Via Red paced the hotel room impatiently, wondering what could be taking so long. She paused in front of the mirror, examining her appearance. There was nothing wrong with the reflection in front of her. As usual, she looked perfect. But to Via's nervous eye there were a million problems with the way she looked right now. Looking for something to correct, she flicked her hair off of her shoulder, then swept it back forward again, deciding it stopped her face from looking over-exposed. She swung her arms up above her head in an expression of frustration, turned and spun around the room, then came back to the mirror.
She looked tired. Not like she needed sleep, obviously, because she didn't sleep, but mentally tired. Like someone who spent too much time being stressed. Her hair was straggly and coarse, like it belonged to a human and not a vampire. She was too pale. More colour would have suited her. She was too tall. She was taller than a lot of men. There was a strange, upturned quality to her lips that made it look like she was perpetually sneering.
To a human eye, Via was beautiful. By the standards of a vampire, she was ugly.
Before she could stop herself, Via's fist had hit the mirror. Her reflection broke apart, for a moment distorted into several moving Via's, before the pieces of glass fell to the carpet and she was left standing over the evidence of her crime, a surging sense of satisfaction in her stomach.
It took her a moment to remember that hadn't been very smart. The hotel wouldn't be pleased about the smashed mirror. She'd just have to check out before they noticed. Via put a hand to her chest, feeling for a heartbeat that wasn't there. If she was a human, she'd be taking deep, deep breaths right now, trying to calm her anger. But she couldn't breathe. The thought almost made her panic, as if she was a human choking for breath. Pathetic. Pathetic. She was about to smash something else. Screw self control.
Via had just spun around to face the bedside table, ready to observe the way it would splinter when her fist connected, when she heard a noise. It was only very slight, like the impact of feet on the floor. For a moment Via froze. Then she spun around in a flash to face the open window and he was there.
"Alec", she breathed – or she would have done if she could breathe. "Happy birthday."
Alec smiled at her. It was the same slow, curious smile he always gave her, and as it always did it made Via's frozen heart feel as if it had been stuck over a campfire and was slowly de-thawing and beginning to beat again. It wasn't. But that was the way it felt.
All Via Red wanted in that moment was to close the space between them and squeeze Alec in her arms and never let go. Every time she saw him this urge happened. Without fail. She always had to crush the urge. Overpowering and irrational, the urge made Via feel dizzy and winded. And that was pretty impressive since Via hadn't once been dizzy or winded for real in the three years she'd been a vampire.
"Thank you", Alec answered her with amusement in his tone. Via supposed it wasn't surprising he didn't take his birthday seriously. He had had a lot of them.
"I thought you wouldn't manage to get away", she whispered. Though again, it wasn't really a proper whisper. Because when a human whispered they exhaled air as they did it, which Via couldn't do. But she spoke quietly. "When you were late I thought the Volturi must have..thrown you a party or something. Something which meant you couldn't come and see me."
"Via." Alec still looked amused. "The Volturi don't care that it's my birthday. I'm pretty sure Jane is the only one who even remembered. And that's only because we're twins. You and I had already agreed that I would come to the hotel to meet you, and you'd get a room. I wouldn't have stood you up."
When Alec said things like that, Via's dizziness increased.
"Have you mentioned me to Aro yet?" she asked eagerly.
"No. I thought it would probably come up next time he read my mind. But he hasn't done that in a while."
"And when it does come up...do you think he'd want me in the Volturi Guard?"
She couldn't read Alec's face at all. It was the same mix of calm and amusement as ever.
"He is trying to recruit at the moment. Via...why did you think I asked to meet you here?"
Via wasn't sure. She examined him carefully. When he had suggested they meet in a hotel she hadn't been able to shake the thought that that was what rich men did with women they had affairs with. She was sure...reasonably sure...that Alec didn't ask her to come here on his birthday for sex but...
Well, Via could hope.
"Aro actually ordered me to be here."
Oh. Well, that was that dream crushed.
"He had heard the Cullens were going to be staying in one of the rooms. He wanted me to talk with them."
And you thought you could see me too, on the side! Via thought bitterly. Because that was all she was to him. Something on the side.
"Its actually quite an important mission. He just wants to find out what they're doing, how the child is, that kind of thing. But he thinks they're more likely to regard it as a casual visit and not be on their guard if it's just me, rather than Aro or Caius. Anyway, if you can help me I'm sure Aro will be easy to convince about you joining the Volturi Guard."
"Are you serious?" The words came out before Via had meant them to. She knew her face must be lit up, bedazzled.
"Yes." The amusement was back. "I'm serious. Will you help?"
Via put out a hand to touch his face. She didn't look at him as she did it. Half of her expected him to pull away. Instead, she felt silky perfect skin beneath her fingers. A quick flick of her eyes told her he wasn't looking at her either. Like her, his eyes were on the ground. What did that mean?
"I'll help", she said.
"Good." Alec was on his feet and by the door in seconds. "Then let's go get breakfast."