Dear Reader.
This is a long one.
Honestly, I wanted to cut it in half, so I'd have one more chapter in stock, but I feel you've been waiting long enough and it's time to get on with it! Don't get used to it though, I don't think I'll be making 7 pages long chapters every single time.

Enjoy!

XXX

"Long ago,

Glowing dim as an ember,

Things my heart

Used to know

Things it yearns to remember"

In her mind, Once upon a December was playing on repeat. She felt exactly like Anastasia, like she was walking into a dream, rediscovering the castle of a childhood she thought she had forgotten.

For how many years had her dreams been occupied with these marble tiled corridors, these molded stone ceilings, these carved pillars and these giant paintings? From the moment she had stepped inside the palace everything had seemed warm and familiar.

It was in fact actually warm, thanks to the many hearths that heated every room she'd cross, and the candelabras on the walls. The enormous chandeliers above their head were composed of actual candles slowly dripping into intricate wax sculptures. Her memories had been mostly of daytime, since she probably had a pretty early bedtime as a little child, so she expected the palace to get chilly during the winter night. But entering the fire warmed castle, she found an alcove by a tall window, with a sofa garnished in luxurious cushions and was instantly reminded of…

"I used to drink hot cocoa in winter over there," She said to no one in particular, "And watch the snow fall in the garden."

She turned to see Caius smiling softly to her, his brows twitching slightly and his big deep-set eyes glistening underneath, in an expression she'd once seen on him when she was admiring his sparkling skin in the garden. Endearment, tinted with sadness. Seeing him in real life was so much more powerful than any drawings or dreams could ever have shown her. She had remembered the blond curls, but not how he would run a hand through them every so often. She had remembered the sharp cheekbones and jawline, but not how those angular features would soften and rise up when he smiled. She had remembered him as tall grown up, probably turned in his early twenties, but not how his charisma came less from his body, and more in the way he carried his head, as if he was wearing an invisible crown. She never had remembered his crimson eyes, but she would have never imagined, knowing what she knew now, that they could feel so comfortable to look at, so open and welcoming. She held that gaze a moment, and it seemed as if he was going to say something, when -

"Fascinating." Aro said, clapping his hands "How her memories are brought to her so spontaneously! How I would love to just…" he quickly licked his thin red lips in frustration.

X

As soon as she had arrived to his level on the carpet, Aro had grabbed her hand in a warm greeting. "Bellissima Isabella, Welcome back to Volterra!" he had said and had then softly kissed the back of her hand. Bella had done her best not to wince at the sight of the vampire that once inspired her the most fear amongst them all. With his sleek black hair falling on his black cloak and his chalky pale eyes, his wide crimson eyes seemed even wider since, and the tick of his thin lips would always make her uneasy. He had then released her hand with a cold laugh "As always, nothing!"

Caius had whispered in her ear that Aro's special ability was to read every thought you ever had, simply by holding your hand. "Interesting" She had said, wondering if she should inform him that she was not too surprised. But she didn't feel quite ready yet, mentioning him. In fact, the very moment Caius had explained about Aro's ability, she had felt a surge of emotion that could only be irrational, a wave of sadness and anger, as if the ancient King had stolen something precious from her and as the abyss had threaten to open its mouth wide and swallow her whole part of her wanted to say "He also…"

As if talking about a dead loved one. She'd had to look away from Caius and her eyes had fallen on Marcus.

In her memories, he'd been an adult that always kept her at arm's length, sometimes playing the piano in the same room as her. But then, before her eyes, had stood a young man about her age. With dark, curly brown hair, thick eyebrows and broody crimson eyes veiled by long eyelashes, he'd reminded her of Jasper. Not so much because of his looks, but for the same constant portrayal of open sadness. He'd been walking close to Caius, looking ahead and it'd seemed to Bella that she would hear the choir of a Greek tragedy resonate in the palace, and he would be its doomed hero.

At that moment, Bella had thought that he was beautiful but in a painful, too familiar way, as if he was carrying her own feelings for all to see. She wondered what kind of fate could cause such crushing grace to linger on one's face.

Trust vampires to turn misery into an art form.

As if he'd sensed her gaze on him, Marcus had turned his head to her and where she thought she'd find the same lazy and unimpressed eyes directed at her, she saw something sharp, like the scratch of a thorn you didn't know would be there. Something that made her look away instantly and tighten her grasp on Caius' arm who was leading her into the palace.

"Piccola," Caius had immediately said, catching her waist with his palm behind her back. "What's wrong? Your pulse is racing"

"Nothing" she'd lied "I'm simply tired".

As they'd entered the palace, Marcus had taken a sharp left and had swiftly paced away into the opposite corridor, his black cloak floating behind him, and his curls lightened by each candelabra.

"Don't mind him," Caius had said. "My brother isn't very social by nature. It's nothing personal."

Though he had seemed to have said that in all earnestness, Bella couldn't shake the deja vu impression, which she'd only have once before, that winter day in biology when she'd met him.

That Marcus absolutely hated her.

X

The walk to her quarter went in a daze. Bella's eyes were constantly drowned by an avalanche of memories, all too quick for her to focus on. She realized the fatigue was slowly taking over her and she was fighting to keep her pace steady and her eyelids open. She pestered at herself for being so human, at the worst possible moment when she was finally reunited with...she turned to Caius.

"Are they all going to follow us to my quarter?" She whispered to him, nodding toward the procession.

Caius raised an amused eyebrow "Piccola, you should really realize by now, your presence is extremely special to us and deserving of all the theatrics we deem necessary. So yes, you will be escorted to your room by the entire household tonight, and only tonight, fear not."

Bella glanced behind her, trying to count the hooded heads "Is this really everyone?"

Caius pinched his lips, his gaze darkening for a second "Almost everyone, yes, with a few exceptions."

Bella knew not to pry further. They remained silent as they climbed up a large flight of stairs leading to open galleries that really looked just like the ones they had passed on the first floor, and Bella was convinced she'd have trouble finding her way into the castle. She hoped her childhood memories would trigger some instinctive inner compass on the premises, because she was feeling completely disoriented. Actually, she was feeling dizzy.

"Caius…"

"This is it."

They had stopped at a large double door in the middle of what she guessed was the west wing, and Bella gasped. The door was arched and made of well-preserved dark wood decorated with a warm looking metal - copper probably - twisted into intricate botanical patterns, and so polished its golden sheen reflected the light of the nearby candelabra. Despite its extremely well-maintained appearance, the door looked ancient, as if she had been the one travelling through time, rather than visiting an old building. The feeling was completed by the warmest deja-vu. This used to be her bedroom door. This was her bedroom door. Holding her breath, Bella raised a trembling hand and touched a metal leaf that was just above her head. She remembered that leaf. It used to be her favorite, with the little twist at the end, and she always was silently frustrated to be too small to reach it. Now she could. She caressed the little pointy end with nostalgic satisfaction. So that's how it felt. Her hand went to the handle, but found that a bigger, stronger and yet delicate hand was resting on it. A hand with a silver crest ring on it.

"Are you ready, Piccola, or do you want to collapse on the threshold?" He chuckled.

She heard a muffled laugh somewhere in the procession, and remembered she wasn't alone. She lowered her hand a little in embarrassment and said sheepishly "Is my fatigue that obvious?"

More laugh among the guards, and Caius shot a disapproving look in their general direction.

"Child, he said softly, I've spent the last five minutes debating if I should just put you out of your misery and carry you to bed like when you were little."

"Sorry." she said, but shrugged with an apologetic smile before running a hand through her hair. "My human body think it's midnight already."

Caius took a moment to recover. Even dangerously unhealthy and semi-conscious, she was still the most endearing child on the planet. He scanned the procession with a protective glare, really hoping no one else had noticed, and made intentional eye contact with every single unattached male in the household. Back off.

They all took a simultaneous step back, all except Aro who muffled a laugh.

"We have arrived to her quarters," Aro said "We should now give Lady Isabella her privacy. Brother," he addressed Caius "We leave her in your care. Make sure to explain everything she might need to know before you let het rest." He added with an intense gaze, and Caius replied with a short nod.

The entire procession vanished wish a breeze of warm candle scented air and Bella was now completely alone with Caius. He offered her a soft smile:

"Shall we?"

If the alcoves and doors were familiar, the room was oozing with nostalgia. Everything was like it used to be: the lamps, the cushy armchair, so soft you could hardly get out of it, the tall window that showed the hills and fields beyond the city, the little book nook in an alcove by the fireplace, and the wool carpet next to it. That was where Dolores had taught her to read. The desk where she would do her homework and draw, sometimes even eat. And the bed. The king size four poster bed and its burgundy curtains was taking her back to the blessed time of bedtime stories and afternoon naps. It was calling her. Bella noticed her suitcase was there, next to the ancient mahogany bedside chest that she just knew was filled with duvet and plaids for when it gets extra chilly.

And in the corner, a rocking chair. He hearts swelled: it was the very same one she'd had in her room in Forks. Where he would wait for her to wake up….

"I used to rock you to sleep there, sometimes." Caius said, noticing the emotion on her face "You would fall asleep so much faster this way."

Yes, it was true. He did. Caius did. She turned to him, a wave of gratitude swelling in her heart for casting the painful memories away. His crimson eyes were gleaming with warmth, and before she completely registered what she was doing, she was in his arms.

She thought his chest would be cold, but the fabric was warm on her cheek. Warm and wet...oh yes, she was crying. She could hear the wounded sounds her voice was making, but her mind was drifting in the citrus scent that oozed from his clothes, the nostalgic appeal of it, like the appeal of the hot cocoa by the window, or of the freshly baked cookies Corin would give her. When his arms enclosed her body and held her tightly, she knew she was home.

"You can't know what it means to have you here, Child." Caius voice broke on that last word, which only intensified her own sobbing.

She couldn't tell how long they stayed like this, him murmuring softly to her in Italian phrases like "there there, my child, I know" or "it's over, you're safe now" while caressing her hair, and she might have just fallen asleep, if he didn't gently straighten her to meet her eyes.

"Child, there is so much to say, but I'm afraid, so little time." He shook his head "I wish I could give you more time to prepare and rest but, you have to know what is going to happen."

"What is going to happen?" She repeated, confused. She could barely stay awake, but he sat her down on the bed, and the gravity in his eyes held her attention.

"On the phone, we mentioned Rules."

Bella had to make a serious effort to remember anything, but she nodded anyway

"One of these rules are that if any mortal comes to know about our existence, they can only have one of two fates." He looked intently into her eyes "Death, or Immortality."

Bella nodded again as if he has announced the week's weather forecast to her, but her eyes were getting dry of not blinking, and she was starting to feel very cold. Death. Had she come all this way to just to settle some administrative loophole and die?

Bella, coming here was reckless.

She shook her head to the sound of that voice. Caius cupped her head with both of his icy hands and made her meet his gaze again. "This is one of our most ancient Laws, and it cannot be broken. When you were a child - though to me you still are," he added with a humorless smile "things were different, since you were protected by the Child Protection Act…"

"What's the Child Protection Act?" She asked blankly. If she wore pigtails could she still benefit from it? Caius shook his head again

"A law that protects children, I'll tell you about it later, but what you need to know is as long as you were under 12 years old, you were protected by this law, which is why we had to…" he detailed "But this is another story. The fact is that now you are 18 and your knowledge of our world is...well it's irregular."

He let go of her cheeks to hold her hands, his eyes still in hers with a look of frank adoration on his face.

"I would wish for nothing more but for you to live out your life here in Volterra, as a human. I've in fact pleaded my brothers to allow for that. But..."

"They refused"

He winced, and lifted an eyebrow at an attempt at humor "Not exactly. We could for example decide to let you live here and only give you death in... say fifty or sixty years or so, which is in a way close to granting my wish" He added with a sad smile.

Bella was now wide awake. In fact, it was as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over her head, and her limbs were shaking. The image of her seventy years old self, wandering in this castle filled with an immortal family who's slowly watching her die, waiting for her execution at the hand of people she loved. It seemed both sickening and unbearably familiar. The memory of that nightmare in the meadow came to her mind.

"Aro decided that the best way to solve the matter was to organize a hearing upon your arrival. You will answer questions and state your wish, after which your fate will be determined."

"So Aro could decide to just kill me that same day?"

Caius eyes shot to hers instantly with an alarmed look. "Child! Do you think I made you come here to so cruelly treat you?" Bella watched his blond curls fall above his brow as his crimson stare widened, as if they were struggling to decipher something hidden deep in her eyes. "You saw how the household greeted you earlier! Everyone here is eager to have you become an official member of the Family. Legally yes, Aro could make that proposition, but he won't, and Marcus and I are both voting members in any trial anyway!"

So now she was on trial and she had to count on Marcus to vote for her survival?

"Quite frankly, we all want this to be dealt with as soon as possible so we can just resume our life and offer you the save haven that you so rightfully deserve here. So, the entire ordeal is simply to find the loophole that would both assuage the Law and fit you the most comfortably."

"So, what are my options?" Even her jaw was trembling now.

"Forgetting about us entirely, in which case you'd still be attending University and would be living is Pisa, in one of our properties. We have the means of wiping your memories, not only about us, but about the Olympic coven and any other immortal you might have encountered."

It would be as if I never existed.

The abyss might have swallowed her right there and then, had Caius not continued with the second option.

"Keeping your memories, but that would mean living out your life possibly here or under the constant supervision of our kind, which very little to no chance at a normal human life. This has never been accepted so far, but maybe Aro could take note of your special circumstances and make an exception. Lastly, there is the option of offering you the Gift."

To her blank expression, Caius precise "That is to say, make you an Immortal."

Bella's vertigo was back with a vengeance. Becoming a vampire. They were ready to offer he the one thing she had once wanted more than life itself...but only because it meant staying with...him.

Caius must have interpreted her facial expression as appalment, or fear, because he let out a deep sigh.

"Would it be so terrible?" he tried with a half-smile, his eyebrows almost pleading.

Bella rested her gaze on her hands, not knowing how to answer without venturing in dangerous territory. She took a deep breath and turned her right palm in his hand so her scar was plainly visible "Once, I was almost turned." She heard a sharp hissing sound, but continued, her eyes still cast down. "When I realized I had been saved from it, I was disappointed." She stopped herself before her voice could break. "I had my reason then for wanting this. I don't know if…." She was out of breath before she could finish that sentence. "I need to think about it." Is all the answer she could offer.

She could feel his hands trembling in hers. Hesitantly, she slowly raised her eyes to meet his. In this instant she understood a little better how he could inspire fear to his enemies. His chin was rained and you could see that his jaw was set, clenched behind his lips which where twisted downward, but his eyes were hardened in icy rage for a split second before he sealed them shut and remained perfectly still for a minute, as if to hide his anger from he. His eyes were still closed when he inhaled deeply and said in a trembling voice just as cold:

"I cannot promise you that we will not ask prying questions. While I wished my sole duty was to my Family, we rule over the entire vampire world. We guard our lore and laws and as such we might have to ask you to…relate, certain events such as the one you seem hesitant to describe.

He seemed to have regain control over himself, and when he opened his eyes again, they had melted in sad tenderness.

"How I wish we could give you all the time in the world, to choose to talk on your own terms. I will do my best to make it as comfortable, or at least as little unpleasant as possible. But this has to be done. Do you understand."

She dipped her head in acceptance, knowing that this was taking a toll on him increased her trust that he would do anything, everything he could to protect her in that trial. He gave her an apologetic smile and continued:

"Many of the mortals who come to find out about us request the Gift of their own free will, but it is usually because of their personal greed for eternal youth, and they all know the risk, they know there is no way out. But you were given this situation against your will, at a young age and in part because of me, so my accountability should help your case. Which is why I think that if you do not want the Gift, Aro and Marcus should be reasoned into accepting options."

"What do you mean by that? How is this because of you?" In the middle of this catastrophic turn of event, she was genuinely curious. "I don't think I knew you were a vampire when I was first here…" There were still so many questions she needed to ask, and her life was already on the line before she could even start getting any answer.

It was his turn to look down as he replied "I'm afraid this would start a whole other conversation, Piccola. And trust me, I'll be more than happy to answer all of your questions once this whole trial is over."

"And when is that? When is the trial?" More questions kept pouring listlessly from her, as her mind and body wasn't entirely registering the tsunami of emotion that was threatening to crash on her.

"That is why you need to rest now" Caius answered,

"The hearing is tomorrow after sunset. You have twelve hours to sleep and prepare yourself."

XXX

Dear Reader

I know, don't thank me (jk please do), I gave you emotion and we moved forward with the story, what do you know? I learn, okay, it takes time, but I learn.

Ok, you need to tell me EVERYTHING you thought while reading this.

I know we all know what our cast looks like, but if I want to write a paragraph on Jamie, I'm gonna do a paragraph on Jamie, okay? Same with Timmy here, our brooding teenager needed his descriptive moment, I will not apologize. Also, what do you think about the relationships so far?

I wanted to make Caius explode upon seeing her scar, but I feel he's too protective to just bare his anger and scare her in the process (not that I will never let him lose control)

Also, any guess about the trial?