A/N: This is an idea that came to me last night as I was trying to fall asleep on a cruddy couch in a smelly hotel room. Seeing as I wouldn't be sleeping any time soon and the idea kept taunting away at my mind, I decided to flip open my laptop and go to town.
I've always been a fan of well-written and developed Alternate Universe/ All Human Twilight stories and I really feel like this has potential. So check to preview and let me know what you think.
People scurried through the bustling office floor, desperately trying the to reorganize, readjust, and redistribute all that was necessary to make the transition for their two new bosses' smooth. Some of the employees- the older ones who had been with the company for years, mostly- were angered at the idea of the two brats taking over, some were simply nervous at the idea of new command, but all were frantic. The future of a decades old company now rested in the hands of two, 23 year old heirs. Well, an heir and an heiress, but you get the point.
Jane and Alec Volturi were adopted by Aro and Sulpicia when they were thirteen. The children's parents- Didyme and Marcus, Aro's sister and brother in law- died in a house fire that year. The fire was set by some crazy kid the two went school with, some guy by the name of Masen…
Apparently the seventeen year old was under the impression that the two were witches (it had later been discovered that the origin of these suspicions were a report on Wicca that Jane had presented to her Advanced Literary Skills class- a class shared with a younger Masen) and was absolutely certain that he was doing the world a favor by barricading the family's house and lighting it up. Alec- a sensitive sleeper- and awoken by the smell of smoke. Immediately, he had dashed across the hall and grabbed his sister, tugging the half asleep girl through a smoke filled hall. He had apparently directed her to leave the house while he went to awaken their parents. By the time he had reached their hallway, however, their door was engulfed in red-hot flames.
Knowing when to quit, the boy went back to find his sister. The elder twin was at the front door, on her knees, and losing consciousness. Alec went to her and tested the door. It was jammed. Instinctively, he ran to the dining room. Grabbing a chair from the burning table, the teenager threw the heavy object through the dining room's bay window. Glass shattered and the soft sounds of distant sirens could be heard over the roar of the flames. Returning for his sister, Alec hoisted the unconscious girl over his shoulder and ran to the dining room. There, he saw his dazed and ash-covered father come to the shattered window from the outside. Alec passed the man his daughter before climbing out, himself. He wouldn't notice it until later, but he sliced his arm on the glass.
The family waited in their neighbor's front yard for the Calvary to arrive. Didyme- panicked and hyperventilating- was cradling her unconscious child in her arms. Marcus- with the assistant of their neighbor, Carlisle- was tending to the girl's severe burns. Later on, she would need skin grafts for her legs. She never would accept those scars.
And Alec…Alec paced- his wounded arm, singed skin and burning lungs and eyes forgotten in a mess of a panicking mind. Asked multiple times, later on, what his thoughts were in those moments, after his family was safe, and he would always reply with the same 'I don't know'.
Soon enough, the family was at the hospital. Jane and Didyme- who was thought to be suffering from severe smoke inhalation- were in the ICU while Alec and his father were patched up in Emergency Care. The two men were "streeted" after a few hours, though they immediately went to be with their beautiful girls in Intensive Care. Alec was the only one awake when his father started coughing again. While nurses littered the floor, no one but the boy went to tend to the man. Then, the blood started.
And so twenty-four hours after the fire, Alec was staying with his Uncle Aro and Aunt Sulpicia as his family rested in ICU. Twenty-six hours after the fire and Aro was awoken by the mechanical ring of the house telephone. It was the hospital. His little sister had died. Twenty-six and half hours after the fire and the phone rang again. Sulpicia answered, as her nearly inconsolable husband was beyond verbal capabilities at the time. Marcus had followed his beloved wife into the afterlife. Her niece was still holding strong. They would need to be at the hospital in the morning to review wills, legal guardianship issues and handle law enforcement. Sulpicia thanked the person on the phone and hung up. Aro didn't look up from his tear-diluted coffee. He didn't need to. Anyone who had seen his sister and brother in law interact would know how this would pan out.
At eight the next morning, Aro, Sulpicia and Aro's most trusted friend, work partner, and lawyer, Caius, sat with the Chief of Medicine, Chief of Police, and two separate attorneys (one belonged to the hospital, the other to the deceased). At eight-o-five that morning, Alec sat in a stairwell, the platform between floors 5 and 6 providing some kind of physical evidence that the world wasn't falling out from underneath him. At 8:10, he shed his first tear. At 8:15, a dam had broken. Ten minutes later, Carlisle- in his third year of residency at the time- stumbled upon his young neighbor. After a half hour of silent condolences, the young doctor hoisted the boy into his arms and walked him to his sister- 5th floor, room 507A- and gently laid him down next to the sedated girl. The doctor was sure whether his heart sang or broke when the child wrapped his arms and legs around the girl, holding her like teddy bear as he cried into her blonde hair. A beautiful sight on the strength of a twin's loves, yet a gut wrenching tale of horror that is losing the only world you ever knew.
A malpractice attorney who was looking for her husband also came to see this sight. After inquiring with a few nurses and orderlies- the most gossip prone of hospital staff, she has found over the years- the woman came to hear the story and came to make a decision. The one's involved in this, the mis-care of Didyme and Marcus that lead to their unnecessary deaths, would pay. They would pay with their bank accounts, yes. But most importantly, they would pay with their pride, their names, and their careers. And her darling husband, Caius, was all too happy to accommodate her newest project.
Years passed. Mason- first name Edward- was convicted on one count of felony arson, two counts of manslaughter and two counts of attempted first degree murder. Unless he had one hell of an appeals attorney, he'd be behind bars for the rest of his God-given life. After the purging Mrs. Athenadora Del Gatto's massive lawsuit caused, Dr. Carlisle Cullen- an honest, good natured man- was able to make his way to Chief of Medicine without the backstabbing and trash talking of office-space politics. Under his rule, the hospital became a place of trust. The existence of the establishment seemed go from "make a profit" to "make people well". This brought in hefty donations and government grants, keep the place up-to-date as well as honest. It was no wonder it topped the "10 Best Hospitals in the Region" list for the past three years.
Jane and Alec continued with life- though not unscathed. A problem arose after the death of their parents. Apparently, some paper was left unsigned by the now passed couple, so Aro and Sulpicia couldn't be granted guardianship of the two. Well, such negative terminology would not be directed at his clients and friends without Caius…stepping in. Needless to say, the situation was handled swiftly and Jane was released a week later into the care of her new parents.
With a multinational corporate empire under their feet, as well as a lofty sum left by their parents, Alec and Jane were more than well off from that point on. The two attended a top-ranked private school in the city before going on to separate colleges. Jane went to study Graphic Design and Computer Animation, having become obsessed with artistic outlets to the thoughts that plagued her troubled mind. With her vision and talent, she had gotten a job with an unnamed company- "Trust me, though, you know them" she said with a smug smile and sparkling brown eyes- right out of her four-years.
A little more…decisionally challenged than his elder twin, Alec spent his first four years bouncing from major to major. What he lacks in direction, however, he makes up for in perception. Knowing very well that someone would have takeover Aro's empire in time, Alec made his choice to dive into all things business management when grad-school came about. And in good measure, apparently, seeing as his graduation gift was the fucking empire.
He remembered Aro's delighted smile at the pre-graduation ceremony dinner as he told the twins that he would be taking early retirement. Jane's eyebrow shot up and Alec's heart stopped. Aro could be a little eccentric at times, but this- what Alec thought was about to happen- went about seventy miles pass "Eccentric" city borders and right into Crazy Town.
That night, Alec and Jane were named the new CEOs of the corporation. It was understood, of course, that Jane's name was merely a legal formality, as she was perfectly content with her spot in life and was in no way business-oriented. Not in the way her analytical, insightful and nearly emotionally unavailable brother was.
And so here he stood, observing the chaos as everyone prepped for the bosses that none had met. He could hear Jane chuckle as she watched the frantic misery and sipped her take-out coffee.
Alec sighed, tossing his empty cup into a nearby trash bin before squaring his shoulders, putting on the blank masked he had watched his adopted parents and second generation God-parents (The Del Gattos, of course) wear so many times and beginning his walk into the apocalyptic mess.
Lyndel Parker tucked in her fresh sheets just as her phone buzzed against her bedside table. She leaned across the bed and yanked the phone off of the Ikea catalogue child, returning herself to be perpendicular to the creaky ole' hardwood floor of her apartment. Unlocking the screen, she quickly scanned her new message. Apparently there was going to be a meeting at a bar tonight.
Shrugging, she responded that she'd be there and tossed the phone away somewhere, returning her attention to cleaning.
A/N: Again, just an idea. A few questions: What should Aro's empire be, cuz I haven't a clue as to what would fit him. I was thinking maybe something for children, like a Willy Wonka type thing or maybe Beanie Babies. Either that or some kind of fashion/ department store haven. IDK, give me your thoughts if you would.
Also, what should the title be? I'm at a loss.
Anyway, please review with your thoughts, and don't worry, I haven't forgotten about O'Dark Thrity. This is just a preview and something to work on when I'm lost for that story.
Anyway, I'll see ya'll later.