The next few days were full of chaos and laughter. Lizzy felt the loss of Brian, but with all of her family surrounding her all of her energy was devoted to keeping up with their high spirits.

Her mother, father, and Rainer had arrived and when they saw her face they were all visibly upset, but after the story was told, and they were assured that Brian had taken care of the situation, they seemed to be able to let it go. Her mother had just given a brisk nod and said "If Brian was there then I am sure he took care of it properly, and it will not happen again."

Her mother had expressed concern over Helen and said that she was sorry to have missed her but in no way held it against her that her son had physically attacked her daughter.

Mason has expressed shock that she was so willing to forgive.

Elizabeth had just shrugged. "I have seven children, and I raised you the best I could, when you were young I was responsible for your actions, but now you're all adults. Anything that you do is your choice. It is the same with Helen's son."

And that had been the end of it.

Saturday night arrived much too quickly, and it took all the efforts of her and her sister-in-laws to get the party set-up. All of the men had made a quick exit on Saturday morning. Which was probably for the best, the women had all agreed that they would have just gotten underfoot.

Lizzy took her time dressing for the party. She had brought a beautiful pale yellow, vintage, 1950s, evening gown. It crisscrossed on the top and was cinched at the waist. It had a full skirt that took a petticoat to make it full. She piled her hair on top of her head and let tendrils frame her face. She was determined to have a good time dancing so she wore low heeled shoes. She looked at herself in the mirror as she fastened a pearl choker around her neck.

She had done a good job of hiding the bruises with make-up. She was concerned about the one on her arm but there was nothing she could do about that. She grabbed a sweater in case she got cold and flounced down the stairs, enjoying the way her skirt rustled.

"We can here you coming a mile away," Mason said as she entered the kitchen.

"Lizzy you look charming." Her mother smiled. "All of my children are so lovely." She looked up at her husband expecting his agreement.

"That's because your husband is so handsome." Doug grinned as he leaned down to give her a kiss.

"Forty years," Cassie sighed. "That's so romantic. Isn't that romantic Mason?" She turned to look at Mason who was trying to tie his bow tie in the hall mirror.

"Yeah sure," He yanked at it and started again.

Lizzy walked over to him. "All of my brothers are such romantics. Their wives are all so lucky." The sarcasm dripped from her voice as she made quick work of his bow.

"Say Lizzy , you're good at that. When did you learn how to tie a bow so well?" He adjusted it looking at her handy work.

"When I was twelve, I have six brothers or had you forgotten?"

"Six yikes, how on earth did that happen?" he teased.

"Dad, I think it's time to have 'the talk' with Mason."

"Finally," Cassie sighed. "I have been trying to explain it forever, but he just gets distracted."

Mason turned to Cassie and wiggled his eyebrows.

"Now you two, not in front of your little sister," Elizabeth chastised.

"Mother, she is my twin sister, and she is the one who had 'the talk' with me the first time. Girls mature faster than boys you know," he whispered in an aside to Cassie.

"Thank you, Lizzy." Cassie winked at her.

"O.K. people, let's get this show on the road, everyone is outside waiting for you," Bryce said coming in the backdoor.

"Mason has to make his entrance," Lizzy teased.

"Cassie and Mason you go make your entrance now, Lizzy and I will follow with Mom and Dad," Bryce instructed.

Mason gave a salute then took Cassie's arm and led her out the door. Lizzy swore that she heard Cassie tell Mason that she would show him where babies came from later, and she must have heard right because Bryce turned to Lizzy with his eyebrow raised in a question.

Lizzy just shook her head.

"Are you ready Mom and Dad?" Lizzy asked, looking at her beautiful parents. Her mother was still beautiful, she had snow white hair that she had piled on her head and her still trim figure was in a white organza dress. The only color was her ice blue eyes and red lips. Her father was a very tall man who was broad in the shoulders and wore a tux like it was a second skin. His white hair and beard gave him a distinguished look.

She could see why her parents were a power couple forty years ago. To her they still were.

Her parents led the way out the door and down the gentle slope to where so many of their friends and family were waiting. Bryce and Lizzy followed behind them. Lizzy's arm linked through her brothers. The first person she saw was Brian. She must have tensed because Bryce gave her arm a gentle squeeze.

Heather stood on one side of him, her arm linked through his, and his mother was on his other side. Heather looked smug, and Helen looked tense as if she was waiting for a snub.

Everyone started clapping when they saw Elizabeth and Doug. Forty years was no small thing. Elizabeth looked up at Doug, and Lizzy felt herself tear up a little when her father gave her mother the gentlest of kisses. He whispered something in her ear and she blushed.

"They're wonderful, aren't they?" Lizzy looked up at Bryce. He was looking over at Grace, but he turned to look at Lizzy.

"Yes, they are." He gave her a squeeze then walked her over the where Grace and Rainer were standing.

Lizzy watched her parents greeting people. When her mother got to Brian, Heather, and Helen she held out her hand to Heather in greeting then enveloped Helen in a tight hug. She said something as she pulled away from Helen that made her laugh then she said something to Brian as she placed her hand on his cheek and looked into his eyes. Brian nodded his head with a shocked look on his face, and her mother stood up on her tip toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Her mind was racing through the many different things that she could have said to him.

Lizzy must have missed Rainer's first request to dance because she heard him saying her name in a very frustrated tone. "Are you going to dance with me or not?"

The big band that they had hired had started to play a fast number.

"Yep, I wore my dancing shoes."

Rainer grinned at her then pulled her out on the floor.

All of her bothers had taken turns dancing with her before she was exhausted and had to get a drink.

She was at the bar getting a beer when Helen appeared at her elbow.

"Mrs. Alexander," Lizzy greeted her warmly.

Helen reached up and examined her arm. Lizzy could see the tears that sprang to her eyes. Lizzy put her arm around her hugged her close. "Hey it's O.K. I'm not breakable. I grew up with six rowdy brothers."

"It's my fault," Helen whispered.

"No, it is Patrick's fault." Lizzy gave her another squeeze. "You should talk to my Mom about it sometime. She can tell you about some of the trouble that my brothers caused her. Still cause her in fact. I'm the only good one in the bunch."

"That's not true, you are all so good. I am surprised that any of you are talking to me. I don't suppose you want to finish my house."

"I am going to finish your house, I would be crushed if I couldn't. Janie is back on Tuesday and we will be back at it." She met Helen's eyes with a serious look in her own "Brian took care of it. We all love Brian and trust him to do what is best. In fact, Mom said that very thing yesterday." Helen looked up at her with a smile.

"Will you call me Helen?"

"Yes, I will." She gave her another squeeze. "You and Brian are family for better or worse. Once you're part of the Stevens pack you're in it for life."

Heather and Brian joined them at that moment. Brian looked from Lizzy to his mother and must have approved of what he saw because he gave a small nod.

Heather had just ordered a white wine when she noticed Lizzy's arm. "What on earth happened to you? Did that horse of yours throw you?"

"Something like that." Lizzy gave a polite smile. Their conversation was interrupted by Cassie at the microphone. "I have been informed that my parents would like nothing better than for me to sing their song to them. So here it is, this is for Elizabeth and Doug alone, "At Last."

Lizzy watched her parents take the floor as Cassie sung the soulful song. Everyone was quiet and watched the lovely couple as they moved slowly, only aware of each other.

Lizzy felt tears on her cheeks.

Cassie was looking at Mason as she was singing it and Bryce and Quinn both had their arms around their wives. She could tell that they all had relationships just like their parents.

The song was much too short and everyone clapped as Cassie sang the last note.

She turned to the band and asked them a question to which she got a positive response, how could she not the band was playing for Cassandra Stevens, so she turned back to microphone.

"Elizabeth, would you like to dance?" Brian asked as Cassie launched into, 'All of Me'.

Lizzy sat her drink down and they moved onto the floor with the rest of her family.

Brian pulled her close resting his cheek on her head.

The words that Cassie was singing were words that Lizzy wanted to say to Brian, but she couldn't, so she just leaned into him hoping that he would hear what she wasn't saying.

She laid her head on his shoulder and watched her parents still dancing. Why couldn't she have that? They were so sure of each other, and there was no doubt about how they felt. She felt that way about Brian.  She had never doubted her love for him, but had he ever loved her? He had never said that he had.

She lifted her head and looked into his eyes searching for the answer. Did he love her?

He rested his forehead against hers and pinned her hand between their bodies placing her hand flat on his chest so she could feel his beating heart. She gave a sigh. She knew right there and then, and all of her doubts evaporated as if they had never been.

Neither one of them was aware of the picture that they made as they moved slowly across the dance floor. They were lost in each other. For the first time they had both stopped fighting the feelings they had, and the love they felt for each other was evident to all who were watching.

As Cassie slowly ended the song and everyone began to clap they slowly broke apart. Lizzy looked at Cassie and she gave her a wink. So the song had been for her.

"Now if the guests will excuse us Stevens' for a moment, we have a family picture to take." Cassie gave a beguiling smile to the crowd as they clapped one last time. They had come expecting a great party, but no one had expected to be serenaded by Cassandra Stevens.

Davis was rounding the family up and placing them at the edge of the party. They were standing on the top of a bluff with hills and a valley behind them. The sun was setting and the view was glorious. He was lining them all up the way he wanted them when he stopped suddenly. "Where are Brian and Helen?" He turned to scan the crowd for them when he saw them he looked over his shoulder. "No one move," he ordered as he dashed down the hill.

"Yes dear," Elizabeth said.

Mason turned to Cassie and dipped her. "You were marvelous," he stated dramatically, and then he kissed her until she was breathless.

"Mason," Elizabeth hissed a mother's warning. "You were wonderful dear, that meant so much to me," she said to Cassie in her very next breath.

"There, now you have that just been kissed look." Mason pinched her bottom ignoring his mother's disapproval. Cassie looked shell shocked.

"O.K. got them," Davis said as he shoved them into the group where he wanted them. He had Helen standing in front of Caleb and Rainer, and Brian behind Lizzy. Lizzy could feel his heat on her back and she leaned into him.

"Now the group is complete," Elizabeth said, meeting Helen's eyes.

"Cassie, fix your lipstick," Davis instructed.

Lizzy turned to Cassie and wiped off the smear the Mason had left.

"I told you not to move Mason." Davis glared.

"Cassie made me do it, she is sooo hot," he drawled.

"O.K. everyone, we've got fifteen seconds." Davis set the auto timer and took his place.

"We're pregnant." Quinn said just before the camera snapped. Everyone broke from their assigned places as they exclaimed their delight. There was a good five minutes of hugging and back slapping before Davis was trying to corral them again.

"O.K. let's try this again, but this time Quinn point to Dana's belly, we want the kid to know he or she was present.

Mason's hand was sneaking its way around Cassie's front.

"Cassie fix your lipstick again, Mason don't make me separate the two of you," Davis warned as he set the timer again.

This time the picture went off without a hitch.