Disclaimer: All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer except my OCs

Chapter 10

Felix watched as Serina woke up the next day she smiled at him; his heart felt a little lighter but he knew that her time was up. Today the 3 brothers would decide her fate. Jane and Heidi had been unusually quiet last night and other members of the guard had seemed quieter. The palace was almost dead. What had happened to him? Why had he started to care? He knew that despite all that had happened Serina was well...well his friend. He was glad she trusted him again. He wanted to do something to make her last day special but he had no idea what to do. He lowered himself down to her height and she looked at him expectantly.

"What do you want to do today." he asked. Serina rubbed her head. What did she want to do? Something was different about today, it was like a sinister shadow that hung over everyone except her. She thought over what she had done already; shopping, singing, talking, drawing among other things. A smile lit up her face and she turned back to Felix.

"I want to see the city" she said it was midnight the moon was full and the stars were bright and from her window the city looked magical. Felix looked out the window and before she could speak the ground disappeared beneath her feet and her laughter echoed round the halls of the palace.

Meanwhile

There was nothing but silence in the throne room, the three brothers sat on their marble thrones then Aros voice pierced the oppressive silence.

"Today we decide what is to be done about the human child Serina." Aro looked at both of his brothers then continued.

"I have had 3 requests on what do about our guests future and I must say she is such an interesting case." He paused and watched their reactions. Neither moved but they both appeared to tense up.

"The first request is to kill the girl as she could expose us to the world. Caius doesn't that seem a bit too hasty?" he cocked his head to his brother but Caius merely sat there his answer showing in his eyes. Aro sighed. "Oh I do hate bloodshed but the request has been made so it is an option."

"A second and most surprising request has been made by my other dear brother." Again his eyes flicked to Marcus but Marcus just looked bored as usual. Both brothers knew that any show of emotion could be deadly to their requests and Aro had a good grasp on the concept of blackmail so silence was their best option.

"The request is that we let little Serina go back to her family untouched and unchanged on the belief that no-one will believe her if she does talk about us and we could always force her not to tell. That's awfully merciful of you Marcus. Could our silent brother feel protective about this human?" Marcus kept his stone mask firmly in place.

"The third solution to this very unique problem is that we keep Serina until she is old enough to be turned. I believe that she may have a talent which could be beneficial for us in the future. But that's my own opinion." he said clasping his hands together. Caius twitched at this, he wanted the girl dealt with and soon.

Aro reached out a hands to both his brothers and they grabbed it. Aros' eyes closed as their thoughts assailed him. Marcus and Caius glared at each other from across the room. Never had an issue left the Volturi so divided. Aro let go of their hands and had a thoughtful look on his face.

"Well this is shaping up to be a delightful meeting, my two favourite brothers are very strong in both of their cases I will need more time to ponder this problem." Aro leant back and stopped breathing, his eyes drifted close and he became a statue and Marcus and Caius knew he had shut himself down to think without interruptions.

"You only want to kill her for your damn pride don't you brother?" Marcus hissed at Caius his hands gripping the stone throne. "That is low even for you. She's only 5 years old."

Caius sneered back at him "Why should it bother you? The brat is simply a nuisance that will soon be disposed of no matter what is decided today" Marcus's eyes widened Caius had basically said that he would kill the girl even if Aro wanted to keep her or she was let free.

"It seems these past few centuries have drained you of any honour brother." Marcus practically spat the last word. Caius merely shrugged and sat back.

With Felix and Serina

When Serina opened her eyes she gasped; they were standing on the top of the tallest building in the city and she could see everything. The city was alive. Lights of every colour stood out against the night, the buildings were illuminated and it was beautiful. Her smile was huge it looked like something out of one of her fairy tale stories. She looked up at Felix and started to jump up and down with excitement.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." She said and went back to gawking at the view. Felix smiled at least he had done something right, he knelt down an she scrambled onto his back and he took off to another part of his city. He was determined that nothing would ruin it.

There next stop was on the outskirts of the city were a celebration was going on and the people were dancing on the plaza. Serina clapped her hands and began to twirl on the spot, the music was lively and had a good beat so she just twirled and stomped her feet to it. He just watched her and looked around in case of his kind got too close. She looked at him and her smile faltered a bit.

"Felix is something wrong?" She asked as she stopped moving.

He was about to say no when he realised that she would know if he was lying so he sighed and knelt down to her level. "Yes something is wrong. Right now my maste- the three kings you met are deciding your future and there is a chance you will be killed for finding out about us." Her eyes widened as she understood what he was saying.

"But...But I haven't done anything wrong have I?" She asked and tears began to form in her eyes.

"You found out about us." Was all he said. There was silence for a moment before he spoke again "Serina I am so sorry I brought you into my world." and he meant it.

She swallowed before giving him a watery smile "Don't be. I am so glad I got to see your world. I was really lonely but I'm not any more." It was true she thought thinking of all her friends. "You saved me in that alleyway and your my best friend" She looked him in the eye as she said it.

His eyes flared in shock and he seemed speechless. But he composed himself and put his hand on her shoulder. "Know that I an so glad that I found you and I don't regret saving you" She smiled and seemed to return back to her normal self.

"Well lets see what else the city has to offer." He grinned and picked her up again.

Throne Room

Marcus and Caius sat in a tense silence as they waited for Aro to come to a decision, they didn't look at each other and the tension in the room could but cut with a knife. Then Aro stirred and they snapped their heads towards him. Marcus knew that if each request got only one vote then the problem would drag out for years and Caius would have plenty of time to harm Serina and if it dragged on the idea of letting her go would become impossible he needed to convince Aro to let her go.

Aro woke himself up and looked at his brothers, he had never seen them like this before so torn and violent. Maybe if the girl was removed things would return back to normal. They were the guardians and law enforcers of he vampires and could not afford to get distracted or divided. The girl had no clue what she had done and her innocence had caused so many problems. He didn't really want to kill her but if he had to he must they could not risk exposure of their world. But what if the girl could keep a secret? He knew that his option was out of the question because the longer that Serina stayed the more torn his brothers would become. He would have to speak to the girl himself.

He rose and felt two pairs of red eyes on him. "I need some fresh air the atmosphere in here is just so" he pretend shuddered "tense and unhealthy" They all knew he was lying but they didn't dare ask where he was really going. Aro left the throne room and headed for the city, he couldn't take anyone with in in case they were biased towards the girl so he would have to be very careful. He breathed in the night air and smiled it had been a long time since he had been outside and he had almost forgotten how lovely his city was.

Wishing he had more time to admire it he set off towards Felix and Serina. He realised he would have to separate the two somehow. Felix was now almost constantly by the child's side, another thing that disturbed him.

Felix and Serina

Serina was sucking on a lolly while she wandered through the streets, she knew her life was on the line tonight but she was enjoying herself no matter what. Felix had made sure that she looked different from the missing posters of her around the city and he made sure she didn't see any of them. He wasn't going to upset her, not tonight.

Suddenly he smelt something very strange, it was like a vampires scent only different. He looked down at Serina and brought her to a secluded corner of the plaza. "Stay here." he told her and she nodded. He didn't want to leave but he needed to keep her safe.

Serina sat in the corner and waited for Felix to come back. She heard someone walk up behind her and she spun around and met a pair of red eyes belonging to Aro.

Aro examined the girl, hard to believe that something so small could cause so many problems. He knelt down grabbed her arm and pulled her through the alleys of Volterra. Serina found herself behind some of the cities old buildings. She stepped back from Aro and shook a little.

"Why did you bring me here?" She asked. He was supposed to be deciding her fate. Maybe she had been sentenced to die.

"My dear little Serina I needed to ask you something." she stopped shaking so she wasn't going to die just yet. "How well can you keep a secret?" he sounded like a doting uncle but it seemed a little fake to her and his question sounded like it had a double meaning.

"I...I can keep a secret very well." she said wishing Felix was with her. His smile seemed to thin a bit.

"Could you keep a secret if your family was dying in front of you? Could you keep a secret if you were being tortured for days on end? Could you keep a secret if your friends life was at risk?" with each question his eyes seemed to burn with a frightening intensity.

Her fear was back and she felt trembles in her body. Could she? Could she keep a secret if those things were happening to her? What secret did he mean? She remembered what Felix had told her and realised that the secret was the vampires existence. She thought long and hard about it. If she told people what would happen to her friends? Science would want answers, they wouldn't be able to stay here and they would be hunted and it would be all her fault. She thought of all they had done for her what they had risked for her if they could do that then she could keep their secret. She rose her eyes up to Aros and nodded.

"I could keep the secret." Aro knelt down and held out his hand she took it without shaking. Her thoughts became clear to him and he saw that she truly meant it. The revelation shocked him. She would bear those things and not tell a soul. He knew then that he couldn't let her be killed and if she stayed with them then the light that was inside her would slowly go out. The only way was to let her go. But he knew that if they did that then Caius would just come after that. He had seen it in his thoughts. Caius would not let Serina live. What to do?

Then Felix sprung out from an alleyway, he got in front of Serina crouched down a snarl on his face. Ah! A solution to there problems and Aro grinned. Felix knew they couldn't have decided that quickly so what was Aro doing here? Aro's grin unnerved him and he wondered what he had said to Serina.

"My dear Felix I have an urgent task for you to fulfil." Felix snarled back "I'm afraid master that I promised Serina I would make sure she had a whole night to do what she wanted so I can't go on a mission." Serina gripped his arm and he forced her to stand behind him.

Aro smiled "I don't think you want to turn down this mission. I need you to take our guest back home and ensure her safety." Felix froze surely he had heard him wrong, they wouldn't just let her go unless Marcus had performed a miracle. His mouth hung open and he stood up straight.

"W...W...What" he was able to stutter out. Aro smiled and beckoned him over.

"You see my dear brother Caius is slightly angry with our dear guest and he may try to harm her whatever we decide so I'm afraid we will have to deceive him into thinking she has died in order to protect her. Do you see my reasoning?" Felix started to smile.

"Why my lord I do see the reasoning behind this more agreeable solution." he drawled out relaxing a little more. Serina just stared at them in confusion.

"I will report back to my brothers that while I was talking to you a rouge vampire quickly and cruelly snatched little Serina from us and killed her before our very eyes, I will inform Marcus of our slight deception so his conscience is unburdened." Felix nodded once.

"When shall I leave my lord?" he asked eager to return her back to her home.

"In a minute first I wish to say goodbye to our little visitor." Felix moved out the way but kept an eye on him as he moved towards Serina.

She stood a little straighter and looked up at him. His face seemed to age and become more serious and she knew he was being truthful with her.

"Well this is where we part ways Serina. I hope you have enjoyed your time here." she nodded and he smiled. "Felix is going to take you home now. I have a gift for you." He reached into his robe and brought out a metal circle with an intricate symbol on it. Felix gasped no human had ever been given one of those. "This is a Shranksha it shows that you are under the protection of the Volturi. I f any of my kind means you harm show them this symbol and they will leave you alone. This is a very rare gift do not lose it." She nodded solemnly as he placed the cool metal disc in her hand.

"Thank you." She whispered and he nodded. "Felix take her home." Aro said and he watched as Felix snatched her up and sped out of the city. Something inside told him that they hadn't seen the last of her.

Felix ran the fastest he had ever run just in case Aro was playing a cruel joke. She lived in England and he ran north west trying to avoid being seen by humans. Serina smiled as sleep began to overcome her. She was going home.

2 days later

Serina yawned as she opened her eyes they had reached England and she knew they were almost home. Felix had become unusually silent these past few hours and she wondered if something was wrong with him. He slammed to a halt and she lurched forward a bit. She jumped off his back and looked at him, he seemed uncomfortable and nervous.

"Felix is something wrong?" She asked. He shook his head and looked at her. Felix took a deep breath and began to speak.

"No. Just look through those bushes there." he pointed and she walked over and pushed them apart. She gasped, her mother was sitting there crying with a family album in her hands. Love welled up inside her she was home. Tears pored down her cheeks. The clouds above rumbled and she felt the rain hit her skin nut her whole focus was on her mother in there garden.

Felix saw her cry and smiled. He had righted his wrong and it couldn't have gone any better. But he still needed to say something.

"Serina." she turned to him. "It seems that we must finally part ways, I...I just want to say that the past few weeks are very important to me. Thank you for being my friend."

Her tears didn't stop but the feeling inside her changed to pain. She should have realised that they would have to part but she hadn't want to think about it. He had been her best friend and her protector and she didn't want him to go. Before either of them knew it she threw her arms around him and he put his around her. They made a strange sight but neither cared. Felix had reclaimed some of his humanity back he had found out what it was like to be responsible for someone who trusted you and Serina wasn't lonely any more. Finally, they let each other go and she wiped her eyes.

"You better go." his voice sounded ragged and she nodded. "But I have something for you." He reached into his pocket and brought out a silver necklace. The chain was simple and it had a charm two pieces of silver twisted together with two diamonds set in it. She waited as he tied it around her neck and smiled at him.

"Go" he whispered she smiled and ran out of the trees.

"Mum!!" she yelled and ran as fast as her legs could carry her. Her mums head snapped up and her eyes widened .

"Serina?" she whispered not daring to believe what she saw. Her little girl was gone. But the vision in front of her wasn't leaving. Joy washed over here and she stood up and screamed. "SERINA!"

Serina flung herself into her mums arms and wept. Her mum cried as well her arms tightening holding her baby to her. Never letting go. Her brother and father came out and seemed to freeze before yelling and running over to them. She looked up off her mums shoulder and saw Felix gazing at her with a small smile on his face. She let him see the gratitude in her eyes and mouthed two words.

Thank You

He nodded and smiled. She closed her eyes simply enjoying being back in her mummy's arms. When she opened them Felix was gone but her family was around her.

She was home.

AN: It's over. I feel so satisfied that I finished one of my stories but I have exciting news I am writing a sequel to this story called Love In Italy. Keep an eye out for it.

Summary: 13 years have passed Serina and her family are moving house and Serina is focusing on her future but her parents are reluctant to let her go after what happened to her in Volterra. However, when she goes to Italy on a school trip Serina meets on old friend. As their friendship is rekindled could it develop into something more? But Felix isn't the only one with an eye on Serina the tracker Demetri is attracted to Serina's light and he wants her to. Who will win her heart? And does she have the talent that Aro believes she has?