Matters of the Heart
C11: Recounting Histories
Standard Disclaimer: I don't own any of the recognizable characters.
Heidi's POV
Over the course of the night Bella had crawled on top of me, settling her head between my breasts as she rhythmically squeezed one of them and I just couldn't help myself as I combed my fingers through her hair, which seemed to amuse the others. "She's precious isn't she Heidi?" Esme asked softly.
I smiled and nodded at her. "She is, more so than I ever thought possible. I also didn't think it was possible for anyone to actually fall in love with someone so quickly, but I love her more than life itself."
They all smiled at that as Bella stirred and moved up a little so she could nuzzle her nose in my neck. "She's adorable too. Is she always like this when she sleeps?"
"When sleeping with one of us, yes she is. It'll be even more adorable when she wakes up in about ten minutes. She's not a morning person, but always seems to wake up early. She's adorably grumpy." Alice said with a soft smile as she stroked Bella's fingers.
"We shouldn't tease her Ali, we all know she has plenty of ways that she can tease us back with nowadays." Rosalie said teasingly.
Alice smiled and nodded as Bella stirred a little. "Don't tease her too much though. Today is going to be hard enough on all of us already. We shouldn't add to that with more emotions." Esme said softly.
We all nodded at that as Bella slowly started to wake up cuddling even further into my chest. "Good morning everyone. I hope I didn't manage to embarrass myself even further in the night."
"Of course not love, if anything you were adorably cuddly with me all night. A girl could get used to that." I said with a soft smile.
Bella smiled and kissed me softly. "Shockingly you're not the first woman to have said that to me in the last couple of weeks, but if all of you are saying it, there must at least be some truth in it."
We all smiled at her as Bella carefully got off me and cuddled into my side. "Did you sleep okay Bella?" Victoria asked with a soft smile.
She nodded and smiled at us. "Of course I did. I had all of my mates here with me. I hope it wasn't too boring watching me sleep?"
"Of course not Bella. It's soothing for us to know that you're sleeping comfortably. How's your ankle?" Esme asked with a sweet smile.
Bella smiled at her as she pressed a kiss to Esme's cheek. "Loads better. I think I might be able to walk short distances today. Having you all close really helped in my recovery."
"That's good to hear love, although I suspect you won't have to do much walking today. After breakfast we're coming right back here so we can tell you our stories, it is the only thing we still owe you an explanation on." Rosalie said with a soft smile.
Bella smiled sweetly at the blonde as she shuffled over to the blonde to give her a kiss. "Are you sure you're ready for that?"
Rosalie nodded at her. "I am, you deserve to know what happened to us. We agreed on no secrets in our Coven, and this is part of that. It is also about you knowing who we were before we were turned and show you why we are the way we are."
Bella nodded and smiled at her as she cuddled into the blonde's side. "I think for once we can have you eat here. I'll go and prepare breakfast for you. Is there anything special you want today?"
"Surprise me love. I'm not very hungry, so don't go too overboard." Bella said softly.
Esme merely nodded and pressed a kiss to her cheek before getting dressed and making her way to the kitchens.
"Should we take this time to get dressed too? I doubt it would help if we're all distracted by each other when we talk about our histories." Alice asked softly.
We all nodded and one by one went to get dressed, Alice purposely going last with Bella so she could help Bella if necessary.
Bella only smiled at the Pixie as she limped to the closet, coming out a minute later dressed in a comfortable looking pair of sweatpants and a shirt that had seen better days. "I'm surprised you would allow such a ragged shirt Alice." I said teasingly.
Alice smiled as she crawled back on the bed. "I know that Bella is most comfortable in these clothes, so in light of everything we're going to talk about today I figured she would rather be comfortable than fashionable. Besides, there will be plenty of time to play Bella Barbie when we get back." She said with a wink to Bella.
Bella groaned softly as she buried herself between Victoria and myself. "Ali, we've talked about this. No excessive Bella Barbie."
Alice just smiled and leaned forward to press a kiss to her cheek before cuddling up to Rosalie. "She has a point love, you promised not to go overboard in dressing her up." The blonde said softly.
"I know, but I can't help but be excited for everything we'll be able to do once we get back to America, and it's not just shopping either." Alice said with a smile.
"I hope not, even I know there is more to life than just shopping, although I will admit that I enjoy shopping very much." I said with a smile mostly to Bella and Alice.
Alice's smile brightened at that while Bella looked relieved, probably glad that there was someone else in the Coven who enjoyed shopping as much as Alice did.
Not soon after that Esme came back, carrying a tray with a plate of pancakes, a bowl of fruit and a cup of coffee, and while I had never been a fan of human food, I had to admit it smelled pretty good, and judging by Bella's reaction, our little love enjoyed them too.
Esme's POV
Once Bella had finished her breakfast we got comfortable on the bed, with Bella ending up in Victoria's arms. "So how do we want to do this? There are plenty of stories to tell." Bella asked with a soft smile.
"We'll go oldest to youngest. That'll be easiest I think. Which also means that I'll start. I was born in Rome more than two thousand years ago as Esme Felice. I was the daughter of a Senator and therefor had a more privileged upbringing than most women in my time, and while on its decline, the Roman Empire was still in control of most of the western world and thus we had the freedom to travel.
On one of these trips we were traveling to Florence when we were beset by bandits near Volterra. They murdered my parents when they noticed that they didn't have anything to give and they would have done worse to me were it not for Queen Athenodora. She saved me from being assaulted and brought me to Volterra where she turned me after it was confirmed that I had a gift, and while I was never a part of the Guard, I helped train a fair number of them, but mostly made them feel welcome in Volterra. It's why most of the Guard treats me the way they do, I was somewhat of a mother to most of them."
Bella smiled at that. "I can see that. You just have a matronly air about you. I just wonder why Carlisle never got suspicious when you showed up."
I smiled at her. "That's because he never actually saw me in the Castle. By that time I was charged with bringing the Archives up to date, and since there was nearly three millennia worth of information to sort through and archive, that took a few years. Carlisle always made it seem he was here for centuries, but in reality he only was here for a year or so, and since he was only interested in poisoning people against the Queens, he was exiled the moment the Queens got wind of that, and to set an example, everyone who was confirmed to be in league with him was put on trial, which ended with most of them being executed."
Bella nodded at that. "I can understand that. They can't allow themselves to show weakness."
I nodded and smiled at her. "That is very true, and they've never done so in over two thousand years. In fact the only time I've seen them show real emotions is when they found their daughters in Tanya, Kate and Irina, and then again when they met you."
Bella blushed a little at that. "I honestly don't know what I possess that makes vampires like me so much, whether for good or bad."
We all smiled at her as Victoria pressed a loving kiss to Bella's neck. "You just have an allure that is hard to ignore, my love." The redhead said with a loving smile.
Bella's blush only darkened at that as she cuddled closer to Victoria. "Okay, we'll stop teasing you, baby. But it is true that you have a certain pull to vampires. It probably has something to do with your gift." I said with a soft smile.
She smiled at me as she relaxed against Victoria once again. "I think that makes it my turn to tell my story, since I know Vicki is a few years younger than I am. I was born in Berlin, Germany almost six hundred years ago, and my life growing up was very harsh. I honestly don't remember much of it, but the things I do remember are living on the streets and stealing to stay alive. Because of this I was treated like I was nothing more than trash and frequently had to sleep in the sewers.
When I was twenty two Hilda found me and turned me mostly out of pity, although I know she also had a fear of being alone, and she turned girls that had the same issue, so we would become dependent on her. Victoria's sister joined us not soon after and a couple of years after Victoria herself joined us after being turned by her sister.
We all lived together for a few years until Hilda became a bit brash, and it didn't take long before the Volturi came for her, and they gave us a choice, live and keep a low profile, join them in Volterra or die. Hilda's fate was sealed and our newest member Noela couldn't live without her, so she chose death with her. Anne and Victoria chose to keep a low profile and live, and I of course joined them. Once in Volterra I quickly found myself drawn to Esme, and we became great friends because of it."
Bella smiled and gave her thigh a squeeze. "I'm sorry you had such a hard life, baby."
Heidi smiled and pressed a kiss to Bella's cheek. "Thank you love. That means a lot to me. I did not tell you this because I wanted to make you feel bad, but I want you to know my history."
We all smiled at her and I couldn't resist pulling her into my arms. "I'm proud of you for telling us love. I know it wasn't easy to tell everything again."
Heidi just smiled and pressed a kiss to my cheek as she relaxed in my arms. "I knew I had to in light of full transparency."
Bella smiled at her. "No matter what, we'll always love you Heidi, I do have one question though. You're a part of the Guard, right? Does this mean you also have a gift?"
Heidi laughed lightly at that. "Indeed I do love, my looks are my gift. I can draw people in with my beauty, which made me such an effective fisher, and I've been more than once been classified as the Succubus of the Volturi."
Bella smiled mischievously at that. "I can see that. You certainly managed to seduce me yesterday." She said with a wink.
Heidi merely grinned and gave Bella's hand a squeeze. "You were relatively easy because we're mated love. I can feel exactly what you are in the mood for."
Bella smiled at her as she looked to Victoria, the redhead smiling softly as Bella took a seat in Rosalie's lap so she could look at the redhead properly.
Victoria's POV
"I know I've told most of my story already, but in light of full transparency, I'll tell it again. I was born in the mid fifteenth century in England, the second-born bastard daughter to the master of the house. My mother was a scullery maid, and we were forced to work with her from the moment we could walk. I won't bore you with all those details because that is not what made me who I am.
When I was thirteen my sister and I ran away from that house, and in order to not have to live on the streets, she arranged for us to stay in a brothel, in exchange for my room and board she would work for them. That worked for about two years, when she disappeared and the matron thought that a good moment to let me start whoring myself, and since I didn't want to live on the streets, I agreed to it.
That lasted a little over two years, until one night just after my eighteenth birthday my sister came back to get me. She had been turned already and to save me from the life she knew I was heading towards, she extended that offer to me, turning me that night.
After that we traveled with Hilda and Heidi for a while, but as Heidi said, she became bold enough to warrant the attention from the Volturi, We got the same choice Heidi got, but Anne and I didn't want to be tied down anymore, which would develop in a pattern in my years after, we chose to keep a low profile and travel a bit, which worked will for a few decades. She was killed because the building we were hiding out in was set on fire by some locals, and while I got out, Anne didn't and now I found myself alone, and for the next two hundred years I was alone. The rest I already told you, because it was then I met James." I said softly.
Both Alice and Rosalie gave me soft smiles as they gave my thighs a squeeze. "I never knew how similar our stories are. I'm sorry I was such a bitch in the beginning Vicki." Rosalie said softly.
I smiled at her and gave her hand a loving squeeze. "It's okay Rose. I know what image I portrayed when we first met. It was not that different from how Bella was with Edward and I now know you hate it when people portray themselves different from what they are."
Rose gave me a soft smile as Bella gave her hand a squeeze. "Since that is the same reason you pretended to hate me, I understand Vicki's point. Thankfully we have no need to pretend to be someone we're not anymore."
"You're too wise for your seventeen years sometimes." Rosalie said affectionately.
Bella smiled at that. "I've been told that before, but unfortunately that wasn't by choice. Renee kind of forced me to grow up quickly."
I smiled at her and gave one of her hands a loving squeeze. "We know love, and perhaps you should tell us about that, it might help you get closure."
She nodded and smiled at me as she looked to Alice. "I suppose I'm next then. I was born in 1901 as Mary Alice Brandon in Biloxi, Mississippi and I've had these visions for as long as I can remember. It was because of my visions that my parents institutionalized me when I was nineteen, and I later found out that they used my date of admission as my date of passing.
It wasn't that far off from my actual date of passing though. I was one of those patients that they put in a straight jacket, put into a padded cell and then threw away the key. It was how James found me and got his interest in me. He never managed to get into my cell but I saw his face at the window every night for over three months until one night he didn't.
It was Esme who chased him off and came to get me out of that cell, after which she turned me. Once I woke up in this life I had lost all my memories of my human life, so I was able to build myself up from the ground up. She told me what I had become and taught me everything I needed to know and how to control my visions. She also told me why she had saved me from that fate and after hearing everything she had to say, I joined her without a second thought, and after getting the vision of what we were to be, my decision to become who I am was pretty much set in stone."
"Is this the same James that was so adamant on ending my life?" Bella asked softly.
Alice nodded at her. "Yes love, It was that James. It was one of the reasons I wanted to make sure he was really dead."
Bella smiled and pressed a kiss to the Pixie's cheek. "Then I don't think I've ever properly thanked you for that, so thank you love."
"Don't mention it Bella. It was not entirely unselfish after all. I knew he had to die if we were ever going to be happy." Alice said with a loving smile.
"There was no question about that. I just wish I didn't put you all through that and ended him myself. That would have saved everyone, and especially Bella a lot of pain." I said softly.
Bella smiled at me. "It was never your fault love. There was nothing more you could have done."
I sighed softly before I nodded at her. We had talked at length about this particular fact and the more we talked about it, the more I started to believe that what had happened to Bella wasn't my fault.
Bella just smiled and gave my hand a squeeze before we all looked to Rosalie, and of course since Bella wanted to look properly at her, she cuddled up to Alice, the Pixie seeming mightily pleased with her current position.
Rosalie's POV
I took a deep unnecessary breath before I started. I was born in 1915 in Rochester, New York and I really thought I had it all in my youth. I had my beauty of course and I had the attention of the most eligible bachelor of the town, and if I had known what type of man he was, I would have run for the hills right then and there.
His name was Royce King the Third, and he was from the richest family in town, and it was only due to our fathers that we even met. My father was an employee of the bank his father owned, and soon enough we found ourselves betrothed. At first he was sweet and caring, like I imagined the perfect man to be, but everything changed the night before our wedding.
I was walking home at night when I noticed him drinking with his friends outside of the church we were set to be married in. I had never witnessed him being drunk and when he called me over, I reluctantly did so, even though my gut told me to stay well away.
They started getting handsy with me and being alone there, they took turns raping me, and I was near death when Esme found and turned me. She let me have my revenge, and I killed them one at a time, keeping Royce for last, and to add to it, I wore my wedding dress, I did have a flair for the dramatics back then.
After getting my revenge, I asked Esme why she had saved me, and after hearing parts of her story I understood why she did it, and I promised to stand by her from that moment. I'll admit it being around Alice took some getting used to, but eventually we became closer than most sisters."
Alice smiled sweetly at me. "It certainly was touch and go for a few years, although it got better when we found Emmett and eventually Jasper. We really became a family and managed to convince Edward and Carlisle to let us join them."
"That alone shows how stupid they were, who in their right mind would outright believe a Coven of five wanting to voluntarily join the two of them." Bella said with a soft smile.
Esme laughed lightly at that. "Carlisle's arrogance got the best of him of course. Like Edward he thought that he was a gift to this world and was both arrogant and entitled because of it. I'm not saying all men are stupid, but they clearly were."
Bella smiled at that. "That they were, but fortunately we will never have to deal with their stupidity again and we can start looking forward to our own future."
"And we will baby. Once we're back in Forks we only have one more problem to deal with. Those puppies will never know what hit them." I said with a smile.
Everyone nodded at that. "Especially when we get help from the Denali sisters. They've dealt with shifters before and they will be able to give us some pointers." Esme said with a sweet smile.
I smiled at that. "Yes, I have a feeling it will be quite the shocking experience for them when they try to touch Kate."
Bella quirked an eyebrow at that. "I don't know if that's a pun or something serious."
"It's quite serious love. Kate has a gift where she can create lethal shocks of electricity just by touching them. She can regulate it so well that she often uses that for pranking others. She's called the Prankster Princess for a reason, although I suspect there will be little pranking involved when it is time to deal with the wolves." I said with a smirk.
Bella grinned at that. "Okay, I can see how that will help, but I have to say it was a bit of a lame pun, Rosie."
I smiled at her. "I know, but I couldn't resist, and it got you to smile, so that is a big win in my book. You have such a beautiful smile after all."
She blushed prettily at that as she hid her face in Alice's shoulder. "You're awfully cuddly today Bella. Not that we're complaining of course." Alice said with a loving smile.
"You all are way too good at embarrassing me, I mean like Emmett levels of good at making me blush. I'm pretty sure that my blood vessels have never gotten a better workout then since I have gotten together with all of you." Bella said softly.
I smiled and sidled up next to Alice so I could wrap an arm around her waist. "You know we mean no harm love. We just like giving you compliments."
"I know, but I'm still getting used to receiving praise from anyone, let alone from five women who are all drop dead gorgeous." She said with a soft smile.
Esme smiled at her as she too crawled forwards, and soon all of us were seated around her and Alice. "Oh sweetie, you're the most beautiful one out of all of us. You still possess the innocence we all lost long ago, and we'll do everything in our power to protect that." She said as she pressed a kiss to Bella's neck.
Bella moaned at that as we all sought to touch her in some way. "I'm so happy that I'm mated to all of you. I still sometimes believe I don't deserve any of you."
We all smiled at her and kissed her softly in turn. "Are you okay love? It's been a while since you've been so insecure about yourself." Alice asked softly.
Bella nodded at her. "I'm okay, I think it's just close to the time my monthly friend is supposed to come and visit, so that might have something to do with the fact that I'm so overly emotional right now." She said softly.
We smiled at that. "We figured as much. Is there anything we can do for you?" I asked with a soft smile.
"Could you get me some chocolate Rosie? I've been craving chocolate for a while now." She said with a slight blush.
I smiled and nodded at her. "Of course love, I'll be right back. Would you mind accompanying me Heidi? I could use a guide through Volterra."
She nodded and gave Bella a kiss before we got off the bed and made our way out of the room so we could go and get some chocolate for our lover.
