Chapter Twenty-One

Atticus turned out to be more special than any of the vampires thought he would be.

Every day he would grow faster mentally, and physically.

He had only been a week old when he had said his first word, "mamma," while Bella was sitting in his nursery. She was reading one of the more popular Italian bedtime stories that her family claimed she should read to him in many different voices for each character instead of the American bedtime stories she had been raised reading. She didn't see a reason to dismiss this, she wanted her son to have pride in being an Italian and loving the country that he was born into just as much as the one his mother had been born in.

Atticus could drink blood, but he could also eat food, though for some reason he preferred to mix his food and his blood together, which could be kind of gross if someone thought too much about it. Bella didn't want to think too much about it, she just tried to imagine he was someone that likes to put ketchup on everything. Otherwise, she knew if she would have lost her appetite if she were able to still eat human food around Atticus.

The first three months went by faster than Bella wanted, for he already looked like a big one-year-old or even a small two-year-old. He preferred to be put on his mother's hip and she would hold him whenever she would walk around in the corridors of the castle in her haute couture robed dresses.

He would lean against her and she would run her fingers through his shoulder length hair because she couldn't bear the thought of cutting his hair despite the fact that her family often teased her about him not having his hair cut shorter. He was also a mini Marcus whenever he would follow his ancestral uncle around the castle with his head tilted up and his hands clasped together behind his back just like the third king.

Although she wanted him gone from Volterra, Bella allowed Carlisle and the rest of the family to stay in the Italian city. They stayed in one of the guest houses that were surrounding the edges of the castle that some of the nobles owned for their own guests. Rosalie stayed and she didn't say anything though she would send longing stares at Atticus. There were moments that Bella feared that if she left Atticus alone with someone, she couldn't trust Rosalie would take Atticus and run away, claiming she would raise her precious miracle better than Bella ever could.

When Atticus wasn't with his uncles or with his parents, he would often be found wandering throughout the castle with Heidi, Aunt Jane and Uncle Edward, or spending time with Aunt Athenodora. Aunt Sulcipina (his mommy never allowed him to call her grandma) was not a kind woman and would dismiss him when he would come and visit her and his favorite older aunt.

It just made her 'son' end up distancing himself from her even more. It was apparent that Alec would not mourn whatever relationship he had built up over the millennium he had been in the presence of Sulcipina.

Today, there was a meeting that would be had with Carlisle along with the kings, and family of Atticus. Atticus was currently in the lobby of the castle with the secretary, while Heidi was sitting behind the desk with the said current secretary (poor Gianna had been already killed by now, she had displeased Uncle Caius, so she was finished by the time that Bella had turned into a vampire) to talk about upcoming tours in the castle.

Bella smoothed down her hands on her dress she was wearing, knowing it was just another elegant dress that only royals and rich politicians would be able to wear.

The neckline was never too low but was taunting, in order to show that she did indeed have the curves that would attract others to her but the only person that could have those curves could be her husband. She had lost plenty of her favorite dresses that were similar to this one over the months due to the way the dresses would cling to her. Thankfully Atticus would be in the playroom that they had built for him whenever his parents wanted some one-on-one time with each other.

She glanced away from running her fingers against her clothed waist when she noticed Alec stepping into the view of the mirror for her to see. She knew he would have stress lines appear upon his features like her, bruised lines from periods of them unable to sleep, for they worried they would lose their son in a matter of decades instead of having him forever if they were human. She and him would find out the truth with what Carlisle would tell them on what he had discovered about Atticus (thankfully Jane and Edward were always with Atticus whenever he would have to be studied by the vampire doctor).

"Do you think things might be better than we think?"

Bella probed, before she turned completely around to him. She leant forward and wrapped her arms around him, allowing her husband to hold her and carefully run his fingers through her luscious locks. He kissed her on the top of her head and kept her against him for a moment, before he pulled away from her and nodded his head.

"I have a good feeling, Bella. Demetri will be at the meeting, and we know that there is a possibility that his gift can help us," Alec informed her, making Bella perk up when she heard the mention of one of her 'surrogate' brothers in the Volturi.

She hoped his tracking ability could be used and they could find someone if there was someone out there which knew about halflings.

They left their chambers and went down the hallways and towards the library where the kings all gathered together. Bella enjoyed going there all the time since she had become a vampire, sometimes spending days in the library reading as many books as she could. Her family would come and teach her some of the languages they had learnt throughout the millennium they had established, and she eagerly gathered all she could from them.

Entering the library together with their hands intertwined together, their wedding rings glistened from the sunlight that poured into the golden and white marble library. They shot each other looks, silent that didn't need to be spoken aloud, when they reached the center of the library. The kings were sitting in the three chairs that were next to each other, facing towards the elegant library doors, and they could note that Demetri was pacing back and forth where he was–a blur to humans but was easily able to be seen in front of vampires.

"Ah Isabella, Alec, welcome. Demetri has some news he has for you," Aro stated, having relief flooding through his features and his voice at the fact that there was progress when it came to the crown prince of the Volturi (he would eventually become the third king if things would go well, and he was able to live longer than around a decade and Marcus would step down).

Alec and Bella went forward and sat down at a pair of chairs that were facing the three chairs. Demetri had his hands clasped behind his back and shot a look towards the kings in order to know if he could tell them what he had learnt. He had spent months trying to find out as much as he could when it came to halflings along with the others and had demanded he be in charge of learning as much information as he could to track them down.

Demetri went over to one of the tables where there were vanilla folders that let them know he had found out something for them. Bella and Alec opened the files at the same time, baring their teeth when their eyes landed on a black and white photograph of a pale vampire with an air of arrogance upon his features. It was obvious he thought himself higher than anyone else in the world.

"Through hard work and threatening, I have learnt there is a vampiric scientist that has created halflings just like Crown Prince Atticus. I do not know how many he has created but there are more than two. His name is Joham and is often called "The Dark Angel", "The Demon Angel," along with "Libishomen". He was changed in the early 1600's and was in his forties when he had been changed. He is obsessed with creating halflings."

Carlisle awkwardly shifted in the background, quiet as his golden irises went away from looking at the royal family and friends around him to the antique books that were on the bookshelves. Aro reached out and took Carlisle's arm as though to let him know there was no need for him to be upset, only for him to gasp as though he had been burnt and pulled his arm away. There was anger and disappointment that was upon the features of Bella's father-in-law.

"You knew of this scientist! You knew of Joham! How dare you keep this from me and my family!"

Aro roared as he got up from the chair and pushed it away, so that it toppled and fell onto the marble flooring in a loud thud. There were hairline cracks that spread out from the fallen chair, the vampiric strength of Aro having ruined the flooring of the library. It made Bella know if she continued to look upon the ruined library floor she would have her heart come back just so it could beat harshly against her chest in fear.

Bella was thankful that Atticus was away from the library, she was thankful he was with Heidi. She had cared for many children when she was human, including her little brother that she had to put into foster care after she almost attacked him when he was hurt after she had been turned into a vampire. She had been a nurse/nanny when she was human and cared for many children, so she had become an aunt to Atticus very quickly.

"Rumors, Aro. I heard rumors before. I did not know whether I should believe in them or not. I had feared for Bella as she grew pregnant, knowing the truth now. I can go with Demetri in order to find Joham and bring him here for him to tell us all he knows about the halflings. That is if you give me permission in order to do so."

Bella reached her hand out and took Alec's in hers, he ran his fingers against her hand and wrist in a soft circular manner in order to make sure to let her know everything was going to be okay. Bella bit the corner of her lip and let her eyes flicker away from the sight of the vampires in front of her to the vampire next to her–the vampire who was her husband and helped bring Atticus into the world. She peered into those crimson irises of his, calmer and more subdued than her.

"How can we trust you to not make a run for it with your family? What makes you think we shall trust you when you have lied to us?" Caius probed this time, causing Carlisle to straighten up his back and move so he was in front of the three kings once more.

Aro let his eyes flicker towards Demetri along with Alec and Bella. He knew there was progress in his daughter-in-law's gift of shield work. She had barely been able to form a somewhat solid circle around her and Alec, sometimes even her and Alec and Atticus. She was not ready to form a shield around Carlisle in order to keep him bound in place, something they were certain Bella would be able to do hopefully only decades from now.

Aro motioned for Caius and Marcus to follow him and the rest of the vampires observed the three as they went to an adjacent small room they would enter to have discussions not meant to be out in the open with others around them. Bella felt anger shake upon her, her Newborn anger ripe and ready to tear into Carlisle. She rushed forward and grabbed Carlisle and shoved him up against the library bookshelves. Some of the bookshelves broke into two through the middle and there were others that just fell forward onto the marble floor.

Everyone stayed still as Bella threw the vampire doctor throughout the library as long as she saw fit. Eventually her husband wrapped a black mist that came from his palms around Carlisle to make him limp and all his senses gone. Bella moved away from him, anger radiating throughout her still at how Carlisle had kept this secret from them.

She and the others could have had a head start on finding this Joham if only Carlisle had come forward and spoken the truth or Aro had indeed touched him to hear his thoughts. His strong brotherhood with Carlisle was enough for him to think that Carlisle wouldn't need to have his thoughts processed because Carlisle was a saint and pure.

The doors to the adjacent room opened and the three vampire kings came out. Caius held pride at the mayhem that had happened while he was preoccupied with his brother kings. Aro merely shook his head in disappointment, but there was no anger that was reserved for his daughter-in-law. Marcus cared too much about the fate of his descended nephew. The library could be fixed but Atticus could never be replaced if he was lost.

Bella turned her head, noting the three kings, and moved out of the way. She spun on her heels and stalked out of the library, not able to turn and see those golden irises showing so much guilt. She sped away from the vampires behind her and in the direction of where her son was. She needed Atticus like she was still human and she needed breath. She needed to know if he was still here even if there was nothing that could harm him since Heidi was watching over him.

She calmed herself down as well as she could when she reached the doors that led into the lobby of the castle. Her son did not need to see her upset like this. Atticus only needed to know warmth and happiness and smiles and laughs. He did not need to see the desperation that came from his parents, nor did he need to hear the screams and tortures his mother would put upon the wicked humans that were picked for her to consume because of their sins towards children.

Opening the lobby doors her heart, though dead, was warmed within her at the sight of her curly haired son sitting in Heidi's lap and creating origami flowers in his delicate hands. The secretary hissed as she cut herself on the finger while she was folding her own flower, only for Atticus to turn and pick up the said hand that held the cut. He wrapped his fingers around the finger and closed his eyes, focusing on his power, before he pulled away and the cut along with the blood was gone.

"All better," Atticus proclaimed, in his ethereal voice, enough for the secretary to smile warmly at the young halfling. Heidi smiled and began to tickle the little toddler sized boy, despite the fact that he was three months old. Atticus laughed joyfully at the tickling.

"Atticus, that was a lovely thing you did."

Atticus turned his head so that his blue eyes would land on his beautiful mother standing near the lobby desk with patience and love radiating from her entire being. He hopped off of Heidi's lap and rushed forward so that his mother could pick him up. She scooped him up easily and held him against her lap as though she had been born into this second life to hold him.

"Did you enjoy your time with Auntie Hi?"

Atticus nodded his head to signal he did before she fixed him in her arms and allowed him to fall asleep in her arms. He had become a lot more tired now than he normally was and it terrified Bella. She wondered if mental health from loved ones could affect Atticus also instead of just healing wounds on people (he couldn't heal someone from near death, there were wounds out there that just led to death). He napped almost all the time, whenever he wasn't eating or playing with his parents and family members and family friends.

Bella began to make her way towards his nursery with the heels of her shoes clicking against the stone floors of the corridors. The stained-glass window with extravagant scenes is another reminder that she was currently living in an old Italian castle and not in a normal suburban house with a white picket fence and a golden retriever. Chances where she would accidently kill the golden retriever since she was still a Newborn.

She entered their family's private chambers only to see that Alec was sitting in the sitting room of the chambers reading one of the novels he was borrowing from Santiago.

Santiago wasn't a very sociable person but he often had many books that he would lend out to others around him. People had learnt their lessons when they would ruin his novels, they often would have their arms ripped off or their hands and kept until the vampire without their arms or hands could arrange for a new replacement to be given to Santiago. So he wasn't someone that people borrowed books from that often, thankfully Alec and Bella took care of Santiago's novels perfectly and gave them back as soon as they were finished reading them.

As though he sensed his daddy was in the room, Atticus slowly opened his blue eyes before they landed on his daddy. He whined for him and Bella went over to put him in her husband's lap. Alec held him softly in his arms, as though he were mere glass and tears began to rise in his tear ducts. Bella had tears rise in her tear ducts also, at the thought of them only having Atticus for a few decades instead of centuries and even a millennium in the future.

Bella's heart grew as her husband began to rattle to their son in Italian, which Atticus took eagerly. Anything his parents said to him he absorbed as though he were a sponge. He seemed to have almost perfect memory, but not perfect all the time. He was able to remember people's names even when he would have only met them once before and hadn't seen them for weeks or even the whole three months since he had been born.

Eventually Atticus grew tired again and fell asleep, and Alec stood up to take their son into his nursery. Bella knew if she were still human she would have made sure to grab a wine bottle out of the wine cooler that was in the sitting room of the living quarters. She knew instead of wine there, there happened to be human blood from actual human donors that wanted to give their blood to the Volturi because they were the fanatics that believed they were vampires themselves.

Bella had been more than intrigued when she had first met those that believed they were vampires. They wore red contact lenses and drank some of their blood in front of Bella and the others. They were usually found in nightclubs deep within the gothic district, and one of the newly transformed vampires that used to be one of those 'human vampires' had told them all about the fanatics. They were more than excited to have their blood donated to real vampires.

When Alec came back into the sitting room, he sat down next to her, and she leant up against him. She took in the feeling of her husband holding her and reminded herself she would be strong. If she were doing this on her own, she didn't know how she could handle this but with Alec and the rest of the Volturi on her side she knew she could do anything she put her mind to.

"Carlisle is going with Demetri to find Joham. He's bound to the Volturi now, whenever the Volturi will need him, Carlisle will answer the call. It will also mean that he will have to allow those of his family that are gifted to be a part of the Volturi whenever they are needed for missions," Alec softly stated, as he brought his hand up and ran his fingers through her hair.

"I still want to rip his fucking head off," Bella hissed aloud, knowing that the venom within her body was boiling at the thought of Carlisle being able to have possibly had Joham here by now and all the information out.

Alec opened his mouth to say something only for them to hear screaming coming from Atticus's bedroom. They rushed into the room, their eyes widening when they saw Rosalie Hale standing in the bedroom with Atticus in her arms. Before Bella could go forward and rip the vampire into pieces, Alec's power came out and wrapped around Rosalie. She fell onto the ground with Atticus still in her arms. He pulled out of her limp body and rushed over to where his parents were.

Bella scooped up Atticus and held him in her arms, giving him kisses upon his face and letting him know that everything was okay. She had no idea how Rosalie had managed to get into the castle, she must have climbed up the side of the castle to the nursery while they were between changing shifts with the guards. That little sliver of opportunity was large enough to get into the nursery but Atticus had yelled for them.

Behind them the nursery door slammed open and their main family members appeared behind them, along with the Cullens (except for Carlisle, he had already left to go on his mission with Demetri). Esme had her hands up to her mouth in terror, while Emmett went to move forward only for Felix to move in front of the mate of Rosalie. Alice had shame across her features, and Jasper seemed as though he was trying to focus on making the emotions better. Edward had to keep his arm wrapped around Jane to keep her from attacking Rosalie.

Santiago moved forward from the royal guards that came into the nursery and helped pick up Rosalie while one of the guards' women grabbed the other side of Rosalie. They left the nursery and then the living quarters with a somewhat drugged Rosalie in order to make sure that everything would be fine when they would take her to the dungeons where the cells were. Bella only looked away from the blonde vampire when she heard a snap.

She glanced down, her eyes widening as she saw that she was holding her husband's detached hand. She glanced up at Alec, only for him to take his hand back from her and attach it back onto him again without any issues. She opened her mouth to apologize only for Alec to reassure her that everything was fine. She still knew she would have been blushing if she were able to. Only instead she was pale and stone like when it came to her skin, still Alec leant over and kissed her on the cheek.

She turned and looked at Alice, noting how there was guilt that was consuming her still. She wouldn't make eye contact with Bella, almost as though she had known this would happen and it was only a matter of time in the past for Rosalie to do this.

It seemed as though Rosalie couldn't deal with the fact that Bella would have the opportunity to become a mother while she would be barren for the rest of eternity. She also had to deal with the fact that the said child was the son of Volturi Royals. Rosalie had become enraged and tried to take Atticus to raise as her own or perhaps she would have been angered enough to destroy the precious bundle.

Bella glanced over at Alec as they took Atticus away from the nursery and to their bedroom instead, quietly wondering what else was destined for them and their family. What would become of Atticus? And what would happen to Carlisle for lying about Joham, and for Rosalie's failed attempt of abduction when it came to Atticus?

All she knew was if it weren't for having Alec by her side, she would have lost hope a long time ago.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: We only have one chapter left. There will be no epilogue. I felt the way the last chapter ends there's no need for one. I can't believe it's almost been a whole year since I started this fanfiction. -Emmy

as always: Twilight doesn't belong to me