Here we go, chapter one. I hope you guys like this story, because I absolutely LOVE this pairing. There's just something about Italian men… Haha.

Just a fair warning: there will be Italian words in this story, but after each chapter there's a translation. So if you come across a word and you're like wtf, just scroll to the bottom really fast and look it up.

Enjoy! R & R it up!

La Vita e Bella

(Life is Beautiful)

One – La Biblioteca

(The Library)

Word count ~ 2,086

"Very well. We will let the Cullens go, if you will stay with us." The corners of Aro's lips turned upwards. "If that is what you want, Isabella."

The way my name rolled off his tongue in that thick English accent momentarily made my mind blurry. It took me a moment to comprehend his subtle question. I could nearly feel Edward's detest in the air around me. "Y-Yes," I managed to stammer. I saw Edward attempt to free himself with a jerk of his arm out of the corner of my eye, but Caius held tight.

"Splendid." The sly smile he wore combined with his narrowed eyes left an edgy feeling in my stomach. Unsettled, I shifted my weight to my other foot. I could hear my heart pounding against my ribcage. 'If I can hear it, everyone in this room can hear it too.'

"Release them." Caius and Marcus let Edward and Alice down from their chokehold. Alice rubbed her throat where Marcus's pale hands had been. Edward glared. "Go, now."

Alice's eyes widened while Edward narrowed his golden eyes in defiance. "We don't get to say goodbye?" he questioned.

"It isn't farewell," Aro murmured, crimson eyes gleaming like he knew some untold secret. "You will see her again, someday."

Edward stared at me, his gaze conveying his devastation. But, with no other option, he went to Alice. Her expression was that of a heartbroken child. Tears burned in my eyes as I watched them leave, followed by a guard. All was horribly silent.

I turned to face them, alone now in the worst place a human could be. Aro was studying me; waiting to see my reaction, no doubt. A tear rolled down my cheek as I stood in the middle of the marble floor, by myself.

"Jane, take Isabella to one of our guest rooms. Find her some clothes." His voice was softer now, as if he no longer needed his 'leader voice'. From my right, Jane slid out of the shadows. "And fetch Renata to ease some of her pain, would you?"

Icy fingers touched my arm. "Come." The emotionless voice was Jane's. With nowhere else to go and no desire to stand here and be scrutinized, I followed her out of the now blurry hall.

"Time to wake up."

Opening my brown eyes, I squinted in the bright sunlight that filtered in through the slight dusty window.'What a pleasant voice to awaken to.' Sitting up, I stretched luxuriously. Jane observed me with a nonchalant, crimson gaze. When I finished stretching, she shoved the plate forward that she'd been holding.

"I brought you breakfast."

I swept a hand through my messy brown hair and turned to examine the plate.'Eggs and ham.' Feeling as if I owed her something, I murmured a quiet thank you.

Jane showed no acknowledgement of my gratitude, though I knew she'd heard me. She held out a folded bunch of clothes as well. "Put these on after you eat. I'll be waiting outside the door." She departed without a second glance, gliding across the scarlet carpet.

I sat on my bed and ate slowly, contemplating the previous night. Renata had tried her power on me, but she feared her skills didn't work on me, much like Aro's and Edward's didn't, because she had no effect. I had cried all night, barely getting any sleep at all, and the lack of rest made my eyelids droop. I yawned again.

'I don't feel much now.' I took a bite of ham. 'A bit of sadness, sure. But it feels like I lost a simple friend, not my soulmate.' I stood up to hold up the clothes. 'Maybe it's finally kicking in.' Sliding the robe on, I gave myself a glance in the mirror as I headed to the door. 'I look like shit.'

"Ready?"

I opened the door, nearly hitting Jane in the face as it swung open, and addressed her with a nod. Swiftly, she turned on her heel and headed down the lifeless hallway. I followed close behind, slightly wary of the other vampires in the castle. Obviously, Jane didn't like me, but Aro wouldn't be happy with her if she got me killed. 'She won't let anything happen to me. The others probably know they'd get in trouble with Aro if they harmed me,' I convinced myself.

"Where are we going?"

Jane didn't answer right away; we turned two more corners before her dull voice drifted into my ears. "Aro asked for you."

'What does he want to talk to me about…?' I was suddenly nervous. Out of all the vampires in the Volturi, Aro intimidated me the most. Maybe it was his abnormally pale skin and bright red eyes. Maybe it was his unusually cheery attitude. Maybe it was because he was the most powerful creature I'd ever had the misfortune of meeting. Whatever the reason, he simply unsettled me, more than he should, and I had no desire to spend a whole afternoon with him.

"Here we are."

I raised my eyes to see that Jane had stopped by a large black door. It was an old one, with ancient brass handles to knock with. She stared at me expectantly. I stepped through it as she held it open, immediately recognizing the room as the one I'd spent the previous day in. 'The one where Edward and Alice were almost killed…' Turning back to ask Jane where Aro was, I cut myself short when I realized she'd disappeared. With a sigh, I poked my head around the corner to gaze down the hall. She was nowhere in sight.

"Hello, dear Isabella."

My head whipped back around, and I took a step back at Aro's sudden appearance before me. He wore a smile, and his eyes gleamed. My heart leapt into my throat. 'I'm gonna die of fright before they get a chance to change me.'

"My apologies. I didn't mean to startle you." He swept past me, and I caught the scent of his musky cologne. 'He smells good…' "Shall we?" Opening my eyes, I saw him holding the door open for me. Warily, I passed through, and then followed him down the hall.

"Honestly Isabella, I am sorry for such an unfortunate turn of events. I do believe you would have kept our existence a secret, but I simply cannot let some go and punish others, can I?" Out of the corner of my eye, I examined him. He walked with poise. His skin was even paler than Carlisle's; nearly translucent. 'Maybe it has something to do with age…'

"How old are you?" I blurted. Instantly, I felt my cheeks heat up, and I wished I could take it back. 'Being around him makes me brain-dead.'

But the vampire only chuckled. "Well, let's see. I've stopped counting, honestly. But…" he paused, calculating the years in his head. "800 or so. Give or take a few dozen years."

I turned my head to stare. "Oh my God." He kept his eyes ahead, only smiling and nodding.

After a moment where the only sound was our footsteps on the marble floor, he spoke again. "I see Renata's ability is now doing its job." I nodded silently; reluctant to talk about that situation, for fear that I might break down into tears again. 'I'll be damned if he'll see me cry.' Aro glanced at me sympathetically. "I, too, know what it's like to be forced to say goodbye to a loved one. My mate, Sulpicia, died just a few months ago."

I glanced at him, unsure of what to say. "I… I'm sorry…"

Aro smiled, though it was uncharacteristically bitter. "No, it's quite alright. The pain eased now, with Renata's help, and time as well. But I still remember the feeling."

"Was she a vampire? How'd she die?" My curiosity kicked in. 'I hope he doesn't take offence…'

"She died at the hands of a group of rogue vampires. I told her not to venture out by herself to hunt…" He paused, looking down. "We were together for 300 years."

'That's incredible.' I bit my lip, following him down yet another corridor. 'But why the sudden conversation about such personal things?' I released my lower lip, shaking it off. 'Maybe he's just trying to make conversation.' I blinked. 'Maybe he needs someone to talk to.'

"Ah, at last!"

We stood in the archway of an enormous library. "Oh wow…"

Aro grinned. "Alice had memories of you reading, so I assumed you enjoy it."

I nodded. "This is so cool."

"You can take any books you would like back to your room. I know you'd like something to pass the time. Just be sure to return them. I've accumulated quite a collection, and I wouldn't much like it if any got lost. Some are quite valuable."

I moved over to a shelf, my eyes sweeping over the row of books at eye-level. "You have books in here from hundreds of years ago…" My voice held a tone of astonishment. As I reached up to touch the spine of an ancient black book, I felt the chill of Aro's body behind me.

"I would rather you didn't touch these ones," he murmured, his voice soft. He stood right behind me now. Chills ran up my spine. "They're quite fragile."

"Oh… Sorry." My voice shook slight as my hand dropped back to my side.

"No need to be!" His presence was no longer directly behind me and he had returned to his usual cheery disposition. I turned to watch him moving toward another bookshelf. "You enjoy Romeo and Juliet, yes?"

"Definitely," I replied, following him with a sudden interest. He disappeared behind a shelf, and then came back with a dark blue book in his hand. His smile was genuine.

"The original version, autographed by Shakespeare himself."

I gaped at him, all uneasiness forgotten in favor of shock. "You met Shakespeare…?"

Aro chuckled, handing the book to me. I took it, still stunned. "Goodness me, no. I'm not quite that old." He shook his head. "No, a friend of mine met him. The vampire that changed me, actually. He gave this book to me, because I enjoyed Shakespeare's literature as well. The man died quite a few hundred years ago, but I've kept this book in his honor. I imagine it's worth quite a lot of money in this era."

"It would be," I agreed, turning the book over in my hands. I flipped to the first page, where some foreign words were written in what I assumed to be Willem's handwriting. "This is insane." Slowly, I followed him out of the library and down the hall.

"Are your sleeping quarters adequate?"

I blinked, glancing at him. He held his crimson gaze on me. "Um, yeah, they're nice," I said softly. He smiled and returned his eyes ahead.

"Good. I wouldn't want you to be uncomfortable." He looked at me again, eyes traveling down the length of my body. My spine tingled again. "Are the clothes alright as well?"

I nodded. 'A bit different than what I'm used to wearing…' My body was covered in a long red robe; similar to the one Edward had been wearing when I arrived in Volterra. 'What I don't get is how they knew my sizes…' My face grew hot at the thought of the nearly see-through panties and bra that I wore under my robe. They fit me perfectly, despite their scantiness.

"I must bid you farewell, Isabella." I blinked away my daydream and focused on him. 'There we go with my name again…' He stood in front of me, somehow appearing inviting. 'He looks soft enough to hug… Wait what?' I wordlessly tried to focus on what he was saying, in spite of the alarm in my head. 'What was that?' "I must attend a dinner with an old friend. You room is the third door on the right." I glanced at it, using the opportunity to shut my eyes tight. Then I turned back to him. "Addido, Isabella." And with that, he turned to leave. I did the same, walking to my door. 'Thank God he's leaving. Maybe I can figure out what the hell is wrong with my mind…'

"Oh, I do hope you enjoy that book!"

I turned to thank him, but he was gone.

Italian to English translations

Addido - goodnight