Author's Notes: Okay . . . PLEASE humor me. Maybe it was the green suit, I don't know. I'll explain in the next author's note, I don't want to give this away. My story is still on track, just having a little fun at WHERE the meeting will occur . . . well . . . you knew the Volturi had to happen eventually! Bear with me, while the events about to take place will be quite serious, pull out your sense of adventure . . . and humor!

Disclaimer: All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

Chapter 130 Gatherings

. . . Bella and I would like to announce that we are once again expecting . . .

~oooOooo~

EPOV

I paused to look individually at each of the faces of my family. Esme was smiling, grinning really, having elbowed Carlisle who sat on the arm of the sofa beside her. His mind was reeling.

"Edward . . . you're serious?" my father said quietly, almost to himself.

"Listen closely, Carlisle," I said, pausing for a moment while everyone was completely silent, my family not even bothering to breath. I reached to put both my arms around my wife.

"Hear them? Do you hear both heartbeats?" I asked, unable to keep the smile off my face.

"Alice saw them last fall, just after we found out that Bella was pregnant with Masen," my gaze turned towards Alice who was grinning widely as she gripped Jasper's hand, "I think she showed me the vision to calm me about Bella being pregnant in the first place, but she showed me a young coppery haired child running in the yard and me on a blanket laying with two small children, just able to sit up."

"I had to show it to you then, Edward, you were so uptight about having a baby at all," Alice scoffed, "If the truth be told, I've had that vision in kind of a fleeting way ever since you first met Bella, years ago."

My jaw dropped. Bella had risen to stand behind me and I felt her hands massaging my shoulders and neck, or appearing to. I was completely sure that she was actually holding me up at that point, at least keeping me in a sitting position.

"Ha, Eddie! You were doomed from the beginning! The little pixie had you drowned in dirty diapers and spit up since day one," Emmett boomed, Rosalie giving him a particularly nasty look and walking over to swat him on the head.

"We heard of the vision, Edward, but none of us were willing to believe it . . . to be that hopeful that something so amazing could happen," Rosalie explained, reminding everyone with a cocky turn of her head, "Vampires can't have children."

"Yea," Emmett continued in spite of her, "Who knew you had the balls to knock up a human without breaking her or having her for lunch . . . much less TWICE!"

"Emmett!" my mother and Bella exclaimed at the same time.

"No ragging on my husband, thank you very much. You should have accepted all along that he was amazing," Bella chided, my hand reaching up to my shoulder to hold one of hers.

"But," Jacob managed to get a word out, but just a word before Charlie chimed in.

"Another baby, Bells? So soon I mean . . . you know, I thought it was dangerous. Hell it was dangerous," Charlie bellowed, his voice growing strength and volume as he spoke."

"I thought you guys just lucked out and all with Masen being able to read minds like Edward does, Izzy, but to try it again . . . ," Jacob questioned, "Are you sure?"

"Jake," Bella stared at her friend, pausing to look to her father instead.

"I want this, dad. Edward and I have been trying very hard to get me pregnant this last month," Bella explained. If there had been blood in my veins, I would have turned beet red. As it was, I stared at the floor, unwilling to meet Charlie's eyes but forced to hear his thoughts.

"Yea, I'll say," Emmett snickered, putting a hand up in advance of the slap he knew would be coming from Rosalie.

"One certainly couldn't say you hadn't tried, darlin'," Jasper added,smiling at Bella and not managing to contain a smirk himself. Grinning, he turned to look at his wife, "Alice can vouch for that."

"All right, all right you guys. Enough!" my wife insisted, hugging me to her as I buried my face in her side. "You all knew that was the plan, that we were trying for another baby. Yes, Alice sees twins, but even one would have been amazing. It's not like I can afford to remain human for long, now is it?" she questioned, cocking her head to one side in challenge.

"Not human? Now Bells . . ."

Charlie stood, gesturing to . . . I wasn't sure just who, and neither was he.

"Dad stop," she said, walking toward her father who had been seated on the couch, "I told you in my room in Highlands, just after Masen was born. You knew I wanted to be with Edward, dad"

"I knew, I knew." he relented, but Jacob interrupted him.

"He knows, Izz. So do I. We both spoke up for Edward to be allowed to turn you without breaking the treaty, remember?" he recalled, wanting her to understand, "It's just kind of different to talk about it and then to have you say it's gonna happen . . . that's all."

"I just never had the chance to ask you about the dangers involved . . . it is dangerous, right? The Quilettes I've talked to say that you guys kill the person as often as not," Charlie faltered, "human's being your natural food source, after all."

"Charlie. Jacob. This surely is not the time to talk about turning her, or getting upset. Apparently we're going to be grandfather's again, Charlie, and I think that calls for a celebration," Carlisle said, rising to go to the bottle of whisky kept in the room. Carlisle was nothing if not thorough and all English households in his time had whisky for drink in the front parlor.

Charlie and Jacob stood, dumbfounded, as Carlisle poured drinks.

Ten of them.

He handed one to Charlie, one to Jacob, and he brought over glasses for Bella and me as well, taking one himself.

"I know what you're thinking, and yes, it's disgusting to drink this stuff," he said, looking at what was undoubtedly extremely expensive, rare Scotch," but sometimes a toast is warranted where perhaps, in my day, a blood vow would have been used.

"To Edward and Bella. They share our love, loyalty and protection," he spoke clearly, "as do their children." "To You," he gestured towards us, then drank, as did the rest of us.

Charlie's mind registered the quality of the drink, as did Jacob's. Bella strained not to cough and Carlisle and I (along with all of my siblings) winced, knowing that this particular substance was just as bad coming back out as it was going in.

After appalled looks, avoiding the spirits like they were capable of striking out and grabbing them, my family drifted off in different directions. We were going sightseeing tomorrow and Alice apparently had lists of stores that she wanted to visit and Rosalie had nightclubs to call as Alice was unsure if her favorite ones were still operating. It had been several years, after all, since any of us had been to London to spend any time.

The ladies left in a cluster, insistent on planning the day with Bella,. I stayed in the parlor, sensing that both Carlisle as well as Charlie had things they wanted to talk to me about. The question I sensed running over and over through Carlisle's mind was, how much could be said in front of Charlie . . . and even Jacob for that matter. I turned to them, having kissed my wife goodbye, regardless of how briefly she would be away from me, and answered his unspoken thoughts.

"Please, let's all sit down," I said as I did so myself, choosing one of the high backed chairs near the fireplace. "I know there are lots of," I paused, wondering how in the world to start this discussion, "I know there are lots of uncertainties where Bella and I are concerned . . . the children, her carrying them, what vampire traits they will have inherited, the birth, the Volturi . . ."

I stopped, folding my hands with my elbows resting on my knees. It was interesting that both my father and Bella's minds were empty, waiting. Jacob's, however, was not. His was filled with one question, and one question only - which he voiced with no prodding from me, before I could continue.

"Dude, are you ALWAYS going to give her anything she wants?" he asked, staring at me like I had lost my mind, "Seriously. She may think she knows about being one of you, but you go to extreme measures to be careful with her, to contain yourself around her. Edward, she doesn't know . . . she really doesn't know what those babies could do to her."

"You mean she doesn't care," Charlie added, wiping his face with his hand.

~oooOooo~

Aro POV

"Aro, the time is now," Caius demanded, unwilling to wait any longer, "They will all be there, gathered in London."

"Patience, brother. Demetri has informed me that he is unable to discover the culprit," I calmly explained.

"But Aro!" my brother all but shouted, his glare boring through the members of the Volturi that had returned with news.

I held up my hand to calm him, but it did little good. My brother had become impatient in the last few hundred years, intolerant of things he thought . . . inappropriate, or dangerous in any way to our secret.

"It has continued, not growing weaker as all of you thought, but gaining strength and followers," he snarled, "followers that, for humans, are more intent with their feelings than any that even the likes of Chelsea have seen in centuries, is that not true Chelsea?"

I turned to my pet, gently lifting her chin with my hand and beckoning her to answer. I knew . . . of course. She had informed me already, and my touch let me feel it for myself.

"Answer!" Caius bellosed.

"Yes. Yes, the beliefs held by a large number of the humans have developed very close bonds . . . like that of a brotherhood," Chelsea said in a whisper, her eyes on the stones at her feet.

"So. You would have me do what, brother? Shall I set us against hundreds of the humans, thousands. Shall we annihilate them and have the rest of the world wondering why?" I asked, moving to sit at the head of the room, my hands folded meditatively.

There were rumblings of agreements and support and those of apprehension, all standing together in the large chamber. We could, of course, wipe out all that were devout followers. It would be a simple matter . . . but quite unexplainable since, according to all information, their numbers were significant in most major cities around the world.

I got up, hands clasped behind my back as I slowly circled the ancient turret that was the area behind our thrones. There was only one solution.

"We have to know where this came from, brothers. We have had our best," I gazed at Demetri as well as Chelsea, "investigating the phenomena, and they have not found the culprit." I stopped and turned to face the room, and the dozen or so vampires that stood there . . . waiting.

"I will go," I told them, their eyes widening.

"I will go," I said decisively. "Gianna," I called, but she came through the door answering as though she had already been told to approach me, "Make arrangements for me to be invited to this . . . this . . . premiere. The woman will be there, will she not?" I asked.

"Yes, my lord. She will attend," the girl answered.

"Fine. I will go and meet her there. I have only to touch her hand and we will know who of our kind informed her, gave her information so near the truth," I said, grimacing somewhat. "I will know where the woman, this Stephanie Meyer, came up with the ideas for these books. The books were the beginning," I said dismissively, "I suppose that I should have taken more care to quell them . . . before they became popular."

I just could not believe that a human had come up with all that she knew . . . and wrote about, without one of our kind to direct her - inform her. I had to know who the traitor was. WE had to know, if our kind were to remain safe, and the secret be kept.

"Let the arrangements be made. Chelsea and Demetri will accompany me," I announced.

"My lord Aro," Gianna hailed, "It has come to our attention that the Cullens are all in London at this time. Shall I contact them and arrange for your party to seek lodging with them?"

I considered this. It would be good to see my dear friend Carlisle again . . . even if he did have odd habits. It had not gone unnoticed by me that the writer of these newest books and movies also knew about the Cullens - even if she used a different name for them, she knew. How could all of this be just a coincidence . . .

"No, Gianna. I will surprise Carlisle in my own way. Make the travel arrangements, if you please, for the London premiere."

She bowed and left, as did the rest, save Caius.

"Will that satisfy you, brother?" I asked, turning to stare directly at him as he sat, fuming on his throne.

"It will suffice for now, brother . . . for now . . ."

~oooOooo~

Jacob POV

I walked for hours, managing to run all the way into the city first. Somehow the night seemed darker here, or at least it seemed to get darker earlier in the day than it did back home. maybe it just felt older here. It was hard to put my finger on it . . . or paw, I laughed at my own joke. I had developed a sense of humor about the whole shape shifter thing, and turning into a wolf wasn't really such a bad thing. It had it's advantages. I was fast . . . really fast, and I never ever got cold, or minded rain or snow or any other type of weather really. The only thing I did mind was being away from Bree.

I had spoken to her earlier, of course. I talked to her a couple of times every day, saw her as many days as possible. I just didn't know how I was going to manage being away from her, living away from her while I did the circuit racing bikes and she finished up her courses at college. Well . . . that was my problem. Thank God I didn't have to worry about breaking her the same way Edward had to worry about Izzy, damn. What the hell would that be like anyway, handling my girl like she was cotton candy and easily crushed or torn apart. Yep, I had the better end of the deal being a wolf than those guys did being vampires, that was for sure.

I was surprised to see Rosalie and Emmett just getting out of their car and heading back into the house at this time of night. I shouldn't have been surprised, of course, it wasn't like the leech slept or anything. At least Edward slept now, I thought to myself, justifying in part, my deep friendship with him and trying to rationalize that he was different, even from the other members of his vegetarian family.

"Dog," Rosalie nodded to me as she held the front door, beckoning me to come on in.

"What has you out this late, scaring up some prey no one else will eat?" I asked, trying to get on her nerves.

"As a matter of fact, pup, I was out getting tickets to the hottest thing in London," she sneered.

"Like . . ." I questioned.

"Like, I got us tickets to the opening night of the newest in that series of vampire movies that Bella loves so much," she beamed.

Emmett looked as though he would toss his cookies if he could, and I know it only mirrored the look on my face.

"Oh, hell no," I exclaimed, "Izzy made me sit through one of those, the one where the dude left the girl . . . she made me sit through that movie half a dozen times, and she cried through half of it! Why in the hell would you want her to go see that?"

"She loves vampires," Rosalie said like I was the biggest idiot ever to breath air, "duhh."

"She had a point . . . Bella really did love vampires . . . "

~oooOooo~