Chapter eight:

Vampire Kiss

The door swung open a moment after Alec knocked, having Alec come face to face with Bethany's ice blue eyes once again. This would practically be the last day that he will see her blue eyes again since she were to be turned into a vampire like himself, dashing a pair of red eyes instead. "I was wondering when you would be coming back." Bethany teased as she stepped aside to let Alec walk inside. Once Bethany closed the door, Alec turned his red eyes onto her, studying her body language and heartbeat - she was indeed nervous about something, perhaps her transition the next day.

"I wanted to give you time to eat your breakfast before I go over the vampire laws with you. I have to before transition, since I will be held responsible." Alec explained. Bethany figured that there was rules in the vampire world but didn't think they would be strict on responsibility of turning someone into a vampire. "Oh okay. Sounds like fun." Bethany replied sarcastically as she went to take a seat on her bed once again. Alec detected the sarcasm and fought a smile from creeping into his lips as he followed her to sit on the bed beside her. "What was with the screams earlier?" Bethany asked curiously, having remembered the brief, echoing screams from within the palace.

Alec was surprised to hear that she heard the screams from the victims that he and his coven had devoured, but took a moment to find words to explain without causing Bethany to become worried or frightened. "My coven and I had breakfast." Alec explained quite bluntly. Bethany's eyes widened for a moment, imagining the poor humans fearful for their lives along many vampires but then reality sunk in and she knew that blood was considered a vampire's food. "Are you alright, Bethany?" Alec asked in concern, placing his cold, pale hand onto her hand that laid on the bed.

"Yes, I'm fine. I just feel bad for the humans, but I entirely understand that's how you get fed." Bethany replied, trying not to sound judging but expressing her concern for innocent lives. Bethany had remembered seeing Eleazar's eyes and how different in color they were compared to the Volturi. "But I have to ask...why does the vampire that visited earlier and predicted my ability have gold colored eyes, when you and the others here have red?" Bethany asked. Alec was hoping that question wouldn't be asked until after her transition but apparently she spots every detail in their coven, Bethany was not only charming but very smart. Alec did choose well.

"Eleazar has golden eyes because he feeds only on animal blood. Though, humane as that may sound in the vampire world, you gain more strength in human blood and become more satisfied compared to only calming the craving - or rather to stay alive." Alec explained in detail. Bethany took in the information, figuring it would be hard to bite a human let alone killing one for the sake of feeding but looking at the vampires in the Volturi, she wanted to be able to fend for herself if need to, so human blood it may have to be. "That clears it up." Bethany stated.

It was a relief that Bethany had seemed to understand the way that not only the whole vampire world fed but the way the Volturi fed. "I will have to teach you, after you transition of course. But for now, I need to explain our vampire laws." Alec pointed out. Bethany had known of only one law which was obvious, to keep their vampire status a secret from humans in fear of being hunted down but she found herself to be a little curious on the rest of the laws that were made for the world of vampires. "What are the laws?" Bethany asked.

Alec took a moment to recall the order of each law, never having to go over them with someone since he has never turned a human into a vampire himself as Aro did most of that and the finding of the others in their coven. "First, attention should not be drawn to us and vampires should not be noticed in open sunlight. We must have self-control at all times - especially being members of the Volturi, while being around humans to not expose our kind." Alec explained. Bethany nodded but figured that if a vampire was shown in the sun, they would burn. "Because you'd burn, right?" Bethany asked hesitantly. Alec knew of that myth but perhaps if he let her believe they burn, she would uphold the rule even stronger. "Sort of." Alec replied, slightly holding back on the fact that they sparkle in the sunlight, not burn. Bethany had a feeling that there was more to it, but perhaps will find out later.

"Hunting of humans is forbidden in Volterra, they must be from outside of Volterra and unlikely to be missed by others - lone tourists for example. But if hunts are from outside of Volterra, the territory must be changed often to avoid conflict and being noticed. Hunts must be inconspicuous with their remains disposed of, which we have a specific location for such." Alec explained, having to explain the hunting was a little hard to do without fear of scaring Bethany or rather causing her to be sick since she was still a human. Bethany just nodded, keeping silent as she waited for the next set of laws to be explained, though she found the idea of drinking human blood or blood in general to be revolting - perhaps that would change after she becomes a vampire.

"A vampire's interaction with humans must not draw wide attention. If a human becomes aware of them, the vampire at fault would be responsible for silencing that human. This leads to two options. Make the human join the immortals or silencing that human permanently." Alec explained with a reverent tone. This was the position that Bethany found herself in with Alec and the Volturi, the reason why she had to turn into a vampire or die because Alec, in a way, revealed himself to her back in Seattle. "Silencing as in killing..." Bethany trailed off. Alec have a firm nod.

"Vampires are not to create immortal children. It is forbidden to turn any child under thirteen years old since they are incapable of self-control, and therefore a threat of exposure. Such creation is the ultimate taboo and punishable by death for both child, creator and those who defend the child... including those who know of its existence." Alec stated. Bethany noticed how serious Alec was getting and it seemed that any violation of these laws would result in death, which was very severe but important to not cause exposure of their world - which she could also understand not wanting people coming to their palace with pitchforks and torches.

"Dealing with Children of the Moon, except for the purpose of extermination, is prohibited." Alec continued, pointing that out which wasn't really a common thing but it was in fact a law since werewolves were their natural enemy. "Children of the moon? Oh, like werewolves?" Bethany asked curiously, remembering the fact that werewolves and vampires were natural enemies from what she learned before she knew they were not mythical any longer. "Yes, werewolves. Their bite can kill us, unfortunately." Alec pointed out. Bethany was certainly not wanting to go seek out a werewolf any time soon.

"False witness, regardless of intent, is punishable by death. I wouldn't recommend accusing another vampire unless you have concrete evidence of such a crime." Alec explained. Bethany didn't think having false witness should be punished by death but perhaps it was more about the Volturi's reputation than it was a danger to the vampire world she assumed. Hoping that the list of the laws the Volturi had to abide by would end, Bethany found herself relieved that Alec was just about to finish up, at least by the sound of it.

"Lastly, this is the rule for any vampire that wants to turn a human into one of our kind...which I'm having to abide by right now. The creator of a newborn vampire is responsible for the newborn's behavior and teaching of the laws before they can be on their own. By letting a newborn hunt conspicuously and risk the exposure of our kind, the penalty will be death to both newborn and creator. Even if the newborn is doesn't know of the law, their rash acts are still punishable by death. You see, I now have a large responsibility when you found out what I was..." Alec explained.

Bethany felt that the laws made by the Volturi were too strict but she could also see how humans would find out about them if they were to go around slaughtering everyone in sight. When Alec had ended his last sentence, Bethany furrowed her eyebrows together at what he had said. 'I now have a large responsibility when you found out what I was.' Bethany stood up from the bed and crossed her arms as her eyes darted onto Alec, causing Alec to show a puzzled expression.

"I'm just a large responsibility to you?" Bethany questioned, feeling insulted by his words. Was she a burden for Alec because of the laws of the Volturi regarding a human? Of course not, Alec didn't mean in a negative way, he merely wanted to express the seriousness of the event of when he would turn her into a vampire. The seriousness of the Volturi. Alec watched Bethany in puzzlement, studying her body language while listening to her words attentively before standing up from the bed, in a straight posture like always.

"That is not what I was referring to, Bethany. I care about you, and honestly, I've never cared about anyone to protect every minute of everyday except my sister but not in the same sense." Alec pointed out. Alec had figured that Bethany understood what he had been referring to since he was explaining the laws of the Volturi to her but perhaps he had overestimated the fact, leading her to misunderstand. Bethany took to heart the words he said about her, which calmed her down a notch. "Then what were you referring to?" Bethany asked.

"I was referring to the seriousness of the laws my coven made and holds to. But, I will be with you every step of the way." Alec stated. "Then forever, if you like." Alec added in a light, playful tone. Bethany formed a smirk on her lips at the tone, a tone that wasn't usually used among the Volturi - that she had noticed so far. "I would like that." Bethany replied. The simple answer was enough for Alec to confirm that turning her was definitely a good option and that he indeed had found his mate.

Taking a step forward, Alec took Bethany's left hand and gently pressed a kiss on the top of it, feeling the warmth from the blood within against his lips. The scent of her blood caused him to be tempted before pulling back to lock his red eyes with her blue ones, resisting the urge of the scent that wanted to draw him in. "We have until tomorrow morning to complete anything you would like to experience before you transition...is there anything you would like to experience as the last day as a human?" Alec asked curiously.

Bethany thought for a moment, knowing that some things she wanted to experience may be far fetched but for now, she was sure of one thing she wanted to. "Not yet but I will let you know. Though there is one thing right now..." Bethany explained, forming a gentle smile on her lips. Alec found himself a little curious as to what she wanted to experience as a human so soon. "What exactly?" Alec asked, his tone remained clear and curious.

Bethany wondered what it would be like to be a human and kiss a vampire. Having this curiosity, it was the right moment to ask. Finding that Alec was physically a thirteen year old had been odd for her at the beginning but getting to know Alec more and knowing his true age was far older, much older than herself, she had gotten passed it. "Kiss me. Like, actually kiss me. I want to know what it's like to kiss a vampire before I become one." Bethany pointed out, a little awkwardly.

Kissing. That was something that Alec had never experienced, not on the lips at least. Alec had never truly thought about experiencing his first real kiss since he was far too young at the beginning and then too busy working for the Aro, Caius and Marcus. Was this something he wanted to experience? With a human? Alec didn't see why he couldn't but he was also wary of her safety if he ended up becoming uncontrollable - meaning he would harm her. The silence for the brief moment was making Bethany nervous, Alec could tell by her heartbeat racing only a half beat faster.

"If that's what you would like. However, I have a few concerns about kissing..." Alec trailed off. Alec not only worried about harming her if he wouldn't be able to control himself being that close to her as a human with a blood flow, but also the idea of being inexperienced in kissing. It was now suddenly something he found himself self conscious about, but was willing to do whatever Bethany pleased to keep her safe. To be with her forever.

"Let me guess...you're afraid that you will bite me?" Bethany asked with a hint of teasing in her tone. Bethany figured that was the only reason to use to avoid the situation, though she also wondered why it would be a bad idea to kiss, after all, he wanted her as his mate forever right? The assumption brought a light smirk onto Alec's face as he kept his arms to his sides for the moment once again.

"That's one...but the other explanation is far more embarrassing." Alec pointed out. Bethany furrowed her eyebrows at the reply she had gotten from Alec. What was so embarrassing about a kiss? "What do you mean?" Bethany's asked. Then it suddenly hit her - Alec never kissed before. Bethany should've known by the fact that Alec was turned into a vampire so young and the environment he was in now with the Volturi was practically work non-stop.

"I've never kissed anybody. Human, vampire...no one." Alec confessed as he remained in his usual calm posture. Bethany was right, he never kissed. "Oh. I understand." Bethany stated, placing her right hand on her left forearm, feeling awkward that it may have came across that she was demanding to have a kiss and from someone who never experienced one.

"I wouldn't mind trying, though I still hold my first concern." Alec explained, thinking back to romance films he had seen within the last century and attempted to copy some of the moves. Of course his sister and others wouldn't know he watched such films, it was something he kept to himself for his curiosity had gotten the best of him. "I wouldn't want to force you, if you're that concerned to..." Bethany pointed out.

Before Bethany could say anything else, Alec placed his pale, cold, right hand onto her soft, warm left cheek and gently cupped it in his hand. Alec connected his crimson red eyes with her blue ones for only a moment before they turned to look at her pink lips and leaned in to crash his cold lips against hers warm ones. This came as a surprise to Bethany but she gave into his cold kiss and immediately felt a connection.

Alec felt this connection too as the kiss became a little more passionate, but in addition to his attempt of enjoying his first kiss and the connection he felt, he also felt the burning in his throat - the same burning sensation that any vampire would have when they sensed blood. This was a little painful for Alec to continue.

Fighting back the temptation of the scent and warmth of the blood that was hidden in Bethany's veins, Alec pulled back immediately from the kiss and flung himself back, hitting his back against the victorian wall of her bedroom. The hit his back made had caused a thin crack into the wall that went up to the top of the wall, stopping just below the ceiling.

There was a brief silence in the room between them as Alec recollected himself and Bethany being in a daze from the kiss but also surprised to see how the wall cracked at Alec's hit, which showed his vampiric strength. This caused Bethany's eyes to widen for a moment, realizing the crack. Before either of them could speak, there were footsteps coming from the hall that stopped at the bedroom door and opened it.

The door swung open immediately, revealing none other than Jane.Stepping inside a step or two, Jane took one glance at Bethany with her crimson eyes before snobbishly and swiftly turning her attention onto her brother, Alec, who was against the wall of the bedroom with a grimaced expression. "What's going on?" Jane asked, remaining skeptical as she waited for a response.

"Nothing, sister." Alec replied, adjusting himself back to a normal standing posture. Alec stepped forward a step or two to stand beside Bethany. The interference had given Alec a reason to settle down from the temptation that lingered from the kiss, which was something Alec appreciated for the time being. "What is it that you need?" Alec asked. Jane watched Alec's movements, hovering in front of the human girl as if it was a boundary of defense.

"We need to speak. Aro is becoming impatient." Jane mentioned as she motioned towards the hallway from behind her, spotting the crack in the wall for a moment before looking back at the couple. Alec took a glance at Bethany for a second before stepping out the bedroom. Bethany took a step forward, wanting to follow Alec out the door but was stopped immediately by Jane, who turned around and blocked her path.

"If it's about me, I want to go and talk to Aro about it too." Bethany pointed out firmly. From what Alec told her about Jane, Bethany had a feeling she was pushing her luck a little at this point but she wasn't one to willingly back down and sometimes too brave for her own good, but deep down Bethany wanted to impress the so called Volturi she was soon to be a part of, even if she did have to press her luck.

Jane noticed the firmness in Bethany's voice towards her, though she wouldn't say it was impressive, it showed nerve. With Bethany being a human, it still made her the lowest on the chain in the Volturi palace. - even lower than the receptionist in Jane's eyes. Until she would transition, of course. "It's a private matter. My brother will fill you in later." Jane stated simply before walking swiftly out of the room and slamming the door shut.

Bethany stood there, biting her cheek at the situation, irritated that she seemed to have no input even though it was about her. Once Jane stepped away from the room, she turned to Alec who had been down the hallway, catching up to him instantly with her vampiric speed as they headed to the meeting room to speak with Aro.

"I noticed the crack in the wall, what really happened, brother?" Jane pointed out. Of course Alec didn't think the crack would go unnoticed by Jane - she paid attention to detail very easily. "Like I said, nothing." Alec repeated. Jane swiftly sped in front of Alec, causing him to stop in his tracks as she studied his expression. "Of course...giant cracks occur on the wall here all the time." Jane sneered. There a brief silence between the siblings, obvious that Alec showed no reaction to her statement before Jane parted her lips to reply once more. "I'm sure Aro will find out soon enough." Jane added, her tone scornful.

Alec watched as Jane turned to walk off to the doors of the meeting room before placing his hand on his sister's shoulder. "Wait." Alec said in a calm tone. Alec had second thoughts and decided to tell Jane, it wasn't worth the humiliation among Aro, Caius, Marcus and the rest of the guard. Jane paused in her steps with a small smile on her lips before turning around to face her brother.

"I'm listening." Jane noted. Alec wasn't one to be nervous, usually he was the calm twin but this experience with finding his mate and everything that it entailed was new for him. "I had my first kiss." Alec simply stated before stepping around Jane to place his hands on the doorknob of the meeting room. Jane turned around with a judgemental look, her red eyes following Alec.

"And you had no temptation to drain her dry?" Jane questioned. Alec paused at the door before looking over his right shoulder at his sister. "I had. But I prevented myself from doing so. It explains the crack in the wall, sister." Alec pointed out before opening the doors into the meeting room. Jane rolled her eyes at the explanation before entering the meeting room after him, spotting Aro standing at the steps briefly talking to Caius before turning to greet the two.

"I assume you are making preparations for your newfound mate... am I correct, Alec?" Aro asked sternly. Alec stopped in the middle of the meeting room, as Jane stepped to Aro's side. "I have." Alec replied simply. Aro clasped his hands together in a pleased manner before pausing in this action as his red eyes remained on Alec. "I assume you went over the rules of our world, yes?" Aro pushed further. Alec nodded softly in reply, quickly glancing at his sister who wore a smug on her lips.

"Magnifico. I love a happy ending, as you may know my dear, Alec." Aro stated, briefly bringing his attention onto Jane after following Alec's movements. "Is there a matter that is needed to be discussed?" Aro asked curiously. There was a thick silence int he room for the moment, Alec knew that Jane was still amused by the incident with Bethany in the bedroom but figured it would draw attention to Aro eventually.

"Alec, please step forward..." Aro ordered sternly. Alec knew this had to do with Jane's expression and the entire Volturi coven knew that Jane was Aro's favorite among the twins, even Alec knew. Stepping forward as ordered, Alec held out his hand to Aro and Aro grasped it firmly, instantly diving into Alec's thoughts. It has only taken a few seconds to find the problem before Aro dropped Alec's pale hand and stood up straight before forming an amused, light smile into his pale lips as he clasped his hands together once again.

"Kissing. It was merely a kiss. A first kiss, yes?" Aro asked in amusement, wearing a widened smile. Alec was a little relieved at the reaction from Aro, but he was embarrassed at the fact his first kiss was at display for not only the three leaders to hear but the guard that stood within the room - including Felix. "Yes. But I had taken precautions." Alec pointed out.

"I can see that, however...it was a risky decision before the transition. We don't want you to devour your newly found mate, do we Alec?" Aro explained. Caius paid close attention from behind the scene while sitting in chair all the while Aro controlled the situation. "No, sir." Alec replied. Jane kept wearing her smirk.

"I assume the transition will begin shortly? I expect you have gone over the rules...we do not want to lead a bad example--" Caius spewed. The Volturi always wanted to be seen following the rules, having a human intermingling with them made Aro and Caius quite wary. "Yes it will be shortly and yes, I have discussed the rules with her. I wanted her to experience one more day of being human before the transition." Alec explained.

"Tomorrow. Not a minute longer." Caius ordered firmly. Alec took it in and nodded in understanding before looking back to Aro. "You may go now, Alec." Aro dismissed the twin. Alec turned around and walked out of the meeting room while Aro watched his exit before turning back to Caius and Marcus.

"This newborn will be such an addition to our coven..." Aro stated, indulging in the thought of ways he could use her ability to get what he wanted, despite having several other vampires with useful abilities already in his coven. "You do not think she would use the ability to compel upon us all?" Caius questioned skeptically.

"You think she will attempt to control us, Caius?" Aro refuted, his expression fell suspicious. Caius glanced over at Marcus for a moment before quickly bringing his attention back onto Aro. "It's a possibility." Caius stated. Aro tapped his fingers against one another in thought. "Eleazar did mention only a shield could combat." Marcus pointed out. Aro glanced at Marcus, realizing that was indeed the point made by Eleazar, changing the mood once more. "Renata...she will shield me at all times. Now, let's await the news tomorrow." Aro stated.

Alec showed up to the guest room that Bethany was staying in and paused at the door, thinking of what to say to her before knocking on the door. "Come in." Bethany stated. When Alec opened the door, he spotted Bethany standing steps away with her arms crossed. "Mind explaining?" Bethany asked.

"They were just wanting to know the moment I turn you." Alec explained briefly. Alec left out the moment that Aro and the others found out about the kissing situation, not wanting to further discuss it. Bethany arched her right eyebrow at the explanation. "It's still tomorrow, right?" Bethany asked. Alec nodded. "Yes. We can still do a few more things if you would like to experience before tomorrow." Alec explained further.

Bethany had many things she wanted to experience but things to experience only as a human was limited, only having one day to do them especially. Bethany did want to have children one day but was it even possible to have a child as a human? It seemed possible in the Van Helsing movie, though they were bat-like. "Since vampires don't eat food, I may want to indulge in some food before then..." Bethany pointed out. Alec nodded in agreement to her want. "Is that all you want to experience?" Alec asked.

"Well, there one more thing but not certain it's possible for vampires." Bethany explained. Bethany didn't know how to explain it without sounding dense about the vampire world works but she figured she would have to wing it. Alec, on the other hand, figured what it could be which caused his expression to fall placid. "You want to know the possibility of vampires having children?" Alec asked. Bethany found herself surprised that Alec had fussed correctly but relieved that she didn't have to explain herself. "Yes, that." Bethany hesitantly replied.

"It's zero." Alec stated minimally and straight to the point. Bethany felt a little sad about the fact that she may never have children and after listening to the Volturi laws, she cannot turn a child into a vampire either. Would adoption of a human child be possible? Probably not around vampires that drink human blood. "It hasn't been proven to be successful for two vampires to have children, vampire in general." Alec explained. Bethany sighed before parting her lips to reply. "Two vampires? Then...what about a human and a vampire?" Bethany asked curiously.

"That's quite dangerous. If the human survives such...event, it has not been proven to bear children then either." Alec pointed out, slightly awkward about the topic, having this be his first relationship and not being quite experienced. Bethany wondered if they could try but she wasn't sure if she was willing to risk dying in the process. "We should go out tonight for dinner and in the meantime, anything you want outside the palace can be gathered by our receptionist." Alec explained.

The rest of the day went normal, at least normal for the Volturi. Bethany wandered the palace in certain areas with Alec courting her, talking about the centuries that he and Jane had lived through, along with Alec answering questions about vampires that Bethany had. Once it was nightfall, Alec and Bethany had gone out for dinner at a classy italian restaurant, though Alec ordered something small and picked at it to pretend he ate but didn't before returning back to the palace for the night.

Of course Bethany felt nervous about the next day, it wasn't normal having to choose between death and becoming a vampire but the one thing that had crossed her mind was about her parents. What was she going to tell her parents? It was obvious she couldn't exactly say she turned into a vampire and can never go back home. She knew she had to tell them something, she couldn't be on a so called 'vacation' forever. Bethany took out her phone that was in her pants pocket and opened it before hearing a couple knocks on her door.

"Bethany?" Alec asked politely. Bethany looked over to the door before closing her phone and moved fully onto her bed to cross her legs. "Come in." Bethany replied. Alec entered the room immediately upon her response and edged towards her bed post. "I wanted to check in and make sure you are okay. I know tomorrow is the big day." Alec stated calmly.

"Yeah, about that..." Bethany trailed off, looking back at her phone that she held in her hand. Alec followed her gaze and noticed the phone as well, furrowing his thick eyebrows for only a moment. "...I have to tell my parents something. They will be looking for me if I suddenly disappear and I know I can't simply visit them as one of you." Bethany explained. Alec eased back a little, knowing what she was saying was true and the Volturi wouldn't simply let her visit her parents risking the exposure of their kind, especially as a newborn.

"Tell them that you got accepted into the university here and met someone that will pay for your living expenses." Alec explained. It was the best that he could come up with last minute. "I'm not sure they'll believe someone would pay all my expenses after meeting them less than a week on vacation, Alec." Bethany pointed out. Alec took note of that and took a moment to think a little more.

"Or...you can be a little more upfront and say you eloped and can't come back home because you're on your honeymoon." Alec suggested, flashing a light smirk on his pale lips. Bethany caught herself blushing a little at the suggestion, briefly shaking her head in uncertainty. "It's practically the truth, just leaving out a minor change in appearance and diet." Alec pointed out as he edged to the bed, now standing inches from her.

"So we're getting married now, huh?" Bethany asked, a little bit of teasing in her tone. Alec took Bethany's empty hand into his cold, pale hand. "Would you like to marry me?" Alec asked in a formal tone. Of course once she is transitioned, she would be Alec's responsibility and expected to join the Volturi, but it would make complete sense to be married to him since she is already falling for the vampire, even though they would be a young couple forever.

"Of course I would." Bethany accepted the proposal. Alec smiled at her answer, knowing he had further news to give to Aro and the other two leaders of their coven. "But when would the wedding be?" Bethany asked. Alec would have to discuss this with his coven leaders, particularly Aro, but he could assume. "Most likely a couple months after your transition. When you become a newborn, we would need to teach you to control yourself in order to not slaughter the entire city. I need to discuss this with Aro." Alec explained.

"Then what about before I become a vampire? Marry as a human?" Bethany asked curiously. Bethany didn't want to wait months to get married - if that was the minimal wait time. "If that were to happen, we would have to postpone the honeymoon and such...for safety reasons. I will discuss this with Aro and inform you in the morning." Alec stated. Bethany nodded softly.

"Okay. I should call my parents now and let them know of my 'eloping' and university." Bethany explained. Alec pressed a soft kiss upon the top of her hand before exiting the room but lingering behind the door to listen on in the call in case it went in another direction.

"Hello?"

"Hey mom. I need to tell you something..."

"What dear? I noticed you haven't called in days..."

"I won't be coming home, not for a while at least..."

"Why?! What's wrong?"

"Well first, I got accepted into a university here in Italy. Second, I met someone a while ago there in Seattle who was from Italy and I've eloped with him."

"You what!? You got married to someone we never met and didn't tell us?"

"I'm sorry, mom. I came here to visit and see where he grew up and fell for him even more. That's why it would be a while before I see you again. I'm on my honeymoon tomorrow and I start school here soon after."

"...we want to meet him."

"Dad is there too?"

"Yes. We want to meet him, Beth-"

"I know. I'll let you know when we can do something."

"Okay. Keep in touch, sweetie. Please be safe. I love you."

"Love you too."

Bethany closed her phone, hanging up with her mother and felt guilty lying to her a little. What else could she do? She couldn't tell them she was becoming a vampire or that she had to die. Moments after the call ended, Bethany decided to go to bed, perhaps that was the last time she would get sleep forever. Alec had went to the meeting room after hearing the call ended and decided to speak with Aro about the engagement and when the wedding should occur.

"Alec, what a pleasant surprise...has she finished her human list of events?" Aro asked curiously as he slammed the book he was reading shut. Alec stopped feet away from Aro, keeping his arms straight down his side as usual. "I believe so. I wanted to inform you that we expect to wed in addition to her transition." Alec explained. Aro stood up from the chair and casually stepped down the steps before standing inches from Alec.

"Of course, she is, after all, your mate...isn't she, Alec?" Aro asked rhetorically. Alec gave a firm nod. Aro clasped his hands together as he took in the situation before parting his pale lips to respond once more. "However, the wedding will have to wait until after her transition, as we know that we do not approve of a vampire being wed to a mere human." Aro explained. Alec figured it would have to wait until after her transition due to the newborn urges and such.

"I understand. I also have to inform you that she did tell her parents that she couldn't return home. She had given the excuse of furthering her education and have gotten eloped." Alec explained. Aro let out a high pitched laugh at the excuse that was given before edging to the steps once again, placing his right foot on the first step and faced Alec once more. "If that helped our situation, perfetto...I would like to, however, have you take the telephonic device from her, for our privacy." Aro ordered.

Alec gave a firm nod in response before Aro excused him and left the meeting room. Alec did a few tasks due to his position of being a part of the guard before finding himself in his room to read and such while he eavesdropped on Bethany, making sure she was fine through the night as it lingered on.