I am so sorry for the lateness of this chapter, first it was because fanfiction was down and then it was because I left home at 8 this morning and I've only just gotten home - bar one stop to set up my new lounge - at 10 this evening.

I thank the usual suspects Pienuniek and Fran for their great work, and SM owns Twilight.

I'll let you get to it.

Chapter 27 – Feet on the Ground

"I'm so grateful that you and Bella have made it home safe, Edward. We've missed you an awful lot," Emmett stated over the communication bracelets. We'd sent him a message through Merill when we'd gotten back from the past. We'd instructed Merill to wait until he was alone.

Bella had been so happy to see him when our feet touched down in the Babylon Gardens of our time. He still had the gold to him and I could still hear his thoughts, but he was no longer on full-time assignment. He'd have to do something for someone at some point in time, but otherwise, he was just our pet – and that's the way we all liked it.

"We've missed you guys too Emmett. How are things going at home?"

He sighed, but this one sounded more in relief than in frustration. "Things are better. Carlisle and Esme are talking again and Rosalie has calmed down, although they still aren't happy with the way things have gone. I believe, though, that your absence the last month or so has helped to see that you were serious."

"It was needed. It was a task that had to be completed by us, nobody else was able to do it," I explained.

We continued chatting while my mind wandered. The trip back had been fine, Bella was a little upset but she knew that we would be heading home to Italy soon. We decided to call Emmett first because we were almost certain that most of her family were still in and out of Marcus and Didyme's villa organizing our royal wedding.

Couldn't wait to see what that was going to turn out to be. I thought with sarcasm.

'Edward, it will be as beautiful as our Mating Ceremony. Only a little larger, I think.' Bella scolded in her thoughts. Naturally, she'd heard me, oops.

"Are you going to be telling the rest of the family soon, Edward?" Emmett interrupted.

"Ah, what? Sorry Em, I got lost there for a minute."

He laughed, amused no doubt. "Are you going to be telling the others about Bella soon? I don't like hiding things from Rosalie."

I nodded while Bella answered out loud. "I believe Alice and Jasper will be ready soon, Emmett. Then not long after that Rosalie and Carlisle. I must warn you, though, that Rosalie will not like some of the news I have to tell her. I won't tell you now so it doesn't put you in any more of a precarious position."

"Damn." He scrubbed his face in frustration. "On a scale of one to ten, how bad will her reaction be?"

"Nuclear."

"What will be nuclear?" A voice rang out from the forest surrounding Emmett.

"Esme." We all called, Emmett included. "How did you know?"

"Emmett doesn't usually hunt on his own, especially if Rosalie is home. And considering he's been gone for quite some time now, I figured something was up. The others might not notice but I did."

Bella laughed while we chuckled. "Clever girl, Esme. Can't pull the wool over your eyes."

"It's not that, Bella." Esme giggled. "I was just expecting to hear from you guysand as soon as I saw the signs I figured out what was happening. I just had to shake a clingy Carlisle that's all."

We sobered up at that. It meant that they were still having problems. At least, things were getting better.

"Now what will be nuclear?"

"That will be Rosalie's reaction to some of our news, she's not going to handle it well, I'm afraid."

"Well, she'll just have to deal with it. Her attitude has been getting better since you pointed out how she was acting, but I'm afraid the spoiled girl will always be there."

We all nodded but fell quiet at Esme's observation. It was true, she'd been raised spoiled and that translated into her vampire life. With Bella getting something that she was desperate to have, it wasn't going to be easy to take, in fact, it almost made me scared for my girl even though she could take care of herself.

"Will you be coming for a visit soon guys?" Emmett changed the subject.

"We have to make a trip to see some of Bella's family first but then, yes, we will. It'll be short but we'll have to have a talk with Jasper and Alice while there. We won't be able to stay long and it would be best to have you two there as buffers, I think." I thought out loud. I thought having them there calm and relaxed would help the other two realize that we weren't kidding around.

"Maybe I can even show you my wings in person, and some of the other things I can do," Bella exclaimed. "It'll be nice to be myself around family."

You could watch Esme melt at the meaning of Bella's words. We talked for a little longer before saying goodbye and relaxing just a little before we once again had to leave.

"Ready to see the crazy, baby?" I asked Bella.

She snorted, then sighed. "Yeah let's get it over with. Maybe even Constantine will be there this time. I'd like to see how he is."

I hummed in agreement. "And I want an update on the Romanians."

With that, Bella and I packed all of our stuff and made it back to the rental car that I had parked what felt like a lifetime ago.

~*~HS~*~

"Oh my gods, it was so, so hard not to tell you guys!" Didy exclaimed hugging Bella so tightly before she turned to me, squeezing just as hard. "Especially when you came to us back in the 1920s, Edward. We wondered whether the letter that we showed you would trigger anything."

"Gods, we wanted to tell you, Edward, even back then. But you were so adamant that we must not tell anyone what we knew." Marcus chimed in. He hugged Bella before shaking my hand and pulling me into a man hug.

We laughed, and it was one of relief. "We know," we said together. "You did the right thing," We finished together.

After we'd been smooched to pieces by every member of the two families, we were able to sit down and just enjoy being with them. They went through all the decisions made for the wedding in the time we were gone and we were able to talk freely with them about what happened in the past. Charlie was the most interested in what had happened as he hadn't had to go through time before, well most of them hadn't, but he seemed to want to know the most details.

"Oh, where is Constantine?" Bella asked later that day.

"He's following up on some leads for us. He's been a huge help since back then. Not just at keeping an eye on the Romanians but sometimes he scouts out other problems before we have to intercede. The faeries are also good at that." Didy answered. "He did, however, promise to be back for the wedding in a few weeks."

We nodded at that. Glad that he would be there to celebrate the day with us. We continued to catch up on all that we had missed. We were so loud that a knocking at the door surprised us all. Everyone looked at me to see who it was because nobody was expecting anyone.

I listened, trying to hear who was on the other side but shook my head when there was no thoughts forthcoming.

Didy got up to answer with Marcus following close behind her. She let out a gasp as she opened the door. "Oh, my gods, Gabriel. What are you doing here?"

He laughed, in his booming voice. "Why, Didyme, it's a pleasure to see you again too!"

She blushed, realizing her faux pas. "I apologize, Gabriel, it's wonderful to see you again after all these years. Please come in and have a seat."

"Thank you, my dear, I will," He patted her shoulder gently as he passed, smiling at her. "Hello, everyone!"

All the angels called out their hellos, while the vampires sat there with their mouths open. They'd heard the stories of course, including the ones from Bella and me, and knew that they were looking at one of the Angels that had helped send us back in time. This being was millennias older than they were; it was a heady thought to all of them.

"Gabriel!" Bella squealed, launching into his arms for a hug. "What are you doing here?"

He laughed again before he answered. "Introduce me to the Volturi first, then I will tell you the reason for my visit."

She nodded before getting up and walking around the back of the chairs. "First in our motley crew are Aro and Sulpicia. Then we have Caius and Anthenodora, both mated pairs and the men are the leading brothers along with Marcus over here.

"Next to Marcus, we have Felix, Granma, and Grampy's middle child. And last, but certainly not least, is Heidi, their third and her mate Demetri. Now these two seem to be more vampire than angel as they have no wings but they do still have traits like an angel."

Once she was finished, she plonked herself right back into my lap with a giggle.

"Thank you, Bella. It's lovely to meet all of you. I'm glad that Didyme is reunited with her family. I'm sorry that the council was unable to do it any sooner. There were things that had to happen the way they did or it could have been disastrous. Much as with Bella and Edward going back in time," He explained. We all nodded knowing that things were done for the greater good of all.

"Now, as for why I'm here. Bella and Edward, you'll need to make that trip to Colorado in the next couple of days to tell Jasper and Alice. You'll also have to hand them the invitation to the wedding. There will be questions, considering where and why you are having it. I'd suggest filling them in on your time away but nothing else until they are here."

We nodded. We knew that we had to make the trip soon to give them time to pack and make their way to Italy.

"They'll arrive three or four days before the wedding; in time for you to explain to Carlisle and Rosalie about Bella and about the fact that you will be able to have children.

"The reason that I ask you to do it here is because Constantine will be able to follow Rosalie and make sure that she doesn't do anything stupid. I know that he wants to be here for the wedding, and that's fine. Because if she hasn't done anything rash in the first couple of days after the news, she's not going too.

"I know that I said earlier to tell them the day before, but I think they need to have some time to take it all in. Especially Carlisle, because somewhere along the way – although he said he believed – he has managed to lose his faith and that will take some time."

"How can you know all of this Gabriel?" I asked.

"It's what the Gods wanted you to know."

~*~HS~*~

Once again, Bella and I were packing for a trip. Thank the Gods that this was just a short one. We had to be back here in a couple of days to help with wedding details. The majority of it was done, thank goodness, but there were still some things that needed our attention. Location was one of them, the ladies couldn't decide if they wanted the wedding in the throne room or in the beautiful gardens surrounding the castle or even in the gardens outside the walls that butted up to the forest.

'Ugh. I'll be so glad when we can be in one place for a length of time. I feel like our feet haven't touched the ground yet and we are off again,' I heard Bella whine in my head.

'I know, sweet girl. Soon, hopefully. I think we're going to need another honeymoon when this is all over. Maybe somewhere tropical where I can see you in that bikini you teased me with,' I smirked at her.

She smiled coyly at me. 'I might be able to be persuaded.'

I was just about to chase after my little minx when Marcus walked into the room we were sharing with a cheeky look on his face. "Ready to go?"

I was looking at him, something was different. I was trying to figure it out when he reached up pretending to scratch an itch on his temple. I followed the movements before tilting my head to the side. Then it clicked…

"I have a pair of sunglasses just like that…" I trailed off before patting my pockets, looking through jackets and bags trying to find them.

I looked at Bella, seeing that she was smirking at me. "Did you look in the stuff we took back in time?"

I rushed to those bags looking through all of them but I still couldn't find them and they were my favorite pair!

Suddenly Bella and Marcus burst out laughing, like gut busting, rolling on the floor laughing. I watched them for a minute, waiting for them to settle down and tell me what was so damn funny.

Marcus was snorting, trying to get himself under control. He'd wheeze, look at Bella and start laughing again. And she wasn't much better!

He managed to get his guffaws down to manly chuckles before he started to explain. "These are," chuckle, "your sunglasses," wheeze... chuckle. "They look pretty good for being," giggle, "over four thousand years old." That set them off all over again.

I finally saw the humor in what was going on, and let out a chuckle of my own before I stalked over to him to snatch the damn things off his head.

"Well, I'm taking them back. They're my favorite pair!"

That was all it took to have them collapse in a heap on the floor. I shook my head, picking up the bags from the bed and walking out the door, leaving them to their laughing fit.

I walked out to the front room to see everyone there, biting lips or burying their heads in chests, shoulders and hair. Some were shaking; those looking at me had mirth and mischief in their eyes. But the one that got to me, that made me realize that I was acting kind of ridiculous was Charlie. He was picturing me with longer hair pulled back into pigtails, arms crossed across my chest and stomping my foot with a pout on my face – it was that singular image that had me laughing with the rest.

After we had settled down, we organized what we were doing. Bella and I were going to Colorado. Charlie, Seth, and the other men were heading back to Eden to make sure things were going okay there. Marcus, Aro, and Caius were continuing to oversee the mythical world; there were issues that needed handling before the wedding in a few weeks and all the ladies on both sides were going to start getting things organized.

"Before you leave, Bella and Edward," Dora started. "Where do you want the ceremony and reception? We have pictures of both of the gardens and the throne room for you to look at and choose."

Bella and I sat down looking through the photos. The gardens were stunning, both of them.

The one outside the castle walls was all-natural, with a stone bridge running over a stream that had been added since we'd been there. It was all big bushes and grass. Amongst it was some ruins of the old encampment from when they'd started to build in stone and some beautiful willow trees that still had some flowers hanging on them. There had been some arches built in and they had creepers flowing all over them. It was truly stunning.

The inside, however, was like an English countryside garden. Each area was done in sections of color. Purples, pinks, blues and yellows to name a few. The colors would flow and meld together before fading into the one next to it. It was overflowing with plants, grasses, and trees. It was messy but structured and neatly manicured. It was all spread out around a gazebo placed in the center with a wide grassy area running around it. The gazebo was covered in ivy that had little white flowers all over it. Looking almost like curtains that could be pulled back to show what was inside.

The throne room inside the castle was more like a massive ballroom with a raised dais at the end. It had floor to ceiling windows, with the ceiling leading up to points. At each point, there was a large chandelier hanging with hundreds of little lights made to look like candles. The walls had been built with natural Italian limestone but the inside had been covered with a thin layer of red granite and polished to a breathtaking shine. Hanging dark red curtains with gold stitching and tassels were hanging from the ceiling. The floor was a beautiful white marble, probably the purest white I had ever seen. It would make a stunning room for the reception.

"Wow," Bella breathed. I nodded agreeing with her. They were stunning photos. It was no surprise that they were having a hard time choosing where to have the ceremony and reception.

We looked at each other before looking back at the pictures. I pulled two towards us, one of the garden inside the castle walls and the other of the throne room. Bella looked back at me wondering what I was thinking.

"I think as an Earth Angel – even if you have to hide your heartbeat – that being in the garden will be more of a comfort to you. And you will be more stunning to me out there, in the late afternoon sunlight. Then we move inside to the throne room to have the reception, dancing on that floor and enjoying the time with everyone. The dark may not affect anyone but to have you dancing with me in candlelight will be a best part or highpoint. It will be more romantic."

By the time I was finished Bella had tears in her eyes and the rest of the women were melting.

She sniffled before turning back to Dora. "Yeah, that."

~*~HS~*~

A few hours later, we touched down outside Colorado Springs, once again in the forest around the house. We thought it was best to invite them to the wedding first before telling Alice and Jasper about Bella. Everyone would need time after our news and that's when we would ask them to come for a walk with us.

Uncloaking ourselves, we approached the front door expecting Esme to come flying out, enveloping us in tight hugs. She didn't disappoint, but, at least, this time, it had been more than a few days.

"It is so good to see you guys!" Esme beamed, hugging us at the same time. "Come in, come in. I know you can't tell us about your trip but did you, at least, have a good time?"

"More than we can explain, Esme," We both said at the same time. "And it's great to see you too," Bella continued.

Walking into the house was a different experience this time. There didn't seem to be any outright animosity from Rosalie or Carlisle and the rest were happy to see us. Since they couldn't be told through Alice anymore, not that she was always accurate to begin with, they didn't know what we were up to.

"Oh my gosh! Bella, Edward I'm so happy you're here. I have so much to tell you about what's been going on!" Alice was back to her excitable self. It looks like being able to be doing something for herself has helped her to get her bounce back. She's reminding me so much of the Alice she used to be.

We got a hug from her and a handshake from Jasper with a quiet 'welcome back'. Emmett was being his usual boisterous self. He hugged us with his normal exuberance; it was amazing that someone that was smaller than me could be so rough. Rosalie and Carlisle gave us nods from where they were sitting.

"It is good to see you all again. It seems like a lifetime ago since we saw everyone."

I snorted at Bella's greeting, not just because it was true but because we were about to reveal my other life to them. I wasn't sure what their reaction was going to be, though. Not pleased, was my best guess.

We all sat down in the living room, Bella and me in an actual love seat this time instead of the two chairs they'd tried to force us into the last time. It was nicer not being on the outs with them, although, again, I wasn't sure how long that would last.

"So what are you doing here?" Esme asked. "Or is this a social call?"

"Actually, it's a little bit of both. We have just gotten back in the last couple of days and we wanted to come and see you guys, to let you know that we were okay. And the other reason is this…" I explained as I handed over the wedding invitation to Esme.

We watched as the others all got up and crowded around her chair.

"Oh my God, yay, a wedding!" Alice started clapping and bouncing around. I was listening to her thoughts and I was amazed that all she thought about was attending and not forcing her help. She was just happy that her older brother was getting married.

"That's at the Volturi Castle," Carlisle stated, pulling Alice up short.

"Yes," I nodded. I leaned forward placing my elbows on my knees and looked directly at Carlisle. "I have been friends with the brothers for many, many years. I've kept in contact with them. Continue reading, there's more."

Carlisle Cullen and Family

You are cordially invited to

The wedding of:

Edward Anthony Masen

And

Isabella Marie Swan

On the day of the:

24th December at Sunset

In the Volturi Castle Gardens

Please arrive at:

The Volturi Castle

A few hours prior to this special event.

The reception will be held in the ballroom after the ceremony.

RSVP:

As soon as possible. We are expecting a large number to attend.

Including an indication of your head count.

As a side note:

After these many, many long years, we are adding a new brother and sister to our family and our leadership.

We hope to see you there for the announcement.

"A fourth brother? Surely, Edward, they don't mean you? And Isabella?" Carlisle stuttered out.

"Yes, Carlisle. That's exactly what they mean."

Hmm what do you think is going to happen now?

I apologize for the lack of recommendations this week, I have no excuses except that I wanted to get this to you now.

I can't wait to hear what you have to say, see you next week!