I Fear No Pain

C6: Cullen's Arrival

Standard Disclaimer: I don't own any of the recognizable characters.

Alice's POV

The day the rest of the family would arrive, I was asked by Didyme to ensure Bella would have a hearty breakfast, since Jane was adept at a lot of things, but cooking was not one of them and since I knew that she would ensure Bella would wake up in time, I had no problems in making my sister a nice breakfast.

To be honest I was very excited to see Jasper again, because I had truly missed his arms around me for the past week, which I would hope would never happen again, or at least not anytime soon because I couldn't handle that separation.

I had talked about this at length with the three Queens, and they assured me that once Athenodora had the opportunity to see his abilities in combat, they would make a decision in what capacity he would become part of the Guard.

I knew very well that she was probably the oldest of our kind, but I had also seen that Jasper would surprise her as he did everyone when they first saw him fight. It was also one of the reasons both Carlisle and Edward feared him so much. Carlisle might be older than him, but he is a pacifist who thinks himself a diplomat.

Having witnessed true diplomacy over the last week, I knew how blinded we had all been by his words. Strange how it took someone as unique as Bella to make us all see that.

My biggest concern about today would be Esme. I knew in my heart that she loved Bella as a daughter but I feared for Didyme's reaction when Esme would try and claim Bella in front of her, not to mention what Jane's reaction would be if Edward tried to be stupid again, which given his past behavior had a good chance of happening.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I just barely noticed Bella and Jane enter the kitchen. "Good morning, my dear sister. How was your night?" Bella asked with a smile.

I smiled at her as I gave her a hug. "Uneventful and filled with nerves and visions about today. I saw that Carlisle intends to downplay his involvement and knowledge of Edward's actions."

Bella smiled at that. "Like that is going to work. He is just as guilty as Edward is in that regard because he allowed it to happen in the first place, and he should know that he can't lie to Sulpicia."

I nodded at her. "He does know it, but that doesn't mean he isn't going to try to save himself from this punishment, because it is very likely he will at least be stripped of his Coven Leader title."

Jane smirked at that. "At the very least yes, he may count himself lucky if he is not imprisoned for a couple of centuries."

I smiled at her. "I would serve him right because in the end Carlisle is just as bad as Edward, if not worse."

Jane merely nodded as Bella took a seat and she went to prepare Bella's coffee, which kind of had become our daily ritual.

"So Bella, how are you feeling about today?" I asked softly as I placed a plate of sandwiches in front of her.

She shrugged at that. "To be very honest I don't have a feeling one way or another, I just want to be rid of Edward and his nonsense once and for all. My only true hope is that Esme will come out of this okay. I would hate to see her get hurt."

Jane smiled at that. "I'm sure if Sulpicia sees how torn she was between leaving you and staying by her mate's side, I think they'll rule that she is free to stay here, and if I am to go by what Alice has told me, I doubt that she and Carlisle are mated, and I know Didyme will give everyone that answer."

Bella and I both smiled at that, which made Jane roll her eyes at us. "Sometimes I think you are actually twins with how you sometimes act. It's both sickeningly sweet and endearing at the same time."

"Just wait until I'm turned Jane, then I am sure there will come a time where we will finish each other's sentences." Bella said with a smile.

"Personally I hope that is a few decades into the future, it's disconcerting to see you two be so in sync." Jane said with a slight glare to me, which I by now had learned she just did to keep her image intact.

Bella however just smiled at her mate as she gave the blonde's hand a squeeze. "I was teasing baby. While I know for a fact that Alice and I will become very close, I don't think we will ever get to the level where we just have to look at each other and know what the other is thinking."

Jane betrayed a slight smile at that as Bella finished her breakfast and coffee in short order so we could be in the Throne Room on time, since I was pretty sure that her mother would want to spend some time with Bella before everyone arrived.

The Queens had been purposely sparing with details about their decision of punishment, and I had a feeling this was done deliberately as to not show any form of bias or to hurt either Bella or myself, which I understood.

Before we walked into the Throne Room, Bella held Jane back for just a moment. "Remember Jane, no matter what happens today, I am yours and you are mine and Edward is not going to break that up, nor is anyone else among the Cullens."

Jane nodded and pressed a soft kiss to Bella's cheek. "I know love, and I am not worried about my reaction today. All I care for at this moment will be your safety, and I also must ask you to try and not stare too much at me while I'm on guard, we wouldn't want to give anything away after all."

Bella nodded and smiled at her. "I won't love, we are not going to give away more than we have to."

Jane nodded and gave her hand a squeeze before we walked in, and while Jane took her place among the Guard, with her brother still noticeably absent, Bella and I took our spots behind Didyme.

Bella's POV

While we all waited for the Cullens to arrive, I couldn't help but notice how tense my mother was, and I could feel through our bond that something was bothering her greatly. "Are you okay mother?" I asked softly.

She smiled and gave my hand a squeeze. "I am mostly okay sweetie. Mostly I worry for you. Today is going to be a very emotional day for everyone and I worry how it is going to affect you."

I blushed a little at that, still not used to having someone that cared for me to this degree. "I promise that the only real emotion I will feel today is happiness, both at Edward and Carlisle's punishment and what I am sure is the reunification with the rest of my siblings. I honestly am still a bit on the fence about Esme."

"That is what worries me sweetheart. I don't want to put you in another position to get hurt again, and while I doubt Esme will do that. I cannot help but worry about it." She said softly as she shared a very quick look with Sulpicia, who on her turn shook her head.

I found that a bit odd, but didn't want to question it right now unless I really wanted to make myself nervous for what might happen today.

"Bella, I promise that what we have decided on is in the best interest of everyone involved. No one but the two people guilty of everything will be punished, and that includes Esme. We will of course have a very serious conversation with her but I promise that she will remain unharmed." Sulpicia said kindly.

I smiled at that. "That is good to hear, because I do care for her. She made sure that I knew that no matter what I would always be a part of her family, which after everything my parents put me through was something I had some trouble accepting. I am sure that this is part of the reason I accepted the bond I share with mother so easily."

Sulpicia nodded at that. "I know sweetling. I saw it in your thoughts when I first read your mind. I promise that she will remain unharmed and will be allowed to stay if she wishes to do so."

I nodded and smiled at her, still resisting the urge to actually crawl in Didyme's lap, because I could still feel her worry very sharply in my heart.

She just smiled at me and pressed a quick kiss to my cheek, to which I couldn't help but blush.

Just as I tried to get my blush to fade, the doors opened as Heidi led the Cullens in, barely noticing how close Esme seemed to be to the other brunette. Now that I saw them again I felt nerves creep up, especially when I saw the death glare Edward gave Alice, who was smiling serenely at me as she gave my shoulder a comforting squeeze.

"Ah, the Cullens, here at long last, and not a moment too soon. We have been anxiously waiting your arrival, especially after witnessing Edward's transgressions in Bella's mind. You have a lot to answer for Carlisle." Sulpicia said with a grin, one that almost betrayed her true feelings.

Carlisle smiled kindly like he usually did. "I am sure that we can come to a favorable resolution here, Sulpicia."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Perhaps, but first I will read all of you to see what exactly has transpired over the last months and the reason why you so blatantly broke the law."

That visibly made Carlisle and Edward nervous while the rest had a slight smirk on their faces, even Esme, which was something I did not expect and as Sulpicia read their thoughts I could see her body stiffen. "You've always been arrogant Carlisle, but I never thought you would go to these lengths to deceive us." Sulpicia said as she stepped back from the Coven Leader.

"We did no wrong, because in the end Bella will still be turned so technically no laws were broken." Carlisle said in what I was sure was his most diplomatic voice.

That got a loud growl from Athenodora, who stalked up to them. "Don't presume you are in any position to quote technicalities in our laws, boy. If your eldest hadn't been such an idiot we would never have known about Bella, and it is also not the only law that you broke."

"Edward also never had the intention of turning her, and you know that too, and no matter how many times the rest of your Coven tried to tell you that what you were doing was beyond dangerous, you would not be deterred. I hereby strip you of your title of Coven Leader and you will not be allowed to form another Coven for at least three centuries. You are also banished forever from the walls of Volterra and you may count yourself lucky that we let you live." Sulpicia said with a growl.

Carlisle merely nodded, rightfully cowed as he was led out of the Throne Room and to my surprise Esme remained right where she was.

Sulpicia then turned her glare on Edward. "As for you. Your blatant disregard for our rules can no longer be tolerated. You are arrogant, foolish and brazen and I have seen that you cannot be rehabilitated. Felix, Demetri take our guest to the dungeons until such time we have decided on an appropriate punishment. As for the rest of you, I believe we should talk about your future."

As Edward was carted off to the dungeons, the others merely nodded, and only when Sulpicia was sure he was out of hearing range, she relaxed a little. "There is no need to fear anything. I saw in your memories, as well as in Bella's that you have tried everything in your power to both keep her safe as well as stay to support her in your own ways, but first I believe it is time to clear something else up for our dear niece. Esme dear, won't you tell her the truth now that you can?"

Esme smiled at me and walked up towards me. "Of course, my Queen. It has been a terrible burden for too long and she deserves to know. You see Bella, Carlisle was never my mate, and the only reason I left with him was because of my orders from the Queens. In truth I have been part of the Volturi for a little over four hundred years and happily mated to Heidi too. I'm so very sorry for the deception but I couldn't let Carlisle catch on to the real reason I was there. I did mean everything I said to you however. I hope you can forgive me for this."

I honestly didn't know how to respond to this, so I did the only logical thing I could. I got up out of my chair and hugged her tightly. "I forgive you, I will always forgive you."

She smiled down at me and wrapped her arms around me, and immediately I felt the warmth I always felt when I hugged her.

"I think in light of everything, we should postpone any further talks until later and let Bella catch up with her siblings." Sulpicia said with a soft smile.

I smiled gratefully at her and quickly went over to my mother to give her a hug before Alice led us to her atelier.

Alice's POV

I was so happy that I was finally in Jasper's arms again, but nothing warmed my heart more then seeing Bella be whole again now that Rosalie, Emmett and Esme were back, although I never would have suspected that Esme had been a part of the Volturi this whole time.

Jane of course had come with us too and she was looking quite content with Bella in her arms. "So Bella Bear, what happened? Edward wasn't exactly generous on details." Emmett asked with his usual grin.

She smiled at him. "To be honest, most of what happened he wasn't even present for. I found my mate in Jane, my mother in Queen Didyme and my Soul Sister in Alice, and that is just the vampire things that happened. I learned so much already and I can honestly say that I've never been happier, no offense of course."

Both Rosalie and Emmett smiled at that. "We're happy that you finally found your happiness Bella. We knew we couldn't be enough to make you feel whole again, but we could try and help you heal which we did to the best of our abilities." Rosalie said kindly.

Bella smiled at her. "And you did, because I am sure I wouldn't have been able to accept everything that has been revealed as soon as I did now. I am sure that I wouldn't have been okay with Jane marking me already if it hadn't been for the necessary truths you all told me."

Rosalie smiled at that. "We refused to lie to you, and in hindsight Esme's request of honesty makes a lot more sense too. She really hid her true identity well."

I nodded at that. "I never saw anything about this being even a possibility of an outcome, I honestly think that she never actually made conscious decisions of doing anything against Carlisle. I honestly envy that ability a bit."

"I had suspicions of course, because there were times that I felt some conflicting things from her, but those were so sporadic that I could never pinpoint exactly why she felt that way." Jasper said with a soft smile.

Bella smiled at that. "I think it's a lot simpler than that, I think that the Queens merely asked her to ensure that Carlisle didn't overstep and report when she could. I remember mother telling me that Carlisle left because he tried to sway people to his way of feeding, which I learned is a lot more dangerous than actually drinking human blood. I think she made the comparison of eating raw and cooked meat. Your bodies are not made for animal blood."

"Yes, it is something we realized not too long ago, and it is something we intend to rectify if we're allowed to stay." Rosalie said softly.

"Why wouldn't you be allowed to stay? I am pretty sure if you ask that no one will object to it, and remember, I have some pull now." Bella said with a wink.

Rosalie smiled at that. "I'm sure you do, I'm just not sure if we can be useful here. I don't have a gift after all."

Bella smiled at her, but it was Jane who answered. "Not everyone in the Guard has a gift, Rosalie. Esme and Heidi don't have one, and Queen Athenodora also does not have a gift that I know of."

"From the talks I've had with her, she does, but it is a bit more passive than what most people would call a gift, which might be because she is twice as old as my mother and aunt Sulpicia combined." Bella said softly as she cuddled more into Jane.

Jane looked a bit surprised at that, but said nothing, and I will admit that I was a bit surprised too, but filed that away for later. "We'll talk about that later, I'm honestly more surprised about the fact that the Queens didn't immediately punish Edward."

"I think I know why. They felt like just killing him there on the spot would be too easy. I have a feeling Athenodora wants to get creative with him. She's done so with most people the Queens had a grudge against, and since it's been a long time since she got to be creative, I have a feeling that she'll want to make it last." Jane said with a smirk, which I had learned was her version of smiling to anyone besides Bella.

"Honestly, I hope she makes him suffer like he made us suffer through everything." Rosalie said with only a bit of a growl.

Bella only smiled at that. "While I don't know Athenodora that well yet, I have a feeling she will. The things she told me surely made it seem that she has no lack of creative punishments."

Rosalie grinned at that. "Good, he deserves it. Although I do wonder what will be expected of us now."

"I'm sure that if you ask the Queens would be more than happy to tell you and ask you all what you want, and since they said that they were going to talk to everyone about this later, I have a feeling that later today you will have your answers." I said with a soft smile to the blonde.

Rosalie nodded at that as she glanced at her mate, who seemed to be vibrating with his usual boyish energy. "You've been unusually quiet today Emmett."

"Honestly Alice, I don't have anything to add that hasn't already been said before. I'm just happy that we're all back together again and that we're for the foreseeable future will be right here with Bella Bear." Emmett said with a grin.

Bella smiled at him. "I'm glad to have you all here too Emmett. It's been far too quiet over the last week, and of course I really missed you all."

"We're here now Bella, and I don't think we'll be leaving any time soon, if ever." Rosalie said with a smile.

Bella smiled at the blonde. "I have a feeling you're going to love it here Rose. I am very sure that my mother and aunts will have something special in mind for you. They did the same for Alice."

Rosalie merely smiled and nodded as we continued to talk for most of the afternoon, before Bella's stomach decided to add it's two cents.

Didyme's POV

Later that afternoon, Bella and her siblings were back in the Throne Room, with Bella in her usual spot next to me. "Did you and your siblings have a good talk sweetling?" I asked with a soft smile.

She nodded and gave my hand a squeeze. "We did, we mostly talked about everything that has happened over the last week and we speculated what might happen to Edward, but mostly we were happy to just be together again. I really missed Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper."

I smiled at her. "It's good to see you so happy sweetie, and in regards to Edward, your aunt is thinking of something very special for him, which I am sure she will be taking her time for."

Sulpicia smiled at our interaction and gathered everyone's attention. "We thought it would be more prudent to talk about what you all would want. You are of course free to stay if you want to and if you choose to stay, there will never be any form of pressure. We strive to be a family here despite what you may have been told, and we encourage everyone to pursue their own passions."

Rosalie and Emmett shared a look and smiled at her. "We would love to stay because I know that it would make Bella happy to have us all together. I also have to be honest and say that I don't know what would be expected of me. I don't have a gift after all."

"Not all in our Guard have a gift Rosalie, and there are a plenty of opportunities for you here in Volterra. Surely you have a passion that you would like to pursue?"

Rosalie smiled at that. "To be honest my passion has been cars for nearly five decades, so if you have something of a car pool, I would gladly take care of that."

Sulpicia smiled at her. "As it so happens, we have been talking about adding a garage and a discreet exit of the Castle, it will help keep a lower profile and if you are interested we could definitely have you be in charge of the purchase and upkeep of that."

"I would be honored, my Queen." Rosalie said softly.

Sulpicia smiled at her as she turned to Emmett. "And what of you, young Emmett?"

"To be honest I have no real aspirations other then being there for Bella. My interests have always been fairly simple and as long as I get to on occasion fight people I would be more than happy." Emmett said with a grin.

Athenodora nodded at him. "I think we can easily accommodate you there, young one. With your bulk and what my dear niece has told me, I think you'll fit right into the Guard."

"Indeed he will love, and that leaves Jasper. I know of your history of course and we would be honored to have you be part of the Guard to help train the others. Talents such as yours should not be left unused after all." Sulpicia said kindly.

Jasper smiled at her. "It would be my honor, my Queen. I hope to live up to your expectations."

"I have no doubt that you will. Your story is legendary of course, and I will be very honest and say that I have been itching to see what you are capable of myself." Athenodora said with clear excitement in her voice.

Jasper merely nodded at her. "Then I think we have settled everything besides the obvious, unless there was something you wanted to add, love?" Sulpicia asked me with a soft smile.

Sensing that she felt that I had been overly quiet over this discussion, I merely smiled at her. "I think everything pressing has been discussed, Cia. We all knew what the outcome of this would be and there is no reason to keep everyone in suspense."

"If I may mother, I would like to speak to Esme in private if that is okay? There are some things we need to talk about." Bella asked softly.

"Of course sweetling. When she and Heidi return, I am sure she will jump at the chance to talk to you. I am sure she is dying to apologize profusely for having to lie to you for so long, and I would also like to take this opportunity to say how sorry we are for our part I that." I said softly, hoping she wouldn't be mad at me for that.

Bella smiled at me and gave my hand a squeeze. "I completely understand the need for secrecy mother. Carlisle couldn't find out about the true reason of her being there and I could never fault her for keeping that secret, nor do I mind you keeping it from me. I merely wish to catch up with her."

I smiled at her. "Of course sweetheart. Like I said when she and Heidi return I am sure she'll seek you out. I have a feeling it will be sometime tomorrow that they'll grace us with their presence, given the amount of time they've been apart."

Bella blushed adorably at that. "That is a bit too much information, but I get it."

I just smiled and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "I'm sure that when you are turned you and Jane will also disappear for at least a few days. It is only natural for us, but it is something we shall speak of later."

She nodded and gave my hand a squeeze as we excused ourselves, since everything had been talked about and I felt that Bella was hungry, and of course the Mama in me wanted to feed my baby girl.