Author's Note
I do not own Twilight.
Not alone.
He had fallen - no, not fallen, he never fell - and the world had stretched and cracked and broken around him until he was listening to strangely familiar talk, but discussions were repeated all the time in Volterra.
Only when someone mentioned Felix and Demetri going to retrieve Cullen did things look strange.
No mention of the half-breed, or the wolves.
Then Jane was there, and he understood as he looked up at the still human Isabella Swan.
Not fully, but at least a little.
"Welcome back, Edward," he said to Cullen. Cullen pulled his bitch behind him.
"Master Aro will be so pleased to see you again," Alec continued. Jane squeezed his hand.
"Let's not keep him waiting."
She knew, like he knew. Did the others know? Was it only them? The Masters would know. Master Aro would know.
They led the way down the corridor and he opened the door, tugging Jane through and never releasing her hand. It would look odd to their visitors, but they could move well enough not to be clumsy.
The room was loud, busy. He wanted to quiet it. He was so hungry, and the noise only worsened the spinning inside his skull. Jane's fingers tightened around his.
"Jane, dear one," called Master Aro. "You've returned!"
He glided towards them, the guard positioning themselves around him. Alec squeezed Jane's hand with his left and held out his right to Master Aro. Jane did likewise on his other side. It was a familiar action, second nature after all these years, for when they wished to pass him information. He took their hands, the smile freezing on his face. His eyes studied them, their faces.
He hadn't known.
They had each other, and now he knew, but he hadn't known, not like they knew.
"Yes Master," Jane said. "I brought him back alive, just as you wished."
"Ah, Jane," he sighed. "You are such a comfort to me. Such a clever girl."
Different; he was making it different for them. Thank you Master.
"And Alice, and Bella too? This is a happy day." He clapped his hands. "I send you for one, and you bring me two and a half."
Alec narrowed his eyes slightly. That was his line!
But it meant Master Aro knew, he was thinking.
They slid their hands down his arms to his, lacing their fingers together. For a moment it formed an awkward kind of circle, before Alec was forced to relinquish Jane's hand for the sake of decorum.
"Wonderful," he said. "Simply wonderful. Felix, be a dear and tell my brothers about our company. I'm sure they wouldn't want to miss this."
Perhaps he would let Master Caius execute the brat. That would be satisfying to watch. A waste of blood though, especially when he was so achingly hungry.
Master Aro squeezed his hand. "You see, Edward? Aren't you glad that I didn't give you what you wanted yesterday?" He smiled. "I do love a happy ending."
A happy ending for who? They couldn't let things play out again. They'd look weak, pathetic.
"But you have rather caused us some problems."