AN: I do not own anything... obviously!

Okay, I am kind of nervous about this one...

STRIPPED BARE

"Where is he?" Aro ground out, slamming the door behind him.

Sulpicia jumped at the boom it created. "How many times have we replaced that door?" she commented, mainly to herself, though the twins raised a smile to her exasperation. "I assume you mean Felix. He is hiding in his room."

Aro caught her terse tone, but he knew it was over Felix bringing further embarrassment to their household rather than his obvious annoyance.

When he reached his sons' room, Aro waited a moment before opening the door, listening in on Felix and Demetri making plans for the wine barrels stashed in the woods! Yeah, good luck with that boys, he thought, whilst making plans to fetch the barrels for his own stores before his sons had the chance.

Aro set his shoulders straight, preparing himself for yet another round with his eldest.

"You, out!" he directed to Demetri as he came through the door.

Demetri felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end - and he hadn't even done anything wrong! As he slunk out of his shared bedroom, Demetri noticed just how angry Aro was by his tight set jaw and eyes as black as coal. Good luck, brother, he thought, without much hope.

Aro slammed the door shut as soon as Demetri was out of its path. "Thief!" he declared, through gritted teeth.

Felix had been full of bravado whilst he was talking with Demetri. He was all, 'I'll tell Aro straight', and 'I'm not taking any shit from Aro'… and now there was Aro. Felix's bravado took one look at his father, (who was looking fucking terrifying!) and left him with only a nervous stutter and puppy-dog eyes for protection.

Aro watched his boy's eyes flicker to the window. "I dare you to even try it," he spat, clearly disgusted by the very idea that his son would be so cowardly as to run.

Felix felt his father's disappointment in droves, and he knew this was only the beginning. "I'm sorry," he proffered, though even Felix grimaced at how hollow his words sounded.

"Sorry?" Aro ground out as he started stalking around Felix's bed like a caged tiger. "You are a lying, thieving, deceitful ... " Aro came to an abrupt stop when he caught Felix roll his eyes. He had a hand coiled around the boy's throat before either of them had realised he'd even moved!

Aro felt a fire burning inside him that he was fearful of releasing. It was the vampire, the core animal within. Aro hid his vampiric side better than most - he was cultured, he was worldly, had self-restraint, he was so very, very human when he had to be. But whilst his son's eyes bulged and his young hands clawed desperately to release the iron fisted grip coiled around his throat, all that pretence was gone.

Felix was getting desperate. He didn't need to breathe, conveniently, as he couldn't, but Aro was increasing the pressure and he knew his neck would snap if he didn't get his father off soon. With a silent prayer that Aro would understand when he came to his senses, Felix punched his vampire father in the side of the head with as much force as he could muster.

Felix's efforts were rewarded with instant relief as Aro staggered backwards, releasing Felix as he went.

Aro's head reeled. Kneeling on the wolfskin rug on his son's bedroom floor, he felt a trickle of blood run from his ear and down his neck, soaking into his shirt. It took a moment for him to realize what had happened.

Felix waited in trepidation, unsure who would turn to face him - his father or his coven leader. "Dad?" he called out softly, his voice rasping from the damage to his vocal chords.

Aro heard the rasp; he knew he'd caused that. For the first time since his children had joined him, Aro actually feared he was in danger of doing something he would regret to one of them.

"Felix, I swear to the gods I will end up killing you if this ridiculous behaviour continues!" He was totally exasperated with his foolish boy.

"Do you really think I am that bad?" Felix asked, although he regretted it as soon as he saw Aro's expression.

"Are you fucking deranged!" he roared getting to his feet. A rush of nausea flashed through his body, Felix had hit him harder than he'd originally appreciated. "Perhaps I should send you to Basileus and he can deal with you," he said as he took a seat at the end of Demetri's bed.

Aro scoffed at his wide-eyed whelp. "Maybe Eleazar then, if you'd prefer?" he offered, enjoying his boy's squirming.

Felix couldn't verbalize his answer, for there would have been one too many 'no fucking way's' than would be healthy for his hide.

Aro laughed to himself at the sight of Felix's gaping fish impression when no words came from his mouth.

"More afraid of Eleazar than of me ... that will do wonders for my reputation."

Felix sighed. "I'd rather not face you, either," he mumbled under his breath.

"Tough! However, as you punched me in the head you will have to wait until I have my balance back before I beat you bloody senseless. Senseless? At least that won't take long, huh!"

Felix scrubbed a hand down his face, cursing his uncle for talking him into yet another doomed escapade.

"Take a seat," Aro instructed, gesturing to Felix's bed.

Great, a lecture. I think I'd rather take the beating! Felix thought as he sat opposite Aro.

"Let us start with allowing yourself to be put into a headlock by a waif of a woman whilst you were half naked!"

Felix fell back onto his bed, head in his hands and groaned. "Don't remind me."

"Do you think this is a trivial matter? You could have been killed, Felix! If Carlisle hadn't returned from his thievery in time you would be dead!"

Felix leaned up on his elbows and fixed his father with a withering glare. "I would have gotten her off on my own if he hadn't come back, I had everything under control."

Aro laughed in his face. "Under control! You were fully under Heidi's influence and you wouldn't have stood a chance in hell if Carlisle hadn't caught her unawares. Not that any of this would have happened if you A, hadn't been stealing wine from the merchants or B, you were wearing your proper guard uniform!" Aro could feel his anger rising. As soon as my rage takes over my nausea I am going to knock you into next week!

Felix sat up and crossed his arms across his chest. "I'm rich enough and important enough not to wear a guard uniform!" He sounded like a pompous ass.

Aro smiled. Stupid boy. "They aren't even your words, Felix!"

Felix scowled in confusion.

"Carlisle, filling your head with all his self-aggrandizing bullshit, again. You just keep lapping it up, son."

Felix's confused scowl turned to damn well pissed off.

"The pair of you think you are so special. The only thing special about you is that you think you are more special than everyone else."

Felix bristled at the dig, he couldn't keep his annoyance from his face.

Aro saw it. How dare you be pissed off, you little shit! "One more thing, Felix, YOU are not rich. More like piss poor."

Felix sprang to his feet. He couldn't take much more of the humble pie Aro was force feeding him. "But, I shouldn't be! You have more money than Croesus!"

Aro raised his eyebrows. "What makes you think that?"

Felix returned his father's expression, with his own sarcastic twist. "I have been down to the treasury with you enough times to know how much money you have."

Smiling to himself, Aro nodded. "I know exactly how much money I have, son, so I wouldn't get any ideas about dipping into the family funds."

Felix hadn't considered that before. That is a damn good idea! I'll have to suggest it to Carlisle! He tutted at Aro's vast wealth being a 'family fund'.

"Pft! It's hardly family money if we don't have any. Why can't you put us on the payroll?" Felix asked, sullenly.

"Us?" Aro asked, hoping to god Felix didn't mean Carlisle.

"Me, Demetri, the twins. We are the high guard after all," Felix proclaimed, feeling incredibly undervalued for his role in the coven.

Aro shook his head. "I don't pay the guards anything, Felix."

Oh, I didn't know that. "Well, we are your children, we should get something." Felix stamped his foot as he spoke; he could have kicked himself for the involuntary, childish action.

"If I pay you I have to pay everyone else," Aro stated, as though the very idea was preposterous.

"Maybe not the guards, but all the higher-ups around here are dripping with money!" Felix retorted.

"Who? Do you think I pay my brothers? For what? They don't do anything! How Basileus chooses to bankroll his sons is his remit." Aro rested back with his arms supporting his weight. His pose looked fairly casual but the spite with which Aro spat his words to his son left Felix in no doubt how pissed off his father was.

"Well the other masters, then." Felix pushed a little less forcefully, he knew he was dancing dangerously close to the fire with Aro already but he refused to back down until all avenues were exhausted - as always!

The rumblings of an exasperated growl began in Aro's chest. "I don't pay Caius or Marcus either! Nor Magnus and Freyr for that matter."

Felix was genuinely shocked. "Oh. I just thought ... "

Aro held up a hand to silence his boy and stared him down until he had the good sense to look submissively to the floor. "No, you just assumed - wrongly, may I add. I ensure the needs of every single coven member are met ... nothing more. That's a damn sight better than they could expect outside of this coven."

Felix sent a murderous look to his father as he muttered, spitefully, "Some needs are met better than others."

That touched a nerve. Quiet, calm rage spread like a warm glow through Aro's body - but he was in control this time. "So, I am failing to provide for you?" he asked as he got to his feet. "Do tell me, how can I better serve your needs, young prince?" There was nothing servile about Aro's tone, the danger was palpable.

"I, I wasn't saying that," Felix stuttered.

Coming to a stop in front of his boy, Aro loomed over Felix. "That's exactly what you are saying."

Felix gulped as he desperately tried to back track on his accusation.

"Why do you even want money? What on earth would you spend it on that I haven't already supplied?" Aro pushed. With Felix insinuating he wasn't well provided for, he was more pissed off than he had anticipated.

Felix ducked nervously. "I'm a man, men need money."

Aro burst into a sarcastic giggle, really patronising his son. "Human men need money, teenage vampires, however, not so much!"

Felix huffed indignantly. "Fine, but teenagers still need money," he said, adding quietly, "I don't have to explain myself to you."

Aro lifted his son's face up by a fist under his chin. "You do if you want a single florin out of me!"

Felix pulled away from his father. You don't fucking own me, he thought viciously, although not until he'd broken contact with Aro - he wasn't completely dense. "I wouldn't need to ask you for money if you let me get a job," he said petulantly.

Aro willed himself to keep his cool and started pacing off his rising anger. You ignorant brat, he thought. "Yes of course, young prince. Let us sign you up with the local merchants - I'm sure they would be overjoyed to have a volatile teenage vampire who can't go out in daylight! Especially one who has stolen from them!"

Patronising prick, Felix thought, scowling. Though he knew he should keep his mouth shut, he couldn't stop himself from blaming Aro for his situation, once again. "Well you were the one who turned me into a fucking vampire."

Aro froze for a moment. "How dare you!" he said menacingly with his back to his son. His head jerked to the side, he could feel his internal vampire desperately clawing its way forward, trying to change his psyche. Aro took a few moments to compose himself before facing his petulant boy. When he did, Felix stopped breathing ... he had never seen his father's eyes so black.

"That's right," Aro said as he steadied himself on Demetri's bed post. "I gave you this existence, and I can take it away again - think on that, son."

Felix gulped and stuttered incomprehensible apologies.

Aro wasn't interested in anything else his boy had to say - he'd long since crossed a line as far as Aro was concerned and he was ready to send Felix back to his own side of the playing field. "You stroll around my castle like you own the place. You live in my quarters and bring trouble to my door. You are even prancing about in my fucking clothes!"

Felix scowled. "I don't prance!"

Aro threw his hands into the air. "That would be all you heard, of course. Damn ingrate, you don't listen to a word I say, do you?!" Feeling a little unsteady still, Aro retook his seat on Demetri's bed as a new way to 'show', rather than 'tell' his son came to mind.

If Felix thought Aro was giving up, he was wrong.

"Take them off."

Felix looked around nervously.

"My clothes." Aro confirmed flatly. "Take. Them. Off."

Felix shook his head. I'm not stripping in front of you!

"You take them off, or I will take them from you."

Felix heard the finality in his father's voice, and though he thought Aro was being ridiculous he stood anyway and collected some of his own fresh clothes.

"Fine, if you want me to get changed I will," he replied moodily.

Aro flashed to his son's side. He ripped the guard uniform from his hands and threw them to the floor. "I didn't tell you to get changed. I told you to take off my clothes."

Whilst Aro stared his son down, Felix knew he was entering into a power play with his father. If it had been Demetri standing against Aro he would have broken already, but not Felix. Felix was always ready to oppose and he never backed down in a battle of wills without a fight.

"NO."

Aro didn't break his glare, but Felix saw his eyes widen for a moment as he bristled to his son's defiance.

"Do it." Aro ordered, one last time.

"Do it yourself." Felix replied darkly as he squared his shoulders, ready for Aro's impending assault. He couldn't stop Aro from taking his dignity, but he wasn't going to hand it to him on a plate, that was for damn sure!

Aro smiled evilly. "Oh, you want to play games, we can play." Collecting his son's clothes from the floor, Aro threw open the windows on the far side of the room and dramatically dropped them to the floor.

Felix huffed and crossed his arms. "Whatever," he muttered and looked away.

Next Aro collected another set of his son's clothes and threw those out of the window too.

"What are you doing?" Felix asked, sounding bored with Aro's game already.

"Playing." Aro said happily as he collected another set. "You have stolen my clothes and refuse to return them so I am throwing yours away." Aro's forced happy tone was pissing Felix off.

"I'll get more."

Aro dropped his son's clothes to the castle grounds. "Really? Do tell me, where from? I won't be supplying you with any more." Aro collected the rest of Felix's clothes. Leaving a single set of faded, greying guard robes on his boy's bed, he threw the rest from the window.

"Why have you left those? They are old, I haven't worn those in a century."

Aro smiled. "Well, they are all you have now."

Felix rolled his eyes. "Sully won't let me walk around in those old things," he scoffed.

"You really haven't been paying attention have you, son. I control everything around here - including Sully, and most definitely, YOU." Aro heard Felix gulp. "Are we getting nervous now?"

Felix looked to the floor and bit his lip hard, not trusting himself to answer appropriately.

Aro picked up the old greying uniform and shook it out. Looking the garments up and down he grimaced dramatically. "You are really going to stick out wearing these, son," he sang out, laughing as he walked to the window. "Unless you don't want them anymore?"

Felix's head shot around to his father.

"I can throw these out, too, but then you will be fulfilling your duties wearing ... well, wearing nothing at all."

"You wouldn't make me do that." Felix spat, nerves betraying his voice.

"Wouldn't I?" Aro asked, extending his arm out of the window and dangling his son's last set of clothes to their possible demise.

"How sure are you? Would you really like to risk it?" Aro saw his son's expression, if looks could kill - he would be dead by now. "Take off my clothes," he sang with hollow humour.

Felix watched his last uniform set swinging in the breeze. Yeah, you would do it, wouldn't you, you bastard, he thought to his father, hoping at some point Aro would read in his thoughts just how much he despised him for this.

"I hate you," he spat as he began undressing.

Aro's dead heart twisted but he kept the pain from his face. "You know Felix, the opposite of love isn't hate, its indifference. If you hate me, I know you still care, and I know I can still reach you."

Felix scoffed as in his head he called Aro every name under the sun.

Aro leaned into the windowframe as he waited for his son to finish - every item Felix removed was thrown to the floor with disgust ... until he had nothing left.

Felix felt traitorous tears pricking his eyes, born of frustration, anger and humiliation as he stood before his father, naked. Felix wasn't exactly shy, he had the body of a young Adonis - he had nothing to be shy about. But there was something wholly shameful about the position Aro had forced him into. Felix was exposed, he felt vulnerable - Aro hadn't only taken Felix' clothes ... he'd taken his dignity.

Aro quietly placed the old guard uniform on his son's bed and collected his own clothes from where they lay scattered on the floor around Felix. Looking into his son's eyes as they came face to face, Aro knew he had pushed his boy to the edge. But he wanted to make his point clear.

"You own what you are standing up in. Everything else is mine to give, and mine to take away."

Felix broke, tears flowed freely down his cheek and he hated his own involuntary response. As Aro turned to walk away, Felix whispered a final, hateful insult.

"Cunt."

Aro spun back around.

CRACK!

Felix felt his mouth fill with blood as he bit into his cheek to suppress the pain from the slap Aro gave him.

"Like I said, Felix - I gave you this life, I can just as easily take that away, too."