"Who was that?" Charlotte asked as Stefan hung up. She rose from the sofa and wrapped the blanket around herself.

"A friend. She is one of the people I went to see." He replied.

"Who is coming?" she asked, but she already knew the answer.

"The Volturi" he said "we must leave"

"Where? Where can we go that they can't follow? I don't think running is the answer Stefan. Eventually they will find us. Don't you think it would be better to just face them?"

"They will kill you" he said. The look of worry and fear on his face was so intense she almost didn't say it, but she had to.

"Not if you change me before they get here"

"No. Not yet, it's too soon. There is much I need to prepare you for first. You don't know the world I come from. I can't risk…" he trailed off, unable to say what he couldn't risk.

"Can't risk what?" she asked him. He made a low noise in the back of his throat and turned away from her.

"Do you think I'm not strong enough to survive it?" she said.

"No, that's not it. You are strong enough, it's me that's weak" he said.

"What? You aren't weak, you are the strongest person I know" she replied.

He turned back and gave her a smile, but it was half-hearted.

"I do not wish to see you in pain" he said. That wasn't all of it and Charlotte knew it, but she let it go for now.

"How long do we have?" she asked him.

"A day or so if we are lucky. Not long. Aro hasn't decided yet if he will attend to the matter personally but he has already sent a member of his guard. Demetri will be here first" He got dressed as he spoke.

"It was Natasha wasn't it? She's the one who went to the Volturi and told them about us" Charlotte said.

"Yes but Alice didn't see her there. Somehow she got word to them without going in person. Natasha is not welcome there after what she did"

"What did she do?" she asked with wide-eyed curiosity. Stefan came and sat next to her. He put his arm around her and held her, making her feel safe.

"She tried to seduce Aro. Natasha has always been attracted to power and there is no one more powerful than him. When they found out I had turned her, they demanded that we present ourselves so they could meet her. They were only trying to determine if she had something they wanted but she has no special gifts and so they merely acknowledged her and let us go. She left me right after and went back. Aro was too wise to fall for her charms though and he sent her away. She's been trying to find a way back in ever since."

"So she told them about us and now they're coming. There's something you aren't telling me Stefan. We aren't a big enough reason for them to leave their sanctuary"

He took a deep breath and stood up. He turned to face her and began to speak. He never moved, never took his eyes from her as he told her the story.

"Long ago, when we were in power, things were different. Humans knew of our existence and they were afraid. We liked it like that, they brought us gifts and grovelled before us acknowledging our strength. We became complacent, stagnant. We believed we were better and that we deserved the accolades the humans bestowed upon us. When the Volturi came and decimated us, I was bitter. For centuries Vladimir and I did nothing but plot revenge. Aro knew how we felt and he has watched us, never relenting. He's never trusted us and he became obsessed with keeping us in line. We had no choice but to pretend that we no longer wanted revenge and for many years we kept to ourselves, doing nothing but surviving."

He paused for a moment, Charlotte was enthralled. He had never told her about his past unless she pushed, even then he was vague and never gave details.

"A few years ago there was an…incident. A coven that was under fire from the Volturi sent a message out for help from other vampires. They only asked for witnesses but we were sure it would turn into a fight. They don't know the Volturi like we do and we eagerly joined them, convinced that we would have our revenge at last. When the confrontation came we found ourselves cheated of it again. They managed to convince Aro that no laws had been broken and the Volturi left without a fight. We left too, angered at what had transpired; but soon after I found myself questioning my motives. I had wasted so much of my life being angry and I couldn't stop thinking about how happy the Cullen's were. They adopted a different lifestyle and chose to live among the humans. They found happiness with each other. I wanted that too. I began to venture out into the world, to mingle among the humans. The night we met I was drawn to you like none other. I thought at first it was just luck that we were there on the same night but now I think it's more. I've been walking the earth in a daze for centuries because I had to wait for you. You are my destiny and I don't want to lose you, but you haven't really experienced my world. You've only known me"

"I don't need to know anything else. I would be perfectly happy living on a deserted island as long as I could live there with you" she said. There was a knock at the door and she pulled the blanket tighter across her shoulders.

"It's probably just Sam coming to try and talk me out of leaving" Charlotte said as she walked across the room. She opened the door but it wasn't Sam standing there, instead she found herself face to face with a man she'd never seen before. He was tall and lean, with dark hair and had an aura of confidence about him that bordered on arrogance. He was a vampire of course; she didn't need to look in his eyes to confirm that. He stood in the doorway studying Charlotte with no expression whatsoever. It was unnerving and she took a step back.

"Demetri" Stefan said "I wasn't expecting you so soon"

"I was in the neighborhood" he replied, brushing passed Charlotte as he walked in, uninvited. She closed the door and went to stand with Stefan, her heart beating fast as she faced a member of the Volturi for the first time.

"I'm surprised at you Stefan. After all this time of laying low and doing as you're told, now you choose to reveal our secret to this human. Aro will not be pleased when I tell him the rumors are true" He looked Charlotte up and down as he spoke, a visible sneer on his lips as he did. "She hardly seems worth it"

Charlotte felt Stefan's muscles tighten as Demetri's words fell. She held his arm tighter, not that she could have held him back if he wanted to attack. He got the message and he put his arm around her in a protective gesture. Demetri raised an eyebrow as he assessed the pair.

"You know what we are" he said, addressing Charlotte.

"Yes" she said.

"You know then, that it is forbidden for humans to learn of our existence. How exactly did you think this was going to turn out?" He spoke to her as if she were a child being scolded and she didn't appreciate it one bit.

"It doesn't matter" she said "What happens doesn't matter, you don't matter. The only thing I care about is Stefan"

Demetri snarled. He wasn't used to being spoken to like that. Stefan moved to stand in front of Charlotte.

"You've come, you've seen her. Now you can carry the message back to Aro, she will become one of us." Stefan said

"When?" Demetri asked.

"Soon enough. You don't need to know anymore than that. Now go be a good little vampire and report back to your master"

Demetri took a step towards Stefan, his lip curled in anger, but stopped when Stefan didn't so much as flinch. His eyes narrowed and when he spoke his voice was cold and full of hatred. Charlotte was afraid he would kill them both on the spot but he held himself rigid and stayed out of reach. He must have been under orders to not hurt them.

"You go too far. Aro has enjoyed your many years of running like a scared rabbit but now it seems as if you've grown a backbone at last. He's been waiting for that, Stefan. He will be very interested to hear what I have to say, I imagine. Enjoy what time you have with your little pet" he said as he walked to the door. He tuned before he left and gave Stefan a cold smile.

"I will so enjoy watching your demise, I've been waiting for it too" and then he left.

They stood in silence, looking at the closed door. Demetri had come and gone so fast it almost didn't seem real. Finally, Stefan took her by the hand and led her to the bedroom. She tried to ask him questions but he silenced each one with a kiss. He took the blanket from her shoulders and made her lie down, then did the same. It was late and she had absorbed a lot of information in a very short amount of time and so he held her in his arms and within minutes she was asleep.

The next morning, she woke to find Stefan sitting on the edge of the bed staring at her. He was smiling and he looked like a kid that just got told they were going to Disneyland. She couldn't help but smile back.

"Good morning" she said "What's got you in such a good mood?"

"I know what to do" he said "We have to go see Carlisle"

"Who is that and why do we have to see him?" she asked between yawns.

"He may have something to make it easier for you. I think it would be a good idea for you to meet others of my kind before you…." He was unable to finish the sentence, so she finished it for him.

"Before I make an informed decision?" she said. He nodded and she sighed. She understood what the real problem was and gave herself a mental kick for not realizing it sooner.

"So that's it. You think if you turn me I'll leave you, like Natasha did" she said.

It wasn't a question, just a simple statement. He turned away, unable to look at her. She stood and walked around him until they were facing each other. He looked sad, as if it had already happened. She put her hand on the back of his head and pulled him down for a loving kiss before she took his face with her hands and looked deep into his eyes.

"If you think I'm going to go running to the arms of another vampire just because they're good looking then you don't know me at all. What I feel for you has got nothing to do with the way you look, although you are pretty hot. Stefan it's like what you just said, destiny or something. What we have is so special, so wonderful I sometimes think it's just a dream. One I never want to wake from. You are mine and I will not let you go, ever. You might want to be the one to take some time to think, because I'm not messing around here. Forever is a long time and I will spend it with you or no one"

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a long lingering kiss. Their lips parted and her tongue entwined with his as he pulled her in closer. She reached down and cupped his scrotum with one hand, smiling against his lips as she felt him grow hard beneath her touch. She pushed him back on the bed and straddled him, leaning down for another kiss before she whispered 'my turn' in his ear. Then she started to kiss his neck, moving down slowly she kissed and licked and nibbled her way down his chest, grazing his nipples with her tongue before heading farther down. She kissed around his bellybutton and smiled again as she felt his muscles contract. As she moved down her naked body rubbed against his manhood and he moved his hips in response. When she reached the hard shaft she took it with one hand and for just a moment she watched it grow, like a living entity. There was just something about knowing she was the reason, that it was her touch to make him hard that turned her on and made her so hot for him. Parting her lips, she took him in her mouth. He groaned aloud as she started to suck, moving up and down, slowly at first, her other hand still cupping his sack as she took in more and more of him. She used her tongue on the underside of the shaft, tickling the sensitive skin as she started to move her mouth faster. Soon he grabbed her hair and his hips started to buck. She took her mouth from him and as fast as she could, she climbed back on top of him and lowered herself onto his rigid member, arching her back as he entered her. She was already turned on so when he reached between them and rubbed her clit with his thumb she came almost immediately. Her cries of passion were too much for him and he followed within seconds. They lay together panting in the afterglow. She was still on top of him and marvelled at how she wished there was a way to get closer, even though their naked bodies were pressed together. Before long he rose and pulled her up. The spent the day in her apartment, making love and talking. Neither of them was inclined to get dressed. She fell asleep in his arms that night and in the morning she woke to find him staring at her again.

"Get ready, we should leave soon" he said, kissing the top of her head. She went to shower and took longer than normal. When she finally came out of the bedroom, dressed and ready to go, she apologized for taking so long. He only smiled but she saw the sadness in his eyes. He was still not convinced she would pick him after she was changed. Natasha had really messed him up. One more thing she needed to pay for, but that was something she couldn't do anything about…yet. There was only one way to prove to Stefan that she meant what she said and that was to pass the test of meeting others like him. She gave him her biggest, brightest smile.

"Let's go get this done then so we can get on with living our lives together" she said. They got into his car but before he could even turn the key, his phone rang. Somehow she knew before he even answered it that it was bad news. She wasn't wrong.

"We are out of time" he said. "Aro is coming, he's already on his way. Alice was watching Demetri and didn't realize until too late. Carlisle thinks we should come anyway but I cannot put my friends in danger. Aro wants Alice to join the Volturi and I'm sure he has his eye on Bella as well, I can't risk it"

"Do we just wait for him here?" she asked

"No it's too dangerous with this many people around. I know a safer place; I'll wait for him there"

"You'll wait for him? What about me?" she said

"There is no way I'm letting Aro anywhere near you while you're still human. You wait here. Keep the lights off and wait until you hear from me" she started to protest but he wasn't about to be swayed and after a minute she gave up. He kissed her and they held each other for a moment, then she went upstairs to wait, looking back once as he drove off.

She waited for what seemed like forever. For hours she sat in the dark, worry eating at her guts. It was torture, not knowing what was happening so when she heard the doorknob rattle her heart leaped into her chest. He was back! She ran to the door and flung it open. She didn't even have time to register the fact that it wasn't Stefan filling her doorway before a hand shot out and grabbed her by the throat. He was enormous and he could have crushed the life out of her even if he wasn't a vampire. She clawed at the cold hand that was cutting off her air supply but it was useless. Within seconds everything went black. He let her go as she went unconscious and she dropped to the floor. Then he picked her up and carried her down the stairs. She came to in the back seat of an unfamiliar car. Every question she asked was met with only silence as they drove. The parked eventually in front of an abandoned warehouse in the industrial part of town. She saw Stefan's car right away and as she was hauled out of the car she had only one thought.

It looked like she was going to get to meet Aro after all.