AN: This chapter took an age ti write because it is right in the middle of where the interesting things start to happen. I edited and edited and I'm still not entierly happy with the first couple of paragraphs, but it just wouldn't flow properly and this is the best I could get it. I am happy with the rest of the chapter though, I had a lot of fun writing it and it's the longest I've written so far!

Disclaimer: No matter how many times i ask, Stephenie Meyer still won't give me any of her characters, not even Seth and Alec, so I'm just playing with them ^_^

Enjoy!

CHAPTER 5 (Questions)

SETH POV

Despite what some people thought, his ability to accept people for who they are didn't make Seth clueless to their intentions, he knew that Aro was angry, he knew that he was the cause and he knew that the vampire was going to try his hardest to make him pay.

Seth knew that denying his inner thoughts to Aro had not helped his cause in the slightest, but if Aro had read his thoughts then he would have felt the strange tugging at Seth's stomach and he would have known of his need to see under the hoods of the two cloaked figures. And if Aro knew of that need then he would have exploited it, of this Seth had no doubt, so he'd decided to refuse Aro and take his chances with the questions, all the while hoping that he would get his chance to discover what the tugging in his belly really meant.

"So Seth, since you have refused my request to read your thoughts, I suppose we will just have to do this the hard way," said Aro. Seth noticed several of the 'good' vampires, and the wolves flinch at what the Volturi leader was implying but returned his attention to said leader when he continued to speak.

"I, as well as my fellow leaders Caius and Marcus will ask you questions that we feel are necessary to ensure the trust of the werewolves. We will just have to take your word that you are not lying, will you give it?"

"Of course," replied Seth. "I give you my solemn word that I will truthfully answer all of your questions to the best of my knowledge, as long as they are relevant to our cause of course."

"Of course," agreed Aro, with a sour look.

"Then fire away." Said Seth with a grin that only served to make Aro look even more sour.

'If he wasn't a vampire I would think that he'd just eaten a lemon.' Thought Seth and he sensed Edward, who was standing next to him, trying to muffle a laugh at the thought.

Shooting a mistrustful look in the bronze haired vampire's direction, Aro began the questioning. "How old were you when you first phased into a wolf?"

"Fifteen," answered Seth.

"Did you know that the Cullen's were vampires before you phased?"

"No. That is, I was told that they were by my dad but I never actually believed him."

"How long did it take you to be able to control your phasing?"

"A week, maybe two?"

"Have you ever physically hurt another human while phasing?"

"No," said Seth, shivering at the thought.

"Do any humans apart from your tribal elders or your Pack's imprints know of the wolves or the vampires?"

"Just my mum and Bella's dad, but Charlie doesn't know about the vampires, just the wolves."

"And how does he know this? I thought your elders kept the secret from other humans?"

"They do but Jake phased in front of Charlie so that he would accept the changes in Bella without discovering that she'd become a vampire."

"I see," said Aro sceptically. "Why are you allied with the Cullen's?"

"Because I like them."

"Really?" Here Aro raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Yes."

"You don't care about the fact that they are vampires? That they drink blood?"

"No, I don't see them as vampires, I see them as people who have made the best possible choices to survive with the life that they were given. It doesn't bother me that they drink blood, it's what they need to do to survive. Besides, it's animal blood so it's no different to me eating a steak or a cheeseburger, is it?"

"I suppose not..." replied Aro hesitantly, seeing that it would be harder to accuse Seth than he had originally thought.

"What about the others?" He asked, gesturing towards the Cullen's witnesses, "Does it bother you that they drink human blood?"

Seth hesitated, 'Gee, I've never really thought about it before.' He thought, and just decided to say whatever came from his mouth first.

"Look, I'm not going to pretend that I like the fact that you have to kill humans to eat, but I understand that it's what you are all used to, what you have been taught since you were changed and I am not going to condemn anyone for that." He said, meaning every word of it.

There was a shocked silence in the clearing as everyone processed what Seth had said, but it was soon broken by the blonde Volturi leader, 'Caius' Seth reminded himself.

"Well, congratulations boy," he said, making no attempt to disguise the contempt in his voice. "You have just proven to all of us what good liars you shape shifters can be when your lives are on the line."

There was a collective grow from the assembled wolves and Seth furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and indignation, "I don't think that I understand what you mean, "he said to Caius. "I haven't lied to you."

Caius scoffed at his words, "There you go again boy, we know that you are lying because we know that all werewolves, Children of the Moon or not, hate vampires, as do all humans. And you boy, are both."

Here Seth started to get angry, "That may be true for other wolves and even humans but it's not true of me. I do not hate vampires, regardless of their dietary habits."

"STOP LYING!" Caius practically yelled in Seth's face.

Seth began to shake with suppressed anger, if there was one thing that he hated it was being called a liar, but before he could lose control and phase, another voice spoke out, light and clear, "He's not lying."

All heads turned towards the small, delicate looking red-haired vampire girl as she continued to speak, "my name is Maggie," she began. "I have the ability to sense the truth in a person's words because when someone is lying it causes me physical pain. I have been listening closely to this interrogation and I can tell you with absolute certainty that this boy has not lied to you, not once." She smiled gently in Seth's direction, as if to thank him and he felt a strange sense of happiness at her approval as he returned it.

The vampires on the Cullen's side seemed to go further into shock at Maggie's words, while the Volturi (with the exception of Marcus and the 'cloaked figures') seemed to be trying to control their rage. Finally, Aro spoke again, "It is all very good that you are saying this in the defence of the boy Maggie dearest but the fact remains that you are on the same side. And while I am not accusing you of lying, as I understand that you are incapable of doing so, you could be bending the truth to your will, could you not?"

Everyone jumped as Maggie let loose a feral snarl that should not have come from the mouth of one so delicate looking, but before she could defend herself another voice spoke up, this time from the direction of the Volturi's witnesses, "I also have some ability to detect the truth." Spoke the tall, blonde haired vampire. "I am not sided with the Cullen's, nor am I sided with the Volturi, my mate and I are simply here to witness and from what we have witnessed and what I know this family is innocent of any wrongdoing and the wolf-boy has spoken nothing but the truth. Now, with your permission, we would like to be on our way."

Again, the Volturi looked furious, but this time there was nothing they could do about it. When Aro eventually thanked the blonde vampire-whose name Seth discovered was Charles- and allowed him to leave with his smaller, dark-haired mate, it was through gritted teeth and with an almost mad look in his eye. The look didn't leave as he turned to Seth and said, "Well boy, it seems that you have honoured our agreement and told us the truth so, we in turn must honour the agreement by recognising that the Quileute wolves pose no threat to the vampire secrecy at this moment in time. You may return to your friends." He hissed to Seth, effectively dismissing him.

As he turned to leave, Seth looked once more in the direction of the cloaked vampires, disappointed that he had not had the chance to see their faces. However, as he began to look away, one of the figures shifted and he got a glimpse of a flashing red eye and light brown hair before his mind erupted in burning pain.

Hehehe, sorry about that, I just had to put a little bit of evil Jane in there, but don't worry, it makes for a protctive Alec later! Did you think he'd imprinted?
It will happen soon, I promise ^_^

Please review!