A/N: Hello, lovelies. Let's see how the kids are doing.

The combined Cullen-Hale-Masen-Swan family was as ready as they possibly could be for the winter.

The month after Edward came back from his own property was a busy one. There was livestock to be slaughtered, smoked, and jerked to hold for the winter and the windows to be insulated against the coming cold. The women had their hands full pickling and jarring fruits and vegetables as well as reinforcing their clothes against the cold weather.

When winter began in earnest, they were all able to relax. The house was crowded, but the families got along. They were able to enjoy the finer things they'd given up when up to fourteen hours a day had been spent walking.

There were the necessities of settled life. For an hour or so a night, Esme would sit with Peter and Henry to further their schooling. Often times Sue's fourteen-year-old son would sit with them. He hadn't had much in the way of schooling, having grown up in the area when it was still wild.

Watching her with the boys one evening-even baby Jacob was settled in a basket by her feet-Edward added to his mental list of things he thought his adopted family might get into in this new world. Judging by how she'd reacted when she heard of the lack of schooling options, he wouldn't put it past Esme to see to the educational needs of the district herself if it came to it.

A doctor, a carpenter, a teacher, and the makings of a fine rancher. The Cullen-Hale clan stood to become important members of the growing community-the kind of family that would someday have streets, if not whole cities, named in their honor.

Where, Edward wondered, did that leave him?

He had no need to be a bastion of the community, though it was a nice notion. He would settle for being a good husband and father. He hoped his crops would grow and his animals would be fit for the slaughter.

His father-in-law had been successful on that venture, and Edward was glad Charlie had insisted he and Bella stay the year. He'd seen the fall harvest but they'd still been travelling when the spring crops were being planted. There would be another planting and another harvest come Spring and Summer.

As for the rest…

Edward lost his train of thought when his queasy wife entered the room and came to sit beside him. He shifted so he could put his arm about her shoulders and tuck her close. She was shaking, and she didn't know if it was because she was cold or from the sickness. He pressed a kiss to her clammy forehead, wishing for the umpteenth time he wasn't so frightened for her.

The sickness was natural, Carlisle, Esme, and Sue had all told him repeatedly. It meant the baby was strong. Bella too was strong, and he knew that well enough. She had her moments of swoon and exhaustion, but she bounced back quickly.

And they were no longer on the trail, he reminded himself. She was safe in the house, and as long as he or someone else escorted her up and down the stairs, there was no reason to think she would die.

Then again, Bella was stubborn. More often than not, she didn't tell anyone when she was on the stairs and fixed him with an exasperated expression when he insisted on taking her arm.

"Let him fuss," Edward heard Rosalie tell Bella one day. "Men don't much like being helpless."

Since then Bella had been more patient with him. He hated to be a bother, but he knew they were lucky she hadn't hurt herself or the baby worse than a few bruises.

Edward kissed the top of her head and held her hands to keep her from taking up any chore or hobby. She grunted at him but rested her head on her shoulder. Edward set aside the book he'd been reading-a mind-numbing breakdown of Oregon topsoil and tilling techniques-and began to work his fingers along her shoulder and neck.

After a few minutes she was pliant against him. Her sigh was soft, her body warm. He kissed her hair again. "Have you eaten at all?"

She made a disgruntled noise, and her answer came out muffled against the cloth of his shirt. "Esme gave me a bit of bread soaked in fresh goat's milk this morning. It was disgusting. I couldn't stop eating it. However, I didn't keep it down for long. Don't worry, though. I'll likely be ravenous by supper."

He hummed, nuzzling his nose at her hairline. "Can I do anything for you?"

Bella raised her head, and he was glad to see the mischievous glint in her eyes. "I would like to hear you sing tonight after dinner."

He fixed her with a mock-stern glare. Some days before, when he'd been in the barn tending to the horses he'd brought back from his homestead, he'd been singing to himself absently-something he hadn't done in quite some time. Bella had caught him at it when she came to bring him inside for the midday meal. Since then, he'd managed to sidestep her requests, but she must have known he could refuse her nothing under these circumstances.

It was only that it felt strange. The last time he could remember singing was the last time he was truly happy.

"If it pleases you, I'll do it," he said. "I'll ask Jasper to bring out his guitar, and we can have a right shindig."

Her look brightened at his acquiescence. "That would be lovely."

He brushed his fingers down her cheek, pleased she was happy. "I had a piano," he murmured after a moment, distracted as he traced the shape of her lips with his fingertip. "I had to leave it by the side of the trail. What a fool I was to think it was so important."

"Music is important." She reached up to twine their fingers together, bringing their joined hands down to her lap. "You can play?"

"Yes. Very well." He shrugged. "That is, I could. It's been years."

"Then I want a piano for our house. I can play a little, and I would love for music to be a part of our lives."

He dipped his head to kiss her softly. "I'd like that."

Someone cleared their throat, reminding them their hushed conversation wasn't private. Edward looked up to find Esme's lesson was done, and Emmett was staring at them in bemusement.

The larger man made a show of bowing grandly in Bella's direction. "So sorry to disturb you, Mrs. Masen. I was wondering if I might borrow your husband. We've got business to discuss."

Bella held on to Edward's hand, keeping him there with her. She looked at him. "What business?"

A smile quirked at the corner of his mouth. Many men would have found Bella's question impertinent, but she was simply not the kind of wife who paid no mind to her husband's business affairs. The day he'd come home, they'd stayed awake far into the night talking of all that was to be done before they left her father's house in a year's time.

"I've contracted Emmett to do some work for us," Edward said. "Much of the furniture currently in the house isn't ours. I never replaced the items I had to leave and never accumulated more. We'll need a table, a bed to say the least." He smiled and spread his hand over her belly. "A crib, of course."

"The crib first. Cribs, I should say," Emmett said, the look on his face far off as if he were mentally prioritizing. "Three of them. Charlie's baby can sleep like Jacob in a basket for a time, but he'll need a crib before long." He rolled his eyes. "At this rate, Jacob will need a bed of his own before we get settled." He shook his head, looking fondly at his son in his mother's arms. "A rocker too for you, Bella."

Edward stood, helping Bella to her feet as he did. "Come on, then. We'll move to the kitchen. Let's hope I can afford everything I know you're going to talk me into, Mr. Cullen."

Emmett slung his arm around Edward's shoulders in a friendly gesture. "I'm not exactly a master craftsman, friend. My prices are reasonable, I feel. Still, for you, I might charge a small tax."

"On what grounds?" Edward demanded in dramatic ire.

"On the grounds that it pleases me."

Bella grinned, but she reached over and gave Emmett's head a smack. He laughed. "Okay, little sister. Of course I didn't mean a tax. I meant a discount. I get those words confused."

~0~

Sue's time came three days before Christmas.

Bella had been trying her hardest not to think of the inevitability of birth. Pregnancy she thought she could handle. She didn't like feeling so ill all the time, but it was bearable. Everyone told her it would pass soon enough and her energy would return. But she'd only seen one live birth, and it was nothing short of terrifying. Bella wasn't naive to the fact baby Jacob's birth could have killed Rosalie easily.

She tried to keep those kinds of thoughts aside as she helped the other women tend Sue. Her stepmother must have seen it anyway. She took Bella's hand in a quiet moment and pulled her to sit down on the bed. "Don't you worry about me. I was younger than you when I had my daughter Leah. Oh, I hope you get to meet her one day. It's been some time since I've had a baby, but I remember how this goes. Everything will be fine. I'll be fine." She patted Bella's cheek in a motherly way. "And so will you.

"Besides," she said, looking up with a wry expression as Carlisle came into the room again. "I never had my own doctor on hand. I'll be fine several times over, I expect."

Still, it was a long, bloody business. The metallic smell was sharp in the air, and it made Bella swoon. Esme caught her when her legs gave out and called her husband to help her to bed. "Rosalie and I caught a few winks this afternoon. We're more than enough to help Carlisle. Go on and get some rest."

Bella couldn't sleep and for once, Edward didn't try to persuade her when she protested. By that time, the men were all somewhat drunk anyway. She went to her father and wrapped an arm around him. He swallowed hard and spoke without looking at her though he patted her hand as he did. "The night you were born, my father took pity me and got me very, very drunk. But you took so long getting here, I was sober as a stone by the time you finally came." He played with the empty glass in his hand, still not focusing on anything. "You were always enough, Bella. Your mother couldn't have anymore children, and that was fine. I never needed another."

Bella knew her father was excited about the new baby. She'd seen him put a hand to Sue's belly and grin in that foolish, beautiful way men did when they were over the moon. He wanted this baby...but not at the cost of his wife.

It had not escaped Bella's notice that her husband was watching her with naked fear in his eyes, likely thinking along the same lines.

But finally, finally, as the dawn of the next day broke, the strong, gusty cry of a disgruntled newborn broke the relative quiet of the house. Her father was off like a shot, Seth right on his heels.

Bella hovered along with the rest of the family in the hall outside the master bedroom. She sat on the settee with Edward at her side and Seth, who had been denied access to the room, at her feet with his head in his hands. He rocked back and forth as though he was a boy of four instead of fourteen, and Bella ran what she hoped was a comforting hand through his hair.

They didn't wait long before Charlie emerged again. Bella breathed easier at the sight of his smile-the wide, foolish one. His eyes were focused on the small bundle in his arms as he walked.

"Your mother is fine," Charlie said as Seth scrambled over to him. "You can go see her if you'd like, just be gentle. She's had a tough day, and she's exhausted. You have a little brother," he called after the bigger boy, but he had already disappeared behind the door.

Charlie chuckled and went to Bella then. Edward relinquished his position next to her, and Charlie sat down. Curious, Bella pulled the blanket away from the tiny form so she could better see his face. "Hello there," she said, breathless and somewhat incredulous when she finally set eyes on the baby.

She'd never expected to be anyone's sister. A sister and a wife in one year, mother the next. How strange life was.

"His name is William," her father said. "William Adam Swan." Bella hadn't ever heard his voice waiver as it did then. "Sue wants to call him Billy."

"Billy. He's quite handsome," Bella said, finding and counting his miniature fingers with awe.

Charlie shifted so he held his son in one arm and his daughter tucked under the other. He spared a fatherly kiss for them both, obviously deliriously happy.

~0~

The end of winter was marked with a wedding. Vera wed Michael Newton. He was a mildly successful farmer in his early forties. He seemed a kind enough man who got along with Vera well enough as these things went. He could take care of her and the boys. Edward supposed that was what counted most.

She and the boys were the first of their extended party to leave. When she did, Edward and Bella decamped from the main house to the small house that had been intended for them in the first place.

By then, Bella was feeling much better and was able to withstand the mere thought of Edward touching her intimately. Fascinated by the changes of her body, Edward spent a great deal of time undressing her in order to explore with his hands. Her breasts were perceptibly larger, the nipples darkened and much more sensitive to his touch. Her figure, though still slight, was fuller, and her belly…

He couldn't keep his hands off the swell of her belly as she grew their baby. He spent as much time as she would allow with his lips pressed to the taut skin, talking to his son or daughter or simply kissing every expanding inch.

Then, once they both established they didn't care at all about the impropriety of making love when Bella was already pregnant… Well, Edward couldn't say he was upset they finally had some semblance of privacy.

It was still early spring when everyone else left. There was much to be done: first crops to plant and homes to be built. Edward knew Bella worried for her foster family, but they were strong and together.

"They're only two day's ride away, love," he comforted her the evening after they left. "We'll see them plenty."

True to his word, Carlisle and Esme came back in mid-May to deliver some of the furniture Emmett had completed. He had started with the most important pieces-a chest of drawers, an ornate rocking chair, and a strong, sturdy crib. He might not have had a suitable enough amount of time under his belt to be considered a master carpenter, but he was well on his way, Edward reflected as he surveyed the fine work.

Though there was a doctor much closer, Edward was glad when the couple decided to stay. He didn't want to trust anyone but Carlisle with his wife and baby. On top of that, Esme was the closest thing to a mother Bella had. Sue was nice, but she wasn't as familiar, and she was naturally busy with Billy. They agreed to stay until the baby was born and at least a couple of weeks after that.

Edward didn't often forget how young his wife was. What he did forget was that she couldn't possibly be as confident as she typically came off. Once Esme was there, it was clear how desperate she was for a little guidance.

He couldn't claim to be different. Charlie was a good man and a great teacher in the field. Still, Edward couldn't bring himself to ask for advice when it came to being a good husband and father. After all, it was Charlie's child and grandchild under Edward's care. He didn't want to seem as though he were anything less than completely confident in his own abilities.

Carlisle stopped one of Edward's worried tirades by taking him by the shoulders. He called his name quietly until he was sure he had Edward's attention. Then he looked at him steady in the eyes as he spoke. "I have no doubt in my mind that your father, were he here, would have been proud of you."

Edward blinked at the other man, taken aback by Carlisle's perception. He ducked his head, and Carlisle patted his back. "You're working very hard. I know it. Charlie knows it, and, perhaps most importantly, your wife knows it. I haven't seen Bella this happy since before her mother died. Son, you're doing your best, and that's all you can ask of yourself. I told you once you'll never have all the answers. You'll never do everything right."

They began walking again, and Carlisle continued after a moment, his tone thoughtful. "The choice I made on behalf of a dear daughter I think, in hindsight, was a mistake. At least, if I had to make that choice again, knowing what I know now, I might not have acted so hastily."

Edward started, realizing Carlisle was talking about his forcing Bella into marriage. "As indignant as I was on Bella's behalf, I don't know that I would consider that choice a mistake. Even if it was, well… I'd like to think it worked out for all involved. I know it did for me."

"And for Bella too, but that's my point. Even when you make mistakes, it's unlikely to bring on the end of the world." Carlisle held his hand up to stop Edward's response. "I know you carry much guilt over your first wife's death, but I don't believe you made a mistake. It's impossible to get through life without making decisions, which is the only thing you did."

Carlisle stopped them again to look Edward in the eyes. "It wasn't your choice to come west that killed your wife, Edward. That was as sound a decision as any other. Trust yourself and your instincts at least a little. Bella isn't a woman who would demure to the whim of just any man. She trusts you, and that's no small feat."

It was exactly what Edward needed to hear.

~0~

In the not-so-early morning of May 27th, 1849, Bella's pains began.

Edward stayed with her as long as he was able, helping her walk a bit or simply holding her hand. Eventually, though, Charlie pulled him bodily out of the room. His father-in-law dragged him to the small kitchen, sat him down, and plunked a stiff drink in front of him.

"No." Edward shook his head. "I don't want to be drunk."

"Then don't get drunk, but drink enough to calm yourself."

"I'm perfectly calm," Edward lied. He was nearly out of his mind with anxiety, but he didn't want Charlie to know that. After all, it was natural that Charlie would want him to be strong for Bella.

Charlie gave him a cool look and nodded at the drink. "Pick up the glass."

They both knew Edward's hands were shaking. He yanked them off the table, hiding them in fists on his lap.

Rather than speak at that, Charlie raised his own hands. They too were shaking. Badly. "She's my daughter," he said as he lowered his hands back to the table, spreading the fingers wide and pressing them flat.

Edward couldn't think of what to say so he shot the drink he had been given back in a few gulps. He set the glass down with a thunk and closed his eyes, letting the burn of alcohol warm his blood.

He felt better for seconds before Bella's scream-strangled and singular though it was-had him curling in on himself. Charlie likewise cringed, and Edward rubbed at his chest, wondering if part of his heart had actually curdled and died there.

"She'll be all right," Charlie said in a tone that suggested if anything dared tell him otherwise, he would make it happen.

Edward just stared at the empty glass, reconsidering the benefits of getting drunk. He was fairly sure Bella would forgive him for being drunk, but she probably would mind quite a deal more if he went out of his mind.

Every once in a while, a hand would come in to ask Charlie something about the crops or the animals. He answered them with responses that grew more clipped as morning turning to afternoon and then to early evening.

"The baby is being a might stubborn," Carlisle said at one point. "There's no need to be concerned. Soon. It'll be soon."

Step by step, Charlie and Edward got closer to the bedroom until they were leaning on the wall right outside of it. Edward could hear Bella's exhausted whimper when Carlisle told her, "One more push, sweetheart. It's almost over." He slid down the wall and gripped his hair in his hands, pulling hard as Bella cried out in earnest.

His head shot up again when he heard it: the baby's cry. His baby's cry. "Oh God, oh God." He pushed to his feet on shaking legs and nearly fell. Charlie steadied him before he fell. Out of sorts, he reached for the door and jiggled it hard, trying to get into his and Bella's room.

He couldn't be away from her any longer. He needed to see her.

The door open and he nearly fell again. He caught himself on the doorframe. Esme quirked an eyebrow looking amused. Her eyes were shining and her smile was wide. "Hush now. Hush," she said, stroking the side of his face. "You're making more of a fuss than your daughter."

"My…" Edward shook his head hard and he stepped past Esme into the room. His head felt at once heavy as stone and light as a feather. The sensation and the rapid pounding of his heart was making him dizzy.

When he finally set eyes on Bella, he was finally able to take a deep breath. She was sitting up, pale and soaked with sweat but smiling.

By god, she was smiling. And crying. And crooning softly to the…

The baby she held in her arms. His baby. Their baby. Their daughter.

Edward stumbled forward and fell to his knees beside the bed. He was aware of Carlisle standing nearby, wiping the blood from his hands, and Esme, but they were only vague shapes around him. All he could really see was his wife and baby girl.

Bella laughed and sniffled. "Come up here. Look, Edward. Look."

At her urging, he stood again, though he had no idea how he got his legs to hold him. He sat on the edge of the bed, his movements careful lest he jostle either of them, his eyes darting wildly from Bella's face to the swaddled child in her arms. He couldn't quite get his brain to accept there was no danger.

Carlisle clapped his shoulder, giving him a slight shake. "Breathe, Edward. They're both fine. You can see it with your own eyes."

And Edward breathed.

And smiled.

And smiled.

When Bella moved to hand the baby to him, his arms went out as though on instinct. He'd held Billy a few times, but this was different. This was infinitely different.

His daughter was tiny. He drew her against his chest, overcome with the need to protect her. "She's…" Words escaped him. He was far too enraptured by the way the baby seemed to fit perfectly in his arms, as though she belonged there.

He took his eyes off his daughter to stare at Bella in wonder. He leaned forward and kissed her soundly, tasting the sweat and tears of her struggle.

This was it, he realized. This was the end to a journey he'd started so many years ago. This was the the end of his trail. He'd been traveling for so long, yet now this tiny creature firmed up a sense of belonging. He was home. Not in the sense he was on his own property in his own house as he'd intended when he first set out from the east. Home was this-his wife and daughter. A place he would belong no matter where they were.

He kissed Bella again knowing that with her at his side, he could face whatever their new life would bring.

A/N: Okay. There will be an epilogue-I have to name the poor girl-but this is done!

Many, many thanks to barburella and jessypt. And thanks to all you lovelies. Your enjoyment of this story, and all my stories, consistently makes my day.