AN: Thank you Mrs Meyers for sharing the Twi-world.
Last chapter for 1666, September. We will jump forward in the next chapter and see how they are getting on a year after all this strife... (hint - not very well!)
Thank you for all the recent reviews and PMs, they are very much appreciated, keep um coming :)
A GENTLE APPROACH
Atia, using her mate's gift, caught onto Carlisle's memories and with concern spread across her face, called for Basileus to bring his son's punishment to an end.
"Basileus, my dear ... a word," she said softly before leaving for the privacy of their bedchamber.
Carlisle scrambled from his father's lap and lay splayed out on his front on the sofa.
"If you move from that seat I will whip you where I find you. And, I will find you," Basileus warned, still furious with his boy.
All Carlisle could do in reply was nod and sob softly as he wiped angrily at his treacherous tears.
"I apologise for putting you in that position, my dear," Basileus said as he closed the door, hoping he hadn't pushed the woman too far.
Nothing could be further from Atia's mind. "You have nothing to apologise for, my dear. That is not why I called for you to stop."
She perched on the edge of their bed. "Did you not hear his thoughts?" she asked.
Basileus hadn't been listening, truth be told. All he ever heard whilst he punished one of his sons was what a bastard he was ... he had stopped listening to that centuries ago.
"No, why?"
Atia smiled sadly. "He was thinking of his father ... the other one. The pastor, was it?"
"Oh!" he exclaimed softly, and puffed the air out of his cheeks.
"You must talk to him about what happened with the pastor, Basileus. I am certain that is where all this unpleasantness is coming from."
Basileus shook his head. I have tried, he thought defensively. Many times. He won't talk to me.
"I can hear you, my dear," Atia interrupted his musings.
Basileus smiled slyly. "That is going to take some getting used to," he admitted before fishing through his son's thoughts in the other room. Although he was now mostly feeling sorry for himself, and true to form for the circumstance, he was running through what a bastard Basileus was, he had been recalling a traumatic memory from his human life.
"You should return to the great hall and allow me to talk with Carlisle," Atia suggested.
"I don't trust him not to attack you, my dear," Basileus said honestly, feeling mortified that he should have to worry about such a thing in the first place.
"Nonsense!" Atia rebutted. "Your youngest may be feisty, but he is no match for my powers. You need not worry."
Basileus still wasn't sure. "It feels like you are having a 'baptism by fire' into this family. You must know this is not at all as I hoped it would be."
Atia took her husband's hands in her own. "The propensity for trouble was always there, I am not surprised we are facing these issues. There will be more to come, I am sure. But I am here, and we are together, so we shall face it together."
Basileus sighed nervously, but something told him he had to concede and 'share' the load with Atia if he wanted to keep her on side. And, you are the only one on my side, he thought gloomily.
"You are being granted a reprieve." Basileus told Carlisle as he passed his son, still on the sofa, and still sobbing softly.
"Thank you," Carlisle replied quietly, although he was a little surprised that he needed a reprieve. Were you seriously going to spank me again? he thought in disbelief.
"It isn't me to whom you owe your thanks," Basileus told him, choosing to ignore his thoughts. "Atia presented an impassioned appeal on your behalf!"
Atia took the seat opposite her new son. "You make me sound very fervent, Basileus!"
He swung on his coat. "Ha! Wars have been waged with less fervour!"
Seeing his father by the door, Carlisle leaned up on his elbows. "I will be going back to the celebrations. Someone from this family should be there." Then he answered his son's unasked question,"You are to stay with Atia."
Carlisle sighed. I thought the reprieve may be from both of you!
"You have proved you cannot be trusted to stay in the castle son, so you will be watched until I say otherwise."
Carlisle lay back down and turned his face into the cushion. "I'm not staying with her," he mumbled into the sofa.
Both Basileus and Atia heard him.
Basileus grimaced upon hearing his son continue his disrespect.
"You will stay here with me or your father can continue to spank your disrespectful hide. It really makes no difference to me, Carlisle." Atia was so nonchalant as she spoke that Carlisle was convinced she meant it.
Basileus simply smiled to himself as he left his quarters, confident his mate could handle his son ... their son.
Atia moved from her seat and stroked Carlisle's hair. "Oh, my darling, what a wildly entertaining mess you are creating."
She received only a grunt in reply.
"I think we should talk, my dear."
Carlisle huffed. "You don't have to talk to me ... you just have to watch me," he spat, voice still muffled by the cushion.
"I do need to talk with you, Carlisle. The reprieve I agreed to with your father was based upon me talking some sense into you."
Nothing.
I'm not talking to you, fuck you! He thought it, but wasn't stupid enough to say it and now that Basileus had gone, Atia couldn't make use of his gift to access inside his mind.
"Unless you would prefer to have Basileus beat some sense into you ... which was the other option ... " Atia pushed.
Still nothing.
Fine, she thought, and stood up to leave. "Come along then, let us go and fetch your father."
That got him moving! Carlisle leaned back up on his elbows. "No! Wait!" he called out. He couldn't take anymore - either the pain or the humiliation.
Atia retook her seat and fixed Carlisle in her sights. "Why are you on this path of wanton destruction?"
Carlisle shrugged. "I'm not."
Atia stood back up.
"Where are you going?" Carlisle called out in panic.
"To fetch your father. I am not playing with you, Carlisle. You didn't answer me properly - you are clearly unwilling to talk with me ... "
"Alright, alright!" Talking to you can't be worse than facing HIM again. "I'm frustrated okay, and pissed off."
Atia sat back down. "Would this have anything to do with Basileus killing the Pastor, Carlisle. Or is all of your frustration and anger aimed at me?"
Carlisle closed his eyes. He could see his father snapping his, well, his father's neck. It was an image replaying over and over in his mind and had been for a year now. BUT, he wasn't upset by it - he wasn't bothered by it at all, in fact, which in an odd turn of emotions made him feel guilty. he probably should have been distressed by his human father having his neck snapped in front of his very eyes, but, Carlisle had reasoned, the pastor had held only contempt for his son since his birth and all he could feel was glad that the man couldn't ever hurt him again. That didn't mean he wasn't going to use the pastor's death to his advantage, and he could tell by Atia's tone that he would be able to get away with murder if he said the pastor's death was the root of his upset. The mother buffer ... he reminded himself of Aro's explanation of the benefit of having a mother onside.
"Both," he lied.
Atia smiled kindly, just as Carlisle had expected. "We can work with that," she told her new son.
…
Atia pushed Carlisle forward to knock on the door to Aro's quarters. They had spent the whole night talking over what happened in England and how Carlisle felt about it. Quite frankly he was glad it was morning and he could escape - although having to face his brother wasn't quite the escape he'd imagined.
"What do you want?" Alec asked gruffly when he opened the door to his uncle.
"That is no way to greet a guest, Alec. What would your parents say?" Atia replied, shaking her head to his rudeness. "Move along, my dear."
She shooed the boy and directed Carlisle forwards.
"What do you want?" Aro spat when his brother came into view.
Atia rolled her eyes and watched as Alec went to sit with his father, both scowling at Carlisle. The apple never does fall far from the tree, she said to herself.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Aro shot to Carlisle, unsurprisingly still angry with his brother throwing his vote of confidence back in his face. "You are hanging out with a 16-year-old child. MY CHILD!"
Carlisle took it. He had been warned by Atia to expect such a response.
"You first embarrassed yourselves in the guard hall. Then you took my son on a tavern tour complete with prostitutes. I gave you another chance and you went for round three - convincing him to break his word to me about staying in this tower and you threw threatening and pushing a 12-year-old into the bargain."
Aro continued to glare at Carlisle who failed to even respond. Truthfully, Carlisle was staying quiet as he didn't trust his own mouth not to get him into even more trouble.
"You are completely unhinged, brother." Aro crossed his arms and looked ready to breathe fire in Carlisle's direction.
What's the point? Carlisle thought, and then he opened his mouth ...
"Fuck this, and fuck you," he called out, ready to leave.
CRACK!
Atia surprised everyone, but no one more than Carlisle, when she slapped him across the back of his head.
"Sit down," she ordered.
"Before I knock you down!" Aro added harshly.
"Foolish boys!" Atia admonished them both. "If you force me to fetch your father, I will," she offered.
Carlisle quickly looked submissively to the floor as he quietly took a seat next to Aro.
Aro, too, after first looking askance to his new mother and realising she was deadly serious, looked to the floor.
"Where is Basileus anyway? He should be dealing with him." Aro spat, pointing to his brother.
"Your father hasn't returned from the celebrations yet. I can assure you that he did deal with Carlisle before he left and it is now my turn. I would highly recommend you amend your tone, Aro. Or I will fetch Basileus to deal with you, too."
Atia sounded so stern, she was like a school master - Aro couldn't remember the last time someone had spoken to him in such a way.
"Why have you brought him here?" Aro asked with a far more even tone.
"To apologise." Atia told him, though she spoke as though she were talking to a small child.
Sully was right - you are a patronizing bitch! Aro thought, becoming less and less keen on having this woman in his life.
"Let's hear it then," he said, nudging his brother.
"I am sorry I convinced Felix to break his restriction."
Aro scoffed. "It was a little more than that, Carlisle."
Carlisle nodded. "I'm sorry I put my hands on Alec and that I let Demetri go and meet Lucy."
"What about breaking your promise to me, or does that mean fuck all to you?" Yes, Aro was still pissed off. "You need to get your head together, Carlisle."
Atia leaned down and took Aro's chin in her hand. "We are on the way to doing just that, Aro. Your language is most unbecoming."
He was so taken aback by receiving another admonishment from the woman that he just nodded in response.
"Carlisle." Atia clicked her finger and gestured to Alec.
Aro was amazed to see his younger brother jump into action.
"Alec, I shouldn't have threatened you. Or you, Jane. It won't happen again."
Alec rubbed his shoulders. Carlisle had really hurt him and frankly he wasn't ready to forgive his uncle just yet.
"Then I won't set you on fire again." Jane answered sweetly. The look she gave Carlisle told him she didn't forgive him, either.
"You won't set him on fire again, full stop!" Aro told his girl, "You are lucky I am too angry with Carlisle and your brothers to be angry with you, as well."
Jane looked away. "You still spanked me for it, and he deserved it!" she muttered quietly to herself, quietly enough for no one else to hear.
Atia was satisfied that Carlisle had said all he could to the twins. "May he speak with Felix, Aro?" she asked politely.
"He is in his room."
Atia pushed Carlisle in the general direction.
"I will be checking his memories when you leave so I wouldn't go making any new plans for displaying your immaturity to the world," Aro called out as his brother flashed from the room.
"So has Basileus let you get away with it, then?" Felix asked from his bed.
Aro hadn't belted him again, but the whipping from their first outing was still smarting so he was splayed out on his front reading a book.
"I wouldn't say that. He humiliated me last night!" Carlisle complained, taking up residence on Demetri's bed in a similar fashion to his nephew.
"Humiliated you?" Felix asked, wondering how.
"He put me over his knee in front of Atia!"
Felix's eyes widened. "Oh! That sounds horrific. I think I would rather be whipped in private than that!"
Carlisle nodded his agreement. "And, he's turned me over to Atia for a 'mothers counselling'. Cunt."
Felix laughed. "Atia? She doesn't seem 'warm' enough for counselling!"
Carlisle shrugged. He had actually felt much better since talking with her about the pastor. He still wasn't sold on having a 'mom', but as Atia had got him off Basileus' radar for awhile, he was willing to concede that the experience wouldn't be all bad. Though he was still pissed off that Basileus had upset the apple cart by bringing her into their lives, Carlisle felt quite pleased with himself for devising a way to use the woman to his advantage. He wasn't going to admit that to Felix just yet though.
"I am getting the whole 'you are held to a higher standard' rhetoric."
Felix sighed: He knew that conversation by heart!
"Well, I got a hefty round of fucks for daring to even think about leaving this damn tower," the young vampire complained.
"Looks like you got a slap or two, as well," Carlisle commented, judging by the hand print of his nephew's cheek.
Felix nodded. A hand print on his face was damn near a permanent feature these days. "Luckily for me, Aro spent most of the evening belting Demetri!"
They both winced.
"Where is he?" Carlisle felt guilty about encouraging Demetri to go out.
"He's in Aro's room - we are being separated."
The look of wonder on Felix's face cracked Carlisle up. "Did you really expect anything else?" he asked through his giggling.
"Well, it still sucks!" he whined.
"What 'sucks' is Jane setting me on fire and getting away with it," Carlisle complained as he collected his clothes from Felix's dresser.
"She didn't. Aro smacked her ass this morning - I heard it."
Carlisle felt another pang of guilt. He was only mouthing off about Jane, he didn't really think she deserved that. He knew it was his own fault for grabbing Alec the way he did.
Shaking the thought, and the guilt, from his mind, he went to stand in front of Felix's mirror. "Aro has informed me he will be checking this conversation after I leave and will not doubt go running to Basileus," he smiled to Felix and then looked dead ahead into the mirror, "so fuck the pair of you!"
Felix fell about laughing. "You really are playing with fire."
Carlisle winked to his nephew.
"CARLISLE!" Aro's voice was so loud and clear that he might as well have been standing in the room.
"Time for more talking with Atia, I imagine." Carlisle said was his shoulders slunk. "I shouldn't have involved you in any of this, Felix. I'm sorry ... really sorry."
Felix waved away his apology with ease. "Don't be, we had a good time!"
Carlisle laughed to himself. The boy's resilience was outstanding, if nothing else. "I don't think we are supposed to be having a good time," Carlisle told him cheekily before leaving for more counselling.