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Once more, as seemed to be the routine of late, Bella found herself sitting in a courtroom with Alice on one side of her. However, this time James sat on the other. Carlisle, Emmett, Esme, and Rose were seated directly behind them, while Edward and Jasper had taken their seat next to Alice, and to Bella's surprise, Eleazar was on James' other side. Garrett and Kate sat next to them, and the tension was thick.

Today, after almost a month of arguments, they would find out if Renee, Jacob, and Billy would be found guilty or acquitted for the numerous charges they each faced. Renee kept looking back at Bella, pleading with her to understand why she had sold her out, why she had sent her to live with a man who she knew would sexually assault her. She would never understand, and she would never forgive her.

"I hate that bitch," Alice murmured, lifting their joined hands to her lips.

Bella tore her attention from her mother, who glared at her, and looked at the love of her life. "Me too."

"We should leave tonight instead of waiting until tomorrow."

Bella smiled. "We could."

"No, we can't," Carlisle scoffed, causing them both to look behind them. "We have a plan, and we are sticking to it."

Alice rolled her eyes, while Bella simply nodded. "Sir, yes, sir."

"Smartass," he grumbled, though the sparkle in his eye told her he wasn't really angry with her.

"You love my smartass."

"God help me, I do." He chuckled, reaching up and placing his hand on her shoulder.

She sighed and turned back to the front as the Charlotte called the courtroom to order. The lead juror stood up and handed the bailiff a piece of paper, and he in return he handed it to Charlotte, who read it without emotion. She simply nodded and looked up, her eyes spanning the courtroom again before she turned toward the jury.

"Madam Forewoman, have you reached a verdict?"

A hefty woman with almost orange hair nodded as she turned, faced the courtroom, and said, "We have your honor."

"Will the defendants please rise?" she ordered, and Bella looked over as Renee, Jacob, and Billy all stood with their attorney, a slimy man named Alec. He did everything he could to disparage Bella's reputation. Charlotte looked back at the jury. "In the case of Billy Black on charges of conspiracy to commit sexual assault, human trafficking, and battery, how do you find?"

The hefty woman took a deep breath before she said, "Guilty on all charges."

Billy didn't react to the verdict, though Jacob looked taken back. He shifted his eyes over to Bella, his eyes wide and it was the first time she had seen fear coming from him, before turning back to the judge.

"In the case of Jacob Black on the charges of sexual assault, human trafficking, and battery, how do you find?"

"Guilty on all charges, your honor."

Tears flooded Bella's eyes, and once more, she felt Carlisle reach up and place his hand on her shoulder. The relief knowing that he couldn't come after her again was intense. Jacob, like Charlie, hadn't cared who he hurt, and now, now he would pay for his crimes. Against her, against Lauren, against every girl he forced down in the front of his truck and stole their innocence away.

"In the case of Renee Dwyer on the charges of charges of conspiracy to commit sexual assault, human trafficking, and battery, child endangerment, neglect, and abuse, how do you find?"

The hefty woman shifted her eyes from Renee to Bella before turning and looking at Charlotte and saying, "Guilty, your honor, on all charges."

Renee cried, "No," before falling into her chair. "I didn't do anything! I didn't do anything!"

"Silence!" Charlotte roared, and banged her gavel on the podium. "Take them back to lock up. We'll reconvene in a week to discuss sentencing."

While Renee still cried, she wasn't declaring her innocence anymore. Tanya smirked as she stood and Charlotte swept out of the courtroom. The guards came over and dragged all three newly-found guilty convicts out of the courtroom, but not before Renee screamed, "I'll never forgive you, Bella. Never!"

"That makes two of us," Bella quipped under her breath.

Once everyone had left the courtroom, Bella closed her eyes and released a deep breath. A part of her had worried that Renee would get off, that she's played the crying, sad mother too well, the woman who loved her daughter and was a victim of Charlie Swan's as well. Yes, Renee had played her hand well, confessing that Charlie Swan had raped her, too. That she was just as much a victim as Bella was. Thankfully, the jury seemed to not buy that line of bullshit.

"How long will they get?" she asked, tilting her head back and looking at Tanya.

"With all the charges, and seeing as I will be asking for all of the sentences to run consecutively, they won't be seeing the outside for the rest of their lives."

Bella nodded. "And Emily? What's going to happen to her?"

Tanya shifted her eyes to Garrett before saying, "She's been offered a plea deal. She changes her plea to guilty, and we're asking for twenty years, with the possibility of parole in ten years."

Bella sighed.

"She killed two people, Bella. Even if it's justified, she can't walk free. She made her choice that night."

"I know, but maybe if you'd done your jobs in the first place, she wouldn't have had to do it for us."

Bella stood up and walked out of the courtroom, leaving them gaping behind her. She couldn't wait to get out of Forks for good.

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