I Do Not Own Twilight

Aro logged into his account and waited until a face appeared on the screen. The young woman in front of him was remarkably beautiful he thought. He noticed the heart shape of her face and her high cheek bones. He gazed through the screen at the pleasant curve of her neck. He thought it would be the perfect place for a mating mark but then shook himself away from this thought wondering why a thought like that would enter his mind. "Ciao signorina. Mi chiamo Aro."

Bella smiled noticing the sharp cut of Aro's black suit and his chiseled features, "Ciao Aro. Mi chiamo Bella."

Aro's lips twitched slightly at Bella's words. "It is a pleasure to meet you Bella you have a lovely name. How long have you been studying Italian?" Aro's eyebrow cocked as he asked her this question.

Blushing enough one could see it through the computer. Bella stammered, "I have been studying Italian for ten years," Aro's eyebrows raised at this statement, "but I have only ever heard spoken phrases. I have never had anyone teach me to speak it. My studies have been vocabulary, spelling, and grammar. I am able to read it fluently but speaking it is so different." Her embarrassment was obvious.

Aro waved his hand dismissively, "Well your words are correct but your pronunciation is horrible." He clapped his hands together, "No matter. We will soon get you straightened out." He rubbed his hands together with the excitement of a new challenge. Being alive so long had caused the ruler to become frequently bored. In his entire existence he had never taught someone a new language. He was surprised to find he was truly interested in teaching this young lady.

"First, we must begin with the letter r. You need to have a lilt to your sound. It isn't a rolled r like in Spanish," he rolled his r with a perfect Spanish accent, "but rather, a flip of the tongue against the teeth." He then demonstrated the placement of his tongue and motioned for her to do the same.

Bella grinned and practiced the lilt of the r. Once he felt she had it he instructed her to repeat what she had to say. Bella reintroduced herself and began a basic introductory conversation. She told him about Phoenix and all about the dry dusty desert weather.

"Eccellente!" Aro clapped once she was done telling him about where he lived. He went on to tell her about the Italian country side and weather. She would occasionally stop his exposition to ask him a question about the use of a word. Once he was finished, he looked into her excited eyes, and smiled enthusiastically. He could tell she was enjoying talking to him and for his part he enjoyed not knowing everything about the person he was talking to.

"Aro?" Bella asked, "Your English is wonderful. Why do you feel you need someone to help you learn to speak it?"

Aro laughed and looked down for a moment to decide what he wanted to divulge. "You see, Cara Mia, I have many employees all around the world." He noticed her eyes widened when he told her this, "A few months ago I met a very valuable employee who I had difficulty speaking with. I knew every word he was speaking and yet I had not an ounce of understanding. He was young and American so I thought if I worked with a young American, I could perhaps learn the colloquialisms of this generation."

Bella smiled and nodded, "Well what did he say that was difficult to understand?"

Aro exhaled in frustration, "He kept saying he would be back 'in a minute' and he would be gone for days. When he would leave a room, he would say 'Imma bounce.' I never once saw him bounce or maybe he was going to see this person Imma Bounce? I was never sure." He shook his head trying to understand the young vampire who came before him. "He was very nice and genuinely excited to work with us but the language barrier was infuriating. He also always spoke of a game he was at one time famous for playing basketball I believe it was called."

A wide Cheshire grin appeared on Bella's face, "I think I know exactly what type of language you mean. It is common but most people speak more similarly to me and he should have been able to as well. I think he was just messin' with ya."

"Right there!" Aro practically jumped out of his seat in excitement, "That was something he would say frequently! I believe it means he was teasing or joking with us." He looked to Bella for confirmation of his idea.

Nodding Bella clapped her hands together, "Awesome! You got that one!" Then she looked down and wrinkled her forehead, "Do you want to know what the other phrases you mentioned mean?"

Motioning for her to continue Aro sat back and listened enthusiastically at Bella's explanation of "minute" being used to mean a long time and he was equally interested to know that "Imma bounce" was a contraction of sorts that meant "I am going to bounce" and "bounce" meaning to leave.

It took Bella several attempts to explain these words and meanings to Aro who frequently would stop to question things she said. Despite the interruptions she had a wonderful time talking to him. Soon Bella realized they had been chatting for over an hour and half. Realizing she would need to go fix dinner she asked Aro when he would like to meet next.

It was decided they would meet twice a week once for English and once for Italian. Aro smiled through the screen at the young lady, "Non vedo l'ora di rivederti, Cara mia."

Bella grinned and winked wryly at Aro through the screen, "Imma bounce." She flicked off her screen to Aro's pleasant laughter.

Tyrone is a character made up by BetterinTexas who I think is hysterical. I love stories with Ty!

(Non vedo l'ora di rivederti, Cara mia = I look forward to seeing you again, my dear.)