TURNING TABLES

Aro flung open his father's chamber door and flopped down in the chair next to Eleazar.

"Is it done?" Basileus asked sternly.

Aro nodded, dejectedly.

"I am so sorry, brother," Eleazar told him, throwing an arm around Aro's shoulders.

Aro sighed. "I'm really going to miss him."

Carlisle sat in the window seat. He had asked to retire to his room but Basileus had refused, telling his son that he was to remain in his sight. He felt quite uncomfortable sitting in company while still only half dressed. Carlisle wasn't sure what his brothers and father were talking about and it pissed him off that they all knew when he didn't.

"What are you on about? Miss who?" he asked the room generally.

"Felix, of course," Basileus replied, as though it were obvious.

Carlisle moved to the edge of his seat, wincing at the burning stripes across his back. "Where has he gone?"

Looking close to tears, Aro sighed again. "The dungeons," he said quietly, his voice cracking as he spoke.

"What?" Carlisle spat, wondering if his family's idea of discipline knew no bounds.

"I've given him to Caius, Carlisle," Aro admitted.

"I'm surprised it's taken you this long," Basileus added as he fetched his forlorn boy a drink.

"Aren't you going to do anything about it," Carlisle shot to his father.

Basileus simply shrugged. "Like what?"

Carlisle was astounded. "Like fetch Felix from the fucking dungeons!"

"Why would I do that?" Basileus replied. "And, watch your mouth!"

Carlisle ignored his father's warning. His insides twisted at the thought of what Felix could be going through under Caius' control. "Because he's just a child!"

"He's a disobedient child," Eleazar added.

Carlisle scowled to his big brother. "You too?!" he accused. "You support this, El?"

Eleazar shrugged and accepted a glass from his father. Carlisle noticed he wasn't being offered one.

"I can't control him, he's a liability," Aro said with Basileus jumping in to tell his son he had done the right thing.

"A liability!" Carlisle repeated in disgust. "He's your fucking son!"

"I have told you to watch your mouth!" Basileus boomed.

Aro ducked to his father's outburst as Basileus stood behind him with a hand on each of his shoulders. Giving him a squeeze, Basileus thought to his son, 'I hope your plan works, Aro, or you will be joining Felix!'

Aro grimaced. 'Trust me, Dad,' he replied through is mind.

"Where is he?" Sulpicia asked, bursting through the door.

Aro closed his eyes, his wife could ruin everything.

"Aro has sent Felix to the dungeons! He has given him to Caius!" Carlisle rushed, hoping Sulpicia would save the lad.

Sulpicia was a raging ball of fire and Aro knew she was about to blow his whole plan to smithereens.

"My queen, you must understand ... "

"UNDERSTAND?" she raged, startling everyone.

A part of Aro was glad that his father and brothers could see what he had to contend with living with the 'meek and mild' Sulpicia. Of course, she was meek and mild most of the time, but when occasion called for it ...

"Sully, my dear ... " Basileus tried to interject.

"Are you with him on this?" Sulpicia spat venomously to her father-in-law.

Basileus bristled. He had never before heard his daughter direct even a terse tone to him in their thousands of years together.

"ATIA!" Basileus called out. He needed Sulpicia out of his living space before she did something they would all regret.

Atia appeared in a fraction of a second. She had used Basileus' gift from their bed chamber and she knew that Aro's plan needed to play out. She had been offended when Basileus had backed his boy over her, but she would put that aside for family tranquillity and she had to admit, she thought Aro's plan was going to work.

"My dear, could you take Sulpicia and explain the situation?" Basileus asked, reaching out and kissing her hand as she passed.

"Are you all out of your minds?!" Sulpicia continued to rage. Carlisle was willing her on.

"I will explain, Sulpicia, dear," Atia said as she tried to take her away from the scene.

"I require no explanation from you!" Sully retorted, pushing away her mother-in-law.

That was as much as Basileus was willing to witness. He flashed to his daughter-in-law's side and took her hand in his so he could transfer his thoughts to her. 'My dear, I understand you are upset about what you have heard.This is all staged for Carlisle. Felix will be better off if you let this play out. He will be safe in your home within the hour, I give you my word.'

Sully visibly calmed in the creator's grasp.

'Please go with Atia, she will explain all,' he said finally, directing his wife and daughter out of the room.

Basileus closed the door behind them and raised an eyebrow to Aro. We need to get this back on track, he thought. "Carlisle, you need to calm down, son."

Carlisle looked around the room, aghast. "Calm down! I can't believe Sulpicia was so easy to subdue! Felix was her son!" he repeated.

Aro saw his chance. "Felix IS our son, Carlisle," Aro agreed, "but he is completely out of control. I won't risk losing Demetri and the twins because Felix refuses to behave appropriately."

"What does that even mean?" Carlisle asked in return, really starting to panic now. Why would you lose any of them?

"I set the age for turning vampires at twelve when I turned Jane and Alec. Anyone younger than that is not a vampire, they are an immortal child; an abomination which must be destroyed. They pose too great a risk to both our world and the human population. If Felix, who is 16, behaves so irrationally that I cannot control him, then it questions my judgment about the age of vampires versus immortal children and I could lose Jane, Alec, and Demetri in the process. I will not risk that."

"Quite right, too." Eleazar added, enjoying Carlisle's squirming.

"So, what is going to happen to Felix?" Carlisle asked in trepidation.

"I have spoken to Caius. He's willing to see if he can break him. If he can, perhaps he can join the guard," Aro said, sounding positive about the possibility.

"Break him!" Carlisle repeated, the words sticking in his throat.

"It's a shame, but better than dispatching him without trying to save the boy," Eleazar said softly, as though it were in any way a comfort to Carlisle.

"There's nothing wrong with Felix, he doesn't need breaking!" Carlisle pulled himself to his feet, his back burned like a bitch with every step he took but he slowly made his way to the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Basileus asked calmly.

"To fetch Felix!" Carlisle spat in return, taking his cloak from the hook. He eyed the garment with fear in his eyes. He had to put it on - he had remained shirtless since Aro had ripped his from him in the throne room, but he couldn't go about the castle half-clothed. "You can't just hand him over to Caius!" he called out as he swung the cloak around his back.

The poor young man howled when the fabric made contact with his wounds. He leaned into the wall to support himself whilst he regained his composure.

"It's done, brother," Aro said with finality.

"Dad," Carlisle implored, "do something, I am begging you!"

"What else would you propose, Carlisle?" Basileus asked, sounding bored.

"Felix isn't the problem! I was the one taking him out, I was the one convincing him to be defiant. He never would have gone against Aro without me in his ear."

Aro walked over to Carlisle with eyes of thunder.

"You think I don't know that? I have had Felix here since the year 500! I know him well enough to understand the reason for his behaviour. But it is irrelevant. You could whisper in Jane's ear and she would ignore you, she certainly wouldn't go against my orders unless for a very good cause. She is reliable, I can trust her, she is a vampire. The fact that Felix ignored my decrees, often and willingly, shows he is an immortal child, not a vampire."

Aro stood in front of the door, daring his brother to try and break past him to save Felix.

"No, Aro! You can't do this!"

Eleazar came to Carlisle's side. "If we can't rely on him, Carlisle, then there isn't much else to say on the matter."

Carlisle shoved Eleazar away roughly. "But he's your son, Aro. I thought you loved him!" Carlisle was pretty much screaming in Aro's face.

"I DO!" Aro screamed back. "But he clearly feels little for me. He doesn't care how shit he makes me feel, he lies to my face and doesn't even blink."

That hit Carlisle. Hard. Aro could see his brother flinch and he knew it was because Carlisle felt guilty for the way he had been emotionally blackmailing their father.

"I have sent Felix to the dungeons rather than killing him, because I love him. If Caius can break his will, Felix can be kept in the guard."

"He may be happier in the guard, anyway," Basileus threw in. "He clearly isn't happy with the lifestyle he has now, or he wouldn't be bucking against it so forcefully."

Carlisle felt flooded with guilt for breaking up his brother's family, for landing Felix in such awful circumstances, and for the way he'd treated his father since they left England. He'd been a grade A dick and he knew it, finally.

"This isn't Felix's fault, Aro. It's mine," Carlisle said with tears spilling over his eyes.

"Again, irrelevant, brother," Aro sang out.

"It is fucking relevant!" Carlisle roared. "Felix has never gone against you before, has he?"

Aro took a step back and appeared to be considering Carlisle's words. He wasn't of course, Carlisle was playing right into Aro's hands so perfectly that he might as well have given his brother a script from which to read. "Not quite this seriously, or repetitively," he finally agreed.

Carlisle looked gleeful. "Then it's me, it's all me. He must have had others pushing him to defy you in the past?"

Aro nodded. "Well, yes I suppose he has."

Carlisle put a hand on each of Aro's shoulders. "Then it's my doing, not his. You can rely on Felix if I am out of the picture. I will leave!" he announced.

Aro shook his head. "I don't want to lose a brother as well, Carlisle. And you have already agreed to be a part of my plans for assembling the other covens. I need you Carlisle."

Carlisle remained resolute.

"I'm not losing my son. You aren't going anywhere."

Carlisle looked to his father. You will agree if I tell you the truth, he thought sadly. I need to do this for Felix.

"My lord, I have a confession to make. Once I have, you will want me to leave, but it will take some time to explain."

Basileus folded his arms across his chest. He knew what Carlisle's confession would entail and part of him didn't want his son to say it aloud ... it would hurt. "I'm a vampire, I have time," he said plainly, hiding his true emotions.

Carlisle's frustration grew by the second. "Felix doesn't!" he growled.

Basileus nodded. "Then you had better spit it out, hadn't you?"

Carlisle looked between his brothers and father, knowing they would all hate him for what he was about to tell them. He loved them all, and he felt he was sure to lose them forever over something, that on reflection, was a damn stupid and selfish thing to have done.

"I have been using the pastor's death against you. I do not blame you, I do not resent you. I have used your guilt over his death to my advantage."

Aro and Eleazar shared a small, knowing smile as Carlisle made a quick confession of his sins.

Basileus looked between his three sons as he approached Carlisle. "I don't understand, son, what are you saying?"

"I am saying ... " oh, Jesus he's going to kill me, "when Atia first arrived, and we talked about my attitude ... she suggested it was due to, well, you killing the pastor. It wasn't, but she seemed so pleased to be able to help me, so I let her think she was. And then she said that she'd talk to you so you went easier on me and gave me some space ... "

Carlisle chanced a look to his father, expecting to find a ball of fury in his place. Disappointment. It was rolling off Basileus in droves and Carlisle felt every drop of it.

"Why would you do such a thing?" Basileus asked quietly. It wasn't quite anger, Carlisle could have taken that. It was quiet pain. Basileus sounded like Carlisle had ripped his heart out and threw it to the floor.

"I have loved living in Volterra, it's a whole world I never knew existed. I don't mean vampires, either. Literature, languages, life!" Carlisle looked to the floor again. "Fun," he whispered, as though it were a dirty word. "You have no idea what my life was like with the pastor. He controlled everything. He wouldn't even let me go to school. Keeping me barely literate was part of keeping me with him."

Eleazar looked down his nose to Aro, wondering if Aro had known the full extent of Carlisle's troubled reasoning. Ha, no 'if' about it, you knew. You had to make everything sound more malicious though, didn't you? Conniving little bastard!

Basileus heard Eleazar's thoughts and was similarly wondering why Aro had made Carlisle's intentions sound so spiteful when he had divulged his little brother's betrayal. It will keep, for now, he said to himself whilst he prompted Carlisle to continue.

"I know I didn't take the news of Atia joining our coven well ... "

"Understatement!" Aro interjected, only to be quickly cuffed around the head by Basileus.

"Quiet, Aro. Let him talk."

Carlisle gulped, "I didn't react well," he said narrowing his eyes to Aro, "but you dragged me back here and immediately started treating me like some huge problem. I was pissed off with you. You replaced me with Atia and I was relegated to the kid's table."

Basileus sighed, loudly. "That wasn't intentional. I was reacting to your behaviour, son."

Carlisle nodded. "I know that. I do. But I wanted to punish you anyway, so I kept on blackmailing you. It was easy, and I was having fun."

Basileus was growling lightly, he couldn't help it.

"I'm so sorry," Carlisle implored genuinely. "I never meant for any of this to happen."

"Thank you for telling me the truth, son," Basileus said sadly, the hurt apparent in his eyes. "We will discuss things fully later, in private."

Carlisle shook his head. "No, I have to leave so Felix can stay."

"You aren't leaving, Carlisle. You are my son, no matter how despicably you have behaved. I am not done with you yet - you are not half the man I know you can be." Basileus flashed to Carlisle's side and pulled him clear of the door.

Fuck! Carlisle screamed inside his head. "Then I will stop. I will stop convincing Felix to break his word to you all ... just fetch him, please."

Aro shook his head as he leaned into the door frame. "You have promised me that before, brother. Many times."

"It's different this time. I know what's at stake now! There will be no more parties, no more drinking, no more defying you ... either of you ... I swear to all above and below, I will bring an end to it, all of it." Carlisle looked frantically between Aro and Basileus, neither of whom looked convinced.

"El?" Carlisle asked quietly, hoping for backup.

"It might work," Eleazar said, shrugging his shoulders.

"What if he goes back on his word again? Caius won't help twice, I'm amazed he agreed to take Felix this time," Aro directed to his big brother.

"If Carlisle breaks his word I will have to kill my son. I don't know if I would ever recover from that. Sully would leave me - she'd take Demetri and the twins with her. I don't know if I can risk that."

"You can, Aro. You can. I won't let you down. I will be a proper uncle to Felix. I will steer him straight," Carlisle implored desperately.

"Aro, let's try it. If Carlisle lets us down, I will kill Felix so you don't have to," Basileus stated plainly.

Carlisle bristled at his cold, dispassionate tone.

"It might be too late, " Aro said quietly, "Caius may have started already."

"Then let's go and fetch him!" Carlisle yelled, frustrated by the inactivity of the room.

Basileus pulled his youngest son to the side of the room "Are you sure about this?" he asked him seriously "You realise what is at stake? Your brother will lose his whole family if you go back on your word again," he told his boy, pressing Carlisle into the wall.

Carlisle choked on his own venom as the lashes in his back contacted the wall. "That won't happen, I won't let that happen," he said through his tears.

Basileus looked into his son's eyes and for the first time in three years he didn't see a boy, he saw a man. Carlisle was ready to be honest and true and Basileus breathed a sigh of relief. "Then let us fetch our boy home," he said, placing an arm around his Carlisle.

"Caius!" Aro called out as they entered the dungeons.

Both Caius and Magnus appeared outside the newborn hall in a quarter of a second.

"Where's Felix?" Carlisle growled.

"Why?" Caius asked, looking down his nose at Basileus' brat. "You can't expect results so soon, surely?"

"What have you done to him?" Carlisle accused, shoving Caius in the chest.

Basileus pulled his son back. "Mind yourself, son," he warned as he kept hold of Carlisle by a strong grip on his arm.

Caius dusted his clothes down as though Carlisle had messed them up. "Nothing much, yet ... " he said, smirking.

"I'm taking him back, Caius," Aro stated, winking to his brother-in-arms.

"Are you sure?" Magnus asked. He thought this whole charade was to get Carlisle and Felix back in line and Carlisle looked as volatile as ever!

"Are you sure Carlisle?" Basileus asked, giving his arm a painful twist.

"YES!" he roared thunderously.

Aro nodded. "It would appear I am sure, Magnus."

Magnus laughed and returned to Caius' dungeon playroom with everyone else following behind.

When they came to the panelled door entry, Aro stood aside. "Lead the way, brother," he gestured to Carlisle.

The young prince was most unprepared for what he saw when he entered the room. Felix was strung up by his neck with a metal collar and a bag over his head. His feet barely scratched the floor and his arms and legs were shackled to prevent him from moving. All that could be heard was the boy gurgling on his own venom.

Carlisle looked to Caius and Magnus in utter horror. "What the hell were you going to do to him?"

"A good many things," Caius replied evilly.

Carlisle felt sick. "How could you let this happen?!" he accused Aro.

"Hey! As you have already explained, Carlisle - this is your doing," his brother replied before turning to Caius. "Keys?" he asked with his hand extended.

Caius dangled them above Aro's hand. "If you take him now, I won't offer a second time, brother."

Aro snatched the keys. "I wouldn't expect you to, Caius."

Basileus pulled Carlisle in close. "Did you hear that?" he asked.

Carlisle nodded as he watched Aro undo his son's manacles.

Magnus held Felix whilst Aro undid the clamp around his neck. After setting Felix on his feet, he removed the cloth sack covering his head.

"Dad ... " Felix rasped as he crumpled into his father's arms.

Aro held his son for only a moment before spinning him around. "You should thank Caius for his hospitality, son."

"Thank you, Masters." Felix said quietly. It was hard to hear him with his voice as horse as it was.

Carlisle gasped at his brother's cruelty. "This is sick!" he spat, only for Basileus to increase the pressure on his arm to a painful degree.

"Would you like me to take Carlisle in his place, Basileus?" Caius offered.

Carlisle scoffed to the coven master, but seeing his father appear to consider Caius' offer had him shitting himself. "I've said I will put everything right, Dad, and I will," Carlisle said, tugging on his father's arm.

"Next time, Caius," Basileus eventually replied.

"There won't be a next time," Carlisle corrected the creator confidently.

Caius sighed. "That's a shame," he said, looking genuinely disappointed. "But if you are sure, I would like to lock up now. I have more pressing matters to attend to."

"As do I, brother," Aro agreed, looking to his son. As do I.