"She could easily pose a threat to our way of life. Surely you can see it as well as I."
"And what would you do, Aro? She is Caius' mate. She belongs here."
"You saw what happened Marcus! Surely you cannot ignore the implications! If she continues on unimpeded in this vein she could turn the whole of the castle against us once she is changed. What if we have only caught a glimpse of how her powers would manifest as an immortal?"
"You are ignoring the other more pleasant possibility Aro, that fate herself has delivered her to us, and is granting her a seamless transition into a family that will cherish and protect her for all time. She grows attached to us as well, more so with every passing moment. No influence has been exerted by Chelsea in any capacity, and yet her bonds grow steadily."
"I don't trust her." Aro responded petulantly.
Marcus studied the vampire before him, pacing, agitated. He sensed something else was belying Aro's uncharacteristic discomfiture.
"You're afraid." Marcus accused softly.
When Aro's form suddenly stilled, Marcus knew he had found the underlying issue.
"You're afraid to care for the girl, to trust her." He pressed on.
A jerky nod was the only forthcoming reply.
"But it's too late." Marcus mused, "You're already coming to care for the girl, as more than just an acquisition or an asset. You are beginning to appreciate her for who she is, and not merely what she can do for you."
"How can I not?" Aro asked, his voice cracking with uncharacteristic emotion. "I have seen her goodness! I have seen her wit and vivacity, shining lovely and bright. Carlisle's memories were a blessing and a curse on that front. I saw just how wonderful a girl she was and I cannot reconcile that with the damaged young woman Caius has found. Will she recover emotionally Marcus? She is pleasant yes, but is she capable of harboring any great depth of emotion? I'm not so sure after viewing what Mr. Whitlock had to show me. I saw, no I felt how happy and whole she was with them in the past, and I also unfortunately know that her current baseline emotions are wariness and, without a better description for it, a readiness for flight. She would make an unstable newborn, at best, right now. Add to that the fact that the entire castle seems ready to fall over themselves to lick her feet and I think it would be safe to say that yes, the girl terrifies me. If we had to contain her..."
He stood there motionless, taking a moment to regulate his rapid breathing. Hanging his head, he murmured, "Brother, you know I would never try to belittle the depth of your sorrow at losing Didyme, but it was hard for me as well. I am afraid to care so deeply for and lose another sister."
Marcus did not respond, his gaze fixed on events in a far away past. Days of happiness and love. Days when surviving had not yet become a chore.
"You've never asked, even though rumors and accusations pointed..."
"No, I did not. Marcus broke in sharply. "Nor will I ever."
"I..."
"FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY! SOMEONE HELP ME!"
The grim atmosphere surrounding the two ancient vampires dissolved immediately when the desperate cry of alarm reached their ears. Both brothers flew from their location in one of the castle's smaller galleries, Marcus upsetting a chair in his haste, and made their way in the direction of the shout. As they drew nearer to the guard quarters, they picked up the whispering feet of multiple approaching vampires in adjacent corridors. Aro and Marcus internally approved of the quick reaction time, until they registered the scent drenching the corridor and shared a look of undisguised panic. Isabella's blood was potent in the air and for a moment they feared the worst.
"No one approach!" Aro ordered, wanting to avoid mixing a group of vampires into a situation with freely flowing blood.
The brothers continued forward only after verifying that all other footsteps had halted. Seconds later the pair locked eyes on a large black eyed vampire standing one third of the way up a flight of stairs, body taught from his herculean efforts at restraint. Isabella was cradled tightly, very obviously injured in the hungry vampire's arms. A cut on her forehead birthed a vibrant rivulet of blood which trailed a lazy path down the back of the vampire's supporting hand and forearm. At first glance she might almost appear to be sleeping, but on closer inspection it was plain that her body was trembling.
Aro quickly assessed the situation. The cavernous black eyes denoted a fierce hunger, but the vampire was not breathing. It could be assumed that he used his supply of oxygen calling out, and was avoiding further temptation by stemming his respiration.
"Will you allow me to peacefully retrieve her from you?" Aro asked gently, verifying there would be no dispute. After receiving an immediate and insistent nod he stepped forward fluidly, reaching out to take the injured girl into his own arms.
Just before his hands made contact with the bleeding body, the vampire before him drew in a single draught of air, accompanied immediately by deeply rumbling growls. Through the reverberations he enunciated, "Mind this leg," and with a small tap of his finger, indicated the aforementioned limb.
"Of course," Aro agreed, relieved that the situation had not turned into a fight, and drew Isabella carefully into his embrace. He appreciated the insight of his faithful guardsman when the vampire deliberately brushed his fingers across the back of his master's hand. Aro's lightning quick mind efficiently assimilated the information, and he gifted the vampire with a small upturning of his lips. "You've done well Felix, now go get some air."
"Isabella, we will get you medical attention as soon as possible my dear." She fisted her hands in the front of his shirt and tried to relax her smarting frame.
"What happened?" Marcus inquired, following Aro as he carried Isabella toward her chambers.
"A moment, brother. Jane!" Aro barked out, before lowering his voice to explain. "Felix came upon her as she twisted her ankle and began to fall down the staircase. He rushed to catch her and fears he may have broken her leg in the process of scooping her up. He then became overwhelmed by her blood and froze in place before his mind could convince him to have a sample." At that moment Jane rushed into view and her eyes flew wide with alarm at seeing the condition of her friend, who had by this point ground her forehead into Aro's breastbone in a failing attempt at distracting herself from her discomfort.
"Master?" She asked, her voice taut with concern.
"Find Carlisle at once and bring him to Isabella's chambers." Aro ordered. "Inform him that she is injured and bleeding. Tell him he may bring Mr. Whitlock if the scent will not overwhelm him. He could perhaps be useful for anesthetic purposes." Jane darted away leaving Aro to address Marcus once more. "Do not fear brother, I do not believe she is irreparably harmed, I am most concerned with managing her pain. With Carlisle in-house we may be able to avoid the hospital. One of us will need to fetch Caius once she is settled." Isabella's back stiffened visibly at his last words, a movement that did not go unnoticed by either vampire. They shared a look and wondered to themselves what could have happened to bring about that response.
Caius and Demitri regarded the tall blonde vampire before them with suspicious eyes. They stood on the outskirts of Volterra, a fair distance from the castle, but far closer than Caius was comfortable with. He did not want this strange visitor one step closer to his vulnerable mate.
"You wanted to see me?" The male asked calmly. He was immaculate in a pair of charcoal slacks, a crisp white shirt, matching grey vest and an ice blue tie. His smooth silver-blonde hair fell to his shoulders and, parted as it was with a sharp line down the center, covered all but a slim line down the median of his face.
"We have heard many reports of you, Peter." Caius began. "We intend to investigate these claims."
"Is that so?" Peter asked with a wry grin.
He casually pulled the curtain of his hair away from the right side of his face to expose scarring gruesome enough to surprise both of the vampires facing him. Caius and Demitri took in the ruined face with unveiled astonishment. The outer section of his right eyebrow was completely missing. A row of teeth marks crossed its previous location ending their line at the corner of his eye. One fraction farther to the left and he would no doubt be devoid of that eye. The corresponding row of crescent marks lay across the top of his cheek bone, but that was not the worst of it. Instead of merely leaving rows of scarring in the shape of partial moons, deep gouges were present where the attacking teeth had fully closed down on Peter's face, removing the chunk of flesh entirely. Among other sets of overlapping scars was another vicious "pock" mark where another section had been removed from the lower edge of his cheek to his jaw bone.
His genial expression turned deadly and he promised, "Most of them are probably true."
"I will need to see an X-ray." Carlisle explained. "The scrapes on her face are superficial and will heal quickly. Her leg however, could have a stress fracture and it will need to be treated accordingly."
"So the bone is not fully broken?" Marcus enquired.
Carlisle sighed, "Thankfully, no. It would be painfully obvious if that were the case. When a full fracture of the femur occurs, the muscles and tendons react rather violently. They spasm, and the force can be great enough to dislodge the bone from its natural position and force it through the flesh of the leg. If that had occurred, she would almost certainly have required a metal rod, known as a pin, inserted surgically to restore the leg's integrity." He took in the disgusted expressions on the brothers faces. "Yes, my sentiments exactly. Nevertheless, we still need to determine the extent of internal damage. You told me Felix heard a snap?" He asked Aro who replied in the affirmative. "Then I need to get her scanned as soon as possible. Has anyone found Caius?"
"He is not within the castle and I do not know when to expect him back. He could be out a few more hours still. Apparently he and Demitri went to meet a vampire we have been attempting to compile intelligence on." Aro explained. "We cannot wait for his return."
"I will accompany her." Marcus said softly, to the mild astonishment of his brother. It had, after all, been centuries since he left the castle proper.
"With your permission I would like to go as well." Jasper added from the shadowy periphery of the room, where he leaned leisurely against the wall.
Marcus had no reaction to the request. His attention remained focused on Isabella. She looked unhappy about the idea of the hospital, but did not appear quite up to the task of raising a protest.
Aro mulled the logistics over. One of the kings must remain in the castle, Caius is currently unreachable, and he did not want to discourage Marcus from this small foray into the world beyond the castle gates. He would rather choose a member of the guard to accompany them, but Jasper is, after all, a seasoned warrior and can be trusted to follow through with whatever level of protection the small group might require during their excursion.
"Very well. Isabella, Carlisle, Marcus and Jasper will go to the hospital. I will remain here to await Caius' arrival and attempt to keep him here until you return."
"I know you're awake Bella." Jasper whispered in her ear when Carlisle and Marcus left the room to confer with the attending physician.
She peeled her eyelids open reluctantly to face the too-annoying-for-his-own-good vampire smirking at her from the hospital chair at the left of her bed. She looked around the small room then made a distinctive motion with her hand.
Jasper easily recognized her symbol for Caius. "No, he's not here." He felt her emotions fluctuate from disappointment to nervousness, finally landing on fear... "What are you afraid of Bella? Has he hurt you?" Jasper asked seriously. King or no, nobody was going to hurt this girl again if he could help it. His concerns however seemed to be unfounded when she began to shake her head emphatically no.
"Well then, we've got a little time. What do you say we play a little game?" She shot him a bewildered look so he clarified. "I'll try to figure out what's bothering you, and you concentrate on a feeling that might lead me to the correct conclusion. Here we go. I think you and Caius may have had a conversation this morning that was a little too deep for you."
Surprise.
"Yeah, I'm not just pretty looks" he winked. "I've got some smarts too."
Amusement.
"So, did Caius drop the "M" bomb?" Jasper asked, using his fingers to make quotation signs in the air.
Fear. Sadness. Doubt. Hope.
"Yeah, I thought so. Look Bella," he sighed as he ran a hand through his mess of wavy blonde hair. "I can understand why you'd be scared and reminded about how things went the last time."
Pain.
"But please don't let that affect what you have going on between you and Caius."
Doubt. Frustration.
"Okay, how about this, I'll show you what Edward felt toward you."
Mild Anxiety.
Jasper drew together the essences of Edward's emotions and sent them to Bella. He made her feel the possessiveness, euphoria, guilt, frustration and pleasure Edward experienced around her. There was a sampling of love, but it was overshadowed and swallowed by the less than pure feelings teeming around it. She unfortunately also felt the contempt and hysteria Edward had begun to feel in reference to the power her blood had over him.
Jasper pulled his influence away and gave her a moment to process, wondering what her reaction would be.
Pain. Sadness. Embarrassment.
"We all thought it had to do with you being human. I swear Bella. We believed he loved you and that once you were changed and your blood was no longer a factor that the issues he was experiencing would go away. But then he refused to change you." He huffed out a breath and was hit by an idea. Tentatively he asked her, "Do you want to feel what Caius feels for you?"
Trepidation. Hope.
Bella sucked in a sharp breath when the projected emotions hit her like a blow to the chest. It was brilliant, flowing and swelling through her, live and intense. It was pure and beautiful and she's been an absolute idiot, she realizes suddenly. Tears spring to her eyes and she casts a panicked glance at Jasper.
"Don't worry Bella," he crooned gently as he smoothes a hand down her cheek, stealing her tears in the process. "A love like that isn't going anywhere. Whatever happened between you two can be straightened out when you get back. He needs you Bella. Can you let yourself need him?" Jasper leaned over to kiss her forehead then stood and walked to the door. "Think on that a bit, I'm going to see how soon we can bust you out of this joint. Smells awful in here."
Can I let myself need him? She asked herself, alone in the solitude of her mind. She knew what love she had for Edward had been destroyed while Victoria relentlessly hunted her.
According to vampire mythos, one does not recover from losing a mate. I see it every time I look at Marcus. Apparently he's recently been functioning on a much higher level than he has at any point since losing his mate, but it's still there, that bone deep weariness and suffering he carries. So if Edward truly were meant for me, I would never have been able move on from him.
I remember needing to help Caius in some way when I found him in the cave. At the beginning companionship was enough to satisfy the pull in my soul. Later it called upon me to give my blood. I had thought it was just my long-standing depression helping me find a way out of the lonely monotony, but I'm beginning to recognize it for what it really was. My soul was crying out to save him at any cost. It subconsciously acknowledged what my mind was unable to at the time, that it could not survive in the world if he did not.
I thought about the grounded feeling of peace chipping away at my fear and distrust, that calming influence that grows stronger every day, the painless flames lighting me from within when his lips touch mine. I feel a smile steal over my face as the truth settles over me like a comforting blanket.
Caius is my mate. It's ok to let myself need him.
"Bella, as soon as we've gone through and signed your discharge papers we can be on our way." Carlisle informed her. She rolled her eyes, but sent him a small smile. "Firstly, you will experience localized swelling and pain. Considering the location of your injury, you may experience pain in your groin area as well as your thigh." Her face went cherry red in an instant at this proclamation while Jasper and Marcus turned their gazes resolutely to the ceiling trying to spot imperfections. "Hm, yes well, moving on, you should avoid using that limb as much as possible over the next few weeks to make sure the bone has a chance to rest and recover. Your right ankle is mildly sprained as well, so the next few days are not going to be fun."
Bella cocked an eyebrow at the massive understatement.
"Somewhere around the 4 week mark, you can start putting weight on your left leg again." Carlisle had no trouble what so ever lip reading the explicative that fell from Bella's lips. "That's not all I'm afraid. After you bear weight with no ill effects, you will have to start a low impact program to rebuild your strength until you are fully recuperated."
Her face clearly showed her disappointment at such a lengthy recovery period and she honestly had no idea how she was going to handle being so much more helpless, living in a fortress of super-beings. Talk about a morale killer. She reached out to snatch the papers from Carlisle's patient hands and signed with an angry flourish, crossing her arms petulantly across her chest as Jasper broke into a fit of laughter.
"What do you mean she's not here?" Caius roared. It had been exquisite agony to leave this morning, knowing very well how unsettled Isabella was after his slip of the tongue. Demitri approached him immediately after Isabella vacated the room with word that Peter was in town and had agreed to meet.
It was now late in the evening. Many lonely hours had passed and he had expected to find her somewhat cooled down and perhaps ready for a discussion about their situation.
"Well, you see Caius, the truth of the matter is..." Aro hedged.
"Just spit it out!"
"She's in the hospital."
Caius felt his legs wobble and panic stabbed at him. He made to run from the throne room, but Aro had been expecting this flight and grasped his shoulders tightly. "Peace, brother. Peace. She will be fine. She is probably already on her way back. She is safe and protected by Marcus, Carlisle and Jasper. Isabella has had the best of care available."
This rambling litany of information, meant to soothe, was cut off abruptly by Jane flitting through the throne room's giant wooden doors. "They're back! Master Marcus is getting her settled into her room."
Caius need no prompting. He had barely heard the words, proclaiming that his Isabella was in residence once more, before he departed through the door Jane had just entered.
"There you are my dear, can I get you anything?" Marcus asked as he settled Isabella into her bed. She reached out and grasped the hand nearest hers and squeezed it, closing her eyes tight. He noticed a shimmer peeking from the corner of each eye.
"Look at me Isabella." He requested softly.
"What is wrong?" He asked her, when she opened tear laden brown eyes to meet the concerned red ones hovering above. She released his hand to grab her notebook and scribbled out a hasty note.
'This wouldn't have happened if I hadn't overreacted this morning when Caius told me that I'm his mate. I ran off, stewing in my own little angst party and fell the hell down the stairs. I was being stupid.'
Marcus reached for her and pulled her into an embrace. As her self-recriminating tears fell, he held her and stroked her back lightly. "Everyone makes mistakes young one, and after your experiences I'm not surprised you had an adverse reaction to that bit of news. Your natural hesitance however, does not in anyway affect the veracity of the information he imparted. You are his mate Isabella, and he yours.
She gifted him with a wet smile and scrawled the words
'I know, I just had to let myself believe it.'
I am so thankful for every single review! The short ones let me know that you're still on board, and the longer ones give me something to chew on as I plan the next chapter. If you want to cause a stranger somewhere out there in the wide world to do a funny little dance and sport a somewhat manic smile...leave a review!
AN: Suggestions for treatment/recuperation for stress fracture of the femur from livestrong . com