A/N – Hi all, hope you're enjoying my foray over to the dark side. I'm not, lol. No, just kidding, the Volturi stuff is all really interesting to think about. It's just that Jane is so…unpleasant? And yet I kind of feel sorry for her, which makes me feel like a bad person?

Just a couple of notes now that they're all in Volterra. Many of the vampires mentioned here are original characters. Out of the Volturi vampires mentioned in Breaking Dawn and the Guide, not too many were around in the 8th century. Aro, Marcus and Caius, obviously, and Athenodora and Sulpicia for the wives. Felix was also around, and Corin and Chelsea and that's about it. Chelsea was known as Charmion then, but I've just kept it as Chelsea in here to make it a bit more of a straightforward link with the books.

It's also important to remember that Corin's gift is making people content, and Chelsea's gift is binding their loyalty to someone, in this case Aro. These gifts are subtly felt (at least in my headcanon) and so while they are absolutely key in Jane and Alec's thoughts and behaviour, neither of them realise the extent to which they're being manipulated.

Chapter 14 – A Plan and a Purpose

The same guards were outside the room. Without Aro there they were much more relaxed, and both of them looked at me appraisingly. The two of them were far bigger than anyone I had ever met, and even below the grey cloaks slung over their shoulders I could see how muscular they were. I wondered at the strength of them, and thought perhaps I wouldn't really like to find out.

Although if I could do to them what I did by mistake to Aro and Philippe and the others…

"This is Jane," Chelsea introduced me. "Aro's newest darling…or so he hopes! Jane, this is Felix and Appius."

"She's barely out of the cradle," the one called Appius sneered. "What good is that?"

Chelsea raised her eyebrows. "I wouldn't let my Lord Aro hear you say that. As for what good she is…I'm looking forward to finding out. But a word of advice Appius- I'd wait a little while before you decide she's beneath you. You may get a very unpleasant surprise if you continue to regard her with contempt."

"They're bored," Corin sighed as we descended the stone stairwell. "I do what I can, but guarding the tower is no one's favourite duty. We need more guards after what happened…last time." She gave me a sideways glance.

"What happened?" I asked bluntly. "Why do you need more guards? Why do you need any guards? It's not as though anyone could possibly threaten you!"

"There are rules," Corin said slowly. "They're not onerous and it's not difficult to keep them, but if you break the rules…there is little mercy here. Some of our previous guards failed to keep that in mind."

"But why do there need to be guards?" I said slowly. "Who are you being protected from?"

"Lord Aro will explain these matters in detail," Corin assured me. "You have no need to be afraid though, there has not been an outside threat to us for more than two hundred years. Right now the guards are a precaution more than anything. Marcus' wife, Didyme…well, she was killed. So long ago, but his grief is still as fresh and sharp as the day she died. Aro and Caius would not like to live with such sorrow, so they keep the wives safe in the tower with the guards to protect them from any threat."

"But you can leave if you want to? The guards aren't to keep you prisoner?"

"Of course not," Corin promised. "The guards are here for protection, should the need ever arise."

Chelsea's eyes were bright with laughter. "Whenever you're tired of us Jane, you're welcome to leave, I assure you of that. I have an inkling though, that you're going to love Volterra and want to stay with us for a very, very long time."

The main hall was more crowded than I had left it. Lord Aro, Caius and Marcus were still there, Philippe and Alec beside them, but there were others too now, milling around and talking.

For a moment I paused, my position on the stairs giving me a good vantage point. They were all vampires, it was easy to see that at once. The same pale, perfect skin that I had, the same ruby red eyes, a peculiar grace and strength about the way they moved. They were differences in hair colour and body shape and size, but they were old breathtakingly beautiful and made even more so by the dazzling array of clothing and jewellery they wore.

"Jane!" Alec broke away from Philippe and crossed the room towards me.

As I had been, Alec had obviously been scrubbed and brushed and combed. He was wearing a fine brown linen tunic and woollen hose, his hair brushed and tied at the back, and when I jumped down and hugged him there was no lingering scent of the pyre. We had both been made anew.

"You look beautiful," Alec told me, fingering the embroidered hem of my sleeve.

"They took me upstairs to the tower," I whispered. "I met the wives- Aro and Caius' wives – and they bathed me in their tub. Alec, those rooms…it was all beautiful and so fancy, and so many pretty things. And the bath…and the soaps and oils…these clothes…and even the comb was inlaid with gold…"

Alec's eyes were wide. "I know! I know he told us there were riches Janey, but I didn't understand how it would be." He glanced behind us. "Philippe made me bathe in the bathhouse downstairs. There were three tubs, and they were all made of marble, and the largest one was as wide as the river down beside Woden's altar! I met some others too, Chelsea and Flavius and Adelmar. That's them over there."

"I met Chelsea too," I told him. "And Corin…"

"That's me." Corin appeared at my side with a smile. "Alec, it's lovely to meet you. How are you enjoying Volterra so far?"

"It's nice," Alec said, a little dazedly. "It's…it's…extraordinary."

"You've only just begun to see what we have here too," Corin said lightly. "There's a great deal more for you to discover."

Corin had been subtly guiding us towards Aro, and now he swooped down beside us, beaming. "Hello! How are you finding it all?"

"I think they're enjoying themselves, my lord," Corin said with a smile. "Just as you thought, a relaxing bath and meeting some new friends really does help our guests to feel at home."

"Indeed." Aro's smile was blinding. "Jane, sweetling you look precious. I'd scarcely recognise you as the little wildcat that arose after the burning! However, now that you're more presentable, we are going to have to get to work!"

"Matilda will be here soon," Caius interrupted. "Perhaps they should drink first?"

A look of impatience flashed across Aro's face, but he looked at Alec and I and sighed. "No doubt you are right, Caius. I'm sure we shall get a greater effort and concentration if they aren't distracted by thirst."

"What do you want us to do?" I asked, a little uncertainly. "What work?" I looked at Alec, who shrugged.

Aro clicked his tongue. "Oh, you know so little! There is a long and proud history of vampirism, and we shall go into that in much greater detail in the future. There are many scholarly essays and eye witness accounts in our library that you ought to read."

I glanced at Aro in disbelief. Read? Who did he think I was, a highborn priest or scholar? He thought that I could read?

"No doubt we'll have to teach you first, but you won't find it difficult to learn. The vampire brain is an extraordinary thing you know!" Aro beamed. "So yes…a very long history, but what concerns you right now is the history of my coven, the Volturi. I met Marcus first, and the two of us became excellent friends and companions. Caius and Athenodora joined us soon after, but seeing the wonderful love they shared left Marcus and I feeling a little lonely, even a little melancholy." Aro sighed theatrically. "Eventually I couldn't abide it any longer, and took my beautiful Sulpicia to be my wife. Marcus also found love with my sister, Didyme, and the six of us all got along splendidly."

"Corin said she died," I remembered.

Aro looked momentarily annoyed to be interrupted. "She did, although not until after we had all founded the town of Volterra to be the home of the Volturi coven. We had great plans for the future of the vampire world, which at that time was in the hands of the Romanians. Dreadful vampires, and their rule was an absolutely wretched horror! They couldn't be allowed to continue as they were, but there were so few willing and able to stand against them." Aro held out his hands helplessly. "What could we do? We had never sought glory or wished to wage war, but nor could we can stand by while other vampires suffered. Unfortunately, before we could succeed with our mission, my dear, sweet sister was murdered."

"By who?" Alec gasped, clearly engrossed with the story.

"It remains a mystery to this day," Aro said solemnly. "Such a great tragedy for us all…Marcus has never been quite the same. She was so happy, my sister, everyone flocked to her...Volterra is a sadder place since she was killed."

I felt a rush of pity for Aro, losing a sibling. "I'm sorry," I said.

Aro smiled gently. "Thank you. It is a great sorrow to live with, but we must do what we can. At the time her death only spurred us to action against the Romanians. At the time they were putting vampires everywhere in danger, and it was untenable. No one should have to suffer as we were suffering over the loss of my sister! The vampire world needed a strong, stable leadership that could maintain peace and safety for us all. It is a heavy burden of responsibility, but it is what we in the Volturi live for."

"What part do you wish for us to play?" Alec asked.

"What do you want from us?" I said at the same time. "After all, we're just…" I bit off my words. Children I had almost said.

"Well, as you can imagine it's not an easy task to maintain control over the vampire world," Aro said smoothly. "Some vampires occasionally become headstrong and think they know better, others risk our exposure, and these things must be stopped. You've been told how fast and strong and unbreakable a vampire is, so how do you imagine we stop someone who is determined to defy us?"

"The guards," I said slowly, picturing the height and breadth and muscle of Felix and Appius. On the other side of the hall, Flavius and Adelmar were of a similar type. "That's why you have the guards."

"They are a part of it. Our guards are chosen for their strength and they are trained and ready to fight if necessary. They are a very important part of our strategy. But there is more to it than brute strength. Over time we have discovered that sometimes, just occasionally, there are vampires created who have just a little something extra." Aro's eyes were trained on Alec and I as his mouth curved up in a predatory smile. "A little extra talent, a special gift…something that could be a very valuable help to us."

Alec and I stayed quiet as Aro went on with his extraordinary tale. "I myself am a very gifted vampire," he informed us. "I have been blessed- I need only touch someone's hand to be given their mind, to hear every thought and word from every experience they've ever had."

"That's not true," I said indignantly. "It can't be!"

Aro laughed. "Indeed it is, sweetling. Didn't I hold your hand while you were burning and find out everything about your miserable human life? About being hungry and cold…"

"Everyone knows that!"

"Do they know about your prayers and offerings and the way you begged your gods to make your life easier? Do they know how you despised your mother for her weakness and how much you wished for that babe to die? Do they know about the snowy winter day when you hid your face and waylaid a traveller to steal from them? Do they know the way you hit him, and watched his blood spatter in the snow and you didn't even care, as long as you had his coppers? Do they know how much you wished for all those things the villagers accused you of to be true? Do they know about the time you were playing in the river, and struck your brother on his head with a rock? Do they know how close he was to drowning by the time you pulled him out? Do they know…"

"Stop." My voice was cold. "That's enough."

I was more than convinced. Aro knew things that there was no earthly way he could have known. That day at the river…even Alec hadn't known that. Between the blow to the head and the near drowning he'd been so muddled that the day had slipped from his memory and I had never told him.

"You can see how useful such a gift is," Aro continued blithely. "No one can lie to the Volturi about their actions, when I can simply take the truth unimpeded from them."

"What does all that have to do with us?" Alec questioned.

"We thought perhaps that if we could find more vampires with talents, it could perhaps strengthen our position in the vampire world. It was a very difficult search, but fortunately one of the gifted vampires we did find was Philippe." Aro smiled fondly. "He can look upon a human and know whether they harbour any hint of a gift that may manifest if they were turned. You can see the possibilities!"

"He saw us?" I said sceptically.

"He saw you," Aro confirmed. "Years ago- you were the most promising humans he had ever encountered. So promising that I had to come and see you for myself. You should feel honoured, I do not usually concern myself with Philippe's work to this extent! But it appears that Philippe was correct and you two will have much to offer."

Alec looked deeply uncomfortable. "You mean with what we did before? When Jane caused such pain, and I…" His voice trailed away.

"But of course." Aro looked surprised that Alec would even question it. "Such magnificent talents must be controlled and developed! My dear boy, with you and your sister as part of the Volturi our enemies will certainly think twice before they defy us. And you do believe in the rule of law and a peaceful existence within the vampire world, don't you? After all, that is what the Volturi are here for."

"Of course," Alec said immediately. "I understand."

"And you, sweetling?" Aro enquired. "You would learn to harness your gifts and use them for the greater good?"

"Yes, if that's what you want me to do." I smiled at Alec, imagining both of us here, part of this wonderful place, and important to this vampire who had saved us.

Aro touched Alec benevolently on the shoulder. "We are in agreement then. But before we begin our work together, perhaps you're thirsty. It's feeding time."