There was everything and nothing—all happening at once.

Pain. Unbearable pain stemming from parts of her body that Cass couldn't even feel anymore. Her blonde curls were in such disarray as they clamped to her sweating forehead. Unbearable pain for minutes at a time before short bursts of relief that were spent agonizing, wondering when the next round would hit her again. Cass had never known pain like this, not even when she was in the accident. She could hardly focus on anything but the pain.

"Push, Mum, push!" a healer—a woman Cass recognized from some of her trainings at Saint Mungo's—said with enthusiasm. Cass could tell by the tone in her voice, worry-free and excited at the new life entering the world, that everything was going well. That was one of the few things keeping her steady, even as the pain overwhelmed her.

The other thing was, of course, Enzo. Her husband. The love of her life and the man holding her hand with worry written all across his sky-blue eyes. While all the healers focused on the baby, Enzo focused on her. Cass hadn't realized that something so simple could mean so much to her. Someone was here for her and would be throughout this whole process.

"You're doing so good, sunshine," he murmured into her ear, one of his hands clasped around the back of her neck while the other was having the life squeezed out of it every time a contraction hit her. "I'm so proud of you. You're almost there."

His cool forehead against her own anchored her in this stressful time. Cass wanted to insist that he step away—she was sweaty and disgusting, and she'd never felt less attractive in her life—but she selfishly wanted him there too much to ask that. Enzo kissed her cheek just as another contraction hit her. "Come on, baby. You can do this. Remember to breathe just like we practiced at home. Do it with me."

He mimed the breaths they'd learned together, and Cass followed his lead. Though the pain didn't lessen, the tightness in her chest did. "That's it. Merlin, Cass, you're doing amazing."

"He's right, Mum," the healer chimed in. "We can see the baby's head and shoulders already. Just a few more big pushes and I think we'll get her out."

Her. Right. The reason she was doing this. Her daughter. The little miracle made out of her and Enzo's love, the beginning of a family, and a wonderful life together. In that moment, as Cass remembered her daughter and her husband—as she thought back to the myriad of friends and family waiting to see them both—she felt herself fill with sunshine and warmth. Her baby was so loved already. It was time for the world to finally meet her. All she had to do was get through this debilitating labor first.

Another contraction hit Cass. She wanted to scrunch her eyes in pain, but something stopped her. A light.

Cass watched in amazement as the light shifted into a new form. No one else seemed to see it—Enzo was too busy looking at her and urging her to push, and the healer was watching Cass's nether region for progress on the baby. But Cass swore that when she pushed again, her sister's smiling face appeared just behind her husband.

"Andie," Cass whispered under her breath, so quietly that even Enzo—whose every ounce of his being was focused on her—didn't notice.

"Hey, Crane," her sister said with a wry grin before placing her hand on Enzo's shoulder. It was the smallest of gestures but it meant everything to her.

Andie's form rippled, and Cass took that to mean that Andie couldn't be here long. She had no idea how her sister was there—actually, she wasn't entirely sure she wasn't just making this up in the delirium of her numbing potion—but she didn't want to waste a second in case it was real.

Andie smiled one more time, walking straight through Enzo to stand at Cass's other side. Her sister's hand came to rest on hers, and when she squeezed, Cass swore she felt a jolt of energy burst through her. A beam of light overpowering all the pain and worry. "Come on, sis," Andie murmured, brown eyes shining bright. "I want to see my niece before I go."

Cass fought to keep from crying as Andie and Enzo squeezed her hand at the same time. With one last push, Cass felt something inside of her burst with relief. There was a commotion all around her as the healer cried out, "She's here! A beautiful, healthy baby girl!"

Enzo sobbed upon seeing his little girl wailing with a set of pipes that rivaled even Enzo's terrible singing. The healer handed the baby to Enzo, who accepted her right after stripping off his shirt, clamping and cutting the umbilical cord, and holding his daughter to his chest for skin-to-skin contact.

But Cass wasn't really paying attention to that. Well, she was because her baby was here and everyone was alright, and soon her daughter was placed on her chest for skin-to-skin contact. But most of her mind was focused on her twin sister, who was staring at the little screaming bundle with a wry smile. "She's a beauty. Just like her auntie," Andie teased.

Cass's grin was one of disbelief. "We're identical, Andie. She'll look like both of us."

Andie rolled her eyes, and, somehow, there was love in the gesture. "Guess you're right."

The light around her sister flickered again, this time much stronger. It was clear that Andie was going to leave any moment. Cass was suddenly desperate for more. She wanted to beg Andie to stay, to ask how she could do this and when she could do it again. But the only words that escaped her mouth were, "I miss you."

Andie's eyes shone as she replied, "I miss you too, Crane. But you don't need me anymore. You have your own family."

Cass shook her head. "You'll always be my family."

"I know." Andie smiled again. "But this family will be long-distance. At least for a while." Her eyes went back to her niece in Cass's arms, before moving to the husband speaking with the healer and preparing some sort of drink to help Cass recover, as the apparition flickered one more time. "You did good, Crane. You did good."

And then she was gone, and Cass was fighting back sobs as the light disappeared one last time. A whimper must have escaped her lips because he whirled around, eyes searching her. "Cass, baby, what's wrong? Are you okay? Is the baby okay?"

It was the little things about Lorenzo Berkshire that made her fall in love with him a little bit more—the way he asked if she was okay first after going through something so wonderful yet so traumatic, the way he focused more on making her a drink for her recovering and getting her what she needed when he could have easily been doting over the baby and taking pictures instead. Cass nodded at him, though she didn't really believe her lie.

Enzo strode over to her, worry all over his face. He waved his wand before procuring a warm towel that he draped over her shoulders. Cass melted a little bit more.

She must have actually melted because that little movement had the tiny bundle in her arms moving and cooing in happiness. And suddenly, any tears Cass had were gone as she stared at the most beautiful thing in the world. Her baby was here. Here. In her arms.

It was strong. Her stomach was still contracting as it waited for the placenta to pass, and sweat clung to her every pore. Her breasts ached, and her heart pounded, and there was something sticky and warm on her chest. A baby that was once a part of her, yet now was a foreign little thing, a tiny human she didn't yet know. Yet that baby fit so perfectly there in her arms, like this little angel had crawled down from the heavens just to snuggle up against her.

It felt like her heart had cracked open and now there was this empty hole—a place where the baby inside the belly had been, a place where this little bean would still go. Cass hadn't been not pregnant in so long. How was she supposed to be a good mother to this little creature? What if she messed it all up?

"I can't believe she's here," Cass murmured. "It feels... odd. Like I know she's my baby—I know it with every ounce of my soul—but it's hard to reconcile this baby with the one that's been in my stomach for so long. I love them both so much but—"

"But it'll take time," Enzo finished. "You can't expect to be perfect in the first fifteen minutes. No one ever talks about how hard it is to hold a tiny stranger that you love but don't understand. It'll pass, sunshine. I know that deep in my heart."

Cass's lip wobbled. How did she get so lucky? Her husband understood her emotions even before she understood them, and somehow always knew the right thing to say to comfort her. Cass smiled and pressed her forehead to his, and Enzo let out a brief sigh of relief as if he'd been waiting to touch her again. "I love you, Enz." Cass looked down at the little bundle. "And I love you, little..."

But she trailed off because all of the pregnancy, she and Enzo never really discussed names. Well, they'd discussed them, but they'd never decided on one.

Enzo, like always, sensed what she needed and calmly said, "Andromeda."

Cass's stomach lurched. "What?"

"I think we should name her Andromeda," Enzo whispered, looking down at the little bean. "She was your other half. Now, she's a part of both of us. Now, her name lives on. Now, you can say it every day with the utmost joy."

Now, she really was crying. "Enzo... it's beautiful. I love you so much."

He smiled and kissed her forehead before brushing his thumb on the now-sleeping baby's forehead. "I love you, too, sunshine. Both of you."

. . .

Love. There was so much love. Enzo knew the birth of his first child would be one of the best days of his life, but he hadn't realized just how wonderful it would be.

It was chaos. Sure, there was the birth where he was pretty sure Cass was talking to herself (he wasn't judging because he had no idea how terrible it must have been to go through so if she wanted to talk to herself, he would gladly step aside and not interrupt her). Then, there was the most stressful time of his life, which was when the healer instructed him on how to clamp and cut the umbilical cord while Cass took a few recovery breaths and Enzo was sure he'd mess it up. Then, Cass and the baby had much-needed skin-to-skin contact for the baby's immune system while Enzo focused on trying to clean the room, brew a little potion the healer told him about to help her body recover quicker, and get her a snack to replace some of that lost energy. They had a moment as a family before the baby was whisked away again to be cleaned and checked. Cass tried to send him after the baby to watch her, but Enzo simply held her hand and said, "You're almost done, sunshine. We'll finish this last part together."

He held onto her hand as she delivered the placenta and got stitched up. He'd taken a quick break before she started to go out into the hallway and deliver the good news to their anxiously waiting friends. Then, he sent Aria, Astoria, and Evelyn to look after the baby—Aria because she was the new aunt, Astoria because she looked like she was going to murder Enzo if he didn't say she could look too, and Evelyn because she was the only one who didn't look so excited that she'd forget to report back on the baby's measurements.

Of course, that led to complications on its own. Enzo had expected to be debriefed later. What he hadn't expected was to be holding his wife's hand while she was getting stitched up before yelping when Tom's voice appeared in his head and said, "She weighs three point seven one kilos."

That was bloody scary.

Enzo got used to it eventually—as much as someone could get used to the voice of the Dark Lord in their head.

While they waited for little Andromeda to return, they filled out all the paperwork together. Enzo used a warm cloth to clean up Cass a little, an action he could tell made her feel a lot better. He fed her some chocolate and kissed her all over as he told her how beautiful she was. "I'm so proud of you. You did so well, sunshine. I've never seen anyone so strong, so wonderful. I've never loved you more."

Cass's brown eyes surged with love, and Enzo found himself wishing he could pick her up and hold her tightly and insist that she was going to be the most wonderful mum in the world.

Eventually, he was called out. When he returned, he couldn't stop grinning because little Andromeda, wrapped in a bright pink blanket with little sunshine on it and wearing a hat that looked too big for her little head, was in his arms. The baby stirred a little bit as he inched toward the baby. She opened her eyes just a crack before making a noise that had Enzo's heartstrings clenching. "Yeah, we're going to your mummy," he whispered before smiling up at Cass. "That's your lovely mummy over there."

Cass held out her arms. "Come here. Both of you."

They spent the next hour in a golden bubble of bliss. Andromeda slept in Cass's arms while Enzo held his wife in his. They whispered vows of love to their daughter, and Enzo took every chance he got to run his hands over the soft little blonde curls on her head. He wasn't sure, but he swore when she opened her eyes, they were bright blue, just like his. A perfect mixture of the two of them, just resting in his arms.

The hours after that were less blissful. After Cass had recovered and breastfed their daughter, and Enzo had gotten plenty of newborn snuggles himself, she asked if they could have visitors. Since Andromeda had been fine for the past few hours, the healers relented, though she insisted on taking it slow. Cass's parents were first to visit before relenting when Cass asked if their friends could visit.

First, Aria and Theo walked in. Theo looked bloody terrified at the baby in Cass's arms, while Aria was cooing at her new niece and asking to hold her. Enzo couldn't be sure but he thought he saw his best friend's cool grey eyes soften at the sight of his girlfriend holding the calm bundle in her arms.

Next came Astoria and Draco. Draco was dragging a giant bouquet, large teddy bear, and dozen balloons in his arms, his exasperated look aimed at his bouncing fiancee. Astoria was next to hold Andromeda while she and Aria gushed over how cute the baby's button nose was. To Enzo's surprise, Draco held the baby, and the lad was surprisingly good with her. Enzo couldn't help but think that Draco would be a good father when his time came.

Evelyn and Tom were next. Even Tom's scowl couldn't darken the brightness of the room. His arm was wrapped protectively around his wife, who held the baby carefully and pointed out things to Tom as his scowl lessened and was replaced with veiled curiosity.

Fear was struck into the hearts of everyone when Mattheo and Nora came walking into the room. Nora threatened to murder Mattheo if he hurt the baby or said one stupid thing in front of her. Mattheo, surprisingly serious, just held Andromeda with the same tenderness that everyone else who met her had. Enzo grinned at his friend, who was already enamored with his daughter. Even Nora's icy heart melted when the baby cooed at "Uncle Mattheo." She was met with love by everyone who knew her, and for that, Enzo couldn't be happier.

And then it was late, and everyone was saying their goodbyes as they promised to rotate their visits for a while to give the new couple a break from parenthood. Enzo wrapped his arms around his wife, who nestled little Andromeda against her chest as the two prepared for a much needed nap after a long day.

"I don't think life can get any better than this," he murmured, his hand gently brushing back some of her curls. Because it was true. As Enzo held his wife—his sunshine—he felt a quiet peace settle over him. There they were, the Berkshires, all of them glowing in the soft warmth of the happy day. The world outside could wait. Here, in the quiet of the room, they were perfect.

Cass looked up at him, a soft smile playing on her lips. "This isn't the ending, Enzo. This is just the beginning."

And when the light of a new dawn filled the room, Enzo realized that she was right. The future was theirs, bright and wide open. Just like sunshine.

Oh my gosh, I am dying. I can't believe it's over, and I'm trying not to cry. In my mind, this is the ending of the book. Not just the book, actually, but the Slytherin Boys series! (Don't worry, we'll still have a fluffy epilogue in the future.) Who knew that when I started this last January, thinking I would get maybe 20 readers on my first story before getting discouraged and quitting, that I would be led here? This isn't the end of my writing, but the beginning! I have loads of other stories planned for you, some with Slytherin Boys (like novellas and spinoffs), and some other stuff too. So stay tuned, and thank you for all the love!

P.S. Did anyone else notice how all the couples held the baby in the order I wrote their stories? Just me? Just me sobbing over here as I kind of say goodbye to this world in my head? Brb crying relentlessly. So happy it's over (it took me so long to do it hehe), but man, it feels like the end and I'm not ready for it. They'll live on forever in you, in my lovely readers who pick up these characters and place them in your hearts for a moment. Just know that you mean everything to me, and that YOU are my sunshine :)))