "I love you, too."

~~~~~L~A~S~T~C~A~L~L~~~~~

It's been several weeks since Edward fractured his foot and ankle. Thankfully, he's up and about, even if it's just minimally and on crutches. We're still sleeping downstairs on the hospital bed because the plaster cast weighs a ton and although he's technically mobile, he's exhausted by the end of the day from lugging the extra weight around and helping me in the house with the girls where he can.

He's become the mail sorter, the bookkeeper and an expert at folding laundry! Little does he know he may inherit that job even after he recovers from these injuries!

And though things have been getting a bit better for him physically, the lion's share of work that has fallen to me has taken its toll, and as a result, my back went out two days ago. I've been having excruciating spasms on and off and am worried about taking any medicine because I'm still nursing Chelsea. Granted, she's almost a year old and I'm preparing to wean her soon, but I don't want her all hopped up on drugs, either.

I called Jasper and he understood my concerns, telling me there really aren't any heavy-duty meds he could prescribe me that wouldn't transmit into my breast milk, but he still wants me to get checked out. Which is why I now find myself sitting on an exam table, waiting for my doctor to give me a once-over and a look of pity, 'cause really? What else can they do for back pain?

Just then, I hear the knock on the door, followed by, "Mrs. Cullen?"

"Yes, hi Dr. Baker." I shake her hand, wincing through my back pain. She's a petite little thing with a pixie haircut. She could be Alice's twin, except she has strawberry blond hair and blue eyes. "And it's Bella, please."

She smiles, "Okay, Bella. I'm not going to make you move around or press on your back or anything, and I see that you already answered all of the pertinent questions for the nurse." She sighs and purses her lips, ready to deliver the news that I already know. "As much as I would love to prescribe you some muscle relaxers and pain killers for your back, I can't because your urine test indicates you're pregnant."

Say WHAT? My throat tightens and I feel my pulse start to race. "Pregnant?" I squeak out, stunned.

"Yes, ma'am. I take it you didn't know?" she replies, with understanding in her voice.

I exhale, dramatically, shaking my head in disbelief. "I— I've had no symptoms at all. I…I…"

She smiles and reaches out to hold my wrist. "I know you're in a lot of pain right now because of your back. Have you been under much stress recently?"

Stress? HA! Understatement of the century.

"Yes…my husband fell and broke his foot and ankle last month and I've had to take care of our two young girls and do almost all of the housework, not to mention running our company…" I trail off, feeling dazed.

"I'm sure if any symptoms were presenting themselves, they were either mild, or perhaps you've just been so busy that you simply didn't notice. It happens to women all the time, Bella. Nothing to be ashamed of," she smiles and starts writing in my chart. "Do you know when your last period was?"

I rub my fingers on my temples in a circular motion, trying to clear the fogginess and answer as honestly as possible. "Umm…a while, actually. I've been nursing my daughter since she was born. And…I never did get my period back after I delivered, either. Plus, the nine months prior to that…" I widen my eyes realizing just how long it's been, "I guess it's been like…twenty months, twenty-one maybe?"

Dr. Baker smiles and nods. "Okay then…that's all understandable and makes perfect sense. Let's get you set up with your OB next door and see if we can get you an ultrasound, alright? As for the pain you're in, I can prescribe you some Darvocet which might help…but unfortunately, true muscle spasms are so painful, it might feel like you're just popping Tic-Tacs. I'll write you a script for Skelaxin, as well. It's debated whether the drug is considered Pregnancy Category B or C, but if you're in total agony, you'll need something to function…especially because you have so much to take care of at home. Is there anyone who can help you out?" she questions. "If you take care of yourself and just rest your back, doing as little as possible, you'll probably feel much better in about a week."

My brain scrambles trying to figure out who can help us. Our friends are all swamped with their children's busy school schedules and with James running everything at Last Call and the catering as well, I can't ask Charlotte to triple her workload by taking on my two girls. I suppose I could ask Carlisle and Esme again. Their private practice allows them a more flexible schedule, and they were very concerned when Edward told them I was starting to have spasms yesterday. I sigh and nod my head.

"Yes. I'll be able to get a little help this week. Thank you, Dr. Baker."

"My pleasure, Bella. I'll call in the prescriptions to your pharmacy. Just schedule your ultrasound on your way out. I hope you're feeling better soon."

~~~~~L~A~S~T~C~A~L~L~~~~~

After my appointment with Dr. Baker on Monday, I called my in-laws and they were more than willing to drop everything for us. They just swept in, wearing their superhero costumes and scooped up both girls for the rest of the week!

Somehow, Chelsea didn't even fuss when I wasn't around to nurse her. She just accepted the sippy cups of whole milk that her grandparents handed her and that was that! I burst into tears when Esme relayed that story to me. I don't know if I was happy my sweet baby was being such a brave, big girl without me, or if I was sad that we wouldn't have that bonding time anymore…or maybe it was my out-of-control hormones that turned on the waterworks. Whatever the reason, I was thankful, as it allowed me to do as little as possible for the remainder of the week. And Edward was thrilled that I was suddenly the patient and he could help me out with some of the little things.

We were quite the pair, he and I…gimpy and gimpier.

His reaction when I came hobbling home to tell him I was pregnant was nothing short of smug satisfaction.

"I knew something was up…you've been really tired for the last couple of weeks, baby," he hugged me, ecstatic with our happy but extremely unexpected news.

I looked at him in confused annoyance. "Uhh, hello? I've been running myself ragged ever since you broke your leg, Sherlock! Of course I've been tired! That doesn't explain anything!" I whimper, lying down on my side facing him as we discuss the future debut of Baby Cullen number three.

He rubs my back without saying a word. He probably knows I'm on edge. I can't believe this is happening already! Chelsea's not even walking yet!

"Anyway, the ultrasound is planned for next Tuesday. You'll come with me?" I ask, looking up at my husband's gorgeous face.

"Well, of course I'll be there, what kind of a question is that?" he laughs, pulling me closer without straining my back. "Everything will be fine, pretty girl. We were planning on having a third little one, so we'll just do it sooner!" He shakes his head, grinning, "Making babies with you is the best feeling in the world…followed closely by doing it and not making babies," he waggles his eyebrows and we both start laughing.

~~~~~L~A~S~T~C~A~L~L~~~~~

"Isabella Cullen?" the nurse in pink scrubs calls from the doorway. Edward and I stand and follow her down a corridor and into a darkened room where all of the instruments for performing a sonogram are located.

"Just take everything off below your waist and use this drape to wrap around you," she directs me with a head nod toward the bathroom. "Come on out when you're ready."

"Okay, thank you."

A few minutes later, I get myself situated on the exam table with my legs up in the stirrups.

Always a lovely pose.

Edward is sitting next to me on a chair, rubbing soothing circles on my upper arm.

The technician takes the transvaginal wand, lubes it up and slowly inserts it as I adjust to the annoyingly cold intrusion. Instantaneously, our ears are bombarded and our hearts are warmed with an impressive thumping sound coming from our little person on the inside.

While Edward and I are exchanging goofy grins, the tech says, "Oh! Oh wow…you're a little further along than we need for this instrument. Hang on." She removes the wand while I look over at Edward and shrug at him. He mirrors my action as the tech squirts the cold, blue gel on my lower abdomen and presses down to get the new images.

We hear the precious heartbeat once more and she starts her pointing and clicking with her little mouse. "Yup, okay…there's the head," she points up to the screen. I squint my eyes, looking at the monitor on the wall but not understanding how we should be able to see a head already. Shouldn't it just be a bean with two, bulgy black eyes?

I whisper to Edward, "It has a head?"

The technician must overhear me and she responds with, "Mhmm, and here's the pelvic bone…the femur and the knee."

With that announcement, I sit up as best I can and stare at the screen, shouting, "It has a pelvic bone, femur, a knee AND a head? How is that even possible?"

The technician looks at me and shakes her head, her saccharin voice dripping, "Honey, you're like seventeen and a half weeks pregnant."

I flop back onto the exam table, my hands flying to my face and burst into tears as Edward explodes in laughter. I ignore his reaction and wallow in the fact that I'm a horrible person.

"Baby, shhh," Edward stifles his laughter enough to try and soothe me, brushing stray wisps of hair off my face and pulling my hands from my eyes. "Why are you crying?"

I wail, "Because I'm almost five months pregnant! What kind of mother doesn't know she's THIS pregnant?" I cry, the tears continuing to stream. The tech completely ignores us and continues to click-click-click away with the measurements of the baby I'm about to deliver!

Well, maybe that's a bit melodramatic, but COME ON!

"Hey…it's gonna be okay. WE are going to be fine," Edward tries to calm me down as my obstetrician enters the room.

"Hey there, Cullens! Cooking another one, huh?" Dr. Chao giggles and then stops, seeing that my tears aren't necessarily happy ones.

"Bella…what's going on?" she questions, walking over to me and patting my hand. "Everything looks terrific on the screen. How can I help?" She looks to Edward for direction.

While I try to control my hiccupping sobs, he speaks up. "I think she's just a little freaked out to find out how far along we are. We only found out last week…on a fluke."

"EXACTLY!" I shout again, causing all three of them to jump. "If I hadn't thrown my back out, how would I have ever known?" I'm waving my hands in animated frustration. "I would've been one of those women they make ridiculous TLC shows about! Getting wheeled into the emergency room thinking I ate a bad burger and suddenly I'm breathing through contractions!"

Edward, my OB and the tech are just staring at me, dumbfounded and paralyzed. They either think I'm certifiable, or they never thought of my plausible theory. Because truly, if I hadn't come to my doctor's office asking for pain meds for my back last week, this stealthy ninja baby would have gone undetected until God knows when!

"Seriously Dr. Chao, how could this have possibly happened?" I ask, no longer weeping hysterically, but pulling myself together slowly but surely.

"Well, you said you've been nursing…Chelsea, is it?" Edward and I nod, simultaneously. "When did you start introducing cereal and fruits to her?"

I think back, "Umm, when she was a little over four months old. That's what we did for Cora, and it's what our pediatrician recommended…what every parenting book has recommended."

She nods in agreement. "Very true. Did you know that once you start introducing other foods and liquids to the baby, your body innately knows that your breast milk, though still vital, is not the ONLY thing necessary for the baby's nourishment?"

Edward shakes his head and my eyes narrow, not quite following where Dr. Chao is going with this. I'm an intelligent girl and I still need more information to get to the punch line, here.

"So what I'm saying is, once your body realizes that the baby isn't relying on you solely, sometimes you might start ovulating again."

Edward's mouth drops open and my eyes feel like they become big as saucers.

"It doesn't happen with every child and it doesn't happen to every woman, because of course, everybody is different. But I suppose in this case, you started ovulating again somewhere after Chelsea began eating some solid foods."

"But…but…," I'm stuttering, my brain scrambling to make sense of this all, "but I never got my period again! How could I be ovulating and not get my period?" I screech.

Dr. Chao smiles and shrugs her shoulders, "One of the many miraculous mysteries of the human body…more specifically, a woman's body after she's given birth and is doing everything necessary to nurture a healthy infant."

Edward huffs out a chuckle, while I just sigh and let my shoulders sag. Yeah, it's a decent explanation, but jeez, if I'd known I could've been ovulating all that time, I would have acted a bit more responsibly and used some protection, you know?

But what am I going to do about it now? I'm pregnant…very pregnant…and it looks to be a healthy baby. So the bottom line is…I'm blessed. We're blessed. And we're having another baby in a little over four months.

Edward leans in and kisses me tenderly on the lips, swiping the last of my tears away. "Hey…pretty girl…you okay?"

I give him a small smile and nod, "Yeah…I'm okay. A bit overwhelmed…but I'll be fine. This is going to be the shortest pregnancy on record," I sigh, my fears replaced with contentment and happy resignation.

"Yes, you will. And we will. And oh my God, my incredible wife is having another baby of mine and I'm the luckiest guy around."

We kiss again as the tears well up in my eyes once more. Oh, how I love my husband. He can turn my life around and put everything in perspective with just a few choice words. What would I ever do without him?

"So," the tech interrupts gently, "would you like to know the sex of the baby?"

Edward and I both chuckle, still looking in each other's eyes.

"We were surprised for the first two…shall we go for the hat trick, Mrs. Cullen?" he asks, squeezing my hands with a mischievous glint in his eye.

We've whispered to each other at different times over the years that we hoped we'd be blessed with both girls and boys. And although the primary desire is always for a healthy child no matter the sex, this time around I'm certain we're both hoping for a little guy.

I smile and nod. "Yeah, third time's a charm right? Didn't you once tell me the Cullens believe in the luck of threes?"

He laughs and kisses my hand again. "That I did," he whispers.

We both look back over to the technician and shake our heads. "No, thanks. We want to be surprised."

~~~~~L~A~S~T~C~A~L~L~~~~~

Twenty-one weeks later, on what would've been my father's sixtieth birthday, Edward, Cora, Chelsea and I welcome a little boy, Braden Charles, into our world.

Our crazy, messy, busy and blessed world.

And I'm pretty certain that life doesn't get much better than this.

~~~~~L~A~S~T~C~A~L~L~~~~~

A/N: Hope you enjoyed that fun glimpse into the future's of the Cabana Boy and his Pretty Girl. I will confirm that approximately 85% of this future-take is autobiographical, because my life is JUST that ridiculous. I'll let you guess which parts were fiction and which were absolutely real ;)

All my thanks to my lovely pre-reading Cabana Girls: Cejsmom, Born & our newest addition to Team Cabanaboy, Jules Twifanawesomesox AND of course to my fantastic beta and beautiful friend, LaMomo.

The LAST CALL blog is ready! Please come over and check it out & subscribe. The jukebox is chock full of all the songs mentioned in the story, as well as the music teasers I posted along the way. The chapters are peppered with awesome pictures for you to peruse & I've included a link to all of the delicious recipes the Cullen boys cooked up as well as the fabulous B&B creations Bella mentioned in the epilogue.

www. lastcallfanfiction. blogspot. com (close those spaces & join the fun!)

Believe it or not, a THIRD list of ladies who want Last Call Girl Tshirts has formed! I have a feeling this might be the final batch, so if you'd like to have a piece of Last Call, please let me know in a review and/or come over and join the Last Call group on Facebook. This time we're ordering the shirts in a burgundy color...it's fantastic!

Finally, and most importantly, I have a favor to ask. A dear friend and loyal fan/reader has recently been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer with a six-month prognosis. The fandom that knows her has already surrounded her with love and prayers but some of us have taken it a step further. In conjunction with Stand Up 2 Cancer, we've formed a group called Stand Up 4 Katalina and dozens & dozens of authors and banner-makers have donated their services to contribute to an all-request compilation of outtakes and one-shots from Katalina's favorite authors, which are more than likely your faves as well. :)

For my contribution, Katalina specifically requested that Callward give his Pretty Girl some lessons in the kitchen to prepare her for taking over the B&B. Bella's always been a hot dog and mac&cheese kinda girl; I have a feeling Edward's got his work cut out for him. Kneading dough, steaming pots, taste-testing along the way...definitely a recipe for some sexy times. ;) Cara No has already lent her talents and designed a sinful banner to go along with the outtake, titled, "A Taste of Us". It will take place post-engagement, but pre-wedding timeframe.

If you'd like to receive this and so many other fabulous outtakes/one-shots from your favorite authors, please head over to this website: www. katalina. fandomcause. info/ (close those spaces) and donate what you can. Even $5 helps out so much! The list of authors contributing to this project will be available soon on this team website, if that helps you make your decision. Donations will be accepted through October 25th. The compilation will be released on November 3rd.

Thank you for listening with an open heart...from Katalina and from me. This fandom has united before in honor of so many worthy causes, I know we have it within us to do it again for our beautiful friend.

Thank you again to all my readers and reviewers. Last Call's journey isn't over yet! And yes, a new story is taking shape, so keep me on author alert!

xo, Jen