Author's Note: Okay, this chapter was very interesting to write. There's a lot more character development going on here and it's just one of those chapters that I'm not sure how I wrote it, I just did it. My opinion and interpretation of the characters is very strong in this chapter. I hope I don't disappoint.

Twilight: Creation

Chapter Five

Marcus stared out one of the high windows of the tower watching the occasional cloud pass in front of the pane of glass. There was a trial in progress but he had already played his part. There were no lingering ties between the condemned and the witnesses. The only bond in the room that had changed slightly was the one that tied Demetri to Aro. It wasn't weak in the sense of rebellion but rather suspicion. The strength was that of Marcus' own tie to Aro: reluctant, wary loyalty.

Given Aro's ever changing temperament lately, it did not surprise Marcus that Sulpicia had asked the tracker to turn spy for her. The bonds between the wives and their original guardians would never be completely erased. A fact that Aro knew and disregarded, foolishly believing if Felix and Demetri were faithful to their mistresses, they would remain faithful to their masters. Marcus quickly let that thought go, not wanting to bring suspicion on Demetri. He rather liked the tracker as he was one of the guard Marcus chose to converse with whenever the desire struck him, which was not that often.

"Marcus?"

It was Caius this time that had hissed his name, a not so gentle reminder that he needed to pay attention to the trial. Marcus waved his hand dismissively, signaling there were no ties. Didn't he already do this? Then he noticed it was a new vampire before them, one that did have a tie to someone in the crowd. Marcus raised his hand and slowly stood, his eyes following the red thread of passion.

A small, heart-shape faced vampire was on the other end of the bond. Her crimson eyes flicked back and forth from the male vampire before them and to Marcus himself. Her jaw was tight, her eyes pleading with him. She wanted to die too. She wanted to die with her mate. He had seen it before, only a handful of times, where mates were so strongly tied that killing one was just as good as killing the other. He saw it every time he passed in front of a mirror. She was still staring at him, boldly and pleading at the same time. He could not deny her the same thing that had been denied him.

"There," he whispered and pointed directly at her. The sea of onlookers parted and she strode forward, proudly taking her mate's hand. Caius gave a minute shake of his head, the slight movement filled with disgust while Aro had a strange compilation of emotions flit across his face. Marcus didn't catch all of it but there was a definite sadness, bordering on regret.

"No," Aro suddenly spoke. "She is not the offender. Release her."

Caius was too shocked to say anything, a rarity to say the least. Marcus leaned towards Aro. "Killing him is the same as killing her. Be done with it."

By this time, Caius had found his voice. "Marcus saw the bond between them. She stands ready to die, let her."

The choice should have been easy for Aro. He could side with Caius' violent reasoning or Marcus' merciful one. Either way, the two vampires before them would be killed. There was no choice to be made and Marcus resumed his lethargic position on the elaborate throne. It was just a matter of time before Aro saw both must be put to death.

"No," came the quiet response from Aro. "Release her."

Marcus closed his eyes. He knew what would come and he didn't want to observe it. He had seen the determination in the woman's face. He was unsurprised at the feral snarl that was emitted from the woman as she launched herself at the three brothers. Her mate followed her foolhardy action but the battle was one that would never start. Jane, who was a perfect mix of Caius' brutality and Aro's diplomacy in the form of an innocent child, had both vampires incapacitated while Felix and Demetri torn them apart.

When the fire was started, Marcus looked over at Aro. "Why?"

Aro drummed his fingers against the arm of his own throne. "Her punishment was to live without her mate."

"And that is a burden too heavy for anyone to carry regardless of their crime." Marcus hadn't realized he had spoken the words until Aro's eyes flashed angrily towards him.

"Everyone loses people that they love, Marcus. Most move past the loss and do not wallow in self pity and apathy."

Before Marcus could even defend his statement, Aro was gone in a flurry of robes. So, that was the reason behind the emotional storm brewing in Aro's heart: he had lost her in a most permanent way. A pang of sympathy surprised him.

"Everyone is losing their minds," Caius muttered.

Marcus sat back against the throne, his gaze going back up to the window. When he was human, he spent much of his time in prayer. When he was changed, he stopped and now he wondered why. Just because they were given immortality did not mean that the pain stopped. Perhaps Aro had been wrong about their souls. If there was no soul, why is there still hurt? And if there was hurt, why should he stop praying? He closed his eyes but all he could smell was the bon fire and all he could hear was Caius gnashing his teeth.

He had to see the child again. She had replaced his obsessive thoughts where Silvia had been. He couldn't figure out whether this drive was to fill Silvia's loss or if he truly wanted to know the child. All he was certain of was the need to be near her. It had only been six months since he first laid eyes on her and she now looked like a ten year old girl but spoke as if she was thirty. But there was something else, something more. She was looking more and more like Didyme.

She didn't look exactly like Didyme but the resemblance was too strong to ignore. It should not have surprised him though, Didyme had been his sister. But this child was truly his daughter, he had seen it first hand in her face. She had the same stubborn clench of her jaw, the inquisitive gleam in her blue-green eyes and, yes, she had his temper. But there was also Silvia present in her gentleness, laughter and joy in simple things. He hadn't realized just how similar Silvia and Didyme had been until a perfect mesh of both women was standing in front of him. He hoped tonight he would have a chance to speak to her directly.

He threw off his robes and pulled on his cloak. The sun had just barely slipped under the horizon when he started his run to Rome. After a handful of visits to the church, he realized the nuns made her sleep during the day so she could come out at night. Most of the clergy were asleep and as she grew, the less supervision she required. It shouldn't be long until he could introduce himself to her, speak to her on familiar terms. He had so many questions for her, so many possibilities that her existence could offer their kind.

His pace slowed as he entered the city limits of Rome. Whatever those possibilities were, she could never attain them though. Marcus would take one look at her and either destroy her with one touch or be her ultimate protecter. If the latter happened, Aro wouldn't have a hope in hell of getting to her ever again. But he wondered if he slowly prepared Marcus for the vampire-human's looks, if the introduction would go smoother? It was something to think about, for certain.

He paused outside the stone cathedral, wondering where his daughter would be that night. There were no noises coming from the courtyard so he concentrated on the subtle noises, auditory hints that were too low for the human ear. That was when he heard it...a soft hum, the dirge of a mass. The pitch of the song was too perfect and he knew he had found her in the sanctuary.

He hated to admit it but for the first century of his new life, Aro refused to stepped into a church. He tried to pass it off as mere superstition but it ran deeper than that. He was afraid of what would happen to a soulless being that stepped into the house of God. Once again, curiosity got the better of him and he went into a church one night. Nothing happened to him and the fear quickly evaporated. But a new fear gripped him as he saw the child lighting candles in the vestibule of the church. The candlelight glinted off her dark curls and cast her face in dancing shadows. Every time he saw her he forgot how the breathe. Perhaps she had more of her mother in her than he thought.

"Good evening, child."

She turned slightly, not quite surprised at his presence. "Good evening, Signore."

Aro strained his senses, searching for heartbeats or breaths but the only one he heard was the fluttering one of hers. Finally, he had a chance to speak to his daughter and he couldn't hide his smile. "What is your name?"

She regarded him warily and held one of the candles close to her. "Trista Moretti, Signore."

"Trista," he repeated and frowned. The name could have two meanings, either one less than acceptable. Trista could have been a form of the word "sadness" but the more direct translation would be "evil." That wasn't a fitting name at all such an intriguing child standing before him. "Who gave you your name, dear one?"

"The sisters say that my mother named me Trista because she was very sad."

"And what made her so sad?"

Her eyes slid to the stone floor. "I do not know, Signore."

He tried to take the edge off his smile. "There is no need to lie to me, dear Trista."

Glassy tears filled up her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. "They say I am a demon," she sucked in a shuttering breath, "that I am evil."

"How could someone as beautiful as you be evil?"

"'Behold, Satan will come as an angel of light.'"

Aro knelt down so now the child was looking down at him. "I do not believe you are Satan or anything related to him."

For the first time in all his observations, she started to cry. "You are not afraid of me?"

He opened his arms to her and she willing fell against him, sobbing. She was so warm, much warmer than a human. Her heartbeat fluttered like a hummingbird in his ear as her hot tears soaked through his shirt. He was prepared to feel uncomfortable, awkward as he attempted to comfort his daughter but the uneasy feeling never came. It felt almost natural to comfort her. She turned her head slightly, her forehead coming into contact with the skin of his neck. He tried to contain his surprise at the onslaught of images her mind had presented. He tried to quickly shuffle through the most recent ones, searching for the ones all the way back to her very first memories. And there he found her...Silvia.

The images were blurry, as they should be since they were captured by a newly born child. The sounds were all new and alarming but the pictures were a sea of black and white...and red. Lots of red. Aro realized what he was seeing were the nuns in their black robes, their hands and arms stained in blood. Trista was silent, misinterpreting the nun's fear, not realizing she was the cause of it. A faint whisper broken the heavy silence.

"Let me see her."

Trista turned, either on her own or by a nun, and Silvia's face was present. She was so white, even her lips had been washed of color. Nothing could touch the look in her eye, not even death hovering so near, when the child was handed over to her. She smiled and pressed those colorless lips against Trista's forehead. She whispered in the child's ear, so low that even the nuns wouldn't have heard her. These words were for Trista only.

"My beautiful girl, do not listen to what others say. You are not evil. You are very special and many people can not tell the difference. Your father will find you, I am certain of it. My precious, little Lucianna."

Silvia's face disappeared from view, Trista was jostled and picked up by a nun. There was more blood, more chaos and then the finality of death. For the first time since she was born, Trista emitted a high pitched cry.

Aro slowly released the child. A war had broken out once more in his mind. There was an undeniable desire to protect her. She was not just his daughter, but she was Silvia's daughter as well. Silvia, who had never lost faith in him even when he had turned his back on her. And even though he wanted nothing more than to take the child back to Volterra, he could not do that. Caius would order her destroyed, the bitter taste of the immortal children still in all their mouths, and then come after the entire church in Rome. Even though he could prepare himself for Sulpicia's cold anger, he could not withstand Marcus' fury. No, the child would have to be destroyed.

He looked up at her bright eyes and flushed cheeks. "Lucianna..."

Her forehead creased slightly. "What did you call me?"

"I am afraid the sisters here have been calling you by the wrong name."

"How do you know?"

He smiled reassuringly. "I knew your mother, child. The name she bestowed on you was not Trista. She knew that name would never fit someone as...special as you."

She sniffed and hastily wiped away stray tears, her eyes bright with interest now. "I am not evil?"

"No, sweet one." Silvia was right to name her Lucianna. The name meant graceful, light...illumination. And that was what she was to him. She was the proof that even soulless creatures were still capable of producing life. He would have to end that life and keep this discovery a secret for as long as he existed but he didn't have to destroy her tonight. There was still too much to learn about the fascinating hybrid.

"What is troubling you, cousin?"

Sulpicia tucked the tendrils of hair that had fallen loose from the feeding behind her ear. She happened to have chosen a very spirited young man, though the fight did release some of the tension she had been hoarding. "Nothing is troubling me."

Athenodora's mischievous smile faltered as she looped her arm through Sulpicia's. "It is not like you to keep things from me. I worry for you and your sullenness."

"It is my disposition, nothing more. You should know this about me."

"But I have never heard such sour notes to come from you. If you can not tell me about it, then who?"

Sulpicia gazed about at the marble halls they were aimlessly wandering while their chambers were being cleaned from the mess of their last meal. "Why do you think the humans fight so? Surely they know they can not defeat us. If they escape, where will they go?"

Her red haired cousin sighed. "I suppose it is in their nature, much like a herd of cattle. They are too stupid to reason so they fight instinctually. That is why we exist, dear cousin." Athenodora's smile came back. "We hunt so they can fight. Besides, I do not believe it would be very enjoyable to feed on a human who has no fight left."

No fight left...that was exactly how she felt. Aro's curiosity kept leading him back to Rome. Demetri had confirmed it. Four, even five nights a week Aro was absent from Volterra to be with that half breed spawn. She had never laid eyes on the child but knowing how this creature had captured Aro's attention and even Demetri's affection now, was enough for Sulpicia to hate her.

"Cousin?"

Sulpicia turned and was surprised at the concern on Athenodora's face. "Yes?"

"I have known you too long and something is eating you from the inside. This heavy matter that you are carrying is becoming too much for even you."

Her eyes smarted but found no release in tears. She couldn't tell her cousin what she knew of Aro's infidelity and hybrid creation. It would be too shameful to admit it to the woman whose husband had a gift of single minded devotion, no matter if it was to his wife or to his justice. Athenodora, for all her bloodlust glee and semi-feral ways, had the entire ear of the most vengeful vampire in the world.

Sulpicia had seen it firsthand, back when Caius and Aro both were trying to woo them. Athenodora had complained about the noise coming from a local village, that it was jumbling her thoughts. The next morning, they discovered the village had been decimated singlehandedly by Caius. Sulpicia could still see her cousin dancing in the ashes and twirling the bones of the slaughtered villagers. Aro's attempts of gaining her favor had been much more civilized. Operas and tailor made gowns...hunting trips that lead to some of the most beautiful views in the world. She smiled wistfully, remembering that there had been a time when Aro had loved her.

"What is it that you fear, cousin Sulpicia?"

She could hide most the truth from Athenodora but not all of it. So she imparted the least damning for Aro but the most humiliating for her. "I am afraid my husband has grown tired of me."

Athenodora patted Sulpicia's hand gently. "Then that is a problem that is easily solved."

"How so?"

That impish grin came back on Athenodora's face. "His curiosity for new things is insatiable, no? Make yourself new, dear cousin! Buy a new gown, wear your hair down. Do something that is different that will make him realize there is a mystery he needs to solve."

Sulpicia shook her head. "After two millennia there are no more mysteries to solve."

"Then you invent one."

"And what are you inventing, love?"

Athenodora laughed lightly and released Sulpicia's arm, dancing over to Caius. "Trouble, my love. I am always inventing trouble."

A very slight smile tugged at the corner of pale vampire's mouth. "You are the master of trouble."

"And that is why you love me so."

"It is," he agreed. He turned to Sulpicia, all signs of softness gone from his face. "When you see Aro, tell him I must speak with him immediately."

"Of course."

Caius nodded and moved off towards his quarters, Athenodora in tow now. Sulpicia continued down the hall and stopped by the courtyard garden. She realized then she must have stumbled upon the subject matter of Caius' concern that needed to be discussed with Aro. Marcus was sitting in solemn silence by the edge of the fountain, staring blankly into the water. He was so still, he could have been a statue. She wondered what her fate would be if she really had outlived her interest to Aro. Would he have her destroyed and replaced? Or would he grieve for a time before marrying again? Would he grieve at all, like Marcus grieved for Didyme?

She wondered if she should go to Marcus, try to offer some comfort. He had always been skilled at giving advice and solace when Didyme was alive and she had gone to him multiple times for such things. All of them had done that over the years. He had been more of a rock than any of the stones that were laid as foundation for Volterra. But as she watched, a small bird that had been playing in the water, suddenly hopped up on the edge of the fountain.

Sulpicia held her breath as the bird cautiously investigated the still vampire that hadn't moved at all. Unafraid, the little sparrow danced up onto Marcus' hand, pecked at the hem of the robe and then proceeded to preen himself. Sulpicia was shocked to see a very small smile grace Marcus' face as he watched the bird. Her awe held her to the spot long enough for Marcus to realize she was there but only when the bird flew away did he turn to her.

"He will return to you, Sulpicia," he whispered, the breeze carrying his words. "To you and Volterra, he will always return."