Alec Greco had disappeared into the lobby of the hotel after a few more quiet moments with his beloved in bed, careful to avoid the light reflecting inside through the area's large windows. If the amount of clothing that covered him from head to foot didn't give way to something being amiss, then the aviators he donned, indoors, did. But he wasn't concerned over what the humans around him thought of him; he only needed to use their telephone.
After inserting a twenty cent coin into the slot, he waited for a tone before dialling Caius' assistant's personal line. Of course, he had left a semi-detailed itinerary at Aro Cancellieri's request, but he hadn't checked in the way he had promised he would; to not do so would seem even sketchier than his departure had. "Hello?" A soft voice replied from the other side of the line.
"Elena." He greeted. "È Alec. Sto controllando in e contiamo di tornare presto. Grazie." And as quickly as that, he hung back up on her. He felt as if a hole was burrowing in his chest just at the thought of having to go back to Volterra; but he had Jane to think about, as well as Anne.
With each step he took back toward the latter, he wondered if either of them could forgive him for the things he had to do once back.
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A day later, the idea of arriving to Volterra seemed much less inviting to Anne Boleyn than it had the day prior; it seemed as if she were stepping to the cage of a rattle snake, like every single step she took could end up in death or extreme poisoning, and if she had a working heart it would probably be about to beat out of existence. She knew both of them could have simply run back to the Volturi castle, but she had wanted to make their return as slow as possible. It was why they had ended up on a train.
But then the scenery started changing, then the voice in the speaker somewhere above their heads started announcing the approaching arrival to Volterra, Italy, and her time started to run out; she knew what she wanted, and she knew what she had decided, but it didn't make her any less anxious to know that in a few hours she would be seeing the 'masters' of the Volturi, or that it could all end very badly and very quickly.
Of course, she knew she had to trust Alec's ability to make them not want to kill her for disobeying, and maybe that would be easy if she hadn't been witness to their madness. Best case scenario, Alec convinced them and they could all move on and pretend her departure had never happened, but... worst case scenario, Aro, Caius and Marcus decided to not listen to her guardian's words and, maybe not only killed her, but her beloved as well solely for being on her side.
It was the latter option that had the once Queen the most scared, it was that very reason why the breath that had once come easily into her dead lungs got stuck in the middle of her throat when, after what felt like only seconds, the train stopped and another announcement came over the speakers in perfect Italian; and she didn't have to understand the language to well to know what it said.
They had made it to Volterra.
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It had been a quiet arrival; no one had waited for them, and the first Alec had done had been to take his beloved to his chambers. The quiet had scared him, and it had remained so when he decided to pay Master Aro a visit; something that he had regretted the moment in which he had attempted it, for Aro had been in a sour mood, undoubtedly, not because of him as he was one of the few that had returned after leaving the castle.
Once Alec had entered Aro's office, the once-thought wise Master had thrown a candelabra at his head, as if the boy hadn't been who the old man had been expecting. With a serious face, all Alec had done was announce his return and exited toward the corridor just as quickly, feeling the need to punch a thousand walls and possibly his Master in the face.
It was with that burning thought inside his mind that Alec made his way back toward his chambers and his beloved; returning with the news of what he had found out along the day, of everything he'd had to catch up on; information of what happened between the moment he had learnt of her departure and that very second.
His eyes searched from side to side along the corridor that lead to his chamber doors, wary of any guard that crossed his path and glancing with certain worry in the direction of Anne's old rooms before slipping inside of his own quicker than the blink of an eye; a breath escaping through his lips at the echo of the door closing shut behind him. "Anne?" He called in a soft tone, turning and shifting his hands to undo his cloak before hanging it on the coat hanger by the door. He didn't even dare turn on the light as he stepped uneasily into the room. "Anne?" He whispered again into the shadows.
"Alec?" Another rather unneeded breath of relief puffed in a cloud from his lips as his eyes closed for a short moment. In only those few seconds the worst of scenarios had come to him; his beloved, gone; or worse: killed. But instead, as he stepped further into the room, he couldn't help the smile that graced his lips the moment he saw that she was still there: safe and sound. He crossed the distance between them both and took her offered hands to pull her close and place a kiss against her cheek. "All good?" She wondered, instead of a greeting, instead of anything else. Though her face was a mask of calm, Alec could already see the taint of the castle taking hold across her features. She was worried.
He wasn't about to lie as say he was not. "I almost got my head taken off by a candle stick." He decided to joke instead, leaning forward and touching his lips the back of one of her hands before pressing a kiss against hers; a kiss that she returned wholeheartedly until he pulled away. "But I suppose all is well for me." He offered her a smile, but it quickly wavered when the recognition of her discomfort remained. "What has you worried, my love?" He asked, feeling the beginning of a frown starting in the middle of his forehead. "Or is that too obvious a question to be asked?"
A young smile remained across her lips, even after his inquiry; even as a nod bobbed her head kindly. "I'm only concerned over what could happen to us." She admitted, taking a deep breath and exhaling it in a short puff whilst taking a step closer to her guardian without lowering her eyes. "But." She continued with the hint of a forcefully placed young smirk. "I'm rather curious about that candle stick story."
"I won't let anything happen to you." He admitted, not even allowing a second-long pause between her words and his; threading his fingers on hers and pulling her closer yet. "Or let a candle attempt to sway you." He confessed as the skin of his cheek brushed against hers while his lips pressed a soft kiss to the place where he jaw became her neck; happy to hear the breathed laugh that left her lips in response. When his eyes met hers again, he allowed a grin he only hoped to be reassuring to adorn his lips. "All will end well, Anne." He told her. "And as much as it pains me to say, mostly because I dare think it won't end here."
The smile remained across the once Queen's lips, and for a moment, one of her hands squeezed his own in a sort of quiet thank you. "I know." She admitted; because she hoped she did. True, Anne Boleyn knew how to survive on her own, she had done as such for centuries before, but she also knew that she remained innocent to the knowledge of the Volturi compared to how much Alec knew; it was what kept her worried over her wellbeing. Still, she felt safer and reassured by his words, specially because they had rang honest, instead of the half-hidden information with which he had talked to her once before.
"Shall we get a bit of fresh air?" Alec wondered out loud, interrupting the thoughts he had very much wondered the content of in their short silence.
Her eyes met his, and he watched as an equally concerned, curious and scared expression shone upon her eyes unlike any other of her features. "If you think it's safe for me to leave now..." She paused, searching his eyes as if the answer to her inquiry hid there. "...then I would love to."
"I..." He chocked. Safe for her? He wasn't even sure if it was safe for him after the things he had been told during the day. But the castle's night wasn't as terrifying as it was made out to be, for the most part, and he had meant what he had said every time he had said it to his beloved: he would keep her safe no matter what. He would be a liar if he said he wanted her to relive her past; hell, he didn't want to relieve his, but, to his eyes, he didn't matter as much in comparison. "I agree; the night's horrors are tamer in the daylight." He told her with the offer of a smile as he let go of one of her hands, motioning shortly toward the door. "But I believe we both could use a break from four walls, your highness." He mocked a bow and kissed the top of her hand once again without freeing his lips from the smile.
It was the familiar use of the once-title that brought upon another smile along Anne's lips, the safety his presence filled her with relaxed some of her worries away as she feigned a short curtsy in his direction and felt the grin melt into a sardonic grin to accompany it. "How very poetic of you." She mused, batting her lashes for a couple of moments in his direction, making a breathed laugh escape his lips as he stood straight and led her toward the closed door into what he hoped could be the peace of the night in the castle.
To Be Continued.