EPILOGUE

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Tris asked her husband as she watched him organizing their ink supply.

"Why wouldn't I? It's our ten year anniversary babe. Why not return to where it all started?" He grinned at her.

"Harrison and Johanna are going to lose their minds taking care of our kids for an entire week." She grinned at him.

"Our kids are angels and their Papa and Nana are chomping at the bit to have them all to themselves." Eric retorted with a smirk.

Their oldest was their daughter Delilah, who was born exactly ten months after Tris had moved to Detroit. Next was their daughter Emelia born a year later, then their identical twin sons Milo and Leo two years after Emelia, and their last child was their daughter Penelope born almost four years after the twins. Every time they thought they were done having children, they'd try for one more. Having five children was more than a handful at times for the parents, and they were thankful every day for their family and friends who helped them along the way.

Christina and Will had married a few months after Delilah was born, and Tori and Bud had eloped a few months later, leaving Tris's family home vacant for the first time in her entire life.

It hit her a lot harder than she thought.

Eric had made a command decision. Even though his daughter was only three months old, and his wife was newly pregnant with their second child, he'd decided they were going to get the Pedrad brothers ready to take over his shop. When Tris found out, she was worried, because Eric was about to leave the only home he'd ever known.

"Marlene is a great business manager, she filled in for you when you were on maternity leave. The brothers did a phenomenal job when I was on paternity leave too. Cara and Fernando have stepped up, Lynn and Miranda are outstanding. Thomeka has been around since my dad was alive. Dave and Lex are reliable, do I need to keep going?" He smirked at her.

They were back in Chicago for good well before Emelia was born.

All of Tris's friends were thrilled to have her back, but no one was more excited than Harrison. He'd always looked at Tris like a daughter, and under different circumstances Eric could have been raised like a son, so their kids were his unofficial grandchildren. He and Johanna had gotten married right after Eric and Tris had moved home, and everything felt like it was falling into place.

It was actually Zeke who brought up combining businesses. He and Tori had maintained a good friendship ever since Vegas, even attending each others wedding, and during a conversation he'd had with her the two most skeptical of their friend circle were the first to recognize that things were going to last with Eric and Tris. It was when she was pregnant with the twins that Tori and Zeke presented their discoveries, and a case to combine assets and make Eric's one time dream of combining and growing their businesses a reality.

They'd enlisted the help of Christina's mother Stephanie and she'd been instrumental in helping to combine their businesses. She was also who helped them to open new shops, one in Philadelphia and the other in New York that were both wildly successful. Zeke and his wife Shauna were running the shop in New York while Uriah and his wife Marlene were in Philly close to Hana running the shop there. Fernando, Cara and Thomeka were running Detroit, and Amar and George running Chicago, leaving Lynn and Miranda on deck to run the next franchise.

Not only were the six original owners successful, they made sure the friends who helped them get there were making their way as well. The original six, as they'd affectionately called each other, and their significant others were meeting in Las Vegas for business with a little pleasure mixed in. The official reason for the visit was to scope out a potential franchise opportunity for their tattoo shops, but unofficially they were also returning to the place it all started.

"Our kids are pretty awesome, but I still hope that Harry and Jo know what they're in for." Tris smiles at him.


This time, the couples all stay in separate rooms at the same hotel and their first day there is spent lounging by the pool. Any qualms Tris and Eric ever had about combining their groups of friends were long forgotten, and everyone got along wonderfully and interacted many times throughout the years. Their children all referred to the adults in the group as their uncles and aunts, and they were all growing up as cousins.

They were friends who had become family.

"Next trip we have to bring the kids. Shaun and Lamar were hella disappointed that they weren't going to see Milo and Leo." Zeke said and Uriah nodded.

"So is Joey, and Tiana and Nicole wanted to see Lilah, Emy and Penny." Uriah replies and Eric scoffs.

"Why do you insist on giving my girls nicknames?" Eric smirks at him.

"Because it's cute, and Tris calls them that all the time." Marlene chimes in and Eric looks back at Tris.

She shrugs, "They like them."

"Christina had to convince Stormy and Quinton that they'd still see their cousins at the park." Will adds.

"You ready for Ulysses junior yet?" Zeke smirks at Bud, who laughs heartily.

"We've tried for a boy three times now, I'm more than happy with my house full of girls." Bud replies.

"I wouldn't mind trying for a boy." Tori shrugs and her husband jumps up from his chair and picks her up.

"See you guys tomorrow!" He replies as everyone laughs at their retreating figures.

"I've got twenty on them conceiving this trip." Christina says and Eric smirks at her.

"I've got fifty on it being this trip and a boy." He replies.

"Fine, fifty on it being this trip and another girl." Christina shakes his hand, "So when are you two having number six?"

"We already have a nine year old, eight year old, two six year olds and an almost two year old. What craziness are you wishing on us?" Tris shakes her head.

"I'd say it's about time for you two." Shauna grins at Tris and then sees the hopeful look on Eric's face.

"We're already working on converting the basement. With Delilah and Emelia sharing, and Milo and Leo, if we luck out with another girl we'd have her share with Penelope. It would be perfect, babe."

"You want another kid just so they don't fight over sharing rooms?" Tris smirks at her husband.

"I think he just wants another kid, period." Will grinned.

"I think he's got a pregnancy fetish." Uriah laughs.

"Or a breeding kink." Zeke joins his brother.

"Why not both?" Shauna adds and soon their friends are all laughing.

Eric winks at Tris and she shakes her head, knowing that her friends were likely not far from the truth. Eric certainly did love sex with his wife, and when they were trying for a baby he absolutely would get off on the thought of seeing her round with their child. And Tris could almost feel the blush on her cheeks when she thought about the fantastic sex they'd have when she was pregnant each time.

"Let's go upstairs." She whispered in Eric's ear and he wasted no time pulling her up from the lounger and saying a hurried goodbye to their friends.


They're in their room frantically kissing and removing each other's clothes. It's so different being alone and having no worries about their kids interrupting, and Eric has very little restraint as he bends his wife over the desk in their room and begins sliding against her.

"Pull out or no?" He asks in a needy voice.

She'd been off of birth control ever since the birth of their youngest daughter. They'd been using condoms at first, but neither of them enjoyed any barriers between them so they'd switched to the dangerous pull out method. So far, they'd been lucky, but Eric is obviously ready to go with the thoughts of getting her pregnant again.

"You're sure?" She asks.

He presses kisses to her back, his lips and tongue outlining the many tattoos he'd given her, "Yes."

"Let's see what happens."

When he pushes into her tight heat he moans loudly, and he grips her hips tightly in his hands as he rams into her. In their ten years together, he's never once stopped wanting her this way, and the raw and primal need they always seem to have doesn't have to be bridled while in their private room.

"You're going to be pregnant, I'm going to make sure of it before this trip is over." He growled out as he continues his hard and fast pace and she can only reply in moans as she feels her orgasm approaching.

"Mmmmm... Errrrrrriccccc!" She yelled and it was enough to push him over the edge, filling her with his seed, and she could feel him jerking inside of her as his hot breath fell over her neck. He was slumped against her, breathing heavily and he could feel her giggling against him.

"What's so funny?" He panted.

"You're pushing forty babe, maybe we should have tried making it to the bed." She replied through giggles.

"You're only a couple of years behind me woman, don't start your shit." He replied as he tried to suppress a groan as he stood up straight.

"Tell me your back doesn't hurt." She glanced over her shoulder.

"Let's lay in this bed and in approximately an hour I'll show you just how much it doesn't hurt." He replied as he pulled her up.

"Shower first." She grinned at him.


This trip to Vegas was much different than their first, and even though things were calmer now the couples were all having a great time together. It was no more partying or looking for a warm body to possibly take home, now it was spending quality time with the person they loved. With an added bonus of having rooms to themselves. They had a lot of fun spending time together as a group, and Eric and Tris certainly had a different level of fun as they worked to expand their family one more time.

Just like their first trip to Vegas, Tris and Eric once again had something from the trip that wouldn't stay in Vegas when they learned that they were pregnant a few weeks after returning to Chicago. Eric was convinced it was a girl, and he turned out to be right when their last child, a daughter they named Olivia arrived almost a full month before her due date.

They had a house full of happy and healthy kids, and several successful businesses, great family and friends that became family.

"It took us a little while to get here, huh?" Tris asks him as she slides her arms around his middle.

He's manning the grill while their kids play in the pool, with him keeping a close eye on five year old Penny and three year old Liv. He knew that Lilah and Emy kept a close eye on their baby sisters, but Eric always had to watch.

"It did." Eric agrees.

Harrison and Johanna soon join them, and once the grandparents are in the pool Eric relaxes marginally knowing all of his kids were now in good hands.

"Do you ever have regrets?" He asked Tris when they were inside getting everything ready for dinner.

"You're kidding me right? Six kids, fourteen years of marriage, a chain of successful tattoo shops across the country, a great circle of friends and family, what would I regret?"

"We had no wedding, no honeymoon, no dating, no engagement, shall I go on?" He asks with a smirk on his face.

"We got married in a lovely ceremony performed by Vegas's best Elvis impersonator, we've gone on vacations as a family, you did get me an engagement ring and updated it on our ten year anniversary and I think we have a pretty outstanding life. Do you have regrets?" She asks as she wraps her arms around him.

"None." He kissed her softly.

"Gross dad. We know you two love each other, but could you not suck face?" Delilah says as she fake gags.

"You realize that's how you got here, right?" Eric replies.

"I know how babies are made, and it's not by sucking face." Delilah smirks, looking like a copy of her father.

"I can give you all the details if you'd like, I mean you do have five siblings, and it's not always one and done-"

"Stop!!!" Delilah yells and she puts her fingers in her ears, "Lalalalalalala."

Tris pulls her hand away and grins at her daughter, "You might want to just let us make out next time."

"Noted." She says as she grabs her soda and runs out of the house.

"You're awful." Tris grins at Eric and he shrugs before kissing her nose.

"You love me though."

"I do. And to answer your earlier question, I have no regrets. In fact, I'm extremely happy that the ceremony was legit and we were married after knowing each other four days. I know it's crazy, but that first weekend we were together in Detroit after finding out about the marriage license, I knew without a doubt this would work." Tris says.

"You sure as hell did not, you wouldn't even talk about our future plans." Eric scoffs.

"I only held back because of the precarious state your business was in." Tris admits for the first time in their marriage and for a moment she thinks she's upset him.

"You're selfless to a fault." Eric says softly.

"I knew what we had done was absolutely insane, that marrying someone I'd known for a matter of days was idiotic, but I also knew I was in love with you. You may view it as being selfless, but I had a pretty good hunch you were in love with me too, and that everyone in our life thought we were plain crazy. Even Uri and Chris would have had us committed if either of us had told them how deep we already were." Tris replies.

"Do you know how close I was to blurting it out the day I left? I had tried convincing myself there was no fucking way I loved you, but I knew I did, and I didn't want you to run away screaming." He chuckles.

"No regrets." She replies.

"Never." He says before kissing her again.

They finally break apart when their kids threaten a mutiny if they don't eat soon, and everyone pitches in to get the food to the outdoor table. Tris looks around at the family she and Eric made and she smiles and leans over and kisses Eric softly.

"They're going to end up with another kid." Emy called out and Tris simply smiled against Eric's lips.

Everyone at the table laughs again and soon they're all in their own world as they eat and share stories with their grandparents.

"Wait until they find out it's twins again." Eric whispers in her ear and she pulls away from him, placing a finger over his lips and adjusting the oversized T-shirt she'd been wearing to hide her small bump. She notices that no one at the table is paying any attention to them.

"Shh," She scolds her husband who only grins at her before kissing her again, "We did tell them we were done."

"We are, after our last two baby boys are born." He whispers back, "Jonah and Ezra are it, babe," He checks to make sure the kids are all occupied and he rubs her belly briefly, "I love you, and the army we've created."

"I love you too, and all of this." She gestures all around them, "Eight kids is kind of crazy though, isn't it?"

"Nah, but having them with someone you married after only knowing them four days is insane." He grins at her and she laughs.


AN: Thank you for taking this trip with me. See you next time :)