AN: Thanks again to my amazing Beta ACEMCKEAN - she has three stories currently - The Cullen Brothers, MArital Bliss? and a one shot that I am personally hoping she continues called The Protectors, that she wrote for Bronzehairedgirl620's contest. It is a great story and voting is now open for the contest!!! So read and VOTE!!!

AN2: Sorry that it has been so long. The last little while has been hard as there has been a death in our family. I have a new story, a one shot, that I wrote, just trying to get my emotions in check.

AN3: It has been a long time since I remembered to put in the disclaimer. I don't own Twilight. I wish I did, but it belongs to the wonderfully talented Stephanie Meyer. I can only dream.... and play with her characters....

CHAPTER 50

BPOV

They all stared at me, including the wolf, that I knew to be Jacob.

"What?" I asked finally, looking at everyone.

"Bella, you just fought two gifted vampires and came out without a scratch. You, my Love, are amazing. Everyone is stunned," Edward said, kissing my neck.

"Oh," I said, blushing again.

"She blushes too?" Eleazar asked, stunned.

"Yes!" Carlisle said. "And she cries real tears and breast feeds the babies."

Eleazar looked at Carlisle, then at me. He was obviously stunned.

"Why do I feel like a brand new Betsy-Wetsy doll?" I asked, quietly.

Everyone laughed and I blushed a little more. Jacob walked into the woods and I turned to Edward, worried that I had done something wrong.

"He's just going to phase," Edward told me.

"Oh," I said. "Why can't he just do it here?"

"Because in wolf form, I don't wear clothes Isabella, so I had to try to maintain some dignity," Jacob said, coming out of the woods in only a ragged pair of sweat pants.

"Oh," I said, blushing. I had never really considered that.

"So tell me Bella," Jacob said. "How is it that you were able to take out two leeches? Not only two leeches, but leeches with bonus talents. Um, no offense guys."

"Offense taken!" Kate sneered.

"Umm. I don't really know. Arriel just showed me that I should.... so I did," I said meekly.

"You need to explain better than that, Love.. We all want to know what happened. How did you get free? What happened?" Edward asked.

"I guess I should start at the beginning... but maybe we should wait until we are all together. I am sure the babies need me. They will need to eat and then we need to deal with the rest of the army... otherwise a lot of humans will get hurt," I said. My brain was still a bit jumbled by the experiences I had just been through.

They all nodded in agreement and we started walking towards Charlie's house. Jacob came too, in human form.

Edward held my hand tightly in his as we walked. I didn't complain at all, I understood, I didn't want to let him go either.

"Did this all just really happen?" I asked him.

"What do you mean, Love?" he asked, chuckling.

"I mean, well, was it just this morning we were supposed to be married?" I asked.

"Yup," he answered, pulling me closer to him. "And I still haven't had a chance to tell you how absolutely stunning you look in this dress. We will be married very soon, My Love. I will make you my wife before I let you out of my sight again, even for a second."

I stopped, turned my face towards him and kissed him. He didn't object. Jacob, on the other hand, was not amused.

"Can you two suck each other's faces later? Please! After we take care of this stupid leech problem," he growled.

"Jacob, considering your present company, I think you should be careful who you are offending," Kate snarled. She and Rose must be close. VERY similar personalities.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever!" Jacob muttered, walking towards Charlie's house with everyone else while Edward and I continued our kiss.

Suddenly our kiss was interrupted by a vision, Arriel and Jace were hungry. I looked at Edward, who had obviously seen the same thing and laughed. He grabbed my hand and we ran, vampire speed, toward Charlie's house, passing all the others in our haste.

As we burst in the front door we were assaulted by Alice, Esme and Rose. They flung themselves at us and started asking a million questions and comments.

"How are you alive?"

"What happened?"

"Oh my God!! He saw you in the dress and we haven't even got to the wedding!"

"I missed you!"

"Never, ever do that to us again!"

"I was so scared!"

Finally the sounds were pierced by two loud, simultaneous wails.

Edward and I looked at each other and made our way past our sisters and mother to my father, who held our precious bundles, now wailing away. Apparently they wanted our attention now!

"Hello, My Darlings," I said to the babies, taking them both from Charlie. They smiled at Edward and me. Their whole faces lit up

"Thank you, Daddy!" I said to him, kissing his cheek.

Edward kissed both of the babies' heads and wrapped his arms around me again as the rest of the family joined us.

Watching the rest of the vampires in my family, plus the Denali coven, which I suppose was also family, fill my father's living room was intense. Charlie, to his credit, didn't really seem phased by it. I was certain he knew that everyone here was like me, inhuman, but he sat and received everyone as if they were any other visitor in his home. Jake refused to enter the house. He said he'd take a quick patrol around the house and talk to the pack.

Everyone was silent. I noticed that my 'vegetarian' family stayed closer to where Charlie was standing, while the 'red eyed, attempting to be vegetarians', kept their distance. Every eye in the room seemed to be focusing on the babies.

"So," Charlie asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence, "Can I get anyone a drink?"

Apparently that broke the ice as everyone started laughing, leaving a very confused Charlie.

Arriel placed her demand to be taken to my old room, with her brother and her father. She wanted to eat in peace and quiet, then she showed me that we would sit and have some explaining to do downstairs. I looked at Edward, he had obviously seen the same thing.

"We will be in Bella's room. The babies need to eat," he informed everyone.

"I don't think so, Young Man," said a very firm Charlie.

"I beg your pardon?" Edward asked.

"No boys in her bedroom! No exceptions!" Charlie said firmly.

"Dad, the babies want him with us, as do I, and unless you want me to undress in the living room and feed them here, then he will accompany me to my room. I'm not a baby anymore, Dad! Seriously we are getting married and we have children. It's a little too late to protect my virtue," I ranted.

"Bella," he said, in a more pleading tone.

"Dad, seriously! Everyone here, except you, has super sensitive hearing... Do you think we could really do anything inappropriate? Not to mention everyone here is waiting for answers about tonight's events and coming events. Honestly we won't be there for a minute longer than necessary," I told him.

"Fine," he muttered and turned to face the TV, switching it on to a football game in progress. I looked at Alice and mouthed to her to keep him safe. She nodded softly and stood next to him.

Edward and I quickly made our way up to my room. He smiled as we entered the small room. Both of us reliving the nights he spent here, holding me, before things got complicated.

"I guess you need to undo your dress. Can I help you?" Edward asked, wiggling his eyebrows like a a silent movie star.

I laughed softly and turned around so my back was to him, allowing him to undo the buttons of my dress. He rubbed the skin of my back as he did.

"You look so beautiful. I .... Bella... I should never have left you alone... I should have been there to protect you and our children.... I..." Edward stammered.

"Edward, you couldn't have known. Nobody did. Alice didn't see it. It just happened. As much as I know you want to, you can't protect me from everything. At least I am strong enough to take care of myself. I don't have to be the victim anymore," I told him, as I slipped my dress down to let the babies have what they needed.

"So you don't need me?" he asked, kinda sullenly. Stupid Man!!!

"I need you more than ever. I need you more than anything. I need you forever!" I told him, looking into his golden eyes.

"Bella! My Bella! I love you so much! You are the most incredible creature I have ever met! Do you realize that you were in a house alone with a human and you didn't even flinch. You took out two older talented vampires. You ...." Edward said, his word tumbling from his mouth so fast that I'd never have been able to make them out at all had I still been human.

"I love you," I told him, interrupting his rant and beckoning him to kiss me over our children's heads.

He did so willingly.

After a minute I pulled back slightly, so our noses were about four inches apart, and cleared my throat unnecessarily to speak.

"Now if you don't put aside your insecurities and understand that I need you and love you as much as you love and need me, I will kick your ass. Seriously!" I said, before kissing his nose.

He sat in stunned silence for a minute, just staring at me.

"What are you thinking, Edward?" I asked him.

"Honestly, Love? I was wondering if that should scare me or turn me on!" he said smiling.

We heard Emmett and Jasper laugh from downstairs. Apparently they heard that and my checks flushed a little before I answered, "A little of both would be perfect!"

The laughter downstairs struck again before I heard Charlie ask, "They aren't doing anything up there are they?"

More laughter followed by Alice's quiet reassurance, "Nope, just feeding the babies and talking."

Charlie seemed reassured by this.

Edward brushed his hand across my cheek and leaned in to kiss me again. We sat together quietly as the babies finished their meal.

I looked at Edward again and gasped, "I can't even change them. I don't have any diapers or anything. Oh, I am a terrible mother!"

"Gee, you didn't pack any diapers while you were being kidnapped? Or did you forget them while you were fleeing for all of your lives?" he asked, making fun of me.

I looked at him, slightly angry before he cracked a huge smile. Before I could say anything Esme opened the door to my room and put a bag inside, smiling at us. It was the diaper bag we had packed and placed in the trunk of the Mercedes before this all began. I smiled at her gratefully. My poor little monkeys had been in the same diaper for almost a full day.

Edward grabbed the bag and we laid the twins next to each other on the bed. I reached to change Jace, as always, leaving the easier Arriel for him. No fountains from her, but he shook his head no. For the first time since his first infamous diapering attempt, he was daring to change his son.

I'd like to have something fun to say about this changing, but it was happily uneventful. We changed the twins from their little white outfits into some comfortable sleepers. When they were done I placed them both in Edward's arms.

"Bring them downstairs and I will change and join you shortly," I told him.

"No," he responded simply.

"I beg your pardon?" I asked him.

"I told you we would not be apart until we were married.... and even then I'm not so sure," he said.

"I'm sure I'll be perfectly safe in my own room! After all everyone is downstairs!" I argued.

"Hmmm, sorta like you were safe in our rooms at Rosie's?" he asked.

I really didn't have an answer.

"Okay," I conceded. "Just turn around so you don't see what's under here."

"Not a great incentive to turn around," he said, until I glared at him, letting him know I was serious.

He turned and faced the door and I went to my closet, opening the doors, looking for something to wear. I grabbed a pair of jeans that Alice had bought me long ago and an old comfortable T-shirt.

Just as I was about to close the closet door, Alice yelled, "I don't think so, Isabella Swan! Wear the blue blouse with those jeans!"

"Stinking know it all Pixie!!!" I muttered and heard her giggle. I grabbed the blue blouse and, after making sure Edward wasn't looking, I quickly changed into my jeans and blouse. I hung my wedding dress in the closet with a sigh.

Edward was at my side instantly.

"I will marry you, Isabella! And I will marry you soon," he promised.

"He's right," Alice said from downstairs.

I smiled at him and looked down at our little babies who were now sleeping in their daddy's arms.

"Shall we?" I asked

"We shall," he answered with a smile and we headed back downstairs to talk to everyone.

As soon as we entered the room all eyes were on us.

"Before you start, Bella, I need Eleazar to fill us all in on your and the twins' gifts," Carlisle said. "Eleazar, please."

"Hi Bella," Eleazar greeted, before turning to Carlisle. "Amazing, simply amazing! Carlisle, this is incredible."

"Sorry, I guess I am missing something," I said.

"Bella, Eleazar sees powers," Alice filled in.

"Oh," I said, nodding eagerly. I wanted to know this too.

"So Edward, you can't read her mind, right?" Eleazar asked.

"Nope, I can't read Jace's either," Edward said.

"Well in your mate's case it is because she is a mental shield," he told us.

"A shield?" Charlie asked.

"Many of our kind have special powers," Carlisle explained. "Bella's power is to shield her mind from the mental powers of others."

"Not only that my friend," Eleazar continued. "She has the ability to share that shield, to shield those around her too."

Cool! I had a gift! And one that could be useful, if I learned how to use it.

"Now the girl, Little Arriel, she can place thoughts in the minds of anyone she chooses. If she chose she could use her power like Jane," he said.

"Who is Jane?" I asked.

"A powerful member of the Volturi guard. She can cause extreme pain to anyone she chooses. A very powerful weapon for their guard," Edward muttered, angrily.

"Not only that, she has a gift similar to Alice, although not the same," he said. "The things she sees are certainties. Both past events and future. The things she sees will come to be. But is limited to certainties."

"We need to keep her secret. If the Volturi know anything.... they will..." Carlisle stated.

"Not only that," Eleazar continued, "her power pales in comparison to Young Jace. He is possibly the most powerful creature I have ever encountered."