Between Love and War

Chapter One:

Every Story is a Love Story

Disclaimer: I don't own any Twilight characters, they are Stephenie Meyers. Nor do I own this song-- Even though it *is* a fabulous song. It's from Aida, called Every Story is a Love Story.

Author's Note: I couldn't just not write it when it was begging to be written. ^.^ This story will eventually be canon. So.. Just read it!

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Every story new or ancient,

Bagatelle or work of art,

All are tales of human failings.

All are tales of love at heart.

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JPOV

For many centuries our kind of co-existed with the humans without their knowledge. We have lurked in the shadows, stalked their movements and imitated their silly little lifestyles to blend in. To lull them into a false sense of security. A pretty face, a soothing voice and the slight upturn of lips could to wonders in drawing them into our embrace just a moment before their lives would be taken and our stomachs filled with the sweet, rich taste of their blood.

It was a good existence. It worked as it had always worked before. We are made to be this way, hunt this way. It is survival of the fittest, just as it is within the animal kingdom. Just as the humans kill the cattle and pigs and sheep, we will take them down. More often than not they blame one another for the deaths, because in their narrow-minded mentality they can never accept something beyond them. They have never seen us, and therefore we cannot possibly exist.

But they have seen us. They just don't know it. They don't know how close so many of them come to death every day. It is better this way-- if they knew it would make hunting far more difficult than need be. And in those instances just before our prey loses their lives, more often than not they pray to some unseen deity for salvation, to grant them a chance to purge them of sin. If only He would grant them this one request then their lives would be changed. They would do all the good that they could possibly fathom and never drink or curse or sin again.

Sometimes I enjoy making a game of it-- sometimes I will pretend as if I am being forced away from the human. I will fall to my knees and curse, allow the wind to throw my blonde curls into the wind until it's in such a disarray that I look like a madman. My eyes flash-- whether black or red, it doesn't matter-- and I crumple to the ground, trembling. The human would thank their precious God and dart away.

And I always let them run. Give them that false hope-- it's almost a high, that feeling of hope-- before I rise to my feet and go after them. I chase them, far slower than any vampire would normally. I didn't need to break my top speed just to catch a silly human. And, quite predictably, the human would be so alarmed that I was behind them that they would trip over something. A rock, a bag, a piece of paper, air. It doesn't matter what it was. The human would fall and I would jump them instantly, my teeth buried into their throat until the tantalizing blood would fill my mouth. Their pain and fear and despair would hit me then, leaving me gasping for unneeded breaths when I finally finished my meal. Then I would do the same all over again within a few days.

My brother thinks that I am cruel to use the humans so, to play with them in their last moments of life. It is my right, my joy to grant the humans the slight reprieve from the fate that they will eventually have to hold to anyway. They are not immortal like us, and most would be in the dirt in less than one hundred years anyway. Playing with them, feeling their happier emotions made having to deal with their negative ones bearable.

I accepted their hate and fear and loathing because it is what is expected. Would I not feel the same emotions upon my own demise? Didn't I feel those just as I was being taken from that life into this one? Perhaps their emotions bleeding into mine is their God's way of making me pay a price for the life I had just taken. This is how it always is and always has been. I have been on this earth for a very long time, so long now that I have lost track of the passage of time.

And things are changing.

Subtly, they are changing and many of my kind, our kind, don't like the change. There are those of our kind that finds drinking human blood repulsive. They try to deny their own lives in favor of keeping hold of the humanity that should have burned away in the fires of their change. The growing numbers of the "vegetarians" is beginning to alarm many of the elders. They fear a power struggle, and the bonds forming between the vegetarians are so strong it's almost unbelievable. So the leaders of our kinds, The Volturi, have issued a purge on the vegetarians.

The first ten years were chaotic as they banded together to try and stop the imminent destruction of their way of life. They fought well and both sides had massive causalities, but we had so many more than they did. Before long they were practically obliterated. The ones that were granted a second chance were given so only because they were extremely gifted, or had once been allied to The Volturi in the past. And those that were allowed to live were either made to become like us and drink the human blood, or else they were forced into servitude. Which was really just a nice term for slavery. They were kept here, in Italy, so that we could keep an eye on them and make sure that there would be no uprising.

Their gifts would be harnessed and used to their full advantage. And sometimes they would prove to be a royal pain in the ass when it was your turn to babysit the lot of them. As it was my turn. And my brother's.

There were only four that we were designated to watching today. My sister, Rosalie, was watching another four with a friend named Irena in a room on the other side of this underground fortress. Edward and I were instructed to watch these four because they were either actively gifted, or had attempted to escape on more than one occasion.

The room we were currently housed in was a cold grey colour, with entire walls of shelves filled with books upon books. In this life there is little to do beyond reading. Or writing. Or tuning in other creative skills. If you were lucky enough to have a Mate there were other activities that you could find for yourself, but not all of us were so lucky. I cringe at the thought of the female that I will most likely be instructed to become Mated to.

Another downfall to this lifestyle-- being part of the Guard gives the Volturi the right to choose your Mate for you. And while they normally don't take advantage of that right, the possibility of uniting one of their most loyal servants to one they have considered family since the beginning of the battle for domination was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Not that Maria is a horrible woman, just that she is... Well... A horrible woman.

Beside me, my brother Edward chuckles. Cheeky bastard has the gift of listening to other's thoughts. Aro and Caius liked to pair us up with the 'rowdy' ones because he can read their thoughts, and I can make them be under control once more with my gift. Emotional manipulation. It's a wonderful thing. Please note my sarcasm. Maybe if I could just manipulate emotions and not have to go through the burden of feeling them as well, it wouldn't be so bad. But I've been cursed with bad luck ever since Maria took an interest in me. Which also coincides with the time frame in which we captured Siobhan, and she is rumored to be able to will the outcome of events as she so chooses... But I digress.

Currently seated at four separate tables, and yes, we did have to separate them, were four very bored vegetarians. Emmett, the largest of the group, had a book open before him, but was unwilling to actually read a page from it. He and I argued the most simply because his bullheadedness grated on my nerves and he knew instinctively which buttons to push with me. He isn't gifted in the normal sense, but he came from a family of vampires that the Volturi had taken a liking to. They also hoped he'd give into his nature soon, and he seemed the most likely to break. His bulging muscles put Felix's to shame, and he would do well as a Guard. Though I would never let him work with me.

At the table in front of him sat little Kate. Now, don't get me wrong. The girl was a spitfire, but she was quite undaunting when compared to Emmett. She was a little short; about five foot three inches, couldn't weigh more than 115 pounds if she shoved her gut out as far as she could. Her hair was obnoxiously long, and blonde. And while she did skim the pages of her book, she quite obviously hadn't absorbed any information. She'd been here the longest of anyone in the room, and I'm sure she's read that book before. Watching her, I could practically see the electric current flowing just under her skin. I vaguely wondered what she had been like as a human, to have a gift such as that in this life.

My favorite of those that I must babysit is probably Benjamin. He's an enjoyable, amusing fellow, and he doesn't really actually try to break away. He is, however, probably the most powerfully gifted vegetarian to have ever graced our presence. It's a good thing he actually liked me. Beside me, Edward nodded his head in agreement. Benjamin has a Mate, one he had before he was even captured. Tia is an incredible woman and she waits patiently outside the door every day until we are relieved from our duties and the gifted vegetarians are returned to their rooms to be watched over by new Guards. Now, I haven't actually seen Benjamin's gift in action, but I know they are elemental control and so it's always me, Edward, Jane or Alec positioned with him.

The last of our group is Zafrina. The Amazonian vegetarian is rather frightening in stature, though she is an exotic beauty. Her gift is to create illusions, almost in the exact way that Alec creates the darkness that immobilized his victims. To be honest, if any of these four attempted to stop us they probably could. But they just sit he patiently day after day, minute after minute... I don't know how they do it. Maybe they know something we don't. Maybe they're just waiting for their moment to act.

Edward looks up at the ceiling slowly then down at his feet. It's almost an imperceptible nod, but it's all the confirmation I need. They are waiting for their moment to strike. The fact puts me on edge once more and the effect is instantaneous. All five of the other vampires in the room shift uneasily in their seats. They cast me a sharp look and I immediately retract my emotions. I can't lose control, all havoc will break loose.

Three pairs of footsteps sound in the hallway and Edward immediately perks up, his eyebrows lift up high on his forehead as all of us turn to face the door. A moment later it is pushed open and Maria strolls in, her long dark hair flowing behind her in a beautiful fan. She holds the door open and steps away as two slender slender girls walk in, their golden eyes turning to Edward and I simultaneously. Edward tenses, a low growling emitting from his throat as the smaller one, a little black-haired pixie-girl, turns her eyes to scan over the room. They light up as they rest on Emmett. The burly male can hardly contain his glee as he bounces in his seat, so I throw a wave of calm at him. Obviously they know one another.

Maria closed the door and crossed over to stand in front of Edward and I, her hands resting on her slender hips as she took in all the details of the pair of us sitting and watching everything, taking it all in. Apparently she is displeased by our lack of communication with her, but we weren't about to break protocol. It's all about control in this situation, so we would wait until Maria broke the silence to tell us why we suddenly had two more vegetarians thrown on our laps. She doesn't disappoint.

"These two are important to Aro. You'd best keep a good eye on them. Alice," She said as she pointed at the tiny girl who had yet to break eye contact with Emmett. "has the gift of foresight. Subjective, of course, but Aro's acting like she's the most beautiful gem he'd ever seen." The jealousy radiating off of Maria was tangible, and I could tell she was about to lash out at the girl so I reacted without thinking. I drew Maria into my arms and settled her on my lap with my arms circling her waist. She seemed a little surprised but she smiled as she continued. Edward, however, stared at me as if I had grown another head. "Isabella can block powers... Aro couldn't get a read on her at all. Jane and Alec's gifts don't work either."

"Bella." I finally looked at the taller girl, a pretty brunette with hair down to her waist. She was the one who had spoken and her voice was low, her golden eyes ablaze in a flame I hadn't seen in a very long time.

"What did you say?" Maria snapped, trying to pull from my arms. I tightened my hold on her infantismally.

"My name is Bella, not Isabella. I won't respond to that." Alice turned to Bella and I watched as she slipped her arms around the taller girl to help keep her calm and in control. It was a good move, Maria isn't known for her patience.

"Good. I don't want a response from you. Take an empty seat like a good little girl and wait for mommy and daddy to get done talking." I tried to calm everyone down. Unfortunately a short temper is pretty common in this kind of place, especially when they are first captured and brought it. It was almost a shame that they would lose this spark. Bella hisses, crouching down defensively, but before she can get anywhere Emmett is in front of her, lifting her into his arms as if she weighed nothing at all. He walked down the aisle and set her down in the seat beside where he was seated previously.

"Calm down, little sister. Gettin' Maria pissed will just make things worse." Alice's lips slowly curved up into an alluring smile as she danced gracefully to the seat beside Kate and sank down into it. She turned slightly in her seat to stretch her right hand out across the tabletop and within a moment her hand was covered in Emmett's. He hadn't been exaggerating when he called her little sister. These three knew each other.

Maria chose to ignore the conversation and instead focused on running her fingers over my chest. I had to force myself not to cringe away-- she was practically my Mate anyway. It wouldn't do to push her away now. Things were moving smoothly, and if things proceeded at the rate they are I will be just under the Volturi-- perhaps even higher ranking than Jane and Alec and Demetri. Alistair, my creator, would be proud if he had lived to see this day.

A wave of sympathy rolls over me and I frown at Edward and shake my head slightly. I don't need sympathy. I'm getting where I need to go, where I want to go. Finally, a loud careening noise echoes throughout the hall to announce that it is time to switch duties. Edward and I would escort our entourage to their respective rooms where they will be guarded by others for a few hours while we hunted and then we would be assigned to a single vegetarian to keep track of. It was the way we worked, even if it was monotonous and boring.

Edward rose first and went to the door. I followed his movements, easing Maria to the ground and resting my hand on the small of her back. I allowed myself to marvel at the contrast of her olive skin against my pale hand. When I lift my gaze she is smirking and I am turning away fighting back a sigh. While Edward waits at the door, Zafrina rises and pauses next to him, her arms crossed over her chest. Soon Benjamin follows her, then Kate. The last three walk as a unit, the tiny girl in front, the hulk in the middle and the spitfire in the back. I mentally chuckle when I realize the two are attempting to protect Emmett. It's quite obvious he was hoping to have the advantage from the middle to protect both ladies.

Vegetarians confuse me.

We leave the room, Maria trailing along behind me, until we reach the first of the rooms. Tia follows us to her room, and as usual Felix is standing outside the door. Benjamin and Tia lace their hands together and stroll into the room as if they weren't being held prisoner. I wonder if maybe being Mated, being so completely in love was supposed to feel like that. Were you supposed to be able to lose yourself so completely in someone else that you could survive this kind of prison?

We continue on and drop Zafrina off with Corin, Kate with Renata, Emmett with Felix. When it comes down to our two final prisoners we both blanch for a moment. There are no rooms readied for them that we know of, and so we stand there awkwardly a moment before Edward decides to start down the corridor to our rooms. I frown at him disapprovingly, but he didn't seem to care. It had been a few days since we hunted outside and stretched our legs. He is understandably anxious to lose the girls. Maria frowns when she realizes where we are headed.

"You are going to put them in your rooms?" Though she directs the question at Edward, her eyes are on me. Well, what does she expect us to do? There is nowhere else to place them. Edward echoes my thoughts.

"Where else will we put them, Maria? We'll be out hunting, you don't have to worry about Jasper touching a vegetarian. That's just... Gross." He chuckled and shook his head. I could feel his amusement and I allowed a slight smile. As if I would ever want a vegetarian! I embrace this lifestyle. The idea is just ludicrous. "Now, Maria, you'll have less to worry about if you can find Demetri and Santiago to watch these ladies for us while we hunt. Otherwise we'll be waiting in our rooms with them until they happen to stroll on by."

Edward's threat has the desired effect, and within a moment Maria is gone. I chuckle to myself as we reach the two adjacent rooms that belong to Edward and I. Alice and Bella exchange a quick glance and I see Bella shake her head once. Alice smirks slightly as Bella's eyes narrow. I wonder what kind of silent conversation they are having. I step over towards my room, about to grab Bella since she was already standing closest to the door, but Alice suddenly pushes Bella a couple of steps away and the next thing I know there's a tiny pixie-girl leaning against my side.

She stuck her tongue out at her friend.

She seriously did that. And I didn't know what to do.

For so long we've lived in this serious world, this serious state of mind. I don't know why such a trivial thing would make me react the way I did but the next thing I know... I'm laughing. Not just a soft chuckle, but full-blown laughing. I have to brace myself against the wall to keep from collapsing with the force of my humor. The amusement and joy that Alice sends me on top of my own is almost overwhelming. I almost don't even notice the confusion and shock hitting me from Edward and Bella. When I finally regain control of myself I am grinning like a madman and Alice is beaming as if she just solved the most tricky puzzle in the world.

And Maria is glaring at me from where she is standing between Demetri and Santiago. Well, shit.

End Chapter One