Protect and Defend

Sulpicia stood statue still in a state of panic. No, no, I won't lose them, I can't lose them. Her thoughts frantically raced with plans to evade their capture and death. One thought repeated itself over and over until Sulpicia realized she really couldn't be sure of the answer… What will Aro do?

Aro was already gone.

She looked out into the night, still not daring to move. She wasn't used to being out of the castle unaccompanied and now she was in the middle of a crime scene! The town was quiet and pitch black; the low hung moon cast the only light creating gloomy shadows from the usually quaint, pretty buildings.

Sulpicia could hear her husband and Basileus talking in hushed voices, hopefully to her young vampires. It only took a few more moments for them all to come into view, relieved she counted all four of her vampiric children, though as they approached her, relief turned to horror - blood. The ruby red liquid dripping from their chins could be nothing else. She had seen them feed a thousand times before, they are not messy eaters. They were not seeking simple nourishment, they must have brutally killed the humans they took! Why would they do this? Something else shocked her about their angelic vampire faces - not a single one of them appeared repentant. The twins and Demetri looked confused and slightly dazed, Felix looked back to her with hate-filled eyes.

"I need to clear up their mess. Take them back to the tower, I will return as soon as I am able to."

Aro spoke, Sulpicia knew he had. She saw his lips part and the angry expression change to pensive thought, the face he so often wore as his mind flashed through every possible option whilst creating an action plan.

"My lady, come along."

Basileus' kind tone penetrated her thoughts. As though her mind were clouded with fog she started to walk, passing her children and both men as she headed back to the castle.

Aro was concerned and wondered if he could just leave his young guards mess for the humans to find.

Basileus answered his thoughts. "No, son, we cannot leave the bodies. I'll deal with it, you go."

Aro shook his head. "It's my mess. Well, it's theirs," he said angrily. "But they're mine…" he added a little softer as his voice trailed off.

"Yes, son. And you are mine, so go," Basileus told him gently as he nudged him towards home.

Aro relented. He wanted to check on Sulpicia more than anything else right then. "Come!" he ordered his errant guards.

The twins and Demetri looked to Felix, they seemed to be waiting for his agreement. Rage flooded Aro's body when he noticed what they were doing. Stepping up to the group of young guards with his hand raised, he was ready to beat them senseless for all the stress they had caused when Basileus pulled him back.

"Not here Aro. We must be discreet," he reminded his son. Aro shook himself free of his father's grip as he moved a few paces away to calm himself.

Basileus started circling the young guards - he needed them inside the castle, safe, and without drawing attention to what they had done. He spoke to them slowly and purposefully as he circled, making sure to catch Felix' eye whenever possible. "You will go back to the tower, now. I will want to talk with you all when I have cleaned up here. You will do well to remember that not a single being, vampiric or otherwise, can evade me on this earth. If you run, and I really dare you to even try, I will ensure you live just long enough to regret it."

That was enough for the twins and Demetri to start moving. Felix, however, was prepared for a stand off!

Basileus cocked his head to the side as he considered his options. This little jack ass will not bring down my coven in one night of foolishness, he thought. If anyone finds out these four have killed in this town their heads will be called for. Aro couldn't do it, no, it would fracture the entire coven when he refuses to, though. Felix will have to come with me, then.

"Aro, I'm keeping Felix, he can help. Go to the tower, son." Basileus didn't wait for an answer, he turned his back on his own son and instead pulled Felix close to him as they moved silently through the night back to the scene of the young guards' crimes.

"Did you think you would get away with this?" Basileus asked the boy quietly.

Felix wasn't resisting the creators tugging, but he wasn't moving willingly either. He had no intentions of having a chat whilst they cleaned up the dead, that was for damn sure!

"Felix, I strongly suggest that you don't piss me off anymore tonight!"

Basileus' grip on the guards arm was so tight it was painful. With only slightly more pressure applied Felix started to hiss.

"Ow! You're hurting me!" he whined as he tried to pull himself free.

Basileus payed no attention to his grumblings until they reached the pile of drained bodies on the steps of Volterra's water fountain. There were only three of them, two young women and an older man. Having never been one, Basileus wasn't very good at working out human ages.

"Where did you find them?" he asked as he finally released his hold on Felix.

Felix toyed with continuing his silence but on catching the elder's furious glare he thought better of it. "They were sleeping in their beds. No one saw us," he replied petulantly.

Basileus felt a rage bubbling up inside. How he contained his anger from over flowing and tearing the boys head from his body at his stupidity and nonchalance was anyone's guess. Checking around the steps he was relieved to see the young ones hadn't spilled more than a few droplets of blood on the floor. At least I don't have to start scrubbing the streets to hide their shame. Though I would, of course, if it were required. Mhmm. All this time I have been banging on at Aro to see sense of his feelings for these young guards and mine are nearly as strong. I am not prepared to lose these fools. I will protect them from anyone discovering their crimes, but if they are discovered, I will defend them too. Finalizing both his thoughts and resolve, Basileus released a sigh of resignation.

"Bring that one." Basileus ordered simply as he took the two young ladies, trying to preserve their modesty as he did so with their tattered clothing.

Felix obliged and carelessly slung the male corpse over his shoulder as he followed Basileus at vampiric speed out of the town and into the woodland surrounding Volturi lands.

Basileus suddenly stopped and held his arm out straight to the side to stop Felix, too. "We will leave them here - the wolves will take care of the rest."

They lay the bodies on the cold woodland floor, it was not yet spring and the ground, like the rest of nature, had yet to wake from its winter slumber. Basileus generally felt indifferent towards humans. As he hadn't been one he didn't feel the affinity with them that some vampires did. He did recognized them as sentient beings though and wished no harm to them unnecessarily.

Basileus watched the boy throw down his human load with repulsion. The dead mans neck was splayed open, it looked to have been chewed at. His flesh tattered and ragged.

The creator shook his head in disgust. "You didn't just feed from these humans, Felix, you butchered them."

Felix shrugged as he mindlessly kicked the closest body. "So?" was his sullen reply.

Basileus flashed to the boy's side and took his face in one hand, pressing his fingers hard into his jaw. "So? So! Before day break you will be begging for forgiveness and I can guarantee you will have much more to say than just 'so', you petulant brat!"

Felix refused to look at Basileus as the elder lectured him, which was difficult when his head was being forcefully jerked about to facilitate eye contact.

Releasing his hold, Basileus wiped the blood from his hands on the boy's sleeve. "We're going back to the tower, and I warn you against giving Aro any trouble when we get there, boy."

Felix' eyes bore into the back of Basileus' head as the creator walked away towards the castle grounds. "Fuck you and fuck Aro!" Felix mumbled to himself.

Basileus heard him.

Spinning on his heel, Basileus turned to face the startled youth. "Would you like to say that again?"

Breath hitching, Felix was panicked. He tried to apologize as the formidable leader approached him slowly but his words were trapped in his throat, frozen in fear. Basileus grabbed hold of him tightly by the scruff of his neck and started to drag him along as he continued to the castle. Felix winced with every step, though to be fair he was expecting much more than simply being dragged home. Basileus clearly wanted to keep the young guards extra recreational activities private, though Felix was sure the man's extraordinarily large and strong hand was about to snap his neck! Neither spoke again until they reached the castle, the only sound between them was the rumbling growl deep inside Basileus which peaked every time Felix released another involuntary whine.

As soon as they entered the castle gates they were greeted by guards, and to Felix' eternal shame it was Antonio and Afton.

"My lord, I was not aware we should have been looking for Master Aro's high guard. I must apologize that you were bothered with such a menial task," Antonio crooned to the creator.

Fucking creep, Felix thought. At least with my head facing the floor they can't see how embarrassed I am, though what else would I be when I've just been dragged back in to the castle grounds by the original creator of vampiric kind. Fuck.

Basileus interrupted the boy's thoughts by standing him up to face the guards with a sly smile.

Of course you heard my thoughts, bastard! Felix thought, and then panicked as Basileus raised his eyebrows daring the lad to continue calling him names inside his head. Felix looked away feeling embarrassed.

"Felix went for a midnight stroll in the woods, I know there are rogues surrounding our town. I don't want any guards out alone," Basileus lied easily to the two younger vampires.

"But he wasn't alone my lord. Demetri, Jane and Alec were there, too," Antonio replied, Afton looked on awkwardly.

Basileus felt his heart sink, though his face remained stoic. "There? There where?" he asked Antonio casually.

"In the town my lord," Antonio replied. "We were watching from the castle wall walkway as we made our rounds. We could clearly see all of Aro's high guard loitering around the fountain, my lord."

Fuck! Does he know? Finally the reality of his crime sunk in and Felix looked frantically to Basileus whose face was turning dark.

The creator used his gift to search through Antonio's thoughts. You and Afton certainly saw Aro's high guard at the fountain, but you couldn't have made out the humans in their presence, thankfully. You saw the guards leave with Aro and me, and you watched as I returned with Felix from discarding the bodies. Basileus withdrew his gift. Damn it. They know, even if this oaf can't tell what was at the fountain, it will be clear when the town folk raise the alarm with three humans going missing in the night. I will wring your bloody neck for this Felix! Basileus thought looking at the youngest guard. But what to do? He questioned himself over and over. I could lie, but they would know it was a lie. I could just kill them. Feels harsh, but I would rather kill them than lose Aro's young ones… mhmm… Basileus mulled over his options before he decided to address the pair of guards.

"Are you able to forget what you have seen this evening?" he asked them.

"My lord, Master Caius will ask for our nightly report and we cannot lie to a Master of Volterra…" Antonio let his voice trail off, feeling pleasantly smug with having something over Felix Volturi.

"That is a shame Antonio," Basileus replied, darkly. "I will have to kill you then," he added with a smile as he flashed before him, taking his neck in one hand and Afton's in the other.

Felix smiled to himself, there were some benefits to being in Aro's inner circle - Basileus having his back was certainly one of them!

"I really would rather not do this you understand," Basileus crooned with the same smug tone Antonio had used only moments before. "But if you truly are unable to forget all you have seen this night then I have no choice."

Both men were in a state of panic, scraping at Basileus' strong grip with their comparatively small hands. Their pleas were nothing more than gurgles of venom as Basileus strangled them.

"Do you have something to say before I finish you?" Basileus asked casually as he relaxed his grip just enough to enable them to talk.

Both rushed out apologies and promises of loyalty to Basileus above all else.

"So lads, are you saying you are capable of forgetting the night? You are capable of lying to Caius when he asks for your report? You will never bring up this evening again, in anger or jest?"

The pair nodded to each of the creators questions with such valour that their heads looked ready to detach of their own volition. Basileus stared them down for a moment and waited for their eyes to cast submissively to the floor.

"Okay." The creator withdrew his hands from the guards throats and took a moment to check their thoughts again.

As Afton rubbed his sore neck, keeping his head bowed, Basileus read his mind - Afton had no intention of defying Basileus in the first place. Good, the creator thought.

"Afton, you can continue on your rounds."

He didn't need telling twice. Afton flashed from the castle gates and was out of sight in less than a blink of an eye.

"Antonio… what to do with you?" Basileus asked as he began to circle the younger man.

Antonio could see his life hanging in the balance. "Please, my lord, this night is forgotten, I will never speak of it again."

Basileus continued to circle, growling as he did so. "But you cannot lie to a master of Volterra, Antonio, you said so yourself…"

Antonio cut in, "I can on your orders my lord, and I will!"

Coming to a stop facing the scared guard Basileus wanted to cement Antonio's loyalty. "I know the vendetta you are running against my grandson, I could care less how that plays out between the two of you. But if you ever bring up this night in your quarry against him I will finish you, and I will finish anyone you tell - from your Master, Caius, to your mate, Renata. Am. I. Clear?"

Grandson… what the fuck… how the hell! I'm dead, I am dead. Antonio chanced a look to Felix, the grinning prick looks pretty happy with himself! I finally have something that can bring him down and I have to keep my trap shut! Antonio toyed with shouting his new knowledge from the roof tops, it would be worth death! No, I cannot. Not if he will kill Renata for it, too. I will keep this to myself. Felix Volturi isn't worth dying for, and I will not lose Renata to him either.

"I will not tell a soul, my lord. You have my word."

Basileus nodded again, he'd heard his thoughts and knew he was true. "I will take your word, my boy, and if you break it, I will take your life." Basileus let that hang there as he patted the younger vampires shoulder. "Go. Complete your duties."

With a light shove from the creator, Antonio went to catch up with Afton.

"Will you walk now or must I continue to drag you home?" Basileus asked Felix, as he noticed the boy looked ready to cry. "What's wrong now?"

Felix shook his head as he offered a tight smile to the creator and started to walk away.

"Hey," Basileus called him back, "I asked you a question, boy!"

Felix stopped and turned to face him. "I just can't believe you did that for me, that's all," he said, looking shyly to the floor.

"Did what?" Basileus asked.

"You were going to kill them, you told Antonio I'm your grandson, you, you protected me… I just can't believe you did that for me."

Felix's heartfelt reply touched Basileus. He closed the gap between them and placing an arm around the youth's shoulders as they headed to the castle, he told him, "If you really can't understand why I did that, then you must still not understand how very much you mean to me, Felix."

Squeezing the boy gently to his side, Basileus flashed the two of them back to the safety of their private tower where he planned to ensure an end was brought to this foolish behaviour.

"Sully, calm down, he hasn't killed Felix!"

Basileus heard Aro shouting as soon as he and Felix entered the tower stairwell. "You had better get up there quickly and prove you are still alive," he said with a wink to the emotional boy.

Felix smiled back but it didn't reach his eyes. His thoughts were blurred into one with the events of the last 24 hours; what they heard Aro doing to Sully, the two of them arguing, Aro's attitude when he returned from seeing Basileus, how he convinced Demetri and the twins to go with him into the town, killing three humans from Volterra, Basileus defending him to Antonio… Carmen living on animal blood paled into insignificance in the face of everything that had happened since that little revelation! Still, he could hear Sulpicia was worried about his safety and he wanted to save her from the misery of wondering if he was dead, yet.

Opening the door to their quarters, Felix came face to face with Aro. He had obviously heard them coming.

"Where the hell have you been?!" he asked, half in relief and half frustration. Aro pulled Felix inside and curtly nodded to his father as he followed them into the main room.

"Felix!" Sulpicia cried out as she flung herself at the young guard. "Are you okay?" she asked as she checked him over. At least he's in one piece, though only physically, she thought as looked at her boy's sad, downcast eyes.

"I am fine," he replied quietly. Yeah, I'm fine now, wait until he gets hold of me, ask me then! he thought as he dared a look to Aro - he was furious.

Demetri, Jane, and Alec sat at the fireside appearing transfixed by the flames. They weren't, they were just trying to avoid the adults in the room. Basileus watched the three of them and listened in on their thoughts, they were a little bewildered. Felix was the one who wanted to get out of the castle, he told them he needed space to breathe - they followed him. Felix killed the humans, though they all fed from them when he brought them to the fountain already dead. What the hell is going on with you boy? Basileus asked himself as his eyes travelled over to Felix.

Sulpicia was shooting angry glares back to Basileus. When he realized the queen of Volterra was angry with him, a slight shiver went down his spine. He wasn't scared, or anything like it, but he loved Sully. She had been with him almost as long as Aro and he would never want to hurt her.

"My dear, whatever slight you believed I have committed against you I can assure you it would not have been intentional," he said with sincerity.

She didn't respond, Aro took over for his frazzled wife. "She thinks you intended to kill Felix for his crimes, father," he explained.

Basileus couldn't help but smile at that. His happy booming laugh relieved some tension - even the three youngest vampires turned to face the others in the room. Sulpicia sighed, she knew how foolish her thoughts were really.

"I'm sorry, my lord," she apologized to Basileus who scooped her up in and spun her around, her light giggles filled the air as he set her back on her feet.

"It is forgotten, my dear. But really, you need never fear such a thing for anyone who resides in this tower… though every other soul in this place is fair game." He winked at Felix when he added that last part.

Aro clocked it, "What's going on?" he asked. "Why did you take so long getting back here?"

Basileus took a seat at the table, gesturing for Aro and Sulpicia to do the same. Felix went to sit with Demetri. Before he sat, however, Aro told them all to get cleaned up and go back to bed.

"Me too?" Felix asked quietly.

"Why not you too?" Aro asked him, his tone betrayed both his anger and sadness.

"Don't you want to deal with me first?" Gesturing to Demetri and the twins, he continued, "They had nothing to do with killing any humans, it was me…" his voice trailed off, he didn't know what else to say.

"I know damn well who it was Felix, though I cannot comprehend WHY!" Aro willed himself to calm down, mainly because Sulpicia looked at breaking point. "Go to bed, there's nothing that cannot be dealt with in the morning."

Felix nodded and skulled off to his room after Demetri.

Jane was waiting for him by her closed bedroom door. "He isn't going to kill you Felix, you can quit walking about like you have a noose around your neck," she spoke plainly, as was her way.

"Did he say as much?" Felix asked, hoping Jane could offer some actual statement from Aro that meant he wouldn't lose his life.

"He said there was nothing any of us could do that would force him into such a position… though I really think you should stop testing him like this. What happened tonight? Why did you kill those people? You said you needed fresh air!" she asked, speaking in hushed tones.

"Honestly, Jane, I don't know what I was thinking…"

"GO TO BED!"

Aro's order interrupted Felix and saw his mouth clamped shut. He kissed Jane on her forehead and she went into her room and closed the door. Felix did the same. Demetri was sitting bolt upright in his bed, waiting on his brother for all the details of why it took so long for Basileus to return with him…

In the main room, Basileus was filling Aro and Sulpicia in on the same subject.

"There is no way on earth that Antonio won't use this information against Felix!" Aro was stressed, he couldn't stand that prick Antonio anyway and now the cretin had something on Felix he would be insufferable.

"He won't tell anyone Aro, I scared him into silence. Afton too." Basileus tried to ease his son's concerns. "He knows I can kill him if I wish. Though I don't doubt the conflict between them will continue, I am sure he will not speak a word of this night." Basileus smiled as he continued, "he won't do anything, he knows I will be watching, and listening."

"Why are you smiling?" Aro asked his father. Surely he knows how serious this is!

"I do indeed know how serious this is," he answered his son's questioning thoughts, "I may have slipped something into my conversation with Antonio that suggests my affiliation with Felix is much stronger than he imagined. That is all."

Sulpicia looked on as she wondered what he could have said, Aro wasn't willing to wait for a verbal explanation and quickly placed his hand on top of his fathers on the table.

"You told him that Felix is your grandson?" he exclaimed as he came across the conversation in Basileus' memories.

Sulpicia's face lit up, her contented smile spreading widely across her pretty face. Aro couldn't believe the change in her demeanour - half an hour before she was ready to rip Basileus to shreds believing he had took her boy, now she was grinning like a loon! Sulpicia stood from her chair. Going to Basileus, she kissed him lightly on his cheek as she whispered 'thank you' into his ear. Turning to Aro she cupped his face and kissed him quickly.

"All will be well, my love." She told him as Aro's face crumpled into confusion.

"We will be well?" he questioned.

They all knew what Aro was referring to.

Sully smiled. "We need time, but all will be well," she told him as she retired to their bed chamber.

Aro threw an incredulous look to his father. "What was that about?" he asked as he pointed to the door Sulpicia had closed behind her.

Basileus laughed. "Aw, son! How can you have lived this long with one woman and still not understand her?"

Aro's face screwed up. "Understand her? She's been bouncing back and forth through her emotions since I… well, since, earlier…"

"Since you made her submit?" Basileus corrected his son. He knew it hurt him to hear - he hoped that would prevent him from doing such a disgusting thing again in future.

"Yes," Aro replied hatefully, not entirely sure if that hate was towards himself for doing it, or Basileus for mentioning it.

"She has been worried that she would lose your young vampires. Now she knows she will not and that they are safe, whatever happens. So now she is…" Basileus prompted his son. "Come on Aro!"

Aro smirked. "Happy, now she is happy."

Basileus beamed at his boy. "See, Aro! Women aren't that complicated after all, huh?"

Aro laughed. "You should get one for yourself, old man!"

Basileus lazily cuffed his sons ear as he raised an eyebrow and a smile. "Be careful there, son, I'm not sure you're in a position to be calling me an old man. Especially not now you are in father territory yourself."

"Please quit it with the labels, they are so human, so unnecessary!" Aro replied, pleadingly. "Besides, we need to work out what to do with my errant young guards…" Aro's voice trailed off. Truthfully he didn't want to do anything; he wanted to make things right between himself and his wife not worry about his guards' behaviour. He knew there was no way around it though.

"We? We don't need to work anything out," Basileus replied as he left the table. "I told you that when you brought each of them home. I said no kids. You brought kids into the coven anyway. They are yours to deal with, son."

"Where are you going? You cannot leave me to deal with them on my own! I will kill them, and then you will kill me!"

Basileus laughed at his son as he reached the door. "Enough with the exaggeration, Aro. You are perfectly capable of dealing with them yourself. Though you can tell them I will want a word of my own at some point. I'm not sure if you know, but it was Felix who killed the humans, the others knew nothing of his intentions to do so… you may want to find out why he would break coven law in such a blatant way. It seems to me like he wanted to be caught."

Basileus' left the room, closing the door gently behind him. Aro puffed the air out of his cheeks, he had to make things right with Sulpicia before he did anything else. Felix can wait until dawn. But if it is my attention you want boy, you will have it in droves now!

Aro knocked on his own bedroom door, listening, hoping to be invited in. Nothing. He raised his head, ready to try again when the door swung open.

"Why are you knocking, my love?" Sulpicia asked with a playful smile dancing on her lips.

"I wasn't sure if I had been forgiven yet," he replied sheepishly.

"You seem to be assuming you will be forgiven at all, my love."

She was teasing him, he knew she couldn't have forgiven him yet, but she was ready to accept him back. He'd play along though if that is what she wanted.

"Of course not, my queen, I just need to know if I should find a replacement wife or not."

He couldn't help the corners of his mouth twitching as Sulpicia's temper flared to his words.

"As if anyone else would put up with you, Aro!" she said as she placed her arms around his neck, pulling him into their room. "I meant what I said earlier, my love. Things will be changing around here." Sulpicia was deadly serious, Aro knew that.

"Indeed, they already are, my queen," he replied as he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up, kicking the door closed behind him as he carried her to their bed.