Chapter Forty Six

Bella

I watched over Jasper's shoulder as three cloaked figures appeared in the doorway throwing their hoods back as they did so, Aro, Jane, and Felix, stood there. Then as they moved forward I saw another figure walking close behind him, a hand on his shoulder, was this the shield I'd heard of when they told me about mine? He was obviously taking no chances here.

"Major, as we never heard from you regarding your mate Bella I thought we should visit in person to see how things stood."

His eyes roved over our small gathering.

"It seems we have interrupted some kind of party, and Bella look at you, a vampire after all and such an exceptionally beautiful one my dear. This is your daughter Grace? She is growing fast, what a shame her creator cannot see the results of her hard work"

"Rose had nothing to do with Grace's birth Aro. Jasper and I created her as you put it."

"You deny that without your sisters help you would have lost the child?"

I needed to be very careful here, he could obviously hear a second heartbeat and I thought he already knew of Josh's birth somehow.

"Are you going to introduce me to the newest member of your family Major?"

Jasper took Josh from me and held him tightly in his own arms,

"This is my son Aro"

"Really? Another child by your mate? Without Rosalie's help? How interesting. And is he like your charming daughter? I hear his heart beating. It is such a pity that this had to happen, we overlooked your daughter because of the circumstances and your assurance that she would never betray us, but a second? I think the chances of one or other of these hybrid children may give away our secret. I feel that under the circumstances there are only two choices, either the children come to Volterra so we can ensure our own safety or...well I think you know the alternative."

I could see the gleam of greed in Aro's face as he looked at my children and felt Jasper stiffen ready to fight but I put a hand on his shoulder and stood up, moving to his side with Grace holding my hand,

"What a beautiful picture, The Majors family. I will remember this."

"You wont have my children Aro"

"Bella? Please remember I am the law-maker here and you the criminal. I could just as easy ask for your death for exceeding the time limit allowed you to transform but I understand why it happened and am willing to overlook that so long as the children are yielded to the Volturi."

"No Aro, they stay with me and their father. If you try to take them I will see it as a declaration of hostilities and be forced to fight back"

The others were perfectly still now, waiting to see the outcome of my challenge.

Aro

So Bella was prepared to stand up against me, did she not know that she couldn't touch me with Renata at my back.

"Bella I think you should seriously consider the ramifications of your challenge to Volturi power."

"Oh I have Aro. The children are ours and we will protect them from anyone who tries to take them from their rightful place. My children will not betray us or the Volturi, you have our word on that"

"Your word means very little Bella when you think of the future. While they are young you can control what they say and do but as they get older they will mix with the humans and one wrong word or action could expose us all. That is a risk I am not willing to take."

Then we have a problem Aro. I will not let you take the children and I will protect them. How do you intend to get through me?"

"Oh I don't think that will be necessary, I can always take out those you love one by one until you agree to my terms."

"Go ahead."

I gestured to Felix and Jane but both were stopped in their tracks by Bella's gift. It was much stronger than I had thought. She stood smiling at me as Felix stepped back and Jane stood fuming but unable to affect any of Bella's friends in the room. I moved forward until I stood very close to Bella and put a hand on her arm.

"Bella, we could stay like this for ever but sooner or later your friends will need to hunt and then they will be beyond your shield and I can pick them off one by one, the same with your children, so you see you cannot win against me."

I felt a tug on my cloak and looked down to see the daughter Grace holding it to get my attention.

"Yes little one?"

"Aro you are a bad man to threaten us and you are wrong. Mummy can protect us all and as long as we stay together you wont win but if you take Josh you will regret it."

I smiled at her,

"Well spoken little one but you are talking about things you have no knowledge of. Go and play, let the adults take care of such business"

The little girl shrugged and turned to her mother,

"I tried to warn him mummy. Let Aro take Josh, hell find out for himself then."

Bella

I looked at Jasper as Grace finished speaking. She knew something we didn't about our son but were we willing to chance her being wrong?

"Trust me" she said very low, "he wont get hurt I promise you."

Jasper nodded slightly and I stepped forward,

"Very well Aro. Grace warned you so on your own head be it."

I handed Josh to Aro ignoring the anxious muttering of our friends. His avaricious grin became wider as I put Josh into his arms but it soon disappeared. In fact all emotion drained from his face as he stood holding Josh, and Renata feeling something hissed at Felix to take him. He did so but Josh had the same effect on him, all emotion washed off his face by Josh's presence. Jane stepped back unwilling to become like the other two.

"Whats going on?" she hissed

I looked at Grace for an explanation,

"Josh feels peoples emotions like daddy but he can turn them on and off and he doesn't like the bad emotions in the Volturi minds. They stay switched off until he releases them."

Our son was the greatest weapon of all, turning Jasper's gift on its head, rather like Alec. I took him from Felix arms and looked into his golden eyes nodding to him. He blinked and gurgled softly and Aro shook his head as if waking from a deep sleep, he gazed at Josh then at me,

I think you underestimated my children Aro, it seems they don't need us to keep them safe, you could never control either of them so what would be the point in taking them to Volterra? Two powerful gifts you could never own."

Aro looked at the baby in my arms then over at Jasper.

"I am relying on you to keep our secret and make sure your children do the same or..."

"Don't threaten me Aro, I have every reason to keep our secret but you can't make me. We have more powerful talents on our side than you. I suggest you apologize and promise to leave me and mine alone."

He glared before rearranging his face into a forced smile.

"As you say, you have every reason to keep our secret, let's hope you are able to control your children"

"I will, they will both understand the importance of keeping it, but neither of them will ever go to Volterra."

We watched as Aro contemplated this, it was plain there was nothing he could do but he wished to save face and bowed graciously,

"Very well. Just remember we will be watching you and your family."

"Oh we will remember that, but in turn remember that we will be watching for any treachery on the Volturi's part."

Bella

I stood tense until the Volturi left, Aro wasn't happy but he knew be was beaten. Our family were safe with the talents we had and we could and would protect each other. When Josh grew his talent would become more controllable and we could understand it better but for now we decided to live as a family, rather as the Cullens had, but without the secret partnerships that had formed. Carlisle was still out there working towards making the vampires immune from the sun and if he ever succeeded then we might be forced to think again about our safety. We would be watching him too, any attempt to follow Rosalie's work would be met by us with lethal force. No one had the right to try playing god with the creation of life.