Within two weeks, Rosalie had studied Caterina's blood cells enough to come to an answer. Unfortunately, the answer was that the tests were inconclusive. The parts of Cat's body where humanity had spread to, were no different than Nessie, and the only thing she could extract from the rest of her body was venom, which remained indifferent to her own. Rosalie had yet to determine how the fast it was spreading or where it would spread to next. It seemed sporadic, yet controlled. Caterina feared the inevitable day her heart would start beating again.

Seth had kept quiet about the small changes he saw in his love, purely out of respect for her. He had noticed the softness return to her skin when he touched her, but said nothing. The biting urge to confront her began to gag him as he noticed a warm brown fill her irises instead of her normal crimson.

"Cat, what's going on?" They had been cuddled up together on her bed, watching a movie and seeing how low the volume could go before they stopped hearing it.

"W-what d'you mean?" She knew he had her, it was impossible for them to lie to each other. He gave her a knowing look, whatever it was, she would tell him.

"Fine! A few weeks ago, I noticed that my cheeks were red. For the first time in centuries, I felt the snow on them, it made me cold. I went straight to Rose, I knew she could keep her thoughts secret from Edward, because I didn't want anyone to know, just in case this was curable. But then it started to spread, and I panicked and I thought about running away but it hurt my heart and I know that I should have told you first and I'm sorry!" A salty substance had slid onto Cat's cheek, it was warm so she knew it couldn't be the venom that usually expelled from her eyes. She was crying.

Continuing in the low whisper that Cat had been speaking in, as to have a private conversation in a house full of vampires, Seth stated, painfully, "Cat, it hurts that you didn't come to me. I think I need to leave for a bit."

"W-when will you be back?" Her lip was trembling, and more tears spilled from her reddish-brown eyes.

"I don't know, but I will be back." With that and a light kiss on her forehead, he was gone.

Two hours. Seth had been gone for two hours and the tears had yet to stop. A couple hundred years before Caterina had destroyed entire empires and burned them to the ground, and there she sat in the Cullen living room, crying over a boy. But he wasn't just any boy, he was the love of her life, she knew that much. Otherwise it wouldn't have hurt that badly. She laid down on the couch, channeling Jasper's gift to send herself strong waves of lethargy. Strangely enough, it didn't take very much.

Five hours. Caterina had slept for two hours before she woke herself up with a sob, dried tears caking her face. After checking the time, she realized that Seth had then been gone for five hours. He did have a mother - Sue - and a sister. Caterina assumed he was with them, though the pull in her chest told her otherwise. She ignored it.

Twelve hours. If she had a heartbeat, it would be pounding. Cat's face became red with worry and anger. It was when she tried to call him, and he didn't answer, that fear overtook her. She ran to Rosalie, tears streaming down her face like they belonged there. The salty smell begged questions from the other vampires in the house, who had now become involved in the blonde girls' conversation.

"Did you have a vision, Cat? Did you see something about the Volturi?" Bella was frantic, holding onto Renesmee as if her life depended on it.

"That's not what's going on!" Caterina could feel her throat constrict. Unused to the feeling, she almost choked.

"What is going on?" Jasper asked, authority peaking in his voice. Cat wished she could answer that, what was going on? Ideas stormed through her brain, pummeling any rational thought.

"Are you crying, Cat?" It was a borderline accusation from Emmett. The wetness on her cheeks was still foreign to her. She hadn't cried in centuries, and the thought of doing so, made more tears fall.

Caterina let out a yell, silencing the Cullens, "Nothing is going on!" On the contrary, everything was going on. For a moment, Caterina wished she regretted agreeing to witness for the Cullens. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to, too much good had come from it.

Rosalie turned to the other blonde, as if they were alone, and said, "You won't find anything if you don't tell them. It's time, Cat."

More tears streamed from her face as Cat explained the changes she had been experiencing over the past few days. To say they were stunned was an understatement. The questions wouldn't stop firing from their mouths like cannons.

"Wait!" Alice called out, "I can't see the Volturi's future anymore!" Cat turned to Rosalie with an uneasy glance, fear rising high in her throat like an itch. She wanted so badly to scratch it, it burned far worse than any hunger she experienced as a vampire. At that moment, she knew.

"They have Seth."