A/N: Hi, hello, this is not an April Fool's Day joke – I repeat, this is not a joke: behold! Chapter 31!

"Maybe," he laughed against her thigh before continuing his journey to her center. "But we should probably get back before someone comes looking."

Suddenly remembering that her father and the rest of her family were in the house, Bella was mortified. "Oh, my God!"

"It's fine," he told her confidently before giving a final swirl of his tongue, cleanly removing the evidence of their joining. "Sound-proofed, remember?"

"That's not what I'm worried about," the shifter hissed back, her eyes wide.

"What, then?" he asked, his eyebrows drawing together in confusion.

"Your gift!"

The Major froze, only just realizing where her head had gone. "We should probably prepare ourselves to walk in on an orgy."

"Oh, my fucking God! Don't say that!" Bella squealed, her panic rising to the surface. "Charlie is down there!"

"We're not going to walk in on your father hooking up with my mother or sisters. Or brothers."

"Emmett would absolutely destroy him," Bella wailed as she sank to the floor.

He laughed hysterically at the image, "I'm so sorry," he had to pause to gulp another breath to speak. Desperately trying to keep a straight face at her proclamation, The Major rounded up her clothes and handed over first her socks, then underwear and bra.

"Bella," he sat in front of her and reached his hands out to run up and down her arms soothingly. "I don't feel anything off coming from downstairs, okay? That much lust would have me in some kind of way."

Bella sniffled and debated his argument. "Why didn't your gift work? At projecting us, I mean."

It was his turn to think on her words. "I don't really know. Maybe it's you."

Her bra was halfway over her head when she froze, considering. "I'm a block?"

"Maybe. It isn't like we've been around other people when we were together like that."

"No- what about Charlie?" Bella countered as she grabbed her jeans from the pile and stood. "We have in the house."

"I made him sleep, though," Jasper replied quickly, coming to a stand with her shirt in hand.

"Yeah," she buttoned and zipped herself in and took it from him. "Right, so if you were with me, why did your projection work then, and not now?"

Neither could offer an explanation, however, and prepared to leave the room fully. "Surprisingly, we've only been gone seven minutes," he advised her. "Your hair looks mussed up but not too bad."

The shifter allowed him to set her to rights. "What about my face?"

"Still a little red, but your eyes are swollen too, so it will easily be blamed on crying."

Relieved, she headed for the door, and paused to grab a tissue from Carlisle's desk as the two made their way back down the stairs. Bella sniffled for good measure as she approached the stairs and dabbed at her nose as they re-entered the living room to find the family discussing Jessica's transformation with Charlie. His expression was shocked, and, if she were interpreting him correctly, extremely excited that everything was coming together.

He has wanted in on this for so long.

Bella smiled at him as they crossed the room and resumed their seats.

"You okay?" her father asked, concern for her well-being returning.

"Yeah, just all the stress, and you know. Being spied on."

"I'm really sorry you're going through this, Bells," Charlie answered with a frown. "Everyone caught me up on what that was like for you, and the security measures they've all gone to. It's a lot to deal with."

"And all this before even getting to the Volturi," Emmett added thoughtlessly.

"The Kings?" Charlie asked, startled once more. "Well, shit."

"Well, they're more just a governing body, now," Esme offered as though it would assuage his fears.

"Same shit, different name," Charlotte shot back darkly, her distrust for the vampire overlords evident.

"So, what now?"

"We prepare the best we can," Esme answered Charlie with a gentle authority Bella had never heard from her. "We expect them within a week or so, now-," she turned to face her smallest daughter. "Correct?"

"Yes," Alice answered and drew her legs up to wrap her arms around them to comfort herself. "But I don't know for certain anymore."

"She can see the future, but I mess up her gift," Bella explained, noting the look on her father's face.

"Potentials," the pixie clarified with a grimace. "There are lots of variables at play."

"How does Bella stop it?"

"It's just how I am," she answered her father before making eye contact with her mate.

Jasper nodded, confirming her suspicions.

"What about Peter, though? And Jess?" she looked at them both, trying to tease out the differences.

"Well," Peter started with a sigh, "I think my supposed gift has more to do with what is, whereas Alice's gift is about the possibilities. She can see human and vampire potentials because she has been a human and is now a vampire."

"I can't see the wolves or Bella, because I haven't been like them," Alice said slowly.

"What about me?" Jessica demanded, her logical side working in over-drive and not satisfied with the explanation. "I've never been like Bella either, so why can I see her threads?"

Peter stared at her knowingly, considering. "Well, Babyvamp, I hate to break it to you, but I don't think that's a gift." At the stunned silence that followed, he continued. "See, I think you see them because you've always been able to see more details, see how things fit together. You even saw the pattern of Bella's evolution," he reminded her.

"What?" Bella asked, taken aback by the information.

"Oh, right," Jessica mumbled bashfully. "I haven't had a chance to tell you."

After a few moments of silence, Bella asked, "Well?"

"Well, according to your mom's journals, your grandmother, Eva, had her first child eighty-one years after she was born. Marie had Renee one-hundred and sixty-two years after she was born. Then there's you: two-hundred and forty-three years later."

"So," Peter continued when Jessica didn't, realizing she didn't know she needed to explain the significance of her findings. "The length of time between Eva's and her daughter's birth was doubled between Marie and Renee, and then tripled for Renee and you."

"And you think, what-," Bella asked with a laugh, "that each time, they were just gearing up to pop out a more evolved version of themselves?"

"Yes," Peter confirmed. "We ran the concept by Carlisle, and it fits the profile of each of you being stronger than the last."

"So, hypothetically, you wouldn't have a child until you're three-hundred and twenty-four," Jessica explained, her voice clinical. "You know. In the year 2311."

"Yeah, I don't see that happening," Bella began laughing, somewhat overwhelmed once more. "Sorry, dad."

"Not like I'd be able to see it," he offered, trying to let her know it was okay.

"I really thought I had a gift," Jessica sat on the floor sullenly, her face resting in her hands.

Charlotte and Peter exchanged a glance. "You do," he informed the girl.

"Excuse me?"

"Bella, Jasper, Jess: do me a favor?"

They all looked at Peter dubiously but waited for his suggestion. "Bella, stand over by Jess." He faced The Major. "Major, you stay put."

The Major was skeptical and watched his mate's every move, not sure where this was heading.

"What do you feel?" Peter asked Jasper slowly.

"Annoyed."

"Smartass," Peter answered with a roll of his eyes. "I mean, everyone else."

"Anticipation. Curiosity. Char feels awfully smug."

"What?" Charlotte attempted to defend herself. "I happen to know where this is going."

"Lucky you," Emmett answered her glumly. "I feel stupid," he whispered to Rosalie who shook her head that he wasn't and leaned up to kiss his cheek.

"Okay," Peter cut in exasperatedly. "For the sake of this experiment, can you make us all feel happy or some shit?"

Jasper sent a wave of giddy energy through the room in response.

Charlie slid out of his chair in laughter, tears streaming down his face. Esme had her hand on Alice's arm, trying to hold herself together as the two women completely lost their calm demeanors. Emmett's laughter boomed through the air, Rosalie was in titters, and Jessica was cackling wildly, falling over onto her side. Even Garrett and Charlotte couldn't keep themselves from breaking out into giggles.

Peter struggled to get a word out sideways and had to shove Bella closer to Jessica. "Touch her," he gasped, unable to explain the importance as his own mind was quickly losing the ability to recall.

Bella looked to her friend and considered her next move. "Jess," she whispered, leaning closer to the girl so she could catch any response. "I'm going to touch you if that's okay."

Jessica gathered herself long enough to nod her consent.

The instant Bella's hand touched Jessica's arm, the newborn ceased her movements, laughter dying on her lips.

"What the fuck?!" she shrieked. "Don't let go- I need to understand this."

Peter encouraged Bella with another shove, this time toward The Major, who was glaring darkly at the contact.

"I think we should walk over to Jasper, now," Jessica determined.

Bella nodded and the two stood, making their way around the laughing bodies to her mate. Upon leaning against The Major's body as well, the room fell silent.

"If I'm a shield," Bella realized quickly, "you're an amplifier, Jess!"

In her excitement, Jessica let go of Bella's arm, and turned quickly to face Jasper to discuss the possibilities.

Before the room feel prey to the emotions once more, The Major ceased projecting, allowing everyone a few moments to breathe.

"Now," Peter addressed him directly. "I want to try something. It's a risk, but it will be helpful to know for the imminent arrivals."

The Major raised one eyebrow, indicating his interest.

"I need to arrange us all first, but I want you to send out your normal level of calm, something you'd use in a heated argument where you're worried a fight will break out." Peter turned his attention to Bella. "You need to hold Charlie's hand. I don't want him passing out."

"Thanks," Charlie muttered, grateful that someone had taken the human into consideration. "That kind of did a number on my abs," he chuckled.

Garrett stood from the couch, allowing Bella to be seated adjacently and in reach of her father. She joined him quickly and reached out a hand to rest on his arm. "I'll do my best," she offered with a grin.

"Jess," Peter moved along with his instruction. "So long as Charlie appears protected, ten seconds after Jasper's calm hits, I would like you to touch him."

"You want to see just how much I crank things up?" she asked quietly, eyes widening in fear over exactly how strong her gift might be.

"That, and, if you are amplifying with physical contact, how much are you being impacted by the gift."

"As in, did Bella's gift protect me due to her own ability, or am I protected when in contact with anyone?"

"Exactly."

Jessica sat on the cushion next to Jasper, leaving room enough between them that accidental contact wouldn't skew the results.

"And, go."

Jasper extended his influence outward, calming the room significantly. Esme leaned back with a happy sigh and smiled peacefully. "Well, this is nice, Dear."

Jessica waited and finally reached to touch his skin. The impact was instantaneous: aside from Bella, Charlie, Jessica, and Jasper, every other being in the room slumped over. If they had been breathing, they might have been mistaken for sleeping.

"Wow," Charlie muttered.

"Don't take your hand off of him!" Jessica almost shouted, the risk evident. "He was hit hardest by the first round since he's human- we don't want him to go into a coma or anything."

Bella nodded her understanding and gripped her father more tightly. "Do you feel anything at all?"

"Nope," he answered happily. "Some gift you got there, kid."

Bella and Jasper made eye contact, confirming what had occurred to them both: if The Dragon is a shield too, it's a shifter thing.

Another thought occurred to her, however, and bothered her immensely.

But just how much stronger is she, now that she's a vampire?

Jessica took a deep breath and looked to Jasper. "I'm going to let go."

"I won't vary the output," he reassured her.

Jessica nodded and pulled away, instantly relaxing in the tranquil atmosphere, but remaining conscious. She waited for the rest of the family to be roused, and despite what should have been a very concerning observation, a smile fought to spread across her face, thanks to Jasper.

Bella looked from slumped form to slumped form, waiting for any sign of life. What had seemed innocent enough moments before filled her with dread; the scattered bodies of her family seemed suddenly…void.

They look like corpses.

Before she could panic, Emmett twitched. His eyes fell on Rosalie's unmoving body and though a deeply concerning thing to see, his eyes remained flat, unable to panic against Jasper's continuous influence.

Next came Peter who looked cross despite the waves of calm reaching him, only relaxing when Charlotte was roused. Garrett followed, and Jessica relaxed further, allowing her body to fall back into the cushions behind her. Rosalie finally woke, staring into the relieved eyes of her mate. Peter and Char woke together, smiling at one another blissfully. Esme shook herself, and remained silent, eyes on Alice.

A full minute passed before the small vampire showed any signs of movement. Once she did, The Major pulled back his influence, allowing them all to feel their own emotions for the first time.

The room remained silent, each considering the possibilities and ramifications of their gifts working in together.

"What if-," Jessica started then stopped. She jumped up to pace the room at a speed faster than a human. Her hands flapped in tandem, the sensory input from her fingers touching her palms helping the newborn to process her thoughts. "What if we do it again, but this time, when I touch Bella," she turned to face her friend, "who will still be touching Charlie," she clarified at the worried faces around her. "You try to use my gift, too."

"What do you mean?" Bella asked, intrigued by the idea.

"Well, Jasper knows he can project his gift, right?" she looked to him for confirmation.

"Yes."

"Well, Bella, we don't know if you can, but if you can-"

"I might be able to direct the shield to encompass others," the shifter realized quickly, her excitement building. "Would everyone else be okay with this?"

"As long as it's just the first wave of calm," Emmett answered with a grimace. "I don't want to go through that again," he turned to face his mate and ran his hand along her face in an expected show of tenderness.

"I'm fine," Rosalie murmured softly and leaned forward to nuzzle against him reassuringly.

"Agreed," Garrett frowned and flicked his eyes to his own mate with confusion. "I didn't like it."

Jessica nodded wordlessly, acknowledging that, while they weren't a typical mated pair, they certainly were protective of each other.

"Not that my vote counts," Charlie chimed in with a guilty smile, "but I'm good with it. I mean, aside from the slow wake-up, that was interesting to watch."

"Worth a shot if I could shield any of you," Bella noted with a sigh.

"One more facet," Jessica suggested to Bella. "If you can direct your shield, we should also see if I can amp Jasper simultaneously."

Garrett looked on with concern, unable to keep himself from objecting. "That could tire you unnecessarily, Miss Jess."

Jessica frowned with confusion. "I don't get tired," she pointed out.

"It doesn't work that way," Jasper explained calmly. "You could end up getting really thirsty and Charlie might start looking real good to you."

"I'll try to take that as a compliment," Charlie grumbled from his seat, muttering something about being a walking blood bag, and human inadequacy.

"Hush," Bella patted him firmly. "You're amazing, dad."

The family let the two have their moment as they discussed possibility and strategy for the next experiment.

He looked at her skeptically, "I can't possibly stack up, though, Bells."

"Dad!" her tone incredulous. "You can't be serious!"

When he didn't reply she continued. "I mean it, you're amazing; how many other supernatural kids can share this much of their lives with their family?"

Charlie remained silent, unmoved by her assertions.

"Do you know how lucky, how grateful I feel that we can finally talk about it? That you don't think I'm a freak?"

The family fell silent at her words, realizing for the first time how Bella might feel about herself.

"I don't fit in anywhere," she pushed forward. "There's no one like me. So, having you be supportive, even when there's no marker to compare my progress to, means everything."

Charlie gathered his daughter into a hug, eyes watering. "You're not a freak, Bells. Not even close. I know it's hard with your mom being gone," he choked out, shedding tears at the mention of Renee. "But I'm here, okay?"

Bella nodded into his shoulder, thanking her lucky stars for the way she was falling into her wonderful new life.

Esme stepped forward, catching Charlie's attention. He nodded, indicating she could approach, too.

"Truly, Sweetheart," Esme murmured softly and reached to rub Bella's back. "You may not be exactly like us, and feel like you don't fit in, but I can promise you, there's more than enough space in our hearts for you to be part of our family."

"Okay," Bella untangled herself from their embraces with a laugh. "No more tears: we have shit to do."

Jasper smiled encouragingly at his mate, knowing how hard she was working to keep herself in one piece.

"So, how should we do this?" Charlie asked curiously.

Peter directed everyone to vacate the long couch and sat Charlie in on one end. Bella sat beside her father and held on to his arm. On her other side sat Jessica, who waited for the signal.

Everyone else arranged themselves nearer to the group, just in case something went wrong.

"Ready?" Jasper asked the room.

Everyone nodded, and he spread another wave of calm throughout.

"It'll be a piece of cake," Jessica announced dreamily as Bella reached her free hand for the newborn's arm.

Jessica was snapped out of it quickly. "Wow. Feigned optimism actually feels kinda gross."

Bella snickered and returned her focus to her energy. She breathed slowly, bringing herself to a calm, meditative sort of state.

It's been a while. So much for me following Renee's guidance, she thought with a mental eyeroll.

With each breath, Bella felt herself draw closer and closer to her animalistic side, led by instinct. She experienced a hitch in her next breath, and the sensation of hitting bottom. The wall was flexible, like a bubble, separating her energy from the outside.

She imagined a physical location, the visuals helping her to navigate the sensations. Her mind was floating in an iridescent ocean in shades of pink, lavender, lilac, aqua, and cyan. The sky was pearlescent whites and creams, reflecting upon the endless sea that glimmered back at it. Though there was no sun in this world buried deep inside herself, her surroundings were illuminated from within.

Exploring, Bella imagined her mind-body sinking slowly, slowly, slowly, into the waters, and found that her initial observation of her energy had been limited by imposing her perception of reality upon what she found: what she previously interpreted as a sky could now be seen as a coating that encircled what had only seemed like an endless sea.

It's the shield.

Intuiting that the waters surrounding her was the essence of her energy, the power of the shield itself, Bella surrendered herself to it, merging with it entirely. She had no body, she just was.

Bella rubbed her fingers together to draw Jessica's attention and felt the vampire grip her arm in response.

She opened her eyes and as she exhaled, blew against the shell containing her, sending a wave of her energy to wrap around Rosalie. The substance clung to her target, Bella's very intention directing the directional shift in her shield.

The vampire stared at her, her jaw hanging open. "Your eyes-"

The Major shook his head, directing his sister to be silent.

Bella paid her no mind, detached as she was from the outside world. From there, her energy spread, enveloping first Emmett, then Esme and Alice, Garrett and Charlotte.

As the shifter's eyes reached him, Peter held up his hands, inviting the energy to pause. It did so, curiously.

"I'd like to try the side-along attempt with Jasper alone. Better to risk only me."

The energy that Bella had become considered the request and withdrew from where it had approached the girl's uncle.

At her silence, The Major approached Jessica who nodded in agreement.

The instant Jasper's hand made contact with Jessica, Peter was dropped into a state of unconsciousness once more.

Jessica sighed with relief, clearly glad she was able to accommodate amplifying both gifts at once.

Bella's energy inched toward her uncle without her prompting, exploring the contrasting energy that had taken over. She pressed gently against it and The Major shivered convulsively.

"I feel you," he gasped, struggling to keep his grip on Peter. "Can you fight me?"

Her first instinct was to withdraw, not wanting to harm her mate.

"Don't pull away," The Major requested firmly. "Don't be afraid."

Her hold flickered, and with a long exhale, Bella sent her mind into the heart of her energy once more, realizing that instead of trying to keep her grip on her gift, she needed to let go.

Surrender.

She let her focus drift, trusting that her family was still shielded from her mate, and allowed herself to be dispersed into the energy once more. With her eyes still closed, her renewed intention allowed her to reach for her uncle without conscious intent.

The shifter felt her energy wrap itself around Jasper's, who confirmed it with a gasp at her presence. She explored his energy, finding it to be impenetrable.

Solid. So solid.

Her energy pressed against firmly and felt the pushback more strongly. She prepared to push harder, to blow his energy away on her next exhale.

Surrender.

Instead, Bella relaxed against her mate's essence becoming nothing more than a whispering caress where she had once attempted to forcefully breach and found herself passing through him.

Jasper, who had been panting with effort at her initial attempts whispered a soft "oh," as his energy yielded to hers.

He was disarmed.

Bella's energy flooded Peter, saturating him, drawing him into awareness.

He woke a moment later and shuddered as Bella's energy withdrew to simply rest upon him. He sputtered and coughed, rapidly moving to a seated position and drawing a ragged breath. "Like drowning in the ether," he choked.

The Major eyed the grip Jessica still had on his mate's arm and nodded that she should release her.

Having been released from the shell that contained her, the energy that constantly fought against her, the energy that drove her to shift, the energy that demanded to be pushed outward in any way it could, remained where it was.

The animal inside of her purred in satisfaction, the cage that had kept her locked away, separated from becoming an intrinsic part of Bella, no longer keeping her from blending into one being.

Feeling Jasper's energic influence ebb, the shifter allowed her own gift to withdraw gently from her family. She opened her eyes, watching as, one by one, the vampires felt her leave.

Emmett frowned as she released him, spiking her curiosity. Her gift responded in kind, plumbing around him like smoke, reaching in tendrils to touch him once more. He let out an undignified giggle. "Hey! That tickles!"

Bella grinned and detangled herself from Rosalie next, and allowed the blur she radiated outward toward Jessica and her father to retreat into herself. With a final exhale, she felt it settle back against her flesh.

As her breath returned to a natural rhythm, the iridescence of her energy enveloping her body faded, leaving her with only the ease that accompanied freedom from her own mental restrictions.

I'm not a freak: I'm whole.

Where she might have felt awkward from making such a display of herself, Bella remained calm, observing the world with brand new eyes.

"So," Charlie was the first to speak. "I take it that went well, then?"

Of course, he was protected from the beginning.

"That's an understatement," Peter muttered, breaking the tension. Emmett and Rosalie began interacting silently, and Jessica stood and flitted to her mate's side, visually inspecting him for any signs of harm. Alice and Esme sat in shocked silence, still processing what they had felt. Charlotte was staring at Charlie, clearly thinking on something, but not expressing what.

The Major sat down on Bella's other side and gripped her hand, earning her gaze. While the majority of his irises were as dark as coal, flashes of gold shifted within, reflecting a warm deep love and admiration for his mate.

Alice stared at Jessica, a frown etched deeply into her face.

"What's your deal?" the newborn's head whipped up suddenly to meet Alice's amber eyes.

Alice looked genuinely apologetic and gave her a sad smile. "I was wishing you could boost my gift, too."

Jessica's body relaxed and her foot bumped absentmindedly into her mate's leg repeatedly as she thought. "Couldn't I try?"

"You could," Alice answered her slowly. "However, I don't know if it would make a difference since the issue is that I can't see Bella."

"If you can't see her, any visions in which she's present will elude you," Jessica connected. "That's a bummer. Must be hard to go about being blind."

"It is," Alice allowed her to be vulnerable for a moment.

Much to think about, the family slowly began to spread out into groupings, mates talking amongst themselves, seeking normalcy. Esme chatted with Bella's father about her childhood and asked questions about what Renee had been like.

"We need to hunt again," Garrett informed the gathering and stood before offering a hand to his mate. "Miss Jess has expended an awful lot of energy."

They bid their farewells with promises of working through strategies with Bella and the rest tomorrow.

It was then that Bella realized just how tired she actually was and opened her mouth to ask if they had everything wrapped up.

Charlotte looked expectantly at Charlie, however, apparently waiting for him to spill the beans about something. "Your brother," she prodded him.

"Uncle John?" Bella asked, wondering if she had missed something. "What does he have to do with this?"

"Not much," Charlie allowed, "but he knows an awful lot about the supernatural. From vampires to shapeshifters, demons and ghosts, werewolves, other things I don't want to know about."

"Wait," Jessica stopped halfway out the patio door. "Demons?"

"Er- yes," Charlie answered her nervously.

"Miss Jess," Garrett rested his hand upon the newborn's arm. "Might we go hunting to keep Chief Swan safe this evening? We can catch up tomorrow."

Disappointed with the sudden lack of potential information, she frowned, but nodded and followed him through the patio doors.

"Sammy and Dean?" Bella asked quietly, worried that her connection to the supernatural might put them at risk. "Do they know things, too?"

"Well," Charlie rubbed his neck awkwardly. "It's kind of their family business."

"What is?" Bella asked, bewildered.

"Hunting."

Emmett groaned mockingly. "Good job, bro," he directed to Jasper. "Had to go and get yourself the most dangerous mate you could."

A/N: I just want to personally congratulate EVERYONE that reviewed asking about the Impala that Charlie owned, along with catching Bella's cousin's name: Dean!

Once again, not a cross-over, really, because I wouldn't want to disappoint any Supernatural fans by making them wait for over 180,000 words (wait, can you even believe we got here?!) to be rewarded with a short amount of involvement – seems not so nice of me? Should I include it in the description or nah? Was the surprise worth it?

For anyone wondering about Garrett, I 100% modeled his personality after Crane from Sleepy Hollow, just, ya know, younger.

You know the drill. Still no beta. Catch any atrocious errors, lemme know.

Also, for anyone wondering: I finished my classes with 2 A's and 1 B, and I'm good with that. Not too shabby for someone rushing to finish twenty homework assignments in 72 hours hahahahaha.

It would be so lovely if you could review on your way out! I appreciate each and every one, and to be honest, they are a large part of what keep me going! Not because I need attention, but because it reminds me that people DO read what I write. Reminds me I'm reaching people.