AN: Well here it is, the final chapter. Thank you to all the readers who have been faithful to this story. I never intended for it to be 29 chapters. Thank you again for all the wonderful reviews and PM's that have been sent to me. While I wanted this posted yesterday, I had to tweak it a little more. Anyway, I wish all of you readers and writers a wonderful and healthy New Year. Sail on good ship Andith.

Two day after their birth, the Strallan boys were named. Edith had told Anthony that she wanted them to have his name and he had told her that it wasn't necessary, that she could name them whatever she wanted; but in the end after much pleading, he gave in.

Baby #1 was named John Phillip Strallan and would always be known as Jack. Baby #2 was named Thomas Anthony Strallan and would be known as Tommy or Thomas, depending on his behavior at the time for the rest of his life. Both had a hefty set of lungs and nursed as if it were their last time. Edith decided to stay in the hospital with her babies until they were at a good weight to go home. Between Anthony and John Bates, the babies were given a thorough going over each day. Tommy who had been the smallest, surged ahead of his brother in gaining weight.

Feeding the babies proved to be a challenge to Edith. At the beginning while she fed one, the other would be fussing or crying. She tried feeding them both at once but that didn't work. So with some help from the nurses, while she fed one, she would put the other on a pillow on her lap. There were some kinks that needed to be worked out, but all in all it seemed to work fine. Anthony was amazed one morning when he came in and beheld the feeding operation. The nurses also showed Edith how to wrap them up in their blankets cocoon style. They explained that the babies had been snug and tight in her womb and by being wrapped up tight it comforted them and made them think they were back inside.

Three days after they were born, Anthony rolled a larger bassinette into her room. He told Edith that he wanted them to be together like they had been before they were born. Edith was amazed at how once they were together in their bassinette, they hardly ever fussed or cried; only when they were hungry or wet. When they weren't sleeping they made gurgling or cooing noises. Anthony explained that their little radar knew that another was near and the sounds each made comforted the other.

Edith herself was getting her strength back. She walked the halls as often as she could and Elsie brought her pajamas and robe from home. She noticed that her figure was slowly coming back, but she soon realized that she would probably always have a very small curve where she once had a flat stomach. Much to her surprise, she didn't care.

Two weeks later the babies had gained enough weight to go home. Both were close to 6.5 lbs. and their lungs were clear and functioning as Edith put it, "Very Well." The day before their release, Edith had an unexpected visitor. Nurse Ratchett came in and told her that a Mrs. Glassheen was here asking to see her. Sylvia Glassheen was the last person she expected to see, but told the nurse to let her in. The woman who walked through the door was at least six months pregnant.

"I didn't know if you would see me, but I was hoping that you would," Sylvia said as she stood inside the door. "I took your advice about Gus and it was an uphill struggle, but somehow he believed me when I told him that I truly loved him and wanted to make a life him. As you can see, he finally believed me," she laughed as she rubbed her stomach.

"I'm glad Sylvia, very glad for both you and Gus," Edith said smiling. She knew that as happy as she was she sincerely wished that kind of happiness for Sylvia and Gus. Fate or destiny puts together the people who are supposed to be together. It had certainly done its job well as far as Anthony and Edith were concerned.

"May I see your babies?" Sylvia whispered.

Edith beckoned for her to follow and Sylvia smiled and put her hand over her mouth as she looked at the two sleeping Strallans.

"They just finished their lunch," Edith said as she and Sylvia moved to the other side of the room. They eat like lumberjacks."

"I brought you this," Sylvia said as she handed Edith a box wrapped in yellow and green ribbons.

"Thank you Sylvia. This certainly wasn't necessary."

"I wanted to give you something as my way of saying thank you,"

May I open it now," Edith asked, and Sylvia nodded and said, "Please."

Inside were two small baby sweaters with matching hats, one in green and the other in yellow. Edith could tell that these were not over the counter sweaters, these were handmade.

"You made these for me? She asked, obviously overwhelmed by the gesture.

"I have been knitting since I was eight years old," Sylvia explained. "I took it up again when I found out I was pregnant. It keeps me calm. "

The little sweaters were beautiful. Each had a scalloped collar and front , with matching pearl buttons. The little caps matched.

"The sweaters might be a little big, I usually make 0 – 3 month sizes," Sylvia said.

"They will wear these sweaters and hats when I bring them back here for their six week check-up. The way they eat, the sweaters will most likely fit them perfectly by then," Edith said as she smiled and squeezed Sylvia's arm.

When Anthony came a short while later, he found Edith sitting in the chair holding the gift with tears in her eyes.

"It seems that the night of that dinner at the Mark Hopkins was a beginning not only for us but for the Glassheens as well," she said as she told him about Sylvia's visit.

That afternoon Anthony came back but with a strange look on his face.

"Edith darling, sit down I have something very important to talk to you about."

"What, it isn't about the boys? They are O.K. aren't they? We are going home?", she whispered as she grabbed his arm.

"Yes sweetheart, everything is fine. It's something else."

Now she was confused, if it didn't have anything to do with the babies, then what was it?

"I got a call from Dr. John Barrow this morning. It seems that he has a baby girl for you, for us, if we want her. Her mother is a student at Scripps Institute and wants to be a scientist instead of a mother. When he told her about you, I mean us, she seemed happy with the prospect that her baby would be coming into a family with two boys. The mother is tall, blonde and is Norwegian by birth. The baby is a full term girl, weighs almost eight pounds. I talked to the pediatrician who is caring for her and according to him, she is perfect. What do you think? We would be the parents of triplets, not in the normal sense of course, but "trips" none the less."

Edith looked at him dumbfounded. She had never expected this, not in a million years.

"What do you think?" she asked him, trying to keep the excitement out of her voice.

"Darling, I watched you go through this pregnancy. I know how sick you were, what with the high blood pressure and everything else that can go with a pregnancy. I watched you suffer and worry. I don't want you to have to go through that again. I have two beautiful sons, no man could ask for more, but now we have a chance to add a daughter to our family. We would have three children running around yelling and screaming, all the same age.

"Oh, Anthony, I love you so, and the truth is, I don't think I want to be pregnant again. My body doesn't like it much."

"Then the answer is yes?" he asked her as he gave her one of his crooked smiles.

"Yes, but how and when can we get her?"

"Dr. Barrows knows that you can't travel because of the babies. He will FAX me a copy of the adoption papers, you will sign in front of the hospital notary and we will send them back to him. I will fly down and get her, and when I am there I will sign my part of the papers. "Dr. Barrow and the social worker will meet me in Los Angeles, I will get our daughter and fly back home. How does that sound, huh!"

"It sounds like you have everything figured out. But one thing, ask my mother to go with you. Trust me darling you may be one of the world's best pediatricians, but you have never had to take care of a newborn all by yourself. Checking them out in your office is one thing, taking physical care of them is another, I know from experience."

"Oh, two weeks into motherhood and you are an expert," he laughed.

"Absolutely!" Don't worry about me. Just get us home. Elsie will help me, and nanny Carol will be there the next day. We will get everything ready for our daughter."

They had hired Carol Wilson the month before the babies were born. She was twenty-five and had come with wonderful references from a family in San Jose whom she had worked for the previous year. Anthony had shown her around the house one afternoon and she had been there ever since, and with the help of Elsie and Charles was getting everything ready for the homecoming of Edith and the boys.

While Edith had been busy at the hospital, Anthony had been busy as well. With the help of the Internet and numerous insurance reports, he had purchased a seven passenger Acura MDX SUV. Edith's Mini Cooper was obviously not going to fill the bill. Her old Subaru was safe, but it wasn't big enough for the new size car seats which he had purchased. As soon as he found out about his daughter, he sent Mazie out with instructions to get another one, just like the two they already had.

So now the family was ready to go home. Edith was dumbfounded when she saw her new car but was concerned that Anthony had traded-in his beautiful Jaguar .

"No, darling I didn't trade it in, we are now a family of four cars."

Loading the babies in their car seats was a major undertaking. The cargo area behind the third row of seats was filled to the brim with all their baby parafinalia. Since the babies faced backward in their car seats, Edith sat in the third row so she could see them. While their eyes were still learning to focus, by touching their little hands and talking to them she hoped that the ride home wouldn't upset them much. She soon found out she had nothing to worry about, the soft ride of the car put them to sleep.

The next day after making sure that his family was secure and things seemed to be going well, Anthony and Cora left for Los Angeles. Edith clung to him as he was getting ready to leave and tears were streaming down her face.

"Oh Anthony, I'm so happy and scared at the same time," she whispered. "This is the first time we have been apart since we got married. You really think we can do this, take care of three babies?"

"Yes, sweetheart we can. After living with you all this time, I know that there isn't anything you can't do if you put your mind to it. You are a powerhouse," he answered as he and Cora climbed into the taxi.

Three hours later he called her from the airport. He told her that he was holding the most beautiful baby girl he had ever seen. He had signed his part of the adoption papers, Dr. Barrow and the social worker acted as witnesses and notary, and baby girl Strallan was now theirs. He laughed when he told her that Cora was beside herself with happiness, and had made him promise that she could hold her all the way home. The ride home was smooth. They sat in first class and his daughter, snuggled in the arms of her grandmother, only needed one small feeding. He was amazed as well at how well Cora managed to change her diaper while sitting down with the baby in her lap. Looking at him and laughing she said, "Anthony, you will soon learn just how creative mothers can be."

The flight home took a little over an hour . Charles picked them up at the airport so the baby would have a car seat. As they pulled up in front of the house, Edith came running down the stairs. Cora handed her the precious bundle and Edith pulled back the blanket and looked at her daughter for the first time. She took Edith's breath away. She looked like Anthony. She had blond hair, more than her brothers had, and as she opened her eyes to look at her mother for the first time, Edith saw that they were the same shade of blue as Anthony's. Edith couldn't speak she was so overwhelmed. Kissing her daughter's little face she said, "Welcome home Elizabeth, my most darling girl. You are so wanted and so loved."

The days and weeks that followed went smoother than anyone expected. Because the three babies were always together, their little baby noises comforted each other. They slept together in the modified twin bed that Anthony had had constructed when they knew they were going to have twins. It looked just like a regular size crib, only much larger. They also had two playpens; one in the kitchen and one in the study. The babies were always with them or Carol. It was only at night that they slept in their room. She didn't have enough milk to nurse three babies, so Elizabeth was a formula baby. It was amazing to watch the feeding process. Now that there were three, one was never alone when the other was being fed. Sometimes Edith would put a big blanket on the floor in the study and lay there with the babies talking and making silly noises at them. One day Carol found Elizabeth and Tommy sleeping beside their mother and Edith with her back against the sofa holding a sleeping Jack. She snapped a picture.

The day she took them in for their six week check-up caused pandemonium in the pediatric wing. Everyone wanted to see "the trips" as their father fondly referred to them. Edith was so thankful for Carol. Wrestling the triplet stroller out of the car, getting the babies strapped in, not to mention the diaper bags that were filled to the brim, was more than a one man job. She and Carol found a routine that worked for them, so that their outings with the babies were always fairly smooth. After examining all three babies, Dr. John Bates pronounced them healthy and thriving. He was thriving too. He and Anna Smith had become a twosome after meeting at Anthony's and Edith's wedding and a spring nuptial was being planned. Edith was pleased. She had known that they would be right for each other. Anthony had told Edith that the girls at his station wanted to see the babies, so she and Carol went up to Anthony's office. Three babies never had so much attention, but Mazie ever protective of Anthony was also protective of his children, telling the staff not to get to close. It made Edith's heart sing as she looked at Anthony out of the corner of her eye as he squatted down to get at eye level with his children. He laughed as flashes went off from I-phone cameras, and Edith marveled at what a wonderful group of people worked with him.

Their love life was getting back on track as well. They usually went to bed immediately after the babies late evening feeding. They cherished those three to four hours that they had, because the midnight and beyond feedings were tended to by all three adults. Edith would nurse one of the boys while Carol and Anthony would feed the other two with Edith's milk or formula. On nights when Edith knew that Anthony had surgery the next morning, she and Carol handled those very early feedings. One conversation that Anthony felt was important was one on contraception. Waiting for the right time he finally told Edith that he felt he needed to consider a vasectomy. At first Edith didn't want him to do it, but after he explained that at 48, with three children, and that they had decided no more pregnancies, this was the way to go. So a week later Anthony had the procedure and two weeks later everything was back to normal without any anxiety.

As the holidays grew near both the Crawley and Strallan house were full of activity. Since the babies had been born the second week of September, they were over three months old by the time Christmas came.

Edith, like most mothers around the holidays wanted a picture of her children with Santa. She, Carol and Elsie bundled the three up and headed down to Macy's. They got there first thing, before it got too crowded and the picture turned out perfect. She ordered three; one for Anthony's desk at work, one for her mother, whom she knew would never forgive her if she didn't get one, and one for home. They went to the Crawley's Christmas Day. They started early so that the Strallans could get home early . Edith had bought each baby a donut shaped pillow that supported them so they could sit up. Toys , stuffed animals, clothes, everything babies could ever want littered the Crawley living room.

They got back home about 7:00 pm, just in time to feed the three again. Cora and Robert would deliever all the gifts the next day. After getting the babies down and saying goodnight to Carol, Edith and Anthony were left alone.

"Quite a holiday wasn't it," she said as she put her arm around him and walked back toward their bedroom.

"Yes sweetheart, quite a holiday and quite a year," he said as he closed the bedroom door behind him and pulled her to him. "Do you have any idea just how much I love you?" he whispered against her neck. The next hour was spent showing each other just how much they meant to each other.

Edith now had a built-in body clock and she woke-up thinking that it was time for the next feeding, but soon noticed that it was about two hours away. She was alone in bed so she got up and walked across the hall to the nursery in search of Anthony. She saw him standing beside the crib holding Lizzie. He was talking gently to her and she had a hold of his thumb. Edith felt the tears starting to well up. Larry Grey had once told her that she was a project that would never see completion; how wrong he had been. Her life had come full circle; from happiness, through great sorrow, and now because of Anthony, a happiness greater than she had ever known. Looking at him standing beside his sleeping children, she knew that he had completed her and she him. She walked up behind him and draped her arm over his shoulder and kissed him softly on his cheek by his ear. With his free arm he pulled her into his embrace.

"She was awake and making her little noises, and I didn't want her to wake her brothers, so I picked her up." He said kissing Edith on her forehead.

"You can't fool me Anthony Strallan," she whispered back. "You love holding them, and make any excuse to do so."

"You are too smart for me," he laughed softly. Lizzie had fallen back asleep so he laid her down gently beside her brothers. Pulling Edith into a full embrace he whispered softly ," Let's go back to bed, I want to show you something."

"Really," she cooed. "I can hardly wait." Anthony just rolled his eyes.

Once back in bed Anthony opened the drawer in his night table and pulled out a dark blue velvet box.

"Our first year anniversary is next week and I wanted to get you something special. Just think, one year ago we were planning our wedding and now here we are the parents of three. All I can say is what a year it has been."

Edith took the box and carefully opened it. Inside was a three stone sapphire ring. It was simple and plain, no diamonds, but Edith knew enough about jewelry to know that these were natural sapphires, not man made ones. They were the color of Anthony's eyes, and were the birthstone of her children. It was stunning.

"I wanted to give you something special as a thank you for my three children. The jeweler told me that these are called mother rings or something like that. My life was lonely and sad until you came along. Now it is so full of joy, sometimes I think my heart is going to burst. I look at my boys and know that I have them because of our love for each other, and Lizzie is our special blessing, If anyone had told me two or three years ago that I would be leading this life, I would have told them that they were crazy. "

They used the next hour to their advantage, reaffirming their love and commitment to each other. And then as they heard the babies stirring, Anthony's kissed her and said, "We are going to have to get a bigger house you know, the walls aren't thick enough in this one. They hear everything." Edith just nodded her head as she put on her robe, and taking Anthony's hand followed him across the hall; their family was waiting.

Epiloge: When I decided to extend this story to include Edith's pregnancy, I wanted to draw on a real life experience. So I asked my cousin if I could use her story as Edith's concerning the babies. My cousin was in her mid-thirties when she married. She and her husband tried for two years to conceive but to no avail. Finally they went the in-vitro route and after many tries, finally had fraternal twins like Edith and Anthony. Her husband's brother is a hospital administrator and two weeks after the birth of her boys, she and her husband had the chance to have a baby girl as well. When I let her read the two chapters about the pregnancy and birth she was touched. Sometimes real life is much better than fiction.

While I was writing this story I wrote a letter to Julian Fellows, three in fact and mailed them to Carnival Films, ITV, and Masterpiece hoping that he would get one of them. I asked him to take a look at the Edith/Anthony relationship citing that I didn't think that he gave it closure, telling him what kind of closure I thought it should have. I told him about how many fan-fiction stories there are out there, and that the fan base for these two characters is huge. He probably didn't get the letters, and if he did probably didn't read them. I know that producers have others who read their mail. Anyway, they probably thought I was some kind of American crank, but that 's O.K. One can only hope.