They say that a person's eyes are the windows to their soul. Roxanne had never really given much credit to this theory before, believing that the simplest of actions could tell her all she needed to know about another. But, over the first week of working with Felicity, she was beginning to understand just how true the saying could be.

She would watch as the petite blond woman went about her business, study the way her face would become like a marble statue in how unreadable it was, the way her voice would become completely monotone and emotionless. If she had not taken the time to pay attention to the smaller details of the woman, Roxanne would have believed, like everyone else seemed too, that Felicity Jenkins was truly a heartless creature.

But it was those eyes, set in the flawless mask of indifference, that gave her away in Roxanne's mind. She could see the loneliness, the longing to simply drop the act and show the others that she wasn't a monster. So she had made it her business to get to know the other woman, learn more about her and show her that not everyone could be pushed away so easily. Aro had made no mention against her befriending the Volturi's infamous human secretary in their agreement, and even if he had she wouldn't have listened to him. She liked Felicity.

"Seriously, how long have you actually been with the Volturi?"

Felicity continued to stare ahead as she walked with Roxanne down the corridor, towards her personal living quarters. Her stony mask was firm in place as she sent the occasional reprimanding glare towards a member of staff that seemed to be slacking, speaking in the monotone voice that she saved for when she was working.

"I have been here for nearly twenty-one years"

Roxanne was shocked as the two turned the corner. She'd heard rumours around the castle that Felicity had been with the coven for a number of years, but not twenty-one. There were plenty of rumours around the castle about the young blond, that she had sold her soul to the devil in exchange for a long life with the coven, that she was secretly a witch who had placed a spell over the three kings and now had some sort of control over them. Some rumours even suggested that she was sleeping with one, or all, of the three kings. Roxanne hadn't believed those rumours and, as she got to know Felicity a little better, she was glad that she hadn't.

"So you grew up here? How did that even come about?"

Roxanne wasn't trying to be nosy, she was just curious how the other woman had ever ended up in the life she had. Felicity let a slight smirk come to her lips as they rounded the corner, Roxanne noticing that they were entering the royal wing of the castle, where the brothers private living quarters were. Why were they heading here? She shook her head in vague amusement as she remembered how she had seen the three brothers react towards Felicity. Of course her living quarters would be close to theirs, the three hated having to be too far away from her so it was obvious that they would do as much as they could to keep her close by.

"My mother brought me here for a holiday when I was four. She booked us in on the tour, but I deviated from the group half way through, more interested in the gardens that I could see outside. My mother was killed during the feeding and I was found asleep in the courtyard... They chose to spare me and raise me within the coven"

Felicity had stopped in front of a door, her hand poised to push it open as she gave a small smile. She could still remember how she had felt when Demetri had carried her sleeping form into the throne room. She should have felt terrified, questioned more fervently why her mother had left her behind with so many vampires in one space and in such close proximity to her, but she hadn't. When her eyes had first met with Aro's, she'd felt safe, like nothing could ever harm her and it had only gotten stronger when she had met both Caius and Marcus as well.

"It must be hard, living with the men who killed your mother"

"No. Not really... Aro told me the truth when I became eighteen, believing that I was then old enough to know what had happened to her. At first I'd been furious, enraged that he would have lied to me for so long about something so important... But I began to realise, after a week of refusing to even acknowledge he or his brothers, that there had been no true malice in their actions. Their instincts as vampires make it almost impossible to fight off the urges to feed and my mother just happened to be on the tours. He only kept the truth from me because he didn't want to hurt me whilst I was still too young to truly understand... You might think that my outlook on what happened to be somewhat cold but, the fact is, I barely remember anything about my mother. I cannot truly grieve over a woman I did not know or miss a parental figure that I never had... The coven is, and always will be, my family"

As Felicity pushed the door open, Roxanne could see the moment that her mask fell and a fresh gleam came to her eyes, seeming to see the memories of her childhood with the three kings as a soft smile came to her lips.

"You really do love those three, don't you?"

Roxanne was watching her reaction intently now, curious to see how she would respond to the question. It didn't take a genius to see how the three kings felt towards Felicity, the way a fresh zest of life seemed to come about them whenever she was in the same room, the way they became protective and slightly possessive towards her when they believed someone had upset her or behaved towards her. But Felicity was much more difficult to read, her ability to hide her feelings was trained to perfection.

"I suppose that I do... But it is hard not to love the three that have been the centre of your world since you were a child"

"And you've never thought that, maybe, you could have more with them? you know, a more intimate relationship?"

Felicity looked perplexed for a moment at what Roxanne was insinuating. Of course she'd thought about it, but she tried never to dwell on it for too long. She often found herself questioning how she felt about the three, knowing that, when with Caius, her heart would skip a beat when his overly eager hands managed to get hold of her, the blush creeping up her cheeks when he gave her a compliment or made some crude suggestion on how they spent their time, not always sure if she wanted to deny him.

With Aro, the way he would hold her to him as they partook in a slow dance around his office, the feel of his slender arms wrapping around her waist making her feel protected and secure, knowing that she had to be careful of where his hands touched for fear that he would see her memories and feel what she was feeling. That would have been in a whole different league of embarrassing.

And with Marcus, the man who had always been her greatest comfort when everyone else only seemed to be making her feel worse. She was certain that no one could make her feel as loved as he did, the way he would always ask about her day, inquire about anything that had been troubling her and worry when he thought that she wasn't taking proper care of herself. The way he would place a gentle, single kiss either against her knuckle or forehead made her heart sore at how treasured he made her feel.

But, like with everything in life, when there was a positive, there was usually a negative. With Caius, she never knew quite where his mood was, unsure of whether it was safe to be around him or if she would be better off avoiding him until he had calmed down. She knew that he wouldn't harm her, not intentionally at least, but she had seen him in his worst fits of rage and she knew it wasn't the safest place to be. Even if she was able to calm him down, the aftermath was usually rather messy.

Aro loved his mind games far too much, took too much pleasure in being completely in control of another being and exploiting everything to his own advantage, he hated being told that he couldn't have what he desired or that he had to wait. And he was near impossible to understand, she was never able to predict what he would do or how he would react. He was always so jovial, almost childlike, catching people off guard when his rage was incited.

And Marcus would always be in mourning for the loss of his first wife, Didyme. Felicity would never quite feel capable of matching up to the woman in the portraits that hung within Marcus' personal study. She was incredibly beautiful and said to have been extremely intelligent. Felicity felt that she would always be in the shadow of this woman, who she had utmost respect for, if she ever attempted a relationship with Marcus.

In short, there was just too much to consider in Felicity's mind, both good and bad, about entering into a relationship with the three brothers. Even if it had been a possibility, she just didn't have time for such a thing when she had so much to do elsewhere in the coven and she really didn't think that her mental health would last long beneath the pressures of dealing with three complex individuals more than she already had too.

"I've thought about it... But it just wouldn't work. And besides, I don't really think they feel that way towards me"

Roxanne frowned at her comment. She couldn't understand how Felicity could believe such a thing when it seemed so apparent how the three kings felt towards her. And then it dawned on her, it wasn't that Felicity couldn't feel the effects of her bond towards the three kings, it was more that her mind was subconsciously fighting against the emotions, unable to accept that she would feel such a way towards the three men that she had grown up with.

She followed Felicity into the room, taking a seat on the leather sofa as the blond woman moved into the kitchen, returning with a bottle of sauvignon and two large glasses. This was what Aro had asked her to do, the deal he had made in exchange for her life. To use her gift to find and intensify the emotions that were laying dormant within Felicity's heart and mind. The only problem was that the bonds had never been lying dormant, Roxanne could feel them through her own gift. They were strong and very much active as they fought to break passed the mental barrier that Felicity had unknowingly built.

She'd have to inform Aro of what she had discovered, try to find a way to remove the block so that she could fulfil her side of the bargain. She felt guilty yes, she hadn't intended to ever build a real friendship with the other woman but she had. She was learning to love the other woman like a sister, respect how she was able to handle herself with the world's most dangerous creatures and admire how she could keep her feelings bottled up so perfectly and hide herself from the world.

But it would always be those eyes that gave Felicity away. And Roxanne could only hope that the petite blond never learned the truth of why she had been hired when her application should really have been swiftly rejected. She didn't think she could cope with seeing the heartbreak and the mistrust in those eyes if she discovered what Aro was trying to do.

So, What did you all think? Hope you all liked it and that you'll let me know your opinions on the chapter :) I promise that the next update will be up as soon as possible. Thank you for reading guys! x