Chapter 28

He sat down on the end of the bed slowly, closing his eyes as he took in a deep unneeded breath. Her scent surrounded him, faded though it was. The sweet scent of her venom and the spicy scent - a mix of cinnamon, vanilla and cranberry that was unique to her surrounded him, filling his nose and comforting him. A smile crossed his face as he listened to the man on the other end of the phone and he laughed silently as he shook his head. Opening his eyes, he nodded to himself and stood from the bed as he moved to the window.

"Is she enjoying herself?" he asked as he looked out at the busy streets below.

"Yes," the man told him as he laughed and the sound of water splashing could be heard in the background. "She's like a child at Christmas."

"Can I speak with her?"

"I don't really think that's going to be a possibility right now," the man's voice was filled with amusement. "I haven't been able to get her to come in from the water since we landed. I can't believe you never took her swimming before."

"There was never a reason to," Aro commented as he looked back at the neatly made bed, his heart aching in the absence of his wife. "Send me a picture?" he requested.

"That's up to her," Felix said with a sigh, his voice taking on a serious tone. "She's still afraid you're going to send someone out after her – us. That you'll drag us back there against our will, she's even afraid that you'll have me destroyed."

"You know I won't," Aro said with a deep sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I know that," Felix agreed easily enough. "The point is, she doesn't. The question becomes, why does she doubt you so much? What is there to make her think that you would rather see her unhappy or in pain then let her be free for awhile?"

"I'm certain that even you understand why we have the wives guarded so heavily."

"I do," Felix said with a nod as he watched Suplicia spring up from the water only to dive back under the surf. "She still won't tell me what happened," he told Aro as he looked around the beach to make certain they were alone as the first rays of sunlight began to traverse the sky. "Every time I even hint at mentioning home she gets this haunted look in her eyes and does whatever she can to change to subject."

"She never told you any of it?" Aro asked, the tone of his voice somewhere between disbelieving and resigned.

"Aro," Felix's voice changed, the tone of the man's friend becoming instead that of the honorable Volturi guard who had served faithfully for centuries. "Had I any information on your wife's torment, on what instilled that haunted look in her eyes, I would've come before you personally and privately. You've known me long enough to know that, or at least you should."

"Honor, chivalry, integrity and discretion," Aro listed as he shook his head. "These are attributes that I thought made you…weaker than the others. You were never ruthless or cunning; you have never sought power for power's sake. What I thought of as a weakness is the sole reason that I trust you so completely…"

"If we were standing in the same room, I wouldn't know how to take that. You're not exactly one to ever issue compliments," he chuckled at himself. "Except for that young vampire you met centuries ago, the one that fascinated you. But my point is, hearing you say that about me while I'm out here guarding Suplicia tells me that something has happened there. You haven't even mentioned coming home once during this call which means, and correct me if I'm wrong, it's not safe to come back or at least not safe for her."

"For all the times that I've stepped into your mind, I have never noticed quite how perceptive you were before," Aro told him and Felix felt his eyebrows rise high on his forehead.

"There's that complimenting thing again," he commented, making it clear that he wouldn't let Aro avoid the question. "You never had reason to notice. I'm not a high ranking guard; I'm just muscle when you need it."

"An obvious oversight on my part."

"Aro," Felix's voice became hard as alarm bells went off in his head. "Stop avoiding the question. What have you discovered?"

He could hear Aro's sigh, the three-thousand-year old vampire rarely letting such a human expression show. The silence he received was telling enough, but the words to come from Aro were not ones he ever expected to hear.

"Corin has not been using her talent to influence Suplicia in well over a century…she's been using Jane instead."

His fist closed of its own accord, the plastic and metal of his phone crumbling to the sand below. Cursing at the ruined device littering the ground by his feet, he looked up to see Suplicia stepping onto the beach. She dashed to his side, her movements demonstrating the grace and speed she possessed as a creature of the night. He chuckled as he watched her disappear into the hut they were staying in on the private side of the island. Following her inside, he told her that she should take a shower and get dressed while he took care of a bit of business.

He waited for her to close herself inside the bathroom before he opened the laptop and brought up the video communication program. After the first call that Suplicia had made, he had saved Aro's private video phone number into the system allowing him to make the call with a single click of the touchpad mouse. He waited as the call rang through, sitting back against the couch as the fifth digital tone went through.

"The connection dropped," Aro said as his face appeared on Felix's monitor.

"No…I broke my phone. This is our only form of communication until I acquire a new one."

"Ah," Aro's eyebrows lifted and Felix could see the mix of amusement and understanding in the man's milky crimson eyes.

"I know what Jane's power feels like," Felix said as he ground his teeth together and stared at the computer screen. "She enjoys using it enough on me. I swear she sees it as a toy to entertain herself with whenever the mood strikes her."

"How often?" Aro asked with a hard edge to his voice even as his face remained carefully impassive.

"Often enough," he answered vaguely as he heard the shower shut off. "Suplicia will be in the room soon, I don't want her to hear us discussing this."

"You're very protective of her," Aro said and Felix could see the underlying question in his eyes.

"She's your mate, Aro, I would never take another man's mate," he promised sincerely. "She's my friend, that's all."

He watched Aro nod silently, able to see the strain that Suplicia's absence was having on him. Felix looked back over his shoulder when the man's expression suddenly changed from strained to peaceful. He felt his lips twist into a crooked smile and nodded for Suplicia to join him on the couch, watching as she dried her hair with a towel.

"Would you two like some privacy?" he asked as he looked between Aro's face on the computer and the woman sitting next to him.

"Please," Aro requested, watching as Suplicia bit her full bottom lip and nodded quietly.

"I'll just be in the other room," he promised her as he stood and moved away.

Aro studied his wife as she remained silent, her lip caught between her teeth. He knew that she was nervous and understood why. He also had a very intimate understanding of why she doubted not only his love for her, but also her fear of the home he had made for her. He watched her set the towel down, her damp hair hanging freely down over her shoulder, the water darkening the pale blonde to a honey tone.

"I miss you," he told her when it became obvious that she wouldn't be the first to break the silence.

"I miss you, too," she told him, her voice whisper quiet, but he heard her clearly. "I miss the way you would sit and hold me while we talked," she confessed softly. "You haven't done that in almost seven hundred years."

"I failed you, Suplicia," he told her after a long moment of silence. "My first job is to protect you and I didn't do that."

She bit her lip again, ducking her head and looking down at her hands folded in her lap. As fearful as she was of being taken back to Volterra, she wanted to feel his arms around her more. She wanted to trust him, she wanted her husband back, but she felt equally afraid to trust him.

"You must know that I never would have allowed that to happen," he told her, his voice pained as he watched her through the monitor. "Had I know what was happening, I would have…"

"You would have what?" she asked him, her voice soft and tired as though she didn't believe he would be able to have done anything. "They were your most trusted high guards and she…you appointed her yourself." Suplicia shook her head. "You would have also had to bring the matter before Marcus and Caius…even if you do have the final say, you would need to have their input and speaking of the matter to them would've only brought you embarrassment."

"Embarrassment?" Aro repeated, his brow furrowed as he studied what he could see of her face, her bowed head hiding her in shadows. "Is that what you think? That I'm embarrassed by or ashamed of you?"

"Aren't you?" she asked after a moment, her voice soft and frightened. "You make love to Corin and Chelsea more often than you do me. In the past six hundred years I've only seen you for a few moments each day, we haven't even had a real conversation in more than eight hundred years. As far as your actions tell me…"

"Suplicia," she looked up at the pained tone of his voice. "You are my mate, my wife."

She shook her head sadly. "I don't know what that means to you anymore. I haven't known for a very long time. The girls, Jane included, have always loved to come see me when your scent is still thick upon them. You would spend hours with them, hours making love to them, where I got less than thirty minutes from you. They always made certain that I knew my…that I knew my place and that I knew that theirs was higher. They would sit and talk with each other in front of me about the places they had visited, their hunts outside the castle walls. They made certain I understood exactly what I was…a prisoner."

"Suplicia…"

"I-I'm sorry, I can't."

She shook her head rising from the sofa and disappearing from the room without disconnecting the call. A moment later Felix appeared in front of the camera and moved to sit on the couch as he studied Aro's face. The man had been careful to hide the emotions from his face, but not his eyes and Felix could see the pain they held. He remained silent, waiting for Aro to speak.

"There are matters that I must attend to. I will let you know when it is safe for her to return. Protect her," Aro said as he stared at Felix.

"I always have."

The call ended, the screen becoming black before the entry box appeared for him to make another call if he wished. Minimizing the program, Felix closed the laptop and stared at nothing as he sat on the couch. The fact that Aro avoided his question entirely and Suplicia refused to speak of the matter only confirmed the dark suspicions he had. He didn't know the extent of what she had gone through, had no idea as to the severity of the actions taken against her, but what he could piece together was enough to both enrage him and fill him with sorrow. Closing his eyes, he promised himself that he would do whatever he could to help Suplicia heal.

:::::

Bella pulled her knees up to her chest, hugging her arms around her legs as she bit her lip and rocked slowly in Edward's bed. She could hear his soft voice as he spoke to Angela, her friend's cries having woken her from her own nightmare. Closing her eyes as she bowed her head, she fought to keep her tears silent.

You're fine, she told herself as she tried to control her breathing. It was just a dream. Nothing actually happened to you. Don't be selfish, Angela needs him more than you do.

Her hands moved, her fingers combing into her hair and gripping it painfully as she touched her forehead to her knees. She wanted to cry, but knew if she did that Edward would come running to her and she couldn't be that selfish. She wasn't sure exactly when she had been brought to Edward's home, but did know that she had been here for almost two days now. She felt guilty that her nightmares had caused Charlie to lose enough sleep that he had asked someone else to look after her.

The first tear, borne of guilt and shame escaped her eye, followed closely by a second and a third. Before she knew it, she was sobbing as silently as possible, her tears cascading over her cheeks in a waterfall of devastation. She covered her face with her hands, did everything that she could think of to try to stop her tears but nothing worked. Bella gasped at the feel of the gentle pressure against her head as someone kissed her and looked up to find Carlisle sitting next to her on the bed.

She wanted to tell him to go to Angela, that she was fine and her friend needed him more. Instead, she felt her tears come faster as her body seemed to move without her consent, her arms wrapping around his waist as she buried her face in his chest and cried. Carlisle sighed as he held her and stroked her hair. He had smelled her tears and thought she was crying in her sleep until Jasper had told him of the emotions he was reading from Bella. Dipping his head to kiss her hair once more, he held her close as he did his best to soothe her.

"You are part of this family, too, Bella," he told her gently as he rubbed her back. "We will always be here for you. Asking for comfort is not being selfish," he promised her when she pulled back, the expression on her face telling of her embarrassment over her tears. "Come, lie back," he instructed as he stretched out on the bed next to her. "I have it on good authority that this is your favorite novel," he said as he enfolded her in his arms and brought his hands together to open the book he held.

Bella tucked herself against his side, her eyes blinking tiredly as he began reading to her. There was no light in the room, save the pale golden glow emanating from the hallway outside the half open door, but his enhanced vision saw the printed words perfectly. Her hand gripped his shirt as she let his voice soothe her back to sleep, the familiar words from Wuthering Heights taking her mind off her nightmare. He read through chapter one and was halfway through chapter two when he found her to be sleeping deeply against his side, her head pillowed on his chest. They were both waking almost every two to three hours and he wondered how long she would be able to sleep this time before her nightmares woke her.

Looking up at the feel of his son's presence, he watched Edward walk to the bed slowly. He didn't ask Carlisle to leave, never even hinted at it. Instead, Edward moved to the opposite side of the bed and climbed in behind Bella. It was the comfort of someone she considered to be a father figure that she was seeking and he wouldn't deny her that. He sat with his back against the headboard as he looked down at his love enfolded in his father's arms. He had read Jasper's thoughts, his brother's insights into Bella's emotions allowing him some ability to understand what she was thinking. There were times that he hated how silent her mind was to him and now was one of those times.

Carlisle turned his head, tipping his chin down just enough to kiss Bella's forehead. She felt tiny against him, her human warmth and softness a constant reminder of how exceedingly fragile she was. Had he known the effect that Angela's memories were having on her, he would have insisted that she stay with his family before now. Bella was his daughter, too and he regretted that in his diligent care of Angela he had somehow forgotten that fact. His arms tightened around her, his heart and mind telling him to hold her as close as possible to know without a doubt that she was safe with them. He couldn't help wondering if she had had similar nightmares after James' attack.

"Not so much," Edward responded to his father's thoughts, his voice too low for humans to hear. "Sometimes she would startle, wake with a gasp or a slight movement, but never anything to this extent. After James' attack neither of us was able to tolerate being away from each other for very long."

Jasper spoke to me of her emotions. She believes herself to be selfish if she asks for comfort.

"I know," Edward answered with a heavy sigh. "I wish I could read her mind, if only to know what she is thinking and how to help her."

Carlisle shushed Bella gently when she stirred against him, stroking his hand over her hair slowly a few times before tucking her hair behind her ear and resting his palm against her cheek. His thumb moved over her cheekbone delicately, smoothing back and forth slowly as he soothed her. He assured her that she was safe, promised her that she wasn't alone. He felt the gentle tug as her hand tightened around the fabric of his shirt and felt the corner of his lips turn up in the barest hint of a smile as he watched her sleep in his arms.

"No, please," Bella mumbled softly in her sleep.

"Shh, you're safe, Sweetheart," Carlisle promised her softly as Edward rested his hand on her head trying to offer her comfort as well.

"Her nightmares are constant," Edward said softly as he stroked her hair. "It has always been a strange combination of frustration and amusement that I have felt due to my inability to read her thoughts, but now I feel pain because I cannot see into her dreams to know how to help her."

"I don't need to tell either of you that she's terrified," Jasper said from the doorway, his body blocking the light from the hall. "But there is also a mix of confusion and sacrifice," he stepped forward slowly, his usually soft Texan accent made thick with the emotions he felt coming to him from both of the human girls. "Whatever she is seeing, whatever terror her nightmares are creating, she is willing to trade herself in order to stop it. It's the same emotions I read from her when we entered the ballet studio, before she knew we were there."

"Your influence isn't reaching her?" Edward questioned his brother as he read his thoughts.

"It's not reaching either of them. Their terror is too strong."

The knock at the front door drew their attention, their heads turning in the direction of it though none of them moved from their current positions. They heard Chief Swan's voice as he spoke with Esme; she thanked him gently, the door closing a few moments later. The sound of his cruiser starting and pulling out of the drive drew an unconscious sigh of relief from the three Cullen men. It wasn't that any of them didn't want Charlie's presence, but with the constant stress of the nightmares Angela and Bella were experiencing, the presence of a human who didn't know their secret only made matters that much more tense.

Esme ascended the stairs slowly, smiling down at the two new DVDs in her hand. Charlie had brought them over; telling her that he had asked Renee what brought Bella the most comfort when she was sick. He had looked rather rough and when she had asked to his health he had confessed that he had spent the last thirty-six hours asleep. She had assured him that it was no trouble for them, taking care of Bella as well as Angela. Carlisle was a doctor, she had reminded him, he was used to sleepless nights.

"Emmett," Esme stepped up to her son and accepted his embrace easily when he hugged her. "Get Angela and take her down stairs, please."

"Downstairs?" Emmett questioned.

"Rosalie and Alice are setting up the living room for you. Take her down, you'll see."

Esme stepped away from him then, moving to Edward's open door and smiled sadly at the picture made by her husband lying with Bella tucked against his side. Edward chuckled softly as he read his adoptive mother's thoughts and nodded. Looking to Carlisle, he told his father what Esme had planned and watched as his parents locked gazes, the love between them palpable. Carlisle moved slowly, gathering Bella into the cradle of his arms as he stood from the bed and walked to the door.

"Carlisle?" he looked down to see Bella's eyes half open, her brow furrowed in drowsy confusion.

"It's alright, little one," he promised as he kissed her forehead. "Your father brought something over that he thought might help you and Angela." He watched the emotions on her face, cuddling her closer against his chest as he descended the stairs. "Don't you worry about a thing. Charlie's alright, he's concerned about you as we all are, but he's willing to let us take care of you, especially since I'm a doctor. Don't ever be afraid to ask for the comfort you need, sweetheart."

"Give me my sister," Emmett said softly from his seat in the middle of the couch. "Hey, Bells," he greeted when Carlisle set her gently on the couch next to him.

Emmett wrapped his arm around Bella, pulling her close as she tucked herself against his right side; Angela already curled against his left. He rubbed his hand over her arm, kissing her hair as she settled against his chest with a yawn. He smiled up at Rosalie when she covered the three of them with a blanket as Alice slipped one of the DVDs into the player and turned on the large flat screen TV. Both of the girls were drowsy, their eyes open as they fought against the sleep that beckoned them. A song familiar to them both began playing; drawing their eyes to the TV even while their heads remained pillowed against Emmett's chest. A man's voice sounded as a storybook appeared on screen, the images and words moving as he began the introduction, narrating the tale of Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day.

Jasper sat down behind Angela, Alice seated in his lap and cuddled against his chest as Edward sat down behind Bella. Though the vampires watched the movie playing on the television, their true attention was focused on the human girls tucked against Emmett. Esme stood back, wrapped in her husband's arms as she looked at her family on the couch. The only one who wasn't sitting with them was Rosalie, her blond daughter in the kitchen. She could hear the rhythmic cuts of the knife against the wooden board as her daughter sliced vegetables. She knew her daughter well enough to know that it wasn't the act of cooking she was busying herself with, but rather the comfort of the repetitive movements. It was still difficult for Rosalie to allow her concern to show, her daughter hated to reveal her emotions. She was more like Bella and Angela than she realized.

"Carlisle," Esme looked up at him with concern heavy in her ochre eyes. "School starts again in less than a week. How can we send them in like this?"

"We don't have a choice," he said sadly. "If we keep them out it will look suspicious, even with a doctor's note for them both. What would I say? Exhaustion, malnutrition, stress? Perhaps the routine of school will help them. Without it they have had nothing to distract them from their nightmares, nothing to offer them an alternate focus."

Jasper's tense expression began to soften, his body beginning to relax back against the couch as Alice cuddled closer. The constant fear that blanketed his human sisters was releasing, their stress reducing as the movie played. Who knew that a cartoon bear would bring them such comfort? Alice turned her head, smiling up at him knowingly and he chuckled. Of course, he shook his head and offered her a lopsided grin, Alice had known.

:::::

Angela bit her lip as she took the mail from the box at the end of the drive. School started tomorrow and she finally felt ready for it. With the assistance of almost every classic Winnie the Pooh film they could find as well as other animated films, including Ferngully and The Last Unicorn, both she and Bella had finally been able to sleep without nightmares. Her brow furrowed as she looked down at a letter addressed to her, the paper feeling thick and somehow both familiar and strange.

Her name was written in a classic style, graceful curves and flowing lines, the stamp and postmark in the top right corner looking out of place. She didn't feel frightened of this letter; somehow the feel of the paper and the smell of the ink brought her a sense of comfort. She didn't think about her actions as she turned and sat down slowly on the curb by the mailbox, her focus locked on the letter in her hands as the other items fell into her lap. There was no envelope, but when she turned the folded paper around she found it to be sealed by a thick wax pressing, the image of a tree thick with leaves pressed into the dollop of red wax roughly the size of a half dollar.

She broke the seal carefully, keeping the wax dollop intact as she unfolded the tri-fold letter. There were two pages inside and she smiled at the handwriting. The paper was strangely comforting, the color somewhere between white and faded yellow, the thickness of it speaking of its old-style crafting. She bit her lip, her eyes looking down as she studied the handwriting before reading the words.

:::

Dearest Miss Weber,

I do hope that this letter reaches you as I have sent it in such a fashion not seen to most in these modern times. Eleazar explained that it may come back to me, but I hope it reaches you instead.

I cannot tell you how many times I have been grateful to you in these past weeks. Had I not met you in that library so many months ago, my life would still be filled with the unbearable weight of loneliness and fear. You have brought me into the light, offered me a second chance that I never dreamed possible. You have given me everything and I fear that I have given you nothing in return.

I am sorry that I ran from you all those months ago, the library was my safe haven, but your scent called to me. Eleazar tells me that you know of our kind intimately. How could you not, your family is nothing but…I'm not so certain that I should write the word in a letter, perhaps I shall just call those of my kind explorers, for that is in a sense the very truth of what we are, or at least those like myself and your family. There are, of course, dangerous explorers out there, those that would seek to do you harm. I am eternally grateful that you haven't met one yet.

Eleazar and Carmen have taken me in; Tanya and Kate welcoming me into their family. Though Irina is here, she has been more reluctant than the others to interact with me; even so, I am grateful for the family you have given to me. They are teaching me their ways, offering me a different way to live, a different…diet. They have told me of your plight, the hunter who seeks you. It took me quite a while to convince them to release the story to me as they feared that I would do something rash. Were I a different person, were I able to control my reaction to…how should I say this in a letter? A word that we could use, something that we would both understand of what it is that I am speaking of without fear of my letter falling into the wrong hands; they have of course told me about the…royal family who makes and enforces our laws. I wish not to bring their wrath so soon.

Chocolate, we shall call it chocolate for humans and…vanilla for animals. I do apologize for the comparison to ice cream, but it is the best way that I can think of to relate it in a manner you would understand. As I was saying previously, had I the ability to control my reaction to chocolate and not feel somehow ill after ingesting it, I would of course have left shortly after they revealed to me the hunter who has been pursuing you. As it is though, chocolate seems to have a rather adverse affect on me while vanilla…vanilla allows me both comfort and strength.

I pray that this doesn't disturb you. It has been so long since I have seen you, spoken with you and I forgot how easy it is to be myself with you, even if only through a letter. You bring me peace. Tanya and Eleazar will be beginning my instruction soon, they are going to teach me how to defend myself against other explorers – how to defend you.

I miss our conversations, few though that they were. Perhaps if you permit it, we may begin anew. I await your answer, Miss Weber. May all be well with you.

Sincerely yours,

Michael Patrick O'Malley

Newest member of the Denali Explorers

:::

"Oh! Edward," Angela looked up from the letter in her hands to find him sitting next to her in the grass.

"You didn't come in," he said with a lopsided grin as he looked at her. "I got a bit worried."

"He wrote to me," she said as she bit her lip unable to hide her soft smile.

"So he did," Edward agreed easily as he stood and held out his hand to help her to her feet. "Ice cream, huh?" he teased as he accepted the other mail from her.

Angela giggled softly as she nodded, a light blush dusting her cheeks. Her hand reached up instinctively to adjust her glasses before she remembered that they weren't there. She had been wearing her contacts since the attack, she remembered, her hand falling to her side. Edward chuckled softly as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and tucked her against his side as they walked back to the house.

"Did you want to pick out new frames, or are you happy with your contacts for now?" he asked as the door opened, Esme standing aside as she allowed them entrance.

"I'm ok with the contacts," she admitted as she looked up at Esme.

"I know that look," Esme said with a smile as she took Angela's hand and led her into the kitchen. "Why don't you help me prepare dinner while we talk?"

"Ok," Angela agreed easily.

"He wrote her a letter," Edward explained to Carlisle and Jasper as they watched her disappear into the kitchen behind Esme.

"Michael?" Carlisle asked.

"Yes," Edward chuckled. "Alice," he looked at his sister as she breezed into the room, the Paris fashion show heavy in her mind and he knew that she was blocking him.

"Nope," she refused with a smile. "Some things are too good to share."

"Alice," Jasper drawled her name as she twirled into his arms and he dipped his head down to kiss her. "Whatever your vision is, I love the way it makes you feel."

"You're really not going to tell me?" Edward asked with disbelief and amusement.

"Nope," she giggled. "But don't worry. Angela will come to you for an explanation when the time comes."

"Edward?" Bella's soft voice came from behind them.

"Hey, sleepyhead," he greeted, appearing at Bella's side in an instant. "You slept almost the entire day."

"What time is it?" Bella asked as she descended the stairs tucked under his arm.

"Close to four o'clock," he kissed her temple. "How do you feel?"

"Still a bit tired," she said and blushed darkly when her stomach growled loudly.

"Let's get that monster fed," he chuckled and led her into the kitchen.

:::::

"Have you made a decision, brother?" Caius asked as he looked at Aro.

"The guards will be destroyed," Aro said with conviction.

"That much was almost a guarantee," Caius dismissed him. "I was speaking of Corin, Alec and Jane."

Aro gripped the new arm of his repaired throne firmly with caution. He didn't want to break it again, but the rage he felt would not dissipate. His façade was in place, he appeared his normal jovial self, but underneath he felt as though the blood he had recently fed was boiling within him. Corin, Alec and Jane were high ranking guards, chosen for their powers. They had always been loyal to him, but their deception and crimes against his wife made him hunger for their destruction.

"Don't tell me you need more time," Caius looked at him with apathy and disbelief. "Were it my wife the crimes were committed against, I would not hesitate to destroy them."

"Perhaps so, brother," Aro said as he watched members of his guard bring in the three men who had once guarded the wives. "But what of their service? I cannot make this decision lightly."

He stepped up from his throne with slow precise movements as the men held captive were forced to their knees before him. He cupped his hands around the first man's face, closing his crimson eyes against the flood of memories. The knowledge that this man had enjoyed the harm he brought to Suplicia was enough to leave Aro battling against his baser, more primitive instincts. The sound, a combination of slowly cracking glass and grinding stone brought him a measure of comfort as he ripped the head off of the former guard and dropped it to the floor.

He didn't realize until now that Felix had always been present for the executions, his faithful guard somehow seeming to lend him a measure of strength. When had he ever relied on anyone so much before, anyone without an active talent at least? He didn't understand how he had been unaware to his own growing need of the man's presence. Was it true, he wondered as he moved to the next man and repeated the process of reading the man's mind before removing his head. Did he rely on Felix as much as Suplicia did?

His touch upon the third, and last, man drew a furious growl from his throat as he found that this man was as sadistic as Caius could be though in a different and much more heinous manner. He looked up at the guards holding him and nodded only once. He wanted this one to fear his death, to feel the pain before he was killed. The guards ripped his arms from his body, the man screaming only seconds before Aro removed his head. Because of their nature, a vampire could experience a lifetime in only a few seconds and those last few seconds had been spent in agony and terror.

"Finish this," he commanded the guards as he returned to his throne.

"Brother?" Caius looked at Aro expectantly. "What of the others? Surely you are not waiting for Marcus to return before you decide. He has been gone for more than a week now. If he returns, it is not likely to be soon."

"We wait," Aro said as though speaking to a child. "This decision is too important to make in haste."

"Why do you hesitate?" Caius demanded, his anger palpable as he stared at Aro.

"They have transgressed against my wife, and in doing so they have transgressed against me, but," he paused as he moved to touch Caius' hand only for the man to move it out of reach. "They have not broken any of our mortal laws, they have abused their power and their station, but I must decide if that is deserving of death."

"How can you question it?"

"They are necessary; they have proved their usefulness to the Volturi time and again. I must be absolutely certain about the decision before I make it. Until the decision is made they will be kept below."

"In the dungeons?" Caius laughed mockingly. "Isn't that where we keep the humans who know about us before we decide whether to kill or change them? Surely you must be joking."

"I am not," Aro growled. "I will not be questioned in this matter again, Caius."

He left the room, his cloak fluttering behind him as he walked gracefully to the wide door. A decision of this importance felt wrong to be made without Marcus, he felt incomplete without him. They had been together, the three of them, for so long that even with Marcus' despairing disposition, he still valued the insight he would read from his brother's thoughts. He entered his study, closing himself behind the door as he removed his robe and sat before the large wood desk that was almost a thousand years ancient. Turning on the computer, he reached for his cell phone and dialed Marcus' phone once again as he waited for the computer to boot up.

"Marcus," he spoke slowly into the phone. "Brother, I know that you have answered, otherwise it would be your voicemail greeting me. Please speak to me."

"What would you have me say?" came the slow reply long moments later.

"Why did you leave?" Aro asked as he slid his finger along the touchpad and selected the video call program.

"Do you truly wish to know?"

"Of course, I do, Marcus! Otherwise I would not be calling you, I would simply have sent Demetri out after you instead!" Aro's voice had raised to the level that while being a normal volume for a human conversation felt close to shouting for him.

"I can count on one hand the number of times over the centuries that you have lost your temper," Marcus said slowly. "Has my leaving truly affected you so?"

"There are other matters as well, personal matters."

"Suplicia," Marcus said simply and Aro grew silent.

"You knew?" Aro demanded.

"Knew what?" Marcus asked as he sat on the bench along the pier and stared out at the ocean waters along Spain's coast. "I know nothing specific, only that something is wrong."

"How so?" Aro demanded.

"You as well as anyone know that there are times that I give myself over to my grief," Marcus said as he stood and walked down to the end of the pier, watching as the moonlight reflected off of the gentle waves. "There were times when I would come back to myself that I would find Suplicia tucked against my side. It wasn't often, but she seemed…unsettled. I assumed you two were having disagreements."

"No," Aro said and Marcus could hear the hard edge in the man's voice. "It is not something that I wish to discuss in detail over the phone, but suffice it to say, she was being…hurt without my knowledge."

Marcus remained silent as he digested that bit of news. Though he still felt his anger toward Aro for the death of Didyme, he was no longer as enraged as he had been when he had first read the journal. Resting his hand on the aged wood of the pier he stared out into the night, the ocean in front of him seeming to be endless, timeless and unchanging, much like he was. Suplicia was his friend and despite all of the fresh anger and grief he felt, Aro was his friend, too. Her death and his resulting despair had granted him a maturity he didn't believe he would have gained otherwise.

"What is the decision you have to make? Who is involved?" Marcus asked slowly.

"Jane, Alec and Corin."

Marcus took in a deep, unneeded breath and released it slowly. "The only advice I have to offer you, brother, is to speak with Felix. Their relationship is such that he should be consulted in this matter."

"How would you describe their relationship?" Aro asked slowly, his grip tightening slightly on the cell phone held to his ear as he stared at the computer screen in front of him.

"There is no one definition that I have to offer you. They are as close as lovers, but as trusting as siblings. He guards her and she turns to him for comfort and protection. In all of my interactions, I can promise you that they have never consummated their relationship, I would know that without having to bear witness to it."

"Felix is nothing if not honorable," Aro said with an amused sigh.

"A trait you have undervalued."

"Marcus," Aro opened the contact log and selected Felix's number. "Why did you leave?"

"Many reasons, one of which will be answered if you collect the book from my chambers. It should still be lying on my bed, provided that no one has taken it."

"A book?"

"Your book," Marcus corrected. "Your personal account. I do not know how it came to be in my possession, simply that I came back to myself and it was in my hand."

"You're not coming back are you?" Aro asked as he pinched the bridge of his nose in an entirely human manner.

"I don't know, brother. At this point in time I can be certain of nothing. I will make myself available to you by phone, I will not deprive you of my counsel, but I will not return just yet."

"Be safe, Marcus. Be careful."

"I will, brother. The same to you."

Aro disconnected the call and looked at the computer screen for a long moment before telling the program to dial the highlighted number. He didn't have to wait long for the call to be answered, a soft smile coming to his lips when it was his wife's image that greeted him. He stared at her for a moment, letting the warmth of her image dispel his dark mood.

"How long it's been," Aro said as he looked her over. "You look different," he commented as he studied her face. "Younger."

"Younger?" she giggled and he chuckled in response. "It's amazing here, I wish I could take this…thing outside and show you, but it's connected to the wall."

"Laptops have power cords, my dear wife, but they also run on batteries," he chuckled easily. "Look in the bottom right corner; do you see a small image that looks like a battery with a cord next to it?"

"Ummm," she bit her lip, her brow furrowing in confusion. "Maybe," she said slowly, "what does a battery look like?"

Aro laughed at her innocent question, "I do miss you," he told her. "Tell me. Tell me about where you are, what it looks like."

She sighed with pleasure, a soft hum vibrating happily from her before she spoke. "There is sand everywhere, we are surrounded by beaches, but we are far secluded from the humans. We are near the water!" she suddenly said and he watched her bounce ever so slightly. "My favorite thing is to swim among these amazing creatures," her hands moved as though she were running them over the creature she was describing. "They are grey in color and friendly. They dance in the water and on top of it so freely! Felix," she called and turned to look back over her shoulder. "What are they called again?"

"Dolphins," came his disembodied voice.

"Yes! Dolphins! Oh they are so fun to play with," she said and Aro laughed at her exuberance. "But I met another creature, roughly the same size and shape. It wasn't friendly, it tried to attack me."

"You obviously got away," Aro said unnecessarily.

"Of course I did," she said as though insulted he would question her ability to care for herself. "After I fed on it. Oh don't look at me like that, I didn't realize how long it had been since I hunted and I was hungry. I brought it's carcass back to the shore and Felix is making me something from its teeth."

"What did you eat?" he asked in confusion and changed the focus of his eyes when he saw Felix walking toward the camera from another room.

"She ate a shark, Aro," Felix said with humor as he sat next to her on the couch. "Your tiny little wife ate a shark that was more than twice her size. You have no idea how amusing it was to watch her carry it up to the house…Suplicia," Felix turned his attention on her, "why don't you give Aro and I a few moments, ok?"

"Alright," she replied, her happiness becoming a bit subdued. "I think we could do with some fresh blossoms in here."

Felix watched her leave, closing the door behind her, before he returned his attention to the screen.

"Our diet here is mostly animal with a bit of human thrown in. We have to be careful as it seems we arrived in the off season and this place is less populated than I thought," Felix told Aro as he grew serious. "Will you tell me now what it is that you discovered?"

"Is she gone?" Aro asked, not liking Suplicia to be unguarded but also not wanting her to be in earshot for their conversation.

"Yes."

Aro began slowly, his demeanor changing to that of controlled anger as he told Felix what he had discovered. He assured him that the guards had been destroyed before revealing who had arranged for such a thing to take place. He stopped for a few moments, allowing Felix time to regain control as the man's growling was making it necessary for him to increase the volume of his voice to be heard properly.

"Corin arranged it, Jane and Alec made it possible?" Felix asked with rage and disbelief.

"Yes," Aro said with a heavy sigh full of anger and sorrow. "I have them secured in the dungeon under the watch of several guards, but I am at a loss for what to do. I have agonized over this decision since the moment of my discovery." Looking down as he swallowed his pride, Aro met Felix's eyes through the computer screen. "I seek your counsel. What would you have done with them?"

Felix took in a slow deep breath. "If they were anyone else, I would tell you to destroy them at once, but I know the importance of both their talents and their position within our guards. Let me think on it, this decision cannot be made in haste."

Aro chuckled darkly. "So far, you are the only one to understand that. Caius thinks that I should simply destroy them and be done with it."

"Caius would have any vampire with talent destroyed, except for Corin. He has always been jealous that he does not hold a talent of his own."

"So observant," Aro said as he looked at the man who guarded his wife. "Have you ever felt the same envy?"

"Nah," Felix's lips twisted in an amused lopsided grin. "I have what I need. My strength gives me power, and without an active talent, no one takes too much notice of me so I am allowed to observe and see what I need to. I was a scout, Aro," he reminded his maker. "And a highly respected soldier, with battle skills far superior to anyone else among my peers or superiors. Taking the time to observe those around me without being seen has allowed me the ability to know not only how someone will fight, but also who can be trusted and who can't. Anything more would be unnecessary."

Aro nodded silently and Felix looked up as the door of the small beach house opened. He couldn't hide the amusement on his face, or suppress the easy laughter that followed. Shaking his head as he stared at Suplicia, his eyes shone with merriment.

"Did you leave any flowers outside at all?" he asked as she stepped forward, her arms laden with the blossoms.

"Of course I did, I only gathered a few," she said as she sat next to him and looked down at the computer when she heard her husband's laughter. "What?"

"Suplicia, my dear," Aro chuckled at the sight she made. "How many flower necklaces are you wearing?"

"Just one made from each plant I found," she said as she took them off one by one. "Fifteen."

"Only fifteen," he mocked with humor. "Take care of her, Felix. I have matters to attend to."

Felix nodded once before the call was disconnected and Aro sat back against the chair behind him. Suplicia was happy, happier than he had seen her in more time than he cared to measure. She seemed carefree, relaxed and full of wonder, something he hadn't seen from her since their first decade of marriage. Her heart had first been haunted by the desire for a child of her own blood in the human manner and then again by Didyme's death. There had been a few centuries in between then and now when he had thought her to be happy, but then she had been darkened again when she was harmed maliciously by those who were supposed to protect her.

"What is the right choice?" he asked of no one as he turned to look at an ancient painting hung on the wall. "Oh my friend, were you still with me, it is your counsel I would be seeking. I have not seen nor heard from you since you left Volterra all those centuries ago. Dearest Carlisle, are you even still among us?"