I own nothing.

If you had told me when I started this story that it would take me so long to complete it, I would have laughed.

I'm not laughing. If anything, I'm apologetic, embarrassed, and so grateful that some of you are still with me. My life has been crazy this last year! I began a new career and it has become more successful than I ever expected. Unfortunately, that leaves me very little time to write. I know it has been far too long and if you've forgotten what this family has been up to and don't want to read, I completely understand. Thank you for following their tale this far. For those of you sticking it out for one final chapter - thank you for staying with me.

I'm sad to see them go, but looking forward to the next story. As always, I'm grateful for Fran who always makes my words better. She catches a lot of garbage that I miss and has everlasting patience.

Happy New Year to you all!

Enjoy.

"I don't like it."

A quick giggle escaped before I brought my fist to my mouth to stop the laughter when I looked up to find Edward scowling, hands on his hips, at the young boy holding a sad bouquet of wildflowers. However, the moment he turned the scowl in my direction, I reached out and swatted at his leg.

"Edward, you can't be serious! He's barely twelve years old, and the son of our dearest friends!"

Jackson Whitlock had adored Ellie from the moment he laid eyes on her. Theirs had been an enduring friendship of summer swims in the river to snowman construction in the winter and everything imaginable in between. They were nearly inseparable, and each of them trusted the other completely. It was only recently, when Ellie began wearing her hair in long curls rather than braids that things began to change. Jackson would often tug on her braids, teasing her about one thing or another, but the first time he reached for her soft curls and wrapped one around his finger, the world had shifted. Jasper had seen it immediately and took Jackson aside. His expression was firm, but his eyes were gentle and his words soft as he spoke with his eldest son. From that moment, Jackson had been a perfect gentleman with Ellie – opening doors for her, holding her chair at dinner and insisting on removing anything she caught from the line when they went fishing together.

It frustrated Ellie to no end. She simply wanted her Jackson to return to the boy she loved and who held her fierce loyalty.

Edward had been blessedly oblivious until two days ago when he found Ellie in the barn weeping. She explained that she and Jackson had been to the orchard and he insisted on carrying her apples to the house. When she tried to take them from him, he insisted that he should be the one to carry them because he was a boy and therefore stronger. Since she was the weaker of the two, it was his place to handle the task.

My very independent daughter had been greatly offended.

To his credit, Edward had been calm and reasonable about the whole thing – until he laid eyes on Jackson presenting flowers to his Ellie Belle.

"Edward!" I tugged on his trousers until he turned to face me once more. "Sit down and eat your lunch, please. You've no need to hover; you can keep watch on them from here while you keep me company. It's your fault I am unable to socialize freely among our friends."

His posture changed in an instant as a small smirk played at his lips. Dropping to sit beside me, his grin grew as he leaned in closer to whisper. "You speak as though I alone am responsible, but I would venture a guess that not a soul here would believe you weren't actively and pleasurably involved." He pressed a kiss just below my ear while laying his hand on my swollen middle. "After all, the evidence is running loose all over the orchard."

"You're incorrigible!" I laughed as I covered his hand with my own, moving it so that he could feel the baby move.

"Incorrigable? Yes! Every time I lay eyes on you, love." He kissed the tip of my nose before pushing himself to stand as our daughter came running toward us. Ever vigilant, Edward placed himself in front of me, protecting me from a possible collision should she trip as she ran.

"Daddy!"

"Yes, Lizzie?"

"Come quick, Daddy! Thomas has gotten himself stuck in one of the trees by the river."

Edward sighed and shook his head. "I'm going to have lead shoes made for that one."

Lizzie snatched a cube of cheese from the picnic basket before grasping Edward's hand and dragging him toward the water's edge.

I smiled as I watched Edward crouch down and offer his back to Lizzie. She clambered up and giggled as he wrapped his arms under her legs and bounced her a few times as they made their way down the hill.

Elizabeth Anne – Lizzie – was our second born, and where Ellie was our independent adventurer, Lizzie was our caretaker. She held herself solely responsible for the well-being of her older sister and younger brother. She was our century baby, born just a few months after the birth of the year 1900.

Thomas Charles came along two years later and was as fearless as a lion. He would try anything once, regardless of the danger or stupidity, often finding himself in a tight spot as a result. More than once, Edward has had to retrieve him from the roof of the barn, the house, and even the clinic. It seemed that the higher the climb, the happier the boy, thus his current situation in the tree on the riverbank. He was the only one of our children that we called by his given name rather than a nickname. Edward swore that it was because a nickname didn't hold the same authority in a scolding as his full given name and when a child received as many scoldings as Thomas, it was necessary to have the name handy. Wild spirit aside, Thomas was a gentle soul and loved fiercely.

Theodore Edward – Teddy – was born two years after Thomas and was the joy of seven-year-old Ellie's heart. She loved that sweet baby and chose to stay by my side caring for him rather than spending her time playing with her sister or her friends. I believe that somewhere deep inside, she must have somehow known that his time with us would be brief. Teddy was a very small baby, born a little early and weak. Edward and I held him in our arms as he went to sleep for the last time, forty-six days after he was born. We buried him beside his Grandpa Charlie, taking comfort in the knowledge that they were together.

The grief nearly consumed us in the days that followed. Edward took some leave from the clinic, knowing that Marcus could handle anything that was necessary. We both existed mindlessly, dutifully caring for our remaining children and our home, but there was no life in either of us. We spent our evenings staring at the fire from opposite sides of the room, never speaking to or touching one another. It seemed that too much of us died with our little boy and neither of us knew how to find our way back to one another. Jasper and Alice had been our saving grace.

"Ellie, honey, can you find Thomas' shoes for me?" I stood in the middle of the room watching Alice and Victoria pack clothes for my children. "Lizzie, bring me your hair ribbons, please."

"Edward agreed to this? You've asked him?" I was surprised that he would agree to allow all the children to be away from us for one day, much less three. I wondered briefly what I would do with myself without my babies to care for.

"Jasper is speaking with him now. I've brought dinner for you so you won't have to worry yourself with preparing anything for the two of you." Alice nodded to Victoria, who gathered the children and took them downstairs. "Now, you must pull yourself together, Bella. You're too thin, you're pale, you barely speak, and when you do, there is no life or joy in you at all." She grasped my arms and shook me gently, but with enough force to get my attention. "Bella! I know you're heartbroken, but you have three other children, and they deserve better than what you're giving them! And Edward! Bella, I don't see how you will survive this without each other. Talk to him!"

She enfolded me in her arms and held me tight for just a moment and then turned and left me alone to wrap my mind around all of it. I stepped outside just in time to see Jasper lift Thomas into Alice's arms and then climb onto the wagon, lifting the reins, and leaving me on the porch alone. A glance at the barn found Edward staring at the empty space where the wagon had been before turning his eyes on me. They widened briefly as his mouth opened and then shut just as quickly. Taking a step back, Edward turned and disappeared into the darkness of the barn, leaving me alone in the late afternoon sun.

The evening had long since cast its shadow when I heard Edward enter the house. I sat in my usual chair, an open book lying unread in my lap.

"You should have gone with Alice."

His quiet words stole my breath. I'd felt I might be crushed under the weight of my guilt, and his words were lead to my already burdened heart. Swallowing past the pain, I closed my eyes as I asked the one question I knew would hold the power to destroy me when he answered.

"You can't forgive me?"

"Forgive you?" I lifted my eyes at the shocked sound in his voice, but couldn't bring myself to meet his gaze for fear of what I might find there. "What have I to forgive of you? It was my …"

His words stopped with a choked sound as he came toward me, the sound of his boots on the wood floor was loud in the silence of our empty house. I felt the first tear roll down my cheek as those boots settled directly in front of me.

"Bella, please," his voice broke as he lowered to his knees. "Please, look at me."

When our eyes met, the anguish in Edward's were overwhelming. His hand shook as he lifted it toward my face, only to stop before touching me, clenching his fist, and dropping it to his own thigh. His chin quivered, and his tears ran freely down his cheeks as he spoke.

"They were my hands that brought him from your body. Maybe … maybe if it had been Alice, she would have kept you from delivering so early. She might have known another way to …" His shoulders shook as he fought against the sobs that were desperate to break from his chest. "It's me who needs your forgiveness, Bella. Yours and Teddy's."

"No!" My tears fell just as heartily as Edward's as I pressed my hands against my stomach. "It was my weak body, Edward. If I had been strong enough to carry him just a little longer. If he were just a bit bigger. I was his mother, I should have …" Reaching out, I clutched Edward's shirt, curling my hands into the soft cotton, begging for redemption. "Please, please forgive me."

It was the first time either of us had intentionally touched the other since we'd lost our son. Edward was quick to move, his hands grasping my shoulders, yanking me from the chair and pulling me tightly against his body. The force of it caused him to fall backward but his right hand only left me long enough to brace himself and then was wrapped around me once again. For my part, I clung to him as though my life depended on him.

He was my life.

Edward and our children.

For hours, we wept, begging one another for forgiveness, each absolving the other of blame that had never been placed, and absolving ourselves of the guilt we carried for a wrong that neither of us committed.

Our son was lost to us in body, but our love for him would live on. It would be a horrible waste of that love if we couldn't find our way back to one another despite our grief.

Teddy would be nearly four now, and Edward often wondered if he would have made it that far with Thomas's influence. I shudder to think about Teddy toddling behind his older brother, following him to rooftops or trees over rushing rivers.

I heard the giggling before I saw them. I recognized Ellie's sweet laugh as Thomas came into view, his hands desperately trying to cover his backside as Lizzie and Edward wore matching grins directly behind him.

God, they were beautiful.

I rubbed gently at my belly, wondering which of the stunning creatures before me this baby would favor. Edward's handsome face, or perhaps Ellie's bright eyes. I secretly hoped for another child with curls like Thomas's, but Lizzie's sweet freckles and alabaster skin would be lovely on a baby as well.

"Mama, everyone thought Daddy was taking a switch to Thomas as we walked up the hill!" Ellie broke into a fit of giggles as Lizzie told the story. For his part, Thomas was still covering his behind, and his cheeks were as red as summer strawberries. "Daddy just made him slide down the limb until he could catch him when he jumped, but when he let go, he … he …"

Lizzie's giggles got the best of her and she and Ellie burst into laughter as Edward chuckled and shook his head at the lot of them. Stepping forward, he placed his hand on Thomas's shoulder and turned him as he finished the tale.

"The bark was rough and ripped clean through his trousers. He walked half way up the hill with himself in full view until his sisters couldn't keep control of their giggles."

Sure enough, Thomas's little pink bottom was on display as the entire seat of his pants was missing. Try as I might, I couldn't contain my laughter either.

"Are you disappointed?"

I tore my eyes from the tiny bundle in Edward's arms and watched his face as he smiled tenderly at our daughter. He pressed a reverent kiss to her forehead before leaning in to kiss me softly as he placed her in my arms.

"Never, sweetheart. I'm blessed beyond understanding, and I'm so grateful for a strong, healthy baby girl and her strong healthy mama." He stroked her palm with his finger, and she wrapped her hand around it, gripping it as I brought her to my breast.

"Thank you, Bella." Edward's eyes were rimmed with tears as he held my gaze. "Thank you for having the courage to carry and birth another child."

I smiled softly at him. "Thank you for giving me a girl. I don't know if I would survive another Thomas!"

Edward roared with laughter, startling Lillian Grace as she had just settled into her feeding. I bounced her gently, wincing as she latched onto my nipple once again.

"I know that pain all too well," Alice sang as she entered the room. She carried clean linens and a pitcher of water which she handed to Edward, nodding toward the glass on my bedside table. He obediently filled it and placed it in my hand before taking his place beside me on the bed once again.

"Have you told her the news?"

Edward shook his head, "I was just about to."

"What news?"

Edward grinned. "Lillian Grace Cullen shares the same birthday as the great State of Oklahoma. The proclamation was made just a while ago, but I thought the news could wait until you were finished with your task for the day."

"A wise decision," I laughed. "I'm sure I wouldn't have cared if Oklahoma became its own country until this little one made her appearance."

"Well," Alice began, "the children are all about bursting to meet their newest sibling. Carlisle and Esme are here as well, but Carlisle said he would wait with Esme until the children have had their time with Lillian. Shall I tell them that you will bring the baby down in a bit, Edward?"

"Yes, please. And send the children in on your way if you don't mind."

Alice nodded and turned to go. Edward called out just before she reached the door, rising as he began to speak.

"I don't know how to thank you, Alice. For everything."

Before she could answer, Edward wrapped her in an embrace, and both of them shed a few tears before parting. Alice glanced at me, smiling softly as Edward released her, nodding as she turned back toward the door.

None of us had ever spoken of those days following Teddy's death when Alice and Jasper had kept our children while Edward and I came to terms with our grief.

Sometimes, there are no words necessary.

Sometimes, those we love, and who love us, know what we need more than we know ourselves.

Love and forgiveness.

Our lives were defined by those two necessities, and our home would always be full of both. I glanced down at the sleeping infant in my arms as Edward guided our daughters and son into the room to meet their new sister. It was in these rare precious moments that the love felt overwhelming.

Half an hour later, as Edward carried our newborn down to meet her grandparents, I was grateful for the forgiveness that had brought us such peace. As I lay back on the pillows and closed my eyes in hopes of a brief nap before another feeding, I could hear Esme's broken words as she greeted Lillian. Carlisle's deep voice murmured softly and lulled me to sleep amidst my memories.

It had taken Edward the better part of a year to forgive his mother completely, and much longer than that to begin to trust her once more. For her part, Esme was a changed woman, and I couldn't help but be thrilled to see love develop anew between her and Carlisle. He was like a young man in love for the first time and Esme blossomed under his affection. Even Edward, in his guarded state, was drawn in by their romance.

Once Carlisle brought Esme back to Oklahoma Territory, the healing was slow, but there was never a doubt in my mind that we would eventually be a solid family. Esme became the mother I'd missed, teaching me things that a young wife and mother should know and yet always mindful of her place in our home. She was careful to keep her opinions to herself when it came to disciplining Ellie or how I kept my home.

There were things that I taught her as well. We spent many hours in my kitchen canning fruits and vegetables for the winter months and making jams, jellies, and pickles when the picking season was at its peak. Edward and Pops were both disappointed they'd missed the ruckus the first time Esme milked one of our cows. I'd never admit that I had spoiled them by warming my hands before the morning milking, but I would admit that I hadn't encouraged Esme to do the same. When her cold hands found the udders, that poor cow kicked up a fuss and Esme ended up on her backside in a pile of fresh manure. I surely thought she would have been furious, but she simply blinked twice and burst into a fit of giggles.

It was her laughter I missed the most.

About a year after Teddy's death, Pops sent one of the field hands to find Edward in the wee morning hours. Esme had gone to bed early, trying to ease a headache and had slept fitfully through the night. When morning came, Pops woke to find her staring at him but unable to move much at all. Her face had taken on a strange drooping expression, and she couldn't speak.

Edward called it apoplexy. He explained that it was a bleeding in her head that paralyzed one side of her body and made it difficult to talk. He went on to say that she could hear and likely understand everything we said to her. He hoped that her speech would improve in time, but there were no guarantees.

As it turned out, our little Lizzie was the best medicine for her Nana.

Lizzie was our little songbird. She loved music and was an eager student. Edward and I taught her every song we could remember from her childhood and she sang them often and repeatedly. It was a sunny afternoon in early spring when Pops had brought Esme out for a picnic with the children. She smiled that sad half smile as she watched Thomas chase Ellie across the yard, his chubby little legs unable to move quickly enough to catch her. Lizzie, lost in her own daydreams as she picked bright yellow dandelions, began to sing a hymn.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like

"Me."

The sound startled all of us.

I think it surprised Esme most of all. Her eyes darted to Edward, wide with surprise. Edward smiled and encouraged Lizzie to keep singing. Lizzie continued to sing as she made her way to her Nana's chair and took her limp right hand in her own. The words were slurred and quiet, and took great effort, but it was the sweetest song we'd heard in ages. Esme's soft voice would accompany Lizzie's only occasionally and for only one word at a time, but it was clear that her mind was sharp and she desperately wanted to communicate with us.

This began a ritual between Lizzie and Esme. Every time they were together, Lizzie would sing a song patiently hoping that her Nana would offer her voice to the melody. It was a beautiful thing to watch the unspoken words between them, and a precious gift to us all when those words found their way out into the world for all of us to enjoy.

Edward had researched treatments that might benefit his mother, but most of them would require her to return to Chicago or to another large city such as Boston or New York City, perhaps. Pops always refused, knowing that Esme was exactly where she wanted to be. As it turned out, Lizzie became the best treatment for Esme and inspired Edward and Marcus to consider what other alternative methods might benefit their patients.

In fact, their hopes of advancement in medical therapies would bring about great change for our family in the near future.

Once the winter passed, Edward and I would be moving our family to Guthrie. The capital of the newly recognized State of Oklahoma would be located there, and Edward had been asked to head up a commission to advance medical care as more people came west. Plans had already been made to open hospitals and clinics, and it would be no small task. Edward had expected that doctors from the established states would be brought in to give direction, but the men governing the transition into the union were set on Edward's expertise when it came to the possible health afflictions in this new area of the nation.

We certainly weren't alone. Jasper and Alice would be moving as well. He had been invited to serve in the new government while it was being established. Pops and Esme were planning to stay in Maxwell for the time being. Once Edward and I were settled in our home, they would gladly make the move, as both Edward and Rosalie would now be within a few miles from one another.

Things seemed to be changing so quickly, it was enough to make my head spin.

Closing my eyes, I relaxed into the pillows and began drifting as a light sleep overtook me. It seemed only a few minutes before the sound of Edward's soft voice drew me from slumber. I watched him as he paced the room, his eyes focused on the baby as he sang softly to her.

It was a moment I wished I could hold forever.

"We didn't mean to wake you," he whispered, "but, I think she misses her mama."

I smiled and held my arms out to him, beckoning them closer. Edward was careful not to jostle the bed too much as he sat, placing the sleeping baby in my arms.

"I could hear Esme. She was happy?"

Edward grinned and nodded. "Of course, she was happy. Pops helped her hold her granddaughter. She … um, well, she kept saying one word over and over." He suddenly stopped speaking and met my eyes with a nervous expression.

"Edward?"

He rubbed his hand across the back of his neck and glanced at the baby before looking back at me. "I know we didn't talk about another nickname for her, but the only thing my mother said was 'Lilly'. What do you think?"

I studied the tiny face of our daughter, memorizing the soft, pale skin and the wisps of white-blond hair. She was a delicate little thing with her perfect pink lips and her father's long fingers. The abbreviated name was an accurate description.

"Lilly Grace." I smiled and nodded, "It's lovely."

It was late spring when we loaded the last of our things into the wagon and pulled away from the home we had loved. Edward and I both hoped that one day we might return to Maxwell and to the quiet way of life we had come to enjoy. Realistically, we both knew that our lives would never be the same. We were moving to a city where Edward would be much sought after for his expertise, and should we one day return to Maxwell, it surely would have grown and changed from the sleepy little town we now knew.

Still, even with the heaviness of leaving the place where we began, we were more than excited about what would lie ahead for our family.

It was only Edward, little Lilly, and me traveling together. Ellie, Lizzie, and Thomas had left yesterday with Jasper and Alice and were eagerly awaiting our arrival later tonight. We would spend our first night together in our new home, just outside of the city.

We had been riding for a short distance when Edward pulled the reins gently and drew to a stop in the middle of the road.

"Is something wrong, Edward? Why have we stopped?"

Reaching up, Edward gently stroked the back of his fingers down my cheek before lifting his eyes to the distance and nodding slightly toward something behind me. Turning my eyes from his, I saw it.

The tree.

The same one where I had hidden that day so long ago.

The same road where my father gave his life to protect me.

The same place where Edward found me.

Shifting my sleeping baby in my arms, I pressed my hand to Edward's cheek. "I don't know what would have become of me if you hadn't come along that night. In case I haven't told you recently, thank you for saving me."

Edward shook his head, his eyes soft. "We saved each other, Bella. You from exposure and destitution, and me from loneliness and a life without love."

"Hmmm. Don't forget that you would still be sorely lacking in your ability to handle a gun as well."

His shoulders shook as he roared with laughter. "So true, sweetheart. Well then, on to our next adventure, Mrs. Cullen?"

"Lead on, Mr. Cullen. I'll follow you anywhere."