Thank you to those of you that let me know about the errors when this originally posted! Y'all rock. I've recently gotten some comments that claim this is not a Bella/Jasper story. FEAR NOT READERS. It will be. I just need to get my characters where I want them before that happens. Please be patient.
I'm so sorry this took so long to update! I hope this chapter makes up for it!
I still own nothing! Enjoy!
BPOV
The next morning when we were summoned, Char and I dressed appropriately and headed to see the Kings. They had made themselves comfortable in Caius's office and, from what we could tell from three halls away, were loudly discussing the possibility of recruitment while awaiting our arrival. "By the gods, Aro. Don't you think that the idea at least deserves some form of consideration?" We hear Marcus ask on our way down the stone corridor.
"I understand your concern, brother. I really do. However, we have to think of the possibilities brought on by this. If we take more military-oriented recruits, there's the possibility that those we desire could be missed and reported. We are Volturi and as such we cannot afford to flout our own rules! Rules that -need I remind you - were laid down for a reason, Marcus!" Aro shouts.
"I realize that the general idea may require further thought, but we need to get with the times. We're running the entire Vampire world on rules from our time. Don't you think that recruitment for the guard is a better possibility now that the world is the way it is than what we were use to in our time?" Caius asks concerned. "I do believe that Bella is right. We are not as immortal as we once were. That word holds a far different meaning now than it did when we were first turned."
Marcus adds, "Our own kind advance as the world does because we have no choice. Our brains cannot stay stagnant and set in their ways or we are no better than the Romanians; completely useless and outdated and no more the threat than a mouse to a serpent. We use modern technology already, so why shouldn't we be using modern thoughts and practices as well? We must advance because if we don't, then we're just asking for long-term troubles. Which brings us back to Bella's point; we are not an infinite force and as trained and deadly as they are, we could use more Guard members for when troubles do arise."
Char and I stopped just outside the office door and continued to listen to the debate on the other side. We couldn't help but look at one another in agreement with Marcus and Caius.
Char raised her hand to knock and was admitted into the office by Marcus. I had always loved it in this office. Although the furniture was antique, the design was modern and open with plenty of light in the room to give it a homelike feeling and to show off the various military-themed original paintings that Caius had on his walls. The desk was made of a dark stained mahogany and was roughly as long as I was tall. The intricate woodworking and detail on the desk was something that Caius had made himself about a hundred years after the Volturi were formed. The two beautiful chocolate leather chairs that sat in front of the desk were also made by Caius and fit the design of the room well. The chair that Caius sat in was the only piece of furniture in this office that was not made or designed by him. Instead, it was a beautiful oak-based high-backed reclining office chair that had cream-colored leather cushions and brass accents. Char and I had made it during our newborn year as a way to control our physical strength, but Caius had loved it so much that he placed it in here as his own personal chair.
"Ah, finally you two have arrived." Marcus stated with an air of annoyance. "Could you please talk some sense into your uncle? He's having a difficult time modernizing his way of thinking." Aro certainly did not look happy, but he also had one hell of a stubborn streak. He was the 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it' type and absolutely loathed huge changes.
"Uncle" Char said sweetly walking over and kneeling by his feet, "you know that we only want what's best for the Volturi. If that means that we have to modernize a few things, I don't see what's so wrong with it. We want your rule to continue as it has in the past and we don't want anything to threaten that. If we don't do this, I fear one day the whole of the Volturi could fall."
Aro looks at Char and gently places a hand on her face, cupping her jaw gently. "Dear niece, the only thing I'm concerned about is the possibility of us being outed to the humans that we're recruiting from. The whole point of secrecy is to keep us safe. I feel like we're unnecessarily putting ourselves in danger if we do this."
"I've put some thought into that." I state boldly into the room.
"Please share." Aro requests, hands sweeping out towards everyone in the room.
"I did some thinking this morning and instead of using people that had just signed up for military service, why don't we use those that are being Honorably Discharged for some reason or another? I know that Demetri has been dying to use his computer system for more than just vamp troubles. We could research every candidate that might be a good fit, and then a recruiting party would be sent to interview that candidate. If we feel as though that candidate has what you are looking for in a Guard member, then we bring them back here for a final interview with you. There, Marcus can tell if they're bonded strongly to anyone that might miss them, Aro could read them, and Caius could interview them on their more specific military background and what we can expect from them if they're chosen."
"Treat it like a job interview." Char states simply. "We are looking for specific people to fill these roles, so there's no reason that we can't interview properly. We just have to be very selective on how we recruit."
"Exactly. We don't want any of the other covens or nomads to get the wrong impression as to why we're recruiting. The last thing we need is for some idiot to hear we're adding to the Guard, get scared, and start turning humans as a defense mechanism because they think we're coming after them." I say building on Char's statement.
"And how do you propose that we word this request?" Aro asks clearly intrigued.
"Hell if I know." I reply shrugging my shoulders to emphasize my point. "Legalese isn't really my thing, but I'm sure one of you has the chops to make this both legitimate and cover it with red-tape if someone digs too far."
"I'm sure I can make something work, brother." Marcus states to Aro with a twinkle in his eyes.
After a few months, more conversations about the new possibilities of the Volturi, and a hell of a lot of negotiating on proper word usage (which is not something I ever thought I'd need after high school) we were finally ready to start recruiting.
Demetri and Alec had been extremely busy with their fancy computer system and had found us several good candidates that we were looking into. Our initial meeting with these candidates could go one of two ways; either we were taken seriously, or not. It was up to the teams we had assigned to greet these candidates to make a good first impression.
The first candidate that was up for consideration to our ranks was a Corporal Ross Wilson. He had served two tours in the most recent military battle in the Middle East (since it didn't involve me anymore, I hadn't really bothered to keep up) and had a spotless military record and was being honorably discharged because he had done his time and wanted something different. Well, we could offer him that. Jane and Demetri were assigned to make the initial contact with him and were due to leave within the hour.
The second candidate was Sigrid Fischer a Stabsfeldwebel, or Master Sergeant, in the German military. She had been discharged after her family was taken from her by a human serial killer. She couldn't get over her grief and went in search of the maniac herself, only to nearly die before she slit his throat. Heidi and Alec had volunteered to be the ones to introduce themselves to her and would leave as soon as Heidi got back from her most recent fishing expedition. Grief wasn't something we were worried about in a new vamp because their memories could easily be wiped by the burn, so she would be a great addition to our ranks if she made it this far.
Our third candidate was Sebastian Taylor. A Squadron Leader in New Zealand's Air force, he was discharged after his tours of duty were complete and decided not to enlist again. From what Demetri had been able to determine, he had no living family and nothing keeping him on the island, so he had decided to move to America to start fresh. We could give him the fresh start he wanted. Char and I decided to handle this one ourselves, but contrary to popular belief it was not so we could get our geek on in Hobbiton. Nope. It most certainly was not.
We had scoured the planet for recruits and had found one from Japan, one from Israel, one from South Africa, two from Canada, one from Romania, and one from Russia, and that was just to start. The other candidates were handled by more members of the Guard that were more familiar with the customs or the language spoken. Marcus even agreed to travel to Israel to meet the recruit there, but before Char and I departed on one of the smaller jets, Aro was trying his best to keep Marcus in the castle and send Corin to Israel instead. I mentally wished Aro luck, because I was sure that wasn't an argument he was going to win.
"So" Char said as our plane finally made its climb upwards, "Demetri said that the last place he found Sebastian was near Auckland on the North Island. Apparently he's been staying in a motel there until he can get enough money to get a plane ticket." Char hands me the dossier that Demetri put together on this recruit.
"Good thing he won't need a ticket for this flight." I reply looking over the information Char handed me on this guy. "I just hope he's a good fit."
"Certainly not bad-looking." Char notes. At six feet tall with long dark hair and blue eyes I had to agree with her. He had a chiseled jaw, well defined muscles, and a beautiful smile. This man was certainly photogenic, but we would see if the photos lived up to the real thing.
I give Char an unamused look before she responds with, "What? I may prefer tacos to hot dogs right now, but that doesn't mean I'm not allowed to appreciate what's on the menu when it's placed in front of me."
"You never have been one for tact, have you?" I ask pretending to look over the dossier in front of me.
"Nah, but you already knew that." She replies leaning back into her seat as calmly as she can. "What you wanted to say was 'Char, that's so crass' and then withhold sex from me for a week. Am I right?"
"Oh, definitely." I reply with a smirk, "Although a week may be too light a sentence for that statement."
"Is that so?" She asks walking to my seat and gently removing the folder from my grasp so she can perch herself comfortably on my lap.
"No. Not at all." I can't help but reply back grinning as my hands grip her hips and my eyes trail up to meet hers.
"Really?" She scoffs a laugh.
"Really." I reply honestly. "Do you think I'm gonna give this up now just because you can be tactless?" I ask running my hands gently over her back.
"Well, I have always wanted to join the Mile-High Club." she winks saucily at me and giggles as she shoots off my lap and runs at human speed for the back of the plane. Unfortunately for me, that is an offer I just don't have the strength to pass up.
*******
Several hours later, as we come back to ourselves somewhere over the Indian Ocean and covered in bits of blankets and clothes, I can't help but ask, "When did you have time to pack all these?" gesturing to the assortment of vampire resilient dildos, vibrators, and other fun toys that Char had seemed to conjure out of thin air.
"It's amazing what you can fit in a duffle bag when clothes aren't much of a concern." She replies shrugging innocently.
"Well" I say looking down at our naked bodies, "I think clothes will be a concern now, don't you?"
"I said 'much of a concern' not 'no concern at all'." Char replies sitting up and pulling her duffle closer to her. "I do have the new uniform that Father requested we wear on this expedition. That will have to do until we get back to Volterra."
As we both get dressed, I can't help but be really happy with the Volterra resident seamstress. Heidi was a lot of things, but I had never really thought of her as someone who enjoyed making clothes. She had several humans that worked for her when she was busy, but for the most part, all of the custom-made clothes that any of the Volturi members wore were made by Heidi. I still don't know exactly what the cloaks were made of, and I honestly don't care all that much, but whatever she did to our new uniforms really made me feel better about the change. The boots were military-grade but had been "vamped up" whatever that meant. The tactical pants and matching jackets were black with a mixed camo/cargo style that had pockets everywhere and a small red "V" embroidered into the top left part of the jacket and the pants, yet still looked badass enough to go into battle wearing. The only difference between Char's uniform and mine was the color of the shirt. Hers was about a shade lighter than my dark grey.
"I also remembered to pack these." Char stated handing me a pair of colored contact lenses.
"Seriously?" I asked disbelieving. "I hate wearing these things. I can't fucking see when they're in." Taking them from her, I begrudgingly begin to place the irritating lenses into my eyes.
"It's only temporary and by the time we get back to the plane, they'll have dissolved." Char replies putting hers in.
Once our clothes were on, contacts in, and our toys put back into Char's duffle, we headed back out to the main body of the plane and made ourselves comfortable before our decent into New Zealand. The Kings had come up with a general outline of what we were supposed to say and do, but since every encounter with humans can be a bit dicey we were allowed to improvise the details if necessary.
From what I had read about this guy he was very well liked when he was in the Air Force. His superiors praised his work and those he supervised respected him. He rose to Squadron Leader fairly quickly considering his lack of desire to stay. He could have had one hell of a career if he chose to stay in the Air Force, but apparently three tours was enough for him and he decided he was done. It was my job to not only see if he had the personality and intelligence we were looking for to add to our ranks, but also to convince him that he wasn't quite as 'done' as he thought he was.
Char and I went from chatty, fun, young, and unprofessional vampires to professional Volturi Guard members that didn't take anyone's shit as soon as our wheels hit the tarmac at Auckland International Airport. We had a job to do now and we'd be damned if we weren't gonna do it right.
Once we were cleared by the customs agents that came to greet the private jet we had flown in on, we were finally able to leave and get this mission started. As we disembarked the plane we took a moment to check our surroundings for any immediate threats that might come from any covens in this area that knew we were here. As far as I knew, there was only one coven in New Zealand and they tended to stay on the South Island closer to Dunedin, so we shouldn't have any unforeseen issues. Since we didn't have any baggage that we needed to bring with us, we just left our duffle bags on the plane and proceeded through the mass of humanity that was the Airport terminal. It was one of the things I hated most about being a vampire, when in large crowds I had to move at a humanly slow pace. I could have run at full speed, but due to Laws that the Kings had passed centuries ago, I had to keep the human charade up when in public.
"What was the name of the motel that Sebastian is staying at?" I asked Char when we finally made it to the street in front of the airport.
"New Haven Motel, but he also frequents bars around there, so that may be a good place to pick up his scent and watch him for a bit before we make contact."
"My thoughts exactly." I reply. "According to the dossier, there are several bars that he frequents; The Workshop Bar, The Taphouse, and Black Salt Bar to name a few, so we're gonna have to split up."
"I'll take the Taphouse to start and move onto Massé if I don't see him." Char replies.
"I guess that leaves me with the Workshop and Black Salt, then."
"I'll call if I find him." Char states simply before kissing me softly, yet chastely and hails a cab to take her to the Taphouse.
I hail my own cab and begin my journey at the Workshop. I give the cabbie the address to the place I want to go and as I relax into the backseat, I can't help but notice his blood pressure rising the longer I sit in the back of this cab. My original thought is that I must be terrifying to this poor human, but without the scent of fear in the air, I realized he's not scared of me at all. I know that the venom had a beautifying effect when I was made vampire, but it still never gets old when I can make a human nervous or awestruck with just my appearance. It's nice to get a little ego boost every once in a while.
On the drive, he seems bound and determined to do the whole small-talk thing asking me where I'm from and what I'm doing here in New Zealand. While he seems determined to get me to respond in some way, I just can't make myself give more than simple answers that are supposed to be a red-flag to this guy that I'm not in the mood to talk. He just keeps carrying on, though trying to fill up the space in his cab with words.
White lettering on a blue backdrop greets me as my cab pulls up outside the bar. I thank the cabbie for the ride, pay him, and make sure there's a nice tip added. As talkative as he was, he wasn't offensive in any way, so he doesn't deserve to be snubbed. The bar itself is actually quite quaint and I can clearly see that once the Blood Room is ready for renovations, I may actually copy some of the building's designs into my own bar. The dichotomy of dark and light is the first thing I notice when I enter. The bar's ceiling is painted black and most of the bar has that same dark and comfortable atmosphere, but my eyes are immediately drawn to the lighter textured accent walls and the light bar itself. There's an important soccer game being broadcast on most of the televisions that have been put along the walls, with a few turned to the local news, and at least one group of college-aged kids has taken over the dartboard that had been placed strategically in a corner.
I make myself comfortable at the bar and take note of the people around me as well as the ones that seem intent on making themselves and their commentary a part of the game that's playing even though they know that the players can't hear them. The bartender eventually finds his way over to me and I order a beer to keep from being too obvious. As it's poured for me, I ask if Sebastian has been in this evening, or if he's planning to come in at all for the game. After giving me a curious look, then apparently making some connections in his head, the bartender responds with the sad 'I know what you're thinking, you can change him, but you'll never be able to, you can do better than him' trope. All of which I listened to before he told me that Sebastian hadn't been in that evening and wasn't likely to be.
Already completely tired of this whole situation, I take out my phone and text Char that I had no luck at this bar and was headed to Black Salt. After thanking the bartender and tipping him nicely, I walked out of the Workshop and hoped that I would have better luck at the other bar.
Since night had now fallen, I decided to forgo the human transport and ran to Black Salt. The funny thing about both bars that I had been to this evening is they seemed to fit the other's name nearly perfectly. A cute little front patio area greeted me as I walked up to the black lettering on a white background. This bar had atmosphere, too, but it was lit better and had open beams covering the walls from floor to ceiling and even had the ceiling covered, as well. I could tell that this place was more restaurant than bar, but I had to check it out regardless. Just as I was about to cross the threshold into Black Salt, I get a call from Char. She's found him hustling pool at Massé and I can't help but laugh at the thought of this well-respected Squadron Leader hustling pool. After a brief conversation, I'm on my way to Char and Sebastian.
This place looks exactly how you think a Pool Hall would look. Pool tables everywhere, dimly lit, smoke in the air, there's even an air hockey table in one corner. I spot Char immediately and head her direction. She's made herself comfortable at a round table overlooking several pool tables with a beer casually sitting in front of her. One of the pool tables she's watching I see Sebastian playing at. He's easily distinguishable from the surveillance photos we had of him in our dossier, but he has grown a bit of scruff on his jaw and I hate to admit that it's a good look on him.
Char's not even looking in my direction choosing to keep her eyes on the target, but pushes out the chair across from her inviting me to sit.
"Anything interesting happening?" I ask sitting down.
"Other than watching him make a fool out of himself, not really." She replies boredom lacing every syllable.
"Well, he win anything?"
"Couple hundred, but that's about it so far." She replies. "I really wanna go down there and play a game against him, myself."
"Why don't you?" I ask. It's not as if we weren't great at anything sports related anyway, even pool. "It would be a great way to make his acquaintance and you could get a conversation started."
"Nah. I was thinking we could just follow him to his hotel, break in while he's sleeping, scare him to death first thing in the morning, and do things the more complicated, but infinitely more fun way."
"And Jane says we're no fun to hang around anymore." I say sarcastically.
"She's one to fucking talk." Char replies animatedly, pointing a finger at me. "I found her in one of the common rooms in the castle knitting recently. Knitting, Bells! She's like my grandmother, I swear to God."
"Some people like to knit, Char." I say grinning. "For them it's fun and therapeutic."
"I know, but I didn't expect the most sadistic woman I've ever met to enjoy something as harmless as that. I mean, she enjoys torturing people. What the hell makes me think knitting would be a hobby of hers?"
"Well, she does get to use needles and stab something repeatedly, so is it really that much of a stretch?" I ask.
"Well, when you look at it that way, I suppose not."
We stayed at the Pool Hall for a few hours just keeping an eye on Sebastian and watching him lose more games than he won. Eventually, Char got bored watching (like I knew she would) and wanted to try her hand against him. I have to admit that she wasn't the most charming woman, but she could really play it up when she wanted. This was one of those times. Before I knew it, Char and Sebastian were in a heated game of pool which Char was letting him win and he was talking her ears off.
Sebastian had been drinking fairly steadily since I had gotten here and there was no way for me to guess how many he'd had before Char showed up, but his curiosity got the better of him and the liquid courage just loosened his tongue."Those aren't military fatigues I recognize." He mentioned casually to Char about ten minutes into their second game as he came closer to her to hit one of his striped balls into a corner pocket.
"No. I'm special forces." Char replied back easily. "Our unit is a very secretive unit, and we tend to stay out of the spotlight. My superior and I were actually recruiting in the area and came here after hours for some fun."
"Superior?" he asked looking around.
"That would be me." I replied walking over to watch the game a bit closer, but still managing to keep my distance by leaning back against the wall.
His eyes lingered on my face for a second before trailing down to the patch on my left shoulder. "That red 'V' is something I would've remembered had I seen it before." Sebastian replied. "It's different from the other Spec Ops patches I've seen."
"Oh, you're military?" I ask tilting my tone up at the end to give the impression that this was a question I was interested in him answering.
"Former Air Force, actually." He replies a bit smugly.
"Former? Why'd you leave?" Char asks seemingly intrigued.
"I did my tours, so no reason to stay." He replied.
"I was a Captain in the American military and I thought the same thing. I was ready to retire myself until this unit recruited me." I replied.
"So why are you recruiting in New Zealand?" he asked seeming uninterested like all he wanted to do was just make small-talk while he took his shots. All three of us knew better, though. He was interested at least a little.
"Why not?" I ask shrugging, "Our unit doesn't care if we're all from different countries as long as the recruits have the skills we're looking for. "
"And what are those skills, exactly?" Sebastian replies.
"Why don't you tell us." I state challengingly. "What would you look for if you were recruiting for your own military?"
"Oh, that's a good question, Captain." Char replies looking up from her shot to wink cheekily at me. "What traits would you look for?"
"Well, it really depends on the campaign." Sebastian begins. "What is the mission? What sort of Ops do you work? What skills do you have? What do you specialize in?"
"The specialties and skills range from person to person; which is, I suspect, why we were chosen." I reply.
"Give me an example." Sebastian requests.
"Alright," Char says confidently, "we have one guy who has excellent tracking skills, another that's never been beaten in hand-to-hand combat, and a third that can shield herself from any attack. The list goes on from there, but if I were to tell you about every member we've got we'd be here all night."
Char and I make eye contact for the briefest of seconds before she says, "In fact, we're here for a very specific type of recruit. One that our superiors think fits the bill of what our unit is looking for."
"And what is it that your superiors are looking for?" Sebastian asks. "Don't be afraid to be specific."
"Unfortunately we can't give out that information. We don't have the clearance. We're here to find people that could fit the bill. The actual recruitment takes place at headquarters in front of our superiors." I reply lacing a bit of boredom into my tone. "However, you do seem like the type that would fit in wonderfully with our unit."
"Nah, I'm good right here." Sebastian replies.
"Are you sure?" Char asks waking up to him and staring intently into her eyes. "It's a fantastic and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with great benefits, the opportunity for advancement, and the pay is unbelievable. It's a great way to get a fresh start and if I were you, I'd jump on this opportunity while it's staring you in the face. Hell, I did jump on this opportunity when it stared me in the face. What have you got to lose with just one meeting with our superiors?"
Sebastian looked between me and Char and sighed deeply. "Fine. One meeting. If I don't like what I hear, I'm requesting a ticket to America."
"Done." I replied as I handed him a boarding pass for in the morning. "Meet us there at 9 am and we'll get this party started."
Sebastian continued to hustle pool after we departed, but I really wanted the opportunity to see Hobbiton since we were down here. What? A girl can geek out if she wants to. Jane didn't need to know everything that went on during this trip.
Char and I spent several hours enjoying ourselves in Hobbiton. We took photos and video and generally had an amazing time. It didn't matter that we showed up in the middle of the night, or that no one else was there. We still got into a bunch of shenanigans and got to see the inside of the Green Dragon and Bilbo's hobbit hole. The fact that we broke in was no hindrance at all and just added to the thrill. We did manage not to make a disaster of the place, so no one would be the wiser in the morning, but we still enjoyed ourselves.
By 8:30 the next morning we were back at the plane and waiting on Sebastian to show. It didn't take him long to find us, but once he did I could tell he was a bit nervous.
"Where's everyone else?" he asked as he came toward Char and I and the lowered stairs into the plane.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"You said last night you were here on a recruiting mission. Aren't there others who will be joining us?" Sebastian asked nervously.
"Nope. You are the only one interested." Char replied calmly. "Now, let's get going. We don't wanna be late."
As Char practically shoved him up the stairs and into a seat towards the front of the plane, I could tell he knew something was different about us. He watched us very closely, but I couldn't smell any fear coming off of him, so I just assumed he was curious.
When the flight checks had been made and the plane was preparing to taxi, Char and I took seats across from Sebastian. I could nearly feel the curiosity rolling off of him, so I figured now would be a great time for him to ask any questions he had. I didn't have to wait long.
"Your eyes" he said eventually as we were taking off "I distinctly remember them being brown last night. Why do they look red in this light?"
Forgoing the need for a complicated and convoluted explanation that I was unable by Law to give, I figured that the truth would be a better answer, but I just…held back the details. "The red is a symbol of what we are. The brown was merely a cover using colored contacts." I reply nonchalantly.
"So if I get accepted, I'll have to change my eye color?" Sebastian asked.
"No." Char replied simply. "If you get accepted, there's a three day long process that you'll have to go through and after that, your eyes will automatically change color."
"You make acceptance sound so simple." Sebastian replied.
"Hardly, but I try not to fret with the details. It's above my pay grade." Char quips in response.
As the plane finally reaches altitude, Sebastian says as he relaxes further into his seat, "I never did learn your names last night."
"I'm Bella" I reply tilting my head "and that ball of sunshine is Charlotte."
"It's a true pleasure, ladies." He grins cheekily running his fingers through his hair and giving off an air of nonchalance. I have to hand it to him; he doesn't seem put-off or nervous having us this close. Only the Kings will be able to tell if he's worth keeping.
"Why don't you get some rest? It's a long flight back to Italy." I state conversationally.
"Is that where we're going? I never bothered to look at the destination. I'm assuming that's where headquarters are for you."
"So you mean to tell me that we could have flown you anywhere on Earth and you wouldn't have cared?" Char asks worried.
"Honestly, yeah." He replies unconcerned. "Anywhere is better than where I was and you promised me a fresh start. How could I say no to that?"
"Regardless, I would recommend sleep. We don't want you half-asleep when you meet Caius, Marcus, and Aro." I grab Char by the arm and drag her to another set of seats a bit further into the plane.
I called Caius about an hour into the flight to let him know we were successful in the acquisition of Sebastian and that he was, from first glance, a good candidate. He thanked me for my update and told me he would send a car to await us when we landed.
The hours passed quickly and Sebastian actually did sleep. Char and I just took up seats on the plane and stared at the vastness of the world as we flew over it. Not being able to sleep was both thrilling and annoying sometimes, but at least uneventful plane rides were a time that you could shut your brain off at least temporarily.
The car that Caius had sent was certainly waiting on us once we landed and we could not have been more surprised that our driver was actually Alec. "I thought you'd still be in Germany." I stated as we disembarked the plane with Sebastian.
"Would have been, but Heidi finally talked some sense into our possible recruit. Just got back about an hour before you did and Caius asked me to stay on and bring you back. Heidi's already back at the castle with Sigrid." Alec replied grinning. He hugged us both tightly before opening the back door to the big black SUV.
"Sebastian, this is Alec." I say making introductions. "Alec, Sebastian."
"It's good to meet you. I'll be driving you to the castle today. You can go ahead and place your bag in the back." Alec explained.
"A-Are you old enough to be on Special Forces?" Sebastian asked shocked placing his duffle in the trunk.
"Ha! I'm older than I look, but thanks for the compliment." Alec replies grinning.
"And what exactly is your special skill that got you recruited for this outfit?" Sebastian asked still apparently shocked at how young Alec seemed.
"My twin sister and I were actually recruited together and are a 'set' so to speak. In simple terms, she gives you pain and I take it away." Alec responds.
"So, let me get this straight, your sister tortures people and you take pain away?" Sebastian asks trying to clarify.
"I take everything away." Alec replies seriously looking directly into Sebastian's eyes.
"No need for a demonstration yet, Alec." I say placing my hand gently on his shoulder. "There will be time for that later."
"Fair enough. Everyone in the car. I'm sure Caius can't wait to have his daughters back and I know Aro can't wait to meet you, Sebastian." Alec says. "Which reminds me, did you two get the chance to explore Hobbiton while you were down there?"
For the next half an hour of our trip, Char regales Alec with our adventures in Hobbiton. It's not until we're pulling up to the clock tower that Char finally finishes her story. "…and you should have seen her" she tells Alec as we get out of the car, "making a complete fool of herself as she's standing on the table with a pint of beer in her hand singing the Hobbit's Green Dragon song from the movie, kicking her legs out can-can style. It was hilarious!"
"It wasn't that funny." I reply trying to hide my grin as I inject fake acid into my tone.
"The only reason you don't think it's funny is because I will forever give you shit about it." Char replies pointing her slim fingers at me threateningly while Alec is nearly doubled over laughing at me.
"No." I state defiantly. "You know what? I'm not going to be ashamed for fangirling. It was awesome and you would have done the same exact thing!" I say pointing at Alec.
"Undoubtedly." Alec replies trying to catch his breath. "Please tell me one of you videotaped it."
"No! Thank god. I made sure Char wouldn't before I started singing. There was no way I'd have that shit recorded and passed around forever. I can just see the castle headlines now 'Captain of the Volturi Guard lets own guard down in New Zealand pub' I think not."
"From what I've been able to get from you, it's honestly shocking that you would be the one to fangirl that hard." Sebastian replies.
"I'm not quite as uptight and proper as my title makes me out to be." I reply back challengingly.
"Alright. I'm not one to judge. I would have done the same thing." Sebastian states calmly.
Once inside the building, we made our way to the receptionist who informed us that the Kings were awaiting our arrival. I led my contingent towards the throne room as I heard Char and Alec give Sebastian necessary information that he would need before meeting the Kings.
"Kings?" Sebastian asks.
"Yes. Our superiors are our Kings and our uncles. Char and I are nieces to Aro and Marcus and daughters to Caius." I state matter-of-factly.
"There's no need to bow when you meet them, you aren't under their reign…yet." Char says.
"Aro and Caius will do most of the talking, but Marcus will also be there. Don't be afraid to answer their questions as honestly as you can." Alec adds.
"Don't be worried if Aro asks to shake your hand. Just agree and be prepared for his ice-cold grip." Char continues.
"Caius may look intimidating, but he's a great military leader and will probably ask you a bunch of questions." Alec states a second before I open the doors.
"Your majesties." I state as we enter the throne room and bow before the Kings. "We have brought our recruit to meet you and Char and I both feel he would make a good addition to the Guard."
"Arise children." Aro replies as Alec, Char and I rise from our bowed position. "There is no need for such ceremony right now."
Aro doesn't take his eyes off of Sebastian as he stands from his throne and makes his way down the dais and up to us. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sebastian. Your reputation precedes you. I've heard a great many things about your military service. Please tell me why it is you've decided not to re-enlist?"
"I did my service and was ready for something else." Sebastian replies.
"Interesting. What made you decide to come here today?"
"These lovely ladies promised me that this would be a new start and that's what I wanted." Sebastian replies.
"Also interesting. Do you mind?" Aro asks looking towards Sebastian's hand.
"Not at all." Sebastian states before raising it out and up.
Aro takes Sebastian's hand in his, closes his eyes, and reads every thought Sebastian has ever had. It doesn't take long, mortal minds not being quite as complex as immortal ones, but Aro is beaming by the time he opens his eyes again.
"Brothers," he says excitedly, "I do believe we have an ideal candidate. Impressive skills, impressive instincts that we can certainly hone, and nothing keeping him from joining us that I can see. Marcus, what do you see?"
"The only ties he has are to himself…for now. He doesn't truly trust us, Bella or Charlotte yet, but I can see the bond eventually forming." Marcus states seemingly bored with the conversation.
"If his military prowess is as good as you say, then I see no reason to delay." Caius replies. "Have my daughters take him to the newborn chambers and we will begin his transformation."
"Isabella, Charlotte, you heard your Father. He is to be changed as soon as you get him comfortable. Then I want to see you both in my office. Dismissed."
Char and I don't hesitate before dragging Sebastian out of the room and down to the newborn chambers where we were changed. We didn't have the time or the desire to let him know what we were doing before it happened, but one minute he was lying on the concrete and the next, I had bitten his neck and the insides of both elbows. Char got his knees and ankles. In three days, we'd have a new baby-vamp running amok and I was strangely looking forward to it.
And that was how it went. Every few years, Demetri would fire up the computer, we'd get a few good possibilities, teams were sent to retrieve the candidates, they were interviewed, and if they were a good fit, they stayed. After the first few trips out the Guard had a good routine to work in regards to the candidates and it usually resulted in at least three or four new additions to the ranks.
Aro couldn't be happier with the additions and was usually in such a good mood these days that he spent more time acting like an Uncle than he did a King. His more frequent trips to The Blood Room did not go unnoticed by his brothers, but at least they had the mental capacity to keep their comments to themselves. Marcus was just thrilled that the amounts of research and knowledge that he had of our race was actually being learned properly and that he had students that wanted to learn. Caius, however felt that even though these new Guards had previous experience, they could be better. So he spent most days constructing a new training arena where those with and without gifts could better hone their skills.
This was turning into a great plan and Char and I were thrilled that the Kings had accepted our proposal to add more Guards and better uniforms. The rate we were growing, there would be no vampires on Earth that would be stupid enough to challenge us.
As always, though. Something was bound to fuck up our corner of happiness when we least expected it.