AN: For those of you who may be unaware, Charmion was Chelsea's human name and the name she used most often until she adopted Chelsea around the 1950s. And also, for the curious minds out there, I don't believe that Aro is necessarily a "good person" but I don't think he's evil either. It takes me quite a lot of time to write the chapters heavily featuring him as I am constantly going back and forth between the books and the character sketches as I consider his character.

Chapter 34

The only question burning through his mind was 'why'. Why did it seem that everything had broken at once? Why hadn't he noticed what was happening to his own wife? Why was Marcus able to leave them all so easily? Had his renewed anger truly overpowered Chelsea's talent? But most importantly, why was it that he had felt little to no emotional ties to his wife until the moment he had found her missing? He didn't understand any of these things and the more he tried to sort out an answer, the more it seemed that the answer was impossible to find. Rolling his eyes at the ghost of Marcus' voice inside his mind, he sighed at the wisdom of the one piece of advice the melancholy man habitually bestowed upon him.

"Leave what you do not know and look back on what you do know. The answer often hides in plain sight."

Aro shook his head, sighing in frustration as he fell to lie back on the bed in his chambers. His hands moved to rub at his temples and he cursed the fact that while his kind in general shouldn't be able to experience headaches of any kind, he had a very stubborn one at that particular moment. Closing his eyes in an effort to better focus his thoughts, he moved back on the bed until he was lying completely on it with his head on the pillows. Brining his hands back to his face, he covered his face with his hands and sighed deeply against his palms as he gave his mind the freedom to wander.

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Teatro Argentina opera house, Rome, Italy, March 3, 1785

His eyes were closed, allowing the subtle nuances of the human's voice to fill him completely. This wasn't the first time that he had seen this particular opera performed and he doubted it would be the last. The storyline, as with most, was predictable and a bit simplistic in his view, but the music… The music and the voices of the human performers held him captivated time after time. He had seen the premier performance of this piece when it was first brought before the public eye. The performers at the time had been gifted, skilled, but this woman who was singing now had captured his attention. He knew that he had heard her voice before, but for a reason that completely escaped him, he couldn't remember where. Now, as he sat in the balcony between Marcus and Caius, he felt as though her voice were brushing against him with the near physical caress of a familiar lover.

Her aria came to a close and he opened his eyes slowly, releasing a deeply contented sigh as he turned his eyes down to the crowd below. He had fed earlier that night and while he preferred not to hunt when dressed as finely as he was, a snack was never out of the question. Scanning the line of men and women, his piercing crimson gaze came to rest on a head of golden hair. The color fascinated him, it was a shade of blonde that was somewhere between the richness of spun gold and the much lighter airy pale gold that he had seen artists use to depict the rays of sun. His lips parted in wonder as he realized where he had seen the color before.

"Cherubs," he whispered to himself, his lips moving but the sound only occurring in his thoughts.

"How many times have we seen this particular opera, Aro?" Caius asked in annoyance, Athenodora seated on his lap. "Certainly you could have found something new to distract yourself with."

"You needn't attend every show with me, dear brother," he dismissed him without taking his eyes off the man seated below them. "You're more than welcome to find your own distraction."

He could feel the man below; his attention held fast by his hair and knew that he was one of them. His pale white skin, the perfect motionless that only one of their kind could experience held in a relaxed human pose. The man turned his head to the side and he could see the delicate lock of gold hair resting in a graceful curve over his brow and temple. How he longed to see the man's face, just a glimpse. His lips curved up in a grin of fascination and pleasure as he watched the man move slowly, adopting a completely human lethargy of movement as he turned in his seat enough to look back and meet his eyes.

Aro's brow furrowed, his crimson eyes widening as his tongue darted out to touch the inner edge of his bottom lip, just enough to taste the air. The man's eyes were gold, a rich warm gold. He studied his face, the man's countenance angelic and he knew that if his heart were actually beating, it would have stopped. He watched as the man closed his eyes, offering him a courtly nod of recognition before he turned back in his seat to watch the performers. Aro sat back in his seat, his mind spinning with questions. How could the angel's eyes be gold? Was he not one of their kind? Was he, in truth, perhaps what he looked like? But then, wasn't that just a fanciful notion to believe that angels existed on earth?

He felt the delicate touch of his wife's hand upon his, her curiosity feathering across the edges of his mind before he blocked his talent. He looked back at Suplicia, saw the gentle tilt of her head and the way she held her bottom lip gently between her teeth. He knew that she was waiting for him to speak, to reveal what held his attention, but for reasons he didn't wish to explore, he found her presence that evening to be little more than an annoyance. He turned back around in his chair and stared into the crowd to lock his eyes on the man's golden hair once more as the opera continued. He could feel Suplicia's disappointment and knew that he should speak with her at some point, but there would be time for that later, all their kind had was time.

He watched the performers as his mind began to stray from the performance in front of him to thoughts that had been plaguing him for longer than he cared to admit or remember. He wasn't certain when his love for Suplicia had began to turn into this…what was it that he felt toward her? Apathy? Disinterest? Annoyance? He truly wasn't certain what to call it, but he knew that the emotions he felt for her were most certainly not love. She was his mate and yet, more often than not, he had very little desire to spend any time at all with her. His memory of their early years together was unchanged, their ceaseless desire to be with each other, to talk freely and make love at almost every moment of the day or night, could still bring him peace. His attention returned to the performers below as the opera's forbidden lovers made their private song to one another, the emotions of the piece both stirred and unsettled him. Why had it been so very long since he had felt that same desire for Suplicia?

It was almost an hour later that the curtains closed, the heavy fabric parting once more to reveal the performers as they bowed before closing for one final time. Caius was the first to stand, as he always was, Marcus following shortly after and Aro watched them leave. He followed suit, stepping gracefully around the high backed velvet and wood chair to follow them out. He found himself somehow angered by the way that Suplicia walked beside him. Her head was held high, she was the very picture of grace and confidence, but she wouldn't meet his eyes. It felt to him that the separation between them was growing and he made the decision then to leave her at the castle the next time he ventured out into the city. He would take Corin with him on his next outing, she held his interest and it wasn't the first time in this decade that he had thought of bedding her, though perhaps it was time he left his thoughts behind and began acting on his desires. After all, Charmion had already been a lover of his for well over a thousand years. Why not add one more?

As they made their way into the lobby of the opera house, he stared into the crowd of milling humans searching for the angelically featured man that he had seen before without any success. The man was gone and Aro found the knowledge to be disappointing. He had been intrigued and wanted to know more about the man with the strange gold eyes, but it seemed that his curiosity would not be sated this eve. He held out his hand, palm up for Suplicia to take, but she ignored him and continued to walk soundlessly by his side. He found his annoyance only growing more intense with her actions. She didn't speak a single word to him on the way back to Volterra, though when he thought about it, he realized that she hadn't spoken to him in months.

"You have never been so silent with me before Suplicia," he observed as they walked separate from the others. "Why now?"

"I don't recall you ever actually seeking my opinion," she replied, her voice devoid of emotion. "Why not find Corin, I'm certain she can supply you with whatever you need."

Aro stopped, his brow furrowing as he stared ahead at his wife. Her voice had always held some form of emotion, whether it was sadness, elation or anger, but now it held nothing. He ghosted to her side, his hand on her velvet and silk covered shoulder stopping her and turning her to face him. She looked slightly to the left, still refusing to meet his gaze and when he lifted his hand to touch her face she stepped back from him. He nodded once, respecting her wishes to keep her mind to herself.

"Why would I seek out Corin?" he asked her when it became clear that she was denying him access to her thoughts.

"I may be a fool, Aro," she said finally meeting his gaze, "but I am no idiot. Felix," she turned to the guard walking behind them. "I wish to return to the castle now."

"Yes, my lady," the man said and Aro watched them leave.

Her eyes had been as devoid of emotion as her voice, a sight he could never remember having witnessed before. He clenched his jaw before he could growl. Why was it that she annoyed him so? Why was her presence so…undesirable lately? Lately? He rolled his eyes. He had been growing more displeased with her for nearly two hundred years. Though if he was honest with himself, he would admit that his discontent had been growing slowly, what had been barely discernible displeasure so very long ago had now turned into great annoyance. He just wished that he knew when the rift had begun to form. What prompted them to fall away from each other? Was it possible for mates to fall out of love for each other? He still couldn't take the risk of a separation between them, he had no desire to become like Marcus and because of that he knew that he could no longer permit her outside the castle walls. There was too great a possibility that she may act on her feelings and leave the city.

From this moment on, their chambers would be her home. Aro looked back to another guard, his gaze bringing the man closer, and he spoke of the commands to him. The younger vampire nodded before leaving his side to return to Volterra. She would be able to move about the castle as long as she always had at least one guard with her, but no longer would he allow her outside the walls, the risk was too great.

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Present Day, Volterra, Italy

Aro shook his head and looked around his chambers. Why was he thinking of that time now? What purpose did those memories serve him? What did any of it matter? His wife was gone, in another country halfway around the world and the man he had glimpsed that night, his Stregoni Benefici… He was fairly certain the man he had once called friend was gone from this world. The last he had heard of him was in eighteen-fourteen, after that, news of Carlisle Cullen had been silent. He had been a dear friend and someone that he enjoyed speaking with, but ultimately Carlisle had left him after only twenty years, unable to take the darkness of life with the Volturi.

He looked up at the sound of the door opening and watched as Chelsea glided into the room. He almost always blocked his talent with her. She did her job well, kept his libido satiated, but he had always found her mind to be a touch too simplistic for his taste. She simply did not intrigue him. He could see the desire in her eyes, the knowledge that she wanted him to bed her written clearly in her face. It often was a source of both amusement and curiosity that she came to him more often than he knew she went to her own mate. Eyebrows lifting in a dismissive gesture, he bid her to leave him in peace before he stood from his position on the bed and moved to his office. He wanted to speak with Felix. Nearly a week had passed since he had asked the man for his advice on the situation involving Alec, Jane and Corin, certainly by now the man had some opinion.

Closing himself behind the door, he turned on his laptop and stepped away from his desk as he waited for the computer to boot up while he stared out of the window. He hadn't been able to reach Marcus in a few days and while he had left a voicemail, it bothered him that the message went unanswered. His computer beeped, the sound signaling that he had a call waiting to be answered and he stepped over to his desk. Hitting the answer button without looking too close at who was calling, he sat down in the leather chair and smiled at the image of his wife.

"You know, Aro," Suplicia stared at him in amused wonder. "You've smiled at me more times in the past month that I've been away than you have in the past near nineteen hundred years."

"I wish I knew what happened between us," he told her as he stared at her image on the screen.

"You know what happened," she told him, her eyes losing the light of whimsy that they had held previously, the expression her face showing that she was beginning to shut him out.

"Suplicia," he called out to her when she looked to be moving away from the screen. "Please," he watched her still in her seat slowly. "I don't know what happened. I have been searching my memory, searching those that I have acquired from you over the years, but I do not know."

She remained quiet as she stared at him and he could both see and feel her trying to assess the truth in his words. She drew her bottom lip in between her teeth, before averting her eyes from the screen. Shaking her head slowly, she took in a deep breath as her eyes scanned the room. He watched her, waiting patiently for her eyes to return to him and when they did, he could see the pain written in her crimson depths. He could see now how deeply he had hurt her over the years and regret burned brightly in his still heart.

"You found Chelsea," she told him slowly, "made her into one of us and suddenly…suddenly I wasn't good enough for you anymore. I don't know exactly when you took her to your bed, but I do know that you no longer seemed interested when we made love. It was as though you were taking that time to read my thoughts; I don't remember you touching me much otherwise."

"Suplicia…"

"Felix was going to tell you himself, but he left to hunt," she said as she reached for the computer, her hand disappearing from the view of the webcam. "Don't kill them, Jane and the others. This isn't about what we want; it's about what is best for our future."

"Supli-" her name only half formed ended in a sigh as he watched the video screen turn black.

She was gone from him and he couldn't help wondering if she ever intended to return. That she had spoken to him of Felix's decision told him that she had been made part of it. He wondered whose influence it had been in making the final decision. Had it been her wish that they not be killed or had it been Felix's? Now, more than ever before, he felt completely lost as though the world itself had turned on its axis. Standing from his seat at his desk, he left his office and made his way to the throne room. The only person left to help him see to the final punishment would be Caius, but what kind of sentence could they bring that wouldn't simply seem like a slap on the wrist to the three vampires?

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"Your final decision is to leave them alive?" Caius asked as his brows disappeared high on his forehead. "Have you finally grown soft, Aro? You, who have ordered the execution of others for seemingly less grievous crimes, are letting them off?"

"This decision was not made in haste, Caius," he reminded the man with a pleasant tone while his eyes betrayed the truth of his anger. "You are not the only one that I have consulted in this matter."

"And what, pray tell dear brother, do you really think would be a deserving punishment? Certainly nothing but death would prove to them the seriousness of their crimes," Caius pointed out somewhat reasonably.

An indelicate snort sounded from the side of the room as Athenodora walked into the throne room and up to her husband. Her movements were graceful, her hips swaying provocatively as she stalked her willing prey.

"Starve them," she said with a dismissive flick of her wrist. "It won't cause any lasting damage, and certainly won't kill them, but it should get the message across," she said as she approached her husband and trailed her hands up his arms until she was cupping his face. "A veritable feast has been brought to us," she purred to Caius as she grinned seductively. "I am going to go partake in the meals before returning to our bed, do not leave me waiting," she told him, the look in her eyes clear as to just what it was that she wanted from him.

"She is delectable," Caius said as he watched his wife exit the room. "And wise," he nodded to himself. "Starve them for a set period of time known only to us or you," he advised Aro. "When you do feed them again, deny them fresh blood. Make them earn the right to hunt again. That should prove effective enough."

"Starvation," Aro repeated absently. "It seems a viable option. I will let you know as soon as I decide on the time frame," he promised before rising from his throne. "As there is no other business today, let us retire to the feast."

Aro moved gracefully through the room until he reached the wide dining hall that Heidi had taken the new round of humans to. He took pleasure in the sounds of the screams and scent of the fear before he opened the room and stepped inside. The long table that held rotating fountains of blood for the more civilized feasts had been pushed back against the walls as the still living humans were herded into the middle of the room. Blocking his talent completely before reaching out for a young woman in front of him, he nearly snarled at the sight of her. His attention turned on Heidi, the displeasure and anger he felt clear on his face. Though there were no firm laws about this, it was an unspoken rule that had always been followed only to now be blatantly disregarded.

"Keep her for me," he instructed the guard nearest him, passing the woman off to him with ease before speeding to Heidi's side and backing her up against the wall. "You know my thoughts on this!" he snarled darkly, his voice little more than a hissing whisper.

"She wouldn't stay behind," Heidi hissed back, "I tried to dissuade her as did her husband, but she was very stubborn."

"I have only ever placed two restrictions on you," he growled low. "No infants, and no," he pointed back to the woman being held by the guard, "pregnant women. She is nearly to term, Heidi. You have never broken this rule before, so I will let it go, but should you do so again…" he let the threat hang unfinished in the air. "Corin, my darling," he called out pleasantly as he stepped away from Heidi. "You will assist me with my meal," he told her, "I want her to feel nothing but pleasure and comfort."

"Why?" Corin asked with humor and curiosity, before following the line of Aro's gaze to the woman across the room. "Oh," her eyes were wide as saucers. "Of course, Master."

"Hush now," Aro said as he took the woman from the guard and nodded to Corin. "Close your eyes, my dear, and this will all seem as nothing more than a dream."

He heard her soft whimpers of fear turn into a sigh of comfort as her dark green eyes fluttered closed. Bringing her closer and wrapping his arms around her, he ground his teeth against the feeling of the soft kicks coming from her distended middle. He projected his scent to her, letting the sweet musk lull her into compliance as Corin infused the woman with pleasure. He pulled his lips back as he opened his mouth, his teeth glistening like diamond covered pearls before he sank them into her delicate flesh. She gasped against him, but he was quick, pulling her blood into him as he drank deeply from her. He didn't stop drinking from her until the child's heart grew silent as well and only then did he pull away from her neck.

Her lifeless body fell limp to the floor and Aro turned, exiting the room silently as he no longer felt the desire to feed. He was nearly sated, but unwilling to take anymore as the woman's sweet blood left him filled with regret. He was not one to mourn a human life, but that didn't make his displeasure over taking her life and the life of her unborn child any easier to accept. He knew that not many others felt the way he did, and though he had adopted this unspoken law in respect of his wife, he found that the very thought of taking the life of an infant or pregnant mother often left him feeling shameful. Returning to his chambers, he shook his head as he removed his velvet pitch robe and laid it carefully over the armchair by the window. Returning to the bed and lying down once more, he closed his eyes and gave himself over to his mind.

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Accademia Gallery, Tuscany, Italy March 13, 1785

Aro looked up at the full moon that hung high in the Tuscan sky. It was a rare moment when he left to go to an art event without his brothers following him. He breathed in deeply, taking in the fragrant scents of the blue rosemary and lilies that lined the dirt path. He wasn't certain what upset him more, informing Suplicia himself that he was keeping her under such tight guard, or the fact that she had no reaction to his announcement at all. He had been prepared for her anger, her arguments, anything except the apathy and silence he had received. It was almost as though she had adopted Marcus' uncaring attitude. Releasing a deep silent sigh, he opened the heavy door and stepped into the museum in front of him. He knew that he didn't want to be alone, but there was no one from Volterra that he wished to share this evening with.

Feeling restless as he stepped inside the marble hall of the museum, his crimson eyes scanned over the wide entrance. He wanted to be here, he had wanted to be here since it opened almost six months ago, but being alone tonight actually left him feeling lonely and his mind drifted back to that night almost two weeks ago at the opera and the man he had seen. Looking up as he stepped further into the museum and walked into the main area that held the first of the collection on display, he felt his eyes widen. By the gods, Aro thought as he stared into the white marble hall of the newly opened museum. Luck was by his side tonight, it had to be, for there in front of him studying the delicately crafted painting hung on the wall was his phantom angel from the opera house. He stepped forward delighted by the blonde man's very presence and opened his mouth intent to greet the vampire in front of him.

"You are not like the others I have encountered," the man spoke first; his soft voice rich and smooth, holding the gentle note of a cultured English accent. "Is this perhaps a coincidence?" he asked without turning his attention away from the painting and Aro felt himself drawn to the voice. "I have not seen you since the night at the opera."

"If you are asking if I have intentionally followed you here, the answer is no," Aro said as he came to stand beside the man and noticed the difference between them in height. "It is happenstance that brings us together this night, though I cannot say I am disappointed," he said and looked up into the angelic features, finding himself once more enraptured by the beautiful man with gold eyes. "You enjoy the arts and history," he observed, though his voice held a note of question.

"I do," Aro felt his breath catch when the man turned his gold gaze on him, his eyes capturing him unmercifully. "Pardon my manners," the man tilted forward at a half bow, his golden hair falling forward to brush against his forehead before resting once more at his temples when he righted himself. "My name is Carlisle, Carlisle Cullen."

"Aro," he provided his name with a cordial nod, a gesture that he had not bestowed upon anyone else in centuries. "You enjoy the arts?" he asked needlessly, the answer apparent, though the question provided an opening.

"Yes," Carlisle admitted with a brilliant smile. "Arts, sciences, history, culture, knowledge in general, I suppose. And you, Aro?" he asked as he moved to another painting as Aro followed his movements with his eyes.

"Quite, I take in the arts whenever I am able," he said and began to feel bored with the idle chatter that the public place reduced them to. "Perhaps after our visit here tonight we may find another, more private place with which we can talk further?"

"I would enjoy that," he said and Aro was once more struck silent by the brilliance of the man's smile. "I have not met many of our…lineage that wish to engage in conversation."

"From your tone," Aro said as he walked beside Carlisle, "it does not sound as if those encounters were pleasant."

"No," he watched as Carlisle affected a shrug with his light blond brows. "If I may be so forward," Carlisle began and Aro realized he was waiting for him to nod before he continued. "You have reached out to touch me three times now, but each time you drop your hand away only inches from me. From this I can only gather that you believe I may be offended by such an action."

Aro smiled before chuckling softly with genuine humor as he delighted in the refreshing feel of Carlisle's almost formal etiquette. Looking down at his hands as they moved through the gallery, Aro lowered his voice from the soft almost human tone they were using to a level that only their kind could hear. Looking up at Carlisle, he met his eyes, his own crimson depths full of a dry kind of humor.

"Imagine if you will, that with one touch you could know everything about a person," Aro began slowly. "You could know a person's every thought, their every action and experience…their dreams and hopes, their beliefs…"

"Is such a thing even possible?" Carlisle asked him, and Aro found that he had the full attention of the man's curious gold gaze.

"It is for me," Aro told him.

"My apartment," Carlisle nodded to Aro. "It is close, perhaps ten kilometers from here. You would be welcome to stay through the day if you wish, it is close to sunrise."

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Present Day, Aro's Chambers inside Volterra

Aro slapped his hand down in frustration on the bedspread beneath him. Why was he thinking about that time? What did it matter? He was trying to understand what had happened between himself and Suplicia, not wishing to reminisce on the memory of a strange vampire who was quite possibly the closest true friend he had ever had. Memories of Carlisle would not help him with Suplicia. Standing from the bed, he shook his head and ran his hand through the length of his hair. If trying to find out what happened with Suplicia brought up memories of Carlisle then the only one he could think of who possibly decode the puzzle would be Suplicia herself.

Stepping out of his chambers, he moved down the halls with graceful precision. One year, he told himself as he passed by the door that had once been Carlisle's chambers inside the castle. The same chambers that he kept sealed, not allowing anyone else to use or affect in any manner. He placed his palm on the flat surface of the stone and brass door, letting it linger there for a few moments before moving on. He would keep Jane, Alec and Corin in the dungeons for one year while they were starved and retrained. He couldn't use Chelsea for this; he had to know that their loyalty was not something that had to be fabricated.

He turned around at the sound of the indelicate snort behind him only to find Caius standing in the hallway, wearing only a pair of black slacks. It was clear that he had just been with Athenodora, the scent of sex thick in the air. Arching a brow as he waited for the man to speak, he watched Caius shake his head.

"Didn't I tell you that that…abomination would only bring you disappointment and pain?" Caius asked Aro with a self satisfied grin. "Never tasted human blood, abhorred violence, believed in peaceful solutions," he said the last two words with mocking distaste. "He was…compassionate, he studied medicine for crying out loud," Caius rocked with laughter at the absurdity of it all. "Better off dead if you ask me. Forget him Aro, like I told you all those years ago. Forget him."

"He was a dear friend, Caius," Aro said pleasantly, though the expression on his face held anger. "You would do well to remember that. And as far as death goes, I refuse to believe that he is gone from this world."

Caius laughed easily as he opened the door behind him. "Wishful thinking, dear brother; nothing but wishful thinking. Mark my words, that weakling was killed a long time ago. Had I been smarter, I would've done it myself years ago."

The door closed behind him and Aro found himself once again pushed to the point of annoyed rage by Caius. How was it that he could aggravate him so easily now? He had heard similar comments from Caius over the years since Carlisle had left, but he had never reacted to them before now. Shaking his head as he turned back around, Aro made his way to his office and shut himself inside. Turning to his computer, he ran the pad of his finger over the track pad, bringing the monitor back to life. His head tipped to the side when he saw the dancing icon indicating that he had a message.

Clicking on the icon, he watched as the video chat program loaded and the message downloaded. He tapped on the triangle in the bottom right corner of the screen and watched as the screen changed from black to the image of Felix's face.

"Aro," Felix nodded in the video. "Suplicia told me that she informed you of the decision made regarding Jane, Alec and Corin. She was quite upset and wouldn't tell me why. I'm going to try to convince her to go swimming, it calms her down and she seems to enjoy playing with the dolphins. I'll call you again as soon as I'm able to."

The screen grew dark again and Aro sat back against the chair. Felix was protecting Suplicia again, being the best friend or big brother that his wife needed. He needed to speak with her; he needed her to help him fit the pieces together because right now, they didn't make any sense to him at all. Standing from his desk, he stepped over to the flat-topped wood chest that sat in the corner of the room. Crouching down in front of it, he lifted the lid and pushed on the ancient hinge to keep it open. He stared down at the leather bound books, his journals from the two decades that Carlisle had stayed with the Volturi. All of his other journals were kept in his chambers, but these were precious to him.

Looking up at the sound of the beeping that alerted him to an incoming call, he returned to his computer and activated the call. Felix was sitting in front of the camera again and he waited for the man to speak.

"She's outside, she's not in the ocean yet, but it shouldn't take too long," Felix said as he lent away from the camera, his attention averted. "If you don't mind my asking, did you two discuss anything other than the decision regarding the guards earlier?" Felix asked as he met Aro's crimson gaze.

"It's a fair question, you are guarding her, after all," Aro said. "We discussed our relationship, tried to determine where the rift began, but it only led to an argument or a misunderstanding, I'm not certain which at this point."

Felix nodded quietly, his attention turning away from the computer camera as he looked back outside once again.

"You've changed, Aro," Felix told him as he turned back to the camera. "There was a time when you would have sent Demetri out after us or anyone else with no questions asked, what stayed your hand?"

"I don't know," Aro chuckled. "I've been trying to figure that out myself."

"This will be the last call for awhile," Felix told him. "Suplicia wants to go somewhere else. She wants to see the world and I've no reason to deny her that."

"Where will you go?" Aro asked as his brows bent down into a frown.

"I don't know. Apparently, she's going to make her decision by closing her eyes and pointing at a place on the world map I bought her."

"Are you serious?" Aro asked with a dumbfounded expression.

"Yes," Felix laughed. "I had the same reaction when she told me." His jovial expression fell into a serious frown. "She misses you, but at the same time, she doesn't. If you ask me, I think she misses who you used to be. She talks about you sometimes, but in the manner that she speaks it's as though she's remembering someone who died, not someone who lives. She's coming back in from the water; did you want to talk with her?"

"Please." He said and watched as Felix disappeared from view. "Suplicia," he breathed her name when she sat down in front of the computer a few moments later. "It was not my intention to hurt you," he told her when she remained quiet. "I have tried to think back, to identify the rift, but the memories brought forth when I focus on you do not make sense to me."

"What memories?" she asked him softly after a few minutes of silence.

"Do you remember when I met him, the Stregoni Benefici?"

"Of course I remember that," she said, a smile spreading across her face. "Carlisle was…he was a dear friend to me. Back when he lived with us you…you were different, you were as you were when we were first together. He made you laugh and smile and you were happy Aro, truly and without question, happy. He would sit and talk with me for hours while you handled the business in the court. That was of course before you made him part of the proceedings. I think that you, I and Marcus were the only three he conversed with. No one else seemed to want him around, especially not Chelsea. His presence infuriated her."

"Why?" Aro asked as he studied his wife.

"You have to ask?" Suplicia laughed at him. "Aro, when Carlisle was with us you wouldn't let Chelsea anywhere near him or us. You protected him with such fervor. You didn't want any talents used on him at all, save your own and even you read him only sparingly. I used to watch you with him. You came alive; it was as though you were seeing the world for the first time. What made him an abomination to others fascinated you and you couldn't get enough. You mourned his leaving for nearly as long as he stayed with us, you were angry, too. I think he was the only person to befriend you who held no ulterior motives, the only person to be completely honest with you, the first person who not only didn't want to serve you, but instead simply wanted to know you."

"He was different," she said after a long moment. "He was kind and gentle, compassionate, loving, he was…"

"Pure," Aro finished her thought. "He was the only one of our kind to truly have something that I would call a soul."

Suplicia nodded. "You actually cried over his leaving," she told him. "I've never seen you cry over anyone. He affected you more than you ever wanted anyone to believe. That first five years he was with us, you were so stubborn," she laughed at him. "Do you remember, you called him a 'fascination, nothing more', but I knew the truth and so did he." She looked down before staring into the camera once more. "When he was with the Volturi, you loved me again, you were my husband again, we…we made love, passionately, repeatedly like new lovers. But when he left…" her face fell. "I was once again relegated to the role of an afterthought for you."

"An afterthought?" Aro questioned her.

"Not three days after he left you were back in Chelsea's bed and me…I was a prisoner in the castle again."

"Why didn't you ever complain?" he asked finding that he needed the answer almost desperately.

"What purpose would it have served?" she asked instead. "I knew there was nothing I could say to dissuade you and Corin made it tolerable for awhile."

"Felix tells me of your plans to…move," he told her and saw her lips twist in an annoyed glare.

"Not you, too," she said with a shake of her head. "Just because I'm not choosing the location by more traditional methods does not mean that it is any less valuable."

"I miss you," he told her and watched her smile softly.

"I miss you, too…Thank you."

"For what, my dear?" Aro asked with a curious tilt of his head.

"For letting me have my freedom. You haven't sent any hunters out after us and I…I thank you."

Aro nodded quietly, not wishing to tell her the true reason that he had not sent others to demand her return. He still believed that she would be at risk if she returned to the castle now, but he didn't want to tell her that. Speaking softly for a few moments longer, he touched his fingers to the screen just before the call disconnected. He still wasn't able to understand why he felt more connected to her now than he did when she had been there with him in the castle. It simply didn't make sense to him. Shaking his head, he lifted his cell phone and dialed Marcus' satellite phone only to once again receive his voicemail. He hung up without leaving a message as he wondered what was keeping Marcus from answering his calls.

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Standing with his back against the window, Marcus stared at the red couch and watched the human girl sleep. It was the third time that he had come here to find her sleeping and he was becoming suspicious that she wasn't leaving when he left. He had found her sleeping in this same manner almost four days ago, but hadn't thought much of it at the time. When she had woken, she spoke with him, listened and asked him questions when he told her about the ancient world and how new it seemed to him after becoming a vampire. He noticed that a few of the books had been pulled down and sat on the low table in front of the couch, books his mind could only make perfect replicas of because of how often he read them.

Stepping over to the couch, he sat down on the table and reached out his hand to brush the hair from her face. His eyes narrowed as he studied her. Was it his imagination or did she look thinner to him? Shaking her shoulder gently, he watched as her dark eyes opened slowly.

"Angela," Marcus spoke her name and waited for her to meet his eyes. "Are you leaving here when I return to the waking world?" She averted her gaze, her silence answering his question clearly. "Angela, you have been here for over four days. In the waking world – the real world – you have been sleeping for four days. I am certain that your family is worried. You must leave this place, you must wake up."

"I don't want to leave," she told him as she moved from the couch and walked to the window.

"This is not open for discussion," he told her. "If I have to find a way to block you, I will. I don't want to," he told her when she spun around to face him, her mouth open to argue, "but I will if I have to. You cannot stay here endlessly. You must return, Angela," he told her again and took her hands in his. "And you must eat something. Promise me that you will eat," he demanded of her. "I do not wish to see you ill."

Angela only found herself able to nod quietly as she bit her lip. She truly did not wish to wake up, but she didn't want him to block her either. She just hadn't been able to bear the thought of returning to a world in which she had to deal with the reality of a serial killer stalking her and her family being in ruins. Shaking her head frantically at his next demand, she backed away from him only to be brought up against the window behind her.

"Yes," he told her. "It isn't so long. Just three days, Angela. Stay away for three days. Give yourself time to adjust to being awake again. You need to remember that this place only exists deeply in my mind. You cannot trade reality to stay here indefinitely. If you do that then eventually your body will starve and you will die. Go, my dear," he told her and brought her close to kiss her forehead. "Go now."

She didn't want to go, she didn't want to leave this place, but she didn't want him to block her either. Stepping toward the door that she knew he had erected for her, when he had changed their desert landscape into a library, she looked back at him and lifted her hand to touch the brass knob.

:::::

"Oh my god," Bella gasped as she looked down at the girl in the bed with wide eyes. "Edward! Edward, she's awake! Angela's awake!"