Drew pushed open the door to Davina's flat as best she could. Four bags clinked back and forth as she waddled into the flat.

Davina popped around the corner of her bedroom. "Need help?"

"A wee bit." Drew huffed.

She'd traversed the last street and a bit with fourteen bottles of wine. Her arms burned from the four bags filled with paper bags protecting the bottles. The elderly woman behind the till nearly refused to allow her out with the bottles in one trip.

Drew insisted to her best abilities two trips was for the weak.

Davina hurried grabbing two of the bags. "Jesus, why did you do this in one trip? Did you seriously walk the two floors with these."

Drew placed her two bags on the counter. She exhaled loudly stretching herself. "Yep. I wasn't going back to get the rest."

"Why didn't you text me first to come help you?"

"Stubborn, also I forgot my phone in my flat." Drew smiled. "Does this make up for earlier?"

"Yeah, I'd say. Damn you splurged." Davina began to unload the bags. "How much do I owe you?"

"Nothing. It's my treat. I didn't want too severe of a hangover on pop wine. No offense, Dav you're taste in wine isn't great."

"I prefer the cheap stuff, bite me. Okay, seriously Sunday's brunch then is my treat this weekend." Davina began sliding the wine into the fridge. It was only just after six in the evening.

"Fair, now need help setting up here? I see you're half way ready." Drew eyed her over.

Davina shrugged. She was in trackpants and a camisole top. Her curls were stuffed in two buns. "It's a casual evening. Nothing fancy is needed."

"Want me to braid your hair?"

"Yes." Davina nodded.

Drew followed her to her bedroom. She plopped down at her vanity handing the comb, detangling brush, gel, and ties to her.

Drew grabbed the spray bottle and took out the buns.

"How was the site today?" Drew asked parting the first section, wetting the curls.

"Same old same old, we've got a few hidden objects being moved out in the front places. They cleared the site as you know earlier this week. Nothing serious was found. A spider crawled over Az's hand." Davina chuckled.

"Poor man," Drew laughed. "Down side of our work are a bunch of small critters."

"Any closer to finishing the organizing of those artefacts?"

"I'd say a quarter down at this point. A lot of damaged items. Preservation isn't always easy as we know. I can't wait until Kingston's back, the tedious nature of this all. I like the field work or the researching."

"You could always rope in Aro to it, if you get too bored." Davina teased.

Drew snorted. "Yeah no, I have to be able to work."

"No quick shags in the office?"

"That is a horrific idea. The dangers to the many rare treasures? The mere idea is sacrilegious." She shuddered.

"It doesn't need to be done in a lab, Doc. Just because you live in there currently. Most do it in an office. A little more security. You're gorgeous, but I don't need to see you bumping uglies."

Drew rolled her eyes, cheeks burning. "Just because I'm going on a few dates with Aro Turi doesn't mean I'm going to risk getting caught like that. I could never show my face again, that's not even considering my reputation. You do know how small of a world we work in, yes?"

The question didn't deter Davina's smirk. "Yet you're open to voyeurism?"

"You're never going to let me live that down." She shot Davina a look in the mirror.

"Never."

"I'm almost regretting making Aro give you lot a long weekend next week, while we're away…" Drew grumbled.

"You're not taking the piss with me." Davina's eyes went wide.

"Nope. Aro wants to take a trip away on a weekend, and there are no holidays currently that would allow us to get away. So, we'll be going on a trip." Drew revealed. "I didn't think it'd be fair for us to be the only ones off."

"You're sweet, to think of us." Davina smiled patting Drew's hand on her shoulder. "But spill where is he taking you, and is it a romantic holiday?"

Drew should have expected Davina not to be able to hold a secret like this too long. Three bottles down, head swimming, her friends and coworkers had her cornered in the living room. Under the veil of a game of truth and dare. Az and Davina on each side of her. One or the other was kindly making her small glass seem bottomless.

"Dare," Siobhan replied to Casey.

"I dare you to reveal your most scandalous sexcapade."

"Hotel orgy that ended when police broke down the door. They were there to arrest someone who'd been wanted. I'd never seen someone go from pale white to tomato red so quickly. They had the room numbers backwards."

Drew paused. "When was that?"

"When I was in the states for Comicon. Three years ago, I believe?" Siobhan smiled.

"I have so many questions." Az whispered taking a sip of his wine. "Alright Siobhan, it's your turn."

"Kels, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"When did you first drink alcohol?"

Kels tapped her chin, "Maybe fourteen? It's a boring story. It was new years with a few friends. We were in a friend's basement having a movie marathon, her older brought beer and shared it with us. It was gross."

Drew downed the last of her drink. Az took it filling it back up with some red wine.

Kels set her blue-eyed gaze on Azrael. "Truth or Dare, boss?"

"Truth."

"Which Turi brother would you go to bed with?"

Az laughed. "Though all three men, are terrifying and beautiful at the same time, it'd have to be Caius. He's older than I am, from the looks of it. I prefer my men older."

"The man's a raging douche." Drew scoffed.

All eyes fell on her.

"Are you two still at odds?" Siobhan questioned. "Have you two even ran into each other since the bar a few weeks ago?"

"What's this between her lover's family?" Casey perked up.

"Caius cockblocked Danvers back in September. She called him a dusty old man in a sense to his face. They've not gotten along since then." Az explained before she could reply.

A few laughs circled.

"I'd rather eat my own unwashed socks than be near him." She huffed. "I ran into him earlier today. What are Italy's laws on flame throwers?"

"Illegal. No setting the man ablaze." Davina warned patting her knee.

"Still bitter." Az shook his head. "Truth or Dare, Doc?"

"Truth," she grumbled, cheeks burning.

"Okay Danvers spill, how big is the man." Az pressed.

Her eyes went wide, her heart hammering in her ears. "How the hell would I know? I have not thankfully seen the man in such a state."

"I meant Aro."

"Oh." Drew cleared her throat ignoring the few laughs. "I really don't want to share such details about my partner."

"Partner now, is it?" Davina sang. "That was fast how quickly it went from a few dates to partner."

"Shut up," Drew rolled her eyes. "The shots."

She took the two shot glasses from Siobhan, who offered a toothy grin and a wink. "Bottoms up, Doc."

"At least we've got confirmation, they're dating." Casey commented.

"They're even going on a romantic get away next weekend." Davina added. "It's why we're getting a long weekend next week."

"Are we?" Az perked up. "Three or four days?"

"Four." Siobhan confirmed. "Aro stopped by the office to make sure payroll was aware to make sure HR and Payroll was aware it applied to all in the office."

"Damn, Danvers. I hope you two have a wonderful time. That it is just filled with bonding activities." Az laughed.

Drew downed her two shots. Lords above she was going to drown.

Drew's alarm went off at eight o'clock sharp. The sun was spilling from between the curtains in her bedroom, of the late autumn morning. She groaned rolling over.

Why was she set to get up so early? On a Saturday?

She sat up running her hands over her face. Flashes of Marcus came to mind. They had agreed that if she wanted to get the answers to her hundreds upon hundreds of questions answered she'd meet up with him.

She took the Advil on her night stand and downed them with the full bottle of water there. They agreed on ten in the morning. She reached up and took off her bonnet. She pushed herself up.

She caught sight of herself in the mirror. The braids. She sighed. She'd planned on washing her hair before going out. Why did she agree to staying out so late?

"Mercy be on my soul." She groaned making her way to the bathroom.

Drew took her time letting the hot water engulf her. She stepped out after thoroughly washing herself and her hair. She took her time deep conditioning it. She checked her phone on the charger in the wall. She sighed.

She'd taken nearly forty minutes in the shower. She settled for a wash n go it'd been a while. She'd been leaning on braids recently. She also hadn't cut her curls in sometime. She noticed pulling on one curl earlier it was going on four inches without shrinkage. She moisturized her body and face.

She kept her outfit casual in a knitted navy sweater, and a deep orange corduroy overalls skirt. Her tights a deeper brown lined. She kept makeup to eyebrows and lashes today, lip balm as the dry autumn air settled into Volterra.

By nine thirty after eating, Drew was making her way across the city towards the city hall. She had her small purse with her phone, wallet and keys in it. She took a deep breath making her way towards the building Marcus had agreed to meet her at. She entered the front doors she'd usually push open to meet with Aro.

They didn't live in this building? She stopped momentarily. She hadn't asked Aro, where exactly the Volturi were located. He'd mentioned the old fort, but not the full details of it.

She saw the front desk was empty. Marcus was stood right to the right of the desk though, hands in his pockets. His deep burgundy gaze landed on her.

"Good morning, Marcus, you're early." She greeted stopping within a foot of him.

She looked him over. He was dressed within what must have been a wardrobe staple for the man, a suit. The jacket was missing however, she noted. He only sported a dark charcoal vest over a white button down. His red tie matched his eyes. She came eye level with his lapels she realized. The man was taller than she'd realized. Most of the time they were usually sitting.

"Good morning, Doctor. Indeed, it seems you are as well. Did you sleep well?" He questioned.

"As best I could." Drew shrugged. "Some friend's decided to have a good night."

"Ah I see." He smiled. "Shall we make our way further into the castle, so we may discuss sensitive matters?"

"Of course,"

Marcus offered his arm to her. They made there way down a hall she'd not ventured down yet. The over arching halls, she noted the stones went from the lighter sleeker style, into a rougher grey slate. The tapestries around them were beautiful along with the other décor. She spotted a few pots and portraits. She didn't get much time to linger, however.

A few set of stairs led them downwards at one point, when they turned to the left, eight more stairs upwards. He opened four doors in their time. The once open hallway with a few doors to what must have been offices turned into a narrow passage, a door only here and there. She didn't question the metal gate that Marcus directed her through.

"To the right here," He gestured to her side, a dark wooden door was cracked open.

She took in the room around her. A meeting room? There were a few book shelves full of books. Some large thick volumes, to single small booklets. The walls were stone, but the floors a hard wood. There were a few large leather chairs sat around a table already set up with tea and a tray of snacks. There was a bottle of dark red liquid and a chalice. She didn't ponder it too much.

"Will this suffice?"

"More than. It's quite lovely. Your home is quite vast." She complimented, sitting in the chair he pulled out for her.

"Yes, Aro does enjoy the castle, hidden partially under ground and disguised as a few buildings from the outside. It allows us to blend into the surrounding city." He added sitting beside her.

"How old is the castle?"

"We've occupied Volterra since nine hundred AD."

She tried to compose herself. "I –I forget you are all immortal."

"Do not fret, Drew. It is a shock to many who meet us. Our coven is one of the oldest within the world."

"How many covens are there?" Drew asked taking a blueberry scone.

"Globally?" She nodded. "These things are always changing. We consider a coven a group more than three within our world. The more permanent covens over five members, there are roughly three hundred? My math may be off, however. The vampire population is continuously changing. It can sometimes dip or spike. We keep a good reign upon the world, but direct numbers can be hard to track when a lot of our population is nomadic."

"Is it common to have large covens?"

"No, covens like ours are even rarer. Our numbers are within the forties. The main family there are five of us, pending to be six. The rest are our guard."

"Fascinating," she sipped at her tea. "The two I am to meet. Sulpicia and Athenadora what are they like? Is it safe I meet them? Do they know about me? Do they even want to meet me?"

Marcus took hold of her hand. Drew turned to look up at him, brows furrowed.

"You will not be alone when facing them, I assure you. I have spoken with our sisters to make sure they are willing to meet you."

"Glad to hear they won't be thrown off by me." She murmured. "They aren't going to try and drink my blood, are they?"

Marcus laughed offering a toothy smile. "You have stood toe to toe with Caius, our most volatile member, yet you fear our sisters. I apologize, I am not laughing at you. It is merely the perspective. Caius is much more terrifying than our sisters can ever be. You willingly sit here with a vampire yet worry of them."

"Aro said mates couldn't hurt each other." She bit her bottom lip.

"I assure you no harm will come to you." He vowed. "Our sisters are quite unique with their operations. While we do tend to rule together, we do have our own individual lives and pursuits in this life. They are within the upper level of the castle. We are not allowed within their wings without permission. I merely wished to prepare you to them."

"Are they very social people?"

"Yes, they are usually the hosts to many galas and parties within our society." Marcus replied.

She eyed him over, studying his face. He wasn't meeting her gaze.

"You're concerned though. What causes you to be hesitant?"

"Our sisters have gained a reputation for themselves. You are aware of the Succubus?"

"A female demon who has sex with sleeping men through their dreams?"

"They garnered the legend a few thousand years ago. While they do not indulge in carnal desires with men, they have been quite liberal in their mating. It has never subsided. Their wing is often, a den of pleasure." He cleared his throat. "Athena and Sully are mated to each other. It seems they also have found their bond growing to include others together. Their own guard is personally bonded with them. These instances can have a few of our newer members being seduced… They are not usually dressed for company unless forewarned."

Drew's eyes widened momentarily, as she listened.

"They're nudists and have a poly relation." She nodded. "Okay, I can see the concern… Wait you and Aro don't think I would join them, do you?"

"We trust you to control your own actions." Marcus shook his head. "I realize we are not very well acquainted. This was just to prepare you to be aware they may not be fully dressed if we go to them for answers. They would have the answers within their archives which is kept in their wing. I wanted to know if you'd like to meet with them there, or a more formal meeting in a neutral part of the castle."

"A formal meeting, could delay access to the archives, yes?"

"Yes, it would need them to bring the resources to us."

"I don't mind meeting them, it may be a little easier on everyone if less formal." Drew replied. "Would it be today?"

"They are free this afternoon. Until then, did you wish to explore our library?"

Drew grinned. "That is a silly question. Of course, I want to see the library."

A/N: Day 3 of my November writings :D