I'm trying to make chapters longer, but with that I'll not be able to update as frequently. SM owns twilight.

Enjoy!

Bella POV

"Marcus, do you not look at your clock? It's only 3pm and diner isn't until 6pm. " Gianna said.

"Again with this clock...I thought humans eat more consistently than this! What if Bella gets hungry between two of her meals? Is she just supposed to wait?" Marcus asked.

"Then all she needs to do is get a snack, something small like an apple or porridge. Do you remember anything about being human?" Gianna replied.

"Only the important things, these were just minor details."

"Marcus. You may want to try to take the cobwebs off those memories, and try to stop acting your age while Bella is here. Since I have to go fetch some more of her essential human things I won't be able to do dinner. Their is a cookbook in the pantry, and I'm sure you can follow those directions. Before I leave though let me just remind you of a few things..."

I decided to tune out what was being said, and left my mind to wander a bit while Gianna explained basic nutrition facts to Marcus. He seems like a lost puppy. So much had happened within the last few days, and I couldn't seem to fully understand the entirety of it all. My father's life was the very thing that gave birth to this new one I have now, but I didn't really know if I would be okay with this one. Marcus had some sort of fixation on me that I didn't necessarily hate, but it was kinda strange the more I thought of it.

He saved me from the hands of Caius who probably had the most understandable reason for his actions. Now I sleep in his room, and he has taken it upon himself to get me well again. With Edward it had taken me a while before I truly opened up to him, but even then I still kept my secrets. But with Marcus, everything is just so easy with him around. Oddly enough I feel like I can just be human around him and still be his equal.

Thud.

I looked up from my thoughts, and saw Marcus and Gianna still in their heavy conversation.

Thud.

The noise was sounded like someone was hitting glass, so I looked around until I saw a patio door that connected to outside. I was sure Marcus would be able to find me easily, so I waked outside and saw a garden a floor beneath me.

Thud.

I looked to my right and found roses growing onto the patio rails. Something that stood out to me was the fact that these roses looked like they hadn't been touched in years they were so overgrown it looked like they were going to consume this side of the wall. I gingerly touched a blossom, but immediately regretted it when I was surrounded by the darkness.

Thud.

The noise was coming behind me.

Thud.

The noise was coming closer.

Thud.

I dared not to turn around.

Thud.

I could feel her presence behind me.

Thud.

I turn around and see the woman in the same dirty gown, looking at me from a yard away. She raises a fisted hand and knocks on an invisible barrier between her and I.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

My wide eyes look into her closed eyes, but can see a tiredness to her. Once again she says something, but no sound comes out. She opens her eyes and I see that they are still black but it's like they are willing for me to understand her. Seeing that I don't understand her, she closes her mouth and points behind me. Slowly I look to see the same rose bush I found.

"What does that mean?" I asked myself.

I looked back at the woman who had a pained expression on her face, and started to cry again.

"What do you want from me?" I ask her.

She points behind me again, and mouths some more.

"What do roses have to do with you?" I say confused.

Suddenly angry she bangs against the invisible barrier, and at that point I'm scared and shaking in my bones. I look at her skin and see that it's cracking as if it's glass, from how hard she's hitting. The more she hits the more my head starts to hurt, and my vision starts to blur from the intensity of it all. I close my eyes with tears in them, and when I open them I'm back in the patio still shaking.

"Bella come back to me." Marcus says while shaking my shoulders.

"M-marcus?" I stuttered.

A chill fell over me as I saw the rose bushes, and started to shiver.

"Bella look at me..."

His hands held my face and turned my head towards his face, and I saw the warmth and concern in his eyes.

"You're here with me not there, and you're safe."

I nod slowly in his grasp as I slowly come to terms with my surroundings, but still have a headache.

"Where did you go just now, I found you just standing out here and you wouldn't answer Gianna calling to you. She wanted to remind you of a doctor's visit for tomorrow. Are you alright?"

No really wanting to say anything, I just nodded again and turned towards the open door to the kitchen. I was glad Gianna had scheduled for a doctor's appointment for me, these dreams or hallucinations were just to real.

"Why don't you sit down, your heart is fluttering in your chest...are you sick?" Marcus asked.

"I think I just want to lay down for a little while, my head has started to hurt some." I say.

"Drink some water, and I'll carry you back to our room." Marcus said, while grabbing me a drink.

Slowly consuming the water I did feel better after drinking it, but still felt like the world was sitting on my cranium. It was nice to feel Marcus's arms around me when he picked me up. He held me very securely but carefully knowing the fragility with my humanity, but didn't show fear of breaking light was making me feel worse so I closed my eyes and snuggled into his chest, taking in his lavender rain scent, and listened to the steady pace of his footsteps.

Just like the story of my life though, all good things had to end when I heard a growl in the distance and Marcus stopped moving. I just new it was my biggest fan of the Volturi and just stayed still, waiting for the verbal attack that was sure to come.

"Caius, Bella is ill. Please move so that I can take her to bed." Marcus said. The vibrations that came from his chest seemed to work miracles for my pain, and I didn't want him to stop talking.

"What is the matter with you and Aro? Have you forgotten what we are, and after everything we went through to be here? For hundreds of years I watched you become a ghost within a shell and tried to bring you back, but a human girl the size of Jane comes in and you're almost back to normal. What is this weak human to you? Was a pet really all you needed to bring you out of your depression?" Caius snarled. The volume and tone of his voice caused my to flinch, which didn't go unnoticed by Marcus.

"I would tread very carefully here brother." Marcus said calmly, but I could feel the anger rolling from him in waves.

"I should say the same to you. I will not have my sister be easily replaced by the scum of the Earth in your arms, did you forget her already?"

"Caius, I am warning you. Stop. This. Now." Marcus spat.

"Where is the vampire that use to lead this coven? Where is the vampire that people would fear at the sound of his name? Where is my brother, Marcus. All I see is a weak excuse of a man who has been hiding behind a fragile human girl since she walked in. Her days are numbered here, and you know it." He said followed by retreating steps.

"...I am sorry for Caius, are you alright?" Marcus asked.

"Yeah."

Without any interruption we made it to our room...his room and he let me down.

"Will you tell me about your human life?" I asked when I got on the bed.

"What do you want to know?"

"I dunno, just start from the beginning and I'll ask questions."

Marcus chuckled and pulled a chair next to the bed."

"Not sure when it was specifically, but I know that I was born in the mid-late 1400s in a village close to Rome. My family lived in extreme poverty, by family I mean my mother and I who originally named me Marcellus. She was a very kind woman but life didn't seem to treat her well after I was born. My father left for reasons I don't know, which caused her to have to go to prostitution to provide for me, but I didn't know she was the towns whore until a brothel leader named Remus came to collect a bill from her. She didn't have anything to give at that time because I had grown ill, but when I got better I was taken to cover for her payment instead seeing that no one would help her. I was barely a decade old then.

I spent about 6 years at the brothel, and was lucky enough to not be directly exposed to the perversion of it all. To my understanding my mother was free since I was her payment, but I later found out in my early teens that Remus had an unhealthy love for young men... and that he had orchestrated for me to be with him, and he had sent my mother away after he got what he wanted. A very vile man, Remus was."

I saw Marcus's eyes glazed over, and he took a deep breath before continuing. I didn't need any details to understand what he experienced, but I put my hand on his knee in efforts for comfort and received a small smile.

"My mother had died during an outbreak called the black death I found out much later, along with most of the people in the region including Remus. I was then without a home or anyone at the time, so I just wandered for a bit until I ended up at a farm. I looked for the owner and that was how I met Aro and Didyme. Their parent's let me take shelter and even let me work for them and even married Didyme, but the Black Death seemed to spread to us. I remember crying to God why this was my reality, I felt that everyone I met left me all alone in the end. I do believe God heard me but ironically Caius, formerly Gaius Julius Caesar, was who came and answered that call."

"Wait... Julius Caesar, as in the dictator from Rome?"

"That very one."

That explains everything.

"Anyways, Caius explained to that he could save me and my new family, and feeling desperate I said yes but didn't know what I signed our lives to. I was 25 then, Aro was 28, and Didyme was 22. After we were all turned and saw what harm to humans we could be, Aro decided that there needed to be laws for us. We started growing our coven starting with Jane and Alec, Felix, Chelsea, and Corrin. The Romanian coven leaders noticed us and sent for us to come meet them, but planned to kill us. If it weren't for all of the gifts in our group at the time, and Caius militant knowledge we would have perished. A fight started and it ended with most of the Romanian empire dying, and their survivors joining us or running away. We just seemed to grow and grow, and for a while we didn't have a place to call home yet. One thing led to another and we found Volterra after a run in with werewolves, and now here we are."

"When I got here I noticed the 4th throne, was that for Didyme."

"Yes and no. Dee had lost her life soon after the werewolf wars, and Aro decided to put the extra throne in her memory...She was a my human wife, and I knew that she wasn't my mate but she was the first person I had ever loved more than myself. Her death broke me... I don't know if I ever told you about my gift actually. I can see bonds that people have, kinda like how you see energy. So when I saw that my bond to her was completely gone, I fell deeper and deeper within my despair. Caius even tried to cheer me up, but it didn't work to well. We all changed somehow after Dee."

"When I got here, did you look at my bond?"

"Yes, I did and to say that ending the Cullen coven hasn't crossed my mind would be a lie. You had 10 ties all completely severed, and I couldn't believe anyone would do that kind of damage to someone else intentionally. You were so fragile and broken when you walked in, and after seeing all that I just wanted to take you away and nurse you back to health."

"So...what's the bond you and I have?"

"It depends on you really, the bond we have is strong but specifically I will be whatever you need me to be. A friend, a brother, your mate even but I just know that I need you in my life." He smiled.

"I could say the same, about wanting you in my life... Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Do roses have anything specific meaning to you here?"

"That's an odd thing to ask... they are Didyme's favorite flower is the only thing I could tell you about it, why do you ask?"

"I just noticed the roses on the patio the roses were untouched."

"Ah yes, Didyme and I would always tend to the garden, but since her death I haven't been able to. Gianna usually does the garden work in her free time, but she leaves to roses for me I suppose."

I wonder what Didyme looked like. I was about to say something else, but then my stomach started to growl.

"I'll fetch you something to eat. I don't want to have another run in with Caius with you present." He explained.

I nodded in approval, and he stood up to go.

"Marcus...I just wanted to say thank you...for keeping me alive."

"Thank you for giving me a reason to be alive." He said and walked out the room.

Leaning back on the bed I smile tugged my lips as I thought on our conversation. Edward always reminded me of how breakable I was and everything was black and white, but with Marcus he seemed to make abstract things have substance. Nothing was to small or big for him, he just made things...better.

There's that, hope you liked my adaption of how they Volutri brothers met and Marcus's back story.

I think I want M and B to be romantic in the future, but for now it'll be just platonic for a while.

Click that review button if you haven't already, and see you next chapter :)