Chapter 50 – Talent

"Talent is sometimes genetic."– Unknown

In the time that Isabella had been recovering, Edward and Sophie had gotten married and Sophie had been pregnant. A little girl had been two days before Isabella's birthday, not that vampires really kept track of birthdays but Isabella still knew when her own was, called Eliza. Edward had transformed Sophie once she had given birth and she was still in the stage of transformation.

Isabella stood bouncing Eliza in her arms in the lounge looking out the large grass window. She tried not to think when she had stood in her own lounge with Theresa or Callen snuggled in her arms as she gazed out the window wondering what they would be like when they didn't wake her up at all hours of the night. Her father was across the room, talking quietly to her step-mother. Rosalie and Emmett were in the forest while Jasper and Alice were around the house somewhere

Isabella could hear Edward pacing around the room Sophie was "asleep" in and open her shield to comfort him. At the same time however, Eliza put a hand to her cheek and she gasped as an image of Sophie looking ill and weak flashed across her mind. Her parent's heads snapped towards her but the image was gone since as she gasped she snapped her shield back over herself.

"What is it?" her father asked coming behind her and resting his hands on her shoulder, looking at her over her shoulder.

Isabella blinked rapidly, not used to having her mind invaded by anything and breathed out heavily.

"Has Eliza shown you her gift?" she whispered turning to look at him properly.

"Ah, you removed your shield," Carlisle chuckled at his daughter's expression, pressing a kiss to her forehead to try calm her from her shock. "It's interesting, isn't it?"

Eliza seemed to understand what he was saying because she beamed at him.

"Sophie's heart rates changing," Esme observed from the other side of the room and the two other Cullen's feel silent listening as Sophie's heart beeped for the last time.

"Edward," Alice's voice said upstairs. "Shall I have Izzy ….?"

"Yes- keep the baby away," Edward replied.

The rest hurried for the stairs but Isabella stayed where she was, noticing the form of Jacob dart out of the tree line toward the house.

"You're mum's going to be awake now," she whispered to the small child in her arms. "Are you excited to meet her again?"

Eliza reached a hand up and Isabella forced her shield aside to receive the happiness Eliza was feeling.

"Isabella. Eliza," Jacob said as he walked into the house, the difference between the two names were astounding. "May I?"

Jacob reached his arms out for Eliza but Isabella shook her head.

"I don't think that's a good idea," she muttered and Jacob cocked his head to the side to listen.

"Sophie's awake" he observed the lack of heart beat but Isabella wasn't going to say another word listening as a body moved quickly and landed hard in the room upstairs.

"Sophie" she heard Edward say in a low, calming tone that was laced with worry. "Sophie, love? I'm sorry, I know it's disorienting. But you're all right. Everything is fine."

Isabella grimaced as she bounced Eliza, taking a few steps away from Jacob, remembering when she first woke from the transformation and how different and confusing everything had seemed.

She listened to the conversation play out above her head and Eliza seemed to be, her eyes entranced by what seemed like the ceiling but was actually the voices through it. She shook her head as her father's natural curiosity but it didn't take him long to tamper it when he realised she must be thirsty.

Then Sophie started asking to see Eliza but Isabella's father and Edward wouldn't let her stating it was dangerous.

"She's fine, Sophie," Isabella called up to her. "I've got her but you need to go and hunt."

Eventually, Sophie stopped questioning and Edward managed to drag her out hunting. Eliza let out a noise as they watched her parents run in the forest.

"It's okay, hun, they'll be back soon," Isabella comforted her niece. "I promise."

"How are you holding up, Isa?" her father asked her when Rosalie had taken Eliza from her a while later and she sat of the sofa her bum one side of him with her feet over his lap and onto Esme's, who was one the other side of him.

The young child in the house made her gravitate towards him even more as though little Eliza reminded her off their relationship and he seemed to be the same. It was like her presence reminded them that they were father and daughter.

"What do you mean?" she asked softly, glancing up at him.

"Alec, have a child around, anything really," he expanded.

"I know who I am," I told him though more for myself. "I just forgot for a little while but I'm fine. Alec's my past and I can look back on him and our children with downward spiralling. It still makes me sad and it still hurts but I'm happy, I promise, it's not an act."

"Good," he pressed a kiss to her hairline. "How do you think Sophie's going to react to the fact Jacob imprinted of Eliza?"

"Badly," was Isabella's only response, knowing that if someone had imprinted of Theresa before she had even met her she would have been pissed, and it wasn't long before they found out that she was completely correct as Sophie leapt for him.