Chloe's summer vacation started not too long after the Bella reunion. She was finding that being away from Caleb excruciatingly hard. So once her end of school in-service days finished, Chloe packed her bags for an extended summer stay in Los Angeles.

As a school teacher, having summers off was an advantage for Chloe. She enjoyed hanging out at Caleb and Stacie's apartment, running their errands, and cleaning house for the roommates. If she got everything done for the day, Chloe spent time wandering around different parts of the city, particularly relaxing at the various area beaches. Stacie certainly didn't mind having her there since it meant having home-cooked meals almost every night.

One Saturday, Caleb woke up to a bulky, rectangular box sitting on the table. Caleb walked around the table, examining the package. The wrapping paper was pale blue with booties, baby strollers, and onesies proclaiming 'It's a Boy". He picked the box up, hefting the weight in his hands. "Is this your way of telling me something, Chlo?" He was laughing through his apparent confusion.

Chloe sat his coffee mug in front of him. "I got you a present," she chirped. "Oh, and Stacie helped. And your dad, kinda."

"Whoa! My dad?" Now Caleb was perplexed. When he had come out to his dad as transgender, Dr. Mitchell had asked for some time to get used to things. Her father wasn't not supportive of the process, just unsure of how he felt. Caleb didn't talk to him much but did send periodic updates to his step-mother, Sheila.

"Stacie and I talked to Sheila, and she found a few boxes that your dad had stored in their basement. Go ahead, open it." The redhead was quivering with excitement. Stacie was leaning against the kitchen island, grinning.

Caleb carefully pulled the paper from the box then took the lid off of the box inside. When he pulled out the tufts of blue tissue paper, he revealed a beautiful linen bound book. The gray cloth was monogrammed with blue thread with his name, "Caleb" and tied with a blue ribbon. He gently removed the book from the box and opened the cover.

On the center of the front page was affixed a photo of his birth announcement. Yet, rather than being the pink colors that he remembered, the birth announcement was blue. It touted his chosen name along with his birth statistics – time, weight, length. Caleb excitedly began to look through the pages of pictures from his original baby book that included his mom in various stages of pregnancy and his parents on their way to the hospital after his mom had gone into labor. Despite knowing that Chloe's heart was always in the right place, he feared to look at the next pictures in the book.

And then he saw it, the first picture of himself after being born. The photograph was digitally corrected. The beanie and swaddling wrap that the hospital used on the newborn was no longer pink but blue. Tears began to flood his eyes as he looked at the pictures. These were ones he remembered from his old baby book, but the colors in all the photos were all modified to more traditional baby boy colors. Even the silly elastic bows around his head had were now little bowties.

Caleb was fighting back the tears. "I don't understand." He looked at Chloe to find her crying as well.

"Sheila found the boxes of your baby pictures and your old baby book. Stacie knows people who are pretty good with digital corrections on pictures and had them touch up the pics to the right color. Then I put together your baby book."

"I-I-I don't know what to say." He remembered his old baby book well. What couldn't be color corrected, Chloe had recreated for a boy baby.

"Do you like it?" Chloe was nervous that she had overstepped her bounds. Caleb nodded his head, emphatically. "Well, I feel everyone needs a baby book, and now you have one that represents your true self."

Chloe never stopped being full of surprises. One evening at dinner, Chloe slid a flyer across the table to Caleb. "What's this?" He picked it up as he continued to eat. "Fairfax High School. Mmmm."

"Well, I went to a Los Angeles Unified School District job fair today. Fairfax has a continuation school that supports LGBTQ students who have dropped out or are thinking of dropping out of high school."

"Ooookay. That's cool." Caleb kept eating, not catching the significance of what Chloe was saying.

"I was thinking of applying to work there." She studied his face carefully, watching for a reaction.

Suddenly a grin spread across Caleb's face. "No shit, Chlo? That's a long commute," he teased.

She shoved his shoulder. "Fucker. Atlanta is too far away. I want to be with you, Caleb. I love you."

"I love you, too, Chlo." He waved his fork in the air, trying not to get too excited about having his girlfriend in the same city. "Sure. But if you want to live here, you are the one who has to kick Stacie out."

Chloe decided to not only apply for a position at Fairfax High School but also to submit a late application to Cal State LA for graduate school, a counseling degree with a focus on LGBTQ issues. Things moved surprisingly quickly. Her stellar teaching experience landed her the job without a problem. And despite the late application, she was admitted to the CSLA counseling program.

With the expense of Chloe moving cross-country and getting enrolled in school, Stacie had no problem with the three of them sharing the apartment until Chloe was a bit more stable. The time gave Stacie time to examine her finances as well.

With Chloe firmly ensconced in his life, Caleb was finally completely happy. Before, he had continued taking steps in his transition because he did not feel like a whole man. But now, he was one hundred percent pleased with who he was and where he was in life. Chloe supported all his decisions and never questioned anything about his transition.

The couple managed to work through their bedroom situation, finding ways to please sexually each other without triggering Caleb's dysphoria. After lengthy discussions and considerations, Caleb decided his transition was complete. He did not feel the need to go through bottom surgery or additional enhancements to his genitalia.

The redhead was working like crazy to keep up with her teaching job and taking a full load of graduate classes so she could have her Masters and certification in two years. She often struggled, but with Caleb by her side, she never wavered or complained. As she supported him, he did likewise for the redhead to help her meet her goals.

Chloe's program required a two-month internship before certification and graduation. The timing happened to coincide with the summer break of her second year of teaching at Fairfax High School. When Caleb's psychologist found out about Chloe, he encouraged her to apply at the youth community center attached to the transgender facility that supported Caleb through his transition. The youth center provided services to GLBTQ teens through age twenty that gave Chloe access to the experiences for which she'd pursued her graduate degree.

Through the youth center, Chloe realized the problems these teens faced were far more profound than sexuality and gender. Many families had disowned the teens and kicked them out of their homes. Some teens were even physically abused by family or strangers and left for dead on the streets. Just for who they were. Her heart was shredded on a daily as she worked with the teens to locate resources to help them find their way.

When she completed her internship at the end of the summer, thus completing her degree and certification, Fairfax High School offered Chloe a position as a school counselor. After long contemplation, she turned down the job and took one with another LGBTQ youth center that was starting up close to where she and Caleb lived. While the students at the high school did need her, she felt they already had somewhat of a safe place. She could make more of a difference working with teens who did not yet have such a safe place.

"Have I told you how proud I am of you, Chloe." Caleb looked at the redhead in awe. "You have the biggest heart of anyone person I have ever met. You are truly changing the world, one teenager at a time." He knew now that Chloe's graduate school was over and she'd taken a new position, Chloe would be a lot less stressed and have more time for their relationship – to start doing the things they loved together. Before, he'd always felt bad asking her to do something like a date, knowing how exhausted she must be.

"Hey, remember when you came to LA to spend Spring Break? We went to the Santa Monica Pier?"

Chloe flashed a brilliant smile. "Of course, I remember. You bought me a snow globe and sang alongside that busker on the boulevard."

"How about you let me take you back there tomorrow? On a date. We can ride rides, eat bad carnival food, or I'll even spring for a fancy restaurant if you wish for your graduation. You've been working so hard and deserve to have a good time."

"Yes!" Chloe was clapping her hands as she squealed. "I need a relaxing day after the past two years of stress."

Because Chloe agreed to go, Caleb doubled up on his plans. Stacie had found a new place to live a while back, so they had the apartment to themselves. Chloe had finally gotten her things out of storage and unpacked. She was able to find some perfect clothes for an afternoon at the pier and an evening on the boulevard.

As soon as they arrived, Chloe pulled them to the Sea Head, a wooden dragon that moved back and forth in a full half-circle arc. She knew which rides Caleb would balk at and wanted to hit those first while he was compliant. "That made me feel like a dragon was tossing me around on a stormy sea," he laughed as they stumbled to the next ride. They rode the roller coaster, the Shark Frenzy, and even many of the kiddie rides. They also stuffed their faces with candy apples, funnel cakes, and frozen lemonade.

As the sun was getting ready to set, Caleb pulled his girlfriend towards the Pacific Wheel. As the operator buckled them in and closed the door, Caleb announced, "did you know this is the world's only solar-powered Ferris wheel?" He grinned over at the redhead as the wheel began to move with intermittent stops to pick up passengers. He knew the Ferris wheel would make several full revolutions, giving them a full panoramic view of the Southern California coastline. The couple was quiet as they enjoyed the view.

Soon the ride began to make its stops again to exchange passengers. As their bucket neared the peak, Caleb knew it was now or never. He dug a small jewelry box out of his pocket and turned to the redhead who was busy enjoying the sparkling lights. "Chloe Beale?" She turned expectantly but clueless as to what he was about to do. "Chloe, I have loved you since the day I first laid eyes on you at the Activities Fair at Barden. You are my best friend. While we lost each other once, the universe brought us back together. I never want to be separated again."

When Chloe looked down and saw the box Caleb was holding, she realized what was happening. He unbuckled his belt so he could crouch on one knee in the bucket. He opened the box to display the most beautiful engagement ring. "Chloe Beale, will you…" About that time, the wheel lurched again to another position, and the box went flying out of his hands. It was all he could to but to watch as it fell to the ground some eighty-five feet below where they sat. "Oh my god," he shouted.

Meanwhile, Chloe hadn't seen what had happened. She was busy tearing up at what Caleb had said. "Yes. Yes, Caleb. Of course, I'll marry you." She grabbed him the best she could and pulled him to her.

"No, you don't understand," Caleb was panicking. He pointed down. "That was your engagement ring. I just dropped your engagement ring."

Chloe looked down like she was going to be able to see a small black box from that distance away. "You didn't just ask me to marry you?"

"No. YES. Wait, no. Chloe," he whined. "I dropped your ring." His panic now was full-blown.

Suddenly Chloe started laughing, cackling even. "Caleb Mitchell! You mean to tell me that you planned out this entire day. Rode all these rides for me. Took me up on the world's only solar-powered Ferris wheel to propose to me and DROPPED MY RING?"

It was all Caleb could do to nod his head and try to keep from crying as they waited to make it to the bottom. Chloe giggled and snorted all the way down while Caleb crossed his arms and pressed himself against the other side of the bucket and pouted. When they reached the bottom, he frantically explained to the ride operator what had happened.

The operator chuckled and assured Caleb that happened more than one would expect. He found a high powered flashlight, and they found the box in short order. Of course, the box was empty. But practice makes perfect, and the operator and his pal made quick work of finding the engagement ring, too. Caleb excitedly dug two hundred dollar bills from his wallet, one for each of them before rushing off with the dirty, sandy box and ring.

Chloe was patiently waiting for him on a bench a few yards away. He slumped down next to her. "I don't think I have the energy to go through all of that again." Chloe stared at him until he perked up. He used his shirt to shine up the ring, put it in the box, and wiped off the box on his jeans before kneeling. "Chloe Beale, will you do the honor of being my wife?"

Epilogue

Caleb nervously paced back and forth in the waiting room. Something was going on in the delivery room, and he didn't know what. He had been in there when baby number one had been born. Suddenly alarms began to sound, and machines started beeping, alerting the doctors to danger. Chloe was in trouble, and at least one of the babies was in distress.

A nurse quickly draped Chloe and swabbed her abdomen with betadine while another pushed a tray of sterile set of instruments. "Scalpel," the doctor's words were firm as he began to work to free baby number two from Chloe's womb.

"Chloe!" Caleb was shouting and pushing against the nurses trying to restrain him. He was frantic, trying to get to his wife and possibly putting the situation in jeopardy.

"Sir, you need to calm down. We need to get the second baby out. Let the doctors work."

When Caleb continued to blindly push towards the doctor cutting his wife's abdomen open, the nurses had to escort him out for safety reasons. He grabbed one last look at his firstborn child as he called out for Chloe, who was being worked on by the medical team. Stacie was with him and tried to make sure Caleb didn't attempt to get back in the delivery room. While she wanted to comfort him, he was inconsolable. The lives of three of Caleb's most precious people were in that room, two of which were hanging in the balance. He wrung his hands together as his mind drifted back to a little over a year ago.

Chloe was sitting on the balcony, her legs propped up on the railing. "Do you remember talking about wanting kids? At Barden?" Her question was simple, not challenging, almost like she was recalling a memory from the time they had spent together in the Bella house.

"Yup." Caleb grinned. "You said you always had wanted two, a girl and a boy."

Chloe looked at her husband and lifted her sunglasses. "You were listening. I always thought you were ignoring me."

He chuckled. "Never. I also remember you saying how you'd love to have babies with me. My musical talents and your voice would make for some super awesome kids." His wife smiled at the thought.

"What do you think now, Caleb? Do you still want kids?"

Knowing where this conversation was headed, Caleb contemplated his answer before answering. "At one point, I thought I might. I mean, I haven't ruled it out; that's for sure."

Chloe dropped her sunglasses back on her nose and turned back to stare over the balcony. "What if I wanted a baby? Our baby." For the first time, her voice sounded tentative, hopeful. "Do you think you could handle two redheads around the house?"

Caleb chuckled. "What makes you assume our baby would have red hair?"

Chloe explained that while redhead genes were recessive, if they used a redhead sperm donor, there was a one in four chance of having a redheaded baby. "And with the number of redheads in my family, I'd say my chances are larger than one in four."

Caleb nodded. "Well, brown hair is dominant. Any baby coming from me would certainly have brown hair." He quietly let that news sink in. "But with a blue-eyed donor, both our babies would have blue eyes for sure."

Finally, Chloe spoke. "What are you saying, Caleb? You can't carry a baby unless you come off T. And then, chances would be slim since all those parts are probably dried up by now."

"I am NOT coming off of T, Chlo." He paused again. "Regardless of hair color, I know your baby would have a great voice. But wouldn't you want to have my mad musical talents in a kiddo?"

Chloe set up and put her feet flat on the ground. "Caleb Mitchell. Quit speaking in riddles. Tell me what you are talking about."

"You do our finances. Have you not ever wondered what that yearly $1,000 bill is to the California Cryobank is for?" The redhead stood up, tears starting to form. "Hey, hey, no crying."

"Caleb, do you have embryos stored?"

He shook his head. "I don't have embryos stored, but I did have eggs retrieved before I started on testosterone. The eggs probably have about five years of viability left. And that treatment was a bitch. I'd like to think I didn't go through those fertility treatments for nothing. So yes, I have eggs frozen."

Chloe jumped up and squealed as she hugged her husband. "Caleb, I super really want to have a baby with you. Babies even."

After a great deal of discussion and contemplation between husband and wife, they visited Caleb's fertility clinic where his eggs were extracted. The facility suggested they expose to Chloe to the same treatment Caleb had gone through to retrieve her eggs. Eggs from both spouses would be fertilized and implanted into Chloe's uterus.

After two rounds of IVF treatment, the couple was pleased to discover Chloe was pregnant. With twins. A boy and a girl.

Caleb couldn't lose them now. He couldn't lose either his son or his daughter, and he certainly couldn't lose his wife. His nerves were on end as his mind spun aimlessly in all directions as he and Stacie waited on news from the delivery room. He thought of the day Chloe first told him she loved him. He recalled when he proposed to Chloe and dropped the stupid engagement ring off the Ferris wheel.

He remembered dancing with her at their wedding, surrounded by all their friends and family. The nursery at their apartment was stuffed full of clothes, toys, and gifts from family, friends, and especially their Bella sisters. No, he could not lose any of them.

The delivery room door swung open, and the maternity nurse stepped out. "Mr. Mitchell. Would you like to see your son and daughter?"

"Yes, yes, gawd yes," he responded as he approached the door. He then paused before asking, "and my wife? Is Chloe okay?"

The smile on the nurse's face reached her eyes immediately despite the mask that covered her nose and mouth. "Yes, Mr. Mitchell. Mom is okay. They are all okay."

Caleb rushed into the room to see two babies tightly swaddled, one on either side of Chloe, who was sweaty and looked utterly worn out. "Hi, sweetie." Caleb gently bent down and kissed his wife's head, careful to avoid her stitched up abdomen.

"Look," she murmured. "Look at our babies. We made pretty babies." Chloe was exhausted from the trauma of giving one vaginal birth and an emergency cesarean section.

Caleb smiled down in awe at his son and daughter. They were already cleaned up, calmed from the trauma of being brought into the world. He looked at a nurse who motioned towards the baby swaddled in blue, the closest to Caleb. "I'm afraid to touch him."

The nurse chuckled. "You won't hurt him; pick him up."

Caleb picked him up and held him tightly for fear of dropping the small bundle. "Hi, baby. It's me, your daddy. I've been singing to you every night. Do you recognize my voice? Mommy and I are so glad you're finally here."

The nurse laughed. "They were ready to get here, too. They were both born with full heads of hair. It may fall out, but as of right now, they have lots of it." Caleb looked up. "Boy Mitchell there has a shock of red hair like his mama's. Girl Mitchell, hers is brown, like her daddy's."

With that, Caleb sat down in the rocking chair with his son. The nurse brought his daughter to him to hold. "I can already tell; you are going to be a daddy's girl," he whispered as the nurse placed the second baby into his arms.

Then he rocked his babies. And sang. And Chloe rested.

a/N: As GLBTQ Pride Month comes to a close, I'm posting the last of this tribute to the transgender community. I'd like to thank each of you who have read this fic and a double thanks for those of you who have provided me feedback and encouragement with your reviews. Your support has been phenomenal.