Warnings for implied N/C and implied child abuse.

Over two millennia ago, I had met my wife. It was not a spur of the moment decision, but something about the girl, covered in dirt, lying on the ground in front of me, intrigued me. Someone had severely beaten her, and her garments torn. I immediately knew what had occurred. Without thinking, I took her into my arms and brought her to my home, where I cleaned her up the best I could and let her rest.

Sometime later, a knock came at the door, and I opened it to see one of the nobles standing before me. When the man realized what I was, he took a few steps back, fear present in his eyes. "I do not wish to disturb you. A man said that he saw you bring my slave into your home."

"It would appear that you do not keep well with your slaves unless your intent was to sell her to men who would do such despicable acts," I replied, disgust evident.

The nobleman shrunk back. "I bring no cause for trouble. I only ask my property be returned to me."

I sighed. What use did I have with a human, even if she did catch my attention so? "If you wish for her, come in to get her yourself."

He trembled before me, but I stepped aside, allowing him to enter. He managed to wake the girl before forcing her to stand, and he pushed her along quickly, loading her in the wagon he arrived in before his driver drove them off. The girl's eyes met mine as she passed, wide and terrified. Of him or me, I was not sure. It was no concern of mine, and I forgot about her for what would be the next couple of years.

I caught her eyes in the market, and though she was now holding a young babe to her breast and in better condition than the last, I knew she was the same girl. Her eyes widened at the appearance of mine on hers, and she quickly looked away. Not one to be ignored, I went to sit beside her and stared at the child she held as she stiffened. "I mean you no harm," I spoke to her gently. "I only wish to ask if the same master still owns you?"

She nodded curtly. "I am."

"And the babe?"

"He has no father."

There was not a plan for what I did next, but my curiosity urged me forward. I relented. "Where would one find your master?"

She glanced up at me, confusion written all over her face, and she stood. "I will take you to him."

Once we arrived at the grand home where her master lived, I was quickly invited inside by a servant and seated in the courtyard. The nobleman came moments later, flustered yet fearful as the last time we had met, and I watched him frown. "You have returned."

"I have come," I corrected him. "I wish to speak of your young female slave I took from the street some time ago."

"What has she done to disquiet you?"

Grinning, I shook my head. "You misunderstand. I seek to purchase from you the girl and the babe she carried. I offer you a handsome sum." I took out the coin purse I carried and threw it to the man who picked it up and gasped at the amount. My small coven had not been hard for money since our beginnings. Parting with what I currently carried would not be a price for me at all.

"You offer this for two slaves? I am not ignorant to deny your offer. Take what you will, and then I kindly ask you part."

I soon discovered the girl's name was Sulpicia, she was fifteen, and her son, who had no name, was shy of two years. At first, she feared me greatly. The stories of my kind playing in her mind and wondering what it was that I sought from her, but over time, she grew warm to me and my sister, Didyme, whom I had changed centuries before.

Though I had purchased Sulpicia as a slave, I had other plans for her. Marcus, whom I had known since the change into my new life, and Caius, whom I had met along the way, both found their mates. Marcus, in my sister and Caius, years before he joined forces with me. It was upon seeing this that I knew I could not wait to find my mate. I would have to create one of my own. Sulpicia was a perfect choice.

Her thoughts were pure, and her loyalty to me grew year after year as I showered her with gifts and anything she could ever want. I cared for her son, who we gave the name Eugenios, as I would have if he were my own, though I found myself at a loss of what to do while he was in his early years. At those times, it was easier to ignore him as if he did not exist.

Over the course of the next five years, I poured love onto Sulpicia, and the day I asked her to be my wife and to agree to joining our coven, she accepted. Her thoughts were of Eugenios, only seven at the time. We waited three more years, and it was then that I decided I could not wait any longer. I spoke to Sulpicia of this and to her son, who was now old enough to understand. I sent Eugenios away with my sister and Marcus as I coaxed Sulpicia through her thirst.

She wanted Eugenios to be changed then. Though we had no laws against the creation of immortal children at the time, I did not think it wise. I convinced her to wait until his eighteenth birthday. Only then would we bring him into the family.

Over the next seven years, Eugenios learned from me. I taught him politics, history, and brought him to grand plays put on in the theater. Though the stares we received from the noblemen were harsh, none ever denied us entry or the respect I deserved. Not if they wanted to live.

Though I treated him as a son, I never once claimed Eugenios to be as such. My wife and the boy understood very well what he was to me. He was a student I would teach until he came of age. He was, however, more important than a regular subordinate. He was my wife's son, and that earned him some status in the coven as we began to grow.

Some centuries after the change, he and Caius became close. It surprised me at first, but it seemed as if Eugenios found himself intrigued by Caius's punitive methods. His thoughts were dark, but the curiosity came from what I had instilled in him while he was still young. Sulpicia concerned herself when Caius would take her son on these assignments with him, but I assured her that all would be well.

It was during the battle with the Romanians that Eugenios decided to stay behind with a few others to seek out the last of the coven and destroy them. All that had survived was Stefan, Vladimir, and his mate. They had traveled into what we now know as Russia, but having no luck, they returned to Volterra, where we had finally settled. Eugenios decided to change his name to Yevgeni, enjoying the sound of it. Charmion had changed her name over the years, probably where he had gotten the idea, so I did not scold him. Sulpicia, on the other hand, never addressed him as such.

When we fought with the Romanian coven the last time, Yevgeni had departed again, not to chase after Stefan and Vladimir, who remained, Vladimir's mate dying in the fight, but to discover the world on his own. He asked Caius to travel with him, and he agreed. Around this time, the Children of the Moon became more active, and they attacked Caius. Had it not been for Yevgeni's talent of sedation, he would most likely have been dead. A war began against the Children of the Moon until they were all but nearly wiped out.

The boy had filled his purpose time and time again, as weak as his power was, compared to Alec's who I discovered in the 800s before the last fight against the Romanians, and perhaps this is why I allowed Yevgeni to leave after Caius and he fought over learning more about the Children of the Moon. But now, if it were true about Yevgeni creating these newborns, Sulpicia would surely never forgive me. Caius's grudge would not dissipate, though Marcus might vote to Yevgeni's favor, but the law was the law.

.

I left Sulpicia after comforting her the best I could and decided to return to my rooms to write down the events and thoughts going through my mind before the guard arrived with Yevgeni later on. An hour or so had passed, so I was surprised that when I entered my rooms, I found Ariana sitting on the sofa as if she had been waiting for me to return. I frowned as I went to take a seat on the other side of her.

"Could you not sleep, little one?"

It had not been lost on me that Ariana was the same age as my wife when I found her. Though times were different in those days, one of fifteen would have customarily been wed some years before and birthed children. On the contrary, I wonder if that was what caught some of my interest in her. Ariana and my wife, slightly different in the coming about, had both experienced a life of hardship and pain. The most significant difference was how they thought about their lives. Sulpicia despised her master and the men he sold her to, but Ariana, though she harbored similar feelings, her primary belief was that she had deserved all of it.

Ariana shook her head. "I tried."

"Trying is better than not trying at all."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," I affirmed, smiling softly.

She sighed before she began shakily. "Earlier, Caius wanted you to touch his hand. He said he wanted you to see." Ariana paused, and I stayed still, although already knowing what she was going to ask next. I merely wanted to hear her say it. "Can you see people's memories when you take their hands?"

I was hoping to wait to reveal this little detail to her, but I could do so now. There was no real harm in doing so. "I can." I reached out and quickly grasped her hand in mine, holding it so she couldn't get away. I allowed everything to come flooding in. "I can see every thought they have ever had, their memories, anything they would wish to hide. It is all open to me."

Releasing her, I settled back as she gaped at me in shock, fear, and something that looked like betrayal. It was the reason I had mentioned that I could see even those thoughts and memories one wished to hide. She was also nervous, and she peered down at the floor.

"So, you know everything?"

"Why is it you love pain, Ariana? What brings you to desiring it so desperately?"

"I don't know."

"You do," I remarked. "I've seen it in the corners of your mind. You've said it yourself that you deserve the pain, and I am willing to permit you to engage in such rituals under supervision. What I want you to admit for yourself is why."

I watched her, but she still did not move to speak. Sighing, I added, "Caius is a sadistic creature, but one who also harbors a masochistic nature. Pain is about control, controlling his rage through the pain of others and control by breathing through the pain he inflicts on himself. It allows him to think clearly, to master himself. What does the pain do for you? What is its purpose?"

"I don't slip," she said quietly. "It's what I know. I'm familiar with it. If I feel it, I don't slip."

"You say it's what you know."

"My first memories, you've seen them."

I nodded. "I have. Your father was a vile man."

"But it kept happening."

The first tear fell from her eye, and I wiped it away with my thumb before picking her up and setting her in my lap. She laid her head against my chest, and I held her close. Such curiosity, repeating a cycle over, whether against her will or through it, simply because it was familiar. Why was fear even necessary if it kept one from doing the sensible action, which would be to stop the cycle before it began again. So much to discover, and yet, this little one was still not broken.

A/N: A lot of history in this chapter, but since I added Sulpicia having a son, it was important to explain the backstory and also why Aro might have been so curious about Ariana in the beginning. I'm constantly developing this story as it's so different from anything I've ever written before, so if something seems out of place or strange, let me know so I can go back to the writing board and find out what's missing. Thanks for reading! Please review!