AN: Hey all :) I am working on future chapter outlines and was wondering if there were any requests? Feel free to jot them in a review or in a PM and I will do my best to accommodate. Huge thank you to doccooper for the painstaking graft you are putting in making my ramblings readable!

I don't own anything, Twi world and characters belong to SM :)

FACING THE MUSIC

Felix had been in the bathroom about an hour. He'd scrubbed so hard in his efforts to rid himself of any trace of Caius' room of pain that the small tears in his skin from the mission fight split further and deeper. When he looked at his reflection in the mirror he realized the amount of damage he'd done. His body looked wrecked. At least I'm clean now, he thought. He didn't really feel clean though, he could still smell burning flesh and he could still hear the shrill screams of that vampire as he was set ablaze.

He closed his eyes but it didn't help. Every time he closed his eyes he saw Caius' flayed victim. "Ahhhhhhrrrr" Felix released his frustration in his growl.

"Hey brother, you okay? I heard you growling ... what happened? You look in the mirror and scare yourself again?" Demetri's impish smile appearing from behind the door cracked Felix's moody facade.

"You dick," he replied with a cocky smile.

"You look pretty beat up, brother," Demetri looked at Felix's cut up body and winced. His own chest wound was already healing since Carlisle cleaned him up and stitched it shut. His arm still hurt though, his shoulder had been dislocated and though there was instant relief when Carlisle popped it back in, which really fucking hurt, the aching remained.

Demetri was more concerned about Felix right now, he didn't get all those cuts from the battle on the mission.

"Did Aro do that to you? Or Caius? Is that what they did in the dungeon?!"

Felix spun around to face his brother. "Fuck no! No, I think I just cleaned myself up a bit too roughly." Felix re-wrapped his towel around his waist.

Demetri looked back, confused. "Why?"

Felix felt stupid, he could lie, but he didn't want to - and he didn't want Demetri to go down to that dungeon. "I wanted to scrub any trace of that place away."

Demetri still looked confused.

"Look, that place, I didn't even know that place existed. Caius has a room and it's separate from the rest of the dungeons where you fuck your newborns! It's behind the panelling at the end ... "

Felix told Demetri everything; everything he saw, everything that happened, and just how fucked up he felt now. Demetri hung on every word, feeling more and more horrified as Felix went on. By the end they both sat on their bathroom floor, feeling lost.

"Aro, I cannot believe you took him in there! What the hell were you thinking! Why would you do that to him?!" Sulpicia was raging at her husband. She looked at him with disgust.

"I needed him to understand why I protect him from some things that go on around here ... there was no other way to show him that wouldn't risk revealing his weaknesses to the guard! I did the right thing, Sulpicia." Aro spat back at his wife. He sounded confident, but he wasn't.

"What! What kind of crap is that! Aro, you showed him exactly what you were protecting him from! How dare you do that to him!"

Aro was getting pissed off now, he'd already had an earful from his brothers when he came back to their quarters with a shell shocked Felix. He'd ended that by throwing them out of his living room and downstairs to their own quarters. That was going to come back to haunt him. Carlisle had to drag Eleazar out before things got physical between them. Basileus is going to have something to say about it, no damn doubt!

"I'm not discussing this with you any more, we are going around in circles. Okay, you don't agree with me, but I make the decisions around here, NOT YOU!"

Now Sulpicia was incensed! "NOT ME! - NOT. ME. FUCK YOU, ARO!" She lunged at him, full attack, it was like a red mist had descended. The once meek and mild Sulpicia was far behind her now, she was like a tigress protecting her cubs. The pair had hardly said two words to each other whilst the boys were away with Caius. Now Sully was relieved to have them back, but in less than a day Aro had inflicted more damage on her boy and she was furious!

Aro deftly caught her hands that were trying to claw the skin from his face. He was concentrating so hard on dodging her snarling mouth, snapping at the air trying to bite him that he wasn't prepared for what she did next.

Sulpicia brought her knee up, hard, into her husband's crotch.

Aro's face paled, even for a vampire, and he dropped to his knees. Sulpicia came to her senses and backed off, her legs buckled and she landed ungracefully on their over-sized bed. "Aro ... I ... Aro ... "

Aro looked at his panicked wife.

"You fucking BITCH!"

Before Aro could get to his feet and repay the favour, Alec had appeared at their open door and cast his mist over his father. Sulpicia took a moment to realize what had prevented her husband from punishing her, she knew he would. She looked frantically to Alec. Her young son looked angry, and so upset. He held out a hand to her. She wanted to go, she felt like hiding, she knew Aro would be just as pissed off when he came out of his induced coma.

"No Alec, it's okay. Go to your room and stay with Jane."

Alec looked incredulously back at his mother. "If I go back to Jane without you, she will come back here and use HER gift instead ... "

Sulpicia thought about that - Jane would! And that would be worse for them all! "Okay." She left her bed and walked out of their room, pulling Alec with her. As she closed the door she heard Aro roar in rage and what sounded like their dresser crash into the large decorative mirror on the opposite wall. Sulpicia didn't stop, she walked to the twins' room and pushed Alec inside. "You two are to stay in here, understood?" Two small, scared, little vampires nodded in sync. Closing their door she made her way out to the terrace.

Aro had joined her in a fraction of a moment. His rage turned to confusion when he saw their demolished wall. They both just stood there, looking at the neatly swept rubble and gaping hole where the stones once stood.

"Did you do that?" Aro was kind of in awe at the idea his fragile little wife could smash down a wall ... mind you she has just smashed up my cock!

"Don't be ridiculous, I didn't do this!" Sulpicia gestured to the mess.

"Felix!" they said softly, in unison.

Aro's anger had already dissipated. He walked behind her and enveloped his wife in his hold. With his head resting in Sulpicia's soft brown waves, he breathed in her scent and let it calm the remaining tension he felt ... it stopped him from squeezing her too tightly, too!

"I'm sorry I knee'd you" She said softly.

"Hmm… I'm not quite over that yet. I'm going to have a word with Eleazar about your training!"

She heard the humour in his voice and relaxed into his hold.

Looking back at their missing terrace wall, she asked him tentatively, "What are you going to do about this."

With a tired sigh, he thought about what he wanted to do ... nothing, he did not want to do anything. "I'll order the repairs."

Sulpicia smiled contentedly. She was happy with that. My boy has suffered enough. Sensing her husband agreed with her thoughts, she decided to ask whether Felix and Demetri would be attending the celebrations on a slightly longer leash.

Aro caught her thoughts before she vocalized them. "Yes, they will be attending, my queen ... we ALL will."

"And ... the longer leash?"

"Let us cross that bridge we come to it, my queen."

That meant yes, Sulpicia knew her husband's mind without being able to read it. They stayed in comfortable silence until the sun set over the blooming woodland.

As they walked back, hand in hand, through the wide corridor between their children's bedrooms, Aro stopped outside the twins' door.

"Aro, please."

Aro sensed her concern, he intended no harm to her little ones ... he wasn't that stupid! "I just want to talk with them, you should check on those two." Aro gently guided her to their sons' door.

She smiled and went in, closing the door behind her.

Aro squared his shoulders and went in to the twins' room. Alec and Jane were cuddled together on the floor, Alec looked scared, Jane was angry.

"I suggest you calm down, my dear," Aro directed to his princess.

Jane looked down submissively but her shoulders shook with the rage she tried hard to contain.

Aro sat cross legged in front of his tiny vampire children. Taking Jane's hand in his right and Alec's in his left he spoke soothingly to them both. "You do not need to set me on fire, Jane," he could hear she wanted to, "it really wouldn't be in your best interests."

The threat was enough for Jane, she had no will to disobey her superiors, especially Aro.

Alec looked nervous, he knew using his mist was forbidden in these walls. "I'm sorry I used my gift." His voice was so small and soft that Aro almost missed his words.

He wanted to put his son's mind at ease, "It's okay Alec. I want to know why you thought it your place to interfere though ... "

Alec did not want to verbalize why ... oh I don't know, because Jane wanted to set you on fire for hurting our mother, because I wanted her to set you on fire for hurting our mother, because I might get away with using my gift on you but Jane definitely would not ... you fucking pick. Alec tried to withdraw his hand quickly, realizing Aro had heard the unguarded thoughts spewing in his mind. Aro held tightly, he knew Alec couldn't control his thoughts. Indeed, it was difficult for anyone 'not to think' – that's what made his gift so useful to him.

Fuck fuck fuck, no no, just stop thinking.

"Hmm, it appears you have been spending far too much time with Felix and Demetri, your language is quite deplorable, son." Aro admonished him coolly as Alec squirmed under Aro's gaze.

"I'm sorry."

Aro looked at his boy, "I'm sure you are!"

Alec gulped the venom nervously pooling in his throat, "Are you going to punish me?"

Aro felt Jane tense again, her head shot up and she looked pleadingly into Aro's eyes. Aro could hear her thoughts, she was blaming herself for Alec going to their mother's rescue in the first place.

"No. These last few hours have been eventful enough for me. But for the record, Sully does not need protecting from me. She did a good enough job on her own! Though I am quite proud of you wanting to defend your mother."

Aro stood up, leaving his bewildered little vampires where they were ... Aro rarely let things go like that. They shared a smile between themselves as Aro made his way out the door. Turning back just before he closed it, he looked back at his children, "I only hope you will protect me so passionately if I ever have the need." Aro caught their glowing smiles to his words; they warmed his dead heart.

Heading straight into his boys' room he found no one there. He checked the bathroom, empty. Listening hard he followed the sound of his wife's voice. Is she actually chastising her precious Felix!

Aro made his way back through the marble floored corridor out to the terrace where Sulpicia was giving Felix what the lads would call, 'a round of fucks'!

"Oww, mom!"

Aro had arrived just in time to see his slight wife reaching up and cracking their eldest across the back of his bullish head.

"Don't you 'oww mom' me, Felix Volturi! You have smashed up my wall!" Sulpicia was actually giving him a decent dressing down, Aro was pleasantly surprised to share the load for a change.

"Oww, I'm sorry! Quit slapping me! I was pissed off! OUCH!" That one got him right across his mouth!

"You will not use that sort of language around ME!"

Felix stopped complaining, but chanced a sideways glace at Aro, "Can't you do something?!"

Aro laughed at his son, "You're on your own, I've had my round with her already!"

Sulpicia saw her husband wince. Felix too. Good! she thought. "Hey, you're talking to me now, Felix! I want this rubble off my terrace. NOW!"

Felix started picking up the larger pieces and throwing them down to the castle grounds.

Sulpicia looked around at a giggling Demetri, "If you find it so funny, you can help him!"

Demetri stopped laughing, "What did I do?" As Sulpicia rounded on him he threw his hands up in self-defence. "Okay, okay, I'll help him!"

Seeing both boys working together at shifting the rubble, Sulpicia smiled sweetly to her husband and left them to it.

"So, Demetri, do I need to take you down to the dungeons, too?" Aro asked, unsure of how much Felix had shared with his brother. He saw them share a look. What is that look, guilt? Fear? "You told him, I mean, you told him everything?" he directed to a very nervous Felix.

"Well, erm, I mean, yeah. Was I not supposed to?"

Aro chuckled lightly, "I thought you might. Do either of you have anything to say about it?"

"Please don't take me down there!" Demetri spoke so quickly he nearly tripped over his own words.

Aro looked at him sadly, hoping his boy didn't really think him so cruel that he actually wanted to take either of them down there. "I have no intention of it. I should never have taken Felix." Aro paced the stone floor.

"Aro," Felix spoke uncharacteristically gently. Aro stopped his pacing, giving his son his full attention. "Why does he do that? Caius, I mean. Does he enjoy it?"

Aro wanted to excuse Caius' odd hobby, but he couldn't come up with anything plausible. "Yes, I think he does. Caius is charged with extracting information and creating fear ... he does his job rather well, enjoying his work helps. I don't necessarily agree with all of his methods, but I have no complaints with the results."

Demetri and Felix still looked nervous so Aro probed a little further, "Do you want to ask me anything else?"

Demetri butted his shoulder into his big brother. Felix looked down at his brother, wondering why Demetri's mouth only worked for sweet talking; anything serious was down to Felix.

"We understand now why you keep us behind sometimes. We won't keep whining about it. Well I don't whine ... that's his gig, but you know what I mean."

Demetri butted hispbrother's shoulder again, a little harder this time. "Hey! I don't whine!"

Felix took a fist full of the rubble at his side and released it over Demetri's head.

"What the fuck! You Prick!" Demetri jumped to his feet and started shaking out his hair.

"You sound pretty whiny to me!" Felix chortled at his joke.

"If you think you are coming to the celebrations with a mouth like that," Aro gripped Demetri's chin tightly and gave it a rough shake, "you have another thing coming!"

"We can go?" Felix asked hopefully.

Aro released Demetri and moved to Felix who was still sitting in his wreckage. Crouching down on his knees, he was eye level with his son. "Can we behave?" Aro asked in his sing song tone.

"Yes, yes, we can, we will! Can we drink?" Felix was over eager, but he couldn't help himself.

Aro waited just long enough to reply so his sons thought he was considering his answer. Of course, as he'd told Sulpicia earlier in this very spot, he had no intention of committing either way until he had to.

"Let us see shall we."

Felix and Demetri exchanged goofy grins - that meant yes, they knew Aro almost as well as Sulpicia did!

Aro made to leave the terrace, but before closing the door on his two boys he offered a parting shot to remind them who was in charge, "Felix, I think you should make sure my wall, and my door, are returned to their former state if you wish to be allowed to stay for the full length of the party. I would hate to have to announce to the entire guard that it was time for you to go to bed ... "

Felix's mouth hung open like a water starved fish! "You wouldn't!"

"Wouldn't I?" Aro answered with a happy sing song as he left his shocked sons to their cleaning.

"He wouldn't ... would he?" Felix asked Demetri, whose smile spread wide.

"Do you really want to risk it?" Demetri asked. Seeing his brother still in shock at the very idea, he offered his help and they started to clean the terrace off with gusto!