A/N: Thanks for the warm welcome, you guys. The pairing kind of bit me and I had to get something out since the pairing isn't as common as I like. I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plotline.

As time had gone by, Aro had stopped paying any mind to the flow of time itself, merely taking passing note of any interesting developments, vampire or human. It was a patchwork of events, blips on an empty and endless timeline.

Until she came along.

Suddenly, time had slowed down a bit more than normal, and he found himself watching the world around him with more interest than he usually bothered with. On more than one occasion, he found Marcus staring at him with an odd expression on his face before going back to watching whatever played in his mind constantly (Aro had a fairly good idea of what it was – he hardly needed to touch Marcus to know that his existence revolved around his deceased mate. He refused to regret what he did. It had been for the greater good. Whose greater good that was for was subjective, and he didn't care to elucidate.)

7 years had passed since he had begun monitoring the young human, and still he wasn't satisfied. He felt he would never be satisfied. Why? What was it about this girl, this Isabella, that was so utterly fascinating? He thumbed through the most recent report, feeling a smirk pull at the corner of his mouth. It was likely he knew the girl better than her own parents knew her, perhaps even better than she knew herself.

Report 88

Isabella is on time with household payments, as usual. There is an elevated level of unrest in the house, and Isabella is more pensive than normal. She has secluded herself in her room, and Renee spends most of her time in the household shifting restlessly. I believe it is due to Renee finding a new human to spend time with, and it is becoming apparent that the male wishes to make the arrangement more permanent.

A young human male has taken an interest in Isabella at her educational institution, but she has so far spurned the advances. It is just as well. He is not worthy of her attentions.

Aro smiled at this. It seemed Jane had become attached to Isabella over the years. How amusing.

Her performance in her classes remains outstanding, and she has increased the number of books she reads per week to three. Wuthering Heights maintains a place of distinction within her bag.

She was becoming quite the bibliophile. Aro raised his eyes to glance at the walls of books around him. Oh, how his Isabella would simply love his study. He paused, playing his thought backward in his mind. His Isabella? Well that just wouldn't do. He moved on to the next report, putting the issue out of his mind until he felt ready to deal with it.

Report 89

Renee has married the male named Phil. Despite the joviality of the event, both Renee and Isabella seem unhappy when not distracted. It is becoming apparent that the…rift…that has been between them since I began following them, may never be mended.

The restlessness pervading the household remains, and has increased over time in Renee. She wants to accompany this Phil to his various sports functions, but cannot with Isabella remaining. Isabella knows this, and may be weighing her options based on how she continues to grab her phone, only to put it back. Perhaps she intends to go with her father.

Isabella has turned 17 today. As before, Isabella made no spectacle of the event, and has quietly accepted a dinner that Renee has offered to make.

The dinner was inedible, and Isabella quietly made a new dish.

She has chosen to move in with her father, to grant her mother the freedom that she craves. I will provide another report once she has settled into her new permanent home.

Moving. Aro laid the reports down and clasped his hands behind his back, making a slow circuit around his room. She would be leaving the arid climes of Arizona and moving to Washington, a place almost constantly beset by rain or heavy cloud cover.

A place he could move freely.

His hands tightened around each other and he stopped moving, standing with the stillness only a vampire could achieve. Perhaps this little…obsession…of his was going too far. Under no circumstances could he see her, nor should he. She was simply a human, a curiosity to entertain him. A fascinating human, but a human nonetheless, no matter how interesting she was, or how potentially gifted. He thought back to one of the first reports, his milky red eyes becoming fixated on the floor.

–

A knock sounded on the door of his study and he jovially granted entrance, pushing away from his desk where he had been writing in a scroll. It was time for his monthly report, and he felt a tingle of excitement. What new information would be provided to him this day?

To his surprise, he saw Demetri standing in the doorway, his head bowed and a scroll clutched in his hand.

"Demetri? What ever are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Jane?"

"Master. My humblest apologies."

Apologies? What was this? Aro stepped forward to take the scroll and felt his eyebrows begin to draw together when Demetri immediately knelt, presenting the back of his neck. Only those who had failed him utterly would present themselves so. If Demetri was doing this, then…

Aro tore the scroll open, feeling an uncharacteristic growl building in his chest. On the paper were only two lines.

Report 17

We have lost track of her. She left her home while we were feeding, but she will be found, I swear it.

She is immune to Demetri's gift.

Immune…the growl died before it could manifest and Aro read the report six more times to be sure he was understanding the contents.

Young Isabella was…immune! He began laughing wildly, throwing his hands in the air and tossing the report in an unknown direction. Demetri bodily flinched, not quite expecting that reaction.

"Stand, dear Demetri. This is marvelous news!" Aro exclaimed, warmth permeating his tone.

"Master?" Demetri questioned as he stood, not quite believing his luck.

"A gifted human. Manifesting at such an early age and being powerful enough to block your ability to track is…phenomenal. Isabella is truly magnifico."

–

"Magnifico," he breathed, imitating his memory.

He would not be able to stay away, he knew this. Even as he tried to tell himself that it was a bad idea, he knew it was impossible. His feet began moving again, his internal clock telling him it was time to feed. Isabella was far too interesting, and had far too much potential value to ever let slip by. She would not be a simple human to grow old, marry, reproduce, and die decrepit. No, no, no. She was meant for more, meant for greatness, and he fully intended to see that vision become reality.

Even if it meant making her a soulless monster like him.

Aro didn't flinch as he heard the snap of bone and pained screams filling the air of the feeding room. He gently deposited the body he'd been feeding on and dabbed at the corner of his mouth with his pinky. There were two more snaps followed by higher pitched screaming. Typical Caius.

"Brother, stop playing with your food," he said blandly.

There was a low growl and another snap. There was only a raspy moan this time.

"Blood is sweeter when suffused with fear, dear brother."

"It is distasteful."

"It is our right. Unlike you, Aro, I have no shame in what I am."

Aro's expression remained placid, his hands folding neatly in his lap. His eyes flicked from the unnaturally bent limbs of the human in Caius's grip, to Caius's sneering face, and only felt something akin to mild disappointment.

"I do not deny my nature, nor is there any shame, dear Caius. I simply find no need, nor take any particular joy, in unnecessarily maiming my food."

"You are too soft, Aro. Humanity exists to serve our needs, and one of my needs is to have a good meal. Another is to inflict pain. Yet another is to remind humans of their inferiority. I see no issue in satisfying all of these needs at once."

Aro stood, running his hands down the front of his suit, smoothing down nonexistent wrinkles.

"Not indulging in sadism does not make me weak, Caius. I am very well capable of doing what needs to be done, and that includes silencing those that mistake my mercy for weakness."

His smile was soft, but his eyes were glinting dangerously. Caius's sneer faded to a wary glare, acknowledging the threat, and turned away to bury his face in the throat of his victim with a snarl.

Aro turned away from the spectacle, his hands loosely clasped behind his back. Caius was a valuable asset, an intelligent and hateful beast that was only just barely leashed by a love of violence that was more commonplace in the daily matters of the Volturi than Aro was really satisfied with. But even the most valuable tool had its limits and wasn't worth keeping if it could do more harm than good. It was an edict he lived by. Centuries of companionship would not change that edict.

He glided like a specter through the halls of the castle, eyes roving over portraits and paintings that he had seen countless times. Boredom tugged at his dead heart again, and he sighed inaudibly. It was becoming a little too frequent for his liking, this feeling. He had power, he had fortune, he had respect and fear. He even had a wife to warm his bed (as ironic a statement as that was). When had it not become enough? Quick footsteps brought him out of his reverie and he began to smile as Demetri approached, but faltered when he saw the scroll in the vampire's grip. He knew what that was. But why so soon? Demetri bowed quickly, holding out the scroll.

"Master."

With spidery fingers, Aro plucked the scroll from Demetri's hand and moved around him, heading toward his study.

"Dismissed, Demetri. Thank you."

A thousand candles lit the room of his study and a light frown began to tug at his mouth as he stared down at the scroll in his hand. The paper was beginning to crinkle from the force of his grip. Was he nervous? Excited? He sat at his desk and slowly pulled the scroll open. There was no report number.

Isabella has made contact with the Cullens.

The Cullens. Carlisle.

His words were slow, thoughtful, but his mind was racing, his lips pulling upward. "So that is where you ended up, my old friend. I see…perhaps I owe you a visit, then."

Decision made, he stood and softly called for Demetri. It was high time he left Volterra once again.

Alice Cullen froze, her eyes going blank as she was pulled into a vision. Just ahead of her, Jasper paused, honing in on the surprise and confusion that his wife was feeling. He turned to face her, his brow scrunching together.

"Alice, darlin', are you alright?"

The small vampire blinked several times, taking an unnecessary breath. The rest of the family had heard Jasper and gathered in the living room where she'd stopped. Her eyes met each one of her family members, and she was glad Edward was not here to see what she had seen.

"We're going to have company."