Disclaimer: Not mine

A/N: So this is the big 'THE END.' I hope it lives up to your expectations. I really think I shoved a lot of info into it and it gives you a nice look into the future for everyone.

Since my best bud Dalloway5906 was unable to look over this, and I really wanted another devoted reader to see it before I sent it to you all, mad4hugh did us all a favor and checked it out for me. Her response to it made me squeal and I could not have asked for a better person to read it through before I posted it. She got it back to me in record time and I can't thank her enough for that. She did suggest that tissues were highly recommended.

I have a story I am working on (an angsty Priestward), but with our fourth child due in March, I would rather get it finished before I start posting. I hate it when you start reading a story and then it goes on hiatus (Like my 'Pills', which if any of you are reading – I WILL finish).

Please be aware of the POV switch towards the middle.

Now- go forth and cry!

"Carlisle, did you make enough pancakes?" Esme shouted from the dining room.

"Yes dear, I made two dozen." He answered back as he balanced the platter of pancakes, a tray of bacon and the pitcher of orange juice while he walked through the swinging door and into the packed dining room. Esme stood, flushed and frazzled as she tried to tighten booster seats, resolve arguments and gather up flying silverware. He set the food down on the sideboard and tried to help Esme get Bree and Riley settled into their seats so they could feed everyone. The table was full with grandchildren.

Benjamin, Alice and Jasper's oldest was five and as the oldest cousin, felt that it was his job to boss everyone around. Peter and Charlotte, at four years old, were the troublemakers, always trying to get someone to do something they knew was a bad idea. Bree and Riley, Alice and Jasper's three year old twins were calm and quiet, a rarity in the Cullen household. And finally little Clare was Rose and Emmett's youngest, a precocious two year old. For some reason Carlisle and Esme thought it would be a nice idea to offer to take the grandchildren for the weekend so that their own kids could have a mini vacation. They had all arrived the night before and after a multitude of bed time stories, they all settled down into their rooms, girls in one, boys in another. Although the evening went well, the first child started calling for Pa and Esmom at six in the morning, making for a rough start to the day.

Now, with everyone stuffing their faces full of pancakes and bacon, Esme and Carlisle had a moment to enjoy a cup of coffee before the insanity started again. Esme realized that she should have taken Bella up on her offer to lend them a hand. Bella and Edward had planned to tag along with the other couples, but Edward was asked to work on the new Scorsese picture out of the blue, and you did not turn something like that down. The last time he had worked with Scorsese, it earned him a Grammy nomination. So while Edward was ensconced in his attic studio, Bella was left at lose ends. She has spent some time early Saturday morning at the Center she volunteered at over the summer, but there were not many kids there who needed her help, thank goodness. She had started full time at the school the year after she and Edward were married and while the hours were longer, she found that she was able to help many more children with her extended shift.

When Bella's phone rang, she was not surprised to find her mother-in-law on the other end.

"You need my help?" Bella asked without preamble. She listened to the sound of screaming and yelling in the background before Esme spoke.

"Yes please." She whined before hanging up to grab a flying lamp, saving it from crashing into the mirror on the wall.

Bella decided to walk the mile to her in-laws house, enjoying the brisk January weather. As much as she regretted not being able to join the rest of her family in their skiing vacation, she still had issues walking without adding in skis and snow-covered mountains. Plus she was nervous about Edward zooming down a hill without being able to see, although he assured her that he had done it many times before with the help of a guide. Thankfully they did not have to tempt fate since this job came through and they canceled their plans.

Bella could hear the screaming from the front porch and was assaulted with a tiny body as soon as she stepped in the door. She looked down to see the angelic face of Clare, tears streaming down her cheeks. She hoisted the child up into her arms and dried her tears.

"What happened Clare-bear?" She asked her niece when her whimpers slowed.

"I went pee in my pull-up." She whispered in Bella's ear, her tears starting anew. Bella pushed the little girls head onto her shoulder and walked down the hall to the bathroom under the stairs. Thankfully Esme had each bathroom stocked with all kinds of kid's products and Bella had no problems getting Clare changed. Clare took each accident so seriously because all she wanted was to be like her older cousins, especially Alice's Bree. All clean and washed, Clare again threw herself into Bella's arms, but this time there were no tears. As the tiny arms wound their way around her neck, Bella breathed in the scent of little girl. Clare's curly brown hair tickled her nose as she got more comfortable in Bella's lap. They rocked back and forth in the quiet solitude of the bathroom until Bella heard Clare's breathing even out. She stood slowly and headed out to find a bed for her little passenger.

The living room was empty and quiet when Bella came back down. She wandered into the kitchen, finding Esme leaning against the counter. She was covered in flour and what looked like silly string. Upon hearing her enter, Esme looked up, exhausted. She heard the thumping of feet on the basement steps before the rest of her nieces and nephews came running into the room.

"AUNT BELLA!" They screamed as they pounced on her. They all went down in a heap and she laughed as Charlotte dug her fingers into her ribs, their usual greeting. She loved these children as if they were her own.

"Ok, ok. Now how about we get you guys some lunch and then settle down to watch a movie. Clare is already upstairs taking a nap, so anyone who decides they don't like that plan can join her." She threatened as she got up off the floor and went to the fridge. The kids sat around the counter top as they watched their Aunt get all of the fixings out for their favorite, tacos. The older kids helped to stir the ground chicken as it cooked on the stove while Bella had the younger crew tear the lettuce and put the cheese and tomatoes into a bowl. When everything was finished, they moved their lunch into the dining room and Carlisle put on some salsa music to set the mood. Once everyone was stuffed, they moved into the living room and tossed all of the pillows and cushions onto the floor to make one big bed for them all to lay on. The minute Carlisle and Esme's heads hit the pillow, they were out. Bella put in the chosen movie and made sure everyone was covered before heading up to check on Clare. She was still sleeping soundly in her bed and Bella went back down to keep everyone in line while their grandparents caught up on some well deserved rest.

The excitement of the day must have caught up with everyone, because before Lightning McQueen even made it to the town of Radiator Springs, everyone was asleep. Bella cleaned up the kitchen and dining room and when that was done, sat down to call Edward. He answered on the fifth ring, which meant he was going to be grumpy. When he answered within three rings it meant he was not working on anything good. If it took more than three, you were in trouble.

"Yes?" He said as he picked up the phone.

"Hi baby, sorry to call and disturb you." She said quickly before he could jump on her.

"No problem Bella, just trying to get this section finished. Martin wanted it ASAP." He replied, his voice a bit smug as he name-dropped. He did earn it though, working hard for the last few years to build up his reputation as a movie score composer.

"I am at your parent's house helping with the kids. I think I will try and stick around through dinner and bath so no one loses a limb." She joked, already knowing she was losing his interest. He was terrible when on a deadline.

"No problem baby, I'll just find something here to eat. Come up when you get home?" He queried.

"Of course. Love you." She answered.

"Love you my Bella." He said before hanging up.

()*()

"More bubbles!" Charlotte shouted as she swam around in the sunken tub. The boys were corralled into the massive shower in the guest room while the ladies got to take a bubble bath in the tub in the master suite.

"No more bubbles or I will lose sight of Clare." Bella laughed as she tried to rinse the soap out of everyone's hair. The pizza dinner had been a huge success and they only had three ruined placemats to show for it. Tomato sauce was terribly difficult to get out of linen. They were now all squeaky clean and ready for a round of bedtime stories.

Bella curled up on the king sized bed, Charlotte, Clare and Bree surrounding her while Peter, Riley and Benjamin sat on the floor playing with cars and half-listening to the story. After the third request for another book went denied, she tucked the girls into bed and went to the boy's room to do the same. It would take a little time, but they would all be asleep soon. Checking in on her in-laws, who were crashed on the couch, she headed out towards home. The night had gotten colder and she pulled her coat closer to her. The house was dark with the exception of the attic windows, but that was no surprise. When Edward got to working he forgot everything. It was not like he needed the lights to help him see. She unlocked the door and flicked on the switch, bathing the room in light. She checked the fridge and found that Edward had neglected to eat, something he was known for when he was working. She made him a sandwich and grabbed two bottles of water and headed up to the attic. She could hear the haunting melody as she stopped at the door, waiting for the red 'recording in progress' light to flip off before she entered.

Tucking the bottles under her arm, she opened the door and set the plate and drinks down on her desk before moving over towards Edward's studio. He was bent over the piano, his fingers flying soundlessly as he trying to organize the notes in his head. She picked up the piles of discarded papers and tossed them in the recycle bin. Edward's printer was a special model that printed not only the musical notes but the Braille cells as well so he was able to double check his work. As she shifted the papers around on his desk, a colorful flyer caught her attention. As she read the front cover a shocked gasp echoed in the room. She turned towards Edward, the flyer clenched tightly in her hands.

"What the hell is this?" She said, her voice quiet but menacing.

He spun around, startled because he had not heard her even come in.

"Hey baby, what are you talking about?" He asked cautiously, not used to hearing that tone from her.

"I am talking about the flyer I just found on your desk. A vasectomy Edward, really? Were you even going to discuss this with me?" She seethed, throwing the paper across the room, hitting him in the chest. He fumbled with the flyer before just letting it drop to the ground.

"It was something I was considering. I can't imagine how hard it must be for you to remember to take your birth control pills everyday, so I thought this would be easier." He said, trying to act calm and cool when he was feeling nothing of the sort.

"I thought we were going to talk about this. You know how much I want children, we have had this conversation nearly twice a year since we got married. I know you are scared, but please…don't do this to us." Bella sighed, remembering the way Clare had fit so well in her arms today.

"And you know the reasons I have for not wanting them. Can you imagine having to take care of them all the time when I am working like this? I could not even remember to eat today, let alone think about being responsible for anyone else." He shouted, rising from the bench to pace across the floor, his hands wreaking havoc in his hair.

"Edward, you work on two or three of these projects a year, and it is only for a week at a time. If I can't handle a child for three weeks a year by myself then I don't deserve to have one." She replied, some of her anger evaporating as she listened to the undertone of fear in his words.

"We can do this Edward. I want to have a baby, our baby. Please?" She sighed as she walked towards him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Can we do some research first? Read some blogs about other blind parents who deal with their children?" He whispered, pressing his face into her hair. She could feel a slight tremor rock his body at the thought of something happening to their child while on his watch.

"Absolutely Edward, whatever you want." Bella said, unable to keep the excitement out of her voice. She was tossing her birth control pills as soon as she left the room.

()*()

Bella tried very hard over the next few months to get everything ready. She and Edward read blog after blog from blind parents who had tons of great suggestions. After meeting with a local blind parents support group in February, he finally felt ready to try. She never told him she had been off any contraception since January. They both worked hard to stay positive when Bella would come out of the bathroom month after month crying. Rose was extremely helpful in dealing with Bella's constant mood swings, after all she had years of experience dealing with disappointment.

"I know it sounds like I am blowing smoke up your ass, but you need to relax. Get away for the weekend and just enjoy some time together." She suggested after another month went by without a positive test.

So early April found Bella taking a few days off of work and they traveled the short distance to their favorite spot, Lake Crescent. The Lodge staff knew them by name and had their cottage all ready for them when they arrived Thursday morning. They did not leave the room the entire weekend, and even though Bella was upset she had forgotten to bring her basal body thermometer to track her fertility, she was ultimately able to relax and enjoy their time together.

May was an extremely busy month for everyone. Emmett and Rose were opening a new center for troubled children in Forks since they found the one they worked with in Port Angeles did such a wonderful job with the neglected and unwanted children in the area. Esme was helping Alice start up her line of children's clothing, something she had been working on for two years. Carlisle was working overtime to cover one of his colleague's maternity leave and Jasper was in charge of the children, all of them, while the others were working. He could not have been happier though, he loved being a stay at home dad.

Edward's work on the Scorsese project had gone over so well, he was asked to work on the new Disney production, to the joy of his nieces and nephews. He was locked in his studio for days on end, only coming out to eat at Bella's insistence. Bella was too busy at work to worry about Edward's eating habits though. One of her fifth graders, Elizabeth, had been coming in to see her once a week for quite a while. They had discussed her difficulties relating to the other students and to her parents. She was slightly overweight in a home where that was looked down upon. She struggled to fit in and try to win her parents attention, but was only receiving rejection. Bella could see herself in Elizabeth and wanted to shake the parents to make them see what a wonderful child they had.

They had a standing appointment for Wednesday afternoon, but when Elizabeth did not show up Bella got worried. She found that Elizabeth had not been in school the last two days and a call home went unanswered. Bella began to worry and drove by the family's house on her way home that evening. When she rounded the corner and saw the flashing red and blue lights, her heart dropped to her stomach and she rushed from the car towards the house. She was stopped by a uniformed officer as she tried to cross the yellow tape.

"I'm sorry miss, no one can go in." He said, holding her arms as she tried to push through.

"One of my students lives here. Can you tell me what happened?" She cried, tears starting to form as she saw the ominous black coroner's van pull up.

"I'm sorry to tell you miss, but the call indicated it was a suicide." He said softly as he led Bella back towards her car. He sat her down in the driver's seat as she started sobbing. He told her he would send his commanding officer over as soon as he finished inside. She nodded numbly as she swiped at the tears trailing down her face. What seemed like hours later, the officer in charge came over to tell her that Elizabeth's parents had found her unresponsive in her bedroom earlier. Beside her were a note and a bottle of her mother's prescription sleeping pills. He handed Bella a piece of paper enclosed in a plastic bag. As she read the words, her tears started fresh.

I don't want to live like this anymore. I can't seem to be able to fit in anywhere and as much as Mrs. Cullen tries to tell me that things will get better as I get older, things just seem to be getting worse. I really think that the world will be better without me in it. Please forgive me for leaving you such an unattractive corpse.

Elizabeth

Bella wanted to scream and yell. She wanted to find Elizabeth's parents and smack them until they realized what they had done. She wanted to go back to last week and do something, anything that would be able to make this poor girl see that her life was worth living, that things would indeed get better. But she knew there was nothing she would have been able to say to change her mind. To her, life was not going to get any better, and she took the only way out she could. Bella thanked the officer and gave him her card in case he needed any more information. She drove home in a fog and sat down at the counter in the kitchen, staring out the window.

That was how Edward found her two hours later when he finally felt he was finished with the score. He almost sat down on her before realizing she was even there.

"Bella, baby what's wrong?" He whispered, frightened that she was sitting unresponsive in the empty kitchen.

"One of my students killed herself." She said, her voice emotionless and bleak.

Edward had no idea what to say. He knew how important Bella's students were to her, especially the ones who were dealing with a similar situation as she had dealt with growing up. He figured actions were louder than words and wrapped her up in his arms, holding her steady as bone-shaking shudders rocked her body. She cried for the lost little girl who thought she had no way out. She cried for the hundreds of others like her that were going unnoticed and ignored. She cried because she wished she could help them all, but knew she could not.

Edward carried her up the stairs, setting her on the bed while he started a bath for her. He gently undressed her and set her in the warm water, bathing her gently as tears continued to flow. Getting her dressed in one of his t-shirts, he folded the blankets over her and lay down next to her, humming the lullaby he wrote for her until she fell asleep. Bella woke up with the faint morning light streaming through the windows. For a moment she forgot all about the previous evening and simply enjoyed the feeling of being wrapped in Edward's arms. Her impatient bladder pulled her from his embrace sooner than she wanted and she trudged into the bathroom. She huffed when she saw the empty toilet paper roll and bent over to get a new one. She pushed aside the blue box to grab a new roll, but the paper fell out of her hands as she picked up the box and started counting in her head. Her period was two weeks late. With all of the extra work and stress at school, it had completely slipped her mind. She turned and dug through the drawers, looking for the stash of pregnancy tests Alice had given her months ago when they started to try and get pregnant. Reading the directions over and over, she peed on the stick and paced nervously till the test was ready. Her heart was beating furiously in her chest as she waited. Looking down at the digital readout, she screamed with joy as she picked up the stick from the counter and went running into the bedroom, jumping on a still sleeping Edward.

"I'm pregnant!"

()*()

EPOV

Those words changed my life. I thought I would never be as happy as I was the day that Bella walked down the aisle to become my wife, but the morning she came running out of the bathroom screaming those words beat that. I can't say that I was not petrified as we made an appointment to meet the OB my sisters had used. I was worried for Bella, since she was still dealing with the stress of losing one of her students. She was tired all of the time and could barely stomach anything. After the appointment, the doctor helped to alleviate some of my worry by telling us that both of those were common symptoms in early pregnancy. Her due date was January fourth, and the date seemed like an eternity away and just around the corner at the same time.

Thankfully I had not committed to any new projects for the rest of the year, so I had plenty of time to spend getting the house ready for our new arrival. There were so many tips for blind parents to make the house safer for everyone involved. The main thing was making sure that the path was always clear, no shoes or bags in the usual walkways. They suggested having an overabundance of wipes, since I would not be able to see during diaper changes, I needed to just keep cleaning until there was no way anything could be left. They also warned to be prepared to get poop on you, which was freaking me out to be honest. It was one thing to get spit-up on, poop was totally a different thing.

Bella had been doing wonderfully as the pregnancy progressed. By the time August rolled around and she moved into her fourth month, she had started to show. I loved wrapping my arms around her and feeling the firm bulge of our child. We had the opportunity to find out the sex during her 20 week ultrasound, but decided to leave it as a surprise, much to the horror of the rest of our family. We did not care what it was, just so long as it was healthy. September started and Bella had to make a decision about whether or not to go back to work. She hated thinking of all of the kids she might be able to help before the baby was born, but worried how they would react when she had to leave them with another counselor in January. She decided not to go back to work at the school, instead choosing to work with Rose and Emmett in their new center. She did not need to work, I made enough to support us with just two movie scores, but she did not want to stay home doing nothing when she could be helping a child somewhere. I swear my love for her grew more each day.

When I first felt the movement of our child in October, I could not hold back the tears. It had not felt real to me until then, especially since I was unable to see Bella's body changing and growing. Every night, Bella would lay on her side with my head on her belly as I hummed to our child. She would swear that he or she would go crazy when I would start singing, no doubt recognizing their father's voice, but I doubted that. When she would eventually drift to sleep, I would continue to caress her belly and sing, unable to stem the tears that always came when I thought about the fact that I would never see this child. As excited as I was for the big day to arrive, I was also petrified.

Bella started decorating the house for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. I think if she could have, we would have been eating turkey under the Christmas tree. She was a holiday freak and we had so many decorations I had to hire a company to come and put the lights on the house, cause there was no way in hell she was getting me up there. I had tucked away a few gifts for the baby, hoping that they might come early enough to be able to open them with us Christmas morning. I never realized my wish would come true.

The week before Christmas I was working on a new lullaby for the baby when I heard the sound of glass breaking from downstairs. We had installed an entire house intercom so I would be able to hear what was going on while I was working. Fearing the worst I ran down the stairs, calling for Bella as I searched each room. I finally tripped over something when I entered the kitchen, immediately dropping to my knees. My heart was beating out of my chest as I felt Bella's warm body lying unresponsive on the floor. I quickly grabbed the phone and dialed my father, somehow relaying the information to him and getting his word that he was on his way and would call an ambulance. I felt around Bella to try and see if she was hurt, and was disturbed by how much sticky fluid was around her. I could not see what color the substance was to know if it was just a spilled glass of milk…or blood. I held her in my arms, counting her shallow breaths as I waited for my father. I would not be able to go on if something happened to her, she was my life. I knew it was selfish and that if something were to happen to me I would want her to live her life and be happy, but I could not do that. If she died, so would I.

The front door slammed open followed by the quick footsteps of my father. He gasped as he came into the room and my heart plummeted. It must be bad. Then he started laughing and I whipped my head towards him.

"Edward…you have no idea. I am so sorry to laugh but it just looks so funny." He said as he bent down next to me and examined Bella.

"What is so funny?" I growled as I released her enough for him to place the stethoscope on her chest and waited for him to speak.

"Edward, you know how sensitive to blood Bella is. It looks like she fainted when she cut her finger on a jar of blueberry pie filling. That is what is all over the ground, purple goo. Both of you are covered in it." He laughed as she shifted around to check her legs, making sure she did not hurt anything else when she fell.

"Shit." He mumbled before I heard his footsteps running out of the room.

"Dad? DAD!" I screamed as I held Bella tighter against my chest.

He was back moments later with what sounded like the paramedics.

"Edward it looks like Bella's water broke and there is some blood in it. We need to get her to the hospital now." He said as he knelt down next to me and tried to get her out of my arms. I released her to him and sat back on my heels, praying for what felt like the first time in forever. I would do anything and give anything for her to be okay.

They would not let me ride in the ambulance with her, but thankfully by that time my mom had arrived and she drove behind it, the sirens making my stomach plummet. Why would they need the sirens to go five miles? I was pulling on my hair so hard I could feel strands in my fingers when I brought my hands away. I needed her to be fine. I needed both of them to be fine. They had already taken Bella up to labor and delivery by the time we got in and I was told I needed to wait until they had her settled till I could see her. Mom tried to get me to drink some tea and sit down but all I could do was walk around and make promises to a God I was not sure I believed in. Someone came out and told us they had to rush Bella in for an emergency c-section because her placenta had started to detach which was dangerous to both the baby and Bella. We were only two weeks away from her due date so they expected the baby to be fine. I wanted to go in and sit with her, but they said they had to put her under since things were moving so quickly. Someone would be out once the baby had been delivered, he said. I walked to the end of the hall, as close to the operating room as I could get and slid down the wall, my face buried in my hands.

Emmett pulled me from the floor and all but threw me into the on-call shower and when I was presentable, handed me some hospital issued scrubs. I returned back to my spot not five minutes later and tried to remember how to breathe. An eternity later I heard the electric doors open and the sound of footsteps. I was surrounded instantly by my family, but all I was listening for was Bella's condition.

"Congratulations Mr. Cullen, you have a beautiful, healthy little girl." The nurse announced and everyone around me cheered. I was just waiting for news on Bella.

"And my wife?" I whispered, speaking only loud enough to be heard over my family.

"They are still working to control the bleeding. Unfortunately when the placenta detaches like that, it can be hard to get the uterus to start clotting. Dr. Gerandy and your father are working on her. I can show you down to the nursery so you can meet your little girl if you will just follow me." She said cheerfully, as if she had not just shaken the foundation of my world.

"No." I whispered, shaking off the arm that was trying to pull me to my feet.

"Edward, come on man. You need to come meet your little girl." Emmett said, as he crouched down next to me with his hand on my shoulder. I pushed against his chest, sending him sprawling across the floor.

"I said no! There is no way I am going in there to meet her until Bella can see her too." I yelled as I struggled to my feet and turned around to face the wall, my head leaning heavily against the cool drywall. I could hear one of the girls crying behind me and the hushed voice of someone trying to sooth them. Damn it, did they not understand that I could not do this without Bella. She was the reason we were even having this baby. I wanted to give her everything she wanted, and she wanted us to have this child. How could I take care of her without Bella? Without her I had no heart.

Everyone headed down the hall, with the exception of Jasper, who stood next to me while I sobbed quietly against the wall.

"You know this is not what she would want. She would want you in there making sure your baby girl was safe and happy, not out here." He said softly.

"I can't do anything without her Jasper." I said, my voice gravely.

"Edward?" I whipped my head up towards the sound of my father's voice. He walked over to me and I could feel his face inches from mine.

"Is she?" I cried, as his hands came up to my shoulders.

"She is fine. It took longer than we thought to get her bleeding stopped and we had to give her a transfusion, but she is in recovery now and should be taken to her room in the next thirty minutes." He said, a smile creeping into his voice. My legs wobbled beneath me and I flopped down to the ground in relief.

Forty minutes later I had my mother on one side and Emmett on the other as we walked into Bella's hospital room.

"Edward?" I heard her voice rasp and immediately ran towards the sound. My knees hit the edge of the bed and I gently extended my hands until I felt her warm hands guiding me down to her. I wrapped my arms around her tenderly as she held my face in her hands. I could feel the grateful tears rolling down my cheeks as she pressed her lips to mine.

"I love you." I cried as I let the anxiety and pain of the last hours overwhelm me.

"I love you too baby, but right now I am kinda pissed." She answered tightly, pushing against my shoulders so she could look at my face. I was clueless as to what she meant, and it must have reflected in my expression.

"Why has our little girl been all alone in the nursery this whole time?" She asked and I ducked my head.

"I could not see her without you. I wanted to experience it together." I whispered, and I could hear the ladies behind me sigh.

"Well, as sweet as that is, I would have rather had her daddy hold and comfort her until mommy could." She said, her voice getting thick with tears. I heard a squeaky noise coming from down the hall, followed by the oohs and ahhs from our family. Our little girl must have arrived.

"Ok mom and dad, are you ready to meet your little girl?" The nurse asked as she pushed in the glass bassinet. I moved aside so she could hand her to Bella and waited for her to describe her to me.

"Oh Edward, she looks just like you but with my hair." Bella laughed and I felt my eyes filling again with the pain of being denied seeing her first hand.

I reached my hands out as I sat on the edge of the bed. I wanted to hold her, to feel her soft skin. Bella gently placed the sturdy bundle in my hands and I could feel her chin resting on my shoulder as she looked at us. I slowly lifted my hand, making sure to hold tightly with the other. My hand shook as I stroked my finger down her satiny cheek and was suddenly blinded by light. I gasped as the sunlight from the windows turned my world orange before I adjusted to it and was able to make out the face of my baby girl.

"Hello Elizabeth." I whispered, before raising my watery eyes to my wife and watched her face split into a joyful smile as she realized I could see her. I blinked furiously as I took in the faces of my family as they stood in the doorway, their expressions all matching Bella's…shock and awe. I looked back down at the source of my miracle and laughed as she yawned hugely, apparently unaware of what she had done. I handed her back to Bella and sighed as my world was plunged into darkness again. I felt Bella take my hand and place it around Elizabeth's tiny fingers as she opened the snaps of her hospital gown and tried to get her to nurse. I watched with joy as her eyes fluttered up at me and then closed. Bella was not surprised that I had wanted to name our daughter Elizabeth. She had meant so much to Bella, and I knew it was a great memoriam to the lost little girl's memory.

Our child was a miracle in more ways than one. She had given me back the ability to see, although I quickly realized that I did not need to see her in order to feel the love she had for me. I was able to watch first hand as Bella's body changed again when she carried our son, Alec, and was overjoyed that with simply a touch against his skin he allowed me to see him as well. Through the years I was able to see my children grow and my wife get even more beautiful. I tried not to take advantage of my kids, wanting them to have as normal a childhood as they could. I cried when I watched them graduate from high school and then college. They got married and had children of their own, and I was able to see it all.

I was happy though, when it was just Bella and I in the house again. I loved spending quiet days and even quieter nights with her, showing her how much I loved her. Without her I would never have been able to see at all, let alone be blessed with two children and then five grandchildren. When she got sick and I watched her take her last breath surround by our family I knew I would see her again soon. I did not have to wait long as four weeks later I went to bed and never woke up. They called it a heart attack, but I told you I could not survive without my heart.

A/N: Sigh. I cannot thank you all enough for joining me on this ride. I value and cherish every single review and alert I received from you. I hope this was a nice Christmas gift to those of you who celebrate and a nice Saturday gift to those of you who don't.

I look forward to seeing you when I eventually post my new story. Until then – Thank you.

With Love,

Kate