So this is it, guys...The last chapter of Where We Are :) I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did!

Where We Are

Happily Ever After

December 25th, 1998

'Are your eyes closed?' Doug asked.

'Yes, Doug! Now tell me what's going on?' Carol said, impatiently.

Doug laughed. 'Not yet. Zach, you got your eyes closed, buddy?'

'Yep' Zach answered. He was sitting in the back seat of the car, his little hands clamped over his eyes.

'Doug, what in God's name is going on?' Carol asked, swinging her hand out blindly and catching Doug right in the chest.

'Just hang on one more minute. And stop hitting me!' Doug replied.

Carol exhaled impatiently and crossed her arms across her chest. Doug chuckled again.

'So help me, Doug Ross if you don't tell me-' but just then, the tyres squealed as the car came to a stop.

'We're here' Doug said. He looked over at Carol, her eyes still shut, her expression both impatient and curious. He smiled. 'I'll help you out, hang on' he said. He got out of the car, ran around the other side and opened Carol's door. He took her hand and guided her out of the car.

'Hang on, I have to get Zach' Doug said, then. He checked Carol's eyes were still closed, then opened the back door.

'Where are we?' Zach asked, his hands still firmly over his eyes, as Doug unbuckled the seat belt and lifted the toddler into his arms.

'It's a secret' Doug whispered and Zach giggled.

'Doug!' Carol called.

'Alright, alright' he held Zach tightly in one hand and wrapped his other hand around Carol's shoulder.

'Ready?' he asked.

'Yes!' Carol and Zach said together. Carol sounded exasperated, Zach sounded excited.

'Okay then, open your eyes' Doug said and both complied.

Carol stared at the house in front of them. Nothing extravagant, a small white house, with a blue door and matching blue shutters. A porch wrapped right around it, a small swing seat sat to the front. It was snow covered and looked rather picturesque. The last thing Carol saw was a "For Sale" sign in the centre of the garden. Furthermore, a small sign saying "Sale Agreed" was stapled to it.

Carol's head whipped around to stare at Doug. He was smiling at her, waiting.

'You bought us a house?' she asked, unsure.

'Don't be ridiculous! I didn't buy it... Santa Claus gave it to us' Doug said. Zach gasped and his eyes lit up.

'Santa gave us a house?' he asked, incredulously.

Doug nodded. 'And you get first choice of bedroom' he told the little boy.

Zach cheered, wriggled out of Doug's arms and ran up the little garden path, up the porch steps and flung open the front door. Doug and Carol could hear him stamping his way up the stairs.

Carol was still in shock. She turned to Doug again, silently asking for answers.

'Well, we can't live in my flat forever, Zach needs a proper bedroom, not the living room couch. Plus, you sold your house. And as soon as I spotted this one, I knew you'd love it. So I bought it on the spot' Doug explained.

Carol smiled and wrapped her arms around Doug's neck. 'You are the most wonderful man I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. And I love you' she said.

Doug chuckled. 'Do you want to see inside?' he asked. Carol grinned and nodded.

February 14th, 1999

'Carol! Phone!' Jerry called from the Admit desk to Carol in Curtain Area 1.

Carol smiled at her patient, an old and frail lady with emphysema. 'I'll be back in one second, Mrs Rodriguez, you just keep that mask on' she told the old lady. Then she stood, snapped off her gloves, threw them in a bin and went to the phone.

'Hello?' she said.

'I just called...to say...' Doug's voice sang down the phone.

Carol laughed, loudly.

'...I love you.'

'You're crazy you know that?' Carol said, still smiling.

'That may be...but it's Valentine's Day. I'm allowed' Doug said.

'Uh-huh, right. So how are my two men doing without me?' Carol asked.

'Oh we're doing fine. I've had to crawl around the house with Zach on my back about a million times while he yelled 'Giddy-up, horsey!', watch about fifty re-runs of SpongeBob SquarePants, make a dozen batches of waffles and we've been to the park twice. I'm telling you, he's going to be out like a light for your mom tonight' Doug told her.

'My mom? What are you talking about?' she asked.

'Oh did I forget to mention that I'm whisking you off to a fabulously expensive restaurant to wine and dine you' Doug said, laughing.

'Eh...yeah, you kind of forgot that alright' Carol replied, smiling.

'Well, I am. So don't be late home' he ordered.

'Yes sir. Now I needed to get back to my patient. See you later' Carol told him.

'Okay...one more thing though' Doug said.

Carol sighed. 'What?'

'And I need you from the bottom of my heart' Doug sang.

Carol laughed again. 'Goodbye, Doug!' she said loudly and hung up.

April 23rd, 1999

'Happy Birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to Mommy, Happy birthday to you!' Zach sang loudly as he entered his mother's bedroom at 6.30 in the morning.

Carol woke suddenly and sat up. Doug was standing in the doorway, Zach in his arms, who was holding a small cake with enough candles on to burn down the house. She smiled.

Doug set Zach carefully on his feet and the three year old made his way slowly to the bedside. 'Happy birthday, mommy!' he said, grinning widely.

'Thank you, baby' Carol said, she leaned across the bed and kissed Zach's forehead.

'Blow out your candles! Make a wish' Zach commanded.

Carol laughed, took a deep breath and blew out all the candles.

'What you wish for?' Zach asked immediately.

'Nothing. I have everything I want right here' Carol replied, running her fingers through the boy's hair. Doug smiled and came to lie down next to Carol. He wrapped his arms around her and planted a kiss on her bare shoulder.

Carol looked down at the cake. 'You didn't actually have to put on the right amount of candles' she complained, though she was smiling still.

Zach's eyes almost popped out of his head and Doug chucked. 'Mommy...you're fifty?' Zach asked.

'Cheeky monkey' Carol said and gently hit him with a pillow.

Doug laughed again. 'He is right, though. There's fifty candles on the cake' he told Carol.

'Why in the world would you put on fifty?' Carol asked, looking over her shoulder to see Doug smiling.

'That's what was in the pack and Zach insisted on putting them all on' he said. Zach giggled.

Carol shook her head and laughed too.

'Mommy, can we go see Reese today? It's his birthday too' Zach asked.

'Maybe...if you behave' Carol told him.

Zach rolled his eyes. 'I always behave' he said, looking at his mother as if she was crazy. Doug and Carol laughed.

'Go get dressed then' Carol said and Zach shot out of the room. Carol rolled over and cuddled into Doug's side.

'We need to talk about something' she said.

Doug noticed the change in the voice and looked down at her with concern. 'What's up?' he asked.

'Well, I know it's really soon and everything and I hope you'll be okay with it. I mean, I kind of freaked out a little when I found out but I think we'll be okay-'

'Carol stop babbling and tell me' Doug said, sitting up on the bed. Carol did the same.

'I know it's my birthday but I sort of have a present for you too' she said. Doug's eyebrows came together.

'I'm pregnant' she spat out quickly, then bit her lip, waiting.

Doug's expression was unreadable, his light brown eyes downcast. He raised a hand and ran it through his hair. Not a good sign. So she pushed on.

'I saw Dr Coburn and she said I'm about nine to ten weeks. I guess that makes it around Valentines's that I...well...conceived-' but Doug cut her off there. He finally lifted his head and and when their eyes met, Carol's voice trailed off. He smiled.

'I think that is the best present I've ever received' he said.

Carol smiled and leaned in to kiss him. Doug laughed. 'A baby...wow. I'm going to be a father' he whispered, disbelievingly.

Carol giggle and looked up at him. 'You're already a father. And you're great at it. And this baby is so lucky to have a daddy like you' she said.

Doug smiled, happily. 'I love you, Carol' he said, then leaned in to kiss her again.

May 11th, 1999

'What happened?' Doug asked as he burst into the exam room. Carol was lying on the gurney, one arm above her head, her stomach showing.

Dr Elizabeth Corday was sitting beside Carol, guiding the ultra sound across the nurse's stomach.

'I was bleeding a little' Carol said, nervously. She was as white as a ghost and Doug feared the worst. He ran around the bed, opposite Elizabeth and took Carol's hand.

'Is the baby okay?' Doug asked Elizabeth.

'Hang on' Elizabeth said, staring at the screen. Doug moved so he could see it. Carol closed her eyes and groaned.

Doug's mouth fell open. 'Is that what I think it is?' he asked.

Elizabeth grinned. 'Yes it is' she confirmed. Doug felt lightheaded with both relief and shock.

'What is it?' Carol asked, opening her eyes and raising her head to see the screen. Elizabeth pointed to a small pulsing dark spot on the screen.

'There's the heartbeat' she said.

'Oh thank god!' Carol sighed, resting her head back on the pillow again.

'And there's the other heartbeat' Elizabeth added. Carol's head snapped back up.

'What?...There's two?' she asked. Doug's hand tightened on hers. 'Twins?' she asked, so shocked the word was barely audible, her head whipped back and forth between the two.

Elizabeth grinned and nodded. 'Twins' she confirmed.

Carol looked over to Doug who looked as shocked as her. 'Twins?' she asked again. Only this time she didn't sound as if she didn't believe it. More like "How are we going to manage twins and a four year old?"

Doug smiled. 'Don't worry. We'll be fine' he assured her. Carol's head flopped back down on the pillow.

'Twins!' she breathed, still shocked. Doug chuckled.

'Congratulations' Elizabeth said. She stood up, wiped the gel off Carol's stomach, pulled down her top and left the room.

'Twins' Carol said again and Doug smiled and squeezed her hand again. They looked at each other and both smiled.

November 3rd, 1999

Screams and bangs issued loudly from the living room where Zach, Rachel, Little Susie, Reese and ten other children from Zach's new pre-school were playing. All the adults were gathered in the kitchen.

'How long have you left now?' Mark asked Carol.

'A week, thank god. I thought Zach was hard enough. Do you know how uncomfortable carrying two babies is' Carol replied. Everyone laughed.

'I'd say Zach is looking forward to having little brothers or sisters' Susan said.

'You have no idea. Every morning he runs into our room and shouts "Are the babies here yet?" I think we're going to have to put a lock on that door!' Doug said. Carol nudged him but smiled.

'Have you guys picked out names?' Peter asked.

'Well we have three boys names that we can agree on which are Braden, Emmet and Daniel but we can only agree on one girls name, that's Tess' Doug answered.

'So if we have two girls, one might go unnamed for a little while' Carol added and everyone laughed.

Just then Zach rushed into the room holding a blue envelope in his hand. 'Mommy, we were playing in the garden and I found this in the post box' he said, handing Carol the envelope.

"Zachary Tagilieri" was written on it. The address was that of the old house Carol had sold almost a year ago. The current owners had forwarded it to their current address, but Carol knew who it was from by looking at the handwriting on the first address. It was from John.

Zach had already left the room again, so Carol opened it. Doug leaned in and read it over her shoulder.

'To my dearest son, Zachary. Happy 4th Birthday. I love you, Daddy.' One hundred dollars lay inside.

Without even thinking, Carol ripped it up and threw it in the trash, money and all. She didn't want anything from John. If she had her way she would never even think about him ever again. This was the first contact he had made in almost a year and Carol hoped it would be the last.

Nobody commented on her actions and soon everyone was chatting amongst themselves again.

That night, when Zach was asleep and Carol and Doug were in bed, Carol turned to Doug.

'I want to change Zach's name' she said, without preamble.

'Has he been asked you to call him SpongeBob again?' Doug asked, laughing slightly.

'No I mean his last name. I don't want him to be Tagilieri anymore. Every time I write his name I think of him and I don't want to' Carol explained.

'Oh right' Doug said and he sat up in the bed, 'So you're going to change it to Hathaway?'

Carol hesitated, then pushed on. 'I don't want him to be Hathaway either. Your Ross, the twins will be Ross, someday, I'll be Ross too' she paused and considered Doug's expression. 'I think, when we're registering the twins you should adopt Zach. Then his name will be Ross too' she finished.

Doug was silent as he considered that. Eventually he looked up and smiled. 'I would love to adopt Zach' he said.

November 25th, 1999 (Thanksgiving)

'Doug, your making a mess!' Carol laughed, as Doug hacked away at the turkey on the table.

Mark, Susan and Rachel were over for Thanksgiving dinner and so far, it had been a happy and stress-free day. Carol was a week overdue on the twins and it had become almost impossible for her to move, so Doug had done everything in preparation for the holiday, with a little help from Zach.

'Move over, Doug, before we all starve to death' Mark said, standing up and taking the carving knifes from Doug, who laughed and sat down beside Carol.

Mark carved the turkey without any problems, much to Doug's displeasure, and the children's amusement. Doug loaded up Carol's plate for her and had just placed in front of her when a shooting pain seized Carol's oversized belly and she gasped.

'What is it?' Doug, Mark and Susan all asked at the same time.

'Just a little cramp. I'm fine' Carol assured them. They all went back to their meal.

A few minutes later, the pain started again, causing Carol to gasp loudly again. This time, it lasted a little longer and everyone was silent until the pain passed. Then Doug got up and crouched beside her, placing a hand on her stomach. 'Is it the twins?' he asked.

Carol nodded, breathlessly. She couldn't believe this was happening now. Suddenly, she felt a wetness between her legs. She looked over at Doug who was gazing at her, concerned.

'Doug, we need to go to the hospital. My waters broke' she said calmly.

Everyone rushed into action. Soon Carol was in the back of Mark's car, Doug beside her, Susan, Rachel and Zach were waving from the front door. Mark got into the car, slammed on the accelerator and pulled away from the curb.

...

'It's a girl!' Doug shouted, tears of happiness running down his face. They were in Trauma 1, having not had the time to make it upstairs to OB. The first baby was impatient, causing Doug to step in and deliver their daughter.

'Show her to me' Carol gasped and Doug placed the baby on her chest. Carol looked into the beautiful brown eyes of her daughter and cried. 'Hello, Tess' she whispered. She looked up at Doug who looked rather dazed, a stupid grin on his face.

'Congratulations, Carol' Mark said, coming closer to see Tess. 'She's beautiful.'

'Give her here, I'll clean her up' Doug said and unwillingly, Carol passed her daughter back to her father. He smiled down at the bundle of joy in his arms and whispered, 'Hi Tess. I'm your daddy.' Carol watched, her heart ready to burst with joy. She had a daughter. Zach had a sister. They were a family.

Without warning, another pain gripped Carol and she moaned loudly. Doug was about to come closer, when Mark placed a hand on his arm. 'Take care of Tess. I'll check her' he offered. Doug nodded and Mark smiled.

'Already? She can't be coming already' Carol breathed deeply. After the birth of her first daughter, she had no doubt that she would soon have another.

Mark smiled. 'Well she is. Now on the next contraction, start pushing' Mark told her.

...

A few minutes later, Mark placed a second baby on Carol's chest, another girl, like she had expected. Doug and Tess stood at her shoulder, smiling down at the little girl in Carol's arms. Mark stood up and smiled.

'So, she needs a name? Tess needs to know her little sister's name' Mark said, gently, smiling.

Carol looked down at her daughter, and shrugged. 'We never decided on a second girl's name' she said. Doug smiled. He bent down and pressed a kiss to his daughter's head.

Carol looked back up at her oldest friend. He had been there from the very start, never letting her down and now, he had safely delivered her baby. 'You name her' she said.

Mark looked surprised. Carol looked up to Doug, checking with him and he nodded. 'You're our best friend, Mark' Doug said simply.

'Well, I don't know what to call her' Mark said, shrugging his shoulders.

Carol thought back. Mark's mom had died recently, a few months ago. She, Doug and Susan had gone with him to San Diego for the funeral. She knew how heartbroken Mark had been when his mother passed away, especially because his relationship with his father wasn't a very strong one.

'What was your mother's name?' Carol asked.

'Ruth' Mark replied. He laughed slightly when Carol pressed her lips together and looked at Doug.

'Middle name Katherine' he offered.

Carol's head snapped back to him. 'Kate!' she exclaimed. Mark smiled. When Carol looked around at Doug, he smiled in agreement. Carol looked back down at her baby, sleeping soundly in her arms.

'Hi, Kate' she whispered.

'Thanks, Carol' Mark said quietly.

Carol shook her head. 'No, Mark, thank you.'

...

'Who'd have thought, huh?' Doug said into the tranquil quietness of the night.

Carol smiled a tired smile. Inside she felt peaceful, happy and above all, incredibly lucky to have what she did. She sat in the bed, holding Kate close to her. Zach was snoozing beside her, his head against her shoulder. Doug sat on the chair beside her bed, cradling Tess and smiling at her like she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

'Yeah' Carol sighed in agreement.

To think that just a year before, she had been married to someone else, struggling through each day and asking herself what would happen. What had happened was something she had never anticipated, but now, she felt oddly pleased that it had all happened. For it had led her to Doug, led her to a better life and led her to give birth to two beautiful baby girls. Now, there was not one thing in her life that she would change, not for the world.

Doug looked up at Carol, still smiling. 'You have made me the happiest man on this earth. Thank you so much for that' he whispered. She smiled in reply.

Doug looked back down at his daughter. 'I hope you know that you will not be dating until you're at least thirty...maybe even more' he whispered to the sleeping baby.

'I can't believe we've come this far, made it through all we have and are sitting here with three beautiful children. This...this is where we are supposed to be. And I promise you, I'm going to do my best to make sure all four of you have the wonderful life that you deserve' Doug said quietly.

Tears came to Carol's eyes as she stared into Doug's light brown ones, that matched their daughters perfectly.

Tomorrow they were going to register Tess Helen Ross and Kate Sarah Ross, and begin proceedings for their little boy to become Zachary Ethan Ross. Then possibly make plans for Carol to become Mrs Ross. They were a family now and nobody was ever going to ruin their happiness again. Doug leaned across, careful not to wake Tess and pressed a kiss to Carol's forehead.

'I love you' he whispered.

'I love you, too' Carol replied.

Where We Are,
Is where we're supposed to be,
Where We Are,
Keeps the breath in me,
Where We've Been,
Risen from the day,
Where We're Now,
None can tear us apart,
That's Where We Are.

AN: So, that's it guys! Where We Are is complete! Of course, it's not a perfect Doug/Carol story without Tess and Kate now is it? ;)

Huge thanks to those that reviewed: Simply Woven, PhoenixStar93 and AnimalCrakersFreak.
To everyone who Favourited/Alerted the story: Fally420, ForeverEvolving, Catty, Samvalasam, Rosa Atrus, Sparkie-43, Bitterandblue95, Missa32189, Kashtien James.
To Tizzy because I know you've read and because you're a mom! :)
To Molly for sticking with this story for so long!
To Ryan, Noah and Rory, I love you!
And to anyone else who had read this.

I can't say when I'll be back, life has gotten too busy for me, plus I only have one chapter of a new story written ;) I have to concentrate on my studies for a while, so I guess I won't be posting again until we finished up in twelve weeks (How will I survive without my FanFiction Fix!) I'll still be around when I have some spare time though, reading any wonderful ER-ness you guys post for my enjoyment :)

Thanks again!
Until next time...
Katelyn