Two years later

Brooke stared at the pregnancy test in her hand. It had to be wrong. How could she possibly be pregnant, pregnant for the second time in two years. It shouldn't be possible because she had already had her baby, her only one for the next hundred years. Supposedly. And yet, she had tried three different pregnancy tests, from three different brand names and they all came back positive. They couldn't all be wrong could they?

"You okay, Brooke?" came the voice of her sister, through the locked door

"I'm fine," Brooke answered unlocking the door. "Why don't you come in, Harper."

Harper came into the bathroom with a worried expression. "What's the problem?"

Brooke simply handed her sister the pregnancy test she had been holding and Harper stared at the little plus symbol in astonishment.

"You're pregnant?" Harper asked rhetorically.

"According to that I am," Brooke said, obviously meaning the pregnancy test in her sister's hand.

"It has to be wrong," Harper said logically.

"I would agree with you, except I tried three different brands and they all came back positive," Brooke retorted. "Besides, I've been throwing up and that could only mean I'm pregnant."

"If you are, then this is great news and it means Ilithyia allowed you to get pregnant the second time, long before you were scheduled to in a little less then 70 years. Apparently, she was listening when you made that comment years ago now about giving your child a playmate," Harper said excitedly.

"She has been very kind and generous to our family and if this turns out to be correct then I'm very grateful. We'll need to contact Graciela, so she can do the appropriate testing. I can hardly wait to find out if I am pregnant," Brooke squealed excitedly. "I don't think I'm going to believe it until that testing comes back positive."

"I don't blame you there," Harper agreed. "The boys will be thrilled, especially Jeremy."

"Yes, Jeremy will be very excited and happy," Brooke agreed. "He won't want to get his hopes up though, until Graciela does the testing and the results come back. We will not be telling anybody else in the family until I'm absolutely positive. There's no point of getting them excited until I'm sure."

"I agree with you on that. There's no point of getting the family excited if it turns out to be a false alarm, but considering you said you were throwing up I doubt it will turn out to be anything, except a genuine pregnancy," Hopper said. "Let's go inform the men about a possible pregnancy. We can contact Graciela after breakfast."

"Okay," Brooke agreed immediately.

"If this turns out to be right, then you're very lucky Brooke," Harper said.

"Yes, our family has been extremely blessed and I am beyond grateful," Brooke agreed smiling widely.

Harper could only agree with her sister about her family being blessed and being grateful for those blessings.

~~~Immortal Soulmates~~~

"So what are the results Graciela," Brooke asked a little anxiously. It was over a week later and Graciela had arrived at their door the very next day after she had been informed of the unexpected pregnancy

When the menfolk had been informed of the unexpected pregnancy they were all excited, but especially Jeremy, which was understandable, as he hadn't been expecting for his mate to get pregnant again for at least another 68 years.

They all waited anxiously for Graciela to tell them the results of the testing.

"It's positive," Graciela said calmly.

"You're sure?" asked Jeremy anxiously. "I don't mean to doubt you, but this is rather unexpected. I wasn't expecting to have another child for another 68 years."

"I do understand," Graciela said smiling. "This is a very unusual turn of events for me. I wasn't expecting to be called a few days ago and informed that Brooke was pregnant. For Harper yes, because she has two male mates, but not for someone who only has a single mate. I've come to realize though that your family is truly blessed."

"We know and we are grateful," Harper agreed.

"We're glad that Ilithyia, thinks enough of us to grant us her favor," Aaron said.

"I definitely agree with that," Brooke said, as she cradled her belly protectively. "I did make a comment about giving whatever child I had a playmate to my sister here, but that was years ago, so the goddess must've been listening and decided to grant my wish. I know that Harper and I have always lived close to each other so our children are usually close in age and play together all the time, but still, I couldn't help but wish for at least two of my own, even if I don't want to seem greedy."

"Wishing for more than one child at a time is not greedy Brooke," Graciela told the younger woman gently. "Really, it's only natural, especially for someone who loves children. You're not the first immortal who has had that wish and you won't be the last either. Of course, wishing doesn't usually produce a second child, but in your case the goddess was listening. It's not a crime or a sin to wish for things, so long as you don't try your best to fulfill your goals by stepping over others or committing blasphemy against Ilithyia."

"I would never do that, no matter how much I wish for more than one child every 70 years," Brooke said and Graciela nodded, as Dave would have taught his children better then that.

"So do you think this miracle will happen again?" Spencer asked Graciela.

"I don't know for sure," Graciela admitted. "It might be a one time gift or it could happen every time Brooke gets pregnant from now on. I'm afraid you'll have to wait another 70 years to find out. I'm sorry I don't have any answers for you, but the goddess is mysterious and very subtle."

"That she is," everybody in the room agreed.

"So I suppose it's too early to tell the sex yet," Jeremy asked and Graciela shook her head.

"I'm afraid so and you should know the answer by now because it never changes," Graciela responded.

"I do, but I was hoping," Jeremy said sheepishly.

"I don't blame you for hoping, but that's one thing about pregnancy that hasn't changed in hundreds of years," Graciela said gently.

"We'll see you again soon I'm sure," Harper said. "I won't be surprised if I get pregnant sometime in the next few months, a year at most, especially since I'm not doing anything to prevent it."

"I'll be expecting your call," Graciela said before she took her leave.

Aaron being a gentleman he was showed the doctor out but was back in just a minute.

"So should we inform the rest of the family now?" Spencer asked. "We wanted to wait until we were sure and now we are."

"After we go out for dinner, all of us," Jeremy said. "I think we need to celebrate this rather unexpected bonus. We can inform everyone tomorrow."

"Sounds good to me," Brooke said smiling happily, cradling in her stomach protectively. "I can't wait for him or her to be here."

"I don't blame you, since Ilithyia's gift is a rather unexpected bonus for you," Aaron said smiling.

"So what are you hoping for a girl or a boy?" asked Spencer.

"A girl," both Jeremy and Brooke said immediately.

"We already have a son after all," Jeremy added.

"That's what I thought you'd say," Spencer said smiling.

"Every mother wants a little girl to love," Brooke told Spencer who nodded. "Of course, if we get another son I'll still adore him, but I'm really hoping for a little girl."

"Here's to hoping you get your wish," Harper told her sister having gotten the bottle of wine out of one of the higher cabinets and then poured them into the cut crystal wine glasses that Dave and Penelope had given them as a present. The wine glasses were very elegant and expensive, but their parents would never give them anything cheap. At least the gift was practical and useful, as some parents didn't know what to give their child and those children ended up with things they never used. That wasn't her parents though, thank the Goddess and every gift was always thoughtful and never cheap. Whatever they were given was always of practical use. Brooke only had a little sip in hers, but she knew she mustn't drink too much, because she was pregnant right now.

"To this unexpected child," everybody said same time clinking their glasses together.

"May the Goddess continue to bless our family," Spencer added and everybody clinked glasses again.

"So long as we continue to please her she will," Harper told Spencer who nodded in agreement.

"We will so long as we continue living our lives just as we have been and that's with honesty, integrity, forthrightness and generosity to those in need, as well as in spirit," Aaron said and again everyone nodded in agreement, because it was very true.

Brooke and Jeremy couldn't wait to inform the rest of the family of their good fortune and of the Goddess's generosity. However, that could wait at least until tomorrow, for tonight they would celebrate their blessings. The family would be very happy and ecstatic for them once they learned of the pregnancy and that was the way it should definitely always be.

~~~Immortal Soulmates~~~

Epilogue

The doorbell rang.

It was several years since the birth of their children, including another set of twins for Harper.

Harper went to answer the door and was back in just a minute with Paul Brewer.

"What can we do for you Mr. Brewer?" asked Spencer curiously.

"I wanted to give you my condolences on the death of your father," Mr. Brewer explained. "I also brought a little condolence gift."

Spencer's father had died just a few weeks ago, and Spencer had gone to the funeral along with his brother Jeremy, Harper, Aaron and Brooke. Basically, the whole family, except the children who William Reid had never known about. The children had been watched over by Harper's family. They had been happy to do so.

"That's very thoughtful of you sir, but it was unnecessary," Spencer said. "My father and I weren't close I'm afraid and I only went to support my mother. Still, thank you for the gift, it was very thoughtful of you."

Spencer took the gift that Mr. Brewer handed him and put it on the coffee table.

"I know what being estranged can do to someone," Mr. Brewer said. "My father was a very demanding man and we weren't really close either, though we weren't quite estranged, we just had different ideas about my life and agreed to disagree."

"That was my father all over," Spencer told Brewer candidly. "The only difference is he didn't let me live my life the way I wanted. It was one reason that we wanted to get out of my hometown," Spencer added carefully not mentioning where he originally came from. "He was an arrogant, suspicious man that didn't approve of my marriage to Harper, mostly because she was already married to Aaron and had been for couple of years. I never imagined getting involved with more than one person, but now, I would have it no other way. Aaron and I are now as close as brothers, even if we love the same woman. They have filled a hole in my life that my father's unbending attitude caused."

"I'm really sorry that you never made peace before he died," Mr. Brewer said.

"We made our peace as much as we were able," Spencer said shaking his head. "He went out of his way to force me into being who he wanted me to be and didn't give up, so we moved here. Here, I can live my life the way I want without my father's interference, though now that he has passed on I don't have to worry about that anyway. Still, it was a constant battle."

"I understand," Mr. Brewer said simply.

"Thank you for stopping by and I appreciate your condolences, even if they were unnecessary. It was nice to see some of my family again, even on such a sad and solemn occasion," Spencer said shaking in Mr. Brewer's hand. "I will miss the man that my father could have been, but not the man he was. Now maybe some of my childhood can be put behind me permanently, though I'll never forget."

Spencer tapped his forehead lightly and said, "Eidetic memory."

Brewer winced at that, as that had to be horrid for someone with a bad childhood, though at least it probably hadn't been physically abusive. Still, neglect was just as bad Brewer knew.

"It's both a blessing and a curse," Spencer said with a wry twist of his lips.

Mr. Brewer said nothing, but got the impression that Spencer's childhood had been all about forcing him to be a little clone instead of an individual. Unfortunately, it happened all the time, as some parents had strong ideas as to what their child was going to turn out to be like and tried to force that child into that mold, by lack of affection and also little comments that were often made to force a child to cooperate with what that parent wanted, but only made them resent the parent in question. It wasn't right, but that didn't mean it didn't happen.

"Thank you for stopping by Mr. Brewer," Aaron said, shaking the man's hand cordially. "Hopefully, next time will be a happier occasion."

"We can hope so," Mr. Brewer said, returning the handshake, before taking his leave,

Aaron escorted him out and then closed the front door behind him gently.

"So now that our guest is gone what do you want to do for the rest of the day?" asked Harper who had been silent the whole time.

"It doesn't matter to me," Spencer said smiling.

He had been telling Mr. Brewer the complete truth. He did miss the man his father could have been but not the man he had been.

"You don't seem very upset that your father is dead," Harper said teasingly.

"I'm not and you know why. Jeremy will likely tell you the same if you were to ask him," Spencer answered Harper kissing her gently. "I've always envied you and Brooke for your close relationship with your family, your father in particular. Your father knows how to stay out of his children's lives unless they ask for help or advice. That's something that my father never did, until just before his grandchildren were born. I realize that David Rossi is centuries old, but a person's basic personality doesn't change at least not easily, or quickly."

"It usually takes something major to make a person change," Aaron agreed.

"Yes, it does," Harper agreed. "True love for instance can definitely change a person."

Neither Aaron or Spencer could disagree, because it was one of those old truths that would never change.

"As I told Mr. Brewer, I'll miss the man my father could have been, if only he'd been a little less stubborn and a little bit more willing to listen, but I will not miss the one that died. Him finally shuffling off the mortal coil just ends a chapter of my life for good. I went solely to support my mother and both of you know it. I probably wouldn't have attended otherwise," Spencer said.

"I don't think either one of us can blame you for that," Aaron said patting his brother on the back gently.

"I can't really blame him for his feelings either," Harper agreed. "I never did like the Senior Reid, more for his attitude towards Spencer then for any other reason. He was just a very disagreeable man."

"I never did like him either as you both well know," Aaron agreed. "Still, it was the right thing to do to attend to support Diana if for no other reason."

"That's the main reason I went, the only one really," Spencer said a little soberly. "As I told Mr. Brewer, perhaps my father's death will close a chapter in my life for good."

"Let's hope it does," Harper said giving Spencer a hug, which warmed him down to his toes.

"At least my mother can come to visit now without trying to come up with an excuse, so she can get away for a few days."

"And we can also go visit her to," Aaron mentioned.

"That's a great idea when probably better than having mom travel to see us since she's getting on in years," Spencer said the brightening. "We can take the children along, as she'd love to see them."

"She's only managed to make one visit to New York in the five years we have lived here," Aaron said. "I think we all understood that she had to be careful because of her husband and also she's really too old to be traveling much."

"At least I've seen Whitney several times," Spencer said.

"Well, now, we can go up for a visit and stay a week or so," Harper said.

"We might want to wait at least a few months, since Diana's husband just died. Yes, Spencer was hardly close to him, but still, it would be rude to go while his mother is still supposedly grieving. Most people wouldn't know about the family strife," Aaron suggested. "It would look wrong to others at least."

"We can wait six months or so, as you are absolutely correct," Spencer said. "Mom will be glad to see us and also spend some time with her grandchildren, since she's basically retired. Jeremy and Brooke might want to join us when we do go."

"Well then, we have a plan," Harper said cheerfully. "I'm looking forward to spending some time with Diana. We haven't been able to do that in awhile mostly because of your father."

"I suppose in a way his death is a blessing," Spencer said. "Perhaps if he's ever reincarnated he'll retain something of his previous life, so he can learn to be a better man."

"I didn't think you believed in reincarnation," Aaron mentioned teasingly.

"I didn't used to, but you and Harper have changed my views on the subject," Spencer answered simply, smiling slightly.

Aaron nodded, as that was about the answer he had expected.

The three of them discussed what they wanted to do for the rest of the day and Spencer thought that this was the way life should be. Life certainly shouldn't be constant arguments and a parent trying to push a son or a daughter for that matter into a career that they didn't want for themselves. Now he was finally free of the man that was his father, and he refused to let his father's ghost intrude on his life. He intended to live his life to its fullest and never think about his father again, not that he'd done much of that in years. He had a beautiful wife and four beautiful children, and a man that was as close to him as his own brothers. That was definitely what life was truly about, family, good friends, happiness and plenty of laughter, something his father had never understood, much less managed to achieve. He hoped his father was looking down on him regretting his actions toward his own family, but if not, it really didn't matter Spencer decided. He was happy and he would remain so, which would be his revenge against the spirit of his father. He intended to live his life to the fullest and poke his father in the eye at the same time. He hoped his father choked wherever he was, seeing the son he had put so much pressure on to conform was so blissfully happy.

This was definitely the way life should be.