A/N: Please excuse any mistakes in this chapter. I'm finishing this chapter near midnight so I can keep to the deadline I set a few days ago. I hope you all like it. I promise, the next chapter will be longer and will be more informative. At least I hope it will on that last one.

Enjoy!

Finally Ever After

Chapter Twenty-Two: Gifted Potentials and the Price They Pay

June 30th

Bella POV

It was a beautiful wedding. Alice couldn't have picked a better day to hold the ceremony. The snow that had dominated the landscape up until then had finally melted away in the late summer sunshine of the day before and snow wasn't to be expected until tomorrow. Oddly enough, beige and pink are everywhere. Pink and white flowers smother nearly every surface with beige burlap ribbons holding together the bouquets. Beige place settings and lighter beige table clothes finish off the picture.

I shift uncomfortably in my seat as I look around the crowded backyard. I still wasn't very comfortable with so many people around and didn't like the fact that I couldn't just slip away. It was my brother's wedding day, after all. The only thing that made me feel even slightly better about all of this was the look on my twin's face. He shifted between being high strung and ready to snap to looking at Alice like she was the Sun, the Moon, and the very air he breathed.

Really, though, I should have anticipated that a vampire as old as Carlisle would have many friends from all over that he would want to come and celebrate his adoptive daughter's wedding day. The first to arrive had been a man called Alistair. He was a paranoid man who was on the run from the vampire royalty, the Volturi. They apparently wanted him for his tracking abilities, but he refused to join them after he witnessed how they dealt with 'offenders'.

The next had been the Irish Coven, which included: Siobhan, Maggie, and Liam. Siobhan denied having a gift, but Maggie can tell who is telling the truth and who isn't. They were nice enough and were also 'vegetarians' like the Cullens. Having them around wasn't so bad.

The Egyptian Coven on the other hand. Let's just say I felt like strangling Amun a few times just so I could. He was so controlling of Benjamin. Sometimes, when the man spoke, he reminded me of Renee with her manipulative ways. Ben and his mate, Tia, have been fun. Kebi, on the other hand, hasn't said a word the entire time she's been here.

Just after the Egyptian Coven graced us with their presence, the most important guests- in my opinion- arrived. Peter, Charlotte, and Charlie. They were all looking well fed, well groomed, and most importantly, happy. Charlie crowed for half an hour about his boy getting 'hitched to the best gal around'. You'd think it was him waiting at the alter instead of Isaiah. It was funny when Isaiah borrowed my gifted for a few seconds to lift Charlie and place him in a tree until he calmed down. Not long enough for others to notice what happened, nor long enough to cause even exhaustion between us.

The rest were a mix of nomads who appeared and disappeared over the last five hours as the reception went on. Each came to give their congratulations to the new couple and then swiftly went on their way. Them, I liked. They were quick and to the point. No hem-hawing around and beating around the bush.

Now, five hours into the reception, I was getting slightly irritable with the crowd. Usually, I only had to deal with this amount of people in one place when we went to school or the very occasional business meeting. Even then, Isaiah handled everything at the meetings and we were able to avoid most everyone at school. It wasn't until recently that we decided to get out of our comfort zone and explore the world a little. But really, give me some time.

Huffing, I slouched back in my seat and tried to breath through the irrational anxiety that was trying to take over.

"Isabella?" A course voice, obviously not a vampire, said behind me.

Turning, I see Phil standing behind me, looking highly uncomfortable and holding my brand new baby brother. Immediately, my mood brightened. I loved little Isaac. He was so cute and reminded me of Isaiah in so many ways. The way he scrunched his face in thought- as much thought as a nearly five month old could muster anyway. His hair was a deep brown just like my twin's, too. In fact, the only thing the little boy seemed to inherit from his father so far were eyes. Deep forest green and piercing beyond belief.

"Hi, Phil. What's up?" I ask.

He shifts uncomfortablely from foot to foot. "I was wondering if you would mind holding Isaac for a minute. I... uh... kinda have to..." A blush crept along his cheeks as he continued to stammer.

Smiling, I held my arms out for the baby and seconds later, the tiny bundle was dumped in my arms and Phil was gone. Well, when you've gotta go, you've gotta go.

"Well, it's just you and me now, huh, Little Izzy?" I murmur to the dozing tot.

"Sharing our name, huh, sis?"

Looking up, I see Isaiah striding towards me with a grin plastered near permanently on his face.

"He's ours, so I don't see a problem with it. Do you? I mean, I can change it if you want. I-"

Isaiah holds up his hands to calm my babbling. "Easy, Isabella. I was only commenting. He is ours. Our brother. That means, he has full rights. When he's older, he can even get in on the betting if he feels like it. Yeah?"

He seemed too excited about that prospect and I couldn't tell him no even if I wanted to. Nodding, I look back down at Isaac to watch him sleep only to see he's fully awake and staring at me. Slowly, my smile melted from my face and a sense of irritation, nagging and insistent, crept to the forefront of my mind. My eyes started to itch, making me blink and want to look away. Suddenly, I wanted to drop him. But that wasn't right. He's my brother, a little baby. You don't drop a little baby.

But... the other told me to get him away from me. He was a threat. But he wasn't, I tried to reason. He's a five month old baby that could harm a... well, anything, let alone me. As I kept staring into his startling green eyes, the feeling grew. That's when I felt the difference. That sheet, that barrier I had felt between me and others on and off throughout my life. Something was pressing on it. It was unpracticed and clumsy. It was feeble, weak, and unmoving, yet persistent. I nudged against it consciously, but gently.

Isaac scrunched his nose and I could swear he shook his head just the slightest bit.

Experimentally, I moved the barrier so that it surrounded the prospective intrusion and tried to follow it back to the source. After all, it couldn't be what I was thinking, could it?

But it was. It was Isaac. Little baby Isaac attempting to enter my mind? How could that be? Eleazar had said that gifted potentials were rare. One in a billion. Having three from under the same roof, regrettably from the same mother, did not fit those odds.

"Uh, Isaiah?" I say quietly, not wanting to draw too much attention. When I look up to my brother, I see he is staring down at us, at the baby and me. Only his hand is twitching. Slowly, he reaches out and touches his hand to Isaac's little sleeve. Just before he can touch skin, I grab his covered wrist and draw it away. "Isaiah, no. You could hurt him. He's too little, you know that. What's gotten into you?"

He shook himself and his eyes seemed to focus again. "Huh? Oh, crap. I'm sorry. I just... I don't actually know why I did that. That's weird. I'll be right back. I going to go get the others."

Two hours later...

We all stood in the living room, sans Phil, who had gone to bed half an hour before. The Denali's and the Cullens all looked a bit worried and anxious. Especially Carlisle. You would think Isaac was about to die from the way he was fretting over my brother.

"Eleazar," Carlisle piped up. "Can you tell anything about his gift, if that is what Bella sensed?"

I huffed a little in annoyance. So I didn't have perfect control of my gift. So sue me. I did not misread my ability. Jasper came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me from behind as my father looked on in somewhat sympathy. His red eyes still startled me a little, but that was only because they weren't brown like normal. My father was happy now. That's all that matters.

Eleazar hummed for a moment in thought as he looked Isaac over carefully. My brother wasn't too happy about that and started to fuss. "Bella, could you please remove your shield from him for just a moment. I cannot get a full reading. All I can tell is it is some type of... observation gift. I think."

I tried. I really did. But it seemed my luck with my gift was up for the day. I couldn't budge it. Looking to Isaiah- who still hadn't left on his honey moon- I sent a silent plea for help. He smiled gently and took my hand. Slowly, I saw the odd blueish green hue move away from Isaac for a only a minute before sliding back into place and 'disappearing'.

Tired beyond belief, I turned into Jasper's chest and snuggled in sleepily. "Well?" I yawned widely.

"Hmm... Observation was correct. But not entirely. It seems young Isaac here can read other's intentions. Not reading someone's mind, really. More like he gets a feeling as to what they intend to do. I don't know how to describe it beyond that."

"It's enough, my old friend. Perhaps, with his gift not being offensive in any way, the child will not have as much of a risk of burn out and he can-" Carlisle began.

"I am afraid that is not the case, Carlisle, as much as I would wish it were. The truth of the matter is, if he were sent to live in a large populace, he would most likely die within, possibly, a year. Maybe two. It depends on how much interaction he receives."

Almost everyone gasped at this. I flinched in Jasper's arms and whimpered a little at the thought of my new brother dying like that. I remember well the feeling of that 'burn out' crap. It fucking hurts. Expletive needed. The blood, while it helped, didn't not take the underlying pain away. It only stopped the symptoms from progressing. No toddler should have to go through that.

A wave of peace and calm swept the room and crashed into me, nearly knocking me out with the power of it. Looking up, I realized that Jasper must have amped up his ability's strength in order to get past my shield. When he saw my glazed eyes, I think I heard him curse under his breath and ease up before grinning sheepishly down at me.

"S'Okay." I mutter while running my lips along his jaw in a show of comfort and forgiveness. Turning to the room at large, I raise my voice just the slightest bit so they know I'm addressing the room at large. "So we keep Isaac with us. No big deal. Not like we wouldn't have been in his life anyways."

Silence reigns for a solid five minutes while everyone processes that.

Esme is the first to speak. "Bella, dear. That's impossible. A few visits now and then is one thing, but to live with vampires full time. It's suicide."

"So is sending him away. You have no idea what sending him away from this protection would do to-"

"No offense, girly, but I think we would know what we're talking about." Oh, Kate was asking for a death sentence. I had no idea what her problem was. "The little blood pouch will be far safer away from us vampires. Or have you been too dense to notice that we drink blood."

Before I can truly register what is happening, I am crouched forward slightly with a viscous sneer on my lips and a distinctly human growl crawling up my throat. The other stirs harshly within and pushes for action against the threat. Warm arms, however, wrap around me from my side and I faintly register my brother holding me as Jasper keeps his grip on my hips. Somehow, I imagine this is how a newborn would react to a threat.

Isaiah POV

"Izzy, think for a second. You don't need to lose your temper on this waste of breath. She isn't worth it." When that didn't work, I had a better idea in a lightbulb moment. "Or you can sit back and relax and let your mate take care of it. I know you'd love to watch."

Jasper's head jerked up at this and his pupils were blown, eating up his irises nearly entirely. As I backed carefully away, Bella looked up at her mate with a questioning look. After only a split second, The Major nods his head and sets to work. Slowly, I can see fear begin to creep into Kate's eyes as the most feared single vampire began to stalk her slowly across the room.

As Jasper worked on impressing his mate, I tucked Alice into my side and behind Bella for added protection as I addressed the ignorant blonde about to get the hurting of a lifetime. "Get this straight in your head, blondie. Because I guarantee this is your only opportunity to do so. Gifted potentials, such as me and my siblings, are not safe in the outside world. In our time here, I know you've heard me talk about the numerous vampires my sister and I have taken care of over the years. Damned if I could give you an exact count." Jasper feinted a lung at Kate, making her flinch harshly, though she had enough sense not to run and make this worse. Go figure, the bimbo had a brain.

"Tell me, everyone, what did you all think we did with those people who sought us out? Invite them in for tea and have civil conversation until they decided we wouldn't be swayed to work for them?" I waited for them to answer, knowing they wouldn't. Several of the others in the room had a shocked expression on their faces. Obviously, they had never thought of the details of what I had revealed before. And here I thought vampires were supposed to be smart and quick.

"If you did, you would be dead wrong. For at least 99% of them. There have been one or two that were okay and willing to listen, but not enough. More often than not we fought for our lives for hours, if not days, doing our best to keep away from them. Until finally, we figured out how to defend ourselves and started taking them out one by one. And do you know what each and every one of these vampires had in common, Katie?" She whimpered as The Major leapt at her, pinning her down. He seemed to be waiting to hear the rest of what I had to say. Huh.

"Each and every one of them said one thing, more or less. 'Your gift will be useful to me. Once I turn you, I'll own you. Or you'll die.' Well, I don't know how you'd react, Katie girl, but I know me and Izzy didn't really feel up to dying on those occasions. Too much to live for, if you ask me. So tell me again, bitch, how you want to send my little brother and his human father out into the world at the first opportunity to be taken and killed. Go ahead, I dare you." By the end, I could hear a growl coming not only from my sister and mate, but from me as well as I spoke. The thought of my new brother being in danger did not sit well with me. At all.

Lesson over, The Major snuck one peak at his mate to make sure she was watching. When she was, he grinned almost evilly down at Kate below him and gripped her arms firmly and yanked. Two quick snaps later, and the idiot was armless and screaming. Or trying to. The Major had clamped his hand over her mouth and held it there until she stopped with her noise. Growling viciously, he backed away slowly, making sure the woman wasn't going to get up. When he saw no threat, he did something that made many mouths fall open in shock all around the room.

The Major, the most feared man, vampire or human both, sniffed the air around him and zeroed in on Isaac as he lay sleeping in his little bassinet next to the sofa. Gliding over to the baby, he gently- gently!- picked him up and brought him over to Bella. Laying the little guy in her arms, he proceeded to wrap his arms around her and purr.

I couldn't help myself. I cracked a grin at the sight. When I looked around at the others to see what they thought, monumental shock abounded. Grunting in consternation, I pointed out the obvious. "What? Isaac smells like Bella. She's been holding him all day, he ought to. Jasper-" a growl meets my words, "Sorry, The Major, recognizes the little guy as family and brought the baby to his 'primary' caregiver. It's simple animal behavior. You all act like just because you're vampires, you don't have parental instincts. If that were true, how would anyone explain Esme. You were all human at some point." Blank looks met my statement and I shook my head and turned to Alice. "I think everything is settled here, baby. How about we head out for that honeymoon of ours?"

Alice looked up at me with something akin to awe mixed with adoring hero worship. "Oh, yes, please." She said breathlessly."