12th February 2004
Wet snow sloshed around his leather shoes as he walked through the cold London streets, the pounding music from the nightclub to which he was headed to already audible despite being a good five minutes walk away. Wrinkled hands clenched tight to keep out the cold as they shoved into the heavy pockets of his green trench coat, a garment he'd had for over a decade and rarely used considering he chose not to leave the mansion very often, and if he did, it was during warmer, much warmer, times.
Albert gave a soft exhale, his breath fogging in the freezing winters air. It was a chilly February night, a thick and violent storm having blown endless snow up in Northallerton, back at him, the mansion grounds covered in the thick white substance that had made the normally lush green gardens a blank canvas, both fourteen year olds not able to go outside and play in it like they had done just under a decade ago, before Georgie got sick.
He had to do this, he needed to do this, if not for the twins then for their parents. They didn't die when the twins were ten years old just to have them join them four, maybe five if they were fortunate enough to live that long, years later, what with Georgina's multitude of ailments and Master Williams recent diagnosis of a blood disease that could kill him if some sort of cure wasn't found. Both would be dead before the year was over, she before spring thawed into summer, and he maybe by the next snowfall the following year.
They were running out of time -all of them.
The queue outside the nightclub seemed a mile long; women in scantily clad shirts that clung to their bosoms, dresses so short they could qualify as shirts, all shivering in the line because of the chill that was sweeping down the London street, men there too, mixed in amongst the women in the line, all queuing to just catch a glimpse of the beautiful men and women inside who prowled, looking for their next meal, someone in the queue going to be the unfortunate individual who certainly wouldn't see spring thaw into summer, or the next snowfall.
And yet, he knew two people who would, if he could only get inside and speak to the man who his youngest and sickest ward had told him to speak to -Henry Greene, a well known man yet one who people rarely saw, and if they did, they certainly didn't live to tell anyone about it, a rare few given the privilege, a very rare few indeed.
Pulling his hands out his pockets and braving the biting cold, Albert walked up to the doorman; the man stood at least a foot taller than him, face the colour of snow, a mere capture of the beauty that lurked inside the club, violet eyes staring down at him disdainfully, like the aged man was a mere speck of dirt on his shoe. Summoning up every ounce of strength that he'd had during his former armed service days, he looked the brute of a man squarely, unafraid. "I need to speak to Mr Greene."
The man with the violet eyes gave an ill-amused smirk. "Mr Greene is unavailable, old timer. Go away and pester someone else." He retorted, and Albert squared himself up to the man, despite their height difference. "So Mr Greene wouldn't be interested if I told him I knew what he was," he leant a little closer, lowering his voice so the waiting people nearby wouldn't hear his next words, only the man with the violet eyes. "If I knew he was an immortal creature who feeds off the blood of others?" He murmured lowly.
Violet eyes narrowed a little and the man took a step back. "Follow me," he ordered coldly, nodding to one of the other doormen to cover his watch before he led the shivering man inside the bass pounding club, laughter and the sounds of people partying growing louder and louder as they advanced deeper into the club.
Flashes of purple, blue, green and amber coloured lights bounced off of the walls, landing on the throng of sweaty bodies as they twisted and turned to the pounding music, drinks clutched in their hands, eyes shut, lost in the sensation and the thrill of being inside one of the most well-known clubs in the English capital. Albert tore his eyes away from them as the man with the violet eyes led him through a glass corridor that was lined with a thick plain red carpet, the walls an ashen black, the corridor leading them up and over the dancing people, a mass sea of oblivious individuals who had no clue as to the danger they would be in and were currently in.
At the end of the corridor was a door, a door engraved with ornate designs, amongst other things, a single lock with a keyhole resting there. The man with the violet eyes knocked once before calling out in a voice that was too fast for Albert's ailing hearing to pick up. The man hesitated before glancing back at Albert and ushering him into the room, the door swinging shut behind him with a loud slam, the noise of the partying below drowned out to a dull thumping -the room must have been soundproofed.
And what a magnificent room it was indeed. Paintings of regal figures hung from the red and gold papered walls, the carpet a luscious red colour, looking as though it were placed down yesterday, and a nagging voice in the back of his head suggested that it had been to cover something up. Bookcases filled with thick tomes and old weathered books lined the walls beneath the paintings and Albert couldn't stop himself gazing around in wonder. A old wooden desk sat in the middle of the room, piled high with papers, amongst other things. A clearing of someone's throat brought him out of his awestruck state.
To his righthand side, there were a few leather couches, old and extremely outdated, like the rest of the room, a relic from a past long forgotten. A man sat upon one, a woman curled on his lap. He was an attractive man; thick dark hair lined his head, piercing red eyes staring at him from where he stood, looking less than impressed at being disturbed in the middle of something. A dark stubble lined his pale cream coloured chin, a mouth set down in a frown. The woman upon his lap was simply breathtakingly beautiful, her ruby red eyes decorated with dark makeup, that in itself subtle but still adding to her allure. Her raven black hair was curled tightly around her angelic face, her blood red lips parted a little as she too observed him. She was petite, slim, her bosom equally proportioned to the rest of her slim body. She would have put the models in the magazines he'd found hidden under Master William's bed a few years back to shame.
The man, whom he had no doubt was the infamous Henry Greene, clicked his tongue irritably. "My guard tells me you know what I am." He stated, not dancing around the point, and Albert, not intimidated one ounce, nodded firmly. "I do. I know what you are, Mr Greene. You're a vampire." He answered back calmly.
Henry Greene gave a sigh and gently, tenderly moved the beautiful woman off of his lap before he moved in a blur, coming to a stop before Albert. He spoke in a snarl. "And why should I not kill you where you stand, old man?" He spat, red irises glaring down at the physically older gentleman.
Albert maintained his calm demeanour. "Because I have something, or rather two someone's, who are of use to the coven that rules your kind." He answered calmly, maintaining eye contact with the furious immortal in front of him. The woman moved a little behind him, this now having caught her whole attention too. Henry frowned, pulling back a little before he smoothed his features out and gave a sharp laugh, walking back and dropping onto the couch, stretching an arm over the back of the red leather couch. "And what could you have that is of use to the Volturi?"
Reaching into his trench coat, Albert pulled out a photograph of Georgina and William, both smiling, taken just under a year ago, before she became seriously unwell and could mainly care for herself with minimal assistance. She was sat in her bed, leant into her brother as he extended an arm around her shoulders, a beaming smile on both their faces, his lips pressed against her temple in a gentle kiss. It depicted happier times that none of them could of thought would lead to this particular moment.
Albert placed it on the small table in front of the two vampires. "My wards; William and Georgina Harris. Twins, and incredibly gifted for someone so young. She tells me that the leader of this coven has a habit for collecting gifted individuals, human or not, and incorporating them into his establishment; am I wrong?" He asked coolly and Henry gave a click of his tongue once more. "No, you aren't wrong. I still don't see why I'm not ripping your throat out for daring to interrupt me during my alone time with my wife." He stated coldly, flicking an invisible piece of lint of his sleek black slack pants.
The mortal man gave a hum, picking the pocket back up and tucking it into his pocket. "Because I know how this said man would react should such a talent, or rather a pair of such talented individuals, be kept from he and his organisation. Tell me, Mr Greene, how would he react should such a betrayal reach him? What would he do to your own establishment, to those you hold dear, to those you love?" He countered firmly.
Henry Greene gave a soft snarl under his breath. "I don't like what you're insinuating, old man." He snapped and Albert stared back, unwavering in his decision to not back down. "And I'm a desperate man. I'll do anything to make sure they survive, to make sure they live the life they should live, mortal or immortal wise. I've dedicated my life to caring for them, and I'll do it until I take my final breaths, whether it be due to natural causes or not. My ward told me about them after having learnt about them through her dreams. She knows everything about each and every one of them, and you, Mr Greene, including where all your victims have been disposed of at. An incinerator beneath this very building, or so I'm told, and how your wife was an intended victim that became so much more two hundred years ago, or am I wrong? She told me how you yourself were born over seven centuries ago, about how you built your coven up from nothing, from dust and ashes. Am I mistaken?"
Red eyes shone with something unfamiliar and he looked at his wife before back to the man who was watching him closely. He gave an open mouthed smirk and scoffed. "You want me to take you to the Volturi?" He slapped his hands down on his thighs before he stood. "So be it. I will indulge your suicidal fantasy, but don't be surprised when they kill you before you can blink. They don't take kindly to humans knowing about our existence, old man. Heck, maybe you've lived a long enough life death doesn't bother you, but it should. I'm going to enjoy seeing that blonde twin torture the hell out of you for daring to know their secret."
Albert gave a firm nod. "And come what may, I will take it, even if it kills me in the process, because, at least I know my wards will be safe and live" He murmured, dark eyes clouded with emotion as he thought of the two teenagers who were braving the storm by themselves a mere four hours away.