Disclaimer: I don't have any rights to these wonderful characters and settings, and this fanfic was written for fun only.
AN: Hi there! If you clicked on this story, that means you are either curious what this is going to be about, or you are an Aro/Bella fan like me. Either way, welcome and buckle up, this fic should be no more than 5 chapters and you'll find here all the things I promised in the summary. Have fun.
01 Strike of lightning
Caius – The Throne Room, Volterra, Italy
Caius rose from his throne, the business of the court concluded for the day. As he strode down the dais and toward the door, he expected at least one of his brothers to do the same but found himself alone. That forced the immortal to stop in his tracks and turn to look at his brothers.
That's it, he thought with gritted teeth.
"Are you not coming?" he asked. His voice was devoid of the irritation Caius felt – a tiny amount of worry crept into his tone instead. Not that Caius would ever concede the fact that he wasn't an unfeeling bastard.
His brothers were sitting atop their thrones. They couldn't be more different from each other if they tried, and yet the similarity they had started to display frightened Caius.
Marcus didn't hear him but that wasn't unusual. He was leaning against the backrest, looking off to the side as he often did, absolutely uninterested in his surroundings and lost in his memories. He was humming softly under his breath, one of his feet tapping to the rhythm. It was becoming harder and harder to catch his attention, to force him to focus on the present. Marcus still had family that cared, and the fool was deliberately blind to the fact.
It would usually be Aro who snapped their widowed brother out of his melancholy long enough to function. He would pester Marcus to feed, to participate in the court, demanding his opinions and bullying him into conversations. He was the mind-reader here, so he knew how to annoy even Marcus enough to live.
Aro, however, was sitting tensely at the edge of his seat, his hands gripping the armrests. He no longer rose from the throne, flitting across the room to snatch vampires' hands in his own, no. He sat as he was – silent, unmoving, and unmovable. His eyes were trained straight ahead, his thoughts turned inward. What the hell was he thinking so intensely about? Only when there were visitors, Aro would snap out of his thoughts, glaring at the poor sods with frightening intensity. He would raise his hand and snap his fingers to order them to come closer, barely moving himself.
And he'd grown so silent and somber. Caius had known Aro for more than three thousand years and this was the first time when his brother did not act like a child and fill the silence with idle chatter.
They worried about him – more than they worried about Marcus. Marcus's melancholy had become an ingrained part of his personality. Aro's change in behavior was so sudden, so unnatural… This wasn't one of his usual episodes – those lasted only days at most, and he had never before lost his appetite, Aro actually fed more when he was depressed, became restless and irritable. Caius had no idea what to do, how to make Aro talk about what was happening. He never was good at these things, damn it, and Dora was trying and failing to distract their brother from his dark thoughts.
Even Sulpicia had tried to talk to him, but Aro had always left his wife to her own devices and she was only too happy to return the favor. Whatever affection they had felt had fizzled out around the time the humans had started the Christian era. Now they barely tolerated each other's presence.
It wasn't the first time Caius wished his brother would let go of his pride and just mate with a nice vampire woman. Not his wife, obviously, but he has been so lonely. A vampire needed someone to share the eternity with. What was the point of living forever otherwise? A vampire needed to mate eventually and a mate was exactly what his brother needed right now.
His state was unsupportable!
Aro had barely moved for four days – ever since they had sent the Guard to Seattle. He hadn't fed for weeks. It had all started with the Cullens and that human girl. They should have just killed all three of them and been done with it. Caius didn't understand why Aro had let them live – and why Marcus had supported that decision.
Carlisle was a lousy friend who hadn't kept in touch and only abused their friendship so he could go and disregard the law so blatantly. Taking his most gifted coven members would teach him a valuable lesson. But Caius didn't want to think about the traitor who had chosen to abandon the Volturi.
"Brothers, why don't you join me and Dora for dinner?" he tried, returning to the dais. Neither of them reacted. Gliding upward to stand right in Aro's line of sight, Caius spoke again, "What do you say, Aro?"
"Hmm?" Aro hummed and awareness slowly returned to him. He raised his almost black eyes to look at Caius and slowly tilted his head back. "I am sorry, dear brother. What did you say?"
"Aren't you hungry, Aro?" he asked slowly. There was a look in Aro's eyes Caius didn't like. They were losing him, he felt it, and Caius wished Dora was here instead of keeping an eye on Sulpicia. Dora would soften her voice, would dare to touch Aro's cheek, letting him see her concern, try to focus his attention, to ground him.
"No, thank you, Caius," Aro smiled slightly and shook his head. "You go ahead and dine with sweet Athenodora. Send her my regards and apologies for my absence."
"What is so important that you ignore your sister?" growled Caius, his patience finally exhausted. Perhaps he should grab Aro and Marcus both and just drag them out of the throne room. How difficult could it be to force-feed them some blood?
"Hmm?" Aro hummed, his gaze returning to Caius's face. "I apologize. Did you say something?"
"Is this about the Cullens?" Caius shifted his weight and glanced at Marcus when the latter heaved a deep sigh. "It is, am I right?!"
"Now now, there's no need to shout-"
"Then stop this nonsense at once!" snarled Caius, threw out his arms, and flung himself back into his seat. One of his hands rose and he pressed it to his closed eyes. He could swear that he felt a headache coming. "Your behavior is worrisome. You are starting to scare the twins and-"
"Caius," Aro said and forced out a soft chuckle. "I am honestly touched, brother, but you do not need to-"
"I did not say I wo-"
A soft buzzing sound interrupted him. Aro fished out his phone from his pocket in a flash, turning away from Caius. But he wasn't fast enough. Caius caught his brother's expression and he frowned, worry spreading through his entire being at the anxious, almost fearful look in Aro's eyes.
"Yes?" he answered, anticipation coloring his voice.
"Master," Caius could hear Jane's voice. Around her, he could hear the sounds typical for a battlefield – crackling of flames, vampire bodies being torn to pieces, someone's desperate weeping and denials.
"No, no, please, no." It sounded like music to Cius's ears and he longed to be a part of the battle, just for a moment. He hadn't had a good fight in ages.
"We followed the newborns as you instructed. The human wasn't present for the battle and the Cullens and their allies disposed of the army without much trouble. Our participation wasn't required. We did help with the clean-up, though."
What allies? Carlisle was amassing allies? Alarmed, Caius sat up straighter and stared at his brother.
"Very good, my dear." Aro's shoulders relaxed and he leaned against the backrest of his throne, a small smile spreading over his face. Aro even winked at him and Caius snorted at his brother's reaction to the news. Was Aro truly waiting for that particular call all this time? The situation in Washington had hardly been worrisome.
"I hope none of Carlisle's family was too grievously injured," Aro continued jokingly. Now that sounded like Aro and Caius shook his head, relief flooding him. "It would be such a shame if dear Edward lost a limb or two."
There was a brief silence. Jane didn't even laugh at Aro's joke and Caius could hear her take a deep breath. Caius had known her since she had been turned and she wasn't one for carefully considering her words. She was Aro's spoilt little princess who never could do any wrong in her maker's eyes. Something else must have happened.
"Jane, my dear? Is there anything you wish to tell me?" His brother came to the same conclusion and any trace of relaxation or humor vanished from his voice. The frighteningly intense look was back in his eyes as he stared straight ahead, his face was carefully expressionless.
"The army's creator…" Jane sounded unhappy and then fell silent. Aro rose to his feet swiftly and Caius watched him in surprise. His unease returned, much stronger than before – Aro was tense, ready to tear someone's head off, and it made Caius want to rip someone into pieces in turn. Marcus stopped humming and stirred uneasily, reacting to the agitation Aro felt.
The three of them had been brothers for three millennia and their bonds were strong. They fought together, protected each other, and would do almost anything for each other.
"Victoria, the naughty child," Aro growled, "Yes, what of her?"
"She laid a trap. Her army distracted the Cullens while she went to track the human."
Marcus snapped his head toward Aro and leaned forward, his eyes dark and troubled.
"Is the girl dead?" Aro asked quietly, too quietly. Their brother clenched his free hand into a fist and straightened as if steeling himself for a blow.
"She's dying." Jane's answer was fearful and Caius wondered why. Had she been given an order to look after the human? To protect her? It had looked like overkill to send their elite guards to deal with a handful of newborns. Then again, Aro's reactions to the human had been anything but normal.
A terrible realization started to blossom in Caius's mind.
The moment Jane's words registered, Aro's whole posture collapsed, and it was like watching the Leaning Tower in Pisa coming down – something wholly unexpected, unimaginable. His shoulders slumped and he bent forward as if in pain, taking several breaths and pressing his fist to his chest.
Seeing his agitation, Caius stiffened and jumped up. In a blink, he stood next to Aro and grabbed his upper arm, forcing his brother to look at him. The shattered expression in his eyes made Caius flinch.
It only confirmed his suspicions. The last and only time Aro had looked so defeated was when Didyme had been taken from them. Surely the fate of one mortal shouldn't have such a profound effect on his brother! But what if…
Snatching the phone from Aro's slackened grip, Caius barked, "Is there anything to be done?"
"Her body's broken and she lost a large amount of blood. She is beyond help, or so Carlisle said." Jane sniffed and Caius couldn't believe he heard the sound coming from the girl. The weeping in the background gained on intensity and suddenly morphed into a howl.
"We're sorry to fail you, Master Aro…"
With a distressed keening sound, Aro shut his eyes tightly and started to sink to his knees. Taken aback, Caius strengthened his hold on him to break Aro's fall but Marcus was there suddenly. With a shockingly sympathetic expression, he slowly eased their brother to the ground, placing him down on the steps. He then sat next to him, gripping his shoulder in reassurance.
Marcus spared Caius a glance and then was muttering soothingly, "The pain is not real, Aro. The bond cannot be broken. There is no bond. Listen to me. You must free yourself from it. It is not real."
Damn it all! The severing of a mating bond hurt beyond belief, it could completely break a vampire – and it didn't matter if the bond was acknowledged or not. It was enough if the bond was formed.
Names of all the gods of his youth flashed through Caius's mind as he watched the agony on both his brothers' faces.
It could take years to build a mating bond; painstakingly work on it little by little, deepening a simple potential into a real, tangible thing. Or it could take mere moments to form it, like a strike of lightning. Like fate. Caius had been lucky, he had known immediately the moment he had laid his eyes on Dora for the first time. He remembered it vividly. The spark between them had immediately turned into a blazing inferno the moment they had touched, and their bond had clicked in place only seconds after that.
Had both his brothers known from the moment the human had stepped into the throne room? And Aro had let her go? That was a foolish mistake! Caius couldn't comprehend the stupidity of it, couldn't imagine not having his Dora by his side.
"Bite her!" he snarled at Jane and ran his hand through his hair, tugging at it. "Do you hear me? Just bite the girl and bring her here."
Caius was briefly tempted to crush the phone in his fist but practicality won over irrationality and he disconnected the call, placing the device in his pocket. Aro wasn't going to be able to answer it for some time, not until he reassured himself that his mate wasn't dead.
With a low growl, he sunk to sit next to his brothers and reached out to grip Aro's other shoulder, lending him some strength and offering support. "She's not dead yet, take comfort in that."
"Yet?! That. Is. Not. Comforting!" Aro's voice was rough and he forced the words through gritted teeth. His eyes were still closed, he was still in pain, but he leaned against his bothers with one hand pressed to his still heart. Caius could feel the tremors running through his body and hoped to never experience such pain himself. However had Marcus survived it?
"Caius is speaking the truth, Aro. Isabella is not dead and you need to let go of the pain. It is not there."
"I. Feel. It… Quite. Keenly."
"It is phantom pain. You know it. The bond is not real," insisted Marcus.
"It appears real enough to me, brother." Caius shot him a dark look over Aro's bowed head. Their gifts were useful but he thought they made idiots of his brothers more often than not. He hated when they kept him out of the loop, the self-assured assholes. "Why didn't either of you say anything?"
"Marcus. Is. Right… It. Is. N-not. Real… That. G-girl-" Aro choked, gagged, and struggled to continue, "Is. N-n-not. My. M-mate!"
As soon as he spat the words out, he shuddered and dry heaved as Caius watched him in utter shock. Had his brother just denounced his mate? That was insane. Unthinkable. It went against their very nature, their instincts. Then again, Aro had always prided himself on his control over the beast inside, always insisted that he would not bind himself to another, to surrender his heart and what was left of his soul to someone else. It was one of the reasons why his marriage had failed so spectacularly and Sulpicia steered clear of him. Of them all. Rejection of such proportions was painful and humiliating.
It didn't make sense! Why Aro would form a mating bond to the girl, let her go, and then denounce her after it took effect? Could she even reciprocate, could it even work while she was human? Not even his brother would do something so stupidly risky, and Aro had done a great number of stupid things over the years in the grip of his many manic episodes.
"What is going on?" Caius snarled and looked from Aro's slumped form to Marcus.
"Aro's bonds are such a mess." Marcus heaved a sigh and returned his gaze. "Every time he uses his gift on someone, he forms phantom copies of the vampire's bonds to others. They are not real and disappear in a manner of days. If it was a true mating bond, Aro would have felt her pain the moment Isabella was hurt, not when he was told she was dying… Oh, hush, Aro!"
Their brother shook and struggled to stop another terrible keening sound when he heard Marcus's words. It looked like he was dying his final death. And for what? For nothing!
"It has been months since that pathetic boy came here!" Caius roared, then took a breath and willed himself not to explode. His next words were delivered in a furious hiss, "Are you telling me that our brother suffers Edward Cullen's pain?! Is he going to get suicidal, too? When I see the whelp, I'm going to tear him into pieces, reassemble him, and do it again and again. I won't tire of it for years!"
"It is not young Edward's fault that our brother became obsessed with Isabella." Marcus rolled his eyes and patted Aro's shoulder soothingly when the latter gave a weak sound in protest. "Aro has formed his own bond with the girl. It is one of fascination and possessiveness – you know our brother – and it feeds the phantom bond left from the Cullen boy. That is why I am telling him that he needs to let go or the pain will damage him."
"I. Am. Trying!" Aro forced out, gripped Marcus's forearm, and squeezed, making Marcus wince slightly.
"No, you are not. You want her here, in your power. Let the girl go. She is not yours."
"She. Is. Mine." Aro growled aggressively at him and shook his head. "Mine!"
"See?" Marcus adopted a longsuffering expression and gazed back at Caius. "She is not yours until you make it so, and you know it."
"You are such an idiot, Aro." Shaking his head in disgust, Caius rose to his feet once more. He had reached his limit. All those weeks of worries had mentally and emotionally exhausted him. He had been frightened for his brother while Aro was just his usual greedy self and acting like a five-year-old.
What a mess. He thought the matter over for a few moments and then narrowed his eyes and pressed his forearm under Aro's chin. He was careful to avoid direct contact with his skin – there was no need for his brother to know what Caius was thinking, was there?
"I wonder if that phantom bond could solidify into a true one once Isabella arrives. This time as one of us and capable of reciprocating," he said, forcing his brother to look at him. Aro's eyes were the blackest he had ever seen them, like a bottomless abyss swallowing all light. Glancing at Marcus, Caius then asked, "What do you think, Marcus?"
"Her presence will undoubtedly strengthen Aro's real bond to her, and those two will probably merge." Marcus tilted his head to the side thoughtfully and observed the bonds. He then moved to grip Aro's hand to show that he spoke the truth. "If she was for whatever reason receptive to the mating…"
The idea that any modern woman of sane mind would have enough patience to actually consider mating to Aro was ridiculous. Sulpicia had been carefully selected, persistently wooed, and arduously persuaded by their brother to marry him more than two thousand years ago – and it had still backfired.
"Wonderful." Caius grinned at Aro. There was a satisfying flash of fear in Aro's eyes as Caius continued, "Perhaps we are going to get a new sister after all. Dora would so love to finally organize your mating ceremony, Aro."
"W-what?!" Aro gasped and threw himself away from them. He tumbled down the steps, his black suit smudged with dust, and remained at the bottom of the dais for several seconds. Then he kneeled and took several gulping breaths before slowly straightening. It seemed that Aro's absolute terror of commitment did the trick. The tremors were gone, his face smooth and devoid of pain.
"Finally!" sighed Marcus, after checking Aro's bonds once more. "Do not even think of her if you wish to avoid forming a true bond to the girl."
Standing up, he ignored Aro's glare, glided down the steps, and nodded first at Aro and then Caius before continuing toward the door. "I think I will accept your offer to dine with you and Athena, Caius. I hardly remember when I fed last. I am famished."
Both Caius and Aro gazed after him as he disappeared and Caius was forced to shake his head. He was surprised that Marcus had even heard the invitation, let alone decided to socialize. Coming to think of it, Caius couldn't remember the last time when Marcus spoke in more than one simple sentence without being bullied into it persistently.
It seemed that young Isabella was having an unusual effect on them all.
"Aro, are you going to join us as well?"
"Yes, I believe I am," he said, voice still rough and exhausted. He moved to dust his jacket and then frowned. "A change of clothes is in order first, however."
"As you wish. I will instruct Heidi to entertain our dinner until you arrive." Caius copied Aro's gesture and smoothed his lapels before gracefully striding to the door.
"Brother?" Aro called and when Caius stopped and turned his head back toward him, his brother continued.
"Bringing Isabella to Volterra won't be necessary," he said in a tight, unhappy tone, eyes trained at the floor. Then he nodded to himself and met Caius's gaze head-on. "Will you tell dear Jane to leave the girl with the Olympic coven, please?"
So he was letting her go once more – not because he thought it was best for his mate but because his fool of a brother was undoubtedly afraid of what she could do to him. Caius took in Aro's posture – he was leaning forward slightly, one arm crossed over his torso as if he was shielding himself from the pain still. His other hand was shaking and he slowly clenched it into a fist at his side when he realized that Caius was watching. His face was almost expressionless but his eyes… Oh, Caius knew his brother well. There was fear in them, hidden carefully but present nonetheless.
He did understand his brother's apprehension. The loss of one's mate had the power to destroy even the strongest of them – Marcus was an example of that –, and Aro's episodes were worrisome on their own. But that was exactly why he needed to mate. It could make Aro even more vulnerable but the mating bond would balance him. His other half would be able to pull him from the brink, calm the chaos his gift brought into his mind, talk sense into him when the rest of them failed. Such was the nature of soulmates.
Caius wished Aro the completeness, joy, and the peace a mate could bring him. The lessons of humility and selflessness only love and devotion would teach him. It was worth it. And like it or not, Isabella Swan had come closer to becoming Aro's mate than anyone else including Aro's wife.
Even the chance of it made Caius soften slightly toward the foolish human. Some vampires were easy to love and didn't have any difficulty forming mating bonds with whomever they wished. Others – like Aro – were extremely unlucky in that regard and it would take a truly exceptional person to gain Aro's love… and to love him in turn.
"Of course, Aro," he said quietly. The possibility of what Isabella could mean to him if he let her scared his brother but Aro would have to learn to live with his fear. He would meet her eventually and would have to confront it. However, Caius wasn't a complete bastard to force her presence on Aro now. The human was going through her transformation at that very moment, and she would be a newborn in three days. Young immortals were not easily persuaded to settle down, they wanted to explore the world, discover the limits of their vampirism. Only once Isabella was ready to join the coven could Caius look at her as one of them, and maybe…
"Thank you, brother," Aro didn't meet his eyes and with a jerky nod stiffly walked through the backdoor behind the thrones, taking the shortcut to his chambers. His were located apart from the main keep – he had always needed his privacy when things were just too much for him. For all his cordiality, Aro preferred to be left alone. Caius supposed that there already was a crowd inside of his head anyway. He hated the lack of privacy the main keep offered to its inhabitants and had had to resort to having his and Dora's rooms soundproofed.
He was ancient, and when he had been young, people and vampires alike believed in fate and young Isabella had crossed paths with the Volturi for a reason, he could see it now. It had been a mistake to let her leave three months ago and it was a mistake to not bring her here at once.
It was foolish to expect another chance like that… but Caius was going to help fate with a nudge or two. Oh, it was like planning a proper battle, he couldn't wait to maneuver everyone into perfect positions. Dora would love it as well.
Caius was whistling when he sped toward his and Dora's chambers. He could hear Heidi's voice drifting through the closed doors of his private gallery as she was spouting her lecture to the unsuspecting food.
"Just a moment and you can bring them in," he told her and opened the door to his dining room. Dora insisted on white walls and Caius was immensely thankful that the humans had invented washable wallpapers.
Marcus was standing in the middle room, swaying to the rhythm only he could hear. That wasn't surprising at all but he was also conversing with Dora. The two of them stopped as soon as Caius appeared and he had to blink at the unusual sight of his brother looking back at him attentively. It was a little disconcerting but he welcomed the change. He had missed Marcus, his silent strength had always been their rock. Marcus had been thoughtful and steady, he had never been ruled by his emotions; the peacemaker between Aro and Caius whenever their respective tempers clashed.
"Darling," Caius said and glided to his wife, taking her hands in his and kissing her palms first before placing a soft kiss at her lips.
"My beloved," sighed his wife contentedly and smiled up at him. Her eyes were shining with happiness he hadn't seen in a long time. "Marcus has shared the most interesting news. I'm so excited!"
"He has?" Caius turned to look at his brother with his eyebrow raised. "I thought Aro's bond was only an echo."
"The potential is there." Marcus returned the gesture and shrugged. "There's no doubt that their bond could be as strong as yours or mine used to be."
A flash of pain flitted across his face but he forced it away and nodded, looking down at them solemnly.
"I was a bad brother. Inattentive. Distant. Lost. It was not fair to force you and Aro to carry the burden of ruling alone, yet neither of you said a word. You, Aro, and Dora loved me through it all, supported me through the darkest years of my life without asking anything in return. You were hurting, too, but I did not see it. I do not deserve what you have done for me since Di…Well. I suppose it is time I take care of this family as well."
"Oh, Marcus!" Dora rose on her tiptoes and hugged him around the waist. "Don't ever say things like that again. We love you, of course, and we never expected anything in return."
"Your wish is my command, sister." Marcus gently wrapped his long arms around her shoulders and then met Caius's eyes over the top of Dora's head. "Forgive me."
"There is nothing to forgive." Caius cleared his throat and blinked several times to clear the venom from his eyes. "It is good to have you back."
Marcus nodded and slowly straightened, resting his palm against Dora's cheek briefly.
"Now, we have some work to do, I believe. I cannot condone what Aro is attempting to do. He is at the end of his tether – believe me, I should know. He needs to mate and young Isabella is the only one who has captured his interest in the last two thousand years. Aro craves her silence, selflessness, and devotion for himself and is already half in love with her… even though he is neck-deep in denial."
That forced them to chuckle. Only Aro would fall in love with someone he had met only through other person's memories without acknowledging it.
"Aro deserves happiness. He has been lonely for so long… And poor Cia! She can finally pursue her own path… " Dora shook her head. Her eyes were full of venom and Caius moved to wrap her in his embrace, offering comfort.
"Aro is an idiot who does everything he can to stomp on his happiness, Dora," he drawled, clenching his jaw momentarily. And Sulpicia better not try anything stupid. Looking into his wife's surprised face for a second, he refocused on Marcus and added, "He wishes Isabella to remain with the Olympic coven. What is the state of the Cullen boy's bond with her?"
"Young Edward has started to build a mating bond with her ever since he met her," Marcus said slowly, thoughtfully. "It was under some strain but it was still strong and she loved him as well. They are extremely compatible and if nothing changed, the moment she becomes one of us and sees him, the bond is going to snap into place."
"Aro is squandering his only chance to mate, then?" asked Dora worriedly. "We cannot allow that. This young one, Isabella, so very obviously belongs with our brother – as if she was created just for him. The Cullen boy's gift is not nearly as invasive and uncomfortable as Aro's, and he's so young. He can wait but our brother has waited long enough!"
"Oh, I am certain Caius already has a plan," Marcus announced and waved his hand dismissively. Then a small, almost unnoticeable smirk lifted one corner of his mouth. "How can I be of service?"
Caius looked between his wife and his brother and grinned. How he loved his family. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so… so hopeful, expectant. He was usually wary of change, but just this once, he was looking forward to it.
AN: Aaand it begins! Wow, it's been ages since I wrote something this long, but getting into Caius's head was fun. I've always thought he's just a big softie under all that growling.
Also, English is my second language and I don't have any beta, so I'd like to apologize for any mistakes in the text. I'd be happy to fix anything you notice if you let me know.
One more thing before I shut up. Updates are going to be a bit slow. I'm a mother of three who's currently juggling two jobs, so finding time to write regularly is going to be impossible. I think we all face some difficult times and situations right now, and revisiting my favorite stories and characters has always helped me, so here am I, hoping to distract you – and me – from whatever it is you have to deal with at work, or home, or school. Let's make a deal, ok? If you like this story, I will find the time. Sound's good?
That being said, I also LOVE comments, so don't be afraid to hit that button and leave me one. It will literally make my days more bearable, and I will always respond to them.