Chapter 5 - Tremble for my Beloved
-The hour has begun, your eyes have now opened
To a world where madness craves
To a world where hope's enslaved
After several hours of watching Dominic sleep, Gianna dragged herself back to her apartment. She knew she couldn't concentrate on work, so returning to the compound was out of the question.
Over the next two days, she made frequent trips to Dominic's apartment to make sure he was fed and to wash the bedding and clothes he continued to soak with sweat. Mostly, though, he slept through her visits.
On the third day of his absence at work, Gianna stopped by in the evening with the gift she had promised him on his day of arrival. She let herself into Dominic's apartment, however, seeing him asleep yet again, she propped the hand-crafted gift against his bed and left.
Alone in her apartment, Gianna finally confronted the heaviness in her gut. It was loneliness she stubbornly admitted to herself. In the time she had spent at the Volturi compound since Marcus found her, she had led a life of sacrifice. No relationships with anyone human. How could she involve anyone in the life she chose? It was all secrets and lies. Service to the ruling living dead.
But having Dominic's company – it made her feel different. Hopeful.
Gianna vehemently shook her head as if to shake the thoughts out. No, nothing was different. She just wasn't used to interacting with someone so closely, allowing someone to be part of her life. But it changed nothing. She would not be the fool again. She wouldn't get burned again by letting someone in. No one was worth trusting. Not even her Volturi masters. In fact, she used them as much as they used her. It was business, that's all. Dominic, Aro, Caius, the whole lot – just business. A means to an end.
"The payoff will be worth it," she assured her reflection in the mirror. "It just has to be."
The next morning when she arrived at her station, Aro was waiting, sitting on her desk as if it were his throne.
"Ahhh, Gianna – or should I call you 'G'?"
The realization that Aro may have been lurking about, listening to her and Dominic's interactions made the fine hairs on the back of her neck bristle.
When Gianna failed to respond, Aro continued.
"Yes, well…have you any good news for me today?" He rubbed his polished hands soundlessly together. "Has our boy sprouted any pointy ears or whiskers?"
"No, my lord," Gianna responded with a hint of insubordination in her tone.
"Such a shame. Maybe you are not trying hard enough."
"I will complete the mission, master. I'm just not familiar with his kind. When will he be ready? When will he shift?"
Aro rose to a stand so gracefully Gianna felt a twinge of jealously. He circled around and stood closely behind her.
"Phase. It's called phasing."
Gianna shivered. Coldness rolled off Aro like an invisible mist gathering menacingly around her, enveloping her and holding her captive. She felt her heart race and breathing increase.
Aro enjoyed the effect he had on her. It made him thirsty.
But Gianna had a point. It appeared something was happening within the young man…but it wasn't enough to tip the scales.
Standing statue-still, his thoughts diverged and Aro began combing through his perfect recall for any tidbit in the memories he had taken from Alice and Edward that could shed light on wolf transformation.
So much had transferred from Alice's mind to Edward's in that brief time they were reunited and escorted to the inner compound. Alice had quickly informed Edward of someone named Jacob becoming a "werewolf." The revelation alarmed Edward, but surprisingly, the news was not totally unexpected.
While Alice covertly pumped information into Edward's head, he made many of his own conclusions and assumptions. Somewhere in all Edward's processing, there had to be a clue to Dominic's latent nature. Methodically, Aro examined each memory he had seized, turning each one over and over like a puzzle piece that had to fit the bigger picture.
What Aro could conclude was that Cullens had had dealings with these shifters before, and yet somehow peace was maintained. However, there was still an inherent distrust of the creatures that possessed the power to destroy a vampire. Why they co-existed in close proximity to each other was an intriguing mystery to Aro. Although, Carlisle always was unorthodox…
"Maybe there needs to be a catalyst of some sort. Something to provoke the animal within…What will make our lab rat dance?"
But after exhausting each memory, Aro had to admit the knowledge just wasn't there. The Cullens appeared to have no knowledge of what made the first phase occur.
Gianna watched Aro with a wary eye. What would he ask her to do next?
Aro spun to face Gianna. "We need to try different stimuli."
"I'm sorry…I don't…" Gianna stammered.
Aro resourcefully continued, "Something needs to let the primal animal out." He took as few steps as he pondered, almost speaking to himself. "Stress, anger, lust, threats, fear, pain… But first, it is imperative he come back to work, cannot have our wolf-to-be to exploding in the middle of the piazza now can we? Having any witnesses would be...unfortunate. No, this needs to be a controlled experiment."
With one more flourish of his robes, Aro spun on his heels and delivered his edict, "Get him back here, Gianna."
And then he was gone.
Gianna paced. How would she get Dominic back to work? She wasn't sure yet…but she knew where she needed to start. Although she had just arrived at work, she turned and headed out the door toward Dominic's.
The scene that greeted her in his apartment was quite different than what she had witnessed the night before. Soiled dishes were stacked everywhere. Paper wrappers, picked bones, and peels littered the undersized dining table. Her eyes quickly located Dominic sitting on his couch, hunched over a large plate of…some kind of meat.
Stunned, she froze in the doorway. Dominic hadn't taken notice of her presence yet. He was too preoccupied.
"What happened here?"
Dominic looked up. Shocked appeared on his face, followed by embarrassment. He swiped at the grease dripping down his chin with the back of his hand. "I finally feel like eating again – as you can tell."
"Tell me at least everything was dead before it got sucked in," she questioned, somewhat honestly, still taking in the carnage in his apartment.
"I believe so. I'm just so hungry. I haven't stopped eating since I woke up this morning." He ripped a large hunk off the slab of meat before him. "Can you see if there is any ketchup in the 'fridge?" he muttered between chews.
Gianna wordlessly moved into the kitchen area and opened the door of his small refrigerator. The only things left in it were assorted condiments. Grabbing the red bottle, she walked over and set it next to him.
"So you are feeling better? Good enough to return to work?" she asked.
He swallowed the large partially-chewed mouthful in one gulp. "I was just about to call you about that. Do you think Fr. Aro will allow me to return? This is not an example of my work ethic, I swear! I just couldn't function – the fatigue, mood swings - and now this unending hunger! I couldn't…"
Gianna held up her hand. "Stop." She smiled with genuine relief. "It's okay. Fr. Aro's actually been worried about you. He'll be very pleased to hear you are coming back. Today..."
"Thank God. I'll get back on schedule as soon as possible. I promise." Then his brow furrowed. "Today?"
"I've missed you. Would you come back today?"
The small pout on Gianna's lips squeezed his heart just a bit. "Sure. Um, just...let me clean up." He rose to a stand and wiped his soiled hands on his pant legs.
"You get presentable and I'll start cleaning around here," she suggested with a slight hint of disgust in her voice.
"Deal." Dominic grinned and crossed the room to the bedroom in three long strides.
Gianna looked with revulsion at the crime scene of consumption, not knowing where to start.
"Oh, hey, G? Could you pack me a lunch too?"
"I'll have something delivered," she shouted out in his direction, doubting there was anything even left to pack.
After twenty minutes, Dominic re-emerged. Clean-shaven and well groomed, but wearing...sweat pants?
Seeing the confused expression on her face, Dominic felt redness creeping up his skin. "My jeans don't fit. I must have put on weight with all the eating. Strange since I thought I'd lost a ton with not having an appetite and all."
"Well," Gianna recovered quickly remembering that getting him to the compound was Aro's priority. "We didn't hire you for your attire, but for your skill. Let's go."
As Dominic grabbed his coveralls, he found Gianna's gift lying underneath. How could he have been so stupid? he reprimanded himself. How could he have forgotten to thank her?
Grabbing it he rushed up behind her just before she exited his apartment.
"Thank you! I forgot to say thank you."
Gianna turned, "For what?" With the pressure she was feeling from Aro, she too had forgotten about it. When she saw him holding the guitar so affectionately, she smiled. "Do you like it?"
"It is amazing! The craftsmanship…and the sound! What kind of wood is it composed of?"
He strummed the strings and basked in the resonating rich sounds.
"The vendor said mahogany and rosewood." Gianna felt pleased she had chosen well.
"What do I owe you?"
Gianna was puzzled by his vernacular. "Pardon?"
Dominic laughed at her confusion. Laughing. It was so pleasurable. He hadn't felt like laughing in several days, in fact, he remembered clearly feeling so lousy he actually prayed to die.
"I appreciate your generosity, but I would like to pay you back. Pay for your purchase of this guitar."
A strange expression crossed Gianna's face for the briefest of moments before she shook her head adamantly. "No, I do not wish to have your money. Just promise me something?"
"Anything," he responded sincerely.
She stepped closer to him and slid her fingertips slowly down his arm. "Will you play for me tonight over dinner at my place, Domenico?"
"Domenico? I like the sound of my name in Italian." At least he knew he liked it when she said it. He was certain his goofy grin had made another appearance.
"Or I could just call you 'D'?" she smirked at him before leading the way out the door.
Dominic followed her like a playful puppy on a leash.
"Okay, well, since we are renaming each other, I'll try to be more creative. Something American I think," he laughed as he gently placed the guitar on the small kitchen counter before they left the apartment.
The short walk to St. Marcus was filled with laughter as Dominic tried out various American cliché terms of endearment…
"What about sweetcakes?"
"No."
"Honeybuns?"
"No."
"Honeycake Sweetbuns?"
"Definitely not! What is it with Americans and sugary food-stuff nicknames?" she giggled.
"I guess I'm still hungry," he admitted sheepishly. "Let's see, non food-item nicknames…" He rubbed his chin in mock thoughtfulness. "Oh! How about angel – you have been a God-send the last few days, G." Then Dominic's tone became very serious, "I don't know what I would have done without you watching over me. Really."
"I'm no angel, Domenico."
"You are to me."
In a moment of pure honesty, Dominic had stopped walking. Gianna followed suit and both stood in awkward silence, staring at each other on the busy sidewalk.
"Thank you – for everything. I feel like you have become my surrogate mother!" he added, embarrassed by the truth of it.
Uncomfortable with his frankness, Gianna looked away and fussed with the rings on her fingers. She had executed her plan so perfectly yet why did it feel so wrong?
Gianna jumped, startled as Dominic's large, hot hands encased hers. Her heart raced and her wide eyes met his. Anxiously she waited for his next words somehow equally wanting this moment to continue... and to end.
Dominic tilted his head and grinned. "I think I know how to return your kindness. I'm going to buy you a pair of gloves, G. Your hands are always so cold!"
With a grin that melted the tension, he took her hand and wrapped it around the crook of his arm, escorting her the rest of the way to their workplace.
After leaving Dominic in his shop, Gianna breathed a sigh of relief. A "normal" day would be so welcome. She had gotten Dominic back to work and his mystery illness seemed to be resolved. Now she hoped to gather herself and figure out what to do next.
Although Aro didn't show himself, Gianna was sure he knew Dominic had returned – not much escaped his sharp attention and honed senses.
Meanwhile, Dominic resumed his work with fervor. He was now very behind on the project deadline. He didn't want to risk losing his chance at making a name for himself as a skilled artisan. The thought of returning to his small town with his tail tucked between his legs made him extremely uneasy. If he failed at his first project, how would he ever succeed in securing another? Convinced this was the most important job he'd ever do, Dominic's haste and anxiety grew with each passing minute.
It made him careless.
A clumsy elbow sent his soldering iron flying, and in a second of miscalculating, Dominic grabbed for it and caught the wrong end. The hot tip seared into his palms and he reacted, jumping out of his seat and knocking his nearly completed pane of stained glass airborne.
"No!" he yelled, forgetting instantly about the 3rd degree burn sizzling in his hand.
Despite his almost inhumanly quick lunge to catch his painstakingly created piece of art, it slipped through his fingers, hitting the edge of his workbench and crashing to floor. The jewel-colored glass fractured and broke.
Destroyed.
A thousand thoughts ricocheted through Dominic's stressed brain.
Time lost.
Materials wasted.
Reputation shot before it had a chance to get off the ground!
His aspirations tumbled in broken shards, skittering across the tile floor. He began to tremble.
"Fuck!"
Obscenities he rarely spoke came rushing out of his mouth as his breathing came in heavy pants, one inhalation quickly rolling into the next. Had he even had a chance to exhale? His world was spinning out of control.
Anger, primal and unstoppable, ripped through him. Raw power gathered strength and barreled through him like a steam locomotive. Every muscle fiber flexed with extreme force, feeding off the adrenaline that coursed through his boiling blood. His body seemed to have taken on a will of its own and he was powerless to cease the course it was on.
The fire raged and Dominic felt it would consume him and reduce his body to ashes. Yet, somehow it felt – purposeful – moving toward an instinctual final goal. Reassured by the sense gathering inside of him, his mind relented to what he no longer had control of anyway.
Everything in his peripheral vision blurred and his breath caught.
It was reaching its inevitable climax…
A surge stirred in his gut and spiraled outward like a rising hurricane.
A sense of euphoria…
A feeling of release...
An explosive tearing sound.
Nothing about him felt familiar, yet fundamentally, he could tell something was right.
Movement and thought, so fluid and strong. Like molten steel.
Then it was over.
Dazed, uncomprehending, Dominic struggled to rationalize what had just occurred. He came to believe he was having an out-of-body experience. Had he fallen during his accident and hit his head? Was he dead?
Dominic anxiously looked about the room for his corporal self. When he failed to find it, he began to search. What he found was his reflection in the gleaming stainless steel of his workbench.
"No! For the love of God! No!"
A/N: Well, SM didn't give us much to envision what Jacob's first transformation was like, so I gave it a shot - what do you think?
Thanks to my Twi-besties (not beasties!): RowanMoon, RosaBella75 and Ashling92
And thanks for reading!
