A/N: Just like Carlisle here, Edward will have his turn in the hot seat. The chapter's written but are there any questions you're curious about that you want him to answer? I can try to work them in.
You all have my gratitude for reading and reviewing:) ~ M. x
When Silence Speaks the Loudest
Jasper was determined that he and Bella would ring in the new year with Alice, Carlisle, and Edward Cullen firmly behind them. Alice was dead, Carlisle likely would be soon, and Edward… well, he didn't really care what happened to Edward. He was definitely guilty of exposure and attempting to come between mates, but Jasper didn't believe Edward was smart enough, or strategic enough, to successfully plot against them.
He wouldn't be at all bothered if the telepath was put to death, but he also couldn't be bothered to care if he wasn't. Jasper had his mate and his family and a baby on the way. Edward Cullen was entirely unimportant in the grand scheme of things.
December 31st would mark two weeks since Bella had arrived in Volterra, and Jasper thought that was long enough. Growing a human was exhausting work from what he could tell and he wanted his mate to be able to relax.
So after talking it over with Bella, the two asked the kings if the trial could resume the morning after the quiz, and everyone involved was intent on having things settled well before 11:59 pm on December 31st.
The morning of the 30th, while Bella was having her morning vomit session and taking a shower, Jasper and Peter were in the kitchen - Peter making Bella's tea while Jasper was working on her toast and cutting up some fruit. He also poured some of the candied ginger from the Christmas market into a little bag to bring to the throne room with them.
"Leah and Paul got to Montana last night," Jasper said. "When Leah called to let me know, she told me they traveled as wolves. Neither had a car of their own and they have very few personal items. In their wolf forms they can hunt the same way any other wolf does so they don't have to pay for food. They had only been to the cabin, but I told them to head up to the main house and told them where the cash in my room was and where we keep the spare key to my truck. They were gonna drive to town today to do some shopping."
"And how long did it take you to convince them to use our money?" Peter smiled.
"Too long," Jasper laughed. "In the end, it was Bella that did the convincing. She told them I had more money than I'd ever spend and to think about how galling it would be for Jacob's pack and the elders to learn that 'cold ones' were coming to the aid of wolves they'd kicked out of their tribe."
"Good," Peter nodded his approval. "I assume you have a little vengeance of your own in mind? At least for that Jacob motherfucker?"
"Damn right I do. And not just for Black. Sam Uley and the rest of those assholes deserve every bit of hell I'm gonna rain on their heads. The elders, too. Fuck the whole lot of them," Jasper sneered. "Having said that, I'll arrange something so that the rest of their tribe doesn't suffer just because of those assholes. Maybe we can get Emmett to fake some kind of government grant or somethin' so no one questions where the money comes from."
"That's my mate," Bella laughed as she walked in the room. "A generous and loving heart with a steely core of wrath."
Jasper smiled as he handed her a glass of water and one of her prenatal vitamins. "It's not my fault they're assholes," he shrugged.
Bella quickly swallowed it down and then pushed up on her toes to kiss her too-tall mate. "Thank you. And thank you for the tea, Peter. I appreciate it. Can we maybe bring some—" Bella cut off with a laugh when Jasper held up the bag of candied ginger. "If I didn't find it so adorable that you've gotten so good at anticipating the needs of a pregnant human, it might really annoy me that you vamps are always one step ahead of me."
Jasper and Peter joined Bella at the table while she ate and the three made a conscious decision to not talk about the day ahead of them. Instead, Jasper and Peter told her a little more about their house and what their corner of Montana was like.
As Bella finished the last bite of her breakfast, Charlotte walked in the door. "Are y'all about ready? I wanna get this shit over with and get home. I'm gettin' a little stir crazy here."
"Same," Peter agreed. "Everyone's been great and even I admit that we've made some good friends, but bein' here makes me feel claustrophobic. I want the wide open space of Montana."
Bella and Jasper both nodded their agreement. They were ready to put this whole ugly chapter of their lives behind them. They loved the friendships they'd built with the Volturi, but their reason for being in Italy was wearing on them both.
Just as they were walking out the door, Charlotte looked at the others. "Did one of y'all think to bring a baggie of that ginger? You know our little human here gets a mite queasy around eleven," she reminded them.
Bella just shook her head and laughed as she pushed her newest sister out the door.
Because everyone anticipated that they'd be gathered for a number of hours, the throne room had been rearranged slightly. The bench Carlisle and Edward were sitting on had been moved to the side and angled a bit, and another bench had been added to the other side of the room, also at an angle. Sitting beside that was an upholstered armchair. This gave Bella a more comfortable seat and allowed the human and her family to face the accused.
"Thank you all for being here," Aro started once everyone was seated. "We're going to begin our day in the way we had hoped to use our last session. The injured parties will be allowed to ask the guilty ones any question they wish. I'll again remind you, Carlisle and Edward, that if you choose not to answer or you answer untruthfully, I will reply in your stead. You also may not use your reply as a way to attack the character of the person posing the question. Am I understood?"
After a nod from both of the guilty men, Aro gave the aggrieved parties the floor.
"Carlisle, can you tell me of one instance where you know Jasper lied to you?" Bella asked, then held up her hand when Carlisle opened his mouth. "I don't mean when Edward or Alice told you he lied. I mean even one occasion that you could confirm on your own that he was dishonest with you."
"Just because I never caught him in a lie without the aid of the two most important gifts in my family doesn't mean he was honest. It just means he is a skilled liar," Carlisle answered, his disdain for the man in question obvious.
Bella nodded. "How about Emmett? Did you ever catch him in a lie? Or Rosalie? Or Esme? Did you ever find they'd been dishonest to you without 'the two most important gifts' in your family whispering in your ear about it first?"
"No," Carlisle snapped.
Bella nodded again, as if that wasn't at all a surprise. "How about Edward and Alice? Did you ever catch them lying?" she asked. When Carlisle very obviously bristled at that, Bella smiled. "I'll take that as a yes. So if you have four members of your family who aren't liars, and two members of your family who are, why do you give the words of the proven liars so much weight? Why do you believe them over anyone else?"
"Including your wife," Esme added. "When you started acting so strangely towards Jasper and hinted that he was keeping things from us, do you remember what I tried to remind you of?" she asked.
Carlisle attempted to ignore her, but Aro quickly reminded him of the rules, so he glared at the woman he'd been married to. "You asked me if Jasper had ever lied about his history in the south or about any of the times he'd slipped when he was still new to this diet. That if he'd been honest about those 'difficult and uncomfortable' topics, why would he be dishonest about lesser matters."
When he said no more, everyone turned to Aro, who shook his head at the man he'd known such a very long time ago. "Because you refuse to answer, I will do it for you. You never believed Jasper to be a dishonest man. While you were a bit uncomfortable with what he'd done during his time with Maria, you found him to be a man deserving of your respect. When Peter returned for him and he discovered his sire had lied to him, that others of our kind lived relatively peaceful lives, he left the south and never looked back. When he met Alice and discovered there was a way to survive without harming humans, he changed his diet without hesitation. You repeatedly watched him place the happiness of his wife above his own. That was a belief you held for many, many decades. So I now have a question of my own," Aro said. "Given all that, when Alice told you she'd had a vision of Jasper's mate, and then almost immediately followed that by telling you a constant stream of things she'd 'seen' that were wholly out of character for the man you knew, why did you never question her?"
Jasper felt the very first faint wisps of uncertainty inside Carlisle at that question. They were extremely faint, and Jasper likely would have missed them if he wasn't laser-focused on the man's emotions, but they were there. He kept quiet, though, wanting to see how Carlisle responded.
"I had no reason to believe Alice would lie to me," he answered after a few moments. "Why would she?"
The entire room did a collective eye roll at that.
"I don't know, maybe so that you would do exactly what she wanted you to?" Rosalie said. "She wanted Jasper to suffer for 'finding' his mate first - let's ignore for the moment that Jasper hadn't actually found anyone - and knowing Alice the way I did, she searched option after option until she stumbled on the one where you started treating Jasper with the level of contempt she thought he deserved."
Carlisle shook his head. "Alice wouldn't do that. She wasn't the manipulative and conniving person you're all making her out to be."
Jasper let out a heavy sigh and looked at Edward. "How often did you and Alice lie to Carlisle to get your way?" he asked.
Edward's eyes went wide at being dragged into the conversation so suddenly. Because Jeremiah was back in the castle, he was again without the use of his telepathy, so staying one step ahead and manipulating the situation was a bit trickier. But if he had any hope of the kings allowing him to leave, he had to show them he was remorseful for his past actions. Aro already knew the amount of lying and manipulating he and Alice had done, so if he tried to lie his way out of this, it would likely show he still hadn't learned his lesson.
Edward looked at the floor as if ashamed. "Too often," he said quietly, and Carlisle turned to look at him in shock. "I'm sorry, Carlisle, but they're telling you the truth."
Carlisle opened and closed his mouth a few times. "Why?" he eventually asked. "Why would you feel you needed to do that?"
Emmett scoffed at that. "Maybe because they're both selfish and spoiled?"
"Maybe because not only did they see themselves as the most important in the family, they knew you did also?" Rosalie added.
Edward gritted his teeth at those comments but tried to not to react outwardly. He refused to die in that castle with Carlisle.
Jasper felt Edward's anger and indignation but the telepath kept quiet, which was most unlike him. Just as Jasper was opening his mouth to question him, Peter very deliberately sent him a huge wave of caution. That was quickly followed by some patience and reassurance. That was their established empathic shorthand for 'keep your fuckin' mouth shut for the moment and I promise I'll explain later' - Peter's words, obviously. Jasper gave him a barely perceptible nod.
Bella, who didn't miss much when it came to her mate, sent him some curiosity. He turned to her with a smile and sent her some caution and patience to let her know he'd tell her later. Then he added a little bit of his love, just because he felt like it. The couple still hadn't used words to tell the other they loved them, but they'd started to do it using Jasper's gift. He never failed to get a thrill when he felt Bella's love for him, and the same was true for her.
"It was a game to them, Carlisle," Aro said when Edward didn't respond to his sire's question. "Rosalie and Emmett are both correct. Edward and Alice are spoiled and selfish - well, Alice was when she was still alive anyhow - and they always knew you favored them well above the others. They found it amusing that they could get you to do their bidding with very little effort. Alice was quite pleased with herself that you never questioned all the lies she told you about Jasper. They thought themselves considerably more intelligent than you, thus making you an easy man to manipulate."
"I'd like to add something," Marcus said. "From everything Aro has shared with Caius and myself, both Edward and Alice knew that the rest of the family was far less likely to take them at their word. They knew that in order to get their own demands met, they needed you on their side. A coven leader has the ultimate say in what their coven does, after all. So even if Esme, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett were all clever enough to know they were lying - which they were, by the way - it wouldn't matter so long as they'd convinced you to act on their wishes. So you see, Carlisle, while you prized them above the others, Edward and Alice actually viewed you as beneath them. You were simply the only one… gullible enough, let's say for the sake of politeness, to buy their lies."
Carlisle's eyes darted from one family member to the next and all he saw on their faces was the same contempt for him that he had shown to Jasper.
Seeing the shock on Carlisle's face, Caius smiled at him coldly. "I find it hard to believe that none of your 'family' tried to help you see the error of your ways at any point since 1950," he said, then looked at the former Cullens. "Did not one of you ever attempt to enlighten him?" he asked.
"I did," Emmett, Rosalie, and Esme replied at the same time.
Jasper shrugged. "I didn't. Most of the time I considered my wife's happiness more important than my own," he said, then glared at Carlisle. "You know, that wife I treated so despicably."
"And did you just ignore the concerns of the rest of your coven, Carlisle?" Caius asked.
Jasper couldn't help laughing a little at Carlisle's noxious stew of emotions. He was ashamed at some of his actions, indignant that Alice and Edward thought he was stupid, and enraged that he was being made to look like a fool. When everyone turned their eyes to Jasper, he waved his hand dismissively. "It's nothin' important," he smiled.
Caius smirked, as did most everyone, knowing full well Carlisle's emotions were amusing the empath. "Well, Carlisle? I expect an answer when I ask a question of you. Did you ignore fully half of your coven? One of whom, I'd like to point out, you were married to. You know, that institution you supposedly hold so dear that you were willing to do just about anything to keep your precious Alice's from dissolving?"
Jasper watched in amusement as Carlisle was practically torn in two. The man was equal parts ashamed and enraged and Jasper honestly couldn't guess which would win out.
But Bella could. "Watch—" Bella's warning to Caius was cut off by a loud growl, and Carlisle suddenly charged for the king. Caius simply calmly used his foot to move his chair a few feet to the side and Carlisle flew past him to run face-first into the wall behind him. "Out," Bella finished with a laugh.
Carlisle, in his rage, had forgotten that the wife whose opinion he'd cast aside more times than anyone could count had very recently relieved him of his arms.
Before he could recover to attempt another attack, Jane had him screaming on the ground. After about fifteen seconds, Aro gave her a nod and she released him. Felix then hauled him to his feet and returned him to his seat on the bench, a huge hand clamped on the back of his neck to keep him seated. Alec was standing a few feet away, his gift at the ready if it was needed.
Before any of the kings could speak, Jasper suddenly jumped up and grabbed the small trash can he'd asked the kings to keep in the room and knelt at his mate's feet with it. As soon as he handed it to her, Bella threw up. Jasper held her hair away from her face with one hand and gently rubbed her back with the other. When she'd finished, Peter handed Jasper the bottle of water he'd brought with them and he carefully held it up to her mouth so she could drink a few sips. When she rested her head on his chest, he gently hugged her and then pulled the bag of ginger from his pocket.
As he tipped some into his hand for her to nibble on, Charlotte saw the occupants of the room who weren't part of their family looking on with some concern. "Don't worry," she said with a dismissive hand wave. "That just means it's eleven."
Bella huffed a quiet laugh. "They talk about kids being nature's alarm clocks but nobody warned me they'd be one quite this soon," she said, then smirked when she caught sight of the disgust on her ex-boyfriend's face. "Still want me to be yours, Edward?"
"Would you like to take a break, Bella?" Marcus asked with a smile.
Bella and Jasper both smiled at him. "No, thank you," Bella answered. "I appreciate the offer, but I'm fine now.
"Alright," Marcus nodded, then looked at his brothers. "I assume we are all in agreement?"
"We are," Aro and Caius answered in unison.
"Carlisle Cullen, you are hereby sentenced to death," Marcus said. "Because of the grievous nature of your many crimes, you are not entitled to the privilege of Alec's gift."
Aro looked at Bella and the former members of Carlisle's coven. "Esme, Jasper, Bella, Rosalie, and Emmett, you are the ones who have suffered the most from Carlisle's actions. Therefore it is in your hands how he is killed. You may do it yourselves, or you may ask us to do it, the choice is yours."
The group had discussed this possibility the night before. While part of them wanted to be the ones who ended the man who had routinely made their lives miserable, all had agreed that it would have a greater impact on him if they refused. Carlisle had always claimed to be the most compassionate of their kind, yet he'd often acted monstrously. He claimed they were a family, rather than a coven, yet he had always treated two members as far more important than the others. While Edward was more obvious about his arrogance, Carlisle was equally arrogant. It's probably why he felt such a kinship to the sickly Edward Masen in his hospital bed.
Having those he called his family stand by and do nothing to save him would be the final insult of his long life. Had he been half as compassionate as he claimed to be, had he treated the rest of his family half as well as he did Alice and Edward, Carlisle would not be facing his final death.
Standing by silently was the loudest way they could tell Carlisle Cullen that he was a failure. As a coven leader, a father, and a husband.
Jasper was chosen to be the lone voice of the group that did love each other as a true family. He was the coven leader of the Whitlocks, and Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett saw him as their coven leader now as well, regardless of what last name they used. It showed Carlisle that they all respected him enough to have him speak for them, and that the one Carlisle considered a monster was far and away the better man.
"We're happy to leave it in your hands," Jasper said, and left it at that.
Carlisle, realizing that none of those he'd changed in the pursuit of creating a family were going to fight for his life, closed his eyes and lowered his head. He didn't see Chelsea approach, though he did feel the pain when she quickly and coldly removed his head. He didn't see the flame of the torch as it came towards him, though he did feel the pain when it ignited the venom in his body.
The room around him remained silent throughout, no one uttering a single word of protest. The last sound the world heard from Carlisle Cullen's mouth was a scream of agony.
Edward watched the scene in front of him dispassionately. So much for the strong, noble, principled man who would meet death with his head held high.