Julia smiled at the scene outside of her window. Harriet had baby Alice on a blanket in the sun, tickling her cheeks with a piece of soft yarn. Not for the first time, she wondered what their child would be like. Barbie was convinced they would have a girl. Julia didn't care. She was on cloud nine to be carrying their child. She never thought she'd be pregnant at all. Peter had never wanted children & she didn't push the issue with him. Just as well – his mistress occupied all of his time. It was one she couldn't fight & truth be told didn't even know about his addiction until he was dead. Now she was married to Barbie who always put her first. He loved her with an intensity that took her breath away & she loved him back just as fiercely.

Her thoughts drifted to the day they got married. Norrie took over her closet discarding dress after dress, not even considering anything remotely casual. Julia stifled a chuckle remembering Norrie muttering "Jeez Julia there's nothing in here you can wear. It's all suburbany & totally not hot. There is not one...oh my god... what is this? Julia this is it! What the hell – the tags are still attached. You've never worn this – perfect!" She was holding a creamy chiffon creation that I had bought on a whim from a designer friend years ago & relegated to the back of my closet when Peter termed it ridiculous. It was low cut, off the shoulder & while the sheer chiffon petals of the skirt were knee length, the snug underskirt was cut mid thigh. "I'm not even going to ask why you've never worn this Julia but will assume you were saving it for something special. I think marrying Barbie totally counts."

I slipped into the dress & immediately felt the rightness of it. Norrie was still buried in the depths of my closet emerging finally with a pair of Grecian sandals which I had to admit were perfect. Standing back, my young friend contemplated me seriously. "You're almost there Julia. Let me just braid some flowers into your hair & we can do this!"

I looked in the mirror when Norrie pronounced she was done & had to smile. "Norrie, thank you! You can be my stylist any time." She shyly accepted my hug with a slight blush. "Well one of you has to look hot. With Joe in charge of Barbie, he could end up looking like Han Solo."

When we got to the diner, I waited outside while Norrie peeked in to make sure all was ready. "Holy crap! Forget what I said about Barbie before. Dude looks hot!"

I shushed her & gave her a little shove so she could walk down the makeshift aisle to where the others had gathered. Waiting a few seconds I closed my eyes & whispered a prayer of thanks for whatever force brought Barbie into my life. Then I walked in to join him. His eyes locked on mine immediately & I saw him catch his breath. When I got to his side he softly whispered "Julia, you're a goddess."

The ceremony was short, heartfelt & emotional. When Caroline pronounced us husband & wife, Barbie cupped my face in his hands & kissed me until the whoops & laughter from the room made us reluctantly draw apart. While we didn't have anything as formal as a receiving line, I think every woman in town kissed Barbie that day – some of them pretending to swoon, just to see him blush. Finally everyone had congratulated us & someone put some music on.

Joe walked into the middle of the room & made an announcement. "Ladies & gentlemen, for their first dance together as husband & wife, may I present Mr. & Mrs. Dale Barbara, who we all know & love as Julia & Barbie. Julia picked out this song – just for you Barbie."

The first strains of "Feels Like Home' began to play as Barbie took me in his arms. I wound my arms around his neck & whispered. "This is how you make me feel, how you've always made me feel. I love you."

(For you dear readers – if you don't know this song, here's the first verse)

Somethin' in your eyes, makes me wanna lose myself
Makes me wanna lose myself, in your arms
There's somethin' in your voice, makes my heart beat fast
Hope this feeling lasts, the rest of my life

Barbie pulled me closer yet & nuzzled my neck murmuring softly. "Love you too sweet, beautiful, sexy lady. You took my breath away the first time I saw you. You take my breath away now." We swayed to the music until the song ended & decided it was time to say our good-byes for the night. Amid more hugs, kisses & confetti, we made our way to door. Just as Barbie opened the door, Norrie rushed up with my daisy bouquet & with a hug shoved it into my hands. "You have to throw this Julia, just do NOT aim it to me. Joe will totally freak." Laughing I turned my back & threw the flowers over my head. The room exploded in laughter – not only did Norrie not catch the bouquet but it fell directly into Joe's hands. As his sassy girlfriend doubled up with mirth, he wasted no time tossing the flowers to Andrea, muttering "Very funny Julia."

Then we were outside – alone & smiling at each other, moving closer for a kiss, then another & another until we were both breathless. "Let's go" I whispered.

Smiling to myself yet again I turned away from the window & sighed. Memories of the night that followed flashed through my mind, warming my heart, making me wish Barbie would hurry & get home.

I felt a tiny flutter beneath my rib cage – proof our baby was alive & kicking – the flutter coming more often & stronger each day. Clasping my hands over the small bump of my stomach, I remembered when I told Barbie I was pregnant. We were going to announce it to everyone but that was taken out of our hands when I started the unfortunate symptom of pregnancy – morning sickness – except in my case it hit anytime & without warning. It wasn't long before crackers were appearing on the table whenever we went to the diner & I was constantly being asked how I was feeling. So it came as no surprise when Norrie came up to me after a particularly bad round & sympathetically put her arm around me. "OK Julia, no one gets sick this much unless they have the flu. You seem fine otherwise so I'm guessing you're pregnant. I need a little heads up if I'm going to be throwing you a shower." And with that the word was officially out.

The sound of male voices & laughter brought me back to the present. When the back door swung open, Barbie sauntered in followed by his friend Hunter. Hunter looked out for Barbie while he was in Zenith & helped him get messages to me. He was sweet & charming but for the life of me I couldn't figure out why he couldn't speak to me in full sentences.

When with Barbie he couldn't stop talking. "Barbie, I wouldn't be spending so much time here if there were some women in this town. I mean there are women but none that I'm interested in. I mean they're nice enough and I like them but only as friends. I mean you have Julia and she's like the ultimate... uh hi Julia. Sorry"

I was biting my lip to keep from laughing. "Hi Hunter"

Barbie completely ignored him and walked up to me with that cat like grace he possessed."Hi beautiful" was all he said before he cupped my face gently & kissed me so thoroughly that I was breathless. "What was that for?" I managed to choke out. "Missed you" was all he said but nevertheless those two words spoke volumes.

Without warning the house seemed to tilt and I stumbled into Barbie. Just as suddenly it seemed to settle but once again tilted in the opposite direction. "Oh no! I cried out softly - Earthquake!"

Barbie grabbed my hand pulling me to the door. "Outside! We'll be safer." No sooner had the words been uttered than pictures fell off the walls & dishes rattled in the cupboards. We ran out the door only to feel a tremendous pressure, making our ears pop, followed by a high pitched keening that brought us to our knees. Just as we thought our senses would implode, there was sudden silence. Slowly we got to our feet, looking around, puzzled at yet one more dome manifestation. I felt Barbie's hand grasp mine, twining our fingers together - there was comfort in that small connection - an unspoken promise that we always have each other's back. Glancing at Hunter, to make sure he was not injured, I was surprised to see him gazing at the sky with a huge grin on his face.

"Guys...I think...I think the dome is gone. Look...birds!"

Looking up, I couldn't help but gaze in wonder. "There haven't been birds in Chesters Mill since right after the dome came down. Poor things kept flying into it until they were all gone. Barbie, do you think it's really gone? Barbie?" My fingers felt his grip tighten. I looked at him & saw the shock on his face & heard him mutter "What the hell...?"

It was then I noticed three people hurrying toward us. I recognized Joe & Norrie and behind them..."Oh my God...Angie!" She rushed up & enveloped both of us in a huge hug, laughing & crying at the same time. Barbie grasped her arms, looking intently at her face..."How are you alive?"

"I don't know. I don't know. I know that I have to tell you some things but don't know why I know them. I don't know why I'm here & I don't know where I was but being with all of you is definitely better. Joe & Norrie found me at the lake. I was laying on the ground, passed out, just outside of the water. They brought me out of it...well Norrie did. I didn't ever think someone yelling at me to wake up would sound so wonderful." She glanced at her brother & girlfriend affectionately and went on with her story. "So they told me the dome just came down and I started remembering. It was like I saw things or knew things or someone was telling me things. I don't know how to explain it, but I do know I have to tell you about the egg. It was never about protecting the damn egg. The egg was just a symbol and we were supposed to protect each other. Someone or something sent the dome and the egg to test us."

Julia gasped softly, looking up at Barbie in wonder. "You said that. You said it was up to us to protect each other. It's what we wanted to do all along."

Angie nodded. "You two, Joe & Norrie & some others in this town got that. Others did not. I'm not sure what's going to happen to them but imagine there will be a price to pay." She looked at Barbie with sympathy in her eyes and laid her hand on his arm. "Barbie, I'm sorry but they put your dad in prison. I don't think he's ever getting out."

"Don't feel bad for me, Angie. That son of a bitch would have killed me to get his hands on the egg. I don't care if he rots in there. He lied to Julia and if I hadn't found a way back in to Chester's Mill, she would have jumped to Zenith." He pulled Julia closer & pressed a kiss to her temple. "If anything had happened to her, prison would be the least of his worries."

"There's something else" Angie began hesitantly. "I don't think Melanie is here anymore. I felt that she was at peace and that she wanted me to tell you that. I remember something else that doesn't make sense to me but maybe it will to you. Something about you not being little anymore and growing up way bigger than she imagined. I don't think she was referring to your height. Must be you impressed your big sister with the man you turned out to be."

Barbie pulled Angie into a hug & kissed the top of her head. "Thanks." he whispered hoarsely and unable to continue let her go to embrace Julia, overcome with emotion. He took a deep breath and exhaled looking up at his friends. "What are you going to do now?"

Everyone answered at once - babbling happily, not caring if anyone was understanding the chatter but happy to be in this group of people who came to mean so much to each other. It was then that Angie noticed a strange face in the group, a face, that she realized now, had been staring at her intently since she arrived. "Kind of cute" she thought to herself. "At least he would be if he closed his mouth."

"Who the hell are you?" she demanded.

As Hunter tried in vain to answer, Barbie snickered to himself murmuring to Julia..."I remember those words."

"Hmm...she replied turning to drape her arms around his neck to pull him close..."and look how that turned out."

EPILOGUE:

Four years later: Julia & Barbie are still madly, passionately in love & totally devoted to each other. Their little girl (yes, Barbie was right), Jennifer Melanie Barbara (Jennifer for his mom, Melanie for the sister he hardly knew) was 3-1/2 with the same riotous red curls as her mom, the same blue eyes as both her parents and a smile that rivaled any either of them could bestow. As predicted she had her dad wrapped around her little finger but she was sweet and kind and loving...just like her parents. Her best friend was a big clumsy lab mix she called Scooter who followed her everywhere. Julia is pregnant again...this time with twins. She & Barbie are over the moon excited.

The government tried to take over Aktaion Energy but concerned citizens rallied and control of the company was turned over to Barbie. While he reluctantly accepted ownership, he turned over day to day operations to Hunter who is doing a fabulous job. Joe is in college but interning at what is now called Energy Goes Global (E.G.G.) When Barbie questioned the choice of name with amusement, they only said it's so they always remember what's important. Norrie is also pursuing a degree but has taken Julia's advice, not exactly to be a stylist, but to open a boutique that will carry nothing "suburbany" & everything "hot." She and Joe are still dating with marriage sometime in the future. Her mom lives nearby.

Angie & Hunter are an item. Hard to imagine since when they met he was too mesmerized by her to even say his name. But Angie was patient and soon he was speaking in full sentences when she was around. Taking Barbie's advice, he was even bold enough to surprise her with unexpected hugs, kisses and flowers. Angie is just as smitten as he is.

Chester's Mill is still there. Some have stayed, some couldn't wait to move away. Barbie discovered that his father owned much of the land between Zenith & Chester's Mill so he had houses built for anyone who wanted to stay but no longer had a place to live. He set aside 100 acres for himself & Julia, built a house they hoped to fill with love and laughter and friends who wanted to visit. They had the land planted with crops, most of which was donated to food kitchens, shelters and anyone down on their luck.

So this is the end of the story. I thought it would be a one-shot - surprised myself when it wasn't. Thank you everyone for encouraging me to write more chapters. This is not how the book ended and not how the series will end. This one is mine alone because I love happy endings.