It was early afternoon one pleasant spring day. The sun shone brightly in the cloudless sky, casting light upon the birds in flight, the lilies of the field, and the crystal waters of Walden Pond. Jo Bhaer walked slowly along the shore of Walden Pond thinking about the future that was steadily creeping closer and closer.

Nick came through the trees quietly and stopped under the shade of a tall oak. He leaned up against the trunk of the tree and watched Jo walk around the pond. As he watched Jo follow the path of the bank he could not help but feel the pangs inside of his chest to kneel before her and ask for her hand in marriage. They had been courting for almost eight months, and he was ready to move on to the next step. But for some peculiar reason, Nick could not bring himself to walk over to Jo. He stood in the shade of the tree frozen in time, unable to decide which path to take.

"Aunt Jo?" Franz came into the parlour that evening after supper.

"Yes, Franz?" Jo answered, noting his look of concern.

"I think we need to send for Dr. Pierce."

"Is it time?" Jo questioned.

"I'll go get Dr. Pierce," Nick volunteered, standing to his feet and putting his hat on.

"But isn't she early?" Jo asked as she and Franz hurried up the stairs to Franz and Isabelle's bedroom.

"Only by about three weeks."

"Isabelle, are you all right?" Jo sat down on the bed next to Isabelle and smiled.

"I'm fine," Isabelle said bravely. "Women have babies everyday. OWWW!"

"Another contraction," Franz said with concern.

At that moment Nan came hurrying into the bedroom. Behind her in the doorway stood Nat, Dan, Bess, and Emil.

"Are you timing the contractions?" Nan asked.

"Yes," Franz answered. "It was ten minutes this time."

"All right. Good, we still have plenty of time. Mrs. Jo, why don't you get a cold compress for Isabelle? Franz, I want you to wait out in the hall with the kids."

"But-"

"No buts about it, Franz," Nan said firmly.

"Go ahead, Franz," Isabelle said. "I'm in good hands. Everything will be just fine."

Franz gently kissed Isabelle's forehead and enormous abdomen and then obediently went out into the hall.

"Doc's here!" Nick called from the entry hallway.

Jo jumped up from the rocking chair in Isabelle's room and hurried downstairs.

"How far apart are the contractions?" Dr. Pierce asked when he met Jo on the stairs.

"About four minutes."

"There's still plenty of time. Mrs. Bhaer, I would like for you to stay out in the hall with the others. Nan and I will do just fine."

"Yes, Dr. Pierce," Jo said obediently.

Dr. Pierce entered the bedroom only to find Isabelle dripping with sweat and her eyes full of pain. "Don't worry, Isabelle," he said gently. "Everything will be just fine."

"Jo?" Nick asked quietly.

"Yes?"

"Can we go downstairs for a minute?"

"Sure."

Nick gently reached for Jo's hand and led her down the hallway carrying a candle in his other hand.

"What is it, Nick?" Jo asked when they reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Not here," Nick said gently. He led her into the parlour and had her sit down at her chair by the window. Nick sat the candle down on the desk and then reached into his pocket. Just as he knelt down before Jo a scream from upstairs startled the moment.

"Aunt Jo!" Bess hollered.

"O, Father in Heaven!" Jo called out in worry. She jumped up from her chair and hurried upstairs. "What is it?" she asked Bess breathlessly.

"It was just a spider," Tommy said with a laugh.

"I killed it," Emil said proudly.

Jo smiled and then headed back downstairs where she found Nick pacing back and forth in the parlor. He was mumbling as he paced and making gestures with his arms. Jo attempted to approach the door without being detected, but Nick heard her and immediately became silent.

"What was it?"

"A spider. Emil killed it, though. Everything's just fine."

"Oh. Well, that's good."

"So, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

Nick smiled and took Jo's hands into his own. He sat her down in her chair again and once again knelt down before her. He looked up into her deep brown eyes and lost all rational thought for a moment. He finally regained his composure and then began to speak.

"Jo, you've given me two and a half of the best years of my life. You've put faith and trust in me and given me strength and support more than times than I can count. These past eight months have been especially nice."

Jo smiled as she looked into Nick's imploring blue eyes.

"I have respected you, Jo, since the day I first laid eyes on you. And it didn't take long for you to win my heart. I love you more than anything else in the world, Jo, and I'd be honoured if you'd consider being my wife."

At that Jo grinned and wrapped her arms around Nick's neck.

"Of course I will marry you," Jo said confidently.

Nick's eyes grew wide and he smiled ear to ear. He looked into Jo's eyes that danced before him in delight.

"You sure?" Nick tenderly carressed Jo's face.

"Yes, I'm sure," Jo said, still smiling. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Nick. I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Mrs. Jo!" Dan called.

Jo and Nick continued kissing in the parlour unaware of Dan's call from upstairs.

"Mrs. Jo?" Dan called, bounding down the stairs. He walked to the parlour doors and glanced inside. He immediately blushed and cleared his throat.

Jo's eyes flew open and she pulled away from Nick.

"What is it, Dan?"

"Isabelle's had the baby," Dan said with a rather embarrassed smile.

"Oh, all right. We'll be up in just a minute," Jo said with her eyes intent upon Nick's face.

Dan walked back upstairs and almost ran right into Bess.

"Sorry, Bess!"

"That's all right, Dan. Is Aunt Jo coming?"

"She and Nick'll be up in a minute. They're busy right now."

"Busy?"

"Yeah, they're busy," Dan said firmly.

Jo and Nick entered the hallway just as Nan emerged from Isabelle's room.

"Franz," Nan said with a smile. "You can come in now."

Franz grinned and hurried into the bedroom.

"Oh my!" Franz exclaimed.

Jo followed Franz into the room where she found Isabelle with two babies laying on either side of her, and Dr. Pierce with a baby in his arms.

"Congratulations, Franz!" Nan exclaimed. "You have two boys and a girl!"

Franz grinned ear to ear as he walked over to Dr. Pierce to take his beautiful daughter into his arms. He looked down into her sparkling blue eyes as he cradled her in his arms.

"She's beautiful," Franz said with tears in his eyes.

Nick placed his hand on Jo's right sholulder, and she leaned up against his strong frame.

"Come, look at your sons," Isabelle beckoned Franz.

Franz sat down on the bed and looked loving at his handsome sons' faces. "What will we call them?"

"Well, I've always liked the name Laura Grace for a girl."

"That's perfect for this beautiful angel. I like Jeremiah Kade for this young man," Franz said as he gently touched the baby nose in Isabelle's right arm.

"And how about Braeden Shane for this big boy?"

"I like it." Franz bent over and lightly kissed Isabelle on the forehead. "Well, Laura, would you like to meet your Aunt Jo?"

Jo came over to the bedside and smiled at Franz and Isabelle. "Congratulations, you two! These are beautiful children!"

The next morning the entire house woke up to the sound of three hungry infants crying. Jo stumbled out of bed and went downstairs to get a cup of coffee to help herself wake up some.

"Mornin', Jo!" Nick said brightly.

"Good morning, Nick," Jo mumbled.

"WAAAAHHH!" Came an earpiercing cry from Franz and Isabelle's bedroom.

"And thus a new chapter begins in the life of Plumfield," Jo said listlessly. "I hope Laura, Jeremy, and Braeden don't cry like this all the time."

"Well," Nick said as he poured cream into his cup. "The sooner we get married the sooner you wouldn't have to sleep in the house."

"Nick!" Jo said with mock surprise.

Nick smiled, knowing that Jo was actually pleased to hear his words. "So, how soon can we get married? I don't see why we'd have to wait very long."

"I agree. I suppose we could get married fairly soon. We only have to wait for Reverend Charmichael to be available. It's not like this has to be a grand affair or anything."

"The smaller the better."

"We could get married right here at Plumfield. We'll just have the children and my relatives here, and maybe a few people from town. Why, the wedding could be as soon as next Saturday."

"Sounds good to me."

"What wedding?" Asia entered teh kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Our wedding," Jo said with a smile.

"Now, when did this happen?" Asia asked happily.

"Last night."

"Well, congratulations!" Asia hugged Jo and then sat down at the table. "We'll have to start puttin' things together soon."

"I'll go talk to Reverend Charmichael when I go into town today," Nick offerred.

"And I'll get together with Meg and Amy to put together everything else," Jo said. "We shouldn't need much. Just some floral arrangements, candles, and new dresses and suits for the children."

The three friends sat around the kitchen table discussing the plans for the wedding and writing a 'to do list' for quite some time.

"Franz," Isabelle said as she laid Jeremy down in his crib.

"Yes, Isabelle?"

"Could you bring me a cup of coffee, please?"

"Sure. I'll take Braeden with me. He could use a break from Laura's crying."

"Thank you. Hopefully she'll have stopped crying by the time you two boys get back up here," she said as she sat down in the rocking chair with Laura in her arms. She began to feed Laura, and the little girl immediately became amiable.

Franz walked downstairs into the kitchen where he found Jo, Nick, and Asia talking around the kitchen table.

"Good morning," Franz said.

"Good morning, Franz," Jo smiled.

"Mornin', Franz," Nick said.

"Good morning," Asia added.

"Is this Braeden?" Jo asked, walking over to Franz to take the little boy into her arms.

"Yes. This little tiger doesn't cry one bit, and I love him to death because of it!"

"So, who's the one wakin' everybody up?" Nick asked with a smile.

"Laura," Franz answered. "Jeremy doesn't cry too much."

Jo sat down next to Nick cradling Braeden in her arms. Nick looked down at the handsome child and grinned.

"He looks like Fritz," Jo observed.

"I thought so, too," Franz agreed.

Nick smiled once more and then turned back to the 'to do' list on the table.

"So, what are you three up to?" Franz asked.

"We're planning Nick and mine's wedding," Jo answered.

"Wedding? When did this happen?"

"Last night."

"Well, it looks like we had several unexpected surprises last night, didn't we?"

"Yes, we did!"

All of Plumfield bustled in preparation for Jo and Nick's wedding for the next week and a half. The triplets added to the excitement in the houselhold, causing the children to be distracted with playing with the three adorable infants. The day before the wedding came Jo and Nick decided to set aside their plans and just enjoy each other's company.

"Nick?" Jo walked into the barn looking for Nick.

"Coming!" Nick called.

"Aunt Jo?" Franz asked as he walked up behind her.

"Yes, Franz?"

"Do you think maybe you two could be back in time for lunch?"

"Sure. Why?"

"Well, Nan and Bess have decided to prepare a special lunch, and I didn't want them to be disappointed by you two possibly not getting back in time."

"We'll only be gone for a few hours, so don't worry. We're going to go into town to pick up a few things and then stop by Walden Pond on the way back."

"You ready to go?" Nick asked. "Oh, hey, Franz."

"Hello, Nick."

"Yes, I'm ready to go."

"Well, you two have fun."

"We will," Nick said with a smile.

Nick took Jo by the arm, and they headed out of the barn together. They walked down the road arm in arm and enjoyed just being in each other's presence.

"So, have you decided where you want to go for our honeymoon?" Nick asked.

"Yes, I have. I'd like to just stay home at Plumfield."

"We ain't gonna get much privacy at Plumfield, Jo."

"I know, but I can't really think of any place I'd like to go."

"Well, if that's what you want."

"I'll have Meg stay, and she and Asia can make sure that the kids leave us alone."

"All right."

"No, Nan!" Bess laughed. "I think you're supposed to put the flour in a little at a time!"

"I'll do it how I want to, Bess."

"Well, don't blame me if your cookies turn out to be a mess."

At that Nan grabbed a handful of flour and threw it at Bess's face. Bess, of course, squealed and threw flour back at Nan.

"What is going on here?" Asia entered the kitchen with a look of absolute horror on her face.

"Sorry, Asia," Nan said with a hangdog tone. She immediately began cleaning up their mess.

"I apologize, Asia," Bess said.

"Well, just make sure you get this mess cleaned up. Are you sure you two don't need any help?"

"We're fine, Asia," Bess reassurred her. "We just got a little carried away with the cookies."

"Cookies? For lunch?"

"Dessert!" Nan said cheerfully.

"So what's for lunch?"

"Sandwiches," Bess said with a smile.

"Sandwiches?"

"Yeah," Nan nodded.

Asia looked at the two young women like they were nuts and then left the kitchen. She found Isabelle in the parlour holding Laura.

"Well hello there," Asia said as she tweaked Laura's nose. The little girl giggled in delight and grasped Asia's index finger. "How are you holding up?"

"I am so tired," Isabelle yawned.

"Here, let me hold Laura for you. You go take a nap."

"Are you sure you can spare the time? I mean, there's so much to prepare for with the wedding and all."

"I'm sure. Now, go."

"Thank you, Asia!" Isabelle handed Laura to Asia and then slowly made her way upstairs.

"You're welcome, Jo. I will see you tomorrow at the wedding."

"I look forward to seeing you there."

Jo exited the seamstress shop and found Nick waiting on the street corner.

"Hello, Nick."

"There ya are. So, how's the dress?"

"Perfect. Emma did an absolutely beautiful job with it."

"Great! You ready to go to Walden Pond?"

"Yeah."

"Jo, how does Rob feel about all of this?"

"He's as happy as a lark. He couldn't be more excited if he tried. He's missed his father so very much, but you've been able to ease that quite a bit. He is looking forward to having a new father."

"What will he call me? I don't really want him to keep callin' me Nick."

"Well, he'll probably won't call you Papa, because that's what he called Fritz. I suppose we should just leave it up to him."

"Do you think he'd mind callin' me Dad? I've always wanted my kids to call me that."

"Why don't you ask him?"

"I think I'll do that."

That evening after supper Nick and Rob went out onto the frontporch to have a little talk under the moonlight.

"Rob," Nick said as he tried to get comfortable in the situation. "I want to talk to you about somethin'."

"Okay." Rob sat down on the steps next to Nick and waited for him to continue.

"Well, with your mother and I gettin' married, I just wanted to talk a couple of things out with ya. First off, I want you to know that I don't want to try to take your father's place. I want to be a father figure for you, but I don't want to replace your father. Second, I'd kina like for ya to not call me Nick after your mother and I get married."

"Okay," Rob interjected. "That's good, because I kinda wanted to call you Dad."

Nick smiled as he looked down at the young boy. "That's what I had in mind."

"And, Nick, I want you to know that I expect you to be a father for me. I'm not going to let you take my Papa's place in my heart, but I do want you to be my dad."

"Here you are," Jo said as she came out the front door. I've been looking for you two."

"Oh, we've just been talkin'," Nick said.

"Well," Jo said as she sat down in between Nick and Rob. "How are my two favourite men?"

"Fine, Mama," Rob said cheerfully. "Dad and I are just fine."

The sun peeked through the curtains and danced gracefully on Jo's cheek. Her eyelashes fluttered open and then slowly closed as a sweet smile came across her lips. She stirred in her bed and then removed the sheets in one big swoop. Jo climbed out of bed, put on her robe, and headed out the door to get her morning cup of coffee.

"Nick!" Jo found him in the hallway carrying a tray with a cup of coffee, a beautiful red rose, and a book arraged neatly on it.

"Oh, hey, Jo! I was just bringin' your coffee to you."

"Thank you."

Jo turned and led Nick down the hall to her bedroom door. She opened the door and then closed it behind Nick. Nick laid the tray on the bed and then walked over to the window and looked out into the woods.

"Is everyone up and about?" Jo joined Nick at the window.

"Yeah. Meg and Amy are here settin' up outside. Asia's in the kitchen cookin', and Nan and Bess are out pickin' flowers."

"Have you seen Rob?"

"Think I saw him wandering around outside."

"Well, I'm going to go into town in a little while. I shouldn't be long, though."

"All right."

"Would you go with me, please?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll let ya change, and we can get goin'."

"Thank you, Nick."

Nick headed toward the door, but paused at Jo's dresser. He looked at a framed photograph of Fritz and smiled. "Jo?"

"Yes?" Jo asked while digging through her wardrobe.

"Could you wear your plaid skirt with the white blouse?"

"Oh, sure."

"Thanks." Nick gently closed the door and then headed down the hall.

"Nick!" Jo called softly.

Nick came over to Jo and knelt down besider her not quite knowing what to do. He looked solemnly at Fritz's grave, and a few minutes later Jo stood to her feet and walked over to the carriage leaving Nick alone beside the grave.

"Don't worry, Fritz," Nick said quietly. "Jo and Rob are goin' to be taken good care of. I love 'em both and will honour 'em in all I do. I promise you that I'll honour your memory and won't replace you in their lives."

"Jo! There you are!" Amy called. "You must hurry! The ceremony begins in half an hour!"

"I'll be ready. Don't worry," Jo responed as Nick helped her out of the carriage. He lightly kissed her forehead and then headed to the barn to get ready.

Amy hurried Jo upstairs to get ready and left her older sister alone in her bedroom. Jo smiled as she lovingly looked upon her new dress for the wedding. Because she had already been married, Jo decided to have Emma sew her a stunning blue silk dreww that fit her like a glove. She quickly got dressed and then began fixing her hair.

"Nick?" Dan entered the room looking quite handsome in his new suit.

"Uh, yeah, Dan?" Nick answered rather distracted.

"You 'bout ready?"

"Uh, yeah, sure. Just gimme a minute, okay?"

"Nervous?" Dan asked, closing the door.

"Yeah."

"How come?"

"That's what's buggin' me. I don't know why I'm so jittery."

"Well, stop thinkin' aout it and maybe you won't be so nervous. Why don't ya come on outside and wait with the rest of us?"

"That's probably a good idea, Dan." Nick looked himself over in the mirror one last time and then followed Dan out the door.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the union of this man and this woman in holy matrimony," Reverend Charmichael began. He continued the ceremony, and before Jo and Nick could believe it, they were married. What had waited three years to happen occurred in only a matter of a few minutes.

The reception afterwards was beautiful. All of the guests, the children, and the relatives were simply elated for Jo and Nick. Their gifts were beautiful, the speeches were meaningful, and the food Asia prepared was absolutely delicious. The time finally came for Jo to throw the bouquet, and much to everyone's surprise Bess caught the beautiful bouquet of daisies. Dan smiled when he saw Bess catch the flowers and gave her a wink. She immediately blushed and turned away to mask her pleased nature.

As dusk drew near the guests left Plumfield bestowing their congratulations upon Jo and Nick. The excited newlyweds anxiously anticipated their escape, not knowing just when to leave the party.

"Come on, Jo," Nick whispered softly in her ear as she waved good-bye to Emma.

"Nick!" she softly scolded. "We can't just leave everyone."

"It's our weddin'. We can do what we want. Besides, Asia, Franz, and your sisters will take care of everything. They'll understand."

"All right," she said with a smile.

The children busied themselves taking down the archway, carrying leftovers into the kitchen, and folding the chairs. Asia and Franz carried the gifts one by one into the house, and Amy and Meg each held one of the triplets to help out Isabelle for a little while.

Nick quietly opened the door to Jo's bedroom when they arrived upstairs and let her slip inside. He followed her, gently closing the door behind himself. Jo stood a few feet from Nick watching him walk toward her.

"You'll have to bear with me, Jo," Nick said quietly.

"And why is that?"

"Ain't never done any of this before."

"Well, Nick, that's the best present you could ever give me. I love you."

"I love you, too, Mrs. Riley."