A/N: I will be taking all of November off to write, the last break I had was July 2019, I think. I need to get some words down, not just a line here and there. I'll still be on my Facebook group, Theadosia57 Fanfic's & Beyond. So after today, Saturday 31st October 2020 no story on FFN until Saturday 5th December 2020 and those in the group get to pick it from the poll I am running there xx So enjoy this, the final chapter xx Alexis
Things have quietened down since Jane's demise. It made anyone who might have felt disgruntled stop and take note, if Jane was expendable then so too were they. But overall everyone was happier, with no sudden attacks on the household staff. No punishments to other guard members for made-up reasons and the general mood of everyone was more buoyant. Even Alec was much more relaxed, not having to be ready to jump in and safe some unsuspecting soul from a torture they didn't warrant. He was saddened the sister he once knew had become so bitter and vindictive.
She had changed beyond all recognition from their childhood and he was slightly relieved she was gone. You can only cover for someone's behaviour for so long before it becomes apparent they are no longer the person you once thought them to be. The saying, 'Absolute Power, Corrupts Absolutely' applied to Jane more than most. She had begun to see herself as above everyone; including her rulers and that is a dangerous thing to all involved. So she paid the price for her arrogance and stupidity. Thankfully nobody lumped her brother in with her; they saw him for who he was.
Alec was a kind soul and even his power showed that. Yes, he could incapacitate a vampire or human, but it was neither painful nor cruel. His power took away all your senses, so even if this was to be your death, it was a painless one. The brother's thanked the deities that their powers were not the other way around. Because then Jane could have taken it all from them and they would have been defenceless against her. She could have taken control along time ago and there would have been no one to stop her back then. Only a shield of Bella's magnitude could repel Alec's gift and any other brought against her.
Elsewhere in the citadel, life was settling into its new regime. Pica had come up with the idea of giving the Senior guard pins for their cloaks. But instead of the metal denoting your service, it was a gem, a diamond to be exact. The longer you'd served the deeper the colour from brilliant white to the darkest black. So even those in grey cloaks could be seen to have served the Volturi the longest. Recognition is sometimes all a body needs, to make them feel good about themselves. A happy staff makes for a smooth-running empire. Since Bella arrived they started to feel they did contribute so much to the Volturi and it was appreciated.
Aro too had realised if he'd pushed the Dora thing, it would have backfired spectacularly. She was not stable enough to wield a gift of that power and he would have made himself another Jane if he'd forced the issue. Would she ever use it again, probably if they were attacked or someone tried to hurt her or Alec? But Aro was seeing powers for the sake of them could be very dangerous and he also knew if he angered Bella she would withdraw her shield from him and he'd be a sitting duck. So he left well alone because above all else he was not a fool.
EIM
Bella once again was having serious talks with Miranda, she wanted her wedding dress to elegant but classic. Yes, Caius had proposed to her. After the ball, they went for a long weekend to Venice and it was there that he got down on one knee and asked for her hand. Bella had smiled down at him, thinking how romantic he was. This was the face of Caius very few saw, he could be soft and tender when he wanted too. The ring he produced was in rose gold, which seemed to be the perfect colour of gold for Bella. Standing out on her pale skin, but blending nicely with her mahogany hair. The ring was in three separate parts.
The diamond solitaire engagement ring, stunning on its own with its twisted rope effect band and on her wedding day, it would be encased from either side by white diamond sunbeams on plain gold bands. Meaning it could be worn as one, two or three pieces. Bella was speechless; it was so beautiful and so her. She knew it would have cost a fortune, but for some reason, it never felt wrong when Caius bought her things. Unlike Edward he wasn't showing off or trying to buy her affections, he just did what felt right to him and always keep her thoughts and opinions in mind.
So it was a blending of their two styles, expensive and understated. So she was now sitting in Miranda's workroom as the woman worked her magic on the sketches in front of them. It took a couple of hours to whittle the pile down to one and Bella was happy with it. The bodice was lace, with long sleeves and heavy patterning over the bust area. The skirt was fitted at the waist and hip only then flared out at the bottom. The best bit was the train; it was attached at the waist and not a separate head one. Bella was happy about this as she knew she would be expected to wear her tiara and didn't like her face covered anyway.
The whole dress was to be made from vintage ivory silk and lace. Miranda had long ago asked for a room to store materials in that was hermetically sealed like the archives and other precious objects vaults. Otherwise so much would have been lost over time, she even stored older dresses of both Sulpicia and Didyme, she was as loathe to part with them as Sulpicia was. One day Lady Isabella's would be stored there too, they would all be a history in fabric form. Miranda had been saddened when Lady Sulpicia had stopped asking her to design her clothes.
But with the arrival of Lady Isabella, she was once more in her element and she thanked the young woman profusely. Bella was, of course, a dressmakers dream customer, one who didn't like shopping and asked for help to make herself look the part she now played. Miranda likened the girl to Lady Didyme; they both were very giving in nature. But they also both took no crap from anyone, not even Master Aro. So it was with an added flair that Miranda set about making Lady Isabella's wedding dress, one fit for a queen. She was also making a military-style suit for Master Caius.
But with no frippery or ostentatious embellishments. He was a man who needed no added glitz to make him stand out so it was dark brown with minimal rose-gold braid on the traditional Greek skirted jacket. It would, of course, make his pure white hair stand out, but he was much happier now it was shorter and he kept it that way. The only minor problem had come when Aro found out the wedding was going to be in Greek and Bella was not only taking the Volturi name officially but Caius' too. Marcus was presiding over the event and Major Jasper Whitlock was to be his best man.
So Bella asked Aro to give her away and he gave in and accepted graciously. Dora was her one and only bridesmaid, Bella wanted as simple as possible under the circumstances. Dora was going to be dressed in pale peach tying everything together. Being a member of the ruling house Bella was conscious of how careful she needed to be, not showing too much favour to any particular covens. It was a minefield she avoided by having Dora and Aro in her party. Caius didn't give a damn and was having his friend stand up with him regardless of what anyone thought.
EIM
"Bella?" Caius asked in an enquiring voice,
"Yes Kái" she answered glancing up from her book,
"When was your birthday? I know so little about your human past" he said, sounding upset with himself.
"Would you believe that the day I was born as a vampire, was also the day I was born as a human?" Bella replied offhand, putting her book aside.
"What? Oh, little one I'm sorry" he whispered in her ear as he hugged her,
"No, don't be. I never liked birthdays or fuss. I hated being the centre of attention, even just for a day" she replied kissing his throat as that was as far as she could reach,
"But you are much more in the limelight now! You seem to cope fine, in fact, you cope like you were born to it" he said,
Smiling at her as they rock back and forward to an unheard beat. Bella shrugs her shoulders and tells him,
"It's you. You give me the confidence and the drive to be a better person, well vampire and a good mate and partner at your side"
She explains to him how she never had much confidence in herself and neither of her parents helped her with that and then Edward stripped away the little she had. But how since meeting Caius, he'd helped her, because he listened to her, valued her opinion and asked her what she wanted. He never took away her control, he never belittled her thoughts and he made her feel special and loved. He made her the woman she now showed the world and she had never been more happy, more content and more grateful. She had never felt so loved ever before and it made her want to do things, try new experiences.
"New experiences, eh? I could show you new experiences little one" he told her in a low husky voice and if she'd still been human she would have blushed,
"Well, don't let it be said I never tried!" she said trying to sound blasé,
Before suddenly being scooped up into his arms and whisked into their bedroom. True to his word Caius made love to Bella in ways and places she never thought she would. The sound of breaking furniture neither stopped nor fazed them, he was a man on a mission and she was loving this side of him. It's not as if sex had been vanilla before, but it hadn't been as wild and free either. He led her to see sex from a different perspective. Watching yourself in the mirror while your mate had his face pressed against your core, was surreal but enlightening. She could see all her own body's reactions to his ministrations and it was a major turn-on.
Watching him getting off to you getting yourself off, was sensual and sexy. Getting taken from behind, up against the window that overlooked the training grounds. Knowing if they looked up, they could only see your head and hands but had to know what he was doing to you by your reactions. Caius took her to new heights and showed her all that her body was capable of without scaring or hurting her and she loved every second of it. She loved what she could do to him, things that reduced him to a growling, begging mess. The power went both ways and Caius showed her it all.
They slipped out of the citadel, over the rooftops stark naked to hunt. In the space of two days and nights, Caius made Bella lose all her inhibitions and human hang-ups about sex and she felt reborn as a sexy, sensual and alluring woman. A far cry from the virginal eighteen-year-old she was as a human. With every passing hour, she loved him more, that he wanted her above all other women was intoxicating and without realising it she stood taller, oozed more confidence and became the woman she always should have been. They do say love will set you free and Bella felt that way. But she never wanted to be free of him.
EIM
The citadel was once more buzzing with visitors. Not as many as for the ball but all the major covens were represented on this rare occasion. The citadel's chapel was in use for the first time in centuries; Marcus had overseen its renovation himself with his staff's help. The Whitlocks had arrived and Jasper was chilling out with Caius until it was time to dress. Bella was surrounded by staff and once again they transformed her into a sunning apparition. She was to be the bride of Master Caius and they wanted her to outshine everyone else.
Because as always the guests tried to make themselves look more important, more glamorous and they did not want anyone outshining the bride. Alice admitted defeat and sat back and watched Miranda and her team work their magic. Esme was also there for Dora, but she too knew her help was not needed. They were just the emotional support. Bella's something old was the cuff type bracelet Caius' mother gave Dora, her something new was the dress and undergarments. The something borrowed was an ivory hairpin of Didyme's that Marcus lent her with that morning. It was holding her hair in an elaborately twisted style.
Bella was terrified to touch it it was so old and delicate, she was now wearing two of the oldest pieces of jewellery she'd ever seen outside of a museum. The something blue was a little lace hankie that Alice gave her to tuck into her cleavage as there was no place else in her outfit it could go. She was ready with half an hour to go and it was her turn to stun the females around her.
"Right ladies you have thirty minutes to get ready to attend my wedding. The last three rows on the bride's side are for you all. I can't thank you enough for what you've done so please say you will be there for me" Bella said and they were so astounded,
Rushing off they all returned within the time and were ready to head off to take their places after thanking Bella again. The walked with her and Dora down to the chapel, like the Queen's guard or ladies in waiting at royal courts. Escorting her to where Aro was waiting and with a couple of final adjustments Miranda smiled and nodded to Bella before entering the chapel. The music started and Alec opened the doors wide, bowing as he let Dora enter. Then it was time for Bella and Aro, he patted her hand and said,
"I'm not your father my dear, but I couldn't be prouder to perform this duty"
Bella beamed at him and he blinked, he'd never been on the receiving end of one of her heartfelt smiles before and he was momentarily dazzled by it. Any lingering doubt she was the right woman for Caius vanished as they entered the room and he saw his brothers face. It was that of a man in love, a man devoted to the woman approaching him. Caius looked the part of a soldier and a warrior with both him and Jasper having swords strapped to their sides. Jasper of course was in a far more modern uniform than Caius', although old to Bella's young eyes.
The rest of the nuptials passed in a blur to Bella, she was thankful she was a vampire and she could look back on it in fine detail later. The whole ceremony was in Greek and the guests who didn't speak it had transcribes in front of them. There were a few gasps when they all realised she was having a double-barrelled name and many of the women nodded in understanding. Many would later choose to do this too. Not only honouring their coven but their mate as well.
"Ladies and Gentlemen I give you Káious and Isabella Dunamis -Volturi" Marcus said introducing them and the rounds of congratulations commenced.
EIM
"Do we have to go back? Can't we run away and just disappear?" Bella all but whined to her new husband,
"I have responsibilities and so do you little one. The vampire world doesn't run itself!" Caius answered, but he too was happy here alone with his young bride,
"I suppose, but I want vacations! Just you and me time, okay? I don't mean every hundred years either" she added stroppily and Caius laughed,
"Yes dear, I understand" he replied tongue in cheek,
"Well if you don't want naked holidays with me fine, I'm sure I could find a replacement for you easily" she teased and he growled loudly,
"I think not, your body is for my eyes only!" he said nipping her mating mark with his teeth and smiling as she melted into him,
"Yours, only yours" she muttered as she pulled his head down into a searing kiss,
They were in a remote area of the Iberian Peninsula, high up in the snow. Possibly an extinct volcano, going by the terrain. They had been all over Europe, he had shown here his homeland of Greece and now they were chilling out in a remote hidden Villa. It was built long ago into the mountain and not seen from the air at all. If satellites or aeroplanes saw the shining bodies down there they could never guess what they were. On the off chance anyone thought to look closer their early warning system alerted them to stay inside.
All the villas around the world had been upgraded over the years and now Emmett McCarty was employed by the Volturi to maintain their anonymity, things had never been securer. That man knew computers like no one else. The Volturi was now firmly in the twenty-first century and were staying ahead of the humans easily. Caius realised, of course, they should have done it so long ago. But even he had been complacent and never paid attention to the human's vast improvements in technology. But as more and more younger vampires joined their ranks they pushed for such security.
Anyway, their six-month-long honeymoon was coming to an end and for once he didn't relish going home. Yes, he'd missed Dora and the others, but he's enjoyed being alone with Bella so much. Bella was right they would do this often and even encourage Aro and Pica too do it as well, god alone knows the last time they left Volterra. They didn't need to be as alone as Bella and Caius, but some time away would do them good. So with heavy hearts, they packed up all the things they bought and headed down to civilisation once more. A private jet would take them home tomorrow.
Although Caius was right and they had things to do, they also had a lot of free time. So Bella decided to set herself a task, She was going to eventually read every book in Volterra, with that in mind she had asked the curator and head librarian Tristan to pick out books he thought she should start with. This she would do once she returned from her honeymoon she told him. He was honoured she trusted him with this task and once again Bella won the heart of another Volterran. She wasn't even aware that asking their advice or for their help was having this effect on them.
But Caius saw and smiled she was winning them all over one at a time. From the lowest to the highest Bella treated them all equally and respected their experience and knowledge. Several times he had watched from the doorway as she helped the maid change their bed, while they chatted or quiz the gardener on how to keep her plants alive on their balcony. She could be seen on her knees planting with Gaius one day or talking to newer guards about their lives and easing their fears. They could relate to her humour and modern idioms, but they never forgot she was part of the ruling house and respected her, for all she did.
She had brought new life into the heart of Volterra and even as the years passed she never lost her fundamental humanity and love for her fellow vampire. Where others had turned aside from their subjects, Bella drew them closer and learned much more about them than most. She knew which guards had living relatives and asked about them if they needed anything. She had also found a way to keep tabs on her own family and helped out when it was possible with windfalls and old polices come to fruition. She had told Caius one day that she felt it was her duty to help others.
Because she would be around longer than most and had the ability to do so. When her father remarried into the Quileute tribe, she contacted the Alpha and asked them not to tell him she was alive. She could never see him due to their laws and in her position, she could not be seen to flout those laws. Very few knew she was alive, or at least a vampire and the honoured her by keeping it that way. But she did hear how things were going and that was enough. Her mother floored her by having a menopause baby, she hopes Renee would do better this time; well at least Phil was there to lend a hand.
EIM
The years passed and the world kept marching on, but in Volterra, the ruling body was as strong as ever. They had their arguments and occasional shouting matches, but they were never divided and so always thwarted any who thought to go against them. Marcus stepped down after another five hundred years and made way for Dora's husband Alec. But if ever they had a three-way tie he would cast the deciding vote. It was around that time that Carlisle finally became the owner of a red-lined cloak in Marcus' service. Although Bella now spoke to him, they never had that closeness, like when she was a human girl.
The most constant thing in her life was Caius and his undying love for her. He never wavered and always made time for them. They often jetted off to far-flung places and spent quality time alone. If he needed to go abroad for Volturi business, Bella went with him, as support and to learn more about their subjects. That to Bella was the most mind-blowing thing. She would never cease learning. So as the world changed and new ideas came to light the vampires of Volterra watched closely and they too learned and grew, no longer stagnating in old traditions and stuck in a bygone age.
Hermetically sealed - in a way that is insulated or protected from outside influences and damage