Chapter 35: Discoveries

~Bella~

The one thing that I liked about the bathtubs in this house was that they were deep enough to keep the water contained when Anthony splashed around. His favorite game was to stand up and plop down making the water go everywhere. His constant splashing was why Renesmee didn't like taking baths with him – that along with the fact that her younger brother liked to grab her dolls and throw them around to try and make more splashes. As my son sat in the tub splashing, I enjoyed the time I got to spend with him. Edward and I were already trying to figure out a way to go to Volterra and show Aro and the others that I was one of them, doing it in a way that we could protect our children. The hard part was not knowing if it would work. Normally we would have Alice there to tell us what that path in our future would bring, but since discovering that Lily was her sister's child along with the fact that her niece, our niece was causing the headaches, any visions Alice might have had for us were blocked by those circumstances.

"Alright big guy you've been in there long enough," I said as I stood from where I had been sitting on a tan wicker stool.

Anthony was chewing on a washcloth while he kicked his legs making little splashes. He didn't notice me as I stood up turning to get a towel because I moved quickly. The second I lifted him out of the water getting the hooded towel wrapped around him, my baby protested, shaking his head. "No no no," he said as I cradled him in my arms.

"We need to find Daddy and see what he's doing," I answered hoping to distract him.

Anthony stopped shaking his head and sighed. "Daddy go?"

I was thankful that my little boy wasn't as stubborn as his sister and as I carried him down the hall to the room we were for the moment all sharing, I told him, "Daddy went outside to hunt with Uncle Emmett."

It had been two days since Alice's vision revealing some of Lily's past, connecting them in ways Alice or any one of us could never have imagined. It all meant more than we had realized, raising several questions as to when Lily had been born, or more importantly if Alice's sister had been half vampire like Lily, Anthony and Renesmee. For those reasons Jasper Alice and Carlisle were heading back to the States in a few days to try and find more answers, while the rest of us stayed here trying to work out the things we needed to focus on.

In our room I laid my son down on the large bed with him still wrapped in the hooded towel. Anthony rubbed his eyes before he smiled up at me, lifting his legs in the air. When I held both of his feet and nibbled on them, he laughed, trying to pull them away.

"Yummy feet," I growled nibbling on his left big toe. He got his feet away from me and at the same time rolled from his back to his tummy in an effort to get away.

"Oh no you don't," I said as I rolled him back over managing to rub him dry the rest of the way while he did his best to escape. The one nice part about being immortal was that I had limitless energy, and by the time Anthony was dried off, in a clean diaper and dressed he was the one who was tired and ready to cuddle with me as I got a book to read before laying him down for a nap.

"Cup," my little boy reminded me just as I was about to sit down in the old Victorian Rocking Chair.

"You're right, we do need to go get you a cup," I said ready to do that when I heard Edward approaching with what we needed. What I also heard was the steady breathing of our daughter and when he walked in he had both the cup and Renesmee who was asleep against his left shoulder. She had gone with her Uncle and Daddy early this morning to hunt and was worn out as a result which was good because she hadn't slept well last night.

Before he put her in bed, Edward handed Anthony the cup. Our son settled down cradled in my arms as I began to rock him while we shared the story of The Three Bears. It was one of his favorites and I'd read it enough to have it memorized. I glanced away from the book watching Edward as he pulled off our daughters new boots before tucking the covers around her. When he finished and as I was getting to the part where Goldilocks entered the cottage where the bears lived, Edward walked in front of us. Our son reached his free hand up and smiled as his daddy kissed his fingers. Anthony pulled the sippy cup from his mouth, "Hold," he demanded.

In a quick moment Edward and I switched spots and once my husband began reading to our son, Anthony went back to drinking the contents of his cup while I went to the bed leaning in to kiss our little girl. They were both growing up so fast and I hated that there was so much going on. I felt at times that we were missing things, milestones that we were never going to be able to live through again.

Downstairs in the common room I found Rosalie sitting alone on one of the sofas while Lily was sprawled on the floor working on a puzzle. My sister looked deep in thought though when I approached her she came back to herself and smiled at me. Learning the news about Alice's sister had been a shock to her and it added to some of Rosalie's insecurities. Lily knew the truth as well though it didn't seem like her love for Rosalie and Emmett had changed. The only thing that had was the closeness she had with Alice, which we all had anticipated, though it was hard for Alice to be around Lily.

"How many pieces?" I whispered as I sat next to my sister.

"Two thousand," Rosalie said.

We were speaking soft enough that Lily couldn't hear us. "How are you doing today?"

"A little better," she whispered.

For a few minutes we sat in silence watching Lily as she worked on her puzzle. It was only when Emmett arrived that our quiet moment was broken. He joined his daughter on the floor and Rosalie followed his lead. It was nice to see them happy and I hoped with all my being that they would pull through, that all of us would with the coming weeks as we tried to figure out what we were going to do about all of the problems that had cropped up with the Werewolves Joham and even the Volturi.

It was such a gloomy day that taking a walk with my husband on our property wasn't much of a risk. Our babies were still napping and I wanted to work on pushing my barrier so that Edward could hear my thoughts and so that would be easier. We were walking up a steep incline and there was nothing around us but open land for miles ahead. It was a little unsettling not to have the trees for protection, though there wasn't anything around us, no dangers that either of us could sense and it was nice to be able to see the sky even though it was full of clouds threatening rain at any moment. Do you think that Alice is right about me being able to protect your thoughts? With some effort on my part I was able to push away the barrier enough to let him hear that thought. As I did I tried to focus on what I was doing but that part was still illusive.

"It is an interesting theory," Edward answered as we continued to walk hand in hand. "I think maybe if we could practice on you clearing your mind, and perhaps you being able to feel what it is that protects your thoughts, then we might be able to go from there."

Once we entered the cover of the trees we stopped walking. "Close your eyes," Edward instructed.

I did and focused on only what I was feeling along with his voice. Edward would protect me and knowing that made it easier to keep in tune with only my thoughts along with what I felt when I pushed at the barrier to allow Edward to hear what was on my mind. When I let him hear my thoughts it was like pushing an invisible band away from my mind all together, but if I wanted to protect him, I somehow needed to make that band stretch, or maybe push it until it included him. Either way it wasn't something I thought I could do, and yet something we needed so he would be protected when we went to see the Vulturi, something I still felt I should do on my own. I let him hear my thoughts on what I thought protected my mind, waiting to hear what Edward had to say.

"You think it's like a band," he said, and I nodded.

"Even if you could protect me from Aro's thoughts, he would think we were hiding something from him," Edward pointed out.

That was frustrating and I grumbled as my husband took my hands in his. "We will find a way to keep our children safe."

"But we need to find answers soon Edward. If they find out about Joham and his interest in us, they will want our children and Lily. Aro cannot get his hands on them." I said feeling very strongly on that matter. "I still think me going on my own is the safest bet," I added.

Edward was already shaking his head. "I'm not sure I have the strength to wait for you to go on your own. If Aro wants you the way he does Alice," My husband pointed out.

~Edward~

While Bella helped Rosalie in the kitchen, I found Carlisle in his study. He had been looking over the files Alice had given him when she had gone to Biloxi to find out about her past shortly after discovering what James had revealed on his tape at the Ballet Studio in Phoenix. When I entered he cleared the information away. "How was your walk with Bella?" my father asked.

"It was calming," I answered as I sat down on the black leather sofa across from the mahogany desk he sat behind. "Where do you think you might start?"

"Well, the Mental Facility she stayed in has been closed down for several decades. We were thinking about starting at the library. She and Jasper looked at the courthouse but didn't find anything of use.

I nodded. "Do you think Alice is right about her mother meeting a man who could have been a Vampire?"

"That is a strong possibility given Lily's age, though we must also take into consideration that Joham tried to turn her into a full vampire. Her heart rate is so much lower than a child who would have never have gone through that. Also her metabolism seems to function at a slower rate. Given those factors she may have been born right around the time Emily was said to have passed away. Did you and Bella talk about working with her abilities?"

"She was able to focus on what she felt when she pushed away here barrier. To her its like a band around her mind that reflects anything like what Jane can do and holds in anything she is feeling from someone with my abilities. If she was able to push that band, she might be able to keep my mind safe from Jane, and keep my thoughts from Aro, but the risk is that he would suspect we were hiding something. Another risk is that he would want to add Bella to his collection as he does with Alice and me."

I knew from my father's expression that it hurt him to think that Aro would do something like that, try to take us away from our family, though at the same time Carlisle had witnessed that when he lived with them. "I always have hope that our friendship would make a difference," Carlisle finally said as I nodded in agreement.

"Do you think Eleazar and Carmen would be willing to come out this way? You said he was once a member of the Volturi," I reminded.

Carlisle's thoughts took him back to conversations the two of them had. As a member of the Volturi it had been Eleazar's job to tell the brothers what abilities other vampires had. From that they would be able to plan accordingly if they needed to take down an entire coven of vampires, or from what Eleazar could sense from another vampire, offer a place within the Guard.

"I think I might be able to persuade them. He is very interested in meeting Renesmee Anthony and Lily. Like us he has never heard of a union between a human and a vampire that wasn't just myth," Carlisle told me. In his thoughts I could tell that my father trusted his friend. Eleazar had done what the Volturi had asked of him even at times when he didn't agree, so it was safe for him to come out to visit us, and hopefully give us some ideas of how Bella's ability worked.

The next day since it wasn't raining outside and all three of the children were tired of being indoors so much, Emmett and I decided to take them for a walk down the driveway. With the trees making a canopy over that area it was safer than no cover at all. We had brought along the Hobby Horse, and Alice had already ordered another one in effort to keep my two from fighting over who got to ride it. Even Anthony was willing to make an effort to keep his sister from getting on it and that was an interesting development because normally he was very laid back about most everything.

While Lily pulled Anthony on the horse, Renesmee was ahead of all of us skipping while she pulled along a wooden dog with wheels attached to the feet. Like the horse the dog was an antique, though very well built and able to withstand rough play even from two very sturdy children.

"Do you think Eleazar will be able to help?" Emmett asked.

"I'm hoping he will. I keep wondering if Bella can really use her gift to protect me. I seem to remember that Kate can push hers around her body to keep someone from attacking her, kind of like what Jane can do with her mind."

"She really took you down with just thoughts?"

"It's more than that. It's the illusion of pain which you cannot ignore. Even though she doesn't touch you something she does creates that illusion and it's very real." My anger at Jane wasn't ever at what she had done to me, but that she had tried to use her ability on Bella.

"Can I stop pulling Anthony please?" Lily asked as she turned around to face us bringing his ride to a stop.

"Yes," I said as she smiled while I walked over to take her place.

At that point Renesmee dropped the string she was using to pull the wooden dog and ran over to us. "Daddy may I please have a turn?"

She really was trying to do better about getting along with her brother even though they still had their moments. I glanced at Anthony who was looking at both of us. When I knelt down he grasped the handles of the horse. "Anthony will you help me pull the dog?"

My little boy glanced in front of us at the abandoned toy. "Mine," he said as he slid off of the horse and ran to the dog. Anthony grabbed the string and began to run laughing as Renesmee got on the back of the Hobby Horse. Lily and Emmett were keeping pace with him and I began pulling my daughter in effort to catch up with them and not hurt my little girl or the toy they both liked so much.

Our walk was cut short when we heard thunder rumbling in the distance and by that time I was left to pull the horse, while Emmett carried the dog and the children ran in front of us. Anthony was doing his best to keep up with his sister and cousin though when they got further ahead of him he plopped down on his bottom and began to fuss. I handed the reigns over to Emmett and lifted my son up over my head settling him on my shoulders. Once Anthony was there he was happy again, patting the top of my head as we walked.

"So does Bella still think she needs to go to Volterra on her own?" Emmett asked with the girls a safe distance ahead of us.

"Yes, but I don't think I could stand being away from her, or even trust Aro to not try and acquire Bella the way he wants to with me and Alice."

My brother shook his head. "It's sad that we all place our trust in them when they do shit like that."

"Try to remember," I said glancing up as Anthony looked around. I was glad he hadn't heard what Emmett had said. All we needed was for our year and a half old son to run around spewing profanities.

"Oh yeah, I forgot. Do you think change is coming with all of this. What I mean is with Joham, and the werewolves," Emmett asked keeping his voice low even though the girls were almost to the house. Neither of them were winded and both of them were having a great time which was nice after how much stress they had been put through.

"I do think change is coming," I agreed before Renesmee tripped. I held on to Anthony and arrived by her side as she hit the concrete driveway. My little girl was more stunned than hurt and Emmett already had Anthony as I held my baby in my arms. Her breath was held and the moment our eyes met she began to howl. I remembered when she was a baby how Carlisle took two samples of her blood. Since then she hadn't ever gotten hurt by much of anything because she was so sure of herself.

"I have you," I crooned hugging her close to me as the front door opened and Bella ran out with Rosalie and Alice trailing behind her. Renesmee was still crying clinging to me and Anthony had also begun to cry, though once Rosalie and Lily got him distracted with a butterfly, he quieted down. My wife followed me inside where Carlisle was waiting and we all headed for the common room.

Bella's thoughts were in my mind. Did it hurt her?

"I'm not sure," I said trying to read our daughter's thoughts. She was still stunned by the fall though once I sat down and Bella was next too me both of us talking to her, she began to settle down a little.

"Shh, I've got you and Momma's right here," I told her as I gently rocked her. Esme came over with a wet wash cloth and Bella took it wiping her face. There was a red spot right on her forhead though no bump. Renesmee didn't seem to notice as Bella wiped the cloth over that area carefully.

Renesmee's small hands were clutching at my shirt and once Bella had finished wiping her face our daughter's cries began to subside.

"Are you hurting anywhere?" Carlisle asked as he knelt down in front of us.

Renesmee glanced down at her pants and we noticed the large rip in the knees.

"It got broken," Renesmee said as her voice shook, threatening of new tears.

Bella reached out and held her small hands. "You fell down and that was an accident," My wife explained while Carlisle started lifting her pants leg. What he uncovered was a small scraped area with just a small amount of blood there but it was already dry. It appeared that she was healing already.

"Why don't we go upstairs and find something else for you to wear," my wife suggested and our daughter leaned out for Bella to take her. Once they had gone Carlisle sat next to me.

"She's never fallen like that, with the exception of the time she rolled off Charlie's bed when she was an infant."

"It seems like she was distracted by the race she and Lily were having, Carlisle pointed out and he was right.

"I'm thankful that she can heal fast and doesn't have to endure what another child would have with a fall such as that."

"Daddy," Anthony called out a moment before he came toddling into the room with Lily behind him.

My son ran over to me and grasped my trousers before he sat down on my foot. "Up."

When I started to bounce him, Anthony laughed and I held on to his hands while I focused on what was happening upstairs. Renesmee was still upset, still trying to figure out why she fell down and Bella was telling her about the times in her life when she had been hurt. For the moment I wasn't needed and focused my attention on the bouncy ride I was giving my son as he sat on my foot laughing.

~Bella~

Once Renesmee was wearing a new pair of pants, I sat with her on my lap in the rocking chair. It was rare that she let me hold her this way because she was striving to be a big girl like her cousin, Lily. "Mommy did I hurt before?"

"Well, you haven't ever tripped and fallen like you did just a few minutes ago. When you were a baby and Grandpa Charlie was watching you, you rolled off of his bed. We thought you might have been hurt worse than you were today, but you just had a few bruises."

My words prompted her to look down at her knee and she rubbed her hand over it. "Not hurting."

I kissed the top of her head. "I'm glad," I whispered and we continued to snuggle that way until she went to sleep. It was a little early for her to take a nap, but given the small trauma and the long walk I guessed the extra sleep wouldn't hurt her. Once she was tucked into her bed I moved quickly and quietly around the room picking up thinking about how we could visit the Volturi and not have anything go wrong. I still thought the best way was just to go on and do it on my own. If I was still in my reckless phase I would have, but now that I had a husband who loved me with every bit of his being and just being more grown up, doing something like running off to Volterra and not telling him was out of the question, besides Alice would likely see that.

Thinking of my sister I went downstairs finding my husband rolling cars around on the floor with our son. "I'm going to see how Alice is doing," I told him giving him a kiss and one to Anthony before I headed to the part of the huge house that was theirs. When I arrived at their room, Alice and Jasper were packing. Alice flitted over to me and we hugged. "Are you guys heading out so soon?"

"I need to be away and try and clear my mind so I can focus on Lily and my sister. I'm also hoping with Carlisle's help that we can find some records on what happened to her."

I nodded and began helping her pack.

"Sometimes I have visions of her being lost, but they are so brief and so far and few between that I can't figure out what it means." Alice said in frustration. Jasper walked over to her and held her in his arms while she shut her eyes.

"Alice why don't you rest, and tell me and Jasper what you want to pack," I suggested. I hadn't really thought she would do that, but a moment later she was laying on her left side on the bed, facing us as we waited for her to tell us the things she and Jasper would need.

As we packed I told her about the things that were bothering me. "Sometimes I think going alone would be the solution. Aro wouldn't be able to read my mind. They would all see that we honored what we agreed to, and we could move on to the more important things like finding Joham and putting a stop to all of this."

"I didn't ever see you going alone. Before all of this happened I always saw you with Edward and Carlisle."

Since Carlisle was going with them to Biloxi, that meant anything we did with the Volturi would be put on hold. Once we had everything they needed packed, I headed back to the main part of the house finding only Emmet and Lily in the large common room. "Did Edward take Anthony upstairs?"

"He got fussy," Lily said.

When I sat down on one of the long white sofas, Lily came and sat next to me. "Aunt Bella, do you think Aunt Alice will find out about my other mom?"

"She's going to do her best," I said surprised that she was bringing that up.

Lily sighed and nodded. "I miss her sometimes," she whispered after a long pause. "But I don't want my new Mommy to be sad so I don't tell her or Daddy even," she whispered, though Emmett heard and walked over to us. He sat down on her free side and lifted her onto his lap.

"You are more than welcome to talk about her Lily. She was your Mom long before Rosalie and I were here to take care of you."

"But Mom, Mommy gets sad because Aunt Alice was her sister," Lily said.

Watching Emmett deal with this was interesting to see. He rarely showed his serious side, always messing around, but when it came to being a father he was good at what he did. Needing to see my own husband and children, I left them to talk and went upstairs. On the bed next to Renesmee, Edward rested on his back. Anthony was laying on his chest with his little head tucked under Edward's chin, and his arms and legs over either side of my husband. I smiled at them as I walked over and sat down on the bed without jostling any of them.

"I think that walk wore them out," I whispered.

"I believe you are correct. How was your visit with Alice?"

"Good. They are getting ready to leave," I said.

Edward nodded. "They want to get some answers."

"What are we doing while they are gone?"

Before answering Edward shifted to his left and eased Anthony from his chest to the mattress next to Renesmee. Our son lifted his head and opened his eyes, but settled back down as Edward began to rub his back. Once he was asleep again, Edward and I walked out onto our balcony looking out over the property as it drizzled rain. "I was thinking you and I might head over to Oxford at some point and look at the libraries around that area. Since The Children of the Night are involved, looking there might bring up some answers about any legends that could be different than what we know of. Hopefully it will also give us a good starting point on where to look for them.

I nodded remembering that Edward had talked about Caius wiping them out of most of Europe and Southeast Asia. That was a lot of land to look over, but we had to try and find a place to start. "Alice said she saw us going together to Volterra with Carlisle. I guess that means we wait for them to get back."

"I think it would be wise," my husband responded as he wrapped his arms around me. His head tilted down and when his lips pressed against mine for the briefest of moments I didn't care about anything other than sharing my love with him.

AN: Alright, more written. I hope you guys liked this chapter. I wanted another one with the family all together before things started picking up. Thank you everyone for the adds and reviews and for reading my story. More soon. I deleted and reposted this chapter because there was some problem getting it to show up from the email alerts, hopefully this helps.

~Ella~