Greetings! One last little visit to Evermore before saying farewell. I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 15/outtake

"Race you!"

L giggled as she ran from the barely stopped rental car, her skirts billowing around her ankles as she ran across a grassy field.

"Not nice, Mrs. Lawrence," Will called after her, slowly climbing from the vehicle.

"You started it!" she called over her shoulder, continuing to run. Her laughter echoed over the rolling hills.

Shaking his head, Will slowly removed his suit coat, folded it, and placed it on the seat before closing the door and locking the vehicle.

L continued running, looking over her shoulder to see if her husband was following, but since she had crested a hill, he was nowhere to be found.

"Silly man. Hasn't learned I'll cheat to win a bet when he's…"

Her words were cut off when she ran into a stone wall.

"Oof!"

L shook her head, trying to clear the cobwebs shaken loose. Usually, she bounced off and kept going but this…

"Oh, no," she murmured, turning her head to face a very amused William Lawrence.

"Boo!" he said with a grin.

"You… how… I…"

"Vampire speed trumps hybrid every time."

She wanted to wipe that proud smile off his face.

"And you, my dearest love, tried to cheat."

"I didn't try to cheat!" She placed her hands on her hips and gave him her best glare.

It failed miserably to change his mind.

"No. You cheated."

"Well, how else was I going to win?"

With a mischievous twinkle in his eye, Will took a step toward his wife who now refused to look at him.

"You could have asked," he murmured gently, ducking his head, trying to get her to look at him.

"Oh, yeah, right," she scoffed. Her voice then became more and more feminine. "Darling, would you let me win a footrace so I can collect a whatever-I-wish-for prize?"

She batted her eyelashes before making a face.

"That would go over oh so well."

"And what would you have wanted as your prize, Liriope?" Will's voice grew deeper and softer as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

She shook her head.

"It's silly."

"Let me be the judge of that. So, Mrs. Lawrence. Here we are. In the dark with a glorious full moon shining down on the grounds of Stonehenge. And there is something you want of me."

L nodded, fiddling with a button on Will's dress shirt. It was a very interesting button with swirls in the plastic and little flecks of different colors. Fascinating, really.

"You're going to make me say it out loud, aren't you?" she finally whispered.

"Absolutely!" He grinned broadly. "That's the price of your cheating ways."

L hemmed and hawed, refusing to look at Will who waited patiently. She finally cracked.

"So it was a long flight…"

"It was."

"And I forgot to download something new to read so I reread something."

"Something."

His matter-of-fact response made her peek up but Will's face remained annoyingly neutral.

"Something from last year."

"I see."

"From my bridal shower."

"I didn't think the ladies gave you any books."

"Not a book. A PowerPoint presentation."

"Ah, yes. The presentation that shall not be named but ever so appreciated."

She could hear the humor in his voice and felt the blood rush to her cheeks and the tips of her ears.

"Appreciated?"

L cleared her throat to get rid of the squeakiness.

"Ever so." Will wrapped his arms around his wife's waist and drew her closer. He placed a soft kiss on her lips. "Especially the role play section. And the lingerie. And the…"

L ducked her head, flushing a bright pink.

"So there was a section we haven't explored yet," she mumbled, suddenly finding an imaginary piece of lint on his shirt very interesting.

"Oh, really?"

"Outdoorsex," she said rapidly, burying her face in his chest.

L could feel Will trying to hold back a laugh.

"And you thought I'd be against it?" he whispered next to her ear, one hand running gently up and down her back.

She shook her head.

"Then what would be the issue?"

"Location?"

"Hmmm. I see."

"Is that a good hmmm or a bad hmmm?" She peeked up at her husband who appeared to be studying their surroundings.

"You know Alice is going to be irked if we're late."

L shook her head.

"I didn't tell her we caught an earlier flight. Besides, she's too busy arranging Bella's surprise to pay us any mind."

"Seems you have this entirely planned out."

L smiled broadly, nodding her head, hoping his words meant what she thought they meant.

"Well, Mrs. Lawrence. Since you went to all this effort, there is only one thing to say."

He loosened his hold on her and stepped back.

"Really?"

He nodded before looking down at her with now-black eyes.

"Run," he whispered, a wicked grin gracing his face.

And she did.

~BE~

In a small cottage in the Lake District, clad in luxurious maternity loungewear, L sat awkwardly on a expensive chase lounge, surrounded by pillows and blankets to make her nest as comfortable as possible. But she paid it all no mind, gazing at a blank white wall as she traced her fingers in abstract patterns over her belly.

She was tired, exhausted from not sleeping for the last three days. Her eyes were dark and her skin even paler than normal. Yet to Will, Liriope had never looked more beautiful because of the reason behind her discomfort.

"What are you thinking about so intently, my love?" Will asked, bringing her a glass of water with a freshly cut orange slice garnish.

"Stonehenge," she murmured in a far-away voice. L took the glass and after a few sips, smiled her thanks up at him.

"Stonehenge?"

"I think something happened there."

"Well, I know something happened there," he said with a devilish grin. "I had to move one of the stones back in place after we were done. Even saved the clipping where the local press commented on the earthquake centered in the area."

L threw a pillow at her husband that he easily deflected.

"I'm serious."

"About?"

"I think this…" She pointed to her belly. "Came about because of what we did there."

She winced.

Will immediately knelt beside her and took her hand.

"Braxton-Hicks?"

"I…" Another pain shot through her abdomen, cutting off her ability to breathe much less talk.

"Call Esme," L whispered a few minutes later, panting to catch her breath. She relaxed back into the chaise lounge, her hands over her belly, rubbing small circles.

"I don't think those are Braxton-Hicks," Will muttered, grabbing his phone and making the call.

"You sure you don't want me to take you to the hospital?" he asked gently after ending his conversation with Esme.

L laughed and shook her head back and forth, her eyes closed.

"And watch you bite the head off of every man there? Literally? Not likely."

"I apologized for that."

"You did. But that doesn't mean I want to have you put in a situation where it could happen again."

L began to try to stand up but couldn't get her bearings. Without thinking, Will picked her up and set her aright.

"Thank you. Esme said when the contractions start, I should walk around. Apparently, it will help with something or other." She waddled a few steps, shooing his hands away when he tried to help.

"What can I do?"

"Not fight with Carlisle when he gets here. If he or Esme thinks he needs to take over, let him."

"Liriope…"

"I get it. I really do, William." She began to waddle around the room, dodging furniture as she went. "You are a vampire and the protection vibe is strong. I love that part of you. But I'm half-human. I'm not indestructible. James showed us that last year."

"But you recovered."

"With Carlisle's help. In the event something goes wrong with the birth, Esme is going to call him in and he's going to see…"

"I know that!"

L stopped and faced her husband. She stared at him a few minutes before shuffling across the floor, trying not to walk out of her slippers. She reached up and took his face in her hands.

L studied her beloved's face for an eternity before smiling serenely up at him.

"We're going to see our children. Soon, by the feel of it. Our little miracles. Please don't ruin it by getting into a fight with the man I have thought of as my brother for over 70 years."

Will slowly nodded.

"I will do my best," he whispered, lowering his head so their foreheads touched.

"That's all I can ask for."

"Knock knock!"

In a whirlwind, Esme rushed into the cottage and immediately began to assess L's condition while Carlisle stood back, watching Will's reaction.

"I'm fine," Will murmured as he watched his wife be guided back toward the bedroom. "I'm fine."

"I'll get you once I have her situated," Esme said, calling over her shoulder.

"Have you hunted recently?" Carlisle asked as the door closed.

Will nodded. "L made me go out this morning. Almost as if she knew this was happening today."

"Quite possible. Though it was getting close based off of her measurements."

"L thinks she knows how the babies happened," Will said after a few silent minutes.

"Well, I should hope she does. I doubt the two of you have spent the past year perfecting your backgammon game."

Will cast his wife's oldest friend a disparaging glare. Carlisle merely chuckled to himself, earning an even sourer look.

The bedroom door opened and before Esme spoke a word, Will was next to his wife, holding her hand.

"Let's do this," Esme said, turning back toward L who nodded just before another contraction struck.

~BE~

Andrew William Lawrence and Elizabeth Grace Lawrence were born in the wee hours of the morning, gracing the world with lusty cries from strong lungs. Although physically exhausted after several hours of labor after days without sleep, Liriope Missouri Hermitage Lawrence and her husband William Andrew Lawrence agreed they had never heard a more wonderful sound in all of their days.

A perfect blend of both of their parents, Andrew and Ellie exhibited certain talents early on that confirmed what Elizabeth Masen had said. As a result, L decided to put her own skills into retirement and to focus her energies on teaching her children how to manage their abilities, perfectly content in her own Evermore.

And that is all she wrote… at least for this set of characters. I've been with them for over four years and while it's hard, it is time to let them live their own lives.

Last fall, I participated in the Twilight 25 and came up with several plot bunnies. I hope to work on those and start publishing something soon so put me on alert if you're interested! (And I hope you are!)

And as always, I love hearing what you think so drop me a review or two!

Best always,

DeJean