AN: Sorry for the delay, my work load is crazy at mo! Thank you for the recent reviews and PMs, particularly Katkls who has ploughed through all 109 chapters in record time to catch us up!

For everyone I haven't scared off, (or majorly offended), welcome to the last bunch of the Lucius chapters…

1672, DECEMBER - CHRISTMAS

Aro had managed to keep his family on lockdown for a whole month before Basileus found out. That alone was testament to how much of the man's focus rested on his long-lost child from 'woman unknown'.

Basileus had ordered Aro out, and with the threat of submission being announced through the door, (thankfully the children were sleeping!) Aro relented - what choice did he have? - and opened his chambers again. He kept Renata, though, much to Basileus' dismay, as he just didn't understand Aro's need to keep the guard around.

More than that, Basileus took Renata's presence as a personal insult against his judgement. The altercation between creator and king had brought Aro back to the forefront of Basileus' mind and he insisted on spending some time with his son. ALL of his sons - including that slimy little bastard, Lucius.

Renata worked through the door to keep Lucius' persuasion at bay, though she could only protect Aro under such conditions, which made Felix a little nervous as he was there, too! Fortunately, Felix's boredom took over his worry and he was soon set on annoying his father.

"Why don't you go and play with Lucius?" Aro offered menacingly.

Felix glared at Aro for even making such a suggestion.

"He can't," Basileus called over from his desk. "He's out with Atia."

"Wow, you let him out of your sight?"

Eleazar caught Aro's sly jibe and shook his head to his brother. "You must have a bloody death wish," he hissed.

Aro rolled his eyes and went back to looking over the next phase of expansion plans. They had spent much of the year making repairs to the main castle after some particularly ruthless weather and they were now behind on building the west tower. Eleazar and Carlisle were particularly vocal in their annoyance for such delays, both desperate for private quarters away from each other.

"Can we start celebrating Christmas?" Felix asked, looking hopefully towards his father.

Basileus laughed, but Aro found the matter less humorous. "There is no place for religion in my coven, son," he said without even looking at the boy. Honestly, you must just pull these ideas out of your ass!

Felix huffed. "I just thought that now we are celebrating Easter ..."

"We are not celebrating Easter. The covens convene at Easter every decade, that is all," Aro insisted, "and it's only Easter because it's the start of the new year, so it seemed appropriate."

"Erm, the new year starts in January now, Dad, they changed it."

"Who is they?" Aro asked.

Felix smirked towards Carlisle. "The humans with the god squad."

Carlisle scowled at his nephew's word choice. "Do you know how disrespectful that is, Felix?"

Carlisle hadn't completely lost his faith, though he was struggling to assimilate his old religion with his new way of life. Felix knew that, and he was using it to wind up Carlisle whenever he had the chance.

Aro shook his head, he had seen so many changes to things like that through his lifetime and, being a vampire with little human contact, was often slightly behind the curve. That pissed him off - Aro didn't like not knowing something, and he blamed the humans for the minor interruption to his life.

"Why do humans like to change these things? What was wrong with New Year's Day being on March 25th?"

"They are moving it back to where it should be!" Basileus interjected as he strolled over to join his sons. "March was a ridiculous time to start a new year."

Felix pushed on. "Perhaps we could invite the covens for Christmas, too?"

Aro threw his paperwork to the side table and focused on his boy. "Are you just trying to wind me up?" he asked, shaking his head. Christmas?! Never!

"I'm serious!" Felix insisted. He had started off trying to wind Aro up, that was true enough, but now he thought about it, Christmas would be a lot of fun. "We should start some new traditions."

"No," Aro said flatly.

"You are the one who has been telling us to embrace change," Carlisle added, joining in on his nephew's crusade. He would quite like some Christian traditions to be brought into Volturi life.

"Where I feel it is necessary, Carlisle, yes," Aro answered. "Christmas … " he pretended to think about it as a possibility, waiting until Carlisle and Felix looked hopeful, "not so much."

Carlisle looked away, annoyed in himself for falling into his brother's trap.

"Please," Felix asked.

Eleazar could see Aro getting annoyed. Relations between Basileus and Aro were already hanging by a thread and neither would come well if Felix continued to goad his father. "Why, Felix?" he asked his nephew, throwing him a withering look.

Basileus eyed his grandson for a moment. "Presents!" he said, plucking the idea from the boy's own thoughts.

Felix folded his arms, looking cross. "That's not the only reason."

Aro smiled at his boy. "Give me one more and I'll say yes."

"Erm …" Fuck! Why can't I think of anything?!

Aro laughed. "You took too long."

"No, no wait, I can think of some!" Felix insisted, cursing his brain for going on a go-slow.

Aro shook his head. He had won, in his mind. "Too late, conversation over."

"Well I am celebrating Christmas on my own, then," Felix told his father with finality.

Aro rolled his eyes.

Eleazar did the same. "And how will you be celebrating, young prince?" he asked his nephew.

Felix thought for a moment. "I'm going to buy everyone a gift," he decided.

"Don't waste your money," Aro said. My money! he thought. "You will be receiving no gifts in return."

"But, Dad!" Felix whined.

Aro winced, that tone drove him crazy, just as Felix knew it would. "You have a roof over your head, blood to drink, and money in your pocket - I give you enough."

"Well it wouldn't have to be from you," Carlisle told his brother.

Aro looked at his little brother pointedly before turning back to Felix. "No one else in this castle will give you a gift either." He gave Carlisle another stern look before collecting up his expansion plans to distract himself from his son's idiotic wittering.

"Actually," Felix crooned, sidling up to his father on the sofa. "Saint Nicholas gives gifts to children at Christmas … in a hose or something."

"That's lovely, do you know him well?" Aro patronised his boy. "Does he have your address?"

"You are old enough to know saints' stories are fanciful and fantastical," Eleazar added.

"Doesn't mean it doesn't happen," Felix huffed.

"It might have happened, once upon a time, somewhere far, far away. It isn't happening now, and it isn't happening here," Aro said with finality. The matter was already closed in his eyes.

Felix changed tack. "Some people decorate their houses with branches off trees and stuff. Can I do that?"

Aro guffawed in his son's face. "Yeah, do that, son. I'll ask Caius to have a cell ready in the dungeons for when your mother sees it."

Seeing how hurt Felix looked by his dismissal of those ideas, Aro relented a little and offered a compromise, kind of. "If you want to play Christian you can start by going to church."

"I'll take you, Felix, if you want to go?" Carlisle offered genuinely.

"NO!" Basileus, Eleazar and Aro answered in unison.

"It won't just be me!" Carlisle returned snottily. "Marcus and I are going to the Christmas services in Volterra."

"Hmm, accompanied might not be so bad," Eleazar mused, though one look to his father and brother told him it was the wrong thing to say.

Carlisle looked murderously around the room, thoroughly pissed off that he still wasn't trusted by his family to be a responsible adult, particularly where his nephew was concerned. He hadn't put a foot out of place since January when he'd stolen from the guards, and truthfully, he still couldn't work out how that had happened.

Basileus saw things differently. Carlisle may not have actively done anything wrong, but other than engaging with the human workforce, he wasn't doing much to shine positively, either. Though it completely evaded Carlisle as to when he was supposed to shine with Basileus down his throat for every imagined slight. Eleazar was having an easier time of it, but Aro and Carlisle were constantly under their father's scrutiny and neither seem able to please the creator.

"So if I do the church thing can we do Christmas?" Felix asked, feeling hopeful again.

"It's a week until the 25th, son," Aro stated. "You will need longer than that to convince me to celebrate Christmas."

"Next year it is then!" Felix crowed triumphantly. He knew his father; the guy was always looking for the win-win where his children were concerned and he had even made pretty big coven changes based on Felix's suggestion. He brought in the payroll … that was kind of my idea … Christmas will be an easy win!

Eleazar filled everyone's cups and took the seat opposite Aro. "He won't stop going on about it until then, you know?!"

Aro scowled at the forthcoming debates that would no doubt cloud his year until he gave in. "I have enough of a headache with Alec, I don't need your nagging on top of that, Felix!"

Alec and Lucius had teamed back up the instant Aro had released his family from lockdown. Aro had spent the month explaining to them all that Lucius was a risk, he told them all he knew about the boy's control and that the persuasion he was gifted with was most definitely not his only power, but still Alec had skipped away with the menace as soon as he'd clapped eyes on him.

Idiot! Aro thought about his youngest, thought he truly didn't blame Alec - he was convinced Lucius was in his head, somehow. The pair of them had created merry hell in the Volturi coven, though Lucius always seemed to evade blame in Basileus' eyes. Aro had refused point blank to punish Alec if Lucius was going to walk scott-free - another bone of contention between Aro and Basileus as the creator truly believed his grandson was to blame.

"What has he done now?" Eleazar asked.

"They, not he." Aro didn't need to mention Lucius by name, all in attendance knew it was Lucius. Hearing his father scoff, Aro pushed on. "If you had let me keep my family on lockdown …"

Basileus cut his boy off mid-sentence. "Stop, just stop!" he demanded. "You are driving me mad, Aro! Every conversation you manage to have a dig at the boy."

"You are too quick to defend him," Aro sneered, "and you throw my son to the wolves even quicker, he added quietly.

Basileus heard him loud and clear. "You know those brandings were Alec's idea, we both read it in his thoughts!"

"I still don't believe it," Aro said defensively.

Nothing Basileus could ever say would make the cruelty he had meted on Alec justifiable in Aro's eyes. Or anyone else's for that matter.

Basileus slammed his drink to the table, spilling its contents. "Your gift has been enough to condemn men to death, but suddenly you can no longer rely on it? Really?"

"Yes, really," Aro shot back, matching his father's tine. "Something is going on."

Basileus was so bored of Aro's complaints, particularly as in the space of a whole year, he still had failed to back up his claims that Lucius was not to be trusted with any proof.

"Alec is letting off some steam now he has a playmate, that is all."

"That is not all." Aro slammed his glass down, too, and like his father, scattered the contents of the goblet. "I know Alec well enough to know that these pranks, these little adventures - they are not of his making."

"I would be more inclined to agree if I hadn't seen the entire premeditated process in the child's mind!" Basileus thundered in reply.

Eleazar held his head in his hands. He could see this was going to erupt in to a full-on argument and they were all supposed to be going to the guard party in an hour. We will never get there now. For fuck sake.

"I know Alec, and you don't know Lucius," Aro insisted.

Basileus got to his feet, towering over Aro. "I know Lucius well enough, and Atia knows the boy inside out!"

Aro considered backing down for a moment, but he was too damn pissed off! "That's just it though, isn't it, Dad - we don't know him inside out. Neither of our gifts work on him!"

Basileus walked away, he was sick of that complaint, too. "Atia said …"

"Atia is probably in on it!" Aro broke in. He didn't even mean it, really. But it was the only thing he could think of at the time to add any credence to his argument.

Basileus spun on his heel to face Aro. His whole demeanour changed. "What is that supposed to mean?" he asked, quietly, darkly, scaring the fuck out of all three sons and grandson.

Aro knew that tone too well already. It sounded so very much like the tone his father had used when he called for his submission … both times.

"Come on, it's not like you to hold back, son," Basileus continued, knowing he was goading his boy. "What do you mean by Atia is in on it?" He stalked back to his stand in front of his middle boy. "You will answer me, you little fucker."

Aro gulped, but there was no way he was backing down now. "It means Atia is a self-serving bitch who has brought that boy into my coven to cause havoc and you are too blind to see it!"

Aro flashed to the back of the room and he regretted the words before he had even finished saying them. Part of him wondered why the submission had allowed him to say it!

"What are you doing, Dad?" Eleazar asked, jumping to his feet to stand between Aro and Basileus.

Basileus slipped his belt from around his waist. "He wanted a reaction, he's getting one," he said rather flippantly, watching Aro, who scoffed in response.

"Is that really necessary?" Eleazar gestured to his nephew with his chin. Not in front of the boy, my lord, he pleaded tentatively, trying to save his brother further embarrassment.

"He can carry on for all I care, brother, I'm only telling it how it is," Aro said, sounding ever so nonchalant. You didn't need Magnus to read his emotions to know he was lying, Aro looked scared to death.

"Let's see how long you can cling on to that bravery, shall we?" Basileus mocked his boy, slapping his folded belt across his palm. The noise turned Aro's stomach over.

Eleazar wasn't fairing much better than his brother. He blocked Basileus' path and pushed him back with a hand on his chest. "Dad, see sense … "

"See sense?" Basileus repeated before Eleazar could go any further.

"I just meant … "

"Out!" Basileus roared in his eldest son's face. Eleazar didn't budge. "Eleazar, get out, or you are next."

"Go, El," Aro called out bravely. He didn't really want his brother to leave, he was scared what Basileus would do without an audience and he was pretty sure he would only get a hiding in front of them - which was preferable to submission in private. "Don't worry about it."

"No!" Eleazar stood firm. "There is no need for this to get physical."

Basileus cocked an eyebrow at his eldest. "Sod it, you're first."

"What?!" All three of the creator's sons replied, stunned at the turnabout in their father's demeanour.

"So the three of you are against me now, is that it?" Basileus asked, looking around his traitorous brats.

"We aren't against you!" Eleazar insisted.

"You are being paranoid!" Aro added, unhelpfully.

Basileus scoffed. "That's a bit rich coming from you, boy!"

"You can't keep beating the coven members on a whim!" Aro shot back, feeling a little safer now Eleazar had stood with him against their father.

"You aren't coven members," Basileus growled, glaring around the room. "You are MY sons and I will do whatever I damn well please in order to correct your insubordination.

Felix wasn't too sure where he fitted - is it better to be a coven member or one of his family? he wondered. He stood with Carlisle anyway.

Basileus looked like he was ready to fight, in Aro's eyes. "Do you think you can take the three of us on, Dad?"

"You trained us," Eleazar pointed out.

"I did," Basileus agreed, walking around his chambers and judging his adversaries. "And just like you with those you train," he directed to Aro, "I always kept a little back for safety."

He came to a halt in front of Carlisle and Felix. Felix stood firm, but Carlisle looked unsure. "Besides, by the look on Carlisle's face he might like to try and get out of this if he can?"

"N, n, no," Carlisle stuttered in reply.

"Great, Carlisle!" Aro sneered, throwing his hands in the air. "Thanks a lot!"

Basileus ignored his son's theatrics. "El, how about you?"

Eleazar shook his head slowly, eyeballing Basileus as he did so. "I'm not going anywhere until you put that belt back on."

"Fine," Basileus replied easily. For a moment everyone breathed a sigh of relief believing the creator to have relented. Foolish boys.

Once Eleazar was distracted enough by his relief, Basileus took him by the throat and dragged him to the old oak table, throwing him across it and pinning him down.

Basileus growled ferociously, keeping everyone else well back. "Aro, either you step up to the plate and take it like a man, or I will take El down and give it to him like one," he sneered hatefully.

"What do you mean?" Carlisle asked. It sounds … sexual? he thought.

"Aro knows what I mean," Basileus replied, still growling. That growl was to be a permanent fixture of the conversation.

"Dad …" Eleazar gasped from beneath Basileus' hold, "no … this is going too far."

"You know what to do to end this, Aro," Basileus smiled cruelly. "Assume the position in your brother's place or start your backtracking damn quick and take your beating."

Aro gulped. What lovely options I have! he thought with his eyes shut, willing the whole world to disappear and him with it.

Meanwhile, Basileus was slowly starting to strip Eleazar.

"Aro!" Eleazar called out. "Do something!"

Carlisle turned to Felix, hoping he would have a clue what was going on. "What does he mean?"

Basileus stopped stripping his eldest and turned a delightfully cruel smile on his youngest before calling for Aro's attention. "You still haven't told your baby brother, have you?" he asked, knowing Aro wouldn't have. "So you don't trust Carlisle either?"

"Why don't you trust me?" Carlisle asked indignantly. "What don't you trust me with?"

"How about the boy?" Basileus asked Aro, paying little attention to Carlisle's complaints. "Does Felix know?"

"Leave him out of this!" Aro growled in return.

"Perhaps I will have him after your brother," Basileus said too quietly, smirking at the young boy, before turning his attention back to Eleazar.

In one swift movement he debagged Eleazar and pinned both arms behind his back. "Come on son, we're all family here," he whispered into his ear.

"For fuck sake, Aro, do something," Eleazar roared.

Aro swallowed down every ounce of pride he had and spoke to his father. "I apologise unreservedly, my lord, and beg for your forgiveness."

It worked. Basileus released Eleazar immediately and approached his middle child. "Did that stick in your throat, son?" he asked, the growl still there, rumbling in his chest as a reminder to the dangerousness of the situation.

"No, my lord. Of course not," Aro replied, eyes submissively to the floor.

"Jesus Christ, what the hell is going on?!" Carlisle erupted.

Eleazar redressed himself and pulled his brother and nephew close.

Aro dared to look at his son, feeling such great shame that the boy would witness Basileus punishing him. "I believe I am in your debt for a hiding, my lord," he said respectfully.

"That you are, boy," Basileus nodded.

When Aro turned and put his hands on the wall, offering his back for punishment, Basileus called to stop him. "Ah, ah, ah," he said, tutting. "Strip."

Aro spun back around. "What?!"

"Dad, no, don't do this," Eleazar pleaded, Carlisle and Felix backing him up.

"You both backed out and left your brother to take his whipping," Basileus told his sons. "You don't get to call the shots now!" He turned back to Aro. "STRIP!" he roared.

Aro released a shaky breath and started to undo his dress coat.

"Aro, don't!" Eleazar called out. "Just come with me," he suggested, opening his father's chamber door wide.

Aro shook his head. There was no way he was getting out of that room without some form of punishment and he would rather a belting than any other sort Basileus might offer. "It's alright, El, just go."

"Oh no, they had their chance to leave." Basileus flashed to the door, slamming it closed and pulling the three younger vampires closer to the action. "They are going to watch."

"Fuck," Aro whispered, catching his son's eye.

CRACK!

Basileus whipped the end of his belt towards Aro, landing it on his chest with the tip catching his chin.

Aro wanted to howl in response but he would rather die than do such a thing in front of his brothers and son.

"I didn't quite catch that, son," Basileus said, cupping his ear as though he was straining to hear anything. "Do you want to try again?"

"Look!" Aro spluttered. "I said look, my lord. They should look."

"Nice save," Basileus sneered, backing up a little to give Aro space to change.

Aro looked down his body and back to his father. He had already removed his coat and shirt. What else do you want?

"Keep going," Basileus said, gesturing to the rest of his boy's clothing.

"Felix …" Aro shut his mouth knowing no matter what he said he wasn't getting away with anything because Felix was there.

"Feeling shy, son?" Basileus asked cruelly.

"No," Aro huffed with his hands on his hips.

He wasn't feeling shy at all. Felix had seen him naked enough times that he had no shame being undressed in front of the boy, and vice versa - they had lived together for centuries with one bathroom! It was just so improper to have his son there as a witness to what looked set to be a serious beating.

"Does this remind you of anything?" Basileus asked playfully. Savage, but playful. "How about Felix and his uniform?"

He pulled his grandson in close. "Time to get your own back, boy."

"I don't want to be here," Felix said tearfully.

Basileus pushed the boy away, as though he had offended him or something for not going along with his cruel joke. "Tough!" he growled.

"You shouldn't be thinking about that power play anyway, son," Basileus told Aro. "This is going to be far more reminiscent of your last dungeon blood comedown."

Aro shut his eyes again, squeezing tightly, but he refused to remove any more of his clothing. It wasn't even for his own pride - he knew Felix was freaking out already and he didn't want to make matters worse for the boy.

"Strip," Basileus commanded.

"Let Felix out first," Aro whispered. "This isn't fair on him, my lord."

The door swung open, but it wasn't Basileus' doing.

"Basileus?!" Atia called.

She came into the room and looked around in obvious confusion, seeing Eleazar still fixing the fastenings on his britches, Aro half stripped, Felix in clear distress, and Carlisle looking bewildered.

"What on earth has happened in here?" she asked, approaching her mate who seemed to calm instantly at the sound of her voice.

Everyone froze, waiting for the creator's next move.

"I … can't remember?" he stumbled, holding his head, falling into the nearby chair.

"Is your guard up?" Aro asked his mother tentatively.

"Across the whole room," Atia replied, fetching her mate a drink. He looked pale, even for a vampire!

"Where is he?!" Aro roared, ripping through his father's apartment searching for Lucius. "Where is that little cunt?!"

"Aro!" Atia admonished her son's word choice, though she wasn't too sure what had happened before she arrived. Basileus wasn't forthcoming with information either. He could hardly form a sentence.

"No, he's right mom, something is going on!" Eleazar backed Aro up, joining in the search. "Use Dad's gift, go inside his head, you will see what he was about to do!"

Atia did just that and was horrified to discover how close Basileus had been to calling for not only Aro's submission, but Eleazar's as well!

You were seriously going to strip Aro and beat him? Where has this come from? she wondered. There was something about Basileus' memories, they were patchy, and his own thoughts didn't agree with his actions. Basileus had tried to resist reacting to Aro originally but it was as though a flip had switched in his brain … very … odd.

"What was he about to do?" Carlisle asked. His curiosity was long behind him - it was a matter of principal and he demanded an answer.

Unfortunately, no one had time to explain. "Nothing, Carlisle, don't worry about it," Eleazar replied, though he felt guilty not sharing what he knew. Carlisle had a right to know in his mind, but it wasn't his story to tell.

"Here he is, the little fucker!" Aro called as he dragged Lucius out of his father's bedchamber. He had found Lucius in the walk-in robe. "Why were you hiding in there? Huh?" he asked through gritted teeth, shaking the boy by his hair.

"I was scared! Basileus was shouting, you were all shouting!" Lucius claimed, wincing and hissing at the sharp tugs.

"Don't give me that!" Aro roared, throwing the boy to the floor.

"Aro, he's a child," Basileus said softly, hazily - he wasn't quite with it.

"He's Satan or something, he's not a child!" Aro returned, taking his eyes off the boy for a moment.

Lucius took that moment to flee the ground floor suite.

Aro cursed his own distraction. "You better run boy - if I catch you I'll fucking kill you!" he called after him, being dragged back by Eleazar.

"Don't shout," Basileus pleaded. "My head is spinning."

Atia was full of concern for her mate and she was going to get to the bottom of it all. It worried her that Aro might believe she was part of whatever was going on. She most certainly wasn't. Though truthfully, she knew Aro had only said as such to back up his lack of evidence.

Atia collected Aro's clothes and handed them to her son. "I will get to the bottom of this, but you should all leave now," she said, herding them all towards the door.

Eleazar looked back to his father. The creator looked a shadow of his former self, in so many ways. He was neither the man they knew and loved, nor the ultimate coven leader they feared. He seemed to be in some sort of half-life stage. Deflated, defeated.

"I don't want to leave you alone with him," Eleazar whispered.

Atia could deal with her mate, she had nothing to fear. "Everyone is quite safe," she insisted. "A guard party is taking place right now. I suggest you take yourselves - your families are already there."

With that she closed the door on the four of them.

Renata stood by, waiting to be instructed. She was surprised to see Aro half-dressed on the castle floor. It was certainly an unusual event. She hadn't heard what had happened within, exactly, though from the growling and roaring that escaped through the door, it sounded serious.

Aro redressed and avoided his little brother's eye. He couldn't look at Felix either.

"I'm killing that kid, El," he said, trying to distract himself. "Fuck the consequences! Lucius is using Basileus… I'm living on borrowed time here."

Eleazar could see how tense his brother was but what he was suggesting was preposterous. They had discussed the possibilities of gifts that could take possession of other many times before, before Lucius had even turned up, but it was all theory - there had never been a vampire with such a gift. . "Come on, Aro. Let's get you a drink," he suggested, guiding his brother along.

Carlisle blocked their path. "Are either of you going to tell us what the fuck that was about?"

"NO," they both replied forcefully.

"Fuck you both," Carlisle growled. "Come on, Felix." He pulled his nephew with him, both shooting Aro and Eleazar frustrated, confused eyes as they left.

Eleazar dragged Aro back. "Let them go. What else can we do if we aren't going to tell them what that was really about?"

I'm not telling them. They will never need to know, Aro thought as he trudged alongside his brother to the guard hall.