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"When you love someone, all your saved-up wishes start coming out" ~ Elizabeth Bowen

Epilogue – Worth Waiting For

Standing sideways, I looked at my reflection in the full length mirror we had in our bedroom. My tattoo caught my eye as I was drying off after my shower and I paused to admire it. I loved how the seven colorful stars wound their way up my side, intertwining with delicate wispy lines as it curved around my hip. It was beautiful and seeing it always made me feel sexy and slightly daring in a kind of pathetic, conservative good girl gone bad sort of way.

That thought made me laugh, I wasn't at all conservative or a Miss Goodie-two-shoes, but I could remember a time when I was perceived as both by people who were thought to be my peers. They obviously didn't know me very well. To be fair, it wasn't completely their fault... I played the part perfectly because it was expected I would and, I'm ashamed to say, I wanted to be the perfect wife, with the perfect life so I let myself be molded into someone else's ideals and I told myself I was happy. In the end, I was just the preverbal round peg in a square hole – I could fit in, but I wasn't where I belonged. Thank God we don't always get what we think we want.

I smiled, returning my focus to my reflection once again. My tattoo was sort of the best of my past, present and future all wrapped up in one design. Each star was a memory or a wish I wanted to hold close to my heart.

Gently, I ran my fingers over the bright yellow star on the outside of my thigh; this star was for my parents. After a second, I let my fingers follow a fine scrolling line up a little further to the next two stars, side-by-each. Bella's was the pink one and the green star was Rosalie's. Thinking of them always brought a smile to my face; these three stars were the ones I'd been certain of from the beginning when I thought about the wishes I'd been blessed with. My parents had loved me and even after their deaths had provided well for me, ultimately sending me safely into the arms of what would become my real and lasting family – my best friends.

I blinked away a sentimental tear as I dragged my finger over to the purple star, this one symbolized survival. Every unfortunate circumstance, the roadblocks and detours I had to take all culminated and made me who I am right now. I'd survived it and I was extremely proud of myself.

Next was a beautiful, bright turquoise blue star, one the exact color of the ocean I once watched from the window seat at my beach house. This was my wish for happiness. When I set off on my journey looking for a new direction in life, California was only to be the jumping off point. I had no idea at the time, that my wish started coming true the minute I set foot in that house over two years ago now. I shook my head, closing my eyes as I remembered how I almost let everything slip through my fingers when I ignored my heart and walked away.

I put my palm over the big red star just inside my hip bone... this one I secretly called my Jasper star and it was my wish for true love. I smiled as I thought back to the day on the beach when I first heard his voice. I couldn't see him, but it didn't matter, my heart knew him exactly the same way he said his heart knew me.

Edward once told me that Jasper had been looking for me for a very long time and now I knew what he meant. Jasper was exactly what was missing from my life and I had no idea until I found him. He was Love, Lust, Peace and Contentment, Security and Trust all rolled into one. He was my soul mate… yeah I know - corny, but how else could he know exactly what I was thinking before I was even aware of it myself, or exactly what to say before I even knew I needed to hear it, or exactly what to do in every way that was perfect for me. I saw myself blush in the mirror as I thought about how he anticipated all my needs.

My eyes dipped to my last star. The pretty little orange star was the last of the wishes I made back when I started over; it was also the last to come true. At first when I asked Jasper how many wishes I could have and he said I could have as many as I wanted, I sort of threw this one in just in case. I wouldn't let myself consciously make this wish because I was afraid of jinxing it. It almost seemed greedy, but after my encounter with that beautiful baby boy at the plaza, I stopped worrying about making too many wishes. I sighed wistfully as I placed my hand on my tummy.

I was so lost in thought I didn't hear him behind me and I jumped when Jasper wrapped his arms around me, chuckling softly and kissing me just below my ear. He rested his chin on my shoulder and smiled at our reflection as he made a big show of trying to touch his finger tips together in front of my very large baby bump.

"Stop…" I whined, "I'm not that big!" We both chucked knowing it wasn't true, I was absolutely ginormus.

"Aw Darlin', I love how big you are." He kissed me again as he ran his warm hands over my bare skin, moving them in large, soothing circles. I felt a not-so gentle shifting from inside, pressure against my belly walls as if trying to mimic Jasper's hands; the dual sensation made me feel tingly.

You couldn't even imagine my happiness the day I got to tell Jasper he was going to be a Daddy. It would forever be one of the best moments of my life when I saw the look of pure love and pride in his eyes. It was overwhelming, and even thinking about it now still took my breath away. My last wish was coming true and I was going to be a mom.

Everything played out again in my head. How Jasper and I sat hand in hand in the doctor's office, anxiously waiting for her to confirm the home pregnancy test I'd taken with Rose and Bella. I chuckled as I thought about the three of us standing in the bathroom, heads together, waiting for the two pink lines to appear. Then, only a few months ago, when we listened to the fast whooshing sounds of our baby's heart beating and watched the monitor as the ultrasound technician pointed out the tiny hands and feet for us on the screen. Jasper gently brushing his fingers through my hair as he kissed our mingled happy tears off my cheeks while we tried to comprehend that the doctor was pointing out a second set of everything. It seemed my one tiny orange star was a very powerful wish indeed and we were having twins.

I rolled my eyes as Jasper moved in front of me and knelt down, putting his ear to my tummy like he was listening. I giggled, wondering what he was going to say this time. He often had these private moments with our babies, it was touching and cute as he told them all about how we loved them and how we couldn't wait to meet them; and it was always amusing when he told them funny little things about their crazy Aunties and Uncles. Then, when he told me what he 'heard' them saying, it almost always made me cry for it was either very touching or so adorable that I cried from laughter. I placed my hands on his head, running my fingers through his hair as he lifted his head, kissed each side and then looked up at me.

"They say they want out."

"Oh yes please!" I said with earnest enthusiasm.

"They say it's pretty crowded in there."

"Hmm… I bet it is." I smiled down at him and he kissed me in the middle of my tummy. That kiss, I knew was meant for me.

"Anything else you want me to do while I'm down here?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

I snorted, wondering how in the hell he still found me even the slightest bit desirable in the condition I was in, "Oh I don't know… what did you have in mind there cowboy?" I smirked at him.

His eyes sparkled, "Hey, you got it right." I nodded; biting my lip as he slowly crawled forward, carefully backing me up to the edge of the bed. I sat down as I felt the mattress hit the back of my knees. Jasper hesitated, pulling back slightly to look at me, "We don't have to Darlin'," willing to stop if I wanted to, always the perfect gentleman.

"NO!" I fisted my hand, grasping a handful of hair before he could move away and I blushed at my over reaction, "No, I want to…" I bit my lip and my blush deepened, "I really want to." Seriously, the fact was, I always wanted him and being pregnant just magnified things… I was constantly horny, much to Jasper's delight.

He gave me his usual heart stopping smile and stood up, kissing me passionately as he helped me lay back on the bed, putting pillows under my head and shoulders. I watched him as he removed his shirt and undid his jeans, biting my lip again as I saw he wasn't wearing anything under them. When he leaned over me for another kiss, I let my hands run over his chest and down into his open fly, the groan he made as my hand ran over his straining erection made me moan in return. He winked at me mischievously just before he began to make his way down my body, stopping to lick or kiss every so often until he got low enough to whisper, "Okay kids, shut your eyes and plug your ears," as he knelt on the floor again. My giggles quickly turned into a gasp as I clenched handfuls of bed sheets and cried out in absolute bliss.

~ * ~

I waddled into the store front that housed Rosalie's business, 'Waiting for Work'. When she opened the employment agency, for professional restaurant and catering staff, eighteen months ago she was an immediate success. Word had already gotten around about her idea and not only did she have scores of service people wanting to register with her, but Restaurateurs from miles around flooded the phone lines wanting to use her expertise to staff their establishments. Rose's idea was a perfect fit for this area and she was already planning to expand.

"Hi!" Rose called cheerfully as she rushed over to me and placed her hands on either side of my tummy and cooed, "How are our babies today?" As usual, a series of pokes and kicks followed her words; it seemed my children liked Rosie's voice as much as they did Jaspers. Rose smiled warmly, and then looked up as if she was surprised to see me, "Oh, hi Ali."

I snorted, "Oh, hi Rosie," I pushed her away and made for my favorite chair, sinking down awkwardly. The stupid thing squeaked as it took my weight and a few snickers came from behind cubical partitions. I yelled shut-up to Emily and Leah, her office staff.

"Aw, are you having a bad day?" Rose asked me teasingly.

"No, not really… but I can't say you or your giggly little friends are doing much for my hormonal self-esteem. You used to be excited to see me when I came around," I laid on the guilt a little thick and as usual, Rose showed no mercy by laughing at me.

"What are you doing here anyway and how did you escape without your bodyguard?" Rose asked as she shuffled papers around on her desk.

I grimaced at the thought of what I actually had to do to get a few minutes to myself; Jasper had become increasingly more protective of me since our last doctor's appointment when Dr. Denali asked us to stay close to home and be sure we were prepared for me to go into labor. Jasper had squeezed my hand when he smiled at her words and he hadn't let go of me since.

"What did you do?" Rose had a sparkle in her eye at the thought of getting in on my act of rebellion.

"Nothing," Her dubious look made me stammer out my confession. "Well… I may or may not have sent him on a bogus craving errand across town." I shrugged.

"Oooo, are you gonna be in trouble when he finds out you escaped." Rose slowly shook her head, and just as I was about to tell her he'd never find out, Emmett's voice rang out from the doorway.

"Busted!" He pointed at me, "Yep I found her, she's with Rosie. No Jazz, everything's fine, she's sitting here with her feet up," he bent and lifted my feet off the ground and Rose slipped a file box under them, "relaxing with my girl." Emmett winked at me.

I propped my elbow on the arm of the chair and let my head rest on my fist as I watched him pull Rose to her feet for a kiss. "Yeah, yeah she loves you too… Dude, I'll carry her upstairs myself when she's ready to go, so chill." He snapped his phone shut and gave me an amused look, "Did you really think you wouldn't get caught?"

I rolled my eyes.

"What's a matter momma? Are you feeling okay?" Emmett looked worried as his eye shifted back and forth between me and Rose.

"I'm fine," I said a little too harshly, "I'm just tired of being locked up in the tower, I needed to stretch my legs and get a little fresh air."

"And take a meeting with a possible new tenant...?" Bella said from somewhere behind me. I tilted my head back and pressed my finger to my lips as a signal for her to be quiet.

"You're down here to show a unit?" Rose asked incredulously, "Are you deranged? Jasper's gonna lock you up for real."

"I'm fine! I repeated. "We still have three more units to fill and it's my job to get them leased… I was hoping to get it done before I went into labor."

We had a total of eight store front units on the ground floor of the building. We already had a retail store called the Board Shop, specializing in everything surfboards, snowboards and skateboards. We also had a Copy Shop, a Book Store/Coffee Shop, Rose's Agency and Bella's Law Office.

"Rose, this is important. The person I'm meeting with today is interested in taking the two side-by-side units for an Art Gallery; they'd be a perfect tenant."

"They called by the way; they're running a bit late. I told them to come anyway."

"Thanks Bella," I said with a sigh. She put her hand on my shoulder and squeezed.

"You're welcome… Oh, and Jasper's looking for you. He called my cell to ask me to find you."

I huffed with a little growl of frustration. Bella squeezed again and smiled.

We all looked up when the door opened. It took a moment, but when the stroller appeared Bella darted from my side, rushing over to her daughter and husband.

Edward and Bella got married just after I returned to California. They were head-over-heels in love and didn't want to wait to plan a big wedding, so they opted for a quiet, ocean side ceremony at the beach house instead. Then, that Christmas they surprised us all, when they announced they were expecting in July. Lizzy was born on July 4th with Edward's tousled hairstyle and Bella's big brown eyes. She was a sweet little girl, loved and spoiled by everyone as was recently demonstrated at her first birthday party a just last month.

Of course, once they got married it was imperative they have a home of their own and we set to work planning and renovating the rest of the building immediately. Emmett and Rose moved into the beach house until their loft was complete, while Jasper and I cozied up in a corner of his with our beautiful new bed. We had a temporary bathroom and kitchen installed, and for months we only had walls of plastic to keep the dust down while construction crews worked around us. It didn't matter, we were happy in our soon to be beautiful home and for us, being together was all that mattered.

In February, we all went to Vegas for our first Valentine's Day together and ended up at the Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel to watch Elvis officiate at Rose and Emmett's wedding. It was probably the most fun I'd ever had at a wedding. It fully suited their personalities and, as the wedding pictures can attest to, the guy really was a very good Elvis.

Edward held up shopping bags, showing us he'd brought lunch and it was enough snag my attention. He laughed when my head popped up as he placed the delicious smelling containers of take out on the desk next to me. "I heard you were craving Falafel," he whispered as he kissed my cheek.

"Thank you Edward." I clapped happily.

He started setting things out, "Hey, did you know Jasper is looking for you?" I scowled, deciding not to comment as everyone else laughed.

A few minutes into our lunch, Rachel, Bella's assistant opened the door between the units, "Excuse me Alice?" I turned to her.

"Rachel, if you're going to tell me Jasper asked you to find me, I may have to have Bella fire you."

Luckily she laughed before she told me my prospective tenants had arrived. Just as I started to push myself out of the chair to go meet them, Jasper came strolling in.

"Going somewhere Sweetheart?" I stopped struggling to get up as I took in his smirk. The man really did have a sixth sense when it came to knowing when I was up to something.

"Nope," I sighed, smiling sheepishly at him.

Bella tapped Rose on the shoulder, presumably to ask her to watch Lizzy, she then motioned to Edward. "We'll take care of it Alice, don't worry." Edward nodded as he got up to join her.

"Thanks guys." I was a little disappointed, but I also had to admit I was ready for a nap.

Jasper crouched down and took my hand, "Are you alright baby?" I nodded as he kissed my palm.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I said softly this time, all the fight suddenly gone from me as I looked into his beautiful blue eyes, "Sorry I worried you."

He chuckled, "It's okay; just remember and take your cell phone next time." I bit my lip and nodded, I'd been forgetting a lot of things like that lately. "Ready to go?"

I nodded and he stood to help me get to my feet. We took our time, walking arm-in-arm to the front of the building, then we made out in the elevator like we always did. When we got home, Jasper asked if I wanted to cuddle on the couch or in bed, as he went to the refrigerator.

"I think on the couch, we can put a movie on..." I called back to him as I made my way to the bathroom.

When I got to the living room, Jasper had our pillows on the sofa, a movie cued up, and once he had me settled under a quilt, he handed me a paper bag as he snuggled in behind me.

"What's this?" I asked as I peeked in the bag.

"The Peanut Butter and Chocolate Ice Cream you asked for," he held out a spoon for me.

"You found it?" Guilt flooded me and tears leapt to my eyes.

"Aw Ali, now don't cry… It's just Ice Cream."

"No," I swallowed hard, "that's not it, it's… you could have gotten this a few blocks away."

"I know – that's where I got it." He took the lid off the container and stuck the spoon into the centre.

"You got this down the street?" He nodded with a little smirk on his face.

"You didn't drive around all morning looking for it?" His smile widened and he shook his head.

"I knew what you were up to and I knew you wanted to get out for a while. I understand Ali… It's no fun being cooped up and hanging around with me all the time."

I pushed his hair off his face and cupped his cheek, "Jazz, it's always fun being with you." He kissed me softly and then stuck a spoonful of ice cream into my mouth.

I relieved him of the rest of the carton, snuggling into his embrace.

~ * ~

I blinked my eyes open and listened. It was still dark and the only sound immediately evident was Jasper's soft breathing from directly behind me. Nothing seemed amiss and yet I had a funny feeling like something was wrong. I lay still, trying to gauge what was up.

Jasper pulled me closer to him, his warm body comforting me. "Okay Darlin'?" His voice groggy with sleep.

"Uh huh… I think I just have to pee," I slowly pulled myself to the side of the bed and sat for a second before I pushed myself up.

"Need help?" I smiled as I glance over at him, he'd offered, but hadn't moved a muscle or opened his eyes.

"No Jazzy, I'm fine. Go back to sleep." I watched as he tucked his hand under my pillow and sighed.

"M'kay."

I shuffled to the bathroom and then into the kitchen to make a cup of tea. There was no sense in trying to go back to bed right now, something was making me feel anxious and I knew I'd never be able to relax enough to sleep. It's not like I could get comfortable anymore anyway and I'd only end up keeping Jasper awake. I absently rubbed my side while I waited for the kettle.

The day we found out we were having twins, the doctor told us that most pregnancies involving multiples didn't go full term and she'd remind us about that fact almost every time we saw her again. At our last appointment, she very pointedly told us to be prepared because it could literally be anytime now. Maybe the fact that we were getting closer to my actual due date was making me antsy; the anticipation was getting to me.

We were ready though; I poured water over the tea leaves and enjoyed the aroma as I continued to go over our Countdown to Babies Checklist. The room was decorated and all set up and we had two of absolutely everything. The infant car seats were installed in the car and had been checked and rechecked by Jasper, Edward and Emmett multiple times each. We'd completed our child birthing classes and my bags were packed for the hospital.

There was really only one thing we hadn't done. Jasper and I hadn't gotten married yet.

It was my fault we weren't married. Jasper actually wanted us to get married immediately after I came back to him, but I talked him into waiting. To me it didn't seem fair for us to weasel-in on Bella and Edward, they had gotten engaged first and they deserved to get married first. Then Rose and Emmett did the Vegas thing, and again, it seemed like waiting a little longer was the right thing to do. There really wasn't any hurry.

However, when we found out I was pregnant; I thought I was going to have the only shot-gun wedding in history, where the groom was the one holding the gun. Jasper was adamant that we get married immediately, and I suddenly was adamant that we did not. I don't know why. It's not like I have anyone to judge me for getting married because I had to, and even if I did, I don't think I would care what they thought. I know the new me doesn't like being told what to do, but that didn't seem like it was really bothering me either.

I leaned my head against the window pane in the kitchen with my warm mug between my hands. It was the beginning of August, almost two years since I'd left Jasper to straighten out my life and find someplace to start over. Also, almost two years after I came back because I realized I loved him so profoundly that I didn't want to be anywhere without him ever again. And yet, here I was, still single, about ready to pop with his love child… children… and I was avoiding his marriage proposals. Seriously, what in the hell is the matter with me?

Jasper and I never fought about anything, except for when I wouldn't run right out to marry him, and even then we didn't really fight. He couldn't understand why I didn't want to be his wife, why I didn't want us to be a family, legally wed. I told him a piece of paper didn't make us a family any more than it made us love each other. He wanted us to have his name and I promised him his name would be on the birth certificates so no one would ever question his parenthood, I even told him no one had to know we weren't legally married. All he'd said was that he would know.

I love Jasper, without question. I trust him explicitly and know he would never do what Mike did to me. He'd never hurt me or leave me. My heart knows that… and, I knew that I'd hurt him, again… but he did his best to hide it, and he let the marriage thing go for a while. Until the day after our appointment when we found out we were having twins, then he asked me to marry him again and showed me a marriage license. His voice was calm, but his eyes begged me and all I could give him was a promise to think about it. It's been almost three months since then, and we've never spoken a word about it since.

I put my cup on the counter; the tea hadn't helped. I still felt like something wasn't right so I headed for the shower, hoping it would loosen me up. I ran the water until it was steamy and stepped between the dual shower heads. It felt good and the tension gradually left my shoulders, but only moved further down, settling around my tight abdomen. I made the water slightly warmer and leaned against the wall, just letting the water flow over my body as my emotions overwhelmed me and I cried.

"Ali?" Jasper whispered, he put his hand gently on the back of my shoulder, "is everything okay baby?"

I nodded quickly, happy the water was hiding my tears. "I'm fine," I sighed, "just uncomfortable."

His body gave me a sense of calm as I felt him against me, then his lips touched the sensitive skin just below my ear, making me sigh. My body was heavy and tired, but I felt so much better now that he was with me. Jasper could make me feel tranquil at a touch, cherished with a look and loved just by being in the world. I let my head fall back against his shoulder.

"Jazz?"

"Yes," his lips trailed down my neck.

"Is that marriage license you have still valid?"

He stopped mid-kiss, his body motionless and only the tightening of his hands on my upper arms let me know he heard my question. "Yes, I think so."

"Will you marry me right now?"

He crossed his arms across my chest and drew me tight against him as he let out a shaky breath along with his most definitive yes.

We stood quietly for a few moments, the only sound besides the shower, was our occasional sniffles. We were both tearful, happy and I think relieved. I felt a pang of guilt again when I thought about how much I'd made him suffer.

"Like right now?" I asked again and I felt his lips curl against my neck as he chuckled.

"First thing in the morning Darlin', we'll find someone to do it and you'll finally be mine."

"Jazz, I am always yours... but no… I wanna do it right now." He stepped back as I turned around to face him, although his arms never let me go.

"Ali, it's barely three in the morning, I don't think anyone's open for a wedding ceremony at this hour." His eyes studied my face.

"Emmett is," I looked down, trying to break his stare, "Rosie told me he and Edward flipped for it and Emmett won. He was ordained on-line so he can marry us, Bella and Edward will stand up for us as witnesses. That was the deal."

"Oh that was the deal was it?" He smirked and pushed his dripping hair off his face, "Why all of a sudden do you want to do this right now?" He asked me softly, his finger under my chin so I couldn't look away.

"I… I just do," I stammered slightly under his careful eye.

"If we don't get married right now, by Emmett, will you change your mind?"

"No. I'm never gonna change my mind." I answered with a steady, firm voice. "Jasper, I love you and I never not wanted to marry you. You know that right? I was just a little bit afraid."

He interrupted me with a snort, "A little bit...?"

"Yeah, okay… a lot afraid." I smiled, trying to pick the right words. "I don't want to be a failure twice."

He drew his head back sharply, "You were never a failure once Alice. You didn't fail at marriage, it... he failed you. Besides –"

"I know you'd never do that to me." I interrupted his words so he'd know I understood.

"Damn straight. Ali, no matter if you marry me or not, I'm not ever gonna leave you, there will never be a question of failure."

And with that I knew, without a doubt, I wanted to be his wife. Jasper had proven once again that he knew exactly what I needed and I knew my heart would be safe with him. For the first time since I had woken up tonight I felt like I could breathe easier, but at the same time, as we stood smiling like goofy teenagers under the shower, it was becoming clearer to me that we had to get things moving along.

"Okay," I pushed gently on his chest, "let's go… we'll call everyone and wake them up."

Jasper held up a towel for me as I followed him out of the shower. Drying off took longer than it should have because his joy simply could not be contained, and we were both laughing as we called our best friends.

I spoke to Emmett, "Fuck yeah; I can marry you like right now. Lemme talk to Jazz."

I passed my cell over to Jasper and he gave me his.

"Hello?" It was Bella. "Bella, sorry to get you up so early."

"I was awake anyway; Lizzy had me up and she's just gone back to sleep. Ali, what's going on?"

"Nothing," I answered quickly, knowing by her tone she wasn't going to believe me. "We're excited, that's all. Bella… Jasper's really happy." I added and for a few seconds she said nothing, but then she sighed.

"Okay honey, send Jasper down here and Rose and I will come up there to help you get ready." I glanced over at Jasper, replying absently, hanging up just as Jasper ended his call too.

"Everything's all set," he gave me a quick kiss on the lips.

"Good… Bella said for you to go downstairs to get ready at her place, she and Rose are going to come help me."

"Yeah? Okay…" He began collecting the things he'd need, "Is there anything special you'd like me to wear Darlin'?"

"My favorite jeans and the white button down with the blue and green stripes." He looked hot in those clothes.

His head popped up from his dresser drawer, "Really? My faded old scrappy jeans?"

"Yes please, the tight ones… with your cowboy boots." I added and I saw him smirk.

"Yes ma'am…"

By the time he'd grabbed all his things, Bella and Rose had arrived. He gathered me into his arms for a hot passionate kiss. "I love you. I'll see you in a few minutes…" He said softly as the elevator doors closed.

As soon as the car descended Rose started firing questions. What was I gonna wear? How did I want my hair?

All Bella wanted to know is what was really going on. I knew she knew.

"What do you mean what's going on? She wants to get married..." Rose snapped with her usual demeanor.

"Ali?" Bella said softly.

I sighed as I tried walking away, they followed me. "I love Jasper and I just realized how wrong I was not to marry him before this," Rose made a sound indicating that what I said was obvious.

"And it has to be tonight because…?" Bella prodded.

"It has to be tonight because it's important we're married before the babies come." It suddenly felt like no one was breathing; their eyes were locked on mine.

"And…" Bella whispered.

"And… I think I'm having the babies now," I quickly ducked into my closet. Rose's voice thundering behind me.

"What do you mean, you're having the babies now!? Lemme go Bella…" I rolled my eyes as I chose a pair of white linen pants and a pretty blue blouse.

I headed back to the bedroom, "Whose gonna do my hair?" I figured I'd keep it light, but judging by the look on my friends faces I wasn't going to get off that easy.

"Alice, sit down… please." Bella said as Rose held out a chair for me.

"Really I'm fine, I want to do this." I put my hand on the back of the chair to steady myself as another wave of dull pain gripped me. Rose looked concerned, her eyes darting between me and Bella like she didn't know what to do.

"How far apart are they?" Bella asked me as she handed Rose my hair brush and helped me to sit down.

"I'm not sure, they aren't too bad though," I paused, but added quickly, "Although, I think we should get things moving, just in case."

Rose started on my hair and I heard Bella on the phone with Edward.

"Please, tell him not to tell Jasper!" I listened as Bella relayed my message and then tried to convince him to do as I asked. Rose was starting on my make up when Bella finally hung up; she was smiling and looked much happier.

"She's had two more contractions," Rose reported and I glared at her.

"How do you even know that?" I scoffed.

She smiled knowingly, "I saw you wince."

The elevator doors banged open. I looked over at Bella for an explanation, I was worried they had told Jasper what was going on and he was here to put a stop to the wedding. Bella was shaking her head as Esme appeared at the entrance to the bedroom.

"Where's the beautiful bride?" Rose and I let out a joint breath of relief.

"Esme, what are you doing up at this hour?" I asked, hugging her.

"You didn't think we'd miss another family wedding did you?" She gave a pointed look at Rose, winking to let her know she was only kidding. "Edward and Bella called us right away about the good news so we came over straight away. She put her hand on my abdomen, "It's probably a good thing you have a doctor in attendance after all, isn't it Sweetie? Is it okay if Carlisle comes in to see you?"

I nodded, a little surprised by how wonderful everyone was being as Carlisle came around the corner.

"Hello ladies," he was as suave as always. "Congratulations Alice… talk about leaving things to the last minute," he gave me a look and we all giggled nervously. "Why don't we check things out, to see how you're doing?" He motioned me towards the bed, "Bella and Rose, will you get Alice some water please. Esme, come over here and hold our girls hand, she looks a little worried."

"I'm fine," I assured him.

"I'm sure you are," Carlisle shot me a familiar crooked smile as he took my blood pressure, listened to my heart, used a Doppler to listen to babies heartbeats and felt my tummy to find out how they were positioned.

"Well, everything seems quite normal. Tell me how you're feeling Alice –" He quickly held up his finger and smirked. "Without using the words, I'm fine, please."

Esme and I chuckled, "I really do feel fine… I feel excited, a little jumpy... kind of like I've had too much caffeine. I've been getting a dull pain now and then, since just after two this morning, but they really aren't too bad. If this is what labor feels like then I'm okay with it."

"I wouldn't get my hopes up," Bella said dryly as they came back with my water.

Carlisle continued asking questions, and finally gave me a run down as he wiped the gel off my tummy. "The baby's heartbeats are strong; your vitals are good, but… I can't really tell how quickly or slowly things are progressing without a trip to the hospital and I think we can postpone that for a bit."

"Yay," I was relieved.

"You can drink a little water if you want to, but I don't want you to eat anything. And… you are going to the hospital as soon as you seal the deal with a kiss… understand?" I smiled, agreeing to his terms.

He bent to kiss me on the forehead, "I'll call your doctor to give her the heads up. We'll see you downstairs."

~ * ~

It didn't take us long to finish getting me ready and soon we were in the elevator, on our way to my wedding. It was twenty-after-four in the morning, on August 6th, only ninety minutes after finally accepting Jaspers three month old proposal in the shower and we were going to be married now. The small suitcase and diaper bag for the hospital were tucked into the corner of the elevator, indicating that presumably, sometime later today, we would also become parents. The excitement was palpable.

Emmett met us at the door with a huge grin, "I'm guessing we need the short version?" He winked.

"No," I scoffed, "but yeah… no need to be too flowery or anything. Just do all the important stuff." I said nervously.

"Yeah, yeah… I got it," he assured me.

"Jasper doesn't know does he?"

"Naw… he's too busy being happy to notice anything going on around him. You really have made him happy you know." I beamed and tried not to cry as Emmett kissed me on the cheek. He turned to Rose, "Okay, give me a second to get to the living room and then, come on down."

Bella and Rose stood on either side of me, linking their arms with mine; they were walking me down the aisle. We took our first step just as another contraction started and it lasted until I caught my first glimpse of Jasper, he was waiting for me by the fireplace.

After that, all pain was forgotten. In fact, I don't remember much at all except the look in his eyes as he watched me walking towards him, then the warmth and strength of his hands as he held tightly onto mine throughout the ceremony. And finally, the last memory I will forever hold in my heart about our wedding, was the light touch of his lips as they brushed over mine tenderly just before his mouth engulfed me and the heat of his tongue started the burn of passion I always felt when he was near me.

We were married.

Our friends cheered and I practically swooned with relief until Jasper once again gathered me into his arms for a kiss that made me tingle right down to my toes and it ended with the pop of the champagne cork. I felt his smile against my lips before he pulled away.

Another contraction began as Jasper held my hand. My eyes drifted casually over to Carlisle and he inclined his head, silently asking me how I was doing. I gave him a slight nod in response. All of that took place in seconds and our movements were miniscule, but it was enough for Jasper to notice something was up. We kissed again as our friends toasted our happiness.

"Ali?" Jasper's voice was uncertain.

I smiled, wishing wholeheartedly I could down a glass of champagne. Instead, I squeezed his hand and indicated that I wanted to sit down. He led me to the sofa as everyone else went to the kitchen. He sat beside me holding both my hands in his.

"Thank you for marrying me," I whispered to him. "I love you."

He snorted, "I love you and I should be the one thanking you." He brought my left hand to his lips and kissed the wedding band he'd just put there, "Thank you Darlin'."

"Jazz…" My voice caught, I wasn't sure how to begin and I ended up repeating myself as I whispered I love you again.

"I love you too." His brow furrowed as he looked down at where his hand brushed my body, he'd felt it tighten.

"Um… I owe you a honeymoon…" I told him sheepishly and his eyes jumped to mine, everything finally came to light.

He kissed me. "Thank you Ali," his voice was thick with emotion.

"I know babe," we kissed again. "We better go..."

He carefully pulled me up and we joined our friends. Emmett had us sign the license making our marriage legal, then Jasper and I led the convoy to the hospital as the sun rose in the sky.

~ * ~

Emma and Jack Whitlock came rushing into the world less than six hours after I married their father. My timing earned me numerous exasperated looks from my doctor as well as a stern lecture from Jasper about keeping secrets and leaving things to the last minute. I admit it, I may have played things a little close to the line with the getting married while I was in labor thing, but you'll never hear me say it wasn't worth it.

Jasper looked so happy when the nurse handed him his babies for the first time. It was exactly the same way he looked at me at our wedding.

The four of us spent the rest of the afternoon learning to be a family. Jasper and I counted fingers and toes, kissed downy heads countless times and whispered an infinite string of I love yous to each other and to our children as we committed them to memory and welcomed them into our hearts.

Later that night, as we sat surrounded by our family of friends, I smiled as I thought about the long journey I'd taken to get myself here and about the lessons I'd learned along the way. How it doesn't matter if everything in life goes smoothly or according to plan, because it's the bumps and pot holes that let you appreciate the good roads when you find them. And, thanks to Jasper, I now remember to admire the stars and dare to make wishes.

Today was a perfect example of what could happen when you give your wishes time to come true. I was utterly exhausted and so very, very happy holding my babies in my arms as Jasper held me close to his side, gently stroking my hair, smiling contentedly as he watched over us.

I was finally on the right road. How lucky could a girl get?

"When drawing a map for your life, be sure to use a pencil." ~ Liesl Davidson

Okay… Now I'm sad. It's over… wow.

At this time I really want to thank Robs, she's my wonderful friend and beta. I'm very grateful, thank you so very much Robin.

I'd also like to thank Olivia for creating the New Direction thread on Twilighted. We always have fun, chatting and drooling over pictures. If you haven't visited, you can find it at: http:// www. ?f=44&t=6048 (cut/paste & remove the spaces). Hope you'll stop by sometime.

Also, thanks again to Sara (musicalsara if you're still around…) for the wonderful banner she made me. It's beautiful and I love it.

Thanks, as always, for taking the time to read and review.

xo/AmberStar63