It's a long, dead life!

by BDE

We join the Volturi in 1663 when Carlisle was turned for his long, dead life and family drama. Aro, Caius, and Marcus are trying to rule the world. Felix, Demetri, Jane and Alec are creating havoc as child vampires and the Denali sisters soon join them. Mature scenes - Corporal Punishment (spanking/discipline) and offensive things, but its the Volturi, so what do you expect?

155. Misery Loves Company - Part 2

AN: Oh my gosh, it's been so long, and the world has gone to shite since I last posted!

I hope you are all keeping safe and well. How's the Corona situation where you are? It's all a bit strange here (Black Country, England) and although I have been flipping from terrified to shrugging about it all (the joys of being bipolar in a pandemic!) its almost all forgotten now. Very strange!

I've had a distressing year or so, hence the loooong gap, for which I apologise, but things are turning a corner now and I'm planning on getting back to this fic if anyone's still reading? I am sorry for doing a cut and run when Magnus was flying towards Odi with a fist to the face - I'm not really one for cliffys anyway, so that was incredibly bad, and then I buggered off?! So rude, and I'm so sorry. That said, you're going to have to wait a teeny bit longer as we're starting this chapter the morning after, in the south tower…

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Misery loves company - Part 2

JANUARY 6TH

An almighty crash came from the top floor of the south tower.

Sulpicia flew up the stairs, greeted by her three boys, all peering around their bedchamber doors towards Jane's room. The shrill squeal the girl had released would usually have meant her brothers would come running to her defence, but after the same squeal had ignited them all in searing pain only a few days before, they held back, watching, waiting. Sulpicia had suffered that evening, too, but her motherly instinct was too strong to push aside so easily.

Entering Jane's room, she found the girl standing with her back pressed tightly to the wall, glaring at her upturned bed. Panting with exertion, she turned to her mother and laughed a little!

"I thought there was a spider on the rug, but it was just yarn," she explained. "It's dead yarn now, though."

Sulpicia dragged a hand down her face, partly relieved her girl was safe and well, but mostly annoyed her work had been disturbed, again, by inconsequential things. She even chucked Aro out of the tower in the early hours because his incessant questioning was driving her mad! And now this? Sully shook her head.

"I heard you two floors down. Be careful, please, and keep the noise down - I'm working."

Jane huffed so loudly that she was clearly trying to annoy her mother, or rather, take out her frustrations on her mother (whatever they were that day!) With no reaction and Sulpicia halfway out the door, she added an impatient, "It's not my fault."

Pausing at the door, but not turning to the girl, Sulpicia began to say, "I wasn't blaming you for anything, Jane, I am simply asking you to be quiet…"

"Because you're working," Jane snapped, rudely interrupting. "Yes, I heard you."

Jane could be harsh at times, which Sulpicia was well used to. But the girl's abrasion had seen a remarkable rise since the Denali girls had arrived in the coven and she was in no mood to suffer Jane's mouth after a long night of stressful accounting.

Sulpicia turned on her heel to face off with the little vampire. "Excuse me?" she asked, warning clear in her tone.

Alec crept down the hall from his own bedchamber. "You are always working, Mom," he said softly.

The boy may have been trying to help his twin sister, but that didn't mean Jane would appreciate his efforts. "Why are you interfering?" she snapped at him.

"I'm trying to help you stay out of trouble."

Jane fixed her twin with the same glare she'd seen Tanya giving Irina. "What I do is my business."

Alec wasn't sure what to say. He and Jane had grown apart over the last year or so, since the Denali girls had arrived, really. But he was used to having his sister on his side, and, in turn, Jane knowing he was on her side. They listened to each other; they respected one another's opinion. Why are you angry with me?

"You're getting mad," he said, stumbling over his words a little.

"That's also my business."

Sulpicia was done. "Don't you start picking on him!"

"I'm not picking on anyone," Jane said in return, feeling her frustration mounting. "None of this is my fault. You said you would clean this room properly when I moved in here and it's still filthy…" Jane continued on, berating her mother for having the audacity to give her Felix's room in exchange for her spider-ridden one. Especially when she hadn't cleaned it thoroughly for her.

"I think filthy is an exaggeration, my dear," Sully said, trying to quieten the girl. That said, she mused, looking passed Jane into her new bedchamber. There was still a distinct 'boy' scent emanating from the room. "I will get around to it soon." There, that will settle her…

No such luck. Jane sighed as loudly as she dared, scoffing at her mother's offer.

"You could always do it yourself?" Sulpicia suggested, much to the girl's chagrin.

"Do it myself?" Jane choked out. "I am a princess."

"Oh really?" Sulpicia shot back with faux surprise. Haughty little madame! "Well, I am the queen."

"The queen who won't allow guards in here to clean up properly. What kind of queen cleans her own home?" Jane asked, laughing at the very idea. "And does a bad job of it!"

That was it. Sulpicia's entire resolve disappeared. The ensuing argument soon brought Aro stomping up the stairs.

"Whats with all the shouting?!"

Thank the Gods! Sully thought, seeing Aro arrive. "Tell your daughter to go to her room!" she demanded, pointing at Jane.

"Tell your wife I am in my room!" With that, Jane slammed the door in her mother's face.

Gods be damned! Sully had momentarily forgotten Jane and Felix had swapped bed chambers. She may well have left things there had her idiot mate not started chuckling at her side. Turning a dark eye on the man, Aro tried to defend himself.

"What?" he asked, snorted as he stifled his clear amusement at their daughter's actions. Sully's glare deepened. "Oh, come on! It was funny!"

Sulpicia knew it would do no one any good for the two of them to start a row so early in the day, so she held her calm façade whilst sticking the knife in a little. "I'm surprised by you, my love," she said. "I never thought I'd see the day that Eleazar stepped up, let alone you step down."

Where the hell did that come from?! Aro's face twisted in confusion. "I haven't stepped down."

"Oh, you have," Sully insisted. "It's well known that our daughter has you wrapped around her little finger, but I used to let it go. In fairness to Jane, until recently, she hasn't been so openly defiant in your presence. But now, not only are you failing to parent her, but you are obstructing me in the process. You might as well not be here at all."

"That could be arranged," Aro muttered in response. Damn harridan.

Naturally, Sulpicia caught his words. No problem, she had more words of her own. "You have no issue putting the boys in their place, but Jane…"

"I know the damage boys can do, I was one," Aro pointed out. "Girls can't do anything. Not really."

"Girls can't do anything?!"

"The only worry parents have with girls is that they'll end up pregnant. We're vampires and Jane's too young for all that anyway." Aro finished with a self-satisfied smirk. "Hence, no worries."

"You are deluded," Sully said allowed, adding a few more things in her mind as she turned to walk away.

"I have no worries with Jane. You need to stop picking on my girl."

"Utterly deluded."

"Sul!" Aro's bark stopped Sulpicia in her tracks. "I am telling you to stop picking on my princess."

Days gone by, Sulpicia would have shrank hearing her mate's dark tone. Those days were behind her, though the knot in her stomach reminded to remind her of past pains. The knot made her all the more determined to challenge her mate and keep those days in the past. "Telling me?" she asked, fixing him with a curious eye.

Aro squared his shoulders. "Ordering you."

A part of Sulpicia's psyche screamed at her to back away - danger, danger! But a greater part wouldn't allow her to. She couldn't push Aro too far, however. Not with their children no doubt hanging on to every word they spoke.

"Jane is my princess, too, my love," she said, softening her tone. "You are driving a wedge between us by making me the bad guy with her."

"You're seriously going there with me?" Aro nearly choked on his mate's hypocrisy. "How do you think I feel with the boys?! They run to you knowing you'll defend them against me." Triumph! He could see by the look on her face that he was dead right, bang on the nail, hole in one, and whatever other analogy he could think up. "I tell you what, Sul, I'll back you up with our daughter when you have my back with our sons."

Before Sulpicia could respond, Aro turned his ire elsewhere. Seeing his older boys peeking out their bedroom doors, he jabbed an angry finger in their direction.

"What are you pair doing?!" he questioned them. "Find something useful to do with your time or I'll assign something for you."

"Like theres anything for us to do around here?"

Felix's voice had barely been above a whisper, but Aro half caught it. "What was that?" he asked, daring the boy to try his luck. "Are you starting already?"

Sulpicia rested her hand on her forehead. "Oh, leave them be," she said, sounding tired of it all.

Aro spun back to his mate and stretched his arms wide. "Proving my point for me, my queen?"

Arrogant arse. "No," Sully began evenly. "You're in a bad mood and you're taking it out on them."

"Of course I'm in a bad mood - I live with you lot!"

Hearing Aro stomping down the stairs, all four young vampires emerged from their rooms to check on their mother. After some awkward hugs Sulpicia told them to stop worrying, and that she could handle their father. 'We're all a little stressed right now', she explained, though they all looked worried still.

Knowing she had a mountain of paperwork to get through and wanting to take their little minds off family strife, Sulpicia prompted them into moving on. "What are we all up to today?" she asked, sounding much breezier than she felt.

"We're going over to Eleazar's," Felix said, slinging an arm around Demetri. "You coming?" he asked Jane.

Jane bobbed her head, "I'll meet you downstairs."

"I'll come, too."

Felix and Demetri stopped dead in their tracks. They had only recently carved out a new gang for themselves in the coven and they weren't about to ruin it by adding their baby brother into the mix. Demetri looked to Felix to sort it out for them, as usual.

Felix took the hint and let their baby brother down like a ton of bricks. "You can walk there with us, but that's it."

"You didn't say that to Jane!" Alec complained, utterly offended.

Felix shrugged. "Jane's not a baby," he called over his shoulder, dragging Demetri with him. He heard Alec's bedchamber door slam somewhere behind them, but he didn't think on it.

"Momma," Jane said quietly, wrapping her small arms around her mother's waist. "I'm sorry. I don't want you to argue because of me."

"You, my girl, haven't caused this." Sulpicia pulled her girl into her embrace and kiss the top of her blonde head. She didn't blame Jane really. Kids are supposed to push the boundaries a little. "You are simply being a child," Sully explained, squeezing the girl a little tighter. "Unfortunately, so is your father." Even if he does have a point about the boys.

Felix and Demetri barely stepped a foot inside their uncle's chambers before Irina and Kate pushed them back out the door. Irina had overheard some gossip about Odi from the guards that morning. They hadn't spoken to her - they never spoke to her - she had merely overheard them chatting between themselves. Regardless of how she had come by her information, she wanted to check out the truth of it. For a moment she had considered going to the guard dorms solo but decided waiting for Felix and Demetri would be a better idea - they knew the kid much better than she did.

"But why would Odi be back in the dorms?" Felix had asked as they walked the halls.

"That's what we're going to find out." Irina gave him a look that said 'obviously!'

Getting into the dorms posed an issue. Magnus had thrown them out the day before and none of them were keen on antagonising the juggernaut. Particularly not when they saw him at his desk in the masters' office doing paperwork - it was well known that paperwork made the guard mast a miserable S-O-B.

"We'll go outside and come back in through the courtyard doors," Felix suggested, clearly experienced in getting to the guard dorms without Magnus finding out.

The girls were sceptical but sure enough, Felix's plan worked.

"Jesus, Odi!" Irina turned her nose to the air. "This place is messier than our room!" And that was saying something because the Denali girls' room was a damn pig sty!

"I moved back here in a hurry," Odi explained, shoving a pile of clothes from the end of his bed to make space for the girls to sit down.

Felix and Demetri looked to each other, and then to the solitary chair in Odi's dorm room. Demetri was quicker than his big brother and made it there first, only to be unceremoniously dumped on the floor shortly afterwards as Felix took the seat.

"So," he asked, acting all regal in his 'throne'. "How come you're in here?"

"Oh, you know," Odi shrugged. "My old man tried to kill me last night - my dorm seemed a safer bet than my bedroom." Before the questions could begin, Odi shook his head. "Don't ask," he said. "Just don't."

Any other day, the Volturi youth would have bugged Odi until he gave up his secrets, but the kid looked so downcast that they left him be.

"Are you going to stay here?" Kate asked. "Like, forever?"

Odi wasn't sure how to answer. Do I want to stay here forever? Do I even want to stay in the coven forever? In that moment, he really couldn't answer. A one shouldered shrug was as good as he could offer in reply.

In a bid to give the kid a break from his inner demons, Felix soon took attention away from Odi by complaining about his father - his current number one topic.

Soon enough the young Volturi's were relaxed, once again complaining about their overzealous overlords. Even Odi had relaxed a little, though his mind was never far from the previous evening's events. He did his best to join in with the others and soak up their friendship.

What a shame that Caius should arrive and ruin it all.

The coven master didn't knock - partly because he expected Odi to be alone, mostly because a door in the guard dorms didn't count as closed to coven masters. Caius entered carrying a bottle of bloodwine, which appeared darker than usual, and a metal pipe. He had barely stepped foot into the room before Felix started.

"Whoa!" he burst, face full of exaggerated surprise as he took in the state of Caius. "What's happened to your face?!"

"None of your business," Caius huffed at the boy, scarcely giving any of the assorted outcasts a second glance. He was still riled up about the bunch of brats and their utter disrespect the day before. He hadn't told Aro yet, but he planned to. He couldn't have the coven youth undermining his position in the Volturi.

Felix didn't realise the precarious position he was already in and he continued to goad the master. "Has Basileus taught you another lesson?" he asked, bouncing about like a puppy.

I definitely need to talk to Aro about him, Caius thought, shaking his head. "Enough, Felix," he told the boy. His tone was fairly even for Caius, but it was clear he meant what he said.

"Has he, though?" Felix continued regardless. "Has Basileus given you another kicking?"

He even added a little laugh for effect and looked to his comrades for their reactions. Irina joined him with a scoff of her own whilst Kate and Demetri looked to the floor, hoping it would open and swallow them. Odi wore a clear smirk, though he avoided everyone's eye.

"No." Caius set his bottle and pipe down on the table beside Odi's bed and turned to Felix with a finger inches from the boy's face. "Now that is enough. I am warning you…"

Still unperturbed, Felix rolled his eyes and interrupted Caius before he could say more, "Bet he has."

I'll be giving you a kicking if you don't get out of my way, boy. Caius did well to keep those tempting thoughts to himself. "You lot, out," he said to the kids before turning a stern eye on Odi. "We have something to take care of."

Odi wasn't having that. Caius had already run him out of his home - or rather, Dad has, but it was Caius' fault, mostly, he thought - his guard dorm was the very last place that was his in the coven and he wasn't about to take orders from Caius! He flashed to his feet.

"This is my dorm room and…"

"And what?" Caius asked, stepping up to the kid. "Are you a guard?" Caius asked, head cocked to one side. Odi stayed quiet. "Are you a guard?"

Bollocks. Odi couldn't say no, because that would mean he had no business being in a guard dorm. And he couldn't say yes, either, because guards obey the masters without question. "Kind of," he eventually mumbled.

Knowing Odi had run out of rope, Caius offered the kid a half smile, (half, because the left side of his face ached too much for a full smile.) "Then you will do as you are told."

"We're not guards," Felix pointed out. "This is Odi's private space."

Disrespectful little bastard. Caius turned his back on Odi and looked the pompous little prince straight in the eye. "Feeling brave, Felix?"

Felix gulped. He was only playing, just being his usual self. He couldn't quite understand why Caius' tone had turned so sour, so scary. Before his father had seen him turfed out of the inbetweeners group, Felix had spent a few evenings at Caius and Dora's having drinks and larking about. They boy had been quite causal with Caius then, and Caius had… well, not encouraged such behaviour, but he hadn't bollocked him for it, which was as good as encouraging it in Felix' mind.

"I was just saying…"

"Just say one more thing, boy," Caius said, cutting Felix off in his stride. He gripped the buckle of his belt hoping the gesture would be enough to have Felix see sense.

It would have been enough for Demetri to back down. Hell! It would have been enough for Irina to back down! Felix has always liked to poke the bear one last time, though, bless him.

With a quick smirk to his fellow outcasts - who all shook their heads and gawped back at him, open mouthed - Felix said, "One more thing."

You had to do it, didn't you?! Cocky brat. This is exactly what I was talking about when Aro first declared you his son - I'll not cow down to a fucking child! Caius chuntered away to himself, unbuckling his belt.

"No, no, no," Felix rushed, backing away. "You don't need to do that!"

"Leave him, Caius," Odi tried, tugging on the coven master's arm to pull him back. "They're leaving now anyway."

Caius paid absolutely no attention to Odi's drivel. "Get in position," he ordered the doomed prince, using his belt to point out the wall where he wanted the boy. "Or will you embarrass yourself further by refusing?"

With a whimper, Felix stepped forward, hoping displaying willing would be enough for Caius to relent. He whispered an apology to the coven master, begging with his eyes to avoid being embarrassed in front of his brother and friends. And then he stood there with his shoulders low, looking gormless.

With a scoff, Caius ripped Felix from the floor, slammed the boy against the wall and whipped his folded belt against him a good ten times with every ounce of strength he could muster. It took a mere moment and Caius had finished before Felix even had time to react to the first strike. His fellow outcasts were all quite impressed with the boy's restraint… but they hadn't given him enough time…

"Fuck!" the boy roared, followed by a growl from deep within his soul as the blaze ignited in his backside.

To be fair to Felix, his brother and friends all felt it was a rather modest reaction given the force Caius had used against him.

Caius cocked his head to one side and raised his belt again.

"No!" Odi called out. "You don't need to do it again, Caius. Leave him alone!"

Sadly, for Felix, Odi's brave interjection sealed his fate. Caius hadn't planned on whipping the boy again, but now Odi had expressly told him not to, Caius felt compelled to show them all who was boss. And so, Felix took another ten strikes from the pissed off coven leader.

The boy wasn't quite so stoic a second time.

He tried to growl out his pain and frustrations as he had done the first time, as to him, it felt more manly. But his own body failed, seeking more release than a growl would offer and instead changed that growl to a strangled squeal which cracked in his throat. The whimpers that followed secured his humiliation.

Still pinning the boy to the wall with a fist full of tunic, Caius growled into his ear, "Are you going to keep running your mouth at me?"

Felix took his time, sucking in the air around him as quickly as he could to keep himself from screaming out.

Caius could see what he was doing and pulled the boy back a half step before slamming him back into the wall, knocking the wind clean out of him.

"ANSWER ME!"

"I'm done, I'm done," Felix rushed to say, squeezing his shut eyes tight to halt the tears.

"Anyone else?" Caius asked, glaring at each in turn. Not even Irina could hold his eye for longer than a second. Caius gave them a curt nod and ordered them all to leave. "Felix," he called before they got too far. "Tell Aro about this before I do."

Damn it, Felix silently cursed. Why can't I just keep my mouth shut?!

Demetri bit his lip eyeing his brother as Felix winced with each step. "Are you going to tell Dad?"

"With the mood he's in?" Felix reminded his little brother. "Am I hell!" He stalked ahead, trying his best to pretend nothing had happened, but he was humiliated, as any of them would be.

Irina pulled the young prince back a step before he made it to the guard hall staircase. Felix readied himself for her jibes, but they never came.

"Catch your breath before you go down there," she told him, her tone more matter of fact than caring. "Where shall we go?" she asked, providing the perfect distraction for Felix.

"The size of this castle and theres not a single place for us to go," Felix replied, huffing. "It takes the piss."

Kate glanced out the window to the frost-bitten earth below. "It's not raining," she said, trying to find the positive. "Let's just go outside."

"More fresh air?" Irina asked with a scowl. "How thoroughly entertaining."

Back in the dorm room, Odi was raging.

"Are you actually trying to ruin my life completely?!" he spat at Caius. "You've got what you wanted. You ran me out of my home. You've taken my own parents from me, for fuck sake!"

"Shut it!" Caius growled in reply, slamming the door.

Odi laughed mirthlessly. "You're just here to protect your secrets."

"If you think your life is shit now, try running your mouth about me. See where that lands you."

Odi spread his arms wide. "Look around!" he screamed back. "How much worse can it get? Dying would be a step up."

Felix had riled Caius up enough that he was more than ready for a fight with Odi, too, if he wanted one. But one look at the kid, a proper look, saw him quickly change tack. It had been many years since the coven master has seen a vampire in such a state… aside from the ones he put into such states, of course.

Odi's eyes were black, jet black, blacker than black! And the dark circles around them only compounded matters. His skin looked grey and sallow rather than the gleaming shimmer that could be expected from a healthy vampiric appearance. More generally, Odi looked weak.

Caius had trained the kid himself when he'd arrived in Volterra, as he had with almost all the newborns the Volturi had turned. He knew Odi could defend himself and he would even put Odi fairly high on the list for those he trusted to do well in battle outside of their walls, but right then, in that moment, Caius didn't think the boy could defend himself against a human, let alone a vampire.

All of this because you're being pissy about feeding. Caius shook his head. This has gone on long enough. "I haven't come here to fight with you."

"Why else would you have come?"

"To check on you, to give you some friendly advice…"

Odi scoffed at the word 'friendly'. To be fair, Caius didn't feel too comfortable saying it, either.

The coven master tapped the bottle he had brought with him. "And to make sure you feed."

"Take it away, I don't want it."

"You've not drank enough for a full feed since Halloween. You're driving yourself crazy, and everyone else with you."

"What if I am?" Odi shrugged. "It's not like you care about me."

"I do care about you, you twat."

Feel the love! Odi thought, flopping on to his bed. The poor kid was exhausted.

"What you said last night," Caius began, pacing a little in front of the boy. "You were out of order. The way you spoke to your mother, the things you said to Magnus…"

"I don't need to be reminded, thank you very much. I was there." As the memories assaulted his senses, Odi ran his hands through his hair, leaving them to rest on his face, hiding him from view. "Living through it was bad enough."

Self-pitying little cretin. Caius slapped the boy's hands away and looked the boy in the eye. "You need to apologise to them."

"Apologise?!"

"Yes. Actually, no. You need to grovel." Odi tried to sit up but Caius held him in place. "You don't know how lucky you are to have them."

"Lucky?!" Odi shook off Caius' strong hand and moved himself across the bed towards the wall. "My father nearly killed me last night!"

"You drove him to it," Caius told him. "Besides, Magnus didn't touch you." He gestured to his own face, still sore and bruised despite the amount of blood he had guzzled through the night. "Which you're welcome for."

Odi at least had the humility to look away shamefaced as he remembered his behaviour. Still, his father had been worse, he believed…

The juggernaut flew at the boy with his fist pulled back.

"Magnus, no!" Freyr attempted to stop the man by grabbing hold of his giant arm, but her efforts only saw Freyr herself slung off in Magnus' rage, where she crashed into Dora, both women landing in a heap on the floor.

Barely a second had passed, and Magnus' anger hadn't had chance to subside at all. With the red mist fully descended, and his eyes set on Odi, he launched his fist square at the boy's face!

Caius, who had at first felt paralysed by the situation unfolding before him, suddenly found his inertia once more. He knew Magnus was stronger, and he couldn't hope to contain the juggernaut on a rampage - as years in training had showed him - the only option left was to put himself in the path of the exploding man.

And that's exactly what he did.

Whilst Odi stood with his eyes shut tight, expecting to hear his head shattering at any moment, Caius got in front of the kid and took Magnus' full force to his left cheek!

Odi had been right about one thing; the sound of shattering bones was immense. So immense, in fact, that it brought Magnus back to the present. He watched in wide-eyed horror as Caius knocked into Odi, and the pair of them careered backwards down the stairs of the north tower, ending up outside Caius' chamber door.

Neither moved. Tangled in each other's limbs, they remained in an undignified pile, groaning. Dora damn near joined the stack as she sped down the stairs after them, shortly followed by Freyr. They worked together, freeing one from the other as Caius kept his hands clasped over his face. Even with such coverage it was clear the damage would be great.

"Let me help you," Dora begged her mate, trying in vain to pry his hands away.

Freyr wasn't quite so soft, her frustration palpable. "Why are you doing this to us, Odi?!" she screeched at her boy. "Why are you doing this?!"

"I… I…" Odi stuttered to a halt. How can you blame me for this? This is Caius' fault. Its Dad's fault. How is it my fault?!

Dora had managed to drag Caius across the floor and into their ground floor suite. As they passed Freyr, she saw the state of Caius' face… horrific. A whole third of it caved in with blood oozing from every available crack in his vampiric skin.

With nothing more loquacious coming from her son and feeling the overwhelming need to help tend to Caius' injuries, Freyr made a snap decision. "Odi, go to your dorm room."

Odi gawped at his mother from the floor. "You're sending me away?"

"I think it's for the best," Freyr replied, pulling the boy to his feet. "Just until things have settled down…"

Freyr continued in her attempts to make Odi see sense, to see that he needed to go to his dorm, sleep off the evenings stresses and come back with a clear head, ready to talk things through. But Odi wasn't listening.

Since their family had lost Ivar and Sven, Freyr had, in Odi's opinion, been a cold fish. She wasn't one for overly emotional displays - unlike Magnus, who could be the epitome of overly emotional at times - but Odi had always been sure, certain in fact, that his mother would always be on his side. And now you're sending me away… me… not Caius, not Dad. Me? The boy opened the tower door to the castle halls.

"Odi?"

He heard his mother call after him questioningly, but he didn't turn back. He kept walking, half dazed, half broken with his head bowed low until he'd made his way to his dorm where he bolted the door and sobbed himself to sleep.

Caius clicked his fingers in the kids face to shake him from his memories. "I've said all I have to say." He collected the bottle of blood and shook hard to remix the liquid it contained. "Are we going to do this the easy way or the hard way?"

Odi took one look at the bottle, and though his throat burned for the elixir, he obstinately refused Caius' offer. "I'm not drinking it."

"I've put a shot of dungeon blood in here to help you out."

Oh man, that's tempting. But he couldn't lose face in front of Caius, so Odi stayed strong. Still… a bottle of blood with a tot of dungeon blood in it?

"Leave me the bottle and I'll see how I feel later."

"So, you can share it with your gang of misfits?" Caius asked, shaking his head - he was onto Odi. I shouldn't be giving you dungeon blood, let alone the coven brats.

He held out the bottle and offered it to the kid for a final time. When Odi still refused, Caius sighed and set the blood back down on the table. The hard way, then.

Before Odi could blink, Caius was behind him on the bed with one hand clamped around his forehead, holding the boy tight against his chest.

"Open your mouth," Caius ordered.

Odi did his best to shake the man off. He clawed at Caius' hands - one around his head, the other trying to pry his mouth open - but it got him nowhere. The last time the kid had felt so weak he had been stumbling through the forest as an emaciated ten-year-old. His efforts earned him a few jabs of Caius' knee into his back, and saw the two of them rolling from the bed to the floor - which was much worse for Odi as now Caius sat astride him with the kid flat on his back.

Still, he refused to submit to the master. Not that Caius cared. With the position they were in he had already won, as far as he was concerned. He reached one hand behind him and collected the bottle, removing the stopper with his teeth as his other hand worked on Odi's jaw again.

"Open your mouth!"

Odi wriggled with his arms fixed to his sides by Caius' legs, and kept his mouth shut despite the coven master's fingers prying their way inside.

"Open your fucking mouth or I'll rip your fucking jaw off!"

Such a vicious demand combined with Caius increasing the force of his grip on the boy's chin saw Odi relent. He couldn't fight any more, he had nothing left.

Caius poured the whole bottle in. Odi swallowed some of the bloodwine, coughing and spluttering the rest around him as he damn near drowned in the stuff.

Finally satisfied, Caius got up from the floor leaving Odi where he was and stood back panting from the exertion.

"Next time I'll put a pipe down your throat," he said, triumphant. "You'll feel better soon."

Odi dragged himself up to his knees. He couldn't make it to standing, his legs feeling weak from the punches Caius gave him. Locking eyes with the coven master, Odi rammed two fingers down his throat and brought up all he'd swallowed onto the guard dorm floor.

"For fuck sake!" Caius threw the bottle at the wall where it smashed, raining down glass shards as it disintegrated. "I don't know why I bother with you at all!"

"Stop bothering. You won't be missed."

Feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, Caius went to kick the kid. He stopped himself just in time. Odi looked so pathetic as he cowered on the floor, exhausted and half-starved (though it was his own fault) that Caius just couldn't hurt him further. Physically, at least.

"Clean this up before your mother sees," he sneered, gesturing around the room at the bloodwine and glass. "You've disappointed her enough already."

Odi might well have preferred the kick than such a succinctly delivered verbal blow.

…

"Grandpa's here," Alec told his mother, flopping onto Jane's freshly made bed.

Sulpicia scowled at the boy messing up her efforts but set herself to the task at hand. She sat perched on the ledge of the open window as she wiped away the cobwebs from the outside glass. If Basileus had arrived, Caius and Magnus wouldn't be far behind. She had sent word to the three of them earlier that morning to pay her a visit for plans regarding the French coven. Why she thought she could fit in scrubbing Jane's bedchamber before they arrived was anyone's guess, but the coven queen desperately wanted to make peace with her daughter and bring some semblance of calm back to their home. Reaching out a little further, Sully scrubbed at the window with her cloth.

"Will you read with me?"

"I haven't the time, baby."

Alec did well to suppress his growl, but it brewed beneath his chest. Baby?! I'm not a fucking baby! His siblings were quite fond of calling him the baby, and until recently, he hadn't minded so much most of the time. The damned word had become a mill stone around his neck of late, however. Being deemed the baby meant he was excluded from… well… everything! Too young to hang out with his brothers. Too young to hang out with Jane and her oh-so-grownup chats with Tanya. Too young to leave the coven alone. He couldn't do anything because he was the baby.

Still, he let it slide. His mother wasn't to know how he felt, he realised. Not that she was getting off the hook - the boy needed entertaining and she was his only hope.

"But you've got time to clean the windows?" Alec asked. "We've got guards for that, Mom."

"Oh, you are a spoilt boy!" she quipped in return. "This won't take me much longer, and then I have the masters coming here to discuss mission plans. I really don't have the time."

"You're always working," Alec replied, not for the first time that day.

"Where's Jane?" Sully asked, eyes never leaving the window she scrubbed at. "Why don't you go and find her?"

"With Tanya at Uncle Eleazar's."

"Go there, then." And bug your uncle instead of me for a change.

"No way! Eleazar's being really mean lately."

"I'm sure he isn't being mean, Alec. He's just not putting up with your usual misbehaviour."

How is that different from what I said? Alec thought to himself. "That's mean," he explained, earning a tut from his mother.

Sulpicia saw from the corner of her eye as Alec threw himself back on his sister's bed, bringing his feet from the floor to rest on the clean bedding. She very nearly admonished the child but stopped herself. What would be the point in going to all this effort to appease Jane if I head straight into upsetting Alec? No point, she told herself, planning instead to brush off Jane's bed before the girl returned.

"What about your brothers? I'm sure they would love some company."

Alec scowled at his mother again and this time he didn't even care if she saw him. "You know they went out this morning," he shot at the woman, feeling his pint-sized temper flare. "They wouldn't let me go with them and you didn't tell them they should…"

The boy continued his rant whilst Sulpicia had half an ear on him, and half an eye on a spider's nest that would see Jane explode if she knew it lived so near to her bedchamber. Sully had to really reach out to flick at the blasted thing with her cloth. Thankfully, her vampiric agility made the job easy enough though she wouldn't look down whilst hanging out of the third-floor window. How on earth has Corin been climbing these walls, she wondered, shuddering.

"SUL!" Aro bellowed up from the main living chamber. "How much longer are you going to be?!"

You could always pull your sleeves up and help, you miserable old goat. She didn't say it, but she wanted to.

"Yesterday, Felix told me to get lost because he was having tall talk with Dem."

Sully shook her head hearing that little nugget from Alec. "What on earth is tall talk?"

"Felix said I have to be over five foot to talk to him. And that I'm a baby and wouldn't understand." Alec didn't care about tall talk, or even understanding it. It was the 'baby' remark that had stung.

"Are you listening to me, Mama?"

Sulpicia was so far out of the window, hanging on the ledge by one leg with her dress hoisted up, that, no, she wasn't really listening anymore.

"Mom!" Alec barked, booming his little voice for all he was worth.

Sully snapped her head around at his tone, ready to bark right back at him until she saw his sad, frustrated expression. "What is it, baby?"

Alec sprang to his feet finally releasing his earlier pent up growl. "I am not a fucking baby!"

"What is going on up there?" Basileus asked his son hearing Alec shouting through the ceiling.

Aro shrugged. Had it been one of his older sons he would have already been up there to tan their backsides, as it was Alec, he left the boy to Sulpicia to deal with. It's not like Alec can do any harm, he reasoned.

Mid-shrug, the coven king saw his father's face pale and his eyes widen as the creator flew to the ground floor window. Following the man's strange actions, Aro turned to the window just in time to see his dear wife crash to the ground outside!

How the hell… Even had Sulpicia fallen from the window above, she wouldn't land like a sack. She could fall from a much greater height and brace herself, ready herself for the landing somehow. Vampires were kind of good at that with their speed, their agility, their strength. How the hell…

Basileus was already halfway out the ground floor window before Aro pulled himself together. Carefully, the creator lifted his daughter-in-law from the sodden grass and carried her back through the window. Knocking cushions aside, Aro readied the sofa for Sulpicia to be laid down. The woman looked dopey, drugged, even.

"What happened, Dad?" Aro asked whilst simultaneously searching Sulpicia's memories.

Basileus didn't reply, not to Aro, at least. "ALEC!" he roared up the stairwell. "Get down here, NOW!"

By the time Alec arrived, Aro had seen for himself that the boy had used his gift against his mother causing her to fall from her precarious position on the window ledge. The fog had remained around Sully until she hit the ground, so there was no way she could protect herself on landing.

She winced as Aro prodded and poked at her, trying to find any damage. Her whole body felt bruised from the fall. When he got to her ankle, she shrieked in pain.

Taking a good look, it was clear the bone was broken - by some miracle it hadn't pierced through the skin.

"I'm fine," Sulpicia said, pulling herself up to sit. "I'll be fine. I've broken bones before."

"You didn't break your bones, Sul-" Aro pointed out, giving his young son a glare. "-that little shit did."

You've broken my bones before, too, my love.

Aro recoiled hearing his queens unguarded thoughts. "Was there any need for that?"

"No, which is why I didn't say it aloud."

At least you seem to have all your faculties back, Aro thought to himself. He stood and began to unbuckle his belt.

Nu uh. Sully shook her head and attempted to stand. "You aren't using that on him, Aro." Her ankle hurt more than she had expected, and she was forced to grip onto the back of the sofa for support. She couldn't get to Alec to defend him as she wished.

"You had better use it on him, Aro," Basileus said, ragging Alec from the safety of the stairs and directing the boy to his father with a solid swat to his rear. "He's the reason she fell out of a bloody window."

"Our…" Sully nearly said, 'our baby', but given the last time she'd called the boy such a thing saw her falling out a third story window, she quickly corrected herself. "Alec's lonely and he's being left out of coven life. He needs understanding."

Basileus scoffed. "He needs a damn good thrashing."

"Will you back off?!" Aro snapped at his father. "I'm not asking for your help in dealing with Alec so kindly butt out!"

Ignoring the chuntering coming from Basileus, Aro turned to Alec, belt in hand, and pointed out the floor before him. "Alec, get over here," he ground out.

The twins' gifts could be catastrophic, and they had been under strict instructions since they arrived in Volterra that they were never to use those gifts unless instructed. Alec knew that. He also knew the consequences for breaking his father's rule on the matter. Still, the boy was scared.

He wasn't like his brothers, both of whom could use some reasoning with punishment - sure, they feared it, but often the fun of the crime made the punishment worth it. Or at least that's how they had explained it to Alec. Alec didn't feel like that one little bit. With his grandfather still ranting behind him, and his father's increasing anger in front of him, the child began to panic. His breathing quickened, his eyes widened and darted about the room.

Aro knew the signs. "Don't you dare use that gift against me, boy," he warned. "Don't you dare, Al…"

Silence.

Well, almost silence.

As Alec threw out his fog for a second time that afternoon, he heard the unmistakable sound of his mother's ankle, already fractured from her fall, snap like a twig as she went down to the floor. This time the sharp, broken bone ruptured through her bruised skin.

Alec had seen enough broken bones during his Volturi life that such things rarely moved him, but seeing his mother's blood, his mother's exposed bone (and being the cause of it) sent the child's emotions spiralling beyond his control. He released the build-up of anger, frustration, panic, and fear in one bloodwine-filled hurl all over his mother's precious Persian rug.

That didn't help his fear one little bit! She will want to kill me now, too! he thought, looking to his mother. His eyes drifted back to his father. Oh man, oh man, oh man…

"Hey there, little one," Magnus called over softly.

Alec hadn't noticed the juggernauts arrival, but he was grateful a more reasoned adult was around to help him. The boy was decidedly less pleased that Caius had arrived, too.

"What the fuck have you done?!"

"Caius, make yourself useful and fetch Aro's brothers," Magnus told the man as he slowly approached the frightened child. "You need to pull that fog in a little, young one."

"I can't!" Alec wailed. "He's going to kill me!"

"Who? Aro?" Magnus asked, keeping his voice level and calm. "He wouldn't do that, Alec. He's your father and he loves you." As Magnus spoke, he employed his emphatic gift to draw the pent-up emotions from the boy, soothing him from within.

Magnus' efforts slowly saw Alec relent his hold on his gift. The fog dissipated and soon enough the child's parents and grandfather came around, finding the boy in the juggernaut's arms. He wouldn't have long to enjoy the man's comforting hold.

Aro staggered to his feet. He saw Sulpicia trying to do the same only to go back down on her mauled, broken ankle. Aro's took one look at the mess his mate was in and directed every ounce of his rage at his youngest son.

Grabbing his discarded belt from the floor and doubling it over in his hand, he took the boy from Magnus and wasted no time at all in bringing his son to task.

"How dare you?!" Aro asked, swiping his belt across the back of Alec's legs. "How dare you?!"

Aro held the boy by his left arm, lifting him high enough the Alec's right foot barely touched the floor, his other foot could find no traction at all. That gave the boy little leverage to move away from Aro's swing arm when one after another strike was levelled at his defenceless hide. He attempted to block one or two with his free hand, but that hurt even more!

"Look at what you've done to your own mother!" Aro raged, swinging the child around to face his mother - who, incidentally, looked just as upset over the whole thing as Alec did. "I should rip your fucking hands off for hurting her!"

Alec had squealed his way through the onslaught, putting on quite a show, as was usual on the very rare occasions Aro was so pissed with him. Seeing what he had done to his mother increased the tempo somewhat. He desperately tried to say he was sorry, but the words wouldn't come. Instead, they strangled in his throat and hearty sobs came in their place.

"Aro, that's enough," Basileus called over. "Aro!" When his son unleashed another wicked strike, Basileus left his daughter-in-law's side and launched himself at Aro. Ripping the belt from the man's hand, he slung in clear across the room. "When I tell you it's enough, you damn well stop!"

Alec fled from the room the moment Aro released his hold, tattered britches swinging in the wind behind him.

"You were the one calling for a damn good thrashing," Aro shot at his father. "So, don't try making yourself look reasonable now."

Muttering to himself, Basileus collected Sulpicia from the floor. "You can thrash a boy without scaring him," he explained as he passed the coven king, carrying Sully to her bedchamber to rest.

Aro scoffed at that little nugget. For one, Aro didn't think you could. And besides, "I haven't scared him."

Magnus told Basileus he had sent for Carlisle and Eleazar and that Caius would no doubt be bringing the tools required to fix Sulpicia's leg and then he waited to be alone with Aro before he said, "You have scared the boy."

Aro flopped into his chair. "Well," he said, knowing Magnus was right but not wanting to admit it. "He should be scared after his behaviour."

"He's twelve," Magnus pointed out. "It was an accident."

"Now he's less likely to have a similar accident in future." Aro stretched out his legs, landing his feet in Alec's patch of vomit on the rug. Great! He pulled his boot off and threw it in the fire. Which was a dick move as he really liked those boots. That was Alec's fault too. I should whip him again, he thought murderously, removing the remaining boot and kicking it aside.

Side-eying Magnus, he saw the juggernaut still watching him in judgment.

"I'm so sorry, but how can you offer me parenting advice?" Aro drawled in that faux-calm way of his. "Whose kid booted a coven master in the head recently - mine, or yours?" Aro asked.

Magnus sighed. "Mine. And he has been punished for it accordingly. You can discipline kids without terrifying them. That's all I'm saying."

"Make sure it is all you say."

Magnus raised an eyebrow and stood up a little straighter. "Watch it, Aro."

"Watch it!?" the coven king snapped back before laughing. "Watch yourself, my friend. You're overreaching…"

"Stop," Magnus said calmly. "I'm telling you for your own good to stop."

Aro looked the giant man up and down. "Whats got into you?"

"My position. That's whats got into me. Start showing me some respect or…"

"Or what?" Aro asked, keen on hearing the answer. "You'll tell my father?" he laughed again. Pathetic.

"Aye, I will," Magnus agreed. "After you've recovered from a round off me."I need to calm down, he thought, realising he was arguing with his king. After a trying few days of family strife, Magnus really didn't want to play Aro's games.

"You should remember who gave you you're position," Aro reminded him, before adding, "And who can take it away again."

From the stairs, Basileus had heard every word and he'd heard enough. Entering the room, he looked down his nose at his son. "I do hope I haven't just caught you doing something you shouldn't be doing?"

"Its fine, my friend," Magnus explained. "Just a difference of opinion."

"Then I suggest you find a way to conduct yourself more civilly when you disagree, Aro."

Aro winced hearing his name. Had Basileus not tagged on his name, Aro could have fooled himself that the man was talking to them both. But no, of course you weren't. Just me, right?

"Keep rolling your eyes," Basileus smirked at his boy. "You might find your brain back there." He turned to Magnus and slapped a hand on the juggernaut's shoulder. "Perhaps it's time you stepped up and gave him that hiding he's begging for, Magnus."

Aro baulked in his seat!

Magnus chuckled along with Basileus but shook his head. "I'm sure no one wants that."

Basileus thought on it for a moment. "Wants? Perhaps not. Needs, however?"

You had better be joking?! Aro thought to his father, his face frozen murderously as he awaited judgement. Oddly, it was the juggernaut who came to the coven king's aid.

"Stop winding him up, you cruel old sod." Besides, he thought to the creator. I've got bigger problems than Aro…

Magnus didn't get to finish his thoughts, as the tribe arrived. Caius had found Aro's brothers, as instructed, along with Carmen and Jane.

Jane came through the door first. Scanning the room with her eyes and seeing no sign of her mother, she flashed up the stairs without word to anyone else.

"Welcome home, my princess," Aro called after her sarcastically.

"Where's the patient?" Caius asked, carrying his bag of tricks.

Carlisle pulled Caius back a step. "You said I could do it."

Aro directed a finger in his brother's direction. "You are not touching my wife."

"It's a simple break," Basileus butted in, taking Caius' tools from him and passing them to Carlisle. He had been through Magnus' mind and thought it best to check on Caius. "With me," he told the coven master in question leaving Aro to fill the rest in on the day's events.

"What happened to your face?"

"Ah, well…" Caius' eyes drifted over to Magnus. The guy looked wracked with guilt and Caius had no desire to land him with any more strife - he was leaving that to Odi!

"You should have come to my chambers. I would have fed you."

Dora and Freyr had suggested as such to Caius, but he had refused. Still, it was nice for the creator to have offered, even after the fact. It was a rare day that Caius was on Basileus' good side. He'd drank enough bloodwine to speed up the healing, and he'd quite enjoyed the dungeon blood chasers Freyr supplied him with, too.

"It was a busy night, my lord," the coven leader said, shrugging.

"Mhmm." Basileus scanned through the younger man's memories at lightning speed seeing events unfold. "A busy week, more like," he added when he clocked up the amount of strife Caius had been involved with since new year.

Oh hell, Caius winced. "Something like that."

"Aro!"

Basileus bellowing for his son caught Caius off-guard, and for a moment he wondered what he had done to anger Basileus so. He soon flooded with relief when the creator explained to Aro what a prize prat Felix (and to a lesser extent, Demetri) had been towards a coven leader. Caius had fully intended on having a word with Aro about the boy's conduct, but having the creator do it was even better - no awkward conversations for me, and now Aro will definitely have to call the fucking brats to heel.

He caught Basileus raise a silent eyebrow to the 'fucking brats' part, for which Caius bowed his head in apology.

"What is he playing at?!" Aro ground out, mind on Felix.

Though it was very tempting to list all the ways Felix and Demetri, and of course, the Denali brats, had crossed him, Caius took the 'less is more' approach and stuck to the matter of Felix. That boy is king of the kids - sort Felix out and the rest will follow. "He seems to have no concept of consequences, brother."

Basileus couldn't disagree with either the man's words or thoughts and nodded his agreement for Aro's benefit.

"I'll give him some consequences," Aro muttered as he added this latest display of the ever-growing list of annoyances caused by his eldest son.

Caius wasn't all that bothered by the consequences for Felix. Having the coven kids acting like he was the hired help - that was the consequence he was bothered about. Felix, Odi, Demetri, the Denali girls - they were all laughing at him. Me?! A coven master since before any of those brats were even born! The audacity blew his brain!

Magnus joined the three of them looking stressed. "The young one's still sobbing, Aro," he said, the strain wearing on his face. "He's upsetting himself up there."

"Alec threw his mother out of the window…"

"Now, now, son," Basileus said to his son, placing a calming hand on his shoulder. "That's not entirely true."

"Aro, I made no comment on your actions, or even Alec's," Magnus said, hands up defensively. "Simply that the young one is becoming more upset, not less. I don't want to see him blow up again."

Basileus nodded along. "Go and apologise to him…"

"What?!"

Basileus pushed down a little on his son's shoulder to keep him in place. "Apologise to Alec and he will calm himself down. Easier for everyone if he contains his gift, especially whilst Carlisle is fixing Sulpicia's ankle.

Aro couldn't disagree. He tutted a fair bit, though. Still, he dutifully trooped off to find his baby boy.

"Come on, then," Basileus said, drawing Magnus even further away from the rest of the room. They were just about as far from the crowded side of the main chamber as they could be. "What happened last night?"

Magnus shooed Caius away and ran a hand through his hair. "I nearly hit him," he whispered, horrified by his admission. "Odi, I mean. I nearly hit him."

"You should have!"

Magnus shook his head in return, Basileus having missed the point somewhat. "I don't mean I nearly punished him - I did plenty of that." Too much of that! "I mean I nearly hit him. My fist was clenched and pulled back ready." Subconsciously, that same hand closed into a fist at his right side before stretching out again. "If Freyr and Caius hadn't intervened, I would have punched Odi in the face. What kind of father does that make me? I don't deserve that kid."

Basileus cringed a little. The same kind of father as me, he thought - it was not a pleasing thought. He fixed his friend a tankard of bloodwine from Aro's open barrel and passed it over before sorting out his own.

"Odi's been difficult to handle recently, Magnus," Basileus said, trying to downplay events. "Don't beat yourself up."

"It's no excuse…" Magnus paused, realising what he was saying. The whole coven knew Basileus and Aro had come to blows in the past - they might not have witnessed it, but they knew. "Shit. I'm sorry…"

"You're right, my friend," Basileus said, waving away the juggernaut's apologies. "When you get to the point that punching your child feels like a valid course of action, even an adult child…" he paused to shake his head and sigh sadly. "Well, things have gone about as wrong as they can go. Be pleased you have more restraint than I do."

"But I don't," Magnus explained. "I didn't punch Odi because Caius got in the way. I did punch Caius."

"Yes, but that was entirely accidental, so it doesn't count."

Having hung onto to every word the elder vampires had spoken, Caius tensed up hearing Basileus brush away his pain so easily. Now, Caius didn't want Magnus to feel bad about how things went down - Odi couldn't have taken that hit, he thought. But still, I took a fist to the face and Basileus just shrugs it away? Cock. He kept his thoughts to himself, however, because he wanted to see what else the pair would discuss.

"This situation with Odi," Basileus said, easing the conversation forward. "It cannot continue. You know that, right?"

"Aye, I know."

"And now he's in the guard dorms?"

Magnus' shoulders sagged a little. The very last thing he needed was a row with the creator over his mismanagement of his own family. But he wasn't willing to lay the law down with the kid again and make matters worse.

"I'm going to give him a few days," he eventually replied. "Let the dust settle."

"And then?"

"I have no idea." It really hurt Magnus to have to admit that, but it was the truth. "I'm doing everything wrong. I'm driving him away. Just like…" he didn't need to tell Basileus he was thinking of Ivar and Sven - he knew. "If we lose Odi…"

"You won't lose him." Basileus swung his giant arm around Magnus' shoulders. "Odi isn't going anywhere. If he even tries, I will track him down and bring him home. Odi is being a stubborn brat, and all this shit with Caius isn't helping matters."

Here it comes, Magnus thought.

"You need to lay the law down."

Magnus smiled to himself. There it is.

"Kids need solid boundaries regardless of age. And that is doubly true for vampires," Basileus continued. "If your lads would have acted like Caius and Odi when they were growing up you wouldn't have sat back waiting for things to sort themselves out."

"I don't disagree, my friend," Magnus said, nodding. "But Caius isn't mine to make such demands of. I'm not even sure if Odi is right now."

"Yes, they are!" Basileus scoffed. "Of course, they are."

"No, he isn't," Magnus said, referring to Odi. "And Caius? Caius isn't my son at all."

There came a flash across the room that startled Magnus and Basileus for a moment - Caius had returned to the group, far across the room, not that either of them had noticed he was within listening distance in the first place.

"I wish he were mine," Magnus continued, completely unaware that Caius would have only heard half of his words. "You know I do. I love him and I truly wish he were my son. But I don't believe he feels that way. At least, not as strongly as I do."

"Caius, whilst I have you…"

There were times Caius wished for the natural ease Aro had with plastering on a fake smile and pushing his own thoughts aside. He wasn't blessed with such a gift. Luckily, Eleazar seemed not to notice the coven master's internal struggle and continued talking.

"Have you ever come across a sick vampire?"

Caius eyed Eleazar for a moment. "Sick how?"

"It's Kate," Eleazar explained. "She's complaining of stomach pains."

Aches and pains weren't unknown for vampires. They all felt the weariness of battle, for example, or the hangovers from wicked nights on the beer. Some vampiric gifts left those vampires exposed when using them and they would need to recover from such great expenditures of power. The twins were a fine example of that. But a young girl like Kate with stomach pains… Caius had no answer for that one.

"What has she been feeding from?" he asked.

"Nothing that the rest of us haven't drank, too. The bloodwine in my chambers mainly - low strength." Eleazar turned to Magnus, calling the man over to join them. "Same from the guard hall, I believe?"

Magnus joined the pair, wincing as he approached. The closer he came to the fireside, the closer he was to the stairs - the emotional distress from the floors above crept right up his spine and wrapped around the empath's throat.

Basileus couldn't feel the same effects as Magnus, but he could hear his son's thoughts and it was clear the 'apology' wasn't going too well. "I'm going to check that out," he said, walking by.

"Aye, as far as I know," the guard master eventually confirmed. "What exactly has the girl said?"

"Just that her stomach hurts, and she feels sick. She gets frequent headaches, cannot tolerate light. That sort of thing."

"She can't get sick, El. Not like humans. Our bodies just don't work that way." Caius told him categorically. "She's playing you."

Magnus had an idea. "She sounds stressed to me."

"Stressed?" Eleazar questioned. What would she have to be stressed about? Still, stressed sounded better to Eleazar than the idea that she was 'playing him' somehow, whatever that meant.

Magnus bobbed his head. "Stressed, anxious, scared - that's where I'd put my money."

"She hasn't mentioned feeling that way."

"Kids don't say they are feeling anxious, El." Jesus, Magnus thought. It's like he's never met a child! "They say their stomach hurts, or they have a headache. Most adults do, too."

"He could be right," Caius said with a shrug. He rarely gave concern to feelings, except his own, of course.

"Aye, well, stranger things have happened." Magnus couldn't have been one hundred percent sure, but he was convinced he saw Caius looking him up and down in disgust. He wouldn't have chance to pull the younger master up on it before Aro distracted him.

"Damn kids," Aro scoffed, stomping down the stairs to join his co masters and brother. Basileus followed looking mildly amused by Aro's state of stress.

Magnus tested the feeling coming from above - Alec still felt distressed according to his gift. "How did it go with the little one?"

Aro shook his head, heading straight for the barrel of bloodwine.

"Alec?" Aro had called, opening his son's bedchamber door. The boy turned in his bed to face the door hearing his father enter. The look he gave the man had Aro wondering whether he was about to flip again and throw out his gift. "Hey," he said quickly, though calmly. "I come in peace. I come with apologies to make, actually."

Alec sniffed back his tears. "Apologies?"

It's not entirely unheard of for me to make a bloody apology, Aro thought, hiding his scowl. He took a seat by his young son's side.

Alec flinched back towards the free side of the bed, ready to jump if Aro made a move against him. Aro noticed the gesture. Damn it. He hated, truly hated that Alec was still fearful of him after all their years together. Of course, it was all those years together that had made Alec so fearful!

"Calm down, son," Aro said, slowly disentangling the child from his bed sheets to sit on his lap.

At first, Alec felt relief that his father seemed so chilled after the raging mess he had been earlier. At first. When Aro placed his boy in his lap and Alec's tender bottom made contact, he squealed!

To give Aro his due, there was a pang of guilt in his stomach as he rearranged Alec, hugging the boy tightly to his chest for a moment. "I shouldn't have been so hard on you…"

No, you shouldn't have.

Aro heard his boy's thoughts. Alec had never developed the skill his other children had - to be able to guard their private thoughts. He decided against reacting to them. It wasn't the boy's fault, after all.

"I'm sorry. I was really angry seeing the damage you…"

It wasn't my fault!

"The fall," Aro corrected himself, feeling his boy become agitated again. Though it was your bloody fault…. Not now, Aro, not now. "Seeing the damage the fall had done to your mother. But I should have calmed myself before I dealt with you."

Okay, that's almost reasonable, I think.

Cheeky beggar! Still, the boy seemed settled. Well, settled-ish. Aro couldn't quite believe his luck - Alec had always been prone to a grudge. (My gosh, did that boy enjoy a good grudge!) It would usually take a good few weeks of moping from the boy before he would be willing to make peace at an absolute minimum. The guilt over his mother's injuries had helped him come around more quickly.

Whatever it was, Aro simply smiled and held his boy close. "I guess I forgot for a moment that you're the baby…"

"I am not a fucking baby!"

Aro re-joined the group with a fresh bloodwine in hand. "I smacked him again," he replied to Magnus. "That boy has a screw loose! He also said he hates me and hes never talking to me again, so that was nice."

"Alec doesn't hate you," Magnus said, with an air of certainty he would have liked to believe himself about his own son. "He may have said he does because you've just walloped him, but I highly doubt it'll last longer than a few days of sulking." Again, he hoped the same would be true of Odi, too.

Basileus grimaced. "I'm not so sure. Alec does like to hold onto his resentment," he said, thinking of just how long it took Alec to get over the whole Lucius debacle.

Alec was, usually, a quiet and polite boy, a good boy, as his mother often told him. Perhaps that made any falls from grace all the harder for the boy to take on the chin. Of course, Alec would say those falls from grace were unfair, and that is why he struggled to let them wash over him. (To be fair to Alec, his mother often agreed with him!)

"It's his venom," Aro explained with a smirk towards his co master. "Caius infected the boy with 'mean'."

"You're the mean one."

Such a sweet little voice casting aspersions over the coven king.

Aro turned on his heel to come face to face with his princess of darkness. He laughed a little, biting back his own embarrassment for having his child chide him so before an audience.

Jane wasn't about to let him off that easily. She fixed her glare on him, the one she used for her gift, though she didn't release her burning talents.

"You look tired, my dear one," Aro crooned, his stern expression mismatched to his caring tone. "Time for a nap, perhaps?"

"You hurt my brother."

First Alec, and now you? With a room full of judgemental twats to watch. Great. Just great. Bloody marvellous.

"Are you going to explain yourself?"

Aro heard Caius snort somewhere behind him, and he was sure he heard Eleazar outright guffaw. Aro may not have had his father's gift but he knew what the creator would be thinking in that moment. 'That girl walks all over you'. 'You let her rule the roost'. 'Blah blah blah'.

"It is not for me to explain myself to you," Aro told the girl. His eyebrows were raised so high it hurt his forehead, and he thought that would tell Jane to drop the matter.

Sadly not. Jane's nostrils flared. "It is when it concerns my brother."

"No wonder Caius is having problems with the coven youth!"

Oh, Dad, Aro ground out in thought. Please, shut up.

"If that's how those kids talk to their king, there's no hope for them being respectful towards anyone else around here."

Aro looked back over his shoulder and threw his father a withering glare. Any need?

"Yes!" Basileus snapped back, answering his boy's thoughts. He bobbed his head towards the angry little imp in the corner whose eyes were fixed on her father. "And I'm telling you now, son. If she uses her gift in here and I suffer it, she'll face me."

Aro shook his head and gave a good tut, trying so desperately to play it cool. He turned back to Jane, assuming the creators threat hanging in the air would be enough to see the girl scarper.

Jane stood firm.

It would have worked on your brothers. Maybe Sully is right about her? No, he couldn't think about family wars right then. He needed to get Jane out of the way before she could embarrass him further.

"Either go and tend your mother or get cleaning this rug." There, Aro said to himself. That will be enough. Authoritative without being punitive - just the way he preferred to be with Jane.

The demand simply added to Jane's annoyance over her father's lack of response to her questions. She saw red.

"Tend my mother?" she sneered. "Why aren't you tending my mother? My mother was having to clean up because you won't let guards in here to do it for us like proper royalty and then you put all the blame onto Alec and attacked him. Twice! And now you're trying to tell me what to do…"

As the girl ranted in his face, Aro could hear the voices of those behind him - Basileus chuntering away about unruly brats, Magnus bemoaning how very sad it all was, and Eleazar and Caius having a right old chuckle to each other.

Feeling compelled into action, Aro stalked towards his girl. Basileus watched and scoffed. You always do that, he thought. Give her as much time as possible to back away before you must do anything. Good grief!

Basileus was right, of course. Not only that, but it never really worked, either. Jane stood her ground, glaring at her father, as Aro approached, growling at his daughter.

Having given over as much time as he could without completely losing face, Aro released his frustration pulled Jane towards him by her seemingly fragile arm. Still Jane glared. Why must you force my hand?

Before Aro did anything, he took a final look over his shoulder to his fellow masters, brother, and father. Jane may well have annoyed the man with her untimely mouth, and he knew he had to do something about it, but he wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing. Hearing, he could live with.

As he nudged the girl up the stairs, Aro lifted his hand up and brought it down with a snap. His hope was that it wouldn't hurt his princess too much, but would be just loud enough to sate Basileus' miserable whining over… what was it? Aro asked himself. Aha, my favouritism towards Jane. What a load of bull, he thought, without a single note of irony.

Jane offered no resistance - she rarely did. Jane, generally, accepted her punishment, whilst Felix argued, and Demetri bargained. Alec usually went for a complete loss of sense! Of course, the boys would lament long and hard that they had every need to react as they did what with being up for far harsher punishments than their sister could think of in her worst nightmares. Aro never paid their protestations any attention - in his mind, Jane's punishments were simpler as she accepted whatever she was given without complaint… usually, at least. Thankfully for Aro, that day was a good day, and Jane reacted just as he had hoped - by stomping her tiny feet on every single step as she trudged to the top floor muttering about what an unreasonable arse her father was.

Re-entering the main chamber, Aro looked about the group and shook his head. "I would just like to point out," he said, eyeing Eleazar. "Jane was fine until Tanya started influencing her."

Eleazar scoffed back at his little brother, soon backed up by their father.

"Deluded!" Basileus announced, flopping into a chair. He looked over to the juggernaut expecting similar sentiments, but the emotional pressure on the man's face showed Magnus was in no position to offer an opinion. "Are you alright there?" he asked in a half whisper.

Magnus wrapped his bear sized hand around the back of his neck and squeezed, desperately trying to ease the strain. He'd had his emphatic gift since waking as a newborn over eight hundred years ago - it had taken him a good few years to learn to work with his gift, how to suppress his reaction to other's emotions when necessary and the like, but there were times, like that afternoon, when the poor guy was already overwhelmed with his own emotional turmoil that made such suppressing impossible.

"Magnus would be fine by now if Carlisle wasn't dragging out fixing a busted ankle," Aro grumpily offered. "Caius needs to take over with my wife."

"I'll 'take over' with your wife as soon as she asks me, Aro."

The way Caius had said 'take over', along with the slick grin on his face tickled Eleazar, and soon Basileus and even Aro, too - some desperately needed light relief which Magnus appreciated more than anyone else.

The main chamber door burst open, banging against the wall, and leaving a sizeable dent in the lime plaster. "Is mom okay?" Felix called out as he rushed inside, followed by Demetri and the elder two Denali girls. "We heard…"

"Don't panic, young one," Magnus said, or rather, begged. He didn't need more fraught emotions in the room.

"Your mother is fine," Basileus said. "She has a broken ankle from her fall, but she'll be good as new in a few days."

From the corner of his eye he saw Magnus relax a little and guessed the boys' concerns were sated by his explanation. It was a shame that wouldn't last long. He planned to have a detailed conversation with Felix at least about his hostility towards Caius, assuming Aro didn't get there first. It can wait for now, he mused.

"So, what have you four been up to today?"

All four coven kids sucked in their breath before announcing 'Nothing!' in unison.

"Whoa!" Magnus doubled over at the waist as their combined guilt pummelled into him. "Reel it in, kids," he begged. "Whatever you've done it cannot be this bad!"

"Well that doesn't sound suspicious at all," Aro said, giving his eldest the dead eye.

Felix responded with a non-committal noise and a shrug before heading to the stairs to check on his dear mother. He didn't get very far.

Carmen blocked his path, carry a wad of blood-soaked bandages down. "Not yet, sweetheart," she said, ushering the boys back into the main chamber. She saw Alec's sick remained on the rug. "Couldn't one of you have cleaned that up?"

"Feel free to do the job yourself," Aro offered. "Or not!" he quickly tacked on when his big brother raised an eyebrow at him.

Carmen made sure to jab Aro with her elbow as she passed the man. When Aro moved aside, she spotted something on his grand writing desk. "Why do you have Irina's bag?" She picked it up, showing the item to the room.

Aro smirked at took a seat. Finally, someone else's turn, he thought. His own brats had embarrassed him enough for one day, he was truly pleased as punch to think his brother would take the heat for a while.

"Is it Irina's?" he crooned, smirk growing to a broad smile as Eleazar looked on gormlessly.

"Yes," Carmen said before turning to her mate. "Don't you recognise it?"

"A bag is a bag to me, my love. Hang on," he said, finally realising why Aro wore that condescending grin of his. "Is that the one you took from Corin?" When his brother nodded, Eleazar growled to himself. "Great."

"It was obvious, brother."

Eleazar knew that really but he still tutted at Aro. "I preferred not officially knowing."

"Yes, it's my bag," Irina confirmed, sounding bored. She'd taken the time her overlords had given her to ease her nerves. "Corin asked for it, I gave it to her. No need for a drama."

Oooo Irina, Felix thought to himself. You are good! No lies to tip Magnus off, but no truth to land us in strife. The boy was impressed.

"I'll take it home with me," she added, snatching her bag from Carmen's hands.

Oh, she is SO good! Felix damn near jumped with excitement.

"Why is it empty?" Irina asked, feeling the weight, or lack of. Looking inside, she saw her entire happy stash missing. "Who stole my stuff?!"

Felix winced. Not that good.

"I confiscated Corin's hash for lying to me."

"Corin lied to you?" Magnus asked, cursing the girl. After the Volturi family children, Corin caused him the most grief in his guard hall.

"To my face," Aro confirmed. He had planned to mention it to the guard master anyway, but with the events of the afternoon had simply forgotten until reminded.

Magnus bobbed his head and Aro knew the man would deal with it. For all Aro's bluster with Magnus, he trusted the guy completely when it came to his job. It was just the way he was worming up the ranks with the creator that bothered Aro.

"It was my hash and I want it back."

Everyone turned to Irina, shocked that even she would be so bold.

"What?" she asked in reply to their expressions, flicking her hair out to one side. "No one said I can't smoke it."

"That's true, actually," Carmen realised.

"Right," Eleazar stood tall and squared his shoulders. "Going forward, no smoking hash."

Irina didn't miss a beat. "Why not?"

"Well… Well-" Eleazar cleared his throat "-it's… erm."

Basileus placed a hand on his floundering son's shoulder. "Because he said so, Irina. That's the only reason you need."

El nodded. "Exactly." Why didn't I think of that?

"I didn't disagree," Irina pointed out. "I'm interested in the reason."

Eleazar didn't have a reason. At least, not one he could come up with on the spot.

"Being doped up will put you at risk of harm." Basileus side eyed his middle child. "And it slows your brain."

"Hardly," Aro drawled, shaking his head. It had been Basileus' complaint against Aro smoking hash since Amun brought the stuff to the alliance ball. A complaint Aro rejected and ignored.

Caius agreed with Aro, as he, too, was partial to the relaxing herb Amun had introduced into the coven. "It would take an awful lot of that stuff to affect us to such a degree."

"Mind your business, Caius," Magnus said, eyes barely open as he concentrated on levelling out his own emotions. Without thinking, he flicked out his hand, just catching Caius' right leg. "It's got nothing to do with you."

"And neither has it you!" Caius snapped, moving away from the juggernaut before he could embarrass him further.

All eyes were on the pair of coven masters acting rather oddly. Damn it, Magnus cursed, dragging a hand down his face.

"If I'm not hurting anyone, why can't I smoke?"

Suddenly the eldest Denali girl was Caius' new favourite coven member. Asking such an inane question and taking the attention of the room - what a diamond, he thought. I'll buy her some herb myself for that one!

"Fine," Eleazar replied, one eye still on Magnus and Caius. "Smoke it if you wish."

"What?!"

Eleazar wasn't sure if it had been his father or his brother who had reacted, by the looks on their faces it could well have been both. Either way, he knew he'd said the wrong thing. "But under supervision," he added, thinking that sounded fatherly, or something.

Irina couldn't keep the smile from tugging at her lips. "Fine, no problem," she said, importantly noting that Eleazar hadn't said who should be supervising.

"That goes for both of you," El added with a finger pointed towards Kate. He was aiming for masterful, but other than Caius - who had no opinion on the matter - the other guys in the room rolled their eyes knowing the eldest prince had just brought himself some future trouble with Irina.

Kate didn't reply. The girl was barely listening as she sat alone in a chair with her arms wrapped around her aching stomach.

Aro clocked his two sons gawping at the scene and he knew them well enough to know they would be thinking Eleazar's ridiculous decree would apply to them, too. "You pair know better," he said, putting an end to their plans.

Felix huffed and looked away. "We didn't smoke, Dad."

Aro crossed his arms over his chest. The simple gesture informing Felix that his father knew better. "And now you are lying," he said.

Felix looked around the room. Carmen and Eleazar weren't paying much attention, both fussing over Kate. Irina looked on, inquisitively, as did Demetri. Well, Demetri wasn't being inquisitive, actually. The boy was offering his usual pleading eyes, hoping his big brother would take the fall for them both and save his skin. Magnus looked as though he felt a little sorry for the boy, but it may have been the strain of the emotions he was being bombarded by. Felix couldn't see his grandfather with the man being somewhere behind him, but he was glad of that. Caius' withering look was enough to bear without throwing in one from the creator, too.

"Why are you doing this, Dad?" Felix hissed. Whispering was kind of pointless in a room full of vampires, but it was the best he could do to lessen the embarrassment he felt. "You didn't say anything yesterday."

"Perhaps I was feeling kind yesterday."

Felix noted his father's faux calm tone and tried to back away. "More like you were feeling guilty for being such a hard ass," he muttered, far too loudly.

"Clearly," Aro began in a much louder voice. "I shouldn't have given you the benefit of the doubt if in doing so I have given you ideas above your station." When Felix failed to react, Aro flashed forwards pointing an angry finger in the boy's face, (Felix was just glad he hadn't slapped him in front of everyone!) "You do not use your mouth with the adults in this coven, got it?"

"Okay, whatever," he answered quickly, followed by an oh so quiet word Aro couldn't quite make out, though he assumed it would be derogatory and about him.

Aro's temper flared. "What was that?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"You're embarrassing the boy, Aro."

"I am fully aware of that, Magnus," Aro replied, eyes fixed on his first born. "It is intentional."

"He's not embarrassing me," Felix huffed back, trying to retain some dignity. "I don't know what he's talking about." As usual, he thought.

Aro narrowed his eyes. "Caius and the guard dorms."

That soon caught Magnus' attention. "You shouldn't be anywhere near my guard dorms, young one."

"Oh dear, son," Aro crooned in that oh so annoying way of his. "Your crimes are mounting."

Felix backed up a step, bumping into his grandfather. "Are you hoping for my protection?" Basileus laughed out loud but there was no humour to his tone. "I've heard all about the stunt you pulled with Caius this morning…"

"Did you really grass on me?"

Caius didn't have time to answer, not that he would have bothered. For daring to interrupt him, Basileus clocked the boy across the back of his head which saw Felix duck for cover.

"Who do you think you're talking to?!" he roared. Felix ducked again. "No, Caius didn't 'grass' on you, you imbecile. I saw the whole sorry mess for myself. This morning's mess, and yesterday's mess."

"Yesterday wasn't me!" Felix cried, trying to save himself. "That was Odi!" Sorry Odi, he added in thought.

"You enjoyed the show though, didn't you?" Aro chipped in, having also seen his sons' disrespect. "And that was after taking your little brother out to get stoned? Why don't you give Alec some dungeon blood, whilst you're at it?"

Demetri's eyes widened, then he sucked his lips into his mouth and bit down hard to keep himself from saying anything that could be misinterpreted as disrespect. His face did the talking, though.

Wipe that look off your face before I do, Aro threatened. His annoyance grew stronger with each passing second. How have I ended up looking the fool again? Five minutes ago, Eleazar's kid was begging for a thrashing but mine must always seek to outdo everyone else. He growled through his annoyance whilst failing to recognise that his children were, in fact, a carbon copy of himself in that regard.

Demetri couldn't wipe the look from his face – he had taken great offence to being lumped in with Alec. Out of the two of his brothers, he felt he was closer to Felix than the baby of the family.

"You have killed my cred with the guards," he muttered. "Must you kill it with my family, too." He hadn't really meant for anyone to hear him, but, typically, everybody did.

Aro tutted at his son. "Little boys don't need 'cred' with anyone."

"I'm not a little boy, Dad," Demetri replied. "Alec's a little boy - big difference."

"You're arguing with me like a little boy."

"You're arguing back like one."

"Dem," Felix hissed in his brother's direction. "What are you doing?!"

"Hes arguing his way across my knee, that's what he's doing."

Felix baulked at his father's answer and took a step back. If it were only his immediately family in the room, he would have argued with Aro for his brother's sake, but not with so many witnesses. He expected that Demetri would soon be stepping back, too.

Demetri stood where he was, shaking a little - partly from fear, mostly from rage at the injustice. As Aro continued to talk about spanking him, the angrier Demetri grew and the less intimidated he felt. He even brought his hands into small fists at his sides, ready to defend himself like a man and prove he wasn't a little boy as his father had claimed. It was all subconscious, of course. Demetri wasn't a foolish boy - he would never consciously display such stupidity.

Mid rant, Aro noticed his son's actions and cut himself off. Whatever pretence of calm he had previously held onto was gone in an instance. In a voice low, and dangerous, he said, "You're thinking of taking a swing at me, is that right?"

Demetri looked down at his hands, and back to his father, looking just as surprised as everyone else. "N… n… n…" he stumbled and stopped. No one could have heard his reply anyway with just about everyone present chipping in with their opinion.

Basileus heard the boy's thoughts - he was about to flee - and took a solid hold of him by the scruff of his neck. "Your mother is lying up there injured and you're down here causing more trouble," he ground out, shaking the child. He shoved the boy in roughly his father's direction. "You need to get a handle on these kids, Aro," he warned. "They all need a damn good hiding if you ask me."

Carlisle cleared his throat to get everyone's attention, feeling wretched about the errand he'd been sent on by his sister in law. "Sully has asked me to tell you that if you ground her sons she will move out."

The young princes took the chance to smirk at each other. Just as Aro had said that morning, their mother always came to their rescue.

"And the rest!"

Sulpicia's voice was so shrill that all of them winced hearing her calling down the stairs.

"Didn't you drug her?" Aro asked, cringing at his harridan of a wife.

"She couldn't stomach more than a drop and…"

Carlisle was soon cut off as Sulpicia called down again, telling him to 'get on with it'.

"She has asked that you-" Carlisle paused and whispered a heartfelt 'I'm sorry' to his nephews "-that you thrash them instead. She's appalled with all she's heard."

"Thanks for that, Carlisle. You p… pillock." Under the circumstances, Felix might as well have called his uncle a prick as he'd intended - things couldn't get much worse him in that moment.

Carlisle cringed. "Really sorry," he said again to Felix, smiling sadly to Demetri.

Much like Aro, Basileus had begun to feel quite embarrassed by his children, adult though they may be. Eleazar's a wet lettuce, Aro's spawn are out of control, and Carlisle's apologising to children for their own misbehaviour! Good lord! He would have preferred less of an audience for such ineptitude, but he couldn't send Magnus and Caius away - We still need to speak to Sulpicia about the damn accounts!

"If you haven't finished up there, I suggest you get to it, son," he told Carlisle, wanting his youngest out of the way. "Aro, deal with those bloody boys!"

"With pleasure," Aro laughed, actually laughed. "Even Mommy agrees with Daddy this time, boys."

That depressing thought was enough to keep Felix quiet as the boy felt his heart sink to his boots.

Demetri, however, just had to get one more comment in. Perhaps he had been bolstered by seeing Odi going toe to toe with Caius a few times, or it might have been the bloodwine he'd pinched from Adrianna's dorm when he'd popped by for some stress relief. Whatever it was, he said, "The stupid cow must have hit her head when she fell."

"Whoa!" Felix locked eyes with Irina, both having exclaimed similarly as the adults in the room began bellowing at Demetri.

Carmen couldn't listen to the arguing any longer and she could see Aro was ready to erupt. Taking Kate, around the shoulders, she directed her poorly vampiric child from the room, calling Irina to follow. Irina desperately wanted to stay - there was so little excitement in coven life and Demetri had seemingly chosen to put on a show to entertain them all!

"But, Carmen," she whined, forgetting herself and her usual demeanour.

Eleazar called across the room. "Irina, leave."

Huffing a little, she did as she was bid, telling Felix she would see him tomorrow.

"Unlikely," Aro snapped in reply as he began approaching his middle boy. Demetri was something of a flight risk. "Move an inch and you're done for," he warned when he saw Demetri's eyes darting about the room, looking for a safe exit.

There was no safe exit.

Between Basileus, Magnus, Caius and Eleazar, the boy was trapped. As his father approached all he could do was stand still and whimper his apologies. Demetri could have burst out in tears right there from of the shock and humiliation of it all.

"But she might have hit her head," Demetri squeaked as Aro caught hold of his arm.

"Oh, might she?" Aro asked, tone dripping in sarcasm.

CRACK!

Demetri squealed from the first strike. How he wished he could take it like his big brother. Felix had been properly whipped by Caius' mean swing arm that morning and took most of it like a… Well, not quite a man, or maybe? Demetri thought, thinking of the gibbering wrecks he had seen Caius reduce fully grown men to.

"DAD!" he cried out, already making a fuss, and begging for a reprieve.

"I don't care if we have company-" Aro must have been answering the child's thoughts as he continued to rain down strike after strike "-you've been begging for this since new year."

Felix winced. He had already backed up to the wall behind his grandfather and was doing his darndest not to look. Each smack reverberated around the room, so it was hard to hide from. And that's just his hand! Felix thought, wondering if he'd had an easier ride with Caius' belt in Odi's dorm. Nah, he thought. Dem's just a pussy.

"Is that so?" Basileus asked his grandson, picking up on his thoughts.

"I didn't mean it," Felix whispered.

He really didn't, he just needed to distract himself. Sadly, his grandfather thought he needed to pay attention. Basileus ragged Felix back to front and centre for the remainder of his brother's punishment.

"I won't hesitate in taking you to task, boy," Aro raged without breaking his stride.

Felix wasn't sure what his father had said before that line, but he could guess. Whenever Demetri was being punished Aro usually found time to tell the boy to quit the dramatics because it won't help his case. Felix always had believed it was a stupid thing to say - he doesn't do it on purpose, he thought, feeling defensive of his little brother as the smacks continued.

"Sulpicia wants you all upstairs," Carlisle must have said so three times at least before Aro heard him speak.

"What?!" the coven king asked, panting. "Shut up, Dem!"

CRACK!

He won't shut up if you keep hitting him, Felix thought, glaring murderously at the man.

"Sully wants you upstairs," Carlisle repeated once Demetri settled into a low din. "She said theres work to do. You need to bring the papers from her desk."

Aro huffed. "It's my desk." He loved that desk. Sharing it with his mate was starting to grate on him.

Carlisle shrugged. "You can tell her that yourself, brother. She's vicious!"

Whilst Aro still had hold of Demetri by one arm, the other the boy used to cover his face and hide his shame. Just breathe! he told himself. Or don't breathe at all! Vampires don't even need to breathe! If I don't breathe, I won't cry, he thought, failing to control himself.

"You had enough?" Aro asked, shaking the boy for his response.

Demetri couldn't reply, though he did try. A mishmash of noise left his mouth, but the words strangled in his heaving sobs.

"Bed," Aro commanded.

Demetri didn't need telling twice. He limped from the main chamber as fast as he could without igniting further pain in his sorry behind.

"Poor kid," Caius said to himself, watching him leave.

If Magnus' quasi-smack hadn't brought Caius attention, that comment certainly did. "I like that one," he explained.

Felix tutted into the air. "Cheers." There was absolutely no doubt in Felix's mind that Caius didn't like him at all.

Aro rolled his eyes to the heavens. He still had another child to admonish but his hand ached. I'll need some bloodwine before I get to you, he thought.

"Felix, go to your room and stay there." Aro stalked to his desk collecting his wife's papers. "This year isn't even a week old and already I can't wait to see the back of it."

"Erm, may I leave now?" Carlisle asked. He handed Caius' bag over and shuddered to the man. "She's a horrible patient."

Caius had to smile - he'd known Sulpicia for a long time and he couldn't in good conscience disagree. "Why do you think I let you do it?"

Aro turned, scrolls and papers in his arms, to see Felix lingering at the foot of the stairs. "Are you deaf?"

"No, sir," Felix replied, biting his lip, and looking to the floor. "Are we square, Dad?"

"Square?" Aro repeated, spitting the word. "Square?!"

Felix didn't need to hear anymore. The tone of voice was quite enough to answer the boy's question. He flew up the stairs and dived on his bed, leaving his bedroom door to swing behind him.

As there were no longer any children left in the room, Caius thought it would be okay to laugh. And laugh he did! "You make parenting look all kinds of fun, brother," he said to Aro through his chortling.

A few years ago, Eleazar would have joined in with the man, but now his days were filled with similar instances of family strife - though it must be said, less dramatic - and he now found more affinity with Aro, and Aro's stress levels.

"Theres very little fun, Caius," he said, shaking his head. "I hope you find out one day." El always had been a 'misery loves company' type.

Magnus shuddered at the very idea! "Caius?" he questioned. "Caius, with kids?! Hell no!"

"What the hell do you mean, hell no?!"

Now, it must be said, Caius had never considered creating a family. Never. Not since he became a vampire, at least, which neared three thousand years. But, but, but… Magnus saying 'hell no' to the idea got his hackles rising. If nothing else, he couldn't let Magnus be seen to be telling him what to do one way or another – there have been enough slips from you today, he thought to the juggernaut.

"I could have a family if I wanted one," Caius said, without really thinking.

"You?!"

Caius wasn't entirely sure who had said that to him, but it could have been any of them. The horror and almost… disgust? he heard annoyed him more than the questioning. In pure retaliation, he scoffed and made for the stairs.

"If I decide I want a family, I'll have one," he said. That was one hell of an if! "And I believe I'd do a better job of it than you lot!" That was one hell of a belief!

With that sobering thought in their minds, the rest of the room followed him to visit their ailing queen.

Entering the king and queens private bed chamber, Caius stood just inside the doorway and glanced about. "Look at the size of this room," he sneered. "It's ridiculous!"

He wasn't wrong. Back when the south tower had been the only tower in Volterra, each of the masters had a floor for themselves. Marcus and Didyme had the ground floor, Aro and Sulpicia the top, and Caius and Athenodora had the middle suite. That suite, Caius' old suite, now contained only Aro and Sulpicia's bedchamber. It was such an expanse of space that it took ten pillars to hold up the floor above, and though the room was stacked with furniture and other items, such as Aro's collection of the strange and peculiar which he had collected over the years, there was still a vast expanse of space.

"Jealous, brother?" Aro asked, pushing Caius into the room with a heavy shoulder in his back as he passed.

"No," Caius replied, shoving Aro a little harder. "It's just wasted on you pair. I could fill this room with play mates for me and Dora."

Such a pleasant thought for Caius, for two reasons - one, he obviously enjoyed his polyamorous relationship, and for another, he knew Aro turned green whenever he mentioned the fact they he could freely fuck who he liked. His little comment worked wonders and Aro turned a sly eye on his co-master. Caius wasn't satisfied, however.

"Could I hire it for the night?" he asked, smirking. "I'd finally put that bed to good use, too."

Aro saw a flash of red. He dropped the papers he carried on the floor and he slugged Caius in the guts. Ouf! It was a good-natured enough moment between the two coven masters but could have so easily soured. Luckily, Magnus caught Caius' fist when he pulled it back in the air, ready to thump Aro back.

Basileus pushed Aro along towards his mate, lying with her leg raised on the oversized bed across the room.

"Behave," the juggernaut growled into the younger man's ear.

After listening in on the man's conversation with the creator earlier that day, Caius was in no mood for taking orders from Magnus. He snatched his arm free and growled at the man.

Magnus merely tutted. "Will you knock it off?"

"No," Caius spat. "And stop telling me what to do. You have no right; you've said so yourself."

Magnus stopped dead in his tracks. "Excuse me?!" Damn, that was too loud, he realised when Aro and Sully looked over in concern. Basileus did his best to divert their attention.

Are you trying to sink us both?! Caius thought murderously.

Much like Demetri had done in the main chamber, Caius clenched his fists at his sides. Also, like Demetri, the action was entirely subconscious as he wouldn't have purposely shown Magnus such disrespect, either. In that moment, though, he was too annoyed by Magnus potentially revealing their secrets to realise what he was doing. That's one too many slips, he said to himself.

"You heard me, I'm sure," he explained through gritted teeth. "As I heard you."

Magnus wanted to ask what on earth Caius was talking about, but the young master had already joined the others by Sulpicia's bedside. He exhaled slowly and shook his head. Seeing Aro's papers on the floor, Magnus decided collecting them up would give him a few moments respite.

As a long-lived empath, he usually had a fantastic grip on emotions – his own and those around him. But Magnus was tired. Dog tired. So many emotional upheavals in a compressed space of time had really taken its toll on him.

Get through this meeting, he told himself, and I'm going home, I'm taking a long hot bath, and then I'm going to sit in my chair by my fireplace and try to put the last few days behind me. That's what I'm doing. Then I'll work out how to fix things with Odi, and Caius, and…

"Are you joining us?" Basileus called over, his expression warm and full of concern for his friend.

Magnus smiled sadly and reached down to grab the last scroll from the floor. He offered Sulpicia her paperwork and rested a gentle hand on the woman's ankle. The pain coming from the shattered appendage spread through the empaths arm like a rising fire. He closed his eyes to absorb a little more before he had to stop.

"Oh," Sulpicia moaned at the relief. "Thank you, Magnus."

"You are welcome, my queen."

Caius, sitting beside Aro on the edge of the bed, leaned in closer to the man. "I bet you can't make her moan like that," he whispered.

Basileus heard Caius, though he missed Aro's reply. He shot the pair of them a warning look, one to say he'd had enough, and they'd better buck their ideas up, quick! They both knew that look.

"Where's El?" Aro asked breezily, trying to deflect attention.

"Checking on your children," Basileus replied.

There was a judgement to his tone and Aro heard it loud and clear. A bit rich, Dad, he thought. Sure, he had perhaps been harder on his children that day than he would have ordinarily. The four of them mouthing off and causing him grief one after another hadn't been his fault. And I still need to talk to Felix, he remembered. Talk… it won't be a talk.

But Eleazar checking on his children? It wasn't uncommon for the elder Volturi prince to check in on his young nephews and niece, but it always annoyed Aro when he did. He felt judged. He felt territorial, too. They were his toys and he didn't want to share. Being territorial came all too easily for a vampire, and Aro knew he had to keep himself in check when it came to such feelings. Not least because if he didn't, Basileus would.

Still, Aro had to say something. "Eleazar should check his own house is in order before he starts on mine."

Basileus side eyed his son. I'll let you have that one, he thought. "Right, we're all here, Sul," he said, getting them all on track. "What do you need from us?"

Caius stood and stretched out his arms, cricking his neck. "The queen has called me to her bedchamber - I know what she needs…"

Sulpicia held up her pen menacingly towards Caius who dared to look as though he would lunge for her at any moment. "Back off or I'll castrate you with my quill."

"Kinky," Caius replied, raising one eyebrow.

Basileus looked to Magnus, expecting the man to have something to say on Caius' behaviour. He forgot for a moment that, of course, the juggernaut couldn't' do, or say, much with an audience. His earlier slips had been just that, slips. Not for the first time Basileus wished his friend's private relationships were public. It would make my life a damn sight easier, he thought with a huff.

"How much have you drunk today?!" Basileus asked.

"Too much by the look of him," Magnus muttered.

Caius seemed ready to respond to Magnus before Basileus ragged him back. "Sit down and pay attention!"

Sulpicia got straight to the point. "Henri is hiding his money in 'werewolf campaigns'," she said. "I don't trust his accounting. From the books he has supplied he already owes a great debt for his alliance tithe. If he's lying about the werewolf campaigns as I believe, he owes a great deal more."

"So, what do you want us to do?" Magnus asked. "A surprise visit to Henri's lands or should we just scope out the wolf situation?"

Sorting through her paper, Sulpicia periodically tutted in Aro's direction for messing up her work. "I would prefer both in one trip, so it won't cost me double to send you all," she said, handing out written instructions to Magnus and then Caius.

Caius looked down at his sheet. Ever since Sulpicia had taken over coven accounts, he had been expected to run missions on a shoestring. They were properly costed, and he couldn't argue with the woman's logic, but it wasn't as much fun as when he could take a few bags of coins from the treasury and blow it on his way back from slaughtering Volturi enemies.

And then he saw the pittance he would be paid for the new mission. "I know you are our queen," he said, sighing at the woman. "But you, my lady, are money mad."

Sulpicia winked at him, agreeing. "Do we all understand our objectives?" She smiled so sweetly that they all had to nod and agree.

Basileus clapped a hand on Magnus' shoulder. "Now that's settled, you can come with me," he said. "I think we need a drink."

There goes my relaxing night in, Magnus thought to himself. Drinking the night away with his buddy would do him as much good, he believed.

"And you can come with me," Aro said to Caius once the older guys had left.

"Where?"

"I'm going to open up your skull and see whats going on in there," Aro replied with narrowed eyes. "You're acting very strange."

Caius started to sweat. What are you talking about?! He felt moisture beading on the back of his neck. Magnus, I'm going to fucking murder you! I can't believe you have outed us…

"You're clearly got a few loose connections if you're thinking about a family."

Oh, thank the Gods! Caius breathed a sigh of relief… and then he realised what Aro was worried about.A family? With the example you set? No, thank you! "That isn't what I said, you dick."

"Mhmm," Aro wasn't convinced.

The idea of Caius with a brood of his own to look after - or torture! - was too unpalatable for words. Though I've hardly been soft and cuddly with my own spawn today, he thought, feeling the guilt rising. It was deserved though, wasn't it? What else could I have done under the circumstances? Shaking the doubts from his mind, he threw an arm around Caius' shoulder's and directed them both down the hall.

"You're still coming with me. We're going to pay Felix a visit."

Seeing Felix? Fine. Caius couldn't see why Aro wanted him to, but he would have happily walked through the fires of Hades now he knew his inquiring friend hadn't twigged anything odd was occurring between him and Magnus.

Aro flung open his boy's bedchamber door. "Dry it up, son."

"I'm not crying."

He really wasn't - he wanted to, sure, but he wasn't. Aro had only said he was to try and embarrass him further. Like this can be more embarrassing, Felix thought, glaring at Caius as the man entered behind his father. The coven leader in question looked far too relaxed for Felix's liking and the boy immediately took offence.

"What are you doing here?"

Caius scoffed, unimpressed. "See how he speaks to me?" he said, turning to Aro. "Disgraceful."

"Mhmm." Aro had to agree and more importantly, he felt that disgrace personally.I'll stamp this disrespect out of you if I have to, my boy, he thought, barely containing his annoyance. Squaring his shoulders, he got straight to the point.

"I couldn't care less that you were in Odi's 'private space' today…"

Caius scoffed again. "Since when do kids even get private space?!" It wasn't something he had any memory of from his youth, that was for damn sure!

"My thoughts exactly, brother." Aro would have agreed with Caius' memories, too. "Some have become far too privileged of late."

Privileged?! The very word reverberated around Felix's young mind. What privilege?!

"When you are addressed by one of the masters of this coven you will reply respectfully, with haste."

From the sudden smirk on Felix's face, Aro could predict what his boy would respond with: 'even him?' he would have asked, insulting Caius, again - and disgracing me, again! Aro didn't give the child time to reply.

"There isn't a single place on earth where you out rank him. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, sir."

Sure, Felix answered correctly, but his damn smirk remained, annoying his father further.

"I'm sick to death of dealing with such petty crap from you. When are you going to grow up? It's about time you showed some maturity!"

Felix hugged his arms to his chest and concentrated on the floor. He knew if he looked up, Caius would be the one smirking. He knew it. I would if roles were reversed, he mused, scowling murderously at his own toes whilst Aro droned on. A few years ago, and it would have been Caius taking the round of fucks and Felix getting to smirk over his shoulder whilst Caius was made to feel like a prick. I bet you're loving this, aren't you?

"Hey!" Aro's roar brought Felix from his own thoughts. The boy cowered for a moment before pulling himself together. "Eyes on me!"

Aro waited for his son's eyes to snap to attention before he continued. Though Felix concentrated on his father, he couldn't help but notice Caius in the background. No smirk. Not even a hint of one. He looks… Felix tried to work out what he was seeing. Caius wasn't enjoying the show like Irina would have been, and he wasn't laughing like Odi usually did. He wasn't even doing that sad-sack smile Carlisle often offered - the one that said, 'I pity you but I'm grateful it's not me standing there'.

Oh, crap! It suddenly dawned on Felix what that stern expression meant - Caius wore a mask of annoyed disappointment. Oh, how Felix hated that face. It was the one that responsible grownups wore when his immaturity brought him scorn.

Caius and Felix had an odd relationship. For so very long, from the beginning of the boy's vampiric life, in fact, Aro had protected Felix from Caius' ways. Until more recent times, Caius was known to be a harsh disciplinarian in the coven, but he had never tried to treat Felix like the other guards, so Aro's protection allowed the boy to behave badly - cocky and brash. Even then, Caius would respond by ignoring the boy, acting like he didn't even exist. And when he did have to have contact with Aro's favoured young guard, he would be gruff and uncaring, though always just on the right side of the line.

More recently, and more pleasantly, Caius had been building bridges with his wife and inviting Felix to weekly card games, drinks with his very inner circle. Nice things. They still weren't friendly but being included in such a way had seen Felix treating the coven master more familiarly. Felix had kind of forgotten that the guy was just a grownup after all. Yeah, well, you've still got a black eye, the boy consoled himself with.

"You're always in my ear about raising your status around here but it's impossible with you playing the coven clown, getting cheap jokes off the back of insulting my friends…"

Felix dropped his eyes to his feet again and twisted his left foot a little, grinding it into the floor. Voice barely above a whisper, he said, "It was only Caius."

Aro cursed into the air before flashing toe to toe with his son.

"Caius is my oldest, closest, very best friend, you fucking moron!"

He shoved Felix hard in his chest, the boy's legs buckling at his knees as they hit the bed frame. Landing on his bed, he scrambled back further, up towards the headboard. He looked scared.

I need to calm down, Aro told himself, taking a few steps back.

The small gesture didn't help Felix at all. The wait didn't help, either, as Aro paused to collect his thoughts. All that could be heard were the inhale, exhale of the angry king, punctuated by the apparently deafening sounds of the flames crackling in the fireplace. When did fire get so loud? Felix briefly wondered how he ever managed to sleep through such a row.

"I want my children to have some respect for friends of mine. Old fashioned?" Aro asked the room, answering before a response could be offered, "I care not."

Oh, damn it! Aro turned away to hide the smile tugging at the corners of his lips. If only my father could hear me now, he thought, knowing just how much enjoyment it would bring the creator to have his argument proved correct. He decided to be a little nicer to Magnus the next time he saw the guy before turning back to Felix to round things off with his boy.

"You had better start showing some maturity, boy, or I swear to the Gods…" Aro drifted off. An old trick, but a good one - Felix started filling in the blanks for himself and for a boy with such a wild imagination, those blanks were scary!

"I'm really sorry, Caius," he said, one eye on his father. "I was only… showing off."

As looking at Aro made him feel worse, Felix quickly turned his full attention to other man in the room, hoping he would offer a reprieve. It didn't take long before the boy felt his frustrations rising - having to offer Caius the puppy dog eyes in his own bed chamber felt… unfair!

"Don't let it happen again - I won't stand for it," Caius replied. "I'm not playing with you."

He had played it well, he believed - just stern enough for Aro to drop the matter and keep Felix in line in future, but not asking for anything more to be done there and then, which meant he could finally leave the king's tower and return to the safety of his own. He hadn't expected Felix to be anything other than grateful for his approach, however, and Caius was way off base with that!

"You used to," Felix muttered.

"What was that?" Aro prompted, sure he'd misheard.

"Just that," Felix sucked in his breath for confidence. "You used to. Play, I mean."

"This is exactly what I told you would happen," Aro said to his co-master. 'You blurred the lines with you by having him at your parties."

Caius bobbed his head in response. They had talked about the blurring, as Aro had put it, when the man asked Caius to stop inviting the boy to join in adult play. "I thought he was mature enough to realise the difference between those times and my role as a master of the coven. I was mistaken."

Smug git! Felix huffed and pouted from his bed. "I'm mature enough, thanks."

"You just don't know when to quit, do you?!" Aro began unbuckling his belt as he stalked forward.

"No, no, no!" Felix called out, darting over the side of his bed. "He was the one being a jerk, not me. He could have nicely asked us to leave today and we would have gone."

Caius fumed. "Why the hell should I?!"

Aro actually stopped dead in disbelief. "You were in the guard dorms - where you shouldn't be - and you were told by a coven master to leave. Would you have been fresh with Marcus asking the same of you? Or Magnus? Like hell you would!"

Felix had no answer.

Aro turned to address Caius. "You're right, brother. He isn't mature enough to differentiate between the personas we have to play, so you're going to have to pick one and stick with it," he explained. "I can only be his father. He couldn't get his head around how he should behave in public versus private, so I just had to be his father. You can't be his friend and his master and his uncle.

"Uncle?" Felix tutted.

"He's my best friend, Felix. He's been my brother in arms since before you were born. What do you think that makes him in my eyes?!"

Caius pulled Aro back. If I have to stand here while you whip him, I'll never get home! "I'm the one who muddied the waters with him, I'll make them clear again."

Felix saw his father's mouth curl at the corners. Oh, that is not good.

Aro passed Caius his belt. "Just so you know, son," he said, sounding regretful whilst looking anything but! "Caius was trying to avoid this, but you've forced his hand with your insolence."

Then he noticed Caius looked as reticent as Felix did. "You're going to have to, brother," he explained. "His thick head only responds to good thrashing." With that, the coven king left, leaving the door open just a crack as he went.

Soaking up the shame, Felix prayed to any God who was listening. Just kill me and have done with it.

Caius looked Felix up and down. He'd already spent more time that day battling the coven youth than he'd like. He waggled the belt in the air. "I didn't want to do this."

Felix scoffed and turned away. "You didn't seem too bothered this morning."

"That was to get you under control, I'm not so inclined to punish you," Caius explained without any hint of remorse. "The bed," he added, directing the boy with his belt hand.

Oh man, Felix cringed. Tears pricked at his eyes as with shoulders sunk, he readied himself for another round off the coven master.

"No, no," Caius jumped in before the boy could present himself for discipline. "Sit."

Oh, thank you lord! Felix said to the heavens. Or lords? However, many of you as there are, thanks a lot!

"Listen, Aro's right. I only had you to my place for Dora's sake, and that was only because you and Corin are a thing, and that only matters because Renata doesn't like leaving the girl out."

"Okay…" Felix knew that already. He wasn't so dense as to think he had been invited on his own merits. Heck, even Corin knew she hadn't been invited on her own merits. They were just happy to be invited to anything at all!

"I'm not your friend, but I don't want to be your master, either."

"I don't really know what that means," Felix admitted.

Caius took a seat next to the boy and leaned back on his arms. Letting his head fall, he stared at the ceiling. All the talk of public and private faces had him thinking of his own struggles with Magnus. I'm wearing so many faces with so many people I hardly know which ones are the real ones anymore. Was he playing families with Magnus or was that real? If it was real for Caius, was it real for Magnus? Caius would assume not after the conversation he'd overheard. And then theres Odi! How could he despise and love someone so much? Because I'm jealous of him?

He felt Felix flinch at his side and realised he'd been growling, scaring the boy. And what do I do about you? The pettiness of the argument back in the guard dorms seemed suddenly startling. His eye still ached from Magnus' power-blow the night before, and the headache was coming back.I need more bloodwine.

"Stop trying to treat me like Carlisle," he said to Felix, still looking at the ceiling. "I don't like it. Think of me as more of an Eleazar instead. You wouldn't dare speak to him the way you spoke to me this morning. You wouldn't laugh with your mates when one of them called him a cunt, either. Do you get what I'm saying?"

"I need to show you more respect, especially in front of others. I get it." Are you letting me off the hook? Felix swallowed hard. "You know… Eleazar is nice to me most of the time. He tries to keep me out of trouble with my Dad… that kind of thing."

Caius stood, looked down at the boy, and nodded. "Then we understand each other."

"Is, erm… is that it?"

"This time."

Aro snatched his belt back from Caius' outstretched hand the moment he came through the door. "Wimp." He'd clearly hung onto every word from the hallway.

"I was being nice."

Aro eyed his fellow master with concern. "It unnerves me when you're nice."

"Funny," Caius muttered back, walking ahead of the king.

"So…" Aro said as they descended the stairs. "Whats going on with you and Magnus?"

Fuck!