A/N: A quick thank you to everyone who added this story in their alerts and/or added it to their favorite list. It truly means a lot to me.

More of a filler chapter…..

Chapter 4-

Marcus's POV-

It was her.

She was back.

My Didyme was back.

She had returned….for me….to be with me.

I loved her so much.

I had never forgotten her, not even for a mere second.

How could I?

She had been the heartbeat of this dead man. She had been my reason to live. She had been the smile of my face and the light in my eyes.

With her gone, there was absolutely nothing to live for.

I had wanted to join her.

I had decided to join her…to be with her, if not in this world then in another, but Aro had never let me go. He had forced me to keep existing…because this was no life; this was only a never-ending existence.

I had opposed him. I had argued with him. I had fought with him- even going as far as a physical fight, but when he had still refused to even consider my words- forcing Chelsea to use her power on me, I had given up.

I had accepted the very fact that I was supposed to suffer till the end of time.

That was my punishment.

I don't know what exactly wrong I had done to be at the receiving end of this hell, but it must be something abhorrent, that was for sure, considering I had to live my life without my very life in it.

I had accepted it, having no other choice in the matter.

I continued to exist.

I continued to feed once every month, grabbing the human that stood closest to me, finishing the deed as quickly as possible.

I had no need for games.

I had no interest in playing games.

For me, feeding was a compulsion.

I had to feed in order to continue existing.

That was it, the sole purpose of why I fed.

I did not want to, but I had to- Aro made sure of that, making sure that I attended every feeding that happened in the castle.

I don't exactly know if he did this due to him considering me as a brother, or if he was solely seeking his own interests by keeping me alive.

Nonetheless, I was glad for it.

How else would I have met my Didyme again, if he had not kept me existing?

It could have been an endless cycle of birth and rebirth before we were to cross paths again, and the worse part of that; I would have no memory of her in such a scenario.

That was simply not an option.

I never wanted to forget even one precious moment that I had spent in her company, loving her…cherishing her…..wanting her.

Our souls remembered our past life. They knew what we had been…who we had been…whom we had loved…and who had been the closest to our heart, but those memories did not quite transmit to our conscious mind. The pain of childbirth and the newer memories that the soul made soon after coming back to life, forced those past memories to settle in the back of our subconscious mind.

We were aware of them.

We even remembered them, just not consciously.

It was even believed that just born babies had full knowledge of their past life. They remembered it. They could recognize the soul that stood in front of them, masqueraded in a newer body, but before they could share this knowledge with another, they would begin to forget it- just as nature had deemed them to.

They would never again gain access to those precious memories. It did not mean they did not have it, they just couldn't remember it.

That was life.

That was nature.

We lived and forgot, moving onto a new beginning with a new name and new identity, forming a new set of memories with each birth that we took.

Sometimes, we would be fortunate enough to cross path with our soul mate- instantly forming a bond with them, but on rare occasions, we would never meet them again- missing an entire birth that we could have spent in their arms.

The harsh reality being, we did not decide these things.

We had no control over it.

Fate decided it for us.

We could only hope that we were in the lucky few to meet our soul mate again, getting that very chance to spend another birth with them.

But, unfortunately, even that opportunity had been cruelly stolen away from me when Aro had refused to let me go, refusing to end this never-ending suffering of mine. I had begged him. I had pleaded with him to let me go. I wanted the chance of finding my Didyme again. I could not live without her. I did not want to live without her.

I had tried convincing him of this, for decades and even centuries…..

But alas, I had been forced to live an eternity of misery and suffering.

I had never believed to find her again.

How could I?

She had moved on to another birth- possibly several- she had been gone for a while, while I was still stuck here, as the very same Marcus Volturi she had once had as her mate.

I had deemed it impossible to ever find love again.

It simply wasn't on the cards for me.

I had accepted it.

I had believed in it.

I had never imagined a change coming in my life.

Not until this very morning….

Today had started off as any normal morning did, as most unusual things usually did. I had been sitting in my bedroom, staring into nothingness, lost in the memories of my Didyme, as always, when Afton had knocked on my room door, informing me that it was time to arrive for feeding. Once every month, Heidi went out fishing and brought in a bunch of humans for us to feed upon. Actually, she brought in tourists once every week, but they were not all for feeding purposes. We could not risk anyone becoming suspicious of the fact that a person once entered, never left our castle gates. Some tourists were simply meant for keeping up that appearance. The regular tour was conducted, with the tiresome meet and greet event, after which the tourist were shown the exit and our tiring day came to an end.

Only once in a month did those tourist arrive who were meant to be food.

Today had been one such day.

It was the day of feeding.

All of us would gather in the throne room, where events as such occurred, contrary to the room being termed 'throne room', departing only once everybody had drunk themselves full. Some of them, like Caius, preferred to play games with the human, laughing as they suffered through the torture.

I, on the other hand, finished as quickly as I could. My Didyme was waiting for me. I had to go back to her.

I had no time for such trivial matters.

It simply did not concern me.

I walked towards my throne, waited for the humans to arrive, fed my fill and then proceeded towards my room- that was routine.

It had been routine since centuries now.

It remained the very same, always.

But today had not been routine….

I had sat on my throne, expecting the loud chatter of the humans as they walked towards us; which had not disappointingly arrived, the only difference being an uneasy feeling in my chest as soon as the lot of them walked in.

I had never felt anything like this.

I was dead.

I was not supposed to feel anything like this.

I had ignored it, assuming it to be nothing of importance. I had continued to remember those beautiful moments of my youth that I had spent with my Didyme. Now, I am aware that I am immortal and would still be considered young- I was changed at the age of thirty one, but the centuries gone by had genuinely aged me from thirty one to fifty one. I truly believed that I was no longer any young. My eyes depicted my pain and loneliness, my silence speaking volumes.

I had ignored the chatter around me, half heartedly listening as Aro greeted the tourists of this month. I knew what was about to happen. It was routine. I went through this once every month. I did not even need to look up and see the faces of the humans. It was just not important.

Aro had then given the cue for the feeding process to begin, his trademark smirk in place- that is when I had looked up, for simply the reason that I wanted to find the poor human who I would end up draining. I did not feed on children- that were a rule I followed thoroughly, and any woman that reminded me of my Didyme was also out of the list, for obvious reasons. I had looked up, with the intention of finding a human that raised no fond memories in my heart, noticing for the first time the golden line that began from me.

It was unusual.

It was surprising.

The last time I had seen the golden line of mating radiating from me…had been when Didyme….

I had looked up once again, a new need now shining in my eyes.

I had tried to trace the other end of this golden rope, and urgency in my features.

It could not be her.

It was just not possible.

But each of us had only one mate- that was how it was, and mine had died.

How could I find another mate then?

It had to be her.

I had searched through the room, my face depicting my worry and haste, finally landing on a curious brunette standing in one corner. She looked nothing like Didyme- her brown- a little above the shoulder- length hair a deep contrast from Didy's waist length black hair. She was taller than Didy had been, and even a little bit curvier. Her eyes were chocolate brown, Didy's had been grey before the change.

But still, it was her.

I could see her soul as clear as the day.

It was her.

This was my Didyme.

Another rebirth of hers, possibly…

Our face changed with every birth that we took, our personality and name changing as well, but if something remained the very same- it was the essence of our soul.

The same essence that now told me that it was her.

This was my Didyme.

I was overjoyed.

I had wanted to run to her, pull her in my arms and never let go again.

I could not lose her again.

I refused to lose her again.

That is when I had noticed the obvious problem that stood in my way- Demetri, he had been planning to pounce on her. She was his victim; I could see it in his hungry eyes.

Of course, I could not have let this happen.

I had jumped out of my chair, rushing towards my Didyme, throwing Demetri out of the way, not even bothering to look back and check, my only priority being the human that stood in front of me.

It was ironical in a way. The last time when I had seen Didyme for the first time, she had been human. It seemed the same this second time, too.

Once again my poor Didyme would have to go through the burn that accompanied the change.

But, there would be no third time. This was it.

I would never let her go again.

That was final.

I had wanted to console her, to check whether she was alright or not. I would kill Demetri if there was even a scratch on her.

Nothing mattered but her.

But for the moment, I had decided that keeping her protected was my main priority. Everything else could happen later. Demetri was not the only hungry vampire in the room. They would not understand. They would not believe my word when I told them that this was my Didyme. It was too surreal to be considered true.

The only reason why I was so confident of this was because I could see the mating bond that existed between us. She was my mate- there was no doubt in that.

Of course, I would recognize her in whichever form she took.

I could never forget her, or even think of moving on.

I had stood like a wall in front of her, guarding her from who were almost like a family to me, a low growl leaving my mouth.

I had to keep her safe.

Putting her in danger was never an option.

"Master Marcus," Demetri had sighed, confused by my unusual behavior. I never behaved like this. It was so unlike my usual self. "I was not aware that you had your eyes on the human. I would never have dared to approach her, otherwise. It is just that you generally never show interest….."

I growled louder at him, the thought of him feeding on her enough to bring out the anger and worry that lay in me.

She was not safe here.

She could be killed at any point of time….just one person losing control being her end.

No.

I could not let that happen.

"Brother," Aro spoke up, attempting to placate me with his words, "Is everything okay? You seem frazzled. I have never seen you like this….not since…." he trailed off, not needing to complete his sentence.

I knew what he had been hesitating to say.

He had not seen me like this since Didyme passed away.

I had been overly protective when it concerned Didyme, her happiness and safety of utmost importance. He had not seen me like this since close to millennia now, not since I had experienced the death of my mate.

I turned to look at my Didyme.

Oh, how much I had missed her.

I softly caressed her arms, her skin the very same soft that I had once relished in.

It felt normal.

It felt natural to hold her in my arms.

It felt normal to love her and care for her.

I had waited millennia for this moment.

I had wished for her to come back to me, hoped against hope, and now, here she was.

It was surreal.

A tear fell down her eyes, surprising me.

Did she remember me?

Did she recognize the importance of this moment in my life….in our life?

I had waited for her for so long.

It had been over millennia since I had last seen her.

It had been over millennia since I had last touched her.

Happiness began to radiate from her, showing in her eyes and on her face. She was satisfied. She was content.

Maybe, she did remember me.

I slowly raised my hand, not willing to wait any longer in this thought of mine, wiping her tears away. I traced her features, smiling when she leaned into my touch.

A sigh of complete relief soon left my mouth.

I was finally complete.

It had been a long wait, indeed.

Murmurs around me soon gathered my attention- they- my brothers and the coven that I was a part of- were wondering of what was wrong with me….of why I was behaving so unlike myself.

I had no answers for them.

None that I wanted to truly provide them with.

I sighed; looking around me at the curious expression on each of my brother's face. They were each staring at me, almost as if they were watching an interesting movie play out in front of their eyes.

I shook my head.

I could not keep them away from answers for very long.

Aro was not one to easily accept another's silence. He would continue to pester me till I gave in.

But, today was not the correct moment for that.

I needed to talk to Didyme…preferably alone.

I turned to look at her, murmuring to her that this was not the correct place to talk about what we definitely needed to talk about.

I wanted to touch her. I wanted to take her in my arms, but I could not do so unless she granted me the permission to touch her.

It was her decision.

If she would decline, I would accept it; no matter how miserable it made me feel.

Surprisingly, she nodded her head, her eyes telling me that she trusted me.

She was not afraid of me.

I quickly pulled her in my arms, picking her up and running out of the throne room.

I knew just the place to talk in private.

Aro had ensured that each of our bedroom were soundproof, believing that as the leaders of our kind, we were privileged enough to demand such liberties. I had never truly felt the need for it, calling it a waste of resources, but it was a benefit at the moment, I had to agree.

I had finally put her down after entering my bedroom. It wasn't the same bedroom that we had once shared- I could not bring myself to even enter that room, no, this was one of the spare rooms that I had no memory of hers attached with.

Our conversation to begin with had revolved around the barren room that she was in, soon changing direction when I admitted that I had had no will to live after I lost her.

I had softly caressed her face, pleading with her to never leave me again.

I would not be able to even exist if she were to leave me again.

It was a surety.

That was when she had interrupted me, breaking the bubble I had been in, tears leaving her eyes.

She did not remember me.

She had no memory of me.

Of course, a part of me had expected that, but still it hurt to hear.

I had sighed, admitting to her the truth- that I had recognized her the minute I saw her, knowing instantly that she was my Didyme.

Her expression though had suddenly changed, her hands telling me her current decision as they pushed me away from her.

She did not remember me.

She did not remember her life as Didyme Volturi.

She did not remember any of it.

She simply looked confused by my words.

But then, I had seen it- the small spark in her eyes when I repeated my once spoken words to her, almost as if she had remembered something.

I had almost smiled to myself.

This was a good sign, right?

I thought back to the first time when I had spoken those words. I had been changed roughly three millennia back, a nomad named Thomas being my sire. I had lived with him for nearly two hundred years before he had been killed in a fight against another nomad. I had then begun to travel on my own, never stopping at any place for more than a few days time. That, though, had changed when I had walked through a small town in Greece, as a young girl, no older than twenty, had captivated my attention. She had been mesmerizing, gaining every inch of attention that I could provide her with. She simply radiated happiness- which I later found out was her gift, also later on realizing that my feelings for her were a part of the mating bond.

She had been my mate.

She was my mate.

I had wooed her, well, as much as she let me to.

She had never been one to trust someone blindly.

She had fought me and my charms with all she had in her; finally giving in only when she realized that the pull she felt towards me was not to fade.

My Didyme….Bella…had remembered this moment.

I could see it in her eyes.

Though, she sadly refused to believe it.

It was strange. I could see the same stubbornness and determination in her eyes, which I had once seen in Didyme's.

Huh. I guess our personalities did not change all that very much, no matter which body we took to acquire.

She had refused to believe in the process of reincarnation- she would with time. I had no doubt on that.

She had then asked me the most important question, of what I was.

I had started to answer her, stopping when I saw her zone out, losing herself in her memories, her subconscious mind being the one to come in play.

She was remembering that moment gone by; I could see it as clear as day in her eyes.

This time when she came back to reality, she knew well of what I was. She had remembered that moment when I had told her of what I was, more than millennia in the past.

Recognition shone in her eyes.

I had tried to console her, even going as far as touching her….which in hindsight was a good thing, as the very next moment her face had drooped and she had fainted…right there in my arms.

Oh.

My.

Now what?