Marcus found himself in a very odd ensemble of characters and an odder setting.
Now, under ordinary circumstances, Marcus, Caius, and Aro would convene every sunrise. However, this was usually done in either Aro's study or else in the throne room and usually took no more than a few minutes unless something of import had happened.
Otherwise, if something required an immediate vote, it typically took place in the throne room and, again, usually featured Aro, Caius, and some subset of the guard. Whoever was best appropriate for the task at hand.
Aro had come up to him where Marcus had been soaking in the Roman bath, wringing his hands, looking distinctly like he wanted to cry.
(Marcus was still searching for a suitable location to wait between meetings and art lessons since Aro had unceremoniously stolen the gardens from him. He'd never bothered with the baths much before but he was developing a fondness for the place.
You never knew what was going to happen there.)
"Could you come with me, please?" he'd mumbled, of all things, and he'd turned to walk into the changing room before Marcus could say anything.
Now, a few minutes later, Marcus was in the tower where Aro had clearly interrupted Caius, Sulpicia, Athenodora, and Corin in their Corin-induced delirium.
Along with Renata, Carlisle, and Bella.
Bela blushed at the sight of Marcus, and waved quickly.
Also of note, was that apparently things of great importance were going on when Marcus wasn't looking. Aro appeared to have found a new best friend in Bella Swan, Bella a pair of confidantes in Aro and Carlisle, and Carlisle a reluctantly despairing friendship in Bella as well as significant strain on his familial relationships. The three were now bound by something, something of such strength that it apparently counted as an automatic invitation for Bella to join the tower.
… He had not been serious when he suggested that Aro wanted to sleep with Bella but now he wondered if Bella was slated to become the newest tower bride. Maybe Aro had given up on seducing Carlisle already, though judging by their close bond, and Aro's ever-present pining, Marcus rather doubted that.
As Marcus watched, Carlisle helped Bella towards one of the benches, and with a pointed look at Sulpicia, made her sit up and make room for Bella.
Sulpicia shot Bella a bemused, but welcoming smile.
Bella smiled back, and Marcus saw the hesitant, yet optimistic tendrils of an early acquaintance that Bella hoped might become a friendship extend between the two.
"I'm Bella," she whispered, and Sulpicia nodded pleasantly back.
Once again, Marcus was reminded of just how lonely the girl was.
Sulpicia, of course, distantly wanted to devour the human, for she did smell very good, but she also liked the look of Bella. Yes, the potential for friendship was there.
That said, Marcus wasn't sure how he felt about the prospect of Bella subjecting herself to an eternity of Corin's haze. Oh, he didn't judge the wives or Caius, or even Aro when he chose to dabble, but it'd never quite sat right with Marcus. It would feel-unfulfilling were Bella's story to end in this tower.
"Alright," Aro said, and clapped his hands together. "A most extraordinary meeting is…"
And then the strangest thing happened.
Aro's bright smile, usually so indomitable, flickered, and he choked on his words.
His smile faded and turned into a grimace.
Apparently, his courage had left him.
"Oh, for the gods' sake," Caius said, "Get on with it."
Carlisle sighed, and got up to stand next to Aro. "Something happened last night," he said.
"You're sleeping with each other again, fantastic," Caius concluded as he looked between Aro and Carlisle, looking anything but thrilled, "We knew that yesterday."
"Welcome back, Dear Carlisle," Sulpicia said with a smile and a wave, "Know that if you're sleeping with Aro then you simply must come to the tower as well. It's only fair."
Aro shook his head. "I wish," he said miserably, earning a look from Carlisle.
"No, no I am still happily married," Carlisle said pointedly, "To my wife, Esme. Sulpicia, you haven't met her yet but I love her dearly."
"No, you're not," Marcus said point blank.
Carlisle turned to him in shock. "Excuse me?" Carlisle asked.
"You're not happily married to your wife," Marcus expanded. Carlisle kept staring.
Aro coughed, "Ah, Marcus, you see-You can't simply say these things with no explanation."
Carlisle gaped at him for a moment, then shook his head, a flicker of irritation entering his relationship with Marcus. "Well, since Marcus here seems to know all about relationships, I suppose it's only fair he shares with the class as well."
Marcus blinked, he wouldn't have expected that from Carlisle. That sort of boldness in the face of his very grave relationship problems was the sort of thing that Marcus would expect from Caius. Which, of course, was why Caius was still happily married and Carlisle was not.
Then, he suspected Carlisle wouldn't have expected Marcus' bold behavior either.
It was a surprising day for everyone.
"Fair enough," Marcus nodded before Carlisle could say anything further. "While you two do love each other, in your own way, you fundamentally misunderstand one another and share nothing in common. This will lead to the inevitable collapse of your relationship under the slightest strain and pressure."
Silence reigned, with the exception of Bella's heartbeat and intestinal roar.
Carlisle stared at him, and in a very quiet, almost lethal voice, said, "Well, Marcus, you had sex with Bella last night. And she's pregnant."
"Carlisle!" Aro hissed.
Caius spluttered, but no words came out.
Marcus blinked, he looked over at Bella, she nodded, flushing furiously, "Two ultrasounds and a dozen pregnancy tests… Which aren't even supposed to work yet but oh well."
Marcus felt the sudden haze of contentment.
"Sorry," Corin squeaked before anyone could reproach her, and the haze disappeared.
"Wait, wait," Sulpicia said, holding up a hand, "That can't be… which Bella is this?"
She threw a look at the human next to her, as if that couldn't possibly be the right Bella.
Too human, for one thing.
"Me Bella," Bella said, "Hello, my fun fact used to be that I read books. It's now that I had sex with Marcus."
"Wait," Athenadora said, moving to get a better look at Bella, "Has Marcus taken another bride? Oh Marcus, that's wonderful, wherever did you find her?"
"Here," Bella said.
"I have questions…" Caius said slowly, looking dazed. It was not a look usually seen on Caius' face.
"Here?" Sulpicia asked, "Oh, Aro toured all of the province to find me, well outside the bounds of Rome. Where did Marcus find you?"
"Volterra," Bella replied.
"You don't say," Sulpicia said, "Right here in Volterra, I can't believe it. Can you believe it, Thena?"
Marcus, meanwhile, was feeling increasingly like he had left the room, only this time it wasn't because he had no interest in what happened in rooms, or things that happened, period.
No, he felt…
He felt shock.
No, he felt-
Centuries ago, Aro had thought to shock Marcus out of his-haze for lack of a better term. He'd come up with absurd scenarios, walk up to Marcus and tell him that little green men had invaded the city, as if by babbling absurd nonsense Marcus might come to question his circumstances.
It had never worked and Aro had eventually given up, but this entire scenario, from Bella being in the tower, to having a serious meeting in the tower, to-pregnancy.
He glanced at Corin and Renata who looked as if they would rather be anywhere else in the world. Even in Romania.
"Hold up, hold up," Caius said, and for once, the first time in millennia, in fact, Marcus and Caius were on the same page.
"Hold up," Caius said once more.
Marcus nodded, almost imperceptibly. Yes, please, hold up.
"What the fuck?" Caius said, apparently unable to verbalize much beyond that.
Well, Marcus supposed he could empathize with that as well, but he'd rather Caius had asked a more specific question.
Carlisle, however, apparently still upset at Marcus pointing out very obvious facts, just gave him a look, "Marcus, would you like to explain?"
"No," Marcus said when it became clear that Carlisle, apparently, had expected an answer to that question.
The eyes in the room turned to Aro, as they had for the past three thousand years whenever anything needed explaining.
"Oh even I don't know the details yet," Aro said, pulling at Renata's arm to keep her from disappearing into the shadows and towards the sweet escape of the door leading out of the tower, "I've been-avoiding that, for-obvious reasons. I do, however, know the aftermath and the aftermath is that Bella is pregnant with-something."
"What do you mean something?" Caius asked.
"Aro has informed me that Marcus had-sexual relations after he had been turned," Carlisle said, making a face even as he said the words, "What that means is that, the spermatazoa that he produced when human has long since disappeared. So, whatever sperm Marcus has been producing for the past three-thousand years is-saturated with venom."
"And what the fuck does that mean?" Caius asked, motioning for Carlisle to get to the point.
Carlisle inclined his chin towards Bella.
"It means that Bella's pregnancy, which for the record appears to be a month on the way already, is almost certainly not human."
Was Carlisle trying to tell Marcus that he'd fathered a seahorse?
"Which has quite alarming implications for Bella's health," Carlisle said, and something in his eyes told Marcus that Carlisle had very ominous theories on what these implications might be.
To feeling shock, to now feeling the beginnings of dread in his stomach.
This was not Marcus' day.
"Feeling good so far," Bella said, "No sex injuries, by the way, because we were wondering that at first. So, that part's all good." She gave Marcus a thumbs up.
"You're welcome," Marcus said, for a lack of anything else to say.
"Hold on just a moment," Caius said, his eyes widening. "She knows about vampires."
His head turned towards Aro. "You gave up on the charade that quickly? Hah!"
"No, he didn't give up," Bella said, "He did wonderfully. Unfortunately–"
"Yes," Aro said very quickly, notably before Bella could finish her sentence, "Yes, I have given up on the charade. You were right, Caius, it was utterly ridiculous and overly complicated and I have come to my senses. Also, we now have a different emergency on hand, so I'd appreciate it if we do not dwell on the cancelled operation."
"Which is still ongoing," Carlisle noted.
"Which is still ongoing because of Carlisle's family who, for obvious reasons, are not to know about the current situation," Aro explained. "Nor are Jane and Alec, nor any of the rest of the guard. Only the people currently in this tower are to know about this. Understood?"
Caius pointed to Carlisle, "Throw out his family." He then pointed to Corin and Renata, "Send the guard on a mission. Done."
"Not that simple," Aro cringed.
"Why not?" Caius asked, raising his arms in askance.
"My family is-reluctant to leave without me," Carlisle said, and before Caius could ask why Carlisle himself didn't leave, "And I am required to be here due to my unique medical expertise that everyone else in this tower lacks."
"Is that why you're not sleeping together? Your family?" Athenodora asked, and Caius bit back a smirk in her direction.
She'd always been good at making people uncomfortable with seemingly innocuous questions. Before she moved into the tower, she'd made a career out of making respectable vampires cry.
It was why she and Caius did so well together.
Carlisle opened his mouth, closed it, "I mean-In a very technical sense, yes, because I am married and I no longer have any desire to-This is not about me."
"It's the only reason, your relationship with Aro hasn't changed. You both desire each other," Marcus said, and the glare he received at that gave him the feeling that if he still needed food, he would have had to watch his drink around Carlisle.
"I do not-Even if I do, desire doesn't mean-"
"It does," Marcus said, "I would know. There is desire and then, of course, there is desire."
"Well," Carlisle said caustically, "I'm not the one sleeping with a human, so really, Marcus, down boy."
Caius wheezed.
That felt like an attempt at a very low blow on Carlisle's end. Unfortunately for Carlisle, Marcus was so removed from any human feeling that he lacked any ability to be insulted by anything. Besides, he rather liked Bella.
Aro, on the other hand, seemed to be struck by the blow. "I'm sure Marcus won't do it again!" he insisted.
Bella glanced at Marcus, "Actually, since we're being honest, I actually wanted to ask about that. Well, I mean, I thought it was a breeding program-"
"No, no, it's not happening again," Aro said, again cutting Bella off, "And your theories are very funny, Bella, but better saved for another time and a very different audience and we shouldn't discuss them here."
Marcus…
The point had been to deflower Bella, give her this one human experience.
That was then, this was now.
She was pregnant with his child now (or his fish, apparently the matter was up for debate), they were bound together by something far more than friendship. Even Didyme-
He had never fathered a child with Didyme.
More, he felt the distinct urge to spite Carlisle.
"Marcus," Aro said, his voice high pitched and desperate, "It's not happening again, it's-She's very pregnant, Marcus!"
"As opposed to a little pregnant," Bella said, "We clarified I wasn't that earlier."
Marcus turned to Aro."If she requested it, I wouldn't say no."
"Marcus!"
"Ha!" Carlisle said, because apparently that was very vindicating to him.
"You'll have to give me a week or so," Bella said, "No offense, but that was-intense. I need some recovery time here."
Carlisle's vindicated grin disappeared off his face and he was left to gape at Marcus.
Ah, yes, perhaps Carlisle had felt pleased that someone's relationship was faring worse than his own. Pity, Marcus could have told Carlisle that he was champion in that regard. Though if Edward were to ever find himself a lover then he'd put up a strong fight.
"Bella!" Aro said, possibly more aghast than he'd been when chastising Marcus.
Caius, meanwhile, looked like he'd lost some sort of internal battle.
In a matter of less than a second, he'd crossed the room to stand before Marcus.
He patted him on the shoulder.
"To tell the truth, Marcus, I'd given up on you," he said, and gave Marcus a slight shake. "But well done. I didn't think you had it in you, and really I do think you should turn her before you give it another go, but well done, brother."
Marcus stared at him.
So did everyone else.
Except Renata, she had given up on escaping and was pressing her face into Aro's cloaked bicep, like a baby animal seeking solace from its mother.
And Caius was not done talking.
"Sure, you went about it in the wrong order," he continued, "However, you have at least most of the moving pieces. You're certainly doing better than Aro, who wanted to pretend to run a school with Carlisle's rat eating acolytes, and still didn't get laid."
Aro shook his head, "That's not why I…"
Caius steamrolled him. "And you have an heir," he continued, looking musing now as he considered Marcus future child and or fish, "An heir who may, in fact, be a spider, but an heir nonetheless. None of us can say that."
He clapped Marcus' shoulder one last time, and gave an oddly emotional nod. "Well done, Marcus."
He returned to his seat.
It seemed they'd just had a moment.
"I want to point out that it might not be a spider," Bella said, "Carlisle said the ultrasounds look human so far."
By the haunted look on Carlisle's face, while this was undoubtedly true, it wasn't an argument in Marcus' fish child's favor. Apparently, they still had a long way to go.
"I also feel I must bring up the matter of abortion," Carlisle said, "Bella, this is your decision alone. I do not care what Aro, Caius, or even Marcus have to say on the matter. If you ask me to terminate your pregnancy I will endeavor to do so in as safe a manner as I conceivable can."
"I also must advise you-" Carlisle paused, seemed to consider his words, "I consider this pregnancy highly dangerous and very unsafe. I strongly suspect, given the father, that the fetus will be rejected by your body and you will miscarry at some point in the near future. Medically, I strongly advise you to terminate this pregnancy as soon as possible.
If you don't, however, and this pregnancy is somehow feasible, then… we are inhumanly strong, Bella. I could crush your skull with a tap of my fingers, or pick up a truck with minimal effort. Bella, if the fetus is humanoid, and has even a fraction of Marcus' strength, then…" he paused, seeming to search for the best way to put this. "The fetus will start kicking, and that will almost certainly break your body from the inside, if it doesn't punch straight through your skin the moment it's able."
The room had gotten very silent.
"If you choose to have this child," Carlisle concluded, "Then I'm not sure I can guarantee that you or the child will survive it. Nor can I guarantee that the child-will be sentient."
Carlisle, of course, was implying that Aro would be forced to murder Marcus' bloodthirsty fish son.
Bella was looking at Carlisle with wide eyes, the beginnings of tears shining in them.
She turned to look at Marcus, seeming to search his face.
It was all he could do to stare back, and for the first time in two thousand years, that felt woefully inadequate.
He-He had just learned he was having a child and in the same moment he learned that he would have to resign himself to its death before it was even born.
"I'm doing it."
Marcus opened his mouth to protest, but Bella had turned back to look at Carlisle.
"You're what?" Carlisle asked, looking as if he couldn't have possibly heard right.
"I'm doing it," Bella said, "I'm taking the red pill. I always, Carlisle, take the red pill."
"This will kill you," Carlisle said, "I-No, I am certain that this will kill you, you will not exit this pregnancy human."
Bella shrugged. "Aro said venom had healing properties. That it's brought people back from the brink of death."
"Yes, but–"
"I rode a bus to Volterra," Bella said, "A few days ago, knowing that I was very likely going to die because of it. I still rode it, I'm still here, I'm keeping my baby."
"We don't even know it's a-"
"You don't don't know," Bella interjected. "And it doesn't feel right to kill it when there's a chance it could be a person."
Carlisle shook his head mutely, and turned to look beseechingly at Aro.
Aro threw his hands in the air, opening his mouth and closing it, as if not sure what to say. Eventually, he said, "Well, I suppose, if it's at all possible-I'd rather like Marcus' child to survive. Trouble is, I would rather have you, Bella. Unfortunately it is not my decision, as you very rightfully pointed out."
"You're not helping," Carlisle said quietly.
"Well, the girl has a point, doesn't she?" Aro asked, "We don't don't know-which is a phrase I never thought I'd use in my life."
Carlisle stared at Bella for several long seconds, and the room seemed to hold its breath, as if the decision rested with him, not Bella, or even Marcus.
Marcus supposed it did, in its own way. Oh, Carlisle might not be allowed to do the abortion, but…
Should he choose against helping them with this, should he leave, then they would have no doctor. No vampire who was immune to blood and would be able to help her through childbirth and no medical professional willing and knowledgeable enough to help out with such a pregnancy.
Carlisle, in the end, was the one who held all the cards.
However, he was also Carlisle Cullen, which meant his answer was inevitable, "I still strongly advise against it, and you can change your mind at-your window of opportunity will close, at some point, and it may be faster than you think. However, up until the last moment, I will accept any change in your decision."
"We all do," Aro hurried to agree.
"Great," Caius said after a moment, "Glad we worked that out."
He threw a pointed look at Corin.
Carlisle shook his head at him.
Sulpicia surprised them by reaching out to touch Bella's shoulder. "You should start thinking of baby names," she said. "In case you die, because I'm not sure Marcus is up for it. And you don't want Aro deciding," she confided.
"Oh shit," Bella said, "I hadn't thought about that."
"I'd be happy to consult," Sulpicia beamed. She turned to Athenodora. "Thena?"
"No, she can't have mine," Athenodora drawled.
Sulpicia sighed, and turned back to Bella. "We'll figure it out," she smiled.
She was, of course, only talking about the baby names, but as the room settled into silence, it applied to everything else as well. Marcus supposed that they would, somehow, figure it out.
"Was there anything else?" Caius asked pointedly, after a few more seconds had passed.
"Anything else?" Aro balked, "Marcus is having a child!"
"Yes, we covered that bit," Caius drawled, "We even covered, rather dramatically, of whether you were taking the mother out to the back alley with an herbal mixture."
"Caius!" Aro squawked, like a poor, frantic, duck.
"I don't see what else there is to talk about," Caius said, "Decisions have been made, spider children are being had, we are apparently not getting rid of Carlisle's family, nor the man himself."
"We're trying, actually," Aro said, "I'm having his house burnt down."
"Bastard," Carlisle said, and he meant it.
"Really?" Caius asked, looking intrigued, then consternated, "Will that even work?"
"I'm also sitting at their lunch table, talking about how I'm dying of cancer," Bella added.
"Please, Carlisle's family of martyrs will eat that up," Caius said, rolling his eyes.
"No, they hate it, actually," Bella said. "They left lunch early because of me. When I walked after them, explaining about how my poor father couldn't afford the hospital bills, they started speed walking."
Caius barked out a laugh, "Well, look at that, Carlisle. Your acolytes fail to live up to your saintly disposition. Tell me, do they even follow your diet or do they cheat on the sly?"
Carlisle said nothing.
Caius laughed harder.
And, surprisingly, Marcus could see that Bella had just shifted from being unusually pregnant livestock to being a person in Caius' eyes.
Marcus tried to remember if any other human had ever accomplished that, and came up empty. Well, with the exception of Athenodora herself, but that had been before Marcus knew them and it had seemed to be more a matter of Caius deciding it was time to find himself a wife and Athenodora, conveniently, being utterly bored with her husband.
Of course, now that Marcus thought about it, no other human had had a chance to so thoroughly slander Carlisle Cullen. Without, somehow, directly slandering him of course, as while Carlisle appeared annoyed, his relationship with Bella was still one of early friendship.
Amazing, over twenty years of utterly failed relationships, and she befriends vampires left and right.
"My family follows the diet," Carlisle said, "And they're-It's-They're not your concern."
This did not make Caius stop laughing.
Aro, of course, took pity on his former and, likely, future lover. "He's right, it's not. And yes, I do believe we're done."
Caius rolled his eyes at Aro, and made a lashing motion.
"Oh, there is another matter, I suppose," Aro then said, flinching lightly, "Edward has-been leaving phone calls. To Bella. And, since we're all here anyways, I suppose we might as well talk about it now."
Carlisle looked at Aro with wide eyed betrayal. It was tempered though, he had known this was coming, had attempted to prepare himself for it and was simply horrified that the time had now come.
Marcus, meanwhile, felt the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose.
He'd known Edward would try something, but… This soon?
And on top of Bella's pregnancy? Didn't the boy have any sense of timing?
"Edward called to warn Bella about the demons in this palace that are going to devour her soul," Aro deadpanned, not looking Carlisle in the eye.
"He's also left me voice messages," Bella said, fishing a metallic box out of her coat pocket, "Many voice messages."
She looked at Marcus, "He's very upset about you, by the way, your name gets dropped a lot."
"I can imagine," Marcus said.
"Death," Caius said without pause.
Carlisle flinched.
"No, not death," Aro said. "Bella already knows about vampires, and she will be turned. Not to mention that her pregnancy makes her a very clear part of our world. No law has been broken."
"He fully intended to break the law," Caius argued, "Death."
"No, he actually-He very carefully has never said the word vampire. More, from what I know of him, I believe he thinks he is taking advantage of a loophole. That if he warns her cryptically, he will not have told her the secret while giving her the warning she needs."
"She needs to do what?" Caius asked.
"... Escape Volterra," Aro admitted lamely, "And vampirism."
Caius barked an incredulous laugh. "He can't be serious."
"I'm afraid he is."
Caius turned to look at Carlisle. "What exactly did you tell him about us, Carlisle?" he asked, and there was just the undercurrent of threat in his voice.
Carlisle only looked to Aro.
"The blame does not fall upon Carlisle," Aro said, "Rather, Edward is… I'm terribly sorry to say this, Carlisle, but Edward is unintelligent. Remarkably so. Ah… Carlisle has told him everything he needs to know, but… Edward is not able to utilize that knowledge."
"How hard can it be?" Caius asked.
Aro winced, "I'll put it like this, Edward believes speed limits on roadways do not apply to him due to his vampiric reflexes. He fully believes that it is impossible for him to crash a car because he is a vampire. He has crashed multiple cars, Rosalie forces him to drive the Volvo. He still believes."
That was actually the funniest thing Marcus had heard in millennia.
The rest of the room, even Renata, seemed to agree. She exited her face from Aro's arm, and Marcus could see her struggle not to laugh at Carlisle's son with him in the room, even as Caius howled with laughter. Corin, too, was struggling.
Carlisle just closed his eyes in utter chagrin, and covered his face with his hands.
"He also believes-He believes he is uncommonly fast," Aro continued, squeezing his eyes shut and refusing to look at Carlisle, "Faster, even, than a vampire who doesn't share his diet. This is because, when he was a newborn, he was naturally faster than Carlisle. Well, as his newborn strength faded, Carlisle realized that running, being fast, was one of the few things Edward enjoyed in this life. And now Carlisle has conned his entire family into pretending Edward is the fastest, just to give this poor boy one thing of pure enjoyment in his life, and Edward has not realized this is the case. Edward's gift allows him to passively observe every stream of conscious thought in a several mile radius, and he has not caught on. Not once."
Caius' laughter was completely silent, he'd given up on breathing. There was only the shaking of his shoulders, and demented mirthful grin on his face.
Even Sulpicia, usually so kind and fond of Carlisle, was laughing silently into her hand. So was Bella, though both women had at least the decency to look ashamed of themselves.
"It's not funny, and that's not his-Why would he ever suspect his family of lying to him over something so patently ridiculous?"
Aro only shook his head, the headshake of a man who had more ammunition but cared too much for Carlisle to use it.
Carlisle slumped.
"My point was, the fact that Edward has failed to understand something so basic, is not Carlisle's fault. He tried. A man who has a painting of us in his office cannot be said not to have tried."
Caius considered this, mulled it over, and then to everyone's lack of surprised announced, "Death, idiocy is entertaining, but not a defense against breaking the law. The end result is the same."
"Caius," Aro said, "It's a harmless thing on such a small scale. And it doesn't even matter, Bella already knows full and well what we are-"
"Not death," Marcus interrupted with a sigh, surprising even himself.
Aro gave him a shocked, but utterly delighted look. It seemed he had thought that Marcus would demand Edward's head as well.
Marcus would have thought the same, not so long ago.
"As a favor to you, brother," he said coldly, inclining his head towards Carlisle, "And only because Bella knows not to leave Volterra. If Edward does anything more, my vote will be the same as Caius'."
"He will do more," Caius said darkly, "You've both said as much, and if you have any decency, you've told your lover already. You're only giving him enough rope to hang himself with, if not the rest of his coven."
"All the same," Aro said quietly.
Carlisle was staring intensely at Aro.
"It is not good form," Marcus noted, "To murder the progeny of the doctor who will be seeing to my human-lover."
Bella blushed.
"You're both fools," Caius spat, he pointed to Aro, "You are overly sentimental and lovesick. Find yourself a spine."
"And you-I don't even know what to say to you," Caius said.
"This a joyous occasion," Marcus quipped, "Or it is, at the very least, an occasion. Let's not mix it with murder."
Aro sent him a look, a fiercely hopeful look, at that.
"I'll call Edward," Carlisle said after a moment, picked up Aro's hand in both of his, and after a moment left the room.
"Truly, they're not sleeping together," Caius quipped with a look of annoyance towards Marcus, who he now expected to share in his exasperation.
"Yeah, I have to ask," Bella said, leaning forwards. "Is it true you guys hold hands with him all the time? While gazing lovingly into his eyes?" she asked in a tone that made it clear she already knew the answer, she just wanted to hear them say it.
Caius' acknowledgement of the girl as a sentient being turned into full-fledged approval.