Chapter 15: Verdict

BPOV

"Are all parties present?" the Honorable Judge William Turner asked, looking over his bench at the crowded courtroom. It seemed our custody hearing had attracted the whole state. "You are aware this is just a custody hearing, correct?" he asked the people watching. They all nodded and he shook his head.

"We are all here, your honor," our lawyer, Quil Ateara Jr. said. According to Edward, Quil's father, Quil Ateara Sr., had been a patient of Edward's with a terrible heart condition. Right before the fateful trip to Japan, Edward had figured out what was wrong with Quil Ateara Sr. and saved his life. The Ateara family was indebted to Edward, and had been giving him free oil changes, legal services, and bags of Cheetos ever since then.

"Very well. Mr. Franklin," he said, looking at the Hale's lawyer, "You may call your first witness."

"I call Adele Hale." Mrs. Hale got up from her seat and walked up to the stand.

The bailiff walked over to her. "Raise your right hand. Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"

"I do."

"You may take a seat." She sat down. Her lawyer, Eugene Franklin, stood up and walked over to her.

"Will you state your full name for the record?"

"Adele Shirley Hale."

"And what is your relationship to Rosalie Carina Cullen, deceased?"

"She was my daughter."

"When was the last time you saw Rosalie?"

"About a month ago when someone from the army showed me her body."

"And how did you feel when you found out your daughter was dead?"

"I was horrified. I hadn't spoken to my daughter in 11 years, and it hit me that I'd never get a chance to apologize to her." She let out a sob. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's quite all right. Here," he said, handing her his handkerchief. She blew her nose and wiped her eyes. "Now, why are you suing for custody of your granddaughters? Don't you think Edward and Isabella Cullen are capable of caring for the children?"

"I'm sure they are. After all, they're parents themselves. My only wish is to get to know my granddaughters better so I can raise them like I raised my daughter. I miss my daughter so much, and if is the closest I can get to her, so be it."

"Why should you get custody over the Cullens?"

"They already have two children. Do you really think they are capable of caring for four young children? They're both very young, and it would be too much for them."

"Thank you, Mrs. Hale. No more questions, your honor."

"Mr. Ateara?"

"Just a few questions, your honor. Mrs. Hale, you said you hadn't spoken to your daughter in 11 years. Why not?"

"We had a disagreement."

"Over what?"

"I don't see how that is any of your business."

"Answer the question, Mrs. Hale," the judge said.

She sighed. "I loved her first husband and was furious at her for leaving him. Plus, she moved out to California and worked for Playboy. I didn't agree with her lifestyle choices."

"Did you have an opinion in Emmett Cullen?"

"He was a horrible person."

"Don't you think you might be biased towards Charlotte and Gisele, seeing as they are the children of Emmett and Rosalie?"

"Of course not. Well, I could make them be what I want them to be."

"Nothing further," Quil said, looking slightly disturbed.

Eugene Franklin called each member of the Hale family, and each one said how they thought they were capable of caring for Gisele and Charlotte while Edward and I weren't. I was at my breaking point by the time we finally recessed.

"Bella, can I talk to you?" Quil asked.

"Sure. What's up?"

"I think the best thing we can do is call her to the stand."

"No way. Absolutely not!" I said, glaring at him.

"But her opinion is what matters."

"Can't you find someone else?"

"If we call her, it could sway the judge's decision in your favor."

"Bella, she's doing okay now."

I looked from Edward to Quil. "Okay, fine."

We all walked back into the courtroom and took a seat.

"We call Charlotte Cullen to the stand." Charlotte stood up and walked to the front, where she was sworn in. Since she was so small, the bailiff had to lift her into the seat. "How are you, Charlotte?"

She didn't say anything.

"Charlotte?"

She hid her face and started to cry. "I want Mommy!"

"Your honor?" I said, standing up. "May I?"

He nodded and I walked over to Charlotte.

"Sweetie?"

"Aunt Bella, I want Mommy."

"I know, honey. She can't be here, but I have an idea. I made this for you," I said, pulling something out of my purse. I placed the picture frame next to her. In the frame, there was a photo of Charlotte, Gisele, Rosalie, and Emmett. "Mommy and Daddy can't be here physically, but they're always watching you. Now you can carry them around with you. If you ever miss them, just pull out the picture and look at them, okay?"

She nodded. I kissed her on the forehead before going back to my seat. Edward took my hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Charlotte, are you okay?" Quil asked. She nodded. "How old are you?"

"Six. I'm going to be seven soon."

"Wow, you're such a big girl!"

She grinned.

"So, how do you like living with Aunt Bella and Uncle Edward?"

"I really like it. I have my own room, and Aunt Bella said we could paint it pink if I want. She said she'll let me paint my own walls!"

"Wow that sounds cool."

"Yeah, it is. Aunt Bella even took me shopping to pick out a new bear for Gisele when she gets home from the hospital."

"That sounds like fun. What else have you been doing with Aunt Bella and Uncle Edward?"

"Well, Uncle Edward works a lot and he watches Gisele when he works. Did you know Uncle Edward makes people better when they get sick?" She was starting to open up and was talking more. I smiled to myself as she went on, talking about Edward and me.

"…and then I went with Aunt Bella and she bought me a new dress. And she bought me a new doll to play with and we bought Sleeping Beauty so I can watch it at home."

"Do you like living with your aunt and uncle?"

She nodded. "I even get to see Grandmom and Granddad Cullen and Grandpa Charlie a lot. Grandpa Charlie even let me ride in his police car!" I almost started crying when she called Charlie her grandpa, since he wasn't. She had really adjusted to living with us.

"Do you see your other grandparents?"

She shook her head. "I never met them until I came back from the island. Mommy always said her mommy and daddy were mean people and she didn't want me to be around them. She said her brother and sister were mean too and she would rather me and Gigi not meet them."

"Did she ever say why they were mean?"

"Mommy didn't like to talk about them. Whenever Daddy mentioned her mom and dad, she would get really mad at him and then Daddy would have to buy her flowers or jewelry to make her happy again." Everyone laughed. "But Mommy said she never wanted me to meet them."

"Charlotte, I have one more question for you, and then you can go back to Aunt Bella, okay?"

"Okay."

"Who do you want to live with?"

"I want to live with Aunt Bella and Uncle Edward. I get to see Olivia and Emily all the time and play with them. And Aunt Bella and Uncle Edward are really nice and Uncle Edward said we could make me a princess bed next week!"

"You can go back to your seat, Charlotte." She nodded and came running back to me.

"I have one more witness, your honor." Judge Turner nodded. "I call Special Agent Shauna Casey to the stand."

Eva/Shauna, who had been sitting in the back of the courtroom, walked up to the front and raised her right hand, swore to tell the truth, then took a seat.

"Agent Casey, did you know Rosalie and Emmett Cullen, both deceased?"

"I did. They were wonderful human beings who cared deeply about their friends and family."

"Did you know about Rosalie's relationship with her family?"

"I didn't. Rosalie and I never got along well, so I wouldn't be someone she would confide in. But I did know what Emmett's wishes were."

"His wishes?"

"Well, yes. You see, I was there when he died and heard what he said to Edward. He wanted his daughters raised by Bella and Edward."

"There's no proof."

"Actually, there is," she said, pulling a tape out of her pocket. "I had a tape recorder playing to capture everything that happened that day. It was recording right after Emmett was shot and it contains his dying wishes." Quil brought a tape player over to her and she inserted the cassette.

"Emmett, stay with me! You have to stay alive—think of Charlotte and Gisele!"

"Edward, you've been the best little brother anybody could ever ask for. I need you to promise me something."

"Emmett, don't talk like that! You're going to be okay! We'll get you back to the beach, and everything will be okay."

"Edward, shut the fuck up. You and I both know that's a fucking lie. I'm going to die, and there's nothing you can do to stop it. He killed me, just like he killed Rosalie."

"Emmett, no. You have to fight harder! Think of your girls—they'll grow up without any parents."

"Edward, shut up and listen to me! I need you to make me a promise."

"Anything."

"I need you to look after my girls. I need you to raise them. I need you to protect them like they were your own daughters. Promise me you'll keep them safe, Edward."

"I promise. I promise."

"When Charlotte is 16 and comes home with her first boyfriend, I need you to be the one to give him the good cop/bad cop routine. I need you to be there for her because I can't."

"Emmett!"

"Edward, I know you're sad, but I need you to be strong. When you go back to the beach, I need you to comfort Charlotte and Gisele. I need you to be the one they can go to for anything. Do you understand?"

"I understand. I promise I'll be there for them."

The tape ended and I pulled my hands off Charlotte's ears—she didn't need to hear that.

"As you heard, Emmett said he wanted his kids raised by his brother and his wife."

"Thank you."

********

"What do you think is going to happen?" I asked Edward after we walked back into the courtroom. "Do you think it's all going to work out okay?"

"Baby, I don't know. Whatever happens, we'll be a family, okay?" I nodded and we walked back into the courtroom with Charlotte, Emily and Olivia.

Everyone was walking back in from the break. I went and sat by Alice, who had David on her lap.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

"Like I'm going to throw up," I said. Leah and Mike had their kids here. Evan was sitting with Charlotte and talking to her. I was happy to see they were friendly—I guess being imprisoned in a giant cage can bring people together.

"Bella, don't worry," Leah said. "Charlotte said she wants to live with you and Shauna even had a tape recording of Emmett saying he wants his daughter to live with you. Why are you freaking out?"

"I don't know. I just feel like something bad is going to happen."

The doors to the chambers open and the judge walked in. He took a seat at the bench and cleared his throat.

"I've made my decision," Judge Turner said. "I've taken everything into consideration. When it comes to three-year-old Gisele and six-year-old Charlotte, Edward and Isabella Cullen are to be their guardians. It is in the wishes of the parents and the child's best interests that they be raised by their aunt and uncle."

"Oh my gosh!" I gasped, pulling Charlotte into my arms.

"Aunt Bella, what happened?"

"You get to stay with us, sweetie," I said, putting her back down and kissing Edward. Everyone was cheering. It was the happiest moment of my life.

"How about ice cream?" Edward asked the three girls.

"Yeah!" the all cheered.

"Can I get chocolate with sprinkles?" Emily asked as we walked out of the courthouse and down the steps.

"I want strawberry!" Charlotte said.

"Can I get it in a cone, Daddy?" Olivia asked.

Alice and everyone else was following us out. The press, of course, wanted a comment, but we ignored them. It was family time today. We wanted to spend the day with our kids. After this, we would go to visit Gisele in the hospital—the doctors said she was almost ready to leave and start living at home again.

I still needed to set up her room. All of her things were still in boxes and I needed to unpack them. I already had bought her a new bear since her old one was destroyed when she was kidnapped. I needed to get paint and a bed and a dresser and blankets and—

Shoot! My bag had ripped and all my stuff spilled out into the middle of the street I was crossing. I looked up and saw Edward and the girls waiting on the sidewalk for me. I grabbed my phone, lipstick, and wallet and shoved them into the remnants of my purse. I couldn't believe it had broken—it was brand new!

My sunglasses were the only thing left on the ground. I picked them up and stood up. Something hit me and everything went black.

********

"Ow," I said, sitting up and holding my hand to my head. The last thing I remembered was being hit by something and then I blacked out. I looked around, but I had no idea where I was. It wasn't a familiar room, and I was all alone.

Where was Edward? Where was Charlotte and Olivia and Emily? They had been waiting for me, so why weren't they here?

"Hello?" I called out, hoping someone would answer me. No one did. "Is anyone here?" I asked. Again, there was no answer. "Edward? This isn't funny!" I yelled. He didn't come out laughing. I was really alone in a room I didn't recognize.

"Bella?" someone called. I looked around, but didn't see anyone.

"Who said that?" I asked.

"Bella!" someone said, walking towards me. I looked up and saw my ex-fiancé, Jacob Black, standing there.

"Jacob?" I gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you the same question."

"Where am I?"

"I don't know. I just came here because I was needed."

"Wait, you're dead!" I said, starting to worry. "I remember watching you die!"

"Yes, I am dead."

"As am I," came another voice. I looked and saw Rosalie sitting on a bench. She looked as lovely as ever, and my heart ached when I saw her. "Hi, Bells."

"Yeah, what are you doing here?" came a gruff voice I knew too well. Emmett, looking just as strong as he had in life. "Why did you decide to stop in the middle of the street and not pay attention? If you were, you would have seen the car waiting for you. You would have been able to more."

"And you wouldn't be here now," Jacob added.

"So, am I dead?" I asked.

"Bella, what do you think?"

Oh boy.