This started out as a oneshot but then became something a little more… involved. It's almost entirely pre-written at this point due to how it was initially conceived, so hopefully updates will be slightly more frequent than they have been lately.

Just a note: I take some liberties with Alec's power, given how little we know about the exact mechanics of it, as well as with his personality and relationships. I hope you enjoy my interpretation of him.

Consumed
Written By: Pinkster Lily

Part I

He presses his lips on my forehead, ruffling my hair gently. His hand comes to rest around the back of my neck and sits there, a solid pressure against my spine. "My dearest child," he says compassionately, gazing at me with wide, red eyes.

That term usually upsets me, however, in comparison to Aro, I am a child. Right now, I feel like one, too.

"Do not fret. That is all behind you. You know that you are safe here and nothing can ever hurt you."

I nod. I know this; deep down I understand it and can even grow, on occasion, to feel powerful in that very unforgiving and eternal way that the others feel, but the sense of my perpetual strength waxes and wanes with the recollection of what happened to me, of what is happening to me. It hasn't stopped and that's all I want anymore, I just want it to stop. It makes me feel every year of my real age, as if each passing decade is a figurative weight added to my shoulders, dragging me down until I am about level with the floor and feel about as worthy, too. If I could just be more like Jane, stronger, impenetrable—

"But you are not," Aro interrupts, his hand tightening on my nape. "This is what makes you special, Alec. Jane is valuable to the Volturi in her own way, but you are a treasure to us."

I know what he is implying, that Jane is so valued because of her unique ruthlessness and I am needed to counter that cruelty, to think before I act and sacrifice myself when needed for the greater good; to think outside of myself in a way that she cannot – in a way none of them can. The answering crinkle around Aro's milky eyes reaffirms this.

His words act like a soothing balm, but I still worry a little, deep inside my mind. Still have doubts. Aro knows this and accepts it in a way Caius can't.

He thinks my problems are a sign that I am not completely loyal. Aro knows that they are not.

Aro sighs. "How I wish at times that I could have your extraordinary gift," he muses, straightening and pulling me briefly into his side with calculated squeezes and slight shakes of my shoulders. He releases me and holds me at arms' length. "If only to relieve you of these terrible visions, is all."

I don't bother processing his words, too busy trying to will some life back into my expression and reconstruct my fractured mind. Aro is only one of two people who are allowed to see me this way, but I need to pull myself together again at some point. He can't coddle me all day.

"Come now, my child," he beckons, his papery hand at the joint of my shoulder and neck, pushing me along in front of him. "The search party will be back at any moment and we must be presentable for them."

I nod and attempt to paste a convincing small onto my face, not that it would matter, considering Aro's particular gift. We stop in front of the doors to his personal chambers and I turn in confusion.

Aro bends down to look me in the eye, compensating for our extreme height difference. His hand slides up from my neck and cups my cheek gently. I stay still, obedient, as he presses his pale lips briefly to my other cheek before pulling back.

His skin feels cold against mine.

"Let us face the day," he states simply, hand going into my hair and coming to rest on my opposite shoulder, almost like an embrace. He guides me out of the chambers and down the hall.

The hall is silent, but for the soft clacking of our shoes and the whispering of our robes against the stone. He squeezes my shoulder and adds, as if our conversation had never halted, "Besides, the next few days should prove interesting enough to keep your mind occupied."

"They have the boy?" It's more of a question asked because of follow-through. I don't leave the castle much; my unpredictable… well, I would be a liability if I was out in the field all the time. Instead, I spend a lot of time trolling the Internet for lawbreakers and the like – the technological age of humanity has lent itself well to constant documentation. Oddly enough, I seem to be one of the few vampires in the guard capable of using humanity's newest technologies, which is why the task of online monitoring is delegated to me. Personally, I couldn't be bothered with the target; I'll likely never see him again after the Volturi have their way with him. I just want to know if my reconnaissance was useful.

Aro chuckles. "Over eager, are we?" he teases lightly in that child-like way of his. "I am excited for our newest acquisition. The potential is… quite noteworthy."

I am sure that there are a few other words Aro is thinking of, but I don't bother myself with them. Aro is, well… Aro. I would be deluding myself if I didn't believe that he enjoys collecting gifted individuals to display for all to see.

He squeezes my shoulder one last time, letting go of me and removing the last bit of skin on skin contact. His delicate skin whispers like paper against mine.

"Let us greet our newest guest," Aro intones cheerfully, leading the way to the throne room to wait for the party. I trail behind him, steeling myself against the inevitable.