"Teach me to feel another's woe. To hide the fault I see:

That the mercy I show to others; that mercy also show to me."

Alexander Pope

They said that the sounds of inconsolable grief could be heard even by humans from a distance away from the Cullens' assigned suite. But Gabrielle decided to give them some space and some time to compose themselves. However, they had roughly twelve hours to present their appeal to either of the judges. She knew they would process their grief fast while there was still time.

So, she sat silently in a private sitting room assigned to wizards and witches, as representatives of their respective governments and the ICW, contemplating all that had happened. Harry, Ron and Hermione had conjured glasses and summoned a bottle of oak-matured mead for all of them, pouring glasses and passing them to the others including Gabrielle and helping themselves.

Silently, Gabrielle took hers but nodded her thanks. She took a sip. The mead was warm and invigorated her, but she would prefer to stay sober.

Harry finally spoke. "So... it's done."

"No, not until the sentencing." Hermione disagreed. "It's imperative that we stay here to see the sentences carried out."

Harry fell silent. Ron was as well. None of them relished this, no one would.

Gabrielle took another sip. "Best of luck to them. I've done all that I can." Except for one thing, she thought to herself.

Nobody responded. Suddenly, Ron broke his silence. "That guy," he began uneasily. "Edward. Is it just me or..."

"It's not just you," Gabrielle understood what he was about to say. "He does look like Cedric Diggory, and he looks like him because he's related to Cedric and his family."

Every witch and wizard turned to stare at Gabrielle. "So, it was him!" Ron exclaimed. "Blimey, I thought he looked familiar, but I would've never guessed!"

Gabrielle didn't respond, shrugging. "Let's not make this public. We don't want any unwanted attention towards the Diggory family after all they've been through." Everybody agreed. The Diggorys had suffered enough. "Or to the Swans."

Harry and Ron frowned. "Who?" Hermione's brows furrowed.

"My family," a voice spoke. Ava entered the sitting room.

Ava Swan was willowy and slender with fair skin, though not as pale as even Bella's shade when she was just a human. In fact, it was lightly sun-kissed. Ava bore a striking resemblance to Bella, or at least Bella when she had been human if the photos Gabrielle had briefly glimpsed in Charlie's house were anything to go by. Her silky dark brown hair was mostly straight, like Bella's, but was just a shade darker which matched her eyebrows, unlike Bella's hair which was lighter. Yet she had the same long heart-shaped face with a widow's peak dipping from the hairline and into the wide forehead. Her large, wide-set eyes were the exact same unique brown shade as Bella, Charlie and Renesmee's: that of milk chocolate. Like Bella she had prominent cheekbones and a thin nose with a slight snub at the tip although Bella's was more pronounced. But while Bella's lips were a bit too full for her slim jawline and her front teeth slightly protruded in a buck-toothed fashion- not in an embarrassing manner the way Hermione's photos during her younger years had admittedly shown that she had, but in a way that was endearing. Adorable and pretty, even. Bella's upper lip was also slightly fuller than her lower one. Yet Ava's teeth were perfectly straight and her lips, though finer, were perfectly balanced and seemed exquisite. Her smile had an effect like warm sunshine, drawing people to its warmth and radiance.

Ava sank onto an armchair and crossed her legs. "She's related to me. On the No-Maj side of the family. Her grandfather was my grandmother's brother, but he was a Squib." Ava admitted. "Gran still loved him and his No-Maj wife, but-" she shrugged "-sadly, no one else did. Great-uncle Geoffrey married Helen and had Charlie who then married Renée Higginbotham and proceeded to have Bella who got all tangled up with Edward along with her baby." She took a sip from an offered glass and thanked Hermione. "My middle name's Helen, after her grandmother. My grandparents were close, and Gran always felt upset 'cause the rest of the family never truly accepted either of them. But on my mom's side, I'm also a Higginbotham, related to Edward's wife's mother's family."

Ava looked grim. "Wow." Adsila said frankly. "And she didn't even know about the supernatural until he came charging into her life?" When Gabrielle shook her head, Adsila sighed, taking another sip. "Do you think he's worth that much trouble?" She asked frankly. "Knowing..." she shrugged.

Gabrielle undisputedly believed that he wasn't, but that was just her personal opinion. She wasn't going to share the exact details of their private lives, even about the imprinting which bound Edward and Bella's very young and innocent daughter to her mother's one-time romantic interest and assaulter. Edward Cullen was physically beautiful, but there was something off about him. Although Gabrielle would normally brush it aside as her opinions seemed to be tainted by this whole drama, but judging from Bella's own narrative about her first interactions with Edward, even before she knew what he was, and later when he was trying to be friendly there was something not quite right about him. Gabrielle knew that if she were ever to encounter a boy like that, even in Beauxbatons, her instincts would be to go as far away as possible and to firmly reject and put an end to his advances. She didn't see how any amount of physical beauty could ever cover up the aura he radiated, the vibes as Ava called it. It felt cold, not cool but poised and elegant, the way Radu was. It wasn't warm and gregarious the way his brother Emmett seemed to be, despite the horrific tragedy of the whole situation. It wasn't even formal yet stiff the way Jasper was. Nor adorably awkward as Harry, the first boy she fancied as a child. And he was certainly nothing like Cedric Diggory, his distant relative and doppelgänger.

There was something cold and off-putting about Edward Cullen's entire self that his beauty could not seem to hide. Even then his features, his complexion, his hair, his voice, his entire form seemed... too perfect in a manner that was more repelling than inviting. Like an ice statue you could admire at a distance in a public place, but never even consider taking home with you even if you could afford the cost. He was certainly not someone anyone would feel easy being close to in a personal manner. It was creepy, similar to how a non-magical painting's eyes would move and follow you except... worse.

Gabrielle didn't know how Bella had failed to see or feel that. How she couldn't feel the aura he radiated either. Didn't she herself feel hurt, embarrassed, humiliated even, when Edward openly glared at and was rude to her? When he did everything that he could to avoid her during the first few days at school? Was his beauty so mesmerising, and was she so deprived of attention, care and consideration, or any kind of close connection with another individual that she felt flattered at being singled out and chosen- or targeted, more accurately speaking- that she felt honoured at having him break into her bedroom at night to watch her sleep? That he stalked and followed her while she was at a trip with friends in nearby Port Angeles? Well, at least he was good enough to save her life.

Gabrielle sighed. "Of course I wouldn't find him worth it, Adsila, but that's because I'm not attracted to him. I won't pretend to understand why she was, apart from his looks and his... meticulous attention towards her. But that's maybe because she herself had issues that isolated her from the rest of her peers and even her own immediate family, who also had issues." This caught Ava's attention, and she listened intently with concern.

Gabrielle shrugged. "She was depressed and lonely. She thought very little of herself. She had no hope for the future. She had a distant relationship with her father and even when they reunited, they still struggled to communicate. Her mother had left, taking her daughter while she was just a baby. As a consequence, it was difficult for them to warm to each other, and it didn't even occur to either of them to try to understand. As for the mother..." Gabrielle hesitated.

"She's either going to or is now in therapy." She said grimly. "It's safe to say the poor girl wasn't surrounded by love and emotional nurture when one's mother made one do the cooking, the cleaning, the laundry, the groceries, to manage the household finances, to make sure she had her keys and her cellphone, to stay home while she was lost... all the while being a straight-A student who was ostracised by her peers for being a bookworm and a teacher's pet, along with her poor coordination skills- she was clumsy." Gabrielle paused, taking another sip. "It would've been easy for her to feel emotionally vulnerable if she was slowly falling apart psychologically... Edward just happened to swoop in and provide her with an escape, like he was some guardian angel, a prince charming or a knight in shining armour. Since she'd never had friends before coming to Forks, apart from her mother who looked at her more like a personal caretaker-" Hermione reeled, her eyes wide and horrified. "-and she certainly never had time to flirt or have any kind of fledgling romance, I think that part of her was suppressed. Edward Cullen gave her hope. He gave her dreams. But most importantly, he gave her an escape and a chance to be loved, to be part of a family and to have someone to love."

Pity filled them. Gabrielle didn't need to be an empath to know that. She took another sip. Gabrielle gave a long and weary sigh. "That's why she saw the slightest bit of disagreement, even in standing up to him for the things he did which she didn't like, as the height of disloyalty. She didn't feel like she had anyone else before he came into her life. Even when presented with other options." Her mind flew to Jacob.

Gabrielle sighed. "Unfortunately, I have to go now." She looked at Ava who bit her lip, brow furrowing. Her expression reminded Gabrielle so much of Bella.

"Perhaps once all this is over... you'd like to get acquainted?" Ava looked thoughtful, then nodded.

Gabrielle said her goodbyes and retired. When she neared the Cullens' suite, she bumped into Radu. She was certain that his heart leapt as much as hers, and his was supposedly undead.

"They're in their suite?" She asked, a little breathless. Without taking his eyes off Gabrielle, Radu nodded.

"Your mother?"

"Has granted one of them an audience." Radu spoke. "Just one." Gabrielle nodded.

"Then there's nothing more I can do about this." She looked at him again. "And Edward? You said you had a Muggle- a mundane psychologist-" Radu nodded.

"Examining him as we speak. She's the mother of a witch and wizard." Gabrielle fell silent.

"Very well." Was all she said before she made her way to the suite. She could feel Radu gazing longingly towards her but did not break her stride.

"Thank you," she whispered, growing warm as his cool hand brushed hers.

Gabrielle immediately forced all thoughts and feelings of him from her mind and heart when she knocked onto the door of the Cullens. "It's me." Gabrielle called.

"Come in," Esme's voice sounded scratchy and hoarse, for a vampire anyway. She had clearly hadn't stopped crying.

Gabrielle opened the door and stepped in. "Radu has told me... The Lady Laima has agreed to speak with one of you."

Every single one of the Cullens fell silent. Then slowly, they all turned towards Bella.

Bella took a shaky breath and stood. "I'm coming." Gabrielle nodded, pity filling her in silence.

"The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies, it comes from those you trust the most."

Unknown

Bella

There was still time. But I had no time to hesitate. If I was a human, my heart would have beat more quickly.

In less than twenty-four hours, Edward could be dead if I didn't move quickly. My insides squeezed.

Radu, the vampire prince guided me onto a different path.

I blinked. "Where are we?" I could barely make my voice rise louder than a mumble.

"My mother does not stay in the same tower once my father's turn comes to reign." Radu informed me. "The Elders occupy a different tower along with their families, although rarely ever at the same time. Amelia has said her farewells and returned to the earth. The ceremony to send her off was brief and private, and only myself, her immediate family and a few ladies-in-waiting were permitted to ensure a peaceful transition of power. My mother will see you in her office."

I would normally have asked how a vampire could enter into the corpse-like state his father was in when he first awakened, but right now I didn't care. There wasn't any time. Time for anything other than to focus on the conversation I was about to face.

I couldn't even think about who I was going to have it with. My insides shook. My hands were trembling. Although vampires felt like normal temperature, my whole body felt like ice.

Sure enough, the elevator came to a halt and slid open. Radu stepped forwards and guided me down a narrow hallway and to a door. He knocked and it opened. I stepped through.

"Good luck." Was all he said. Before I could thank him, he closed it behind me.

I turned. It looked like an office like any I would see in the human world- the non-magical one, that was. But that wasn't what caught my attention.

Lounging on an armchair against the wall sat an extremely handsome man with dirty blond curls and dark blue eyes which stood in contrast to his pearl-white skin. He looked to be in his late teens or early twenties, meaning that he was either a pure-born or he'd been transformed when he was only slightly older than I was. He was well-built, with the same, attractive, sleek yet powerful grace of an apex feline predator. His face and features were delicate yet masculine, while a mischievous twinkle in his eyes and a rougish smirk naturally pulled at his lips.

At my entry, he regarded me casually but didn't turn.

I blinked. "The Lady will be here momentarily," he assured me. His voice was rich and smooth, with a British accent, although something lay beneath, as if he'd learned English as a second or third language.

I swallowed. "Do you know how long she'll be?"

He shrugged. "Not long, most likely. Last I saw, the Lady Progenitor was having a private conversation and consoling, no doubt, Signora Della Rosa and her family." I was still.

I knew that the Vampire Queen had gone to consult Adriana Della Rosa, the woman whose husband and daughter died because of my husband's carelessness and my own. She would never hand out a lesser sentence, more lenient, if Adriana did not approve.

The male stood. "Niklaus Mikaelson." He extended a hand. "But you may call me Klaus."

I swallowed. I remembered Gabrielle mentioning Elijah Mikaelson's brother and telling me and the others to mind my manners around him. That he could be dangerous. "You're Elijah Mikaelson- the judge's brother?"

Klaus smirked. "So, you've heard of me. Yes, Elijah is my senior by a few years." He sighed as if that fact was something to lament about. I got the impression that Elijah had a habit of mostly reining him in. What made me uneasy was why he would need to be reined in.

"Unfortunately, he's not here to receive your plea. That will be the task of our illustrious Lady Progenitor." He cocked his head. "I hope you've come prepared."

My mouth felt dry. At times like this, I half-expected my human heart to thud.

"I- I have a case," I managed "a- an argument." Klaus hummed and seemed to consider.

"Won't be enough. Betrayal is a natural anathema to vampires, along with trespass and abusing a person's hospitality." He shrugged. "It's likely that your husband will face the ultimate sentence."

I quivered.

"He- he can't," I whispered.

"I can't do it."

My hands were shaking. My insides were trembling. I felt like I'd been stuffed with ice from the Arctic. Klaus looked at me with something similar to sympathy. "Why do you defend one who has betrayed you?" He asked quietly, all traces of mischievous humour gone.

I shook my head violently. "He- he... it wasn't that bad." Hearing Klaus snort, I forgot what Gabrielle told me. I argued hotly, "It wasn't!"

Klaus laughed. A bitter, mocking sound. "It was my parents who did the same to me and my siblings," he hummed, conceding. "But mostly to me. I was always destined to be the black sheep of the Mikaelson family." I remembered what Gabrielle had said: that his mother had stolen some of Lady Laima's DNA to turn her children into vampires. I felt cold. What kind of mother would do that?

"She was a horrible woman," he said, as if in answer to my thoughts. "But the worst part was, she wasn't always like that. Betrayal is a very ugly thing. And the worst part is, it doesn't come from the ones you hate the most: your enemies." He regarded me thoughtfully.

"It comes from the ones you care about," he continued slowly, regarding me. "It comes from the ones you love the most."

My heart flew to my throat.

Klaus regarded me curiously. "I heard you stood up for your daughter," he remarked "against her father when you wanted to protect her." When I made no response, he continued. "Would that my mother had done the same. For my sister Freya, whom she had bartered in exchange for her fertility, for me when the man whom I had loved and looked upon as my father since I was a child started to abuse me. Perhaps she felt love," he conceded, humming thoughtfully. "For all of us. But not as much as we'd needed. She was never strong enough to break free. Not from her hag of a sister. Not from her husband whom she worshipped but still betrayed. She valued her marriage and her husband more than she valued any of her offspring. And she went to great lengths in order to conceive." He paused, sighing.

"She wasn't worth my time. I barely think about her now." He remarked. Klaus looked over to the empty desk.

"She is the only mother that I have," he murmured softly "the one I chose. And the one who chose me." I didn't need to ask who he meant.

Klaus turned back to me. "Do your daughter a favour: make your choices clear to her and to yourself, most especially. And to your husband." He warned.

"Don't place your marriage and the hero-worship of your spouse over the safety and wellbeing of your child." He said grimly. "Don't be like my mother."

That thought struck me like a hammer. To think that I- that I could be- that I could or was the passive one, the submissive doormat who let her husband have his way with everything including abusing my child... That I was one of those parents that Charlie had read on the news whom he despised, seeing them just as bad as the abusive one... as I did...

"Niklaus," Lady Laima's voice sounded from behind me, gently chiding. I jumped and whirled. "Try not to overwhelm her. It has been more than enough."

Klaus bowed his head and nodded. "By your leave, my lady." His slender hand turned the doorknob, and he backed out of the room, shutting the door firmly.

For a moment, Lady Laima regarded me in silence. "My son requested that we acquire a neutral party to examine your husband: a mundane human psychologist." She remarked. I started. This was the first I had ever heard that. "Like Gabrielle Delacour, he seems to believe that there may be a risk of your husband possessing mental illness, and because of that we should show mercy. I presume that was to be your intended argument for your husband's case?"

All thoughts about my planned conversation and speech flew out of my head. "I- I-" A sinking feeling welled up inside of me, telling me that I'd already lost.

Before I could react or burst into tears, Lady Laima sighed and motioned for me to sit on the couch around a small coffee table, facing towards her.

"I do not need the Sight to know what it was you intend to use to plead with me to argue for mercy for your husband's sake." She warned.

I swallowed. "Please," was all I could manage.

"Please."

Lady Laima regarded me in silence. "There is a price." She finally said.

Instantly, I straightened. "Name it," I urged eagerly, staring unblinkingly at her.

The lady progenitor didn't react.

"He must be punished," she warned me. "I am prepared to persuade the other judges and the courts to offer him mercy and a more... lenient sentence. However," she continued before I could interrupt "there must be a price. He cannot be allowed to walk away without punishment, even if his sentence is lessened. He cannot suffer a mild punishment when Luciano, Adriana, Vittoria and Beatrice Della Rosa and the rest of their family, along with all the other victims and their families, would never receive mercy. Justice must be served."

I bit my lip. I knew she wasn't lying. I swallowed. Even though I hated to admit this, I could see where she was coming from.

"If you are certain, then the price shall be paid." The Vampire Queen warned.

"But only if you are certain."

I could barely speak. "If not?" I whispered.

"Then Edward Cullen will either spend five centuries in prison," she intoned "or be sentenced to death alongside Aro and Caius."

My heart covered with ice.

"I'll do it," I found myself whispering. My lips trembled. "I'll pay it.

"I'll pay the price."

The Lady Progenitor regarded me without expression before she spoke. "You do not understand," she said finally.

"You will both pay. Now and forever."

Her eyes turned gold. Without warning, a rush of images and power flooded my brain. It was similar to what Renesmee had always done, but seemed far, far more powerful.

When I could finally focus, I opened my eyes.

To my shock and amazement, when my vision cleared, I saw myself- my human self as I used to be, as if I was watching a recording on film. The images rushed by.

I saw myself graduating college, throwing my graduation cap into the air and celebrating. Angela was there, and Jessica, and Ben, Mike and Erik. The kids I'd recognised from my own high school graduation in Forks. They went to a different university, but they were still there. Strangely enough, Mike and Jessica were holding hands and Mike and Erik looked less… besotted with me. Charlie was there, standing proudly, tears in his eyes, being the first to stand and cheer. I saw a pride in his gaze that I had never seen before- not during my high school graduation, not even during my own wedding.

Then I was in the house- Charlie's house- at the kitchen table, reading through interview reports and job advertisements, thumbing through a portfolio. Charlie occasionally piped in, along with Sue. But to my surprise, Leah was there, listing options and handing out advice- to me of all people. We then looked up and Leah stood. She said goodbye to us, kissed Sue and Charlie on the cheeks, and opened the door. Outside stood a man in front of a car. Someone she'd met in college, I thought, although I didn't know where I had gotten that information. They were involved. I saw him bend down and the couple kissed, before Leah got into the car and they drove off. Somehow, I knew they had a very happy future on the way.

Then, I saw myself in a business suit, having a job interview. The man behind the desk stood, and I did too, and we shook hands. He smiled warmly.

I saw myself, this time as a young woman in my twenties, in a meeting room in front of a crowd of employees. I was startled. So, this was what I would've looked like if I had made it past twenty? I didn't look that much different than I had when I was eighteen, except this time I wasn't nit-picking flaws in my own appearance, like I usually did when I woke up and looked into my bathroom mirror. But what startled me the most was that while I appeared nervous, the more I spoke to these people, not only did they pay rapt attention to me, which no one with the exception of Edward seemed to do until our wedding day, the more engrossed I was in what I was saying, the less nervous and jittery I appeared to be, unlike when my English and trigonometry teachers made me stand up in front of the class and introduce myself. I wasn't going red. I wasn't stumbling and tripping over things, including my own two feet. I wasn't mumbling. I was absorbed in what I was telling them, enthusiastic to share with these strangers my ideas.

I didn't know which company I worked for and what they did, but they were all listening in rapt attention. I watched as my alternative self drew and pointed at a diagram on a whiteboard. I saw a few members of my audience nodding along and exchanging glances of agreement and approval.

Next, I saw myself greeting different employees as I walked past. I was wearing heels, but somehow didn't seem to trip. I looked straight ahead, and I noticed that my shoulders were straight. My head was high. I looked… confident- yes, that was the word. A word I had never associated with myself until after I became a vampire. Actually, it was a word I still struggle to associate with myself even after my transformation.

When the scene changed, I spotted myself in the office amidst a crowd of employees. The boss pointed to me and smiled, and suddenly everyone clapped, cheering. Some even whistled in applause. I saw myself smile, blushing, but walking towards where the boss was while the crowd parted to let me through. Somehow- and I still couldn't get over this- I didn't trip. The boss clapped me on the shoulder and said something towards the crowd. Apparently, I had just gotten a promotion. And the smiles and cheers of the other employees told me they were happy for me.

It hit me like a hammer: I had never seen anyone else so happy for me- the Cullens, yes, but not strangers. Not even on my wedding day.

Although maybe Esme had been right; they were only pretending to be happy at my wedding out of respect and consideration for me and Charlie.

Next, I was in the movies with my friends from Forks High. Afterwards, leaving the theatres, Jessica laughed at something, and I'd noticed she seemed more relaxed, more at ease and mature. She and Mike were sitting apart now, so I assumed they weren't a couple anymore, but they were still friends. They looked incredibly happy, comfortable and relaxed, with each other and everyone else, even me. I was shocked to realise that neither of them- nor any of the kids in school- had ever looked that way towards me when I was around. And immediately, understanding slammed into me like a charging bull: instead of growing closer to them, ever since I'd started dating Edward, I'd grown increasingly distant from each of them. Even Angela.

Angela and Ben were closer together, but I didn't know if they were. Yet somehow, despite their puppy-like tendencies towards me in high school, neither Mike nor Erik seemed to overtly pay too much attention to me. They simply saw me as a friend; they were no longer infatuated with me the way they once were. My friends and I shared a joke and burst out laughing. I blinked. I'd never laughed so much in my life. I looked... happy, that was the word. Genuinely care-free in a way I had never been. Then I caught sight of someone I'd seen in the audience at my graduation.

I saw myself having dinner with that person: a sandy-haired guy who looked at ease. He didn't have Edward's ethereal colouring and features that may have been carved by Da Vinci, but there was something that exuded from him: a warmth, happiness. He didn't have Edward's poise, his cat-like grace, his elegance and natural fit in a fancy restaurant, but he seemed to exude so much genuine happiness and warmth that I found myself relaxing without even knowing it, even watching my alternate self as a spectator, rather than being the Bella on the other chair. I watched as I smiled and laughed, completely at ease with this stranger.

I saw the two of us in the diner with my friends. I was surprised to see Mike greet this new guy, happily shaking his hand before we sat down. I saw my friends and I laughing at this joke this guy- my boyfriend, apparently- had just told. They got along great. Everyone was happy. I couldn't believe it. I didn't want to.

When the next scene changed, I was startled. I was introducing him to Charlie and Sue; and then to Renée at her new home. Phil wasn't there: apparently the two of them would've divorced in either future. My mother put a brave smile on her face. She went to the kitchen, I stood to help, but Renée put a hand on my arm. She shook her head. Her gaze was resolute and I noticed a cool poise in her that she'd never had. She wanted to do this herself. I watched as my mother cooked a meal for me and my boyfriend without my help or burning anything. Her movements were steady, measured and careful, like she'd been learning.

Apparently, we ate everything. I saw Renée laugh at a joke my boyfriend made, looking more like her old self. When we finished, we stood and he helped clear the dishes. He thanked Renée, and she looked more cheerful.

Time sped by. I saw myself and my boyfriend go on a couple of dates. I saw him take us to the mountains to go skiing, an activity I had never considered trying, considering how clumsy I was as a human. I saw him take me to Europe to a Christmas market where we ate hot pretzels and sausages and drank German beer. I saw him taking photos in front of the ruins of a Greek temple and the Egyptian pyramids, me striking a ridiculous pose I would've been too embarrassed to emulate even as a vampire. I didn't seem to mind though, I was smiling and laughing about it afterwards, while he cheered and playfully pretended to be a professional photographer or a movie director.

I was laughing and smiling, more than I ever thought possible. The thought struck me like a horrifying revelation, but before I could dwell on it, I saw more visions.

I saw us going to a couple of dates, and then him going down on one knee in front of the sunset, in a beautiful nature reserve of some kind. I saw my hands clap around my mouth as he opened a little box with a ring. When I nodded and answered, he sprang up and I leaped into his arms, throwing my arms around his neck with a kiss.

Then, I watched as we both informed my mother in person. She shrieked in delight and threw her arms around us. I saw Charlie smiling, eyes misty and wistful, but happy and glad. He was proud of me, I was stunned to see. He was wistful and sad to let me go, but he was glad and he knew I could be trusted to make this decision and not jump into the same mistakes as he had- and that he could trust my future husband whom he liked and trusted, and had grown to care for. He was happy for us. Happy to have him as part of the family.

It felt like an icy hand had struck me across the face. Charlie embraced my alternative fiancé, while Sue beaming broadly and in approval beside him, and Seth who was grinning, both came forwards to congratulate and hug us, Seth's girlfriend right behind.

My breath hitched as I witnessed myself walking down the aisle. It was far less grand, less formal even, than the wedding I'd had in real life with Edward, and the dress wasn't designer grade. But it was pretty, not too long for me to trip over my own two feet, and less formal. I was going barefoot in the sand; we were getting married on the beach. I saw my mother in the front row, sniffing, tears in her eyes as she looked wonderfully, truly proud watching her only child get married. It struck me just how proud she'd looked. There was a guy beside her: I didn't know who, but I knew they were involved.

I saw my father kiss me on the cheek, shake my would-be-husband's hand and pat his shoulder with a smile and choked tears before he returned to his seat, Sue beside him. I saw Leah among the audience members with her husband by her side. The flower girl was next to her, clutching her basket of petals, her wreath of flowers slipping from her head. Leah's husband pulled the girl onto his lap while she took the basket, and I noticed a swelling bump beneath her dress. My flower girl was her daughter.

I watched as we said our vows and Angela's father pronounced us husband and wife. Asides from the officiant, I was struck by how few similarities I'd had with the wedding I'd had with Edward. It was the future I'd chosen, but the ceremony that would determine my entire life and the celebrations had been completely dictated by Alice. The guests were wearing less formal clothing, there were few floral arrangements, probably because we didn't spend that much money decorating, and there was less ceremony. But the beautiful scenery, the beach, the blue seas and clear skies, and the horizon, were enough. Angela was sitting with someone, and I saw an engagement ring glittering on her finger. She was wearing a bridesmaid's dress, a small posy on her lap. Jessica was wearing something similar, the same colour but in a different style. None of them looked uniform, but they looked pretty and their wearers happy.

I saw myself and my bridesmaids leap into the air, legs tucking beneath our skirts, bare feet peeping through, at the photographer's behest, laughing as we landed back to earth only to jump again. I saw Mike and Ben congratulate my husband with Erik not far behind. It struck me that I was still in contact with my friends from Forks High, whereas I hadn't seen or spoken to any of them after I left for my honeymoon in real life.

Next, I saw our honeymoon. Then, I saw myself, better-dressed in an office, wearing shiny heels which I would never have navigated as a teen. This time I was in a room of my own, in elegant clothing, though not flashy as this was the office. I saw myself leave and get into a new-looking car, not an Aston Martin or the Ferrari that Edward had given me, or even the Mercedes Guardian he'd rented for our engagement. I wasn't an expert in cars enough to identify what it was, but it looked sleek, new but inconspicuous. Well-cared for and maintained, but not branded. Something I would've picked out for myself- if I'd earned enough money.

I saw myself pulling up in front of a house. I wanted to reel back when I saw it. It looked wealthy and elegant. Not the kind of house I'd ever thought I'd buy as a teenager, nor any of the kinds that any of the Cullens would've picked, but although it wasn't flashy, it was elegant and sat in an affluent-looking neighbourhood. It spoke money without being overly conspicuous.

It occurred to me that the Cullens were merely trying too hard to seem that way to humans.

Judging by all the luxury goods they bought, they found it too hard to resist.

I was a grown woman now, in my late twenties or early thirties. But what startled me was how relaxed I was, how at ease. How confident I'd seemed. I was well-dressed, poised, confident and… attractive. A word I'd never thought to label myself with as a human. I knew I could never compare to Rosalie, even as a vampire, and this version of me wasn't the most beautiful woman in the world, but she seemed… admirable. Not as plain or frumpy as I'd been during my teenage years. She easily drew the eye without being the prettiest or the best-dressed, and not in the clumsy, awkward way that I'd had as a human nor in the dazzling way I now possessed.

I saw myself enter the house, the front door opening to a beautiful-looking foyer decorated with plants and a few paintings. They weren't the same classical paintings the Cullens had in the house, or in my cottage, but they looked quirky and pretty, or elegant and sophisticated all the same. I looked in the mirror and adjusted my hair, and saw my husband making dinner: grilled fish, string beans and potatoes. We kissed and I helped set the table. We shared a bottle of wine. Afterwards we started talking. I couldn't hear exactly what we were saying but somehow I knew that we were discussing families. He wanted to have children. I knew I never did, not as a teen, not even as a kid. He seemed to hear me and his brow furrowed. He nodded, however, and went back to eating dinner.

Then, after what I knew to be a few days later, I saw myself watching my husband outside the window, watching as he knelt in front of a neighbour's kid and admired the little girl's Hello Kitty band-aid. Her mom was right beside her. He gave the kid a wink and said something that made her grin: a sweet, sunny smile as he stood and spoke with the mother. She was also smiling. They said their goodbyes and my husband waved back at the little girl as the duo went their way. I saw myself watching with a wistful look in my eye, thinking that he seemed so right, so natural with that kid…

Then, I was back in Forks in front of the Clearwater House- of all places. It occurred to me that I had never seen Harry and Sue's place, that I'd never been there as a human, even though he and Charlie were close. I'd only seen glimpses of it in Renesmee's mind when she used to touch my hand or my face, to tell me about her day. Those retellings had become significantly rarer as she grew bigger.

Leah's little girl was older, I observed. It was the same one that I had seen being the flower girl at my wedding. She had at least two kids, though I didn't get a clear look at the other one, as I was too focused on my alternative self's conversation with Leah. I seemed to confide in her, gesturing to her kids. Leah shrugged and seemed to say that it was my choice to make; like it always was. Once again, I couldn't hear the exact words, but somehow I sensed that Leah advised me to talk with my husband: find a compromise, if necessary. I nodded.

Then I was back at our home looking at my husband expectantly. I reached out and took his hand. He looked surprised, claiming that he didn't expect me to say that, worried that he might have forced me, but I shook my head. I gestured to the photos on the wall. There we were, skiing and snowboarding in the Swiss and Austrian Alps; surfing in Hawaii; posing in front of German castles, Greek temples and Japanese shrines; visiting the Forbidden City in Beijing; eating food in various parts of the world, meeting all sorts of people, from new friends, market vendors, royalty and celebrities; living life to the fullest.

And one thing struck me in all these photographs: I wasn't afraid. I wasn't nervous. I wasn't self-conscious. I was enjoying life, enjoying the human world as it is. As I never thought I could. My jaw dropped.

I was living.

I looked on as my alternative self nodded at her husband. He blinked, unexpectedly touched. I knew what I was saying: I was no longer afraid, no longer nervous. I learned how to live my life, to not hide away from the world. I was brave. I was strong.

I could take parenthood. It was another adventure to experience, another challenge to overcome. But I wasn't unrealistic about it, unlike Renée.

I observed us visiting a clinic. I saw myself handing a wrapped parcel to my husband. He undid the ribbon and lifted a pregnancy test out of the box. It showed a positive.

Then I was undergoing an ultrasound at the clinic, him holding my hand. He looked so excited, so happy yet so nervous, I couldn't help but smile, even when watching this, without knowing. As it was, I saw my alternate self grin as she watched her husband peer into the screen. There it was.

I saw us setting up the nursery. I saw myself disagreeing with the colour options he'd displayed, being picky in the options he'd offered to me, but enjoying it all the same. I watched and had to restrain the urge to laugh as Charlie instructed him on how to set up the crib, while he failed miserably and the audience laughed good-naturedly. I saw myself laugh, hand on my swelling bump as he mock-grumbled, fumbling around with the baby seat. I saw Renée throwing me a baby shower and looking excited at the gifts she handed to me, and the other parcels we opened. She and her new partner seemed to be happy. So did Sue, Leah, Charlie and Seth. I saw piles of baby clothes, toys and equipment like bottles and teething rings.

I saw myself at the hospital, my husband at my side as he gently placed a baby in my arms. I saw myself instantly becoming mesmerised, falling in love with this new creature: a girl. She opened her eyes and I was sure I gasped. They were brown: like milk chocolate. Renesmee's eyes.

Somehow, I sensed, no I knew I would've been mother to the same daughter I'd had in this life. But Renesmee had Edward's hair and face. This girl had a different name, and looked more like my alternative husband and myself, but somewhere between the lines she looked like my Renesmee, and somehow, I was certain that it was the same person, the same soul in a different body. That it truly was destiny for me to be her mother, and for her to be my daughter.

It was interesting to see that the features that she'd inherited in real life from Edward weren't exactly replaced by those belonging to my alternative husband's. Her hair was dark brown, more like mine, though she still had Charlie's curls, and her eyes were the same, but her nose belonged to her father from this future which I might've once chosen, her lips were Renée's, her cheekbones were mine, as was her heart-shaped face. But I knew she was the same girl: my Renesmee.

And she was still beautiful, even as a hundred-percent human, with more and more features that she'd inherited from plain old me. As I knew she would be.

I watched her crawl around and learn to stand, unsteady on her baby feet. I saw both of us eagerly helping her at her first steps, smiling and laughing with joy as she did. I saw myself taking her to kindergarten and watching the teacher take her tentative hand and lead her inside. I waved goodbye and the teacher let her turn to do the same.

I watched her grow, and I watched myself mature as the years passed by. I didn't look worse, just more… grown-up, I should say. Renesmee, or whatever her name was in this life, bloomed. I saw her go to elementary school, boarding a school bus, her bag on her back. I watched as I waved goodbye.

I saw us go on family vacation trips overseas, to the sea where we built sandcastles and sailing. Camping and hiking in the woods, her dad helping her to take the equipment, and teaching her to start a fire. Us clapping in the audience when Renesmee bowed on stage with the other kids in the school play.

When I took her to Renée's and her new husband's, I observed how they doted on her. I saw my thrilled mother teaching her how to bake cookies and choosing different-shaped cookie cutters to press into the dough. Being a good grandparent and stopping my daughter from touching the hot tray, the way she herself had forgotten when I was a kid. I saw Renée lovingly brush her hair and tying ribbons into it. She seemed to glow from within, beaming with happiness as she played the doting grandmother, her movements more measured and careful than she had ever been in my childhood. Somewhere, some inner voice or instinct told me she'd been learning.

I saw Charlie scooping Renesmee up, swinging her around and laughing as he measured her growth. I'd never noticed the worry in his eyes in real life until I saw this future, where she didn't grow so fast. At Forks, she would play with Seth's kids and Leah's. Together, my dad and Billy took them fishing and had clam bakes and barbecues with Sue, Seth and his girlfriend, Leah and her family.

My eyes popped when Jacob popped by. It startled me to see how much he'd grown. He looked older, more mature. Billy was there, wheeling himself by, waving hello to my daughter who seemed to have met him before. They were beaming. I watched and waited as Jacob introduced his wife and knelt down to meet Renesmee for the first time. My daughter in a different future who had the same soul in a different body under a different name. I'd waited while he grinned and playfully shook the hand that she offered... before standing and turning his attention back to us. He slipped an arm behind his wife, and she slipped hers behind his back. It was then that I noticed a growing bump on her belly.

It was as if a bucket of icy cold water had been poured over me. He hadn't imprinted. He never imprinted on my daughter in this future.

And yet I was certain that it was the same daughter I'd had in my real life. Her smile was the same, dimples and all. Her eyes were the same, her expressions, her curiosity, her attitude and mannerisms. More than anything, her reactions to things, subtle cues and movements, the looks in her eyes were all hers, in a way that was neither Edward's nor mine. Not even in this life.

Yet this was Renesmee. Even though she may have carried a different name in this life. Undoubtedly, this was the same daughter I had with Edward. It was the same soul, yet Jacob did not imprint.

Gabrielle was right: they weren't soulmates. And they would never be. Jake would never have imprinted if he hadn't wanted to hurt me. If I hadn't hurt him.

The realisation made me draw a sharp gasp. But the visions kept coming; they didn't stop there.

I saw Renesmee go to middle school. I saw her getting bullied by a boy, only for him to be told off by a teacher. It struck me with how similar this was with my experiences in elementary and middle school, but in this case, the bullying stopped. I hadn't thought about that: I refused to think or even acknowledge those incidences for the longest time. I never even told anyone, so used I was to being with Renée, that I always sought to handle my own problems. I saw Renesmee at a school dance. I saw her dancing with a boy. I saw her top her English class and learning to play violin. I watched as she nearly tore her hair out in frustration as she complained about one of her teachers, or Chemistry which was so hard. I saw her with her dad at the dining room table helping her with her Maths homework. I saw her dancing ballet and making friends. I saw her play at those friends' houses and ours, splashing around in a kiddie pool at the backyard. I saw them jumping on a trampoline, climbing up to a tree house and painting the walls.

I felt myself shaking. I didn't know why, but I did. Actually, again I knew that was a lie I told to myself: I did know why.

Like my alternative self that I was witnessing, this version of my daughter was living a life I had refused to allow her to experience, in its fullness and wealth.

I watched, shaking, as Renesmee experience her first crush: a boy in middle school. She stole glances and blushed whenever he caught her looking. I saw them exchange secret smiles together and notes with hearts in class. I watched as she navigated through puberty, but it didn't seem as bad as compared to mine. I witnessed myself hugging and comforting her when it happened, and when her crush became infatuated with another girl and broke her heart. I saw her cheering from the stands at a soccer game. Another time, she was trying gymnastics. I saw her dancing with another boy at a school dance, under a banner above, with a DJ stand in the corner and a disco ball hanging from the ceiling. She was wearing a blue dress. I saw her date get into a fight with another boy, and Renesmee trying to hold them back. It was her first crush; apparently, the other kid was now jealous.

I saw us at Christmases and Easters, during summer and spring breaks and vacations, at my parents' houses and in different countries. I saw myself working and being promoted. There were bad things too- pitfalls for all of us, like the stock market falling- but overall, my reaction seemed to be to grit my teeth, find another solution and keep going. It was the same with my husband. And through it all, I saw my daughter growing, at a rate that was slow compared to the one she had in real life, navigating through childhood, alternatively succeeding and failing, in school and during holidays, with friend and romances, in examinations and dances, on sports days and during ballet, gymnastics, or musical performances, all through elementary, middle and high school, until I saw her as a grown woman graduating from college, just as I had, throwing her cap in the air. I saw myself; older and more matured. It struck me just how much I looked like Renée, but with Charlie's eyes and expressions. And his personality, apparently. I saw my daughter pose for a photo with her friends before rushing over to her parents. I saw her embrace her grandparents- every single one of them. Including Renée's new husband and Sue, as well as her father's parents. Charlie looked so proud, he was ready to weep. It was a strange mirror to the first vision I'd seen.

We said goodbye as she set out on her own to see the world, and experience all life had to offer to her; wistful and sad as we were to see her go, we were happy for her. I watched as we sorted through job advertisements online and her employment and educational credentials. I observed us celebrating a successful interview, the two of us taking her out for dinner. I watched in awe and pride as she performed in an orchestra in front of an audience. I saw myself there. The two us gushing together on the living room couch in front of the fire or in her bedroom about her latest romance, me gently, playfully teasing her. I saw us as a family out on the balcony, by the beach, in the backyard. I saw as she brought home a boy she'd met while travelling to Canada. And I watched as her father walked her down the aisle while I wiped away my tears.

I saw myself and her, older now. I saw her kids and even grandkids playing at my feet. In a surprise twist, I saw myself as an old woman, my husband by my side. I didn't look the way I'd imagined, like my Gran Marie. But I also didn't look nearly as hideous as I'd thought I would.

Instead, I had a soft smile on my face and a twinkle in my eye. I was at peace, with the world, with my fate. Most of all, I was at peace with myself. I had a peace inside of me that I'd never before cared to find.

I saw Renesmee, some grey hairs in her hair now, some lines on her face, though she still looked beautiful. She was sitting on a hospital bed, reaching out to take the hand of an elderly lady. I was startled to recognise myself. My daughter looked worried and upset but I reassured her with a smile.

I saw myself still smiling, as she gently stroked my hand. I watched as my older self closed her eyes with that smile on her face.

I watched my own death. I witnessed my own funeral: Renesmee was in black, greeting the mourners who came to offer their condolences and hugged her, seemingly touched by their affectionate concern. I saw her crying at a front seat, her husband holding her close, stroking her back in comfort. I saw her kids- my grandkids, now grown, some with a few with kids of their own- silent, also in tears, and Renesmee comforting them.

I blinked as something like a power-point presentation of all the photos of my life, played. Technology must have evolved since now. From my baby days with Renée and Charlie, to my time living in Downey with Gran Marie, then in Phoenix with Renée and later Phil and her third husband, my graduation, my friends, my wedding, the birth of my daughter, family vacations and Christmases, her graduation and wedding, with my grandchildren during their births and at home with my husband, even great-grandchildren. I saw her husband, my son-in-law, make a speech at my funeral. I saw the audience laugh as he cracked a joke, Renesmee smiling through her tears. I saw her gratitude, making peace with my death through finding consolation with the life I'd lived.

And I saw one of her grandchildren reach out a hand, when no one noticed, towards an arrangement of flowers. One of them, a marigold, flew to her hand. She handed it to her mother who hadn't seen a thing. She was a witch. Like Alec and Jane. Gabrielle was right about that as well: I had passed down the magical gene and it eventually re-awakened.

And it was over. I flew back to the present with a gasp.

Lady Laima's midnight blue eyes stared right at me.

At first, I was unable to process what had happened, what I saw.

But then I knew: she showed me the life I would have had, had I not chosen Edward. Had I not chosen to be a vampire.

If I were human, my heart would've pounded.

Her gaze was sad. "This was the future that you had unknowingly thrown away."

I was unable to speak.

But then her gaze turned resolute. "But this is only half of the price that you must pay."

Suddenly, her eyes flared gold again. Another wave of images rushed through my head, breaking the dam of my mental shield.

"If you have come to help me you are wasting your time. But if you recognize that your liberation and mine are bound up together, we can walk together."

Lilla Watson

More than twenty-four hours before the trial, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice and Jasper all came to visit Edward one last time in his cell. Bella hadn't come. She, like their parents who had left early, all assumed that there would be time enough.

"How're you holding up?" Alice asked quietly, brows furrowed. Edward looked over to her, surprised. Alice seemed... completely empty. Devoid of her usual bubbly charm and energy, her enthusiasm and zest for life, even a covert and perpetually Undead one. She seemed surprisingly, no, shockingly mousy in comparison. Diminutive. It both startled and unnerved Edward. For even though Alice had always been tiny, petite, she had never been mousy.

This was the first time he had seen her since that fateful meeting when Carlisle and Esme- and Rosalie- confronted him upon their separate arrivals.

After that one exception when she confronted him, it was the same with Bella. After that, unlike the others, neither of the two, Bella and Alice, had seen him since.

And unlike Alice, she still wasn't here. Rosalie, Jasper, Emmett and Alice were all staring at him in worried concern, though.

"I'm..." Edward would be lying if he said he was fine, and he knew it. Even though they'd had that same collar slapped around their throats that prevented them from using their powers, they would still know it.

So, instead of finishing his sentence, he sighed and slumped his shoulders.

"Yeah." Rosalie said softly. Her violet-blue eyes were sad. Edward still couldn't get over the fact that his entire family, including himself, had now reverted back to the same eye colour they'd had as humans.

Some were shades he'd never seen before.

However, this also brought in mind the time Bella last saw him, when she confronted him. How her chocolate-coloured eyes- the same eyes which he'd fallen deeply, even madly in love with, which had enchanted Jacob without her even knowing it at first, along with poor, pathetic Mike Newton... how those same eyes blazed with fury and resentment when she confronted him. Lashing out a stream of questions he was not prepared and consequently had no answer for.

He never imagined he would see that look in her eyes... least of all, directed towards him.

Renesmee, though... Edward winced. He fully remembered those same eyes glaring at him with betrayal, pain and an indignant fury.

He pushed himself out of this train of thought. Why focus on something he couldn't fix now? He needed to focus first on proving his innocence, or at least, his repentance and desire to compensate to others for all the ills he had caused before focusing back on his wife and child, and their covert life in Forks. He doubted people would notice he had been gone, anyway. Charlie, for one, didn't seem to like him much and hardly seemed to notice if anything was out of the ordinary.

Sue Clearwater and the rest of the Quileutes, though...

Rosalie cleared her throat, bringing Edward back into the present. Jasper sighed and leaned forwards, balancing his elbows on his knees. "Edward..." he said hesitantly. "You might be wondering why Bella isn't here."

"She's angry with me," Edward said without so much as looking at his brother. "Why else? She feels betrayed."

Emmet, surprisingly, was the first one to speak. Despite his obvious discomfort of this situation, his never-wavering support of Edward, his loyalty and cheerful nature, almost as prominent as Alice's, he cleared his own throat, pushing aside what discomfort remained on his expression. Edward bitterly regretted the collar around his neck that prevented the use of his own powers, for he would dearly loved to have seen what was in Emmett's mind that made him so uneasy. For clearly it had something to do with what he did, something which he would normally have given a coherent and eloquent explanation for, if only he had been ready, as he normally would have done.

"Edward," Emmett began uneasily. He shifted. "I don't know to say this, but..." he sighed, briefly throwing his hands into the air. "Okay, first off, Bella's gone to plead your case." Edward didn't react. Emmett plowed on. "You're more likely to get imprisoned, but it's still possible that you're going to be scheduled for..." Emmett winced. "Ya know." Alice and Jasper winced with him. Rosalie closed her eyes. "So she's going to try to plead your case, and- if you get imprisoned instead- this means you're probably going to get a reduced sentence, meaning you'll be incarcerated for decades, not centuries. Doesn't seem like much, but it's better than being stuck in here for two centuries or more."

Clearly, Emmett still didn't know, Edward thought, Neither do the rest of them. He remembered his own conversation with Gabrielle, the strange, otherworldly witch who had escorted his family here.

And threw his own failings back onto his face. Edward struggled to conceal an involuntary wince. He suspected that while he was usually adept at hiding his feelings when he wanted to, he likely failed this time.

"But, on the bright side, she's trying to get the court to look more leniently on you, since you're not the bigger perpetrator," Emmett was saying eagerly. "On the grounds that you need medical treatment."

Edward stared at Emmett like he had grown a second head. "What?"

Emmett nodded, "She asked for it, Edward. That's the grounds we're using for a lesser sentence."

As a rule, vampires did not get medical treatment; they didn't need them. Edward stared. "What are you saying? Why would I ever need-"

"Mental health treatment, Edward," Rosalie was the one who interjected. Edward stared at her as she continued, "You're going to get therapy. The argument Bella's told me she's using is that since you're psychologically compromised, any punishment that includes incarceration and other things that are not as final as death would be useless since it won't help you get any better or learn from your mistakes. Therefore, it's just counter-productive and won't make you into a better person who's learned their lesson. They'll just be needlessly cruel. On the other hand, if they give you something as final as execution-" the other two males and Alice winced, but Rosalie forced herself to keep going "-or a lifetime of imprisonment, which, to us is forever, then again, it's even more cruel as well as counter-productive." Rosalie settled back onto her chair. "After all, who wants to punish someone who only ever committed things because of mental illness?" Edward's jaw dropped.

"You can't be serious," he choked. Rosalie's face was unmoved, but grim. Jasper nodded, sighing and glancing towards the floor. Emmett grimaced. Alice turned away. "We are, actually," Jasper sighed in admittance. Both Rosalie and Alice nodded in agreement, while Emmett looked sheepish.

"You think that I'm mentally ill?" Edward didn't mean for his voice to raise into a shout but shout he did. As soon as he said this, however, he looked down at all his siblings.

Emmett and Jasper exchanged grim looks, laden with meaning. Alice couldn't meet his eyes. She was staring at her hands, folded on her lap, head bowed and face partially hidden. Rosalie was the only one who remained staring at him, and the look on her face told Edward that she was neither joking nor exaggerating.

"It's the only explanation," Rosalie stated grimly. "After all, why else would you do what you did?"

Edward stared, aghast. "I can't believe this," he whispered, running a hand through his hair. "I can't believe you believe all this!"

Rosalie scoffed. "It wasn't hard to believe Edward," she pointed "considering all the disturbing things that you've done."

Edward gritted his teeth. "I've had enough of that from our parents and Bella," he ground "and from Gabrielle Delacour, the witch who barely knows me. I don't need any more of that from you."

For a moment, an awkward silence descended upon the cell. Then, Rosalie burst out laughing. The other Cullens present stared at her.

"Really?" Rosalie managed, after her laughter had subsided into giggles. She managed to get it under control, somewhat. "That's your excuse? Your argument? Wow, would you look at that?" She nodded towards the silver collar chained around Edward's throat. "Slap that collar on you and take away your mind-reading ability, your superhuman speed and what do you get? Someone with no excuses. Nothing to defend himself. Nothing to claim that he is, after all, in the end of the day, so much better than the rest of us, because he knows and understands so much more." She glowered at Edward.

"Really? Is that how you see yourself? I've always known you were a prude, Edward. I've also known that you were disgustingly self-righteous, while somehow managing to become self-demeaning, but I never mistook you for a hypocrite, and an arrogant one at that." Edward ground his teeth. He turned towards her, opening his mouth ready to lash, when Rosalie beat him to it. "Obviously, I was wrong. How is it that you, the guy who hates himself more than anything or anyone, who calls himself a monster, at the same time insists that his way of doing things is right? That he understands the situation better than anyone, even Carlisle himself? That he is wiser, smarter, more reasonable, more trustworthy than anyone else?" Disgust dripped from her voice.

"I needed to be knocked down at least a few pegs Edward," she glowered fiercely at him "but even when I was at my worst, displaying the very worst of myself, like when I misunderstood and severely underestimated the depths of your feelings for Bella when I called you in South America or at least belittled them, I never denied that fact. I was never so self-righteous, so delusional that I never claimed to be morally better than anyone else, or smarter than anyone even after that. I never claimed I understood the situation at hand, or had anything under control, even when I knew Bella was going to be making a choice she would likely regret and even resent at some point in the future." She scoffed.

"Case in point, Renesmee." Rosalie leaned back, eyes violet-blue slits as she regarded her brother with nothing less than contempt. "Remember when you called Carlisle and immediately tried to force him to do an abortion without Bella's consent?" Edward flinched, involuntarily. Rosalie took less than a second of satisfaction before plowing through. "In case you don't know- and you can look this up, Edward- forced abortions aren't just illegal. They're completely unethical. A forced abortion being an abortion performed without or against the woman's explicit consent. I take it that you didn't look up the effects of such acts on the women who were forced to undergo them, even if they were knocked out with drugs- the way you and Jacob discussed doing to Bella- without them knowing?" She paused. "Did you even bother to look it up before you planned on dishing it out to her?" She asked, her tone suddenly questioning yet disgusted.

At the expectant silence, every other Cullen sibling turned slowly to look at Edward, awaiting his answer. He said nothing.

"Or maybe," Rosalie said slowly. "You just didn't care. You didn't think it was important and either thought you could make it better for Bella, that in time she will understand, even forgive you-" Rosalie sneered as she said those words"- like you always assumed, because you took Bella's compliance and love for you for granted... or maybe because you knew she's not usually capable of holding a grudge, so you didn't think that she would even get mad or upset if you knocked her unconscious and aborted her baby against her explicit consent and free will. Or perhaps you didn't even bother looking up what the effects of such an abortion would do to her, psychologically, emotionally, physically..." she shrugged. "Breaking her heart... you've already done that once, Edward. It seemed so small to you at the time, when you left her in the woods." Edward still said nothing, but his fingers curled into fists. Rosalie noticed but completely ignored it. "Of course, doing this... you would have reduced her into an even worse state than the catatonic-slash-vegetative-slash-zombified state that you reduced her into in September 2005. Did you even think that you might be doing something like that yet again? Even when you punished, hated and blamed yourself for doing that, and, most importantly, swore never to hurt or break her heart again- even on the pretext for marrying her as proof that you meant all that- did you consider that you might have been trying to break that promise by trying to do what you wanted to do? To hurt her even more?"

No one spoke. Alice turned away. She couldn't bear to see this, but she took a deep breath, steeled herself and turned back around to face Edward. Jasper gently squeezed her hand in support. She squeezed back, grateful for this.

"Did you even care?" Rosalie asked softly, never taking her eyes off him. "Did you genuinely and truly care for her at all? Or was it some preconceived notion of who you made her up to be in your head, the way she's starting to believe?"

Edward's head whipped towards her direction. Fury grew in his gaze. But Rosalie hadn't finished. "You're a fool to ignore or to completely disregard what she would have felt or wanted." Her eyes narrowed. "Do you think you deserve her if you can't even do that?"

Edward pursed his lips and looked down at the floor. He didn't look so good, Rosalie noted. His bronze hair was rumpled, messy. Even though he could sleep now, there were still dark circles under his eyes. "Do you think you deserve to be loved by anyone, even though that was certainly what you wanted?" Then a thought struck her. It was like lighting a lightbulb.

"Was that why you fell for her?" Rosalie asked quietly. Her tone changed all of a sudden. Edward's head shot up as she said this. "What?" He wasn't alone. Jasper, Emmett and Alice all looked confused.

"Bella," Rosalie said quietly. "Me and Emmett. Jasper and Alice. Carlisle and Esme. We all had each other. You wanted that. I know you did, Edward. But it wasn't the only reason you sought love, much less Bella's companionship."

"What are you talking about?"

"You wanted to be the man your parents raised you to be," Rosalie said quietly. "You wanted to be the man you thought you should have been. You didn't want a family for the sake of having a family. You didn't want a wife because you loved someone. You wanted what you thought you should have had. You wanted the kind of marriage you thought you should have, the kind of life you'd been brought up to want to have. It wasn't even a matter of Bella, Edward." She sighed, shaking her head.

"Did you know she wanted to be a teacher for high school, once she'd left college and gotten her degree?"

Edward's silence told her all she needed to know. Rosalie regarded him in silence before she spoke:

"Edward... don't you think you were using her?" Edward's jaw flapped open in outrage, and he straightened to his full height. Jasper grimaced and turned away, huddling Alice to her. Emmett sighed.

"What does that mean?" He spat. Rosalie was unfazed. "It means," she retorted "that you projected your own fantasies onto Bella. That's what it means. She was your blank slate. You didn't know her. You still don't know her. Or rather," she narrowed her eyes "you refused to get to know her."

Edward looked infuriated, but Rosalie wasn't done. Not by a mile. "Even now you refuse to see it." She said coldly. "You refuse to see the girl for who she was and is, as opposed to who you imagined your dream girl to be. What you wanted her to be. You wanted someone to drive or ride in the kind of cars you liked and admired. The girl who wore what you liked in the colour that you wanted to see her in- I remember Alice picking out blue for her honeymoon ensemble." At this statement, Emmett grimaced, and Alice flinched. Jasper gathered her closer in his arms, soothing her. "You wanted someone who was modest, and not showy about her looks. Someone who would not fear you but also not fill you with the same shallow drivel that you hear in the surface thoughts of small-town high school teenage students all day long. Someone not just modest but 'pure' and she had to be human in order to be that way. Who would be a traditionally shrinking violet, even as a technical adult, when someone so much as swore. Someone who would need you, who would depend upon you. Who wouldn't be 'vulgar', shallow, vain or independent." Rosalie coolly stared her outraged brother down.

"You never thought that her perceived modesty may actually be a self-esteem the size of a grain of sand? Something that was concerning, rather than good? I suppose you always thought that you could build her up, didn't you? You liked that, the advantage it gave you. Besides, Bella was pretty, pretty enough to be acceptable. Emotionally vulnerable, so she needed you. Quiet and passive. And who'd already fallen enough for your charms that you could sway her every movement, just like anyone else." Rosalie scoffed as she saw the look on Edward's face. "The only difference was, her mind was closed to you, her blood lured you, you were so mystified you totally went nuts trying to figure her out, even breaking into her house at night while she was sleeping- a disturbing, creepy thing to do, really- and since you were lonely, you conveniently tried to make it that your inexcusable deeds were really done out of true love." Rosalie scoffed. "Like it was destiny that called you to break into her house at night." She shook her head in disgust.

"Tell me, Edward, when she found out that you'd been breaking into her house and into her bedroom at night and was more embarrassed about what she might have potentially said in her sleep, as opposed to being disturbed that someone- supernatural predator or not- broke into her bedroom at night to watch her sleep, did you think that she was just simply being modest?" She arched an eyebrow.

Edward ground his jaw. But she saw his eyes flit downwards, if only for a moment. Emmett shifted uneasily. "How about the time when you disabled her truck?" Rosalie continued, voice dangerously soft, like snowfall before it froze someone. "When you claimed that Alice saw her future disappearing, knowing full well she just wanted to hang out with Jacob- whom she'd already been hanging around with for months, by the way- and raced to the Swans' house to stop her from going there, even if it meant disabling her vehicle?" Rosalie's eyes narrowed in outrage.

"Both times, by the way. I suppose she still doesn't know that you finally disabled it for good just before the wedding, so you could get her a Mercedes Guardian and remove all reminders of Jacob in her life?" Edward gritted his teeth and stared at the wall. He refused to so much as look at her.

Rosalie scoffed, "If that's not an admission of guilt if I ever saw one-" Edward interrupted her. "You know nothing," he said flatly. He turned towards her, voice hot, his eyes blazing. "Nothing at all."

Rosalie sighed. "Like I don't know about the sleepover that you forced her to endure against her will?" She asked, casually, arching an eyebrow delicately as any lady. "Or the yellow Porsche that you used to gain Alice's compliance and, therefore, Bella's reluctance to even hurt or disappoint Alice to get her to stay in place?" Edward gritted his teeth. He turned away from her again. Alice buried herself deeper into Jasper's chest and gave a choking sob. "You led her to believe that you would take the Porsche that Alice so wanted away again and make her miserable if Bella didn't comply with your wishes and Alice's, and stay at the house overnight, away from Jacob. If you meant for Alice to believe that, then that was cruel to her as well, Edward. But if she was in on it- actually, regardless of whether Alice was in on the whole thing, the fact that you coerced Bella to stay at your house overnight away from any of her friends, and just because you were jealous- don't lie, you can't fool anyone- and used her supposed potential to hurt Alice's feelings, and yours, was manipulative of you. It can only be described as that." She stated, seeing Edward's jaw grind but his gaze sank further onto the floor. "You forced her to stay in one place and away from her friends because you guilt-tripped her, so much that she actually needed to make a run for it and escape just to see one of her friends." She glowered at Edward. The disgust in her eyes intensified. "What is that if not forcing her to stay against her will? What is that if not emotionally manipulating her if you used her feelings, attachment and loyalty towards you and Alice, and her guilt over potentially hurting Alice's feelings, and your own, because she knew you were jealous and upset over her being near Jacob?" She demanded. "Oh, she knew what you were up to," Rosalie nodded grimly, a malicious light in her eyes as she gazed upon the still figure of her brother. She could practically hear him grinding his jaw, even if she were human.

"Just as she knew when you made the excuse that the guy she'd been hanging around for six months in your absence was 'dangerous' because he turned into a giant wolf?" She pointed. Rosalie scoffed. "You didn't think she couldn't see through that. She knew that you knew she couldn't bear to hurt your feelings and that you'd only turn around to do something else, anyway, if you were willing to take her car battery out just to keep her in place. And to stop her from seeing a boy you felt jealous of."

Edward's jaw ground so hard, she could've expected his teeth to turn into powder. But he couldn't say anything, which was precisely what she'd intended.

"It's not that you like Jacob," he said finally, through still gritted teeth. "So why are you defending him?"

Rosalie scoffed. "I don't need to like Jacob- heck, I don't even need to like Bella or anyone else in order to see that what you did was wrong." She said flatly. "You took away her autonomy, her independence. Her rights to anything. Her free will. Heck, did you even ask her to change her last name, or did you immediately expect her to adopt Mrs Edward Cullen upon her marriage?" Edward was silent. His back was turned to her.

Rosalie continued, quietly. "It bothered her, you know. Just as it bothered Charlie. They're alike, Edward, in so many ways: they may let you get away with things at first, but they'll regret later and simmer beneath the surface, resenting their decision in the first place." Edward didn't respond. "And you not respecting either of them, really got to the two of them.

"And what about Jasper, Edward?" Rosalie asked, quietly. "And what you asked him to do to Renesmee?" Jasper closed his eyes, swallowing. Edward turned back towards her. "You think he wouldn't confess? Wouldn't see anything wrong with that, eventually? Especially after Renesmee confronted him and begged for him to stop making her feel all sorts of things, when her father was already guilt-tripping her just because she wanted to do something different or got upset?" Rosalie hissed, her eyes narrowing. Jasper looked up at Edward with sad, sad earth-brown eyes, like dark coffee. He nodded, silently.

"It's like she didn't even have the right to express herself any differently from you, from what you wanted," Rosalie sighed in disgust, shaking her head. "Or even feel anything if you didn't like her feeling it, if you think that her own emotions, which she was naturally inclined to feel on her own without anyone's interference, would ever be the cause of so much unrest you had to put it down and essentially drug her into complacency. I don't suppose you've heard about what Aro and Caius did to Sulpicia and Athenodora? And Marcus after Didyme's murder? And Alec and Jane? Demetri, Renata, Heidi and all the others?"

Edward flinched violently, whirling around to face her as he did. "It's not like that," he insisted. His eyes blazed like emerald fires. Fury ripped through his perfect features. "It's NOTHING like that!" He roared. Rosalie was unfazed.

"Really?" She challenged. "You used Jasper's ability to manipulate emotions to keep your daughter quiet and content with being a prisoner under guard- even on the occasions she was allowed to go anywhere, to the few places she was allowed to go around town. How is that any different?" Edward swallowed, involuntarily. Rosalie didn't even hesitate to continue: "How long have you been doing this? How many times did you ask Jasper- or expected him- to do this, to keep your daughter quiet and calm so she could stay in place?"

"It was for her safety!" Edward exploded once more. Rosalie's eyes narrowed icily as she took this in.

"So it excuses you manipulating her emotions?" They narrowed further. "Or her thoughts and feelings?"

Edward flinched. "I did what I had to do," he whispered, almost to himself "to protect her."

Yes, it was as if he were trying to convince himself that was the case, Rosalie realised, observing the man whom she thought of as her brother. It still didn't lessen the disgust and outrage she felt at his actions, though. Nor did it make him any more trustworthy.

"You know what I think? I think you're compensating or trying to compensate to her at least." She said suddenly, causing Edward's head to snap to her direction in bewilderment. The other stared. "You feel guilty about what you did as soon as you discovered that Bella was pregnant. All those thoughts that you had in your head, all the names that you called her even in silence and away from Bella's ears, all the feelings of jealousy and resentment- along with the paranoia you had that Bella would choose this baby over you, to leave you if it meant that this baby would be safe without you in the picture- and yes, I know you had them, don't deny it." Rosalie narrowed her eyes again when she saw Edward opening his mouth. "The hateful things and emotions that you had over this baby, your intentions to terminate the pregnancy or, if failing that, to get rid of the baby as soon as it was born." Edward took a step back. He looked like he'd been slapped. His lips pressed tightly together. Unable to deny or refute these claims, he nonetheless looked away from Rosalie as if to avoid the burden of her accusations. His eyes seemed damp, if that had been possible.

"Even if Bella had survived the pregnancy and remained human, against all odds. You couldn't stand the idea of having to stomach the sight of this baby, to look at it and face it, after it caused so much suffering to Bella. After you caused that suffering." She kept her eyes narrowed towards him.

"You couldn't bear the idea that this child would take after you in any way. You didn't want a reminder of what you were and what you did, another 'monster'. A murderer. You wanted the normal life you could've had in the early twentieth century that you'd been raised to want and missed out on. You wanted the wedding of your dreams, with the girl of your dreams, in the life of your dreams, with the children of your dreams- human. Pure and totally human." She said flatly. "That's why you married Bella and why you were so determined to keep her human. Sure, you wanted her to avoid the harsh realities of being a vampire, frozen in time for eternity, forced to go on enduring and existing but always in the shadows, living an aimless, meaningless existence. But that wasn't the sole focus of why you were so utterly determined to keep her human, until you realised you had no choice. Same reason why you also resented this baby: you knew that because of it- of her- you would have no choice but to ensure Bella transitions into a vampire." Edward's mouth trembled, but he still didn't look at her. His fists clenched tightly together.

Rosalie scoffed. "It's as if you loved what Bella represented: the opportunities that you've lost, the future you once could've and felt that you should've had, the life that had been deprived of you, that you'd been brought up to long for." And now that she said it, Rosalie realised that Bella and Renesmee were right: it was more about what either of them represented to him, his imagination, as opposed to the real, living individuals that were Bella and Renesmee that Edward had truly loved. But she knew he would deny everything and quite frankly, she didn't have the time and energy to waste her breath arguing with him, even if she was an immortal. After all, if Bella couldn't convince him how could Rosalie?

"You resented the loss of Bella's humanity, just as you resented the loss of yours. So, how could you possibly stand the idea of having a baby to raise and look after if it was half a vampire, one half of you?" Rosalie challenged. "An eternal reminder that you are not who you wish to be? Even if Bella had survived without turning, you had no intention of ever being a father to this baby. If she'd died, you would've killed it, since you didn't think you could bear the sight of it. Of her." Rosalie didn't break her gaze. "But if you didn't kill her, either because you didn't want or couldn't bear to make Bella's sacrifice in vain or because you feared any reminder of Bella on her face would've caused you to hesitate and eventually cave in, yet you still didn't think you could stomach the sight of her, the reminder of what you did, of the part of you which you hated..." she paused "yet if you still couldn't sneak up behind me and Esme- and Emmett-" She jerked her head towards her husband's direction while the realisation of what she was saying slowly dawned upon Emmett, Jasper and Alice. "-and force Carlisle to perform an abortion and knock Bella out with anaesthesia, just as you intended if she 'didn't listen to reason'-" Edward flinched as she used those words and in the same tone of voice he'd used "- then you were planning on sending the baby away. Far away where you never had to look and see her face or hear her voice, because you couldn't bear to see when she was happy, like any other child. As if she were human and enjoying that human life you'd so craved while you- and Bella- were not."Rosalie glowered at him. "At the very best you planned on giving her to me and Emmett, since I'd always wanted a child. Or Carlisle and Esme." Rosalie watched her brother swallow, hard. Then she went for the kill.

"But more and more you were planning on having her dead. I bet you were planning on leaving her in the woods for the wild dogs, the bears, or the mountain lions. Or, just to be certain, you were planning on giving her to the Wolves to tear to pieces as a means of assurance that the baby won't harm anyone, especially once it's grown, and to mend all possible rifts between the Quileutes and the Wolves so we could come back someday without being harmed. The sacrifice of one baby would've been a small price to pay, and Jacob would've loved to have torn her throat out, at least before he imprinted. If he can't kill you, and if he could be remotely okay with leaving Bella in peace, then he could still take his revenge, just as you could take yours." She pointed. "And you hoped that you would be there to witness everything as they tore it- her- to pieces, to gain some means of a small measure of reassurance and revenge to soothe whatever malicious and hateful feelings that you had for this baby personally- or yourself. Because you were projecting all your self-hate upon this child." The last sentence was spoken more quietly, but it rang louder than thunder. Edward flinched, more violently this time. Like he'd been struck by lightning. He wouldn't meet her eyes. "Weren't you, Edward?"

Emmett, Jasper and Alice turned wide eyes towards Edward. Alice's eyes were the size of saucers, and her mouth was open in shock. She immediately looked sick and covered her mouth with both hands. Emmett reeled back, seemingly pale and ill himself. His blue eyes stared in disbelief at his brother along with betrayal. Jasper was completely and utterly shocked. His earth-brown eyes were massive, his handsome features aghast.

Rosalie, meanwhile, was grim. She'd already figured this out. Edward was silent and totally still as she continued more softly. "Because Bella never planned that far ahead, Edward." She stated quietly. "She never thought about what you could do if and when there was no one else like me or Esme to stop you. Or Jacob. Or what you were planning to do once the baby was born, especially if she didn't survive. She planned on turning into a vampire to save her own life and to raise her baby, but she assumed- and took for granted- the idea that you would eventually come around- she just didn't have a plan to make you come around. Bella turned a blind eye to everything that could go wrong, all the things she hadn't thought about, just as she turned a blind eye to all your faults. What if Renesmee had inherited her shield instead of flipping it around, Edward? What would you have done then? What would you have felt towards her?" Edward remained silent.

"You didn't think that I would figure it out?" She asked, in the same quiet yet deadly tone. "Or that Jasper wouldn't know and tell us about Renesmee and her emotions, keeping her docile on your behalf and you getting all worked up and angry when he stopped and refused to do it anymore? He never told Bella because he didn't want her to go through any more pain than she already had. But he finally broke down and confessed after hearing what Aro and Caius had Corin do to Sulpicia and Athenodora. It sounded far too similar to what you asked him to do, before he developed the common sense to break out of your persuasive spell and to stand his ground. You didn't like that," Rosalie's lips twitched into a feral grin as she leaned forwards, eyes like daggers. "Did you? Tell me, Edward..." she leaned forwards. "Bella isn't good at planning for all possibilities and for that far ahead. But what about you, huh? Did you honestly think she would ever look at you the same way after hearing all this? How about if you'd succeeded and gone ahead with your plan- any of them? Did you think that that wasn't crossing a line?"

"I was trying to-" but his words caught in his throat. Edward's lips trembled and he finally broke down, collapsing in a heap on the floor. Jasper was still aghast, Alice appeared to be in shock. It was too much for her and she wanted to run from this room. Emmett stared, disturbed and haunted at the sight of Edward sobbing brokenly on the floor.

Rosalie, on the other hand, eyed him icily as she watched him sob brokenly. She felt no pity and no remorse for making him feel this way. The extent of the plans... she'd found out part of it, some from Jasper, others from the Wolves of Jacob's pack, apart from Jacob of course, since he was now locked in his room. The other part, about what he had planned to do to Renesmee and what he'd just confirmed to her, she'd figured out after a great deal of thought and recollection, even at vampire speed. Because of course, when she was forced to go on a trip down memory lane, she was forced to put two and two together to make four and learn from the lessons of the past so as to not repeat everything in the future. And Edward had gone far too far. She had never been so disgusted and enraged in all her life, not even when Royce had been acquitted and cleared of all suspicions by the police. That, at least, was something she'd learned to expect. Royce was rich and police, at least back then, were corrupt and violent thugs in uniform.

"You were planning on doing it, weren't you?" Her eyes narrowed. "You even considered approaching the Wolves, using Jacob to put forward your proposal. For the record, Billy Black and Sue Clearwater, and the rest of the tribal council, might've not liked vampires, but I have a hard time imagining that they would be remotely fine with the idea of executing a baby as soon as it was born purely out of revenge and the fact that it may be a threat, even if it's been established that it was a half-vampire. Even the Wolves who were all for tearing her apart were more likely to be disturbed if you actually went up and offered that they do that. They only feared the baby because it might be a threat and in case you don't remember, the council convinced them to stop- and they did." Her gaze grew icier still. "Once they'd seen her, looked and checked her over... do you think they would necessarily attack and appoint themselves her executioners? Hell, they only started planning when Bella was pregnant, and Renesmee wasn't born yet. After all, abortions happen all the time, right? It was only Billy and Sue, and the rest of the council and their imprints that slapped sense into their thick heads when they wanted to attack a pregnant mother who very much wanted her baby and also wanted to live." She glared at him. "They stopped. Unlike you and Jacob, there was no malice or revenge involved. I might not have liked them, but they weren't necessarily cruel, and they didn't want to be. They weren't going to take the baby and execute it once you'd handed her over. Instead, the council would more likely have planned to order the Wolves to attack anyway, but with you as the prime target. Not the baby or Bella. Because now they knew what you were capable of, they certainly weren't stupid or naïve enough to trust you. Honestly, if anything you would've made them rethink." Rosalie said with scorn.

"Alice is a fool," Rosalie said softly, causing Alice to suppress a sob and bow her head. "So am I, Edward. So were the rest of us for ignoring this, all these signs. But you? You're delusional, Edward. A manipulative control-freak. Emotionally and psychologically manipulative. Ever heard of the term gas-lighting? That is exactly what you did to Bella, and you're doing it to Renesmee too!"

Edward looked up, eyes hazy and unfocused as if through tears, though he tried to be outraged. "What rubbish are you saying- I would never-" he began hotly, but Rosalie scoffed. She rolled her eyes.

"In 1938, a British playwright named Patrick Hamilton wrote a play and a novel about a man who marries a woman but has only nefarious intentions for doing so. Now, I grant that you had far nobler intentions than stealing her money and jewellery, but the methods were similar." Edward's face twisted in outrage, but Rosalie didn't give him the time to counter this argument. "Of course, the fact that married women in the Victorian and Edwardian eras- which, coincidentally, was when you were born and grew up, Edward- handed all their rights to their husbands upon marriage- which they were brought up and raised to want and dream about as the ultimate goal and happiness- what rubbish, I realise that only too late now- certainly helped with control. So did Bella's passiveness and submissiveness, even though she's a child of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.

"In the play, the husband subtly changes the intensity of the gas lights in the home- hence the title- knocking on the walls and moving and taking things from the house to give the impression that they just suddenly disappeared. When the wife confronts him- despite knowing with her inner logic and reasoning- that she is not losing her mind and that her husband was up to something, he convinces her that it's all in her imagination, that she was being childish and irrational. Do those words sound familiar to you, Edward?" He froze as she sneered. His shoulders stiffened. His green eyes could've bored holes, but they stared blankly, unseeing towards her. "Those phrases?" She insisted. "Telling a wife these things to make her complacent and compliant enough to go through with your wishes, to keep quiet and content, all the while she starts questioning herself, her judgement towards others, her sense of reason, but above all, her own competence as a functioning adult and an individual? The wife becomes increasingly dependent upon him throughout the play, and his judgements and reasoning, which was in fact, manipulations. The only difference was that, unlike the husband in the play, Gregory, you deluded yourself into genuinely believing that this was truly for Bella's own good."

Looking up the novel and play that Gabrielle had described, which the term had come from, had disturbed Rosalie beyond measure. It honestly disgusted her. She didn't think anyone could be worse than Royce, but he wasn't cunning enough to be capable of this, she admitted. Edward though... it infuriated her how much he had deceived and played with them. All of them. And at what cost?

"And you wondered why she was so mad at you when you tried to convince her otherwise?" Rosalie sneered. "By accusing or trying to tell and convince her that she was being irrational when she confronted you for the first time- again! Always irrational, childish, naïve, silly, unreasonable or imagining things. Isn't that right, Edward?"

"It's not like that," Edward's voice sounded as if it was losing its strength along with volume. The whisper was growing weak. As was Edward's ability to defend himself and sweet-talk his way into making others do or believe what he wanted them to.

Good, Rosalie thought. "And the fact that you started this on your daughter too? Your growing and developing daughter? How long before she questions her ability to even walk in a straight line without your help or supervising orders, Edward?" Rosalie continued her tirade through gritted teeth. "How was she supposed to grow and be an adult? What right did you have to put words in her mouth, thoughts in her head or feelings in her heart that don't belong there?" Her voice rose to a shout.

Again, Edward said nothing, which just confirmed things. Rosalie narrowed her eyes once more. "You think that your guilt and overprotecting her is ever going to make up or erase the mistakes that you have made?" She hissed dangerously. "How is that working for you? Does your daughter still not resent you? Do you not think that she might not have guessed all this-" Rosalie waved a hand in the air "-at some point and wouldn't inevitably question herself on whether your love for her was ever genuine or not, or maybe she thought that your actions merely driven by guilt? Or perhaps for your feelings for her were based solely on your motivating desire to create the kind of domestic atmosphere you'd dreamed of and been raised and prepared all your life to want?" Rosalie asked coldly.

Once more, Edward had no answer. But it told Rosalie all she needed to know.

"I don't particularly care what you claim the truth of that really was." she said slowly, still dangerously. "And to be frank, neither does she. But ask yourself how would you feel if you were in her position and suddenly someone whom you thought you knew all your life did something like this? Someone who went through such crazy, questionable lengths to keep her safe, even insisting that she has virtually no privacy and is a prisoner- because a gilded cage is still a cage, Edward- even to the point of using their supernatural abilities and those of your uncle's to keep you quiet and content, obedient and unable to fight back, and twisting the words that come out of your mouth and playing with your feelings, all for the sake of keeping you safe, as they claimed, even though it drove you crazy... when it turns out," Rosalie paused "they were the ones who most wanted to kill you and thought the very worst of you to begin with?

"Who was supposed to protect Renesmee from you? Or from Jacob?"

Edward said nothing. Because, Rosalie thought bitterly, of course he couldn't.

"Can you truly blame her, deep down?" She continued. "Wouldn't you feel the same if you were in her position? Would you trust such a person- such people?"

Again, no response. But she didn't need one to know that her words had really gotten to Edward.

"If Bella succeeds, then you will be given a chance to become a better person." She said slowly. "Just as I did. I suggest you don't waste it; this is your third chance, after all. You wasted your second, the life that Carlisle gave you, even going through the lengths that he did. The life that your birth mother, who loved you the way I wish mine did, without conditions, gave her dying breath for. Even though the people you loved died or went through great lengths to give you the second chance and the life they felt that you deserve-" Rosalie's eyes blazed as she said this "-regardless of whether that was true and you deserve yet another chance, Bella is still going to do what it takes to give you one. Same as our parents." She hissed.

"Do you intend to spend the next decades or centuries of your immortality wasting everyone's efforts again?" Rosalie snarked. "Or trying to throw it away casually, at the first opportunity that you get, like you did in Volterra? Because, if so, just tell me and I'll tell her to stop everything. To not waste her breath. To turn back and leave you to the fate you not only damn well deserve but asked for. I'll say the exact same things to Carlisle and Esme. And Emmett, Jasper and Alice, whom you've made to be your undeserved puppet. But you had better tell them the reason why they're going to be disappointed in you again. Not me."

More than twenty-four hours later, after Rosalie awoke, she lay on the bed in her and Emmett's room in their assigned suite, thinking about the last conversation she'd had with Edward.

Would he take the chance? Would he be given it?

Her slender fingers twisted on the covers of the bed. Beside her, Emmett still snored on. He probably sounded like that as a human. Rosalie thought she found it endearing. It wasn't as bad as what might've once been, what almost had been.

"He's a fool," she whispered softly. "But he doesn't deserve to die."

There was no response. Emmett was fast asleep. He'd been exhausted, mentally and emotionally. They all were.

Once again, Rosalie couldn't feel more gratitude for that sleep potion.

With it, even as vampires, they would all have fallen apart. Now she fully understood and felt exactly what Tanya and Kate felt when they realised that Irina was about to suffer the full weight of the Volturi's- or Caius' in particular- blame. She wondered if they would feel the exact pain that she had. Rosalie had tried to console them, but while they accepted her embrace, both sisters and Carmen and Eleazar made it clear that they wished to go. They all needed time. Their one solace was that Kate had finally found her mate: Garrett.

But they had lost a sister. What would the Cullens' only consolation be? Renesmee being free of both Jacob and the influence of her father? But as she thought it, Rosalie felt lighter. She became hopeful. Yes, that would make all their pain worth it, although not the loss of Edward's life. Despite all his self-righteous hypocrisy, his controlling and manipulative behaviour, his downright prudish arrogance and condescending behaviour towards everyone, even himself, he was still Rosalie's brother. Their brother and Carlisle and Esme's son. They would not let him die.

She wondered though... what about Renesmee? What would she feel? Yes, she now knew the ugly truth, although not the extent of it and Rosalie prayed with all her heart- if God would ever deign to listen to her- that her niece whom she looked at as a daughter would never find out the true extent of her father's betrayal.

It would be far too much and too cruel.

As they arose for the day- or rather, night as vampires were nocturnal and their species had, upon staying in the Old-World Coven, adopted the other species' habits- Rosalie thought about Adriana Della Rosa and her daughter Beatrice. Her heart squeezed as if she had been stabbed when she remembered Vittoria's picture, forever seared into her mind. She knew it would be the same for every one of her family. A child only a few years older than Renesmee, with dimples just like hers and a sweet little face, just like Alice.

She could have been a member of their family. But now she was dead, along with her father, and her mother and baby sister would have to live their entire lives without both of them. Thank God Beatrice survived with her mother, at least.

So, what now, she pondered as she left the room. Emmett trailed silently behind her, Jasper and Alice not far behind. Carlisle and Esme were ahead.

"Where's Bella?" Carlisle asked. Everyone looked at each other. Esme's brow furrowed.

"I'm over here." A hollow voice, numb and hoarse for a vampire, resounded. Bella stepped forwards.

Esme noted the shadows beneath Bella's eyes in alarm. They hadn't sported those dark circles since Gabrielle gave them access to sleeping potions laced with blood for vampires. Her silky and lustrous brown hair was mussed. "Where have you been?"

Bella took a shuddering breath. Her lips trembled and her eyes shone. She looked like she was about to break down.

"Out," she whispered, brokenly. Her voice cracking. Esme came forwards and gathered Bella in her arms.

"It'll be alright." She promised. The rest of them followed suit, embracing Bella and each other from all angles.

"We'll be there for each other." Bella nodded.

Slowly, the family disengaged and made their way into the court auditorium.

"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse, and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality."

Archbishop Desmond Tutu

"Aro leader of the Volturi, Caius leader of the Volturi; Corin, Chelsea and Afton, guards of the Volturi, for the crimes of kinslaying and betrayal of one's coven and kin, for the crimes of corruption and falsifying charges, the execution of innocents, of enslavement of your own kind for your own gain, of placing at risk and causing harm to underage mages and their families, of transforming underage children who were also mages for the sake of your own greed, for false imprisonment and enchanting your coven-mates, two of them being your spouses, threatening an innocent child and her family, executing without trial and the murder of innocent mundane humans and two innocent mages, one of them an underage child, whilst threatening another and her infant daughter, the court sentences you all to death." The Vampire Queen pronounced their sentence.

Her dark blue eyes flared briefly golden as she stared at them. Caius' mouth trembled. For the first time he showed real fear. He shook. It now slammed into him: he was going to be executed the same way he had ordered the deaths of many, sometimes to soothe the craving and need to assert his own power and domination more than anything. Aro stood stunned, as if he couldn't believe it, before horror slowly showed within his dark eyes as the same realisation dawned upon him.

He was no longer at the height of his power. And there would be no chance to get it back. He would finally pay for all the ploys he had made for power, all the secrets he had covered or kept hushed up. Chelsea and Corin stood, unable to suppress their sobs. They were completely anguished. Always reliant, even dependent upon their masters' protection, they had never imagined a time when they would be stripped completely of them. Chelsea and Afton were embracing each other tightly, the two females sobbing in utter anguish, the same anguish which showed upon Afton's face, although he and Chelsea took consolation in the fact that they would die together, as they had always planned and intended, like during New Year's Eve when the Cullens' side had shown unexpected and challenging powers.

If only they had known.

"Due to the nature of their enchantments of Chelsea and Corin placed upon them and the... nefarious influence and manipulations of the Volturi leaders, the rest of the guard will serve lesser sentences, once they have recovered." The Lady's brow furrowed. "Should they ever recover." She noted grimly, causing people to murmur and speculate once more.

"However, in the case of the twins Jane and Alec, formerly Jehanne and Alexander of Wessex, I fear that the damage is permanent." She added darkly. "Both were, after all, underage children, regardless of the fact that they were on the cusp of adolescence before witnessing the brutal murder of their mother, suffering her loss, the torture and being burned alive before being transformed and forced into a life and a world which they had no knowledge of and had never been prepared, with merely the sole guidance of the one who had caused all this to happen and manipulated them into unleashing their now-stunted abilities, their pain and rage upon targets whom, too late, are mostly proven not guilty." Lady Laima pronounced. Her dark blue eyes glinted menacingly as she regarded Aro and Caius.

"Your time is up. There is no escape. Your power is broken and destroyed." She pronounced and Rosalie realised that she was speaking in the vampire tongue which now the Volturi themselves understood even though they hadn't been present to witness the ceremony.

"Death shall come to you on swift wings. Justice is a winged beast, and it gets us all in the end." The lady progenitor spoke. She turned towards Edward.

In that moment, Rosalie's defunct intestines knotted themselves and flew up her throat. Her whole body grew cold.

"Edward Cullen, formerly known as Edward Anthony Masen Junior, the court had previously decided upon sentencing you either to death or to five centuries of imprisonment." The lady remarked. Rosalie could barely breathe. Wait- does this mean-

"However, upon consultation with and receiving the agreement of the families of the victims, you shall instead serve a minimum of thirty-three years of imprisonment." Lady Laima announced frankly. Rosalie's eyes could've popped out of her skull. She stared in disbelief, as did Emmett, Jasper and Carlisle who were uncomprehending. Alice gasped sharply and Esme's hands flew to her mouth.

"However, even after that sentence has been served, you are not permitted to meet and communicate, nor even to make distant contact with your wife and child for both their sakes. In fact, you shall not even be permitted to glimpse either of them from a distance, nor to be within a ten-mile radius of either of them." The Vampire Queen announced coolly. Rosalie froze. Emmett, Esme, Alice, Carlisle and Jasper all stared, aghast.

"This will last throughout the duration of three centuries during which Edward Cullen would be banished from his community, although the rest of his family may see him." The lady continued. "Where he would go, it will be up to his species' new government to decide, but the Vampire High Council, of which they are now a part of, shall monitor and keep an eye on him, with spells set to ensure that he does not attempt to break, avert nor to lessen his sentence.

"This is the will of the court. The trials and sentencing of the Volturi and Edward Cullen have now concluded." She decided. Elijah Mikaelson banged his gavel three times to signal the end.

Edward stared blankly towards the Vampire Queen. Lady Laima gazed at the audience, the two remaining judges and Maggie before nodding. "I would like to thank you all for participating and witnessing this. And for taking the brave steps to set things right and join yourselves with the rest of us. Welcome one and all." She announced, her tone a shade warmer, but her expression was still solemn.

She nodded to Maggie who swallowed and bowed her head, curls bouncing. Cheers erupted from many angles. The Della Rosa family, including Adriana, hugged each other. There were tears of joy and relief, despite the fact that their wounds would never fully heal. The witches and wizards in the same box congratulated them on the verdict and sentencing. The only thing unanimously felt by all was relief that the torturous trials and sentencing were finally over. Yet the Cullens stood, stunned.

Gabrielle noted this. She watched from their box while the others celebrated. Harry and Ron were grinning, Hermione appeared relieved, so relieved she could've fainted. She smiled towards the direction of the Della Rosas. "I'm glad that's over." She said warmly. "Justice has been served." She beamed.

Harry and Ron agreed. They felt no sympathy for Cedric's relative, although they would normally be the first to stand up for the Diggorys. Cedric himself, Gabrielle suspected, would have agreed with this verdict and felt its necessity, although he did not take pleasure in anyone's suffering.

Hermione's brow furrowed. "I really don't like executions," she admitted. "Do you think that's right? I'm glad they can't hurt anyone anymore, and that justice has been served, but I don't like to celebrate somebody's death." She fretted.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Hermione, relax. 'Sides, they all got what's coming to them." Gabrielle stood motionless. Her eyes did not leave Bella and the Cullens who stood stunned. She noticed that their friends from Denali were doing the same. Soon, explanations would have to be had. No matter what each of the Cullens had testified to in court, no matter what the judges and the investigators of MACUSA had found, no matter what Edward himself had admitted, they would like to hear their version of events in private. She could see the others eyeing them in the same way.

"She doesn't look so good, does she?" A voice spoke softly from beside her. Gabrielle turned. It was Ava. Gabrielle sighed. "No." She said flatly. "She doesn't."

This hasn't ended. Their sentences have only just begun.

"The sentence shall be carried out in a week," Elijah Mikaelson announced. "There will be time for the condemned to bid their farewells and to settle their affairs. If aid would be necessary for such things, they need only ask for assistance."

I imagine Radu as being played by Toby Stephens, the son of actress Dame Maggie Smith who was the absolutely superb Minerva McGonagall. He's a phenomenal actor, truly outstanding and criminally underrated because he doesn't get directly involved with Hollywood insanity- sorry, drama (and who can blame him?). I first saw him in the admittedly awful James Bond film Die Another Day and in the miniseries Napoleon (2003). I don't know who would play Ruxandra or Lady Laima, however, but Markus' actor is the same as in Underworld: Evolution, Tony Curran and the one for Amelia, Zita Görög, not Sveta Driga who also played her in Blood Wars (but with Zita Görög's image in flashbacks).

For Ava Swan, I envision Alexandra Park for the role, since she bears an uncanny resemblance to Kristen Stewart- even their eyes are both green. But in this case, I imagine her with the same chocolate contact lenses that Kristen and Mackenzie Foy (whose eyes were also green) both wore while filming the Twilight series. I simply blended how Stephenie Meyer described Bella physically with Kristen and Alexandra's actual physical features.

Use your own imaginations for Gabrielle and Adsila. I have nothing against Clémence Poésy and she is a good actress, but I don't agree with casting her as the part-Veela, part-human Fleur Delacour, at least not without some serious makeup and digital touchup to make her seem less human the way they did with the elven actors in Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit. Same as Angelica Mandy though she was certainly likeable and sweet as eight-year-old Gabrielle. And Fleur was barely given any character in the films. You have to understand, the Veela and part-Veela from Harry Potter are Fey creatures, otherwise known as Fair Folk or Faeries. They can't appear too similar to humans, though they certainly appeal to them, and while Harry did not know what they were when he first saw them during the 1994 Quidditch World Cup, he knew they weren't human, so there has to be something particularly inhuman about Apolline, Fleur and Gabrielle's individual beauty.

The characters from Blood and Chocolate, Vivian and her pack, aren't envisioned by me as looking too much like the book's film adaptation, which was not at all faithful to the novel, anyway. Just use your imagination for them.