Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Twilight characters and I'm not making any money off of this story.

Author's Note: This story is the brain child from a comment Stephanie Meyer made about Aro, calling him "freakishly curious." And here is the result. I hope you all enjoy!

I also just re-loaded the chapters with the proper scene breaks in the story. It should be much easier to read now.

Twilight: Creation

Chapter One

He didn't know what he was searching for, he was just searching. Was it for a reason? He had plenty of those, each one just as well versed as the next. They were empty, inexcusable but they were believed by his brothers and that was all that mattered.

Perhaps it was forgiveness? He quickly discounted that. The only person who could forgive him was Didyme, the victim of his own pride, deceitfulness and will to survive in a dangerous society. He repeated the reasons to himself again, an odd version of "Hail Mary." No, not Hail Mary...more like the plague song that had reached Italy from England. He tried to recall the entire thing but his memory would only reveal the last line of the rhyme. His own mind had turned against him now.

Ashes, ashes, we all fall down.

Except they all didn't fall. Just Didyme. For the rest of them, it was more of a stumble. Marcus was still stumbling. Aro pushed a sigh out of his lips, not because he had to release the air but rather the emotions. Three hundred years and Didyme's death still weighed on him. But he could never show it to Caius and definitely not to Marcus. What would he, the grieving brother, have to feel guilty about unless he had a hand or two in her death?

So was it guilt then, that drove him to the shores of the Mediterranean? He had expected the guilt to fade over the years but it had only grown. His cheerfulness was becoming more and more forced, as if he was proving he didn't need Didyme to make him happy. His collecting was getting out of hand and he had written the Volturi history in minute detail it bored even him to read it. Now they have a newcomer, Carlisle, watching their every move, learning from the society that Aro and his brothers had built from the ground up, with those eerie golden eyes of his.

The sea breeze whipped up, carrying with it the scent of a lone human. Wanting a distraction from the onslaught of thoughts, Aro moved quickly down the beach to investigate. Judging from the fragrance it was a young human. It lacked the staleness of age or the tang of illness. Young, fresh...it made him thirsty all over again and the hunt began again.

The moon was full, offering very little cover for him to travel unseen. There was no sense is keeping to the low lying brush so he stepped boldly onto the shifting sand. He was once again thankful for the lack of his brother's presence. Caius refused to leave Volterra when there was a full moon and Marcus, well, Marcus rarely left at all. Aro shook those thoughts from his mind and focused on following the delicious scent that was pulling at him, tempting him. The nearer he drew to the source, the more his mouth watered with venom. Whoever it was, their blood was a siren to him...la tua cantante.

His foot tangled in a piece of a clothing, stopping his progress. Annoyance took the edge off his excitement as he unraveled the cloth from his leg. Shaking it off, he was surprised to find it was a traveling cloak made of an expensive wool. The scent he had been following clung to the fabric. They had to be close.

"Signore?"

A woman's voice echoed off a grouping of rocks from his right. Due to his enhanced hearing and the scent of her, he knew exactly which rock she was hiding behind. He must have intruded on her late night swim. He found this oddly provocative. As he approached her hiding place, carrying the cloak over his arm, he could smell the tangy scent of the sea water mixing her own tantalizing fragrance. "Signorina?"

"My cloak, please, Signore?"

He caught a flash of light hair before it disappeared behind the rock again. He continued over to where she was hiding. "I fear if I toss this to you, it will miss its mark and get wet."

"I will take that chance, Signore."

He ran his tongue over the edge of his teeth. Her slight exasperation was amusing. "But I will not. You have my word that I will be a perfect gentleman." It wasn't the first time he had lied and, certainly, wouldn't be the last. He held the cloak open in front of him and turned his head. He could hear her wet footsteps as she made her way towards him. He spared one quick glance in her direction and that was all he needed. That super-human turn of his head allowed him to gather all the information he needed.

She was wearing a white shift, though with it being wet was completely unnecessary. The moon had bleached her skin of color, matching his own. But even with that quick glance, he could see the pulse in her neck, goosebumps on her fair skin and her scent was overwhelming when she slipped into the cloak he was holding. He fought the urge to grab her right there and drain her of her alluring blood. She resettled her hair and tugged the cloak tightly around her trembling frame.

"Thank you, Signore." She glanced up quickly and he saw she had emerald eyes. "I was certain I was alone tonight."

Intriguing...that was the only word that kept repeating itself in his mind. "You must always be careful, Signorina. You never know what lurks in the darkness." Thank the gods that his mouth still worked when his mind had stalled.

She laughed slightly at his comment and he realized he hadn't heard Sulpicia laugh in a very long time. Her demeanor had changed so much after Didyme's death, he feared she was suspicious of him. One touch and he realized suspicions were all she had and suspicions fade over time. The chill she exuded had yet to disappear though it was lessening. Perhaps that was why he was finding this human so alluring. Even his kind longed for love, gentleness and affection despite their violence. Could his blood lust be plain lust? Was that possible?

"You look troubled," she asked.

Reverently, she laid her hand on his cheek and he closed his eyes. Her thoughts swam through his already addled mind. Words spoken in her timber of voice echoed through his head: beautiful...cold...strange...sad...vampire. His eyes snapped open and her hand dropped back to her side. The sudden urge to leave her far behind overwhelmed him but the blush on her cheeks kept him rooted to the spot.

She pulled the cloak tighter around herself. "I'm sorry. I've overstepped my boundaries."

"Nonsense." Forcing a smile, he reached for her hand again and brought it up to his lips. "A touch from such a lovely lady as yourself is nothing that needs an apology." Her thoughts invaded his own once more. He searched for the word vampire again and was relieved that in her recent memories she had visited Volterra on St. Marcus Day. She was only attributing him as a vampire in her imagination. Aro realized that such feelings of relief were pointless. He was going to kill her anyway so whether she knew of his kinds existence was really a moot point. However, he did take delight in knowing she found him just as intriguing as he found her. Her brazenness was fading though and she gently slipped her hand from his. His mind went momentarily silent before it's usually chaos began again.

"I must go. If my uncle finds me missing..."

"I understand. But forgive me for being disappointed. I don't even know your name."

She smiled coyly. "I don't know yours either. Perhaps we can be introduced properly tomorrow evening."

It was all too easy. "Tomorrow evening it is."

He watched her walk up the sandy stretch of beach until she disappeared in the darkness. Even then he could make out her slight figure and counted five times she had turned around to see if he was still on the beach. His thirst remained but he could wait. He hadn't played with his prey in a while now and it felt good to flex these predatory muscles of his. Tomorrow...he would only have to wait till tomorrow.

It had been a troubling day. Marcus had barricaded himself once more inside Didyme's quarters and refused to emerge. Caius was more argumentative than normal, wanting to continue with the three trials that were set for the day but Aro had wanted to wait for Marcus. It was better to know where loyalties lie before punishing the guilty. Aro hated loose ends. Caius' thirst for violence shouldn't have surprised him. His brother always became restless after the full moon faded. Aro normally had patience with him but not today. He would have to be more careful though. He couldn't allow Caius to grow suspicious of these late night outings.

Aro shook his head slightly. This would be the last meeting with this woman. He would ask her name and promptly dispatch her. There would be no more need for the stealth and secrecy. It would be very simple. But as her fragrance rose above the salty sea scent, his resolve wavered. Why should he deny himself this wonderful distraction? Surely he could put off Caius and the guard for a few more days with placations and lies. No one would dare question him. That thought helped clear his mind from clutter. It had been awhile since he had interacted with a meal and he was curious to see how long he could keep up the facade.

"Good evening, Signore."

An easy smile spread across his face. "And good evening to you, Signorina." He offered her his hand which she gladly took. As he brought it to his lips, he could hear the strength of her pulse in her fine wrist. He swallowed his hunger and focused instead on her thoughts. They were more jumbled than last night. She was nervous, not of him but of being caught. How foolish. Her heart beat was fluttering at such a high rate, he was afraid she might pass out. That would do him no good so he released her hand and was instantly disappointed in the quiet of his own mind.

"I believe introductions are needed. I am Aro Volturi."

She repeated his name, as if trying each syllable on her tongue. Once again, he found himself intrigued with the way his name sounded on the lips of a human woman. Such formalities were never seen to during a typical feeding. It only caused his mouth to water more for her.

"I am Silvia Moretti."

It was his turn to try out the sounds. It was fascinating to speak the name of his prey. Aro wasn't certain he was comfortable with the formality. It made it...personal. There was an invisible line that he had just crossed and didn't realize was even there. His food had a name, just like he did. He was becoming uneasy but instead of wanting to end this, he only wanted to continue. It was very rare anymore he felt out of control.

"Are you from this area of Italy, Silvia?"

"No," she shook her head, wisps of blond curls dancing around her face. "I am visiting my Uncle for the summer months. I leave for Rome in the next week."

Aro clucked his tongue. "That is such a shame. I had rather hoped you lived here."

She gave him that sly smile again, her green eyes sparkling with mischief. "And why is that?"

"I find you a fascinating creature." The truth felt odd coming out of his mouth, as if he were speaking a foreign language. She laughed lightly at his comment and he feared she was making fun of him. "Why are you laughing?"

"I am far from fascinating." She started to walk down the shore line, toward the rocks where they met the previous night. "I am a politician's daughter whose father wishes to use as a political bargaining tool."

"And no one has taken him up on this," he grinned, "tool?"

Her nose wrinkled in disgust. "No, thank God." She quickly made the sign of the cross. "My apologies for such unbecoming language."

"I fail to find anything unbecoming about you."

She stopped suddenly and crossed her arms in front of her. "What is it you want, Signore Aro?"

He was struck with a sadness. He had hoped she could have told him what he wanted. However, she was, after all, just human. He wasn't sure which would be the best way to answer her question, so he carefully laid a hand on her smooth cheek. She enjoyed his flattering comments, his attention and he briefly wondered if human men were blind to such a vivacious woman. Fools, the whole lot of them.

"I want to enjoy the company of an intelligent woman," he moved closer to her and was rewarded when she didn't move away. "And gaze at her beauty all night long." Her pulse was racing once more and his thirst for her was overwhelming. Her mind was pleading for a kiss though the request would never leave her lips. He wasn't ready to give up the game yet so he let his hand slide from her cheek to her neck and he let her pulse beat against his thumb. He couldn't bite her if his hand was there. She shivered slightly, mentally commenting on how cold his hand was. She was getting ready to verbalize it when he kissed her.

It was much more difficult than he anticipated. The proximity, the intimacy of the moment, he thought he was going to drown. But he didn't. She retreated half a step, her face flushed even in the moonlight. If he had blood pumping through his veins at that moment, he no doubt would have had a similar reaction. Her thoughts had taken quite an impure turn and he wondered if she was going to make the sign of the cross once more. Her pulse beat incessantly under his thumb and he had to grind his teeth together to keep control.

"Signorina!" Someone called from the other side of the rocks. "Signorina Moretti!"

Aro fought back a smile at the flood of unladylike language that ran through her mind. Reluctantly, he released her neck. She worried her lower lip.

"I have to go," she whispered.

"I understand." He really didn't but he knew it was what she wanted to hear.

She reached and grabbed a hold of his arm. "Promise me you'll come back tomorrow."

"Of course, I will."

She swiftly pressed her lips against his cheek. It was only by sheer will that he managed to remain so still. Her neck was right there, it would be so easy...just a turn of his head...

But just as quickly as she had moved, she was gone. She gave him on last forlorn glance before disappearing once again in the darkness. He had no plan for his dealings with this woman and it scared him to realize he was enjoying it. The intrigue, mystery and conniving. It was exhilarating, to say the least. He hoped that this feeling meant his prize, when he finally gained it, would be all the more sweet.