You must forgive me for indulging in the unsavoury habit of interrupting an established narrative for the sake of my own interjection. In absence of such behaviour however I fear a great disservice will be done to my dearest protégé whose innate modesty prevents her from seeing innate grandeur and vast array of enviable features.

Had I known when I first met Bella, just how dear she would become to me then I would have torn Victoria apart limb from limb to spare her even the tiniest inconvenience. Victoria may be an old and dear friend but in recent years her lack of empathy and violent propensity has made her an unpredictable and altogether different women. Of course that was evident from the moment her mate slithered his way into her life, a man of no talent, virtue or any notable quality besides a capacity for inflicting, and enjoying, the torment of others. His death was not an unhappy occasion, but to his credit he meant something to Victoria and that ensured the date was not one of merriment.

Speaking frankly and openly confessing to one's flaws is an apt way to understand oneself and to that end I am forced to admit the moment I met Bella Swan I felt very little towards her. There was not as drama would wish, a moment of star stricken realisation that she was where my future would be set aflame. Instead there was pain, blood and heartbreak, elements of drama which perhaps dealt the hand of fate slightly more effectively.

I must indulge myself for a moment, my love of memory and tradition bleeds over into my lifestyle and while most explanations have been dealt out by my dearest Bella, she lacks some of my experience and wisdom. I of course knew of her existence long before I met her, having long been a close friend of Carlisle I was kept abreast of the clan's movements. Not that my interest was overly peaked, despite the novel ideal of a vampire and a mortal falling in a love, it was tainted by the modern world's trend of repetition and like their unfortunate diet I chose to ignore it.

My journeys eventually allowed me to visit and what perhaps I did not mention to Bella is that I caught them halfway to Alaska, and after dealing with the necessary pleasantries the circumstances dictated, knowledge of their move came to fruition and my immediate intention was to broker peace before Victoria could extract her revenge. I was too late in many respects, but in others I was right on cue.

So after dealing with an old friend, one I wished to return to the path of decent civility, I was faced with a choice. Change the broken girl lying at my feet, caked in dirt and blood as her life spilled away in volumes or leave her to die. The choice was made and with that, my world changed for the better.

I took her to my manor, knowing full well the crime scene would tell a bloody story to the world she left behind. I left her a bottle of blood and the old place was laid out to lead her directly to me, I was expecting the usual frantic run around of a newborn as she ran screaming to my sealed larder. Instead I found myself impressed beyond reason at her impossible, implausible and incredible control. She was calm, drank almost slowly and with some resemblance towards manners. My offer for her to join me was made long before the words left me and it was cemented without regret the moment Helena and Phillip came into existence.

While it is impolite of me to speak ill of the dead I never found much attraction towards Phillip Mercriss, he was always the more boring character and while I have brought lesser men to a thousand lives there was something about him I both loved and despised. I managed to give him a personality outside of Helena, a skill that worked to my benefit and his detriment as the plot unfolded around us. As to reference my protégé and dearest daughter I must break my rule of referencing the lives we live as characters, I shall do so in dazzling compliments.

The first character is usually the weakest and yet Bella put the world to shame. From a shaky beginning my expectations were defied, reconstituted and defied again. Every line felt alive, every motion was not that of an actress but a person; Helena and Bella merged into a seamless whole as the tragic story was ushered into existence. Her descent was measured, and perfected. The girl who dressed modestly was reduced to an unwashed, barely clothed lunatic who possessed elegance even in her final moments as that fatal gunshot ended her life with the thunderous applause she deserved. I would lament further on this but this is a story told and taught. Instead we moved on and by the time the sun set we had returned to the manor.

My usual ritual involves holding a funeral for our dearly deceased and placing a single item of value in a crystal glass case. Bella chose a ring, a ring given to Helena by her grandfather on his deathbed. A ring she would cling to as the world crumbled and then in desperation use it to scratch her name into Mercriss's car. I chose nothing, Phillip was not a character who needed remembering. He was an extension of Helena, an entity brought about by my own skill and a good measure of luck; without Helena he was unworthy of note. So on a velvet cushion and sealed with a glass lid Helena Sphere was laid to rest. The next day we departed.

I was determined for all my sons and daughters to experience the journey I first took when I became a vampire. After indulging in vile and base instincts I was able to grow and expand, creating the many layered being who adores his many lives today. Though one is nothing without his home, and my home lies in the ruins of Ancient Greece, of course Athens still stands but it is not what it was when I was a man of any age. Yet I go there, not to remind myself of long dead memories but to rejuvenate and motivate myself into growing with every passing generation.

From Athens we journeyed by boat across the Mediterranean to the shores of Egypt which I remember in all its glory. Not least because I was a pharaoh or two but because it was and is a testament to preservation. I took Bella to see my largest and grandest tomb, ransacked by myself in the 19th century to prevent another getting the treasures which now line my northern home. The burial chamber still stands of course, my sarcophagus is a thing of beauty as are the golden letters carved so delicately into the walls. I could lament for hours on it, and I did while and Bella listened to every story I told. Laughing, crying and in her mind's eye she returned my ancient friends to life.

Usually at this point I visit Aro and Marcus, mentally blocking out the other leader to the best of my ability, however it was unwise. Italy was always beautiful but it was a slight hindrance on this eastern journey as it required yet another trip across the sea. Now a tour of Europe that was always spectacular but introducing a young vampire with the ability to resist the powers of others to Volturi? It was something that had to wait for a time.

So I would have to swear off Aro's delightful company, I always make time for me and him to see an opera or two and when Bella was older she would accompany us, as have so many of my children. He would adore her of course, as he did everyone, but he was also destined to try and steal her away. His love of drama would not prevent her being relegated to a life royal but dull coven. It was of course her choice but it is a tradition to make this first journey to the eastern realms where I found myself before my company is abaonded.

I will confess the politics of the world intrigue and irritate me, while new realms of mortal thought are always appreciated they can be cumbersome when inane and irritating methods of governance block my journeys. I never actually took the journey south to Arabia in my first year, though considering what I missed I should have done, but covering up Bella's face with a veil or cloak was an affront to my decency as a vampire as well as all the aesthetics in the world. So we skipped it. Instead we continued east, soaking the sights, dealing in culture and improvising every line.

Improvised characters are just that, while our long term projects come to life to delight and intrigue us improvisation is left where it is. Though it certainly entertaining; once we were a father and daughter travelling to make our fortune with an invention Bella thought of at the top of her head. Another time we accidently solved a series of crimes as private investigators in a sparkling capital city, the subsequent crimes I committed myself because petty crime is boring, serious crime turns the stomach while exaggerated acts of criminal enterprise can bring the world to life, they are rare. Still it was quite fun solving the few real cases which weren't entirely devoid of interest. Of course we had to flee that one after about a year, not intentionally it's just someone wised up to what we were doing and my plans to conduct a grand heist led to a very hasty exit.

South East was the next direction subject to our whims, once upon a time I would have paused to sparkle in the sunlight, myself and Bella being able to control our appearances made our true forms an infrequent relief. This time we skipped that for the most part, the walk was substantially less interesting without an East India Company to irk for a spell.

Now after another long walk, a mountain climb and an accidental journey into a jungle or three, we made it through to China. Not being a fan of concrete we avoided the modern cities like the plague, also they might not be a fan of me complaining about their changes. Modern cities wouldn't have been entertained as a thought if an Emperor had been on the throne I tell you that, shame about all those revolutions; though I must confess it was probably my fault for taking the place of a preceding emperor, secretly adopting an illegitimate child and giving it to that frightful dragon lady. Moving on from that however, as I already had, we resolved to explore wherever my sensitive tastes would not be offended.

We managed to see the few palaces and baths that haven't been tainted by the sprawling metropolis that defy everything I ever stood for and ever will, Bella went to see them of course. She even managed to get pictures of the summer palace, which I adore for a thousand reasons, without the city lurking in the background like the ever growing rot most of them are. I suppose I'm bitter and resistant to the modern world but when you make everything grey you're doing something wrong.

Now I could continue complaining about the state of the world, the out of control concrete slabs modern culture I barely tolerate and of course the street merchants who make some of my dear, but deceased, courtiers would roll over in their graves enough times to cause a minor sinkhole. Thankfully however we moved on from the cities and enjoyed the beauty in the classical world, the Great Wall for example; of course I saw it back when it mostly grass and mud, then in all its stone glory and back to a delayed ruin. I still hold in a high esteem, possibly because I was one of the many emperors dedicated to its renewal.

We didn't do a lot of improvising during our time in China, mostly because only Bella could do it. She was more willing, if not eager, to see the relentless expansion of the modern world and I wasn't prepared to even tolerate it. Though I had the same reaction to the industrial revolution, and I was perfectly justified and proven correct then as well.

So with the eastern aspect of our journey concluded it was time to travel back, now as far as I'm concerned the journey to ancient China was the driving force in my earliest years. The journey back was less important and thanks in no small part to those relentless hordes carving it up the world, the map and almost me at one point; I have almost no idea which route I took. So with that in mind I tailor the experience to the tastes of my son or daughter of the day.

With Valerie, at least I think that's her modern name, we were lucky enough to join the Huns in their great migration to the west, with the late Jonathan, who tragically died saving some poor girl in an asylum for someone I never actually found, we joined with Mongols and the victory meal is still one of my favourite dishes to date. Katie, or Kate if I must, was a walk into the thriving colonial world. As for Bella, well the modern world has deprived of us of great armed expulsions and migrations so we simply journeyed. We briefly took up residence in the mountaintops after fleeing from an angry mob after pretending to be fortune tellers or something along those lines. From there we kept moving and nothing as exciting happened, a shame the journey east was more eventful but it was the bonding experience for us both. We came out of the journey knowing each other a little better, after fun, fights and fulfilling experiences which would last us another lifetime. Which incidentally was exactly what I had in mind because within two days of being back at the manor our vacation from our vacation was over.

Bella seemed to thaw during our time together, of course most of her affection for the boy went the same way as most of her bones during that incident with Victoria but even more so after Helena. I supposed Helena was the girl Bella bestowed all her love, affection and obsessions onto before sending her off in the most brilliant murder-suicide scene I have ever had the privilege of helping to enact. So the first insight into our new lives was in defiance of the preceding ones, while brilliant Helena was tempered with her own dependence on Mercriss and so it was removed.

A life of obsession following crime was rewritten to just be about crime, possibly because Bella had been ensnared by our days as private detectives but wanted to experience the committing crimes part. There's only so many times she can work out it's me before the scene becomes boring, though in respect to the dear girl she made it engaging enough to repeat for quite some time. To that end we contemplated a thrilling crime ending in tragedy. A novel of an idea spanning 17 years, my requirement for the inclusion of the number seven was met with some resistance but tradition will always stand.

The characters however had a twist, we would be independent of each other and rivals but at the same time would take our quirks and exaggerate them into defining features. Possibly we were stealing ideas from other forms of media but very few of them could hold a torch to our ideas. For example Bella would take her contempt of Edward and extend it to all men, her criminal enterprise would be a female only affair. I would take my perfectly rational, reasonable and sensible love of silk which falls short of the word obsession Bella used, and mould it into a man who was polite at all times and only wore the finest silks in the world. Bella remarked I would be playing a criminal version of myself, she has not yet inherited the eloquent wit and sarcasm that comes with playing these roles.

Now a competitive edge was indicated towards the end of our discussions and as the Swans and Silks came to fruition things tilted further in that apparent direction. By the time we had chosen our location and chosen our homes we already had plans to outdo the other. While I benefited from experience in the field, having enjoyed the prohibition era immensely, my superiority was negated by my lack of knowledge on modern trends. Bella did not have such a problem, having embraced them during her travels and was more than able to move quickly and will less skill perhaps but she was learning awfully fast and by the time a month had rolled by we were on an equal footing.

In the words of my favourite play of the 20th century; days are made of moments, all are worth exploring, many kinds of moments, none are worth ignoring, all we have is moments, memories for storing, and I have yet to find a finer summary of my lifestyle. So my narration is less about building up to a single, beautiful moment of great drama but rather revealing little moments which should build up to the finale in all its electrifying glory.

I can recall standing on a dock, dressed in an electric blue suit lined with the silk I refused to leave the comfort of. One hand held a long, gold tipped cane, while the other gently held a cigar which with some difficulty allowed a steady stream of smoke to escape from my thinning lips. It was the only light one could see for quite a distance if one was not paying attention to the vast, twinkling city which surrounded me like a prophetic crown.

I had spent the preceding weeks in the underbelly of it, as had Isabella whose name had been chosen for its natural elevation and dramatic effect. I had not left the comfort of my name in some time and instead I was referred to as a Silk, an odd name perhaps but one that encapsulated the mystery surrounding our quirks.

"Boss, there's a truck pulling up." I had chosen a number of former gang members to begin my ascension to the underworld, how Bella was getting on with all female policy was beyond me, and I found them to be easy and willing to join once their existing leaders and gangs were beheaded.

"Sir, not boss sir," I corrected my earliest lieutenant who did not last three months if memory serves, he was already planning his little coup which I dismantled without any of the mercy he deserved. A pity in many ways, it was a crying shame to get blood over that suit.

We are at the docks to purchase weapons, they were uncivilised things perhaps but they were unavoidable. The crimes I would orchestrate would all be universally based in civility but we cannot escape the uncivilised elements of existence. Regardless of that sad fact we proceeded.

I had dressed all my boys in crisp black suit jackets, cotton blue shirts and plain dark trousers. The earliest rivals would laugh, of course within a year or so there was little of them of left to laugh but they would laugh none the less as the gentlemen began. Already I had taught them how to behave, what was and was not acceptable under my rule which boasted generosity in payment but severity in punishment. They would form lines and allow me to walk through the middle, where our smuggler awaited looking as if he did not quite accept this as a real event.

"Good evening," My greeting normally extended to names, however quite wisely this man had not provided us with one. He was a light skinned man, about thirty at a guess and most likely was not high up in whatever operation we had reached out too, I quickly deduced he was armed and tapped my cane twice on the floor. The boys didn't react, but prepared themselves for whatever was to come.

"Yeah, whatever…do you have the money?" I doubted he would be as polite and well-mannered as myself but he couldn't even make the pretence of trying. He just looked bluntly, eyes brimming with judgment and waited.

"It depends on whether or not you have what we asked for," My eyes studied the vehicle before us; keys in the ignition, engine still running and every suggestion he would run the moment we handed him the value of our order. I wondered if they had even brought what we had requested, though in that moment I noticed a string of wires that might have belonged to one of those satellite type devices, it was wise of him to hide it, just unwise to assume his cliental would not be perceptive.

"I am a man of my word, I have exactly what you deserve." The moment turned from a deal, to a death as my cane hit the floor three times in quick succession. A second later the air was alive with sound and our contact hit the ground before he could even process exactly how many bullets had entered his body.

"We were betrayed gentleman, our heavy weapons were not intended to reach us the evening. Get in the van please, I am afraid we are going to have to personally take this up with the management." I growled in an order which was obeyed without question.

The foolish man did indeed have a GPS I believe it's called and thanks in no small part to his inability to drive effectively we were led back to his superiors. Two hours later we left a very unsavoury warehouse with three less men, a very large laundry bill and all the weapons for an army. Those we could not carry were burned along with the warehouse and what remained our betrayers.

The moment helped shape this character, not least because I would find out three years later that Bella herself had organised the betrayal. She had recruited a network of women who needed a way out, one of them was the long suffering girlfriend of our betrayer who had told him we were not worthy of trust and too weak to strike back at him. Her information was wrong but it did briefly embroil us in a bitter conflict with other gangs and Bella was able to build her empire slightly faster.

That is not however why I love that evening's moment, no I focus on it because it shows an earlier man being able to command the confidence of gentleman and attack a much larger entity. Of course my very nature gave us the advantage but it also helped us grow. While Bella thrived a division was created between us which would influence the rest of the conflict with Silk and Isabella, or Silk and Swan as our gangs would be known as. She would be blessed with numbers and size while I was bestowed experience and expertise in a smaller more manageable form.

Bella herself will explain the endings and beginnings of such characters and do so shortly, it seeming apt for her to explain the events which somehow escalated our conflict and added an organic and almost rule breaking element to what was to come. Though if my love of speech may be indulged a moment longer there is another story which may yet add the intrigue to our criminal dealings and it involves a generic bank robbery turned into something spectacular.

There were three banks that generated the most revenue and profit during our time in the city, and of the three of them only once commanded my interest. Its marble floors, stone pillars and classical paintings all granted an illusion to another era which created an admirable contrast with the computers and modern elements resting atop wooden desks. It was during my less vulnerable second year in the game and with not many left expansion was key. I had caught up to the money generated by Isabella but did not possess the scale of her influence, a state of affairs I resolved to change.

I have little idea what the bank and their clients made of the suited men wearing plain black masks, though I do know that once I entered the room all gazed turned to me; bringing back wonderful memories of the audiences I had performed to on the stage floor over the years. I fired three times into the air with a rather heavy weapon and most of the unfortunate souls within lowered themselves to the floor.

"Ladies and gentleman I beseech you to stay on the floor to which most of you already have sunk. We wish no ill will or harm upon you, our goal is not your money but the insured money held by this bank. Please do not be alarmed." We brandished our weapons, the silent alarm had already been dealt with and that gave us an almost leisurely time to draw this out. I had brought six gentlemen with me, two began bundling the money kept with the cashiers; leaving alone the final bills as removing them would trigger another alarm. Tracers were thrown to the side and within a minute we had what we came here for. My eyes however fell on someone moving slowly towards a desk, someone I assumed was trying to get away and resolved to approach them

"We're ready sir." I was about to join them, when I noticed the woman had strained blond hair which seemed to morph into a darker colour as…I knew the hair.

"Isabella." I breathed and quick as a flash she turned round with a smaller, but more manageable weapon and placed it to my head.

"Don't move Silk, I've heard enough about you to know where to ensure attention. Now tell your men to back off or I'm afraid your ending will be a very impolite affair. Swans." As she spoke several women, all wearing wigs on closer inspection rose as all attention was turned on our duet.

"Behind you gentlemen." I muttered, the gentlemen saw and within a moment we were all holding each other hostage. Isabella held a gun to my head while the gentleman and the Swans faced off against one another. Perhaps me being held hostage was more of an ideal phrase.

"Now I appreciate friendly competition, especially when the competition doesn't actually amount to much but maybe if you gather up all that money you sorted for me, and place it in my awaiting hands everything will work out." She spoke slowly, clearly and with every intention of pulling that trigger as together we took full advantage of the moment that had inadvertently created.

"Isabella my dear, your swans are currently facing a force even they would not be able to take on. They may be apt infiltrators but the choice seems simpler, we leave with what is ours and you can pick through the remnants." I hissed through a civil and polite tone while wondering how best to escape this, the moment was unplanned, unscripted and yet perfect in almost every way.

"I fear that without a leader, the morale of your dear gentlemen may plummet so low that we would be almost equal footing. It would be entirely equal if not for their weapons compensating for what we both know they lack." She didn't even look at them, she was maintaining her contempt of men quite well and as we gazed into each other eyes, locked in forced contempt there was a flicker of enjoyment and pride in mine.

For a while it looked like we would be confined to this state, waiting to see which of our entourages would act first. Then out of nowhere, we heard sirens. A momentary distraction which allowed me to force the weapon pointed at me up, throw it to the side and dodge Isabella's swings. Everything exploded on that cue, rifles and pistols fired and bullets shattered everything in sight. The police burst into to find us entrenched behind pillars, desks and underneath windows; bitterly fighting.

Their arrival gave us the opportunity to escape, their entrance was closer to the Swans and attention was moved away from us. We managed to slip away from our rival and by the time the authorities noticed our disappearance we had already fled. A diversion of six vehicles masked our actual escape and before long we were in the wind. Celebrating our winnings and escape, but I toasted the moment in silence as it brought all the planning we had put into our feud into the public domain.

The world could us see us both now, and the war between Silk and Swan had only just begun.