A trip to Francesca's desk confirmed that the microscope had not yet arrived.
"Oh," Carlisle said, when Aro returned.
Carlisle stared past Aro, towards the bookshelf, not quite sure where to rest his eyes. Aro, for once in his life, seemed to be having a similar problem.
Which was funny, because for as long as Carlisle had known him, Aro had always been unapologetically and aggressively himself. When it came to things like this, shame wasn't usually in his vocabulary. Awkwardness certainly wasn't.
And yet here they were, both of them seated by the long bench in the library, countless of books between them, yet for once they were not seated next to one another or even on the same bench, but… well, there were countless of books between them.
Carlisle felt as if thousands of words were caught in his throat, each competing for which would make it out of his mouth first. He–given Aro had yet to say anything, given the clothes, Carlisle was willing to place good money on what had just happened except–How? How and why? And–was he supposed to be angry about this?
He thought he should be, for all the contrived set up, except that he'd done the same damn thing and it'd all seemed–oddly reasonable at the time. And the fact of the matter was that Carlisle had either been repressing or ignoring feelings he didn't wish to acknowledge for nearly three hundred years. Which meant that now, when he'd finally opened the door where he'd sealed them inside his mind, there were too many to even begin to untangle them.
The only feelings he seemed to not be feeling were anger, jealousy, or even betrayal.
He was a mess.
Finally, he said, "I'm a terrible husband."
Aro looked at him, let out a long sigh, and pointedly said nothing. It was an expression that said he wasn't quite sure what to say or how he might console Carlisle if he even could. Or if it was even his place, given that he'd apparently just returned from having sex with Carlisle's wife.
Funny, how all Carlisle wanted to do, the natural thing to do, seemed to be to close the distance between them and give Aro his hand, sort it out, as his dearest friend always did.
Which, in the aftermath, felt like a rather damning admission.
Looking at Aro, Carlisle confessed, "I think there's something terribly wrong with me."
That finally got words out of Aro. "No!" he protested, and made as if to get up, only to relax back into his seat, indecision flickering across his face again. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Carlisle opened his mouth, about to say that he never should have married her, that he should have known he still had feelings for Aro and that it would somehow, in some unfathomable manner, come to this but–
He didn't want that either.
They'd had–the last few decades of his life, with her in it, had been wonderful. He'd been so desperate not to end it that he'd gone and convinced himself to sleep with Sulpicia.
To turn his back on all that, to say it had all been a mistake, would be the ultimate betrayal of her, the ultimate act of cruelty after her herculean effort to keep them together. And– he didn't want to.
A part of him wished he could go back, tell his former self to love Esme, but not to marry her, to be as a brother to her instead perhaps, and help her find love and fulfillment with someone else, but – he couldn't bear that either. She'd made her choice to be with him, made so hauntingly clear just how far she would go to keep him, and he could not disrespect that choice.
Yes, Esme wanted to be with him, and he did love her, but he was in love with Aro, and now, sleeping with Sulpicia–
God, what a mess.
"What am I supposed to do?" Carlisle asked, "Where do we even go from here?"
Great, Carlisle had slept with Sulpicia, and apparently Esme had marked her territory with Aro. Splendid, what did that even solve? The only difference was that Carlisle was now a man who actually had cheated on his wife, except it was with the person that he'd never predicted he'd cheat on her with.
And Aro, bless his heart, had allowed Esme to get her own back.
"Well," Aro said, only to stop, "I really do not think I am in a position to be your marriage counselor."
He searched Carlisle's face for a moment, then quietly noted, "She does love you, have no doubt about that, even after all of this. And she–likes me, tolerate is too negative a word for it. She utterly adores Sulpicia, that woman walks on water in her eyes."
Carlisle watched him quietly, amazement and the faint sense of hurt creeping into him. For Esme to have slept with Aro was a shock in and of itself, for her to like him was – well, Carlisle wasn't the person to ask, but he'd never dreamed Aro and Esme would have much to talk about, never mind get along, never mind…
Never mind her trusting Aro with something she'd never trusted Carlisle with.
"She's led a very hard life, your wife," Aro said after a beat, "And she's young, younger I think than you realize. This–I know how absurd this will sound, but I think this might have just been the best thing you could have done for her."
At Carlisle's dull look Aro said, "And yes, I realize that coming from me that sounds very suspect! However, what I'm trying to say is that–in so far as very odd decisions go, I don't think you made a poor one."
He then threw his hands in the air, "Of course, you might very well have to stay in Volterra, but honestly at this point I am washing my hands of your emotional nonsense. Just know that if you don't–well, good luck with Edward, that's all I'll say."
Carlisle exhaled.
"If this child– if this child of Bella's survives," he ruminated aloud, pointedly avoiding the question of the mother, "and if it's– sentient – then I imagine I will be here for a while anyway." He stared down into his book, an account of Sami myths that had proven useless so far.
Aro looked as if he was glad that Carlisle was the one to say it first. Undoubtedly, that had been on his mind for the past several days.
"Which apparently means Esme stays," Carlisle continued distantly.
He… had not featured her into his plans.
Had, in fact, fully intended to live apart from her for a while, and how easily had he not made that decision? And all on his own, at that, as if–
As if his and Esme's relationship had never truly been a marriage, and he'd never fully come to see her as a wife.
At that moment, Bella Swan chose to hobble into the library. It took her quite a while to reach their table, but when she did she held up a notebook with the words "Can we talk?" scribbled in barely legible handwriting.
Aro sighed, motioned for Carlisle to stand, and picked up Bella. Together they made their way back into the special collections room where it was highly unlikely anyone would wander into.
"So, how am I dying?" Bella asked as soon as the door closed behind Aro.
Carlisle gave Aro a questioning look.
Aro looked as if he wanted to curse, "I, unfortunately, ended up being rather distracted last night. I promise you'll have details soon."
Carlisle pointedly looked away.
Bella looked between the two of them, and raised an eyebrow. "Distracted, huh."
Good god, Carlisle never knew that he could be more embarrassed than if that had, actually, been what had happened. That, at least, would have made some modicum of sense. But no, no, what had actually happened was much worse.
And the last thing in the world he wanted to explain to Bella Swan.
A smirk spread across Bella's lips. "Do I want to warn Marcus that the Roman baths are a biological hazard zone? Again?"
She started grinning, damn her.
"Some of us have taste," Aro said, utterly aghast, "No, my poor baths have been defiled enough. Also, we're running out of cleaning supplies. Sulpicia used them rather generously."
Carlisle pointedly did not say anything. He really didn't want to bring up "Ah, yes, Sulpicia complained about that" right next to Aro.
Too soon.
"I just want to point out here," Bella said, "That it's apparently alright for you two to have sex, but Marcus and I are expressly forbidden."
"Neither of us is pregnant!" Carlisle spluttered.
"Or human," Aro added with a huff.
"Also, we– didn't," Carlisle muttered, and he just knew that had he been human, he would have been dark red with embarrassment by now.
Bella held up her hands, as if in a peace offering, "I'm having a fish baby with an alien, I do not judge."
Yes, well, she would, if she knew.
Judging by the look in Aro's eyes, he was thinking the same thing.
Luckily, before either of them could embarrass themselves further, the phone rang.
Carlisle patted himself down, and fished out his phone.
He had never, in his life, been more relieved not to see Alice on the display.
"Rosalie," Carlisle said, hoping his voice didn't sound too relieved, "Hello, how are you?"
He was about to ask if they'd decided where they were talking their latest honeymoon only to stop. He'd realized that–Esme had dismissed them behind his back without a word. This was the first time that Rosalie was speaking to him since she had, apparently, decided to leave.
This was something that, last night, had utterly devastated him.
And yet his first instinct was to ask about the weather and their plans.
"Carlisle, hi, I'm fine. Just arrived in New Hours, we'll be in Denali in a few hours."
"Right," Carlisle said lamely, wondering what, if anything, he was supposed to say.
"Carlisle, I–Esme told us that you're having serious trouble," Rosalie said pointedly. There wasn't necessarily… accusation in her tone, it sounded as if she wasn't quite sure what to think, but it seemed she blamed him far more than Esme.
Which was a very valid thing to do.
"Oh," Carlisle said, and shifted uncomfortably under Bella's questioning, and ever so slightly judgemental look.
Oh, how much more she would judge him if she knew.
Aro, perhaps forgetting himself, touched Carlisle's elbow in comfort.
"Look, Carlisle– I know she said to leave you two alone, and I do intend to. I understand, sometimes you need the kids out of the way," he heard the smile in her voice. "But– there's something I think you guys really should know."
Carlisle felt his stomach turn to ice, and he threw Aro an alarmed look.
Edward, had he done something?
"You gonna tell him, babe?" Emmett said on the other end, sounding a little too… enthusiastic given the topic of the conversation was Carlisle and Esme's crumbling relationship.
"Last night, Alice– she had a few visions about you. And… about Esme."
Oh, no.
Oh, no, no, no, no.
Oh, anything but this.
Next to him, Aro sunk into a seat, and buried his head in his hands.
Bella looked delighted. She grabbed a paper, and started writing something.
"Look, Alice says her visions have been going haywire all week. And this is–I know that this would never, ever, actually happen. Edward, of course, believes it and Alice and Jasper say he's running off to god knows where like a chicken with his head cut off. So, expect that phone call, but–I just thought you should know that, from the sounds of it, Aro is seriously thinking about seducing Esme."
Bella's pen froze.
"The man likes it hot!" Emmett added with a cheerful laugh.
"Oh- oh," Carlisle said, or squeaked. "Oh," he tried again.
He threw Aro a desperate look, but Aro was staring at the table in dread.
"That can't be right," Carlisle forced out, as he would have a day before had someone proposed that Aro wanted to sleep with Esme, "I'm not sure what Alice saw but–she must have misinterpreted something."
"It's what she said. I'm only repeating it. And– look, I know this sounds like the plot to a cheap novel, or something–"
"More like a porno!" Emmett cut in merrily.
A faint scuffling sound in the background, likely Rosalie shoving at him.
"But, Carlisle, from the way she makes it sound… Aro's wife is seriously considering seducing you, as well. I don't know if it's some plan to make sure Esme's alone for–Aro to make his move or something else. But they're both clearly thinking about this."
"His move?" Carlisle echoed.
"Look, I–" Rosalie hesitated.
All at once, it occurred to Carlisle that his daughter wasn't being entirely honest with him, hadn't been for a few days perhaps, because she feared his thoughts weren't safe.
What she feared from the Volturi, exactly, Carlisle did not know. But she did fear something nefarious, something wicked was afoot, and it had her spooked enough that anything short of her parents being seduced would not have been enough to make her risk speaking her mind, which in turn would give Aro the hint that she knew something.
Suddenly, her refusal to leave Volterra took on a rather different form.
He'd thought, when they insisted on coming with him to Volterra in the first place, that they were merely being– well, clingy.
It was, after all, rare that their family was apart, and unheard of for Carlisle to go off on his own to go live with blood-drinking vampires. The Volturi, no less.
For all that Jasper had ended up not going, had never considered it, his had been a strong voice against, the voice that cautioned not based on anything specific the Volturi had done, but on the fact that they were the Volturi.
To Jasper, Carlisle was walking through the lion's den, perhaps not to be torn apart the moment he stepped inside, but instead to play the pigeon among the cats, be so inoffensive so as to keep them from killing him for long enough that he could fulfill his duty, and then get out.
Jasper had been clear the moment he learned of Aro's request that going to Volterra would be the stupidest thing Carlisle could do, and Carlisle realized now that his family shared the sentiment.
Yes, it was no wonder Rosalie had so desperately insisted to stay, had been utterly dismissive of Bella's cancer, as to her it was not just a matter of Carlisle being gone a short while longer, but a matter of losing her father.
"You and Esme should come home," Rosalie finally said, "I know it's awful timing, and I know you two have a lot of things you need to work out, but Volterra is not the place to do it. Please, Carlisle, at the very least just leave and go to Paris or something. I–can't tell you why but trust me when I say that–Edward has found some things out and none of it's good."
She sounded so desperate, afraid in a way she rarely if ever was. And Carlisle–he was going to tell her no. Even when, in any other circumstance, he would have left immediately if only to give his family some peace of mind, he was going to say no and use Bella's fake cancer as an excuse.
Almost robotically, he heard himself saying, "I can't leave Bella, Rose, not now."
Ordinarily, Rosalie would have been livid. She had, not days ago, when he'd first brought up Bella's cancer and how it prevented him from leaving. She'd brought up a dozen arguments against it, had been utterly furious with him.
But now, her reaction was infinitely more worrying.
"Carlisle," she said, and he detected tremor in her voice, "Please. Please, just– just leave Volterra. Get Esme, right now, and get out, just– just get out!" Her voice grew more panicked by the syllable.
His heart twisted, and then twisted further in on itself as it sank in just how long it would be until he saw her again. With the child coming, the Lord alone knew how long it would be until he and Esme could meet up with the others.
Which meant that his children might be looking at years without seeing him, worrying instead that he was being kept forcibly, or that he and Esme were being violated.
And all he could say to his poor, dear, beloved Rosalie now, was "Sorry, have to treat Bella's cancer".
"I'm sorry," he said, and he meant every word of it, then, because he knew this wasn't a conversation that would simply end, he added, "I'm afraid I have to go. I'll call later."
Carlisle stared numbly at the phone, Aro and Bella staring with him, it didn't ring again.
Finally, breaking the silence, Bella said, "Holy shit."
Carlisle gave her a chiding look, but his heart wasn't in it.
With a sigh, Aro explained, "For a variety of reasons I tend to have–a fearsome reputation. It seems Carlisle's children have picked up on that."
Bella turned to look at Aro, "I guess but–shouldn't she have accused you of sleeping with Carlisle?"
Aro flinched, and buried his face in his hands again.
Carlisle just laughed, no, for some reason, they somehow hadn't seemed to have picked up on that one.
It took Bella a few seconds, but when she got there, her eyes widened.
"No," she said.
"He said he was distracted," Carlisle told her merrily. Well, with forced merriment, as if that would suddenly make this all very funny.
"You cannot tell Marcus," Aro added, "For the love of the gods, you cannot tell Marcus."
"Bella," Carlisle said, keeping that merry smile plastered to his face, even as it turned into something more manic, "I have to ask - for curiosity's sake, and since we're all so very honest with each other - do you maintain your promise not to judge?"
Bella gaped at him, and blushed.
She was at a loss for words.
"Hah," Carlisle muttered. "Guess Aro and I - and Esme and Sulpicia - win the scandalous decision du jour award. Who will be the winner tomorrow, I wonder– anyone check in on Renata recently?"
Aro made a muffled, indignant, sound.
"No, no judgement," Bella quickly corrected, "I do not judge. I just–did not peg you for a swinger."
Goddammit, Carlisle had forgotten for a blissful moment that there was a word for what he'd done and that word was terrible.
"Bella, would you mind terribly giving us some space?" Aro asked, rubbing a hand over his face, "I promise I'll give you details on your suicide as soon as I am able. However, Carlisle and I are–processing."
Bella nodded, her eyes wide. "Yeah, me too," she said dazedly.
She stopped to look at them a moment as she stood, "And I can't tell Marcus?"
"Please, don't," Aro insisted.
Yes, Carlisle thought to himself, please don't. He wanted to see Marcus' face.
If this didn't make an impression on the man, then–
Well, Carlisle was all out of scandalous people to sleep with, but he'd think of something. Maybe Caius would agree to become friends, just so that they could throw Marcus for a well-deserved loop.
Then she hobbled out.
Leaving Aro and Carlisle, and the special collections.
Carlisle started laughing, he couldn't help it, just the thought of how miserable he must look, how miserable Aro did look, and that somewhere Edward had apparently run away as he was so distraught that Carlisle had slept with Sulpicia and Esme Aro…
"You have a particular sense of humor," Aro muttered.
"It's funny," Carlisle insisted, "In a terrible way."
Aro's lips twitched, despite himself. He shook his head.
"My daughter just called because my other daughter saw me having sex with your wife, and you having sex with mine. Now," Carlisle said, a truly maniacal grin spreading across his face, "who wants to bet that Edward was also within viewing range?"
Because if Carlisle had learned anything from the past - well, the past three hundred and seventy years - then it was that that would absolutely happen to him.
"Oh he was most definitely there," Aro confirmed, "And it apparently has caused him to go mad with grief and run off to the mountains to become a hermit. I can only hope he stays there and keeps out of trouble."
God, that wasn't funny, except it was hilarious. Just imagining Edward's tortured face as he took off for Denali national park, screaming as he did so.
Carlisle sat down, his back against the bookshelf, and laughed helplessly.
It was just so awful.
"And to think," Aro said, "I had this nice, put together, plan where you and your family would show up and act convincingly human in front of Bella Swan and we'd all make nice with each other."
Carlisle laughed harder.
"And then it turned out to all be pointless," Aro added, giving a tight, ridiculous, smile.
"Please, stop," Carlisle wheezed, "I'm serious, you're just making this worse."
He placed a hand over his eyes, and tried to calm his breathing.
"I just want you to know that–my life isn't like this when you're not here. Carlisle, you are either beloved by the gods or else loathed by them, I only know that interesting if terrible things seem to constantly happen around you."
"I absolutely don't believe you," Carlisle said, "You know that, right? I really don't. I've caused none of this madness, I'm just– brought in here, to pretend to be a college student–" he broke off, laughing, "Because– because Marcus' art class is going great, he flunked the student that's curing his depression, which naturally means I must be brought to Volterra to befriend her."
"To be fair to Marcus," Aro said, unable to contain his own laughter now, "Her artwork is utterly dreadful."
"I'm not done," Carlisle said, wagging a finger, "Marcus then lasts two days - wait," Carlisle giggled, "I skipped the part where this human turns out to be Edward's singer, oh, how could I forget that part?" He descended into giggles again.
Aro, at this point, was laughing into his hand.
"Then Marcus decides to have sex with Bella in the baths, because of some ridiculous misunderstanding caused by both of them being lunatics. Which, somehow, involves a breeding program concocted by you.
And you're just as bad, because you find out all about this, and what do you do? Do you say "Congratulations, Marcus," and be on your way? No! No, you show up, in my room, barely dressed, you proposition me and next thing I know I'm making up this nonsense about laundry that will tear my family apart, and suddenly Bella's pregnant."
He spread his hands out wide, shaking his head in incredulity.
"And we're not done," Aro said, wheezing, "Imagine that, my dear Carlisle, we're not done."
"Nope," Carlisle agreed. "Nope, can't forget the part where this all somehow leads to us having sex with each other's wives."
He shook his head in amazement, and stared at Aro. "And then you come and say that I'm – what, a chaos talisman? Don't let me into Volterra, or Marcus' art student will get pregnant while respectable Christians become swingers? My god, what else has been happening here, someone should check on the guard-" he made a show of looking alarmed and getting up, only for Aro to laugh.
Carlisle sat back down, shaking his head again.
"Of course, you have a point, but I didn't mean that you yourself were an agent of chaos, just that chaos follows in your wake," Aro said, finally getting control over his own laughter, "Which makes all of this your fault."
"Unbelievable," Carlisle said. "I came here to help. This is unbelievable."
Carlisle had the sudden, incomprehensible, feeling that everything was going to be alright. God only knew how, Carlisle certainly hadn't a clue, but he felt it just the same.
Even if Edward was now a hermit in the mountains.
And Bella was pregnant with an alien.
And Carlisle was now officially a swinger. Who explicitly didn't sleep with his own wife, mind you, just the other couple.
At that he felt his smile finally fade as his mind wandered back to Sulpicia, the night before, and the words she'd said that he'd never expected. Words that highlighted just how much he didn't know about Aro.
He got up to sit next to Aro. Aro looked to his hand for a moment, expecting Carlisle to slide it towards him as he always did, but Carlisle didn't offer it.
"We should talk," he said after a pause.
"I was under the impression that that's what we were doing," Aro pointed out, but Carlisle shook his head.
He stared out at the shelves, thinking and gathering his bearings, then said, "Sulpicia told me that Marcus was in a very serious relationship once with someone named Didyme. She said Didyme was your sister."
Aro stiffened.
No– stiffened wasn't the word for it. Vampires froze all the time, sometimes it was so simple as them forgetting to move.
What Aro did was—
He was suddenly paralyzed, his eyes fixed on nothing as his body went utterly still, somehow unnatural even for a vampire.
"I realize that I'm–" Carlisle paused, searching for the words, "Given everything that's happened, I realize that I have no right to this kind of information. That if I was–a better person, someone capable of keeping his vows to his own wife, I wouldn't need to know."
What was left unsaid was that Carlisle had expected that, against all common decency, against everything he had ever believed in, he needed to know.
Aro drew in a sharp breath, and looked away.
Carlisle waited.
"Understand that it's not–it's not you," Aro said quietly, "I do not speak of Didyme with anyone. We do not discuss it even among ourselves, and of the guard–there were very few who were even here when–they would never have heard of her either."
Carlisle looked at Aro, and felt his heart break at the look in Aro's eyes.
It was a look he'd never seen in them before, an agonized, yet almost terrified look, filled with dread. The emotion seemed so overpowering that he was surprised Aro had it in him to find words at all.
God, that was—
That was grief.
"It never even occurred to me that I was keeping Didyme from you," Aro said, "It simply–was not something anyone needed to know."
For a moment, Carlisle thought he would say that he didn't wish to speak of it, and leave it at that. It looked as if he was very tempted to.
Aro bit his lip, his eyes flashed towards Carlisle, and then back again.
"I'm afraid I'm not sure what else to add," he said, "She was my younger sister, I took the risk and turned her. She married Marcus, they were very happy together for a time."
Aro went silent, that wide open, haunted look in his eyes, like there was nothing in the world more dreadful than contemplating Didyme, boring into Carlisle.
"I fared better than Marcus in the aftermath," he finally said, "Marcus has never recovered."
"Though I do still think of her. Every day, in fact. For thousands of years…" a smile, more like a twitch of his lips, crossed his face. "The curse of my immortal memory."
He sighed, and spared Carlisle a pitiful smile, "Please don't ask anymore, it doesn't matter. She's been dead for two thousand years."
Carlisle said nothing.
Instead, he put his hand on the back of Aro's head, leaned in, and kissed him.
When he pulled back, Aro looked somehow even more devastated than he had before.
Rather than explain, he looked at the shelves, "Ah, Carlisle, I don't think the special collections room is the place for such activities."
Carlisle smiled, and ducked his head. "Really, you don't think they're old enough? Six hundred years, they've led a good life."
And he immediately regretted his life. God, he hoped Didyme's lifespan hadn't been six hundred years.
"No, she was older than that," Aro said quietly, "Certainly older than you. Though I suppose, with enough time, you'll surpass her one day."
Carlisle looked into Aro's eyes, and thought about his own life, which already felt so vastly long, made longer by the many centuries spent alone. He tried to imagine having not only had a sister, but… having had a companion, someone who followed him from his human life, into the eternal one, through all of those years, and then many more.
And then losing that sister.
No, he imagined he would not be able to speak of it either.
"Let's speak of more pleasant matters," Aro said with a sigh, very clearly changing the subject, "Well, I suppose Bella's pregnancy isn't exactly pleasant but it's at least relevant."
"What's there to talk about?" Carlisle asked, "I should give her another exam soon but…"
"Well," Aro said, and seemed to pull himself together, "I was… I was hoping, actually," he said, that dreadful look in his eyes withdrawing into the recesses of his old heart as he brought himself fully back into the present, "that you could still help out with her suicide. Ah, we did not get far yesterday."
Carlisle frowned. "How so?"
Aro gave him a look.
Ah, yes, he'd been… distracted.
Aro, bless him, stayed on topic.
"Bella's–I suppose I can't blame her, this modern world makes these things difficult but–" Aro sighed, "She suggested ghost hunting, Carlisle."
Carlisle snorted. "Oh, that's– you know what, that's on brand. That's very much on brand for her. What was her other idea, alien abduction?"
"Don't say that in front of her or I'll have to actually explain why we're not staging an alien abduction. No, she suggested that she take up a sudden, inexplicable, hobby of ghost hunting and that we light an abandoned house on fire with her inside. Which, of course, she would talk all about to her friends who she doesn't have. She suggested Jessica Stanley."
Oh, oh that was–
It was a good thing Carlisle had gotten most of the laughter out of his system already, or he would definitely have started sniggering.
"We ended up deciding on suicide and–" Aro shuddered, "Oh Carlisle, her note, her note is the worst thing I've ever heard of. She's going to go on a tour to some cliffs, with clueless strangers, and throw herself off. And I have to go along with it because I, honest to the gods, have no better ideas to offer."
"What's the note?" Carlisle asked.
He couldn't even begin to guess.
"Shakespeare," Aro said, as if this should somehow explain itself.
"What, just that, "Shakespeare"?" Carlisle said incredulously. "You're right, that's… that's not even terrible, though, that's… postmodernist."
The girl had style, he would give her that.
"That would actually be a better note," Aro said, "I–You'll see it for yourself, and I can't even argue, because this is what Bella assures me she'd write in a suicide letter."
He gave Carlisle a despairing look, "And she accused us of being aliens. Honestly, I'm starting to wonder about that girl. It'd explain that gift of hers."
Carlisle ignored that. "Just tell me what the note is, Aro. I need to know."
Aro grimaced. "You don't think the build-up is better? I assure you, it will not disappoint. Or, it will, but that's kind of the point."
"Well, as long as it's not something stupid like "To be or not to be", I suppose that's the ultimate Shakespeare quote but she strikes me as more well-read than that. And most Shakespeare buffs, well, they want to use other quotes, so they seem more intellectual," Carlisle mused. That monologue had been overused so much, it had lost all meaning. "Is it Twelfth Night? She strikes me as a Twelfth Night kind of girl."
But Aro was staring at him in amazement.
"Twelfth Night?" Carlisle confirmed. "Alright, is it– god, please tell me she doesn't do the "Some have greatness thrust upon them" joke - or in her case, some have to trust themselves on to the immobile stone great-"
"I refuse to continue this conversation," Aro interrupted, "We're changing topics again. And dammit, Carlisle, come up with a subject or else we'll end up talking about how we fucked each other's wives."
"Well," Carlisle said after a beat, "We can't have that."
But they probably should.
It seemed like a topic that one should discuss.
Aro pointedly said nothing.
Carlisle considered their options and realized that there was a very pertinent topic of conversation that they should discuss. One that Carlisle–had put out of his mind days ago and never fully considered.
"Actually," Aro ventured, "Caius has a collection of swords that's both ugly and takes too much space. He ruined my Gutenberg Bible a few decades ago – we could get him back, and then we won't be talking about sex with each other's wives. Great plan," Aro said, clapped Carlisle's hand, and moved to get up, ready to have sex in Caius' hearing range to make him regret his sword collection.
"We have to tell Esme," Carlisle said.
"About Caius' swords?" Aro asked in confusion, "I don't think she'd be very interested–"
"About Bella's pregnancy," Carlisle corrected.
Aro numbly sat back down, "Ah."
"Esme made a choice last night, she chose me. And, Aro, if I am to honor that choice, then this isn't something I can keep from her. Aro, her and I might end up living here for years, it's frankly out of the question to not tell her why." Carlisle shook his head.
Aro looked torn, it took him several seconds to answer, "I am not sure she's–she's made great strides in the past few hours. However, you're asking much of her, you're asking her to turn her back on her own family. To lie to her beloved son, who–she might care for more than she does you."
But Carlisle only shook his head again. "Aro, I can't keep lying to her about Bella's cancer, and laundry, and whatnot. I'm sorry, but– the whole point of last night was to save our relationship, to not just win her back but build a new, and better foundation. If we start off with me still lying to her– it will all have been for nothing." Carlisle looked imploringly into Aro's eyes. "She has to know."
"Until a few days ago, the world was a very uncomplicated place for her," Aro said, "It was a place that made sense, had internal consistencies and was… for lack of a better word it was pleasant. There were dark corners, but those were places other people inhabited, and things would always right themselves in the end. This–this requires accepting that we sometimes have to do–things we would not wish to for a greater cause. I'm not sure she's prepared for that."
Well, if that wasn't an analogy for last night then Carlisle didn't know what was.
"Tactless as it may be, I should say a– uh, great time was had by all," Aro said, surprisingly embarrassed about it.
Carlisle lifted his eyebrows at the man, that utterly shameless man who could at once say "I fucked your wife well" and sink into his chair in utter mortification at the same time.
"Oh fine," Aro said, "But I'm warning you now, if we tell her, she'll want to know why she has to lie and I will have to tell her everything. I will have to tell her what even you do not wish to hear."
"Don't you think she made the choice last night, that she wants the red pill?" Carlisle asked, using Bella's words.
"Carlisle, your son is a deranged lunatic who isn't sure whether he lusts after Bella or wishes to devour her," Aro said out of nowhere, "There, Carlisle, how do you feel after having heard that?"
"I don't know," Carlisle replied, without missing a beat. "I don't know whether to believe you. I trust you, but I have faith in Edward. I know what you'll say, but–" he rolled his shoulders in a light shrug. "I suppose what I feel is, that I'm being pulled in two opposite directions with equal force, and so I remain in place."
"Oh, honestly," Aro said with a sigh, "Well, he'd be glad to hear it, because the only person he wants to fuck more than Bella Swan is you."
Carlisle blinked.
Aro then paused, smiled to himself, "I'm enjoying this, yes I should be tactlessly honest more often. You're right, Carlisle, we all feel much better now."
God, there was a joke to be made about how the only person who wanted to fuck Carlisle more than Edward did, was sitting right opposite him.
No, Carlisle would hold it in. Otherwise they'd never leave and never tell Esme, and then where would they be?
Aro's lips twitched, though. "Guilty as charged, I'm the first in line."
"Sulpicia cut in," Carlisle reminded him.
Aro let out a huff of laughter. "God, I have to say – I love her, I really do, and I'll have to thank her in some way for what she did - oh, nevermind, that's what you're for," he realized, and laughed even harder.
Goddamnit, Carlisle couldn't help laughing too.
"Still," Aro wheezed, "I'm just so– annoyed with her. Really, here I sit, pining for three hundred years, and then when you finally get back, after all this time, guess what happens? She cuts in line! Right under my nose, too, and in less than a week. Unbelievable. Insolent woman," he chuckled.
"I pity you," Carlisle said, "I truly do."
Aro merely laughed. "What is it that they say, that enough years of marriage, and married couples become two sides of the same coin, or the same person in two bodies? I mean, her and I certainly have the exact same priorities!"
Carlisle pointedly did not say anything, because if he did then they would be there all day.
And without another word, they were out the door.