A/N: Okay, it's a two chapter day! Make sure you don't skip Chapter 10: Brutal and Beautiful. I've had it very firmly pointed out that I need to rethink my definition of a cliffhanger, lol.

Sending all of you my gratitude for reading:) ~ M. x

Finding Comfort

Bella let Jasper and Rosalie hold her for a minute, the room around them entirely silent. When Emmett gently pulled Rosalie away so he could wrap her up in a hug, Bella looked around the room. Edward and Carlisle looked shaken, as did Esme. The three kings looked a combination of sad and furious, and Peter and Charlotte, along with the guard, looked as confused as Bella.

"Jas?" Bella whispered. "What happened? Who is Orlando Wallace?"

Jasper's answer was a low, rolling growl.

"Yeah, I get you're pissed, hon. I'm pretty fucking clear on that part," she smiled. "But could you maybe explain why?"

Jasper just pulled her a little bit closer and shook his head. Okay, so whatever had him upset was really bad. Bella managed to shuffle the two of them back a few inches, then sort of shimmied her way up onto her chair so she could hold her mate easier. She tucked his face in the crook of her neck they way she liked to do in his, and gently ran her fingers through his messy curls.

"Anyone else feel like explaining while my mate finds his words?" Bella asked the room.

It was Edward who answered, his voice coming out quiet and shaky. "Do you remember what happened in Port Angeles, Bella? When I found you?" he asked, and Bella nodded. "Orlando Wallace was the ringleader that night."

It took Bella a few long moments to put that together. When she did, the shock practically exploded inside her and she snapped her head up to look at Marcus. "Are you telling me Alice set that up? That she planned for me to be…" Bella trailed off, not wanting to say it out loud.

Marcus nodded solemnly. "I wasn't sure until a few moments ago but I had my suspicions. It wasn't a thought in her memories that Aro read, so I guessed that perhaps she had someone else set it up. That was what I was waiting on. Phone records show that Alice contacted Victoria, who then contacted Wallace."

"Whoa," Bella breathed. "That's…"

Before Bella could think of an appropriate word, Jasper flew at Edward, knocking him off the bench and pinning him to the ground with his forearm across his throat. "Did you know, Edward? Was this some sick fuckin' plot you two sociopaths cooked up so Bella would be grateful you saved her and fall into your arms? Did you fucking know, Edward?" he growled loudly.

Edward shook his head. "No. No, I didn't know. I would never, ever have agreed to something like that," he said, his voice shaking. "I know you don't trust me, Jasper, and you're justified in that. But I would never be part of setting someone up to be hurt that way. Use your gift, Jasper. I'm telling you the truth."

Jasper stared in his eyes a few seconds and then looked up at Peter. "I can't," he choked out.

Peter walked over and knelt by his brother's side and rested his hand on the side of Jasper's neck, then took Jasper's hand and pressed it against his own neck. "Use mine," he said softly.

Bella had no clue what was happening but her eyes welled up with tears at how frantic and out of control her mate looked.

Seeing Bella's confusion, Charlotte stepped to her side. "If Jasper's emotions get too intense, especially on the negative end of the spectrum, he has a harder time both calming down and using his gift. The fact that most in this room are feeling their emotions to an extreme degree makes it even more difficult," she whispered. "Peter's making himself as calm as possible and using skin contact so that Jasper can use that sense of calm to ground himself."

Bella nodded, not taking her eyes off Jasper. It took close to a minute, but eventually Jasper closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Peter nodded and got to his feet, then reached a hand down to help Jasper up.

"Thank you," Jasper whispered, and Peter nodded again. Jasper then reached down to help Edward to his feet as well and turned to Aro. "Did Carlisle know?"

"No," Aro shook his head.

Jasper simply nodded and walked back to Bella's side as Edward sat back down beside Carlisle. Bella nudged Jasper so he'd sit in her chair, then hopped in his lap so he could curl himself around her, hoping it would give him some comfort. She tried to do what Peter did and focused on making herself as calm as possible. Jasper kissed her temple in thanks.

"Well," Aro said. "Thank goodness Marcus is as brilliant as he is. Thank you, brother. And thank you, Jasper, and Ms. Hale. I'm relieved that someone like Alice Cullen no longer walks among us," he said as he shook his head. Seeing Carlisle bristle slightly, he raised an eyebrow at him. "What is it now, Carlisle? Do you somehow find these actions excusable the way you have found Alice's other reprehensible actions excusable?"

"How can you be so sure she did what you're suggesting?" Carlisle asked indignantly. "Jasper and Rosalie killed her before she could defend herself or be asked a single question."

Every occupant of the room looked at him in shock, and Jasper started growling again.

"So Alice calling Victoria, who then calls Wallace, who then almost assaults Bella, who was only saved because Edward saw a vision in Alice's mind and raced to Port Angeles… those all seem like a series of meaningless coincidences to you?" Marcus asked coldly. "And don't forget that Wallace was not only a serial rapist, he was also a serial killer."

Before Carlisle could answer, Esme jumped in. "Let's put aside Port Angeles for just a moment. Between Alice's direct word and what Aro did see in her mind, we know all of the other reprehensible things Alice has done. Every single awful thing that has happened in both our lives and Bella's over the course of the last two years has been of Alice's doing. Every single one, Carlisle. Why are you so intent on defending her?" she asked angrily.

Everyone was surprised when, rather than answer Esme, Carlisle glared at Jasper. "I think you'll find every 'awful thing' lays at Jasper's feet, not Alice's. Alice was a beautiful person with a beautiful soul. It's Jasper who was the monster in the family."

"What the fuck?" Emmett muttered under his breath.

Every single person in that room looked at Carlisle as if he had two heads. Then Bella looked up at Marcus. "Were they mates or something?" she asked. "Is that why he's so delusional?"

Marcus smiled and shook his head. "No."

"How is this my fault, Carlisle?" Jasper asked incredulously. "I didn't do a single fuckin' thing to your family. Nor did I do a single fuckin' thing to my wife when we were married, aside from love her and do whatever I could to make her happy. Even after we were divorced, I still didn't do anything to your family. I left. It's not like I had some scandalous affair with Bella. I hadn't seen her in all the time since the family left Washington until I arrived in Volterra. I haven't even spoken to the girl in the last six months. So why on earth am I the cause of all your misery?"

"I know what you were doing, Jasper," Carlisle snapped. "I know everything. So you can cut the innocent act. I'm not as easily fooled as the rest of them."

As one, the Whitlocks, McCartys, and a Hale looked up at Aro, who sighed heavily.

"I'm afraid you were the most easily fooled, Carlisle. Even Edward was skeptical of some of Alice's claims," Aro began, then shook his head as he looked around. "I have to admit that I fear nothing we say will shift Carlisle's perspective. Alice has been telling many, many lies over the last couple of years. You noticed a significant shift in the way Carlisle treated you in the last two years, correct, Jasper?" he asked.

"I did," Jasper nodded, trying again to shove down that feeling of betrayal.

"We all did," Rosalie added. "We just didn't understand why."

"Alice was…" Aro trailed off as he tried to find an inoffensive word. "Unstable, I suppose is the best way to say it. When she saw that you and Bella were mates, Jasper, her reaction was two-fold, and almost entirely in direct opposition to each other. She plotted and schemed so as to not lose you, and she also was furious that you 'found' your mate before she did. So in amongst the plotting and scheming, she poisoned those minds against you that she was sure she could control. Carlisle and Edward. And she did that by telling lie upon lie upon lie, and saying she had 'seen' it as her offer of proof."

"What was she telling them I'd done?" Jasper asked.

"Most of her lies revolve around you being unfaithful. There was also a period of a few days during that time where you went to visit Peter and Charlotte. She told Edward and Carlisle that you had an affair with two different human women, both of whom you killed and drank their blood."

"What!" Jasper exclaimed in some weird combination of a scoff, a huff, and a laugh. "Are you serious? Did my gold eyes not prove she was lying?"

"She convinced him that you had so completely gorged yourself on animals before returning home that you were able to hide the red," Aro said with a sad smile.

Jasper looked at his former coven leader. "And you actually believed that?"

"Why would she lie to me, Jasper?" Carlisle snapped.

"Why would I?" Jasper snapped right back. "I'd been in your family for well over fifty years by then. Have you ever, in all that time, known me to lie? In my early years on this diet, did I ever try to hide the fact that I slipped, or disappear for months at a time to wait for my eyes to turn back to gold? Have I ever done a single fuckin' thing in over fifty years that made you think I was ever anything less than honest?"

Carlisle turned his head away rather than answering.

Sitting in Jasper's lap the way she was, Bella could feel her mate's hurt radiating off him. "Excuse me, sirs? Could we take a little break? I'm hungry and would like to eat some lunch," she said quietly, her heart aching at the pain Jasper was in.

"Of course," Aro nodded immediately. "We'll adjourn for now. Take all the time you need."

"Thank you," she said with a small smile, then hopped to her feet and took Jasper's hand. "Come on, Jas. Let's go," she whispered.

Jasper nodded and got up almost numbly, and Bella's heartache quickly turned to rage. "Charlotte?" she called over her shoulder. "Mind doing me a solid?"

Charlotte shot her a grin and marched straight over to Carlisle and punched him in his sanctimonious face so he went sprawling to the floor. "That's for hurting my brother, asshole," she growled. "He trusted you. He respected you, even loved you. And this is how you repay him? Taking the word of a manipulative liar over the word of a man who is never dishonest? In my opinion, you're right up there with the Orlando Wallaces of this world, Carlisle Cullen, and I hope I'm around to see the day you leave this earth because I'll be fuckin' thrilled to know you finally landed in hell where you belong."

Jasper let Bella lead him back to their suite, his mind a tangled mess and all those jagged, broken pieces inside him flaring in pain as if they were creating fresh wounds. He just kept circling back to one sentence over and over.

"It's Jasper who was the monster in the family."

Jasper had never thought of Carlisle as a father, that wasn't a role he needed filled in his life by the time he joined the Cullens. But he had loved the man. Trusted him, respected him, felt gratitude towards him. He'd spent well over half a century in his home, most of those playing the role of his son, so to hear Carlisle of all people call him a monster… well, it hurt more than a little.

For all the time he had spent thinking about his ties being severed and the feelings of betrayal that bloomed inside him any time he thought of Carlisle Cullen, he was still entirely unprepared for how it felt to learn just how little Carlisle thought of him. Could he have ever truly known Jasper in the slightest if he believed Alice's lies so easily? What kind of man did Carlisle see him as that he didn't find it wholly unbelievable that Jasper would be unfaithful to his wife?

Jasper jolted back to reality when he realized they were in their bathroom and Bella was trying to take his clothes off.

"Uh… Bella?"

Bella smiled as she turned the shower on. "Comfort, Jas. Just comfort. We're gonna take a hot shower and then we're gonna climb in bed and pretend the world outside our door doesn't exist for a while," she explained as she pulled her own shirt off.

That was a plan Jasper could get on board with, so he pulled his sweater over his head and tugged his jeans off. When Bella slipped off her bra he tuned into her emotions and was surprised that there was no embarrassment or discomfort in her. She was almost entirely filled with sadness, though, and Jasper knew much of that was sadness on his behalf.

He took her hand and led her into the giant shower and just held her for a few minutes under the hot water.

"I'm fine, sweetheart," he whispered. "A little shaken, but fine. This'll pass just like everything else has passed."

"I know," she nodded. "But I still hate that he hurt you so much," she said quietly as she fought back tears. "No one you love should make you feel that terribly. Now hand me the soap please."

Jasper smiled and handed her the soap, then held still while she gently washed his body from his shoulders to his feet. Then she climbed up on the ledge at one end of the shower so she could wash his hair. Jasper put his hands on her waist to hold her steady and just lost himself in the pleasure of having a mate who wanted to take care of him. Having her soft, loving hands on his skin went a long way to soothing those torn edges inside him.

He pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her, then just rested his head on her shoulder for a few minutes. When he smelled her tears, he lifted his head up and softly kissed her.

"Why are you crying?" he whispered as he gently wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"I don't know," she sniffled. "I'm sad and happy and pissed and pregnant and I think my body's confused."

Jasper smiled and cupped her face in his hands. "Thank you," he said softly and leaned in to kiss the woman who had already brought so much comfort to a man who so often felt like simply a collection of broken pieces.

Their kisses started off slow and soft, simply a way to offer a measure of comfort to each other, but they eventually grew more passionate, an expression of the fledgling love building inside both of them. Nothing existed outside of that steamed-up shower, and they were all kisses and caresses, lips and tongues and wet hands and warm skin - even Jasper's as the hot water ran over his body.

When Bella pulled her mouth away from his just enough to whisper 'please' against his lips, Jasper nodded and trailed his hands down her body so he could lift her up. "Yes," he whispered back.

As Bella wrapped her arms tight around his neck and her legs around his waist, Jasper slowly and gently slid inside her.

Bella's breath caught in her throat and she dropped her head back as Jasper's fell forward to rest on her shoulder. They stayed still for a few moments, their breath coming out in breathless gasps, and then Jasper picked up his head and turned them so Bella's back was against the wall.

As he slowly moved inside her, he softly peppered kisses all over her face… her eyes, her forehead, her nose, her cheeks, her lips.

Bella's legs tightened around him as her moans echoed around them. She kissed him harder and when she needed to breathe, she pulled back just enough to gulp in some air. They were still so close that they were panting and gasping and moaning against each other's lips.

When Jasper licked along her bottom lip, he felt the barest tendrils of frustration in her.

"I need…" she said on a soft sob.

"Shh, I've got you," he whispered, and tilted his hips just enough that she flew over the edge, her whole body tightening as she buried her face in his neck.

Only a few thrusts later, Jasper followed her, her name the softest of moans on his lips. His very unnecessary breath caught in his throat at the entirely new feeling of being whole that making love to his mate had brought him.

Jasper and Bella were tucked up in bed, the duvet pulled over their heads to block out the world. Jasper had his head resting on Bella's chest so he could listen to her heartbeat and was resting his hand on her stomach, and Bella was running her fingers through his hair.

Bella was half-asleep and Jasper was reveling in the peace and quiet of just laying with her. They were both so filled with contentment that there simply wasn't any room for their earlier sadness.

His thoughts were cut short as a brief feeling of panic sparked to life inside Bella as she suddenly tried to get out from under the duvet. Realizing what was happening, Jasper quickly tossed the duvet aside and carefully picked Bella up and took her to the bathroom, where she immediately dropped to her knees and started throwing up.

Jasper knelt by her side and held her hair back, rubbing her back as gently as he could.

"I thought I was supposed to be living a life without vomit," she whined as she lifted her head.

Jasper smiled. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. Do you think you're finished?" he asked and Bella nodded tiredly. "Alright, let's get you back in bed and I'll make you some of your tea."

By the time Jasper carried her tea in, Bella was already asleep. As he looked at her, he realized she was paler than she'd been yesterday. He had a feeling that all of the recent shocks were doing her no good.

Jasper made sure she was resting easy and then went out into the living room. He used the phone that connected their suite to the front desk and asked the woman, Gianna, to please let one of the kings know he'd like to talk to them. He also thanked her for her kindness in baking for his mate.

As he waited, he picked up one of the pregnancy books and did some reading.

When there was a knock on the door, he hopped up to get it before it could wake Bella, and he was surprised to find Esme on the other side, rather than one of the kings.

"I just wanted to see how you were. I know how upsetting Carlisle's words were," she said quietly as she rested her hand on his arm so he could feel her love and concern.

Of all the family, Esme was the best at using her emotions to speak to Jasper, and she never hesitated in using his empathy as a way for the two to communicate silently. If Jasper was reading in his favorite chair and Esme was walking past, she'd briefly touch his cheek to let him know without words that she loved him. After the family left Forks, the constant stability of Esme's love had been what he'd used to keep himself grounded. While other emotions might burn stronger on some days, her love never faltered, never faded.

"Come on in," he smiled and opened the door wider. "But Bella's asleep so we have to keep it down."

As they walked into the living room, he felt a burst of shock from Esme and cursed to himself that because he assumed it was one of the kings at the door he hadn't hidden the pregnancy books.

"Uh…"

And that was as far as Jasper got. He had no earthly idea how to explain this without giving Bella's secret away.

Esme giggled a little as she looked around. "What's all this? Never mind, silly question. Now the ginger tea and cookies make more sense, along with your reaction when Emmett made the joke about knocking her up rather than down. Oh my goodness, is she really pregnant?" Esme asked. She must have seen the panic on his face because she gave him a gentle smile. "I won't breathe a word of this to anyone, darling, I promise."

Jasper let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding and tugged Esme over to sit beside him on the couch.

"She is," he nodded with a smile, then heard his mate kick the covers off her. "Hang on, I'll be right back."

When he walked into the bedroom, Bella was sitting up and looking around in confusion.

"Hey," he whispered as he sat beside her. "You okay?"

Bella nodded sleepily. "I got too hot. Then I thought I heard you talking to someone," she said as she put Jasper's hand on her cheek to cool herself off.

"Esme came to check on me. She knew Carlisle's words threw me for a loop," he explained. "But, uh, we have a bit of a problem."

"Seriously? Another one?" Bella asked, a little more awake. "I'm not sure how many more surprises I can take, Jas."

Jasper brushed her hair back from her face and leaned in to give her a kiss. "It's nothing like what we've already been dealing with. But Esme knows you're pregnant. She saw the books and then put the pieces together with the ginger and our reactions to Emmett's comment."

"Oh. Well, that's not much of a problem in the grand scheme of things. It might even be a little bit of a blessing," she admitted. "None of us know what the hell we're doing. Maybe she can help us muddle through."

"Muddle through?" Jasper echoed, as if deeply offended. "I thought we were nailin' this whole pregnancy thing."

Bella laughed as she untangled herself from the bedding and stood up. "We are, hon. You're right," she nodded.

Jasper smiled as he followed her into the living room, where Esme enveloped her in a gentle hug. He was surprised when Bella started crying, and when he tuned in to her emotions, he felt both her sadness and relief.

"Oh, Bella," Esme said quietly as she led her over to sit next to her on the couch. "Everything's going to be alright. Are you missing your mom?" she asked, and Bella nodded against her shoulder as she cried harder. "I'm so sorry she's not here to help you through this. And I'd never try to take your mother's place, but I'll help you however I can."

Jasper walked into the kitchen to make Bella some tea and slice her an apple while she got a little bit of comfort from Esme. It was probably a good thing Esme stumbled on their secret, honestly, because it wouldn't have occurred to him that Bella being pregnant might make her miss her mom even more. Jasper was so far removed from his human family that it just wasn't a connection he'd make.

Just as he was walking back into the living room, there was another knock on the door. Juggling a mug, a plate with a cut up apple, and a jar of almond butter, he opened the door to find Marcus in the hall.

"Hey, come on in," Jasper said as he opened the door a little wider with his foot. Without a word, Marcus took the mug of tea from him. "Thanks."

When the two walked in to the living room, Bella wiped her tears and she and Esme both smiled at them. Marcus handed Bella the mug and took a seat on the couch across from them, and Jasper perched on the arm of the couch next to Bella, setting her snack on the coffee table for her.

"How are you feeling, Bella?" Marcus asked. "Both of you, actually."

"I'm fine," Bella nodded. "I'm more worried about Jasper, honestly. I wish I was a vamp so I could kick Carlisle's ass."

"Charlotte did an admirable job in your stead," Marcus smiled. "And you, Jasper? How are you?"

"I mean, I'm fine mostly," Jasper shrugged. "It doesn't feel great that a man I trusted and respected thought so little of me but… well, it's not like he's the first to call me a monster. I'm sure he won't be the last. It is what it is," he said with another shrug.

"You're not a monster," Marcus said softly as he shook his head. "Over my long life, and in the position I hold, I've seen my share of monsters. You are not one, Jasper. Of that I am certain."

"Carlisle was the only monster in that room," Esme said. "It makes me sick to my stomach that I spent so many years married to him. Because Esme Platt had already died, I married him with a forged identity. After Charlotte finished with him I told him that if he'd had any doubts after I burned his arms that he should consider our marriage null and void. It was never legal to begin with."

"Good riddance," Bella muttered, then quickly took Esme's hand. "Sorry, that was insensitive."

Esme laughed. "No, good riddance is just right. Today is a fresh start."

Jasper smiled at the two and then looked at Marcus. "I asked to speak to one of you because I was wondering about putting off the rest of Edward and Carlisle's trial or whatever until after Christmas."

"You want to put it on hold?" Bella asked in surprise. "Why?"

"Not indefinitely, just for a week or so. Honestly, I'm not sure being in the thick of this is best for either of us right now," Jasper said honestly. "You're trying to build a brand new human from scratch and I'm an empath in the middle of a cloud of chaotic emotions. I don't think it's all that healthy for either of us. It's a decision for us to make together, and your input is just as important as mine, but I figured it couldn't hurt to ask. Besides, vamp time and human time aren't really measured the same way. The two of them sitting in a cell for a week isn't going to do any harm."

Bella nodded her understanding. Jasper wasn't the only one worried about his mate, Bella was just as worried about him.

"I don't see why not," Marcus answered. "I can't imagine Aro or Caius would have any objections. Taking some time for yourselves is probably the best thing at the moment. It has been an upsetting few days for both of you," Marcus said as he stood up. "I'll let the others know."

"Thank you, sir," Jasper nodded, and Bella and Esme echoed him.

"You're welcome. Let us know if you need anything, and enjoy the rest of your day," Marcus said and then gave them all a respectful nod and saw himself out.

Esme stood up just as the door closed. "I'll leave you two in peace," she said as she hugged both of them.

Jasper gave Bella a quick kiss and then stood up to walk Esme out. "Thanks for coming to check in on me," he said as he pulled her into one last hug.

"I always will. I love you, Jasper. You leaving the family didn't change that. Nothing will ever change that," she told him honestly. "Now go take care of your girl. Let me know if you need anything."

Jasper nodded. "I will. I love you too, Esme."

With a last wave, Esme closed the door behind her and Jasper went and collapsed on the couch beside his mate. Bella snuggled against his side with a happy sigh, and Jasper sent up his gratitude to the Volturi kings for allowing him to have some time to just enjoy a little peace and quiet with his newfound mate.