A/N: Hello lovelies! I'm back and to quote Taylor Swift "Long story it was a bad time" but the explanation is long-winded so for now

Enjoy!

When You Love Someone

Chapter 35: Silence

Alec

"How far out are we?" I called out on my com as the trees and brush were starting to irritate me.

"Still thirty miles out boss. Asking every mile isn't going to get us there any quicker." Demetri grumped as I pursed my lips and sighed.

One solid week of running and still were no closer to the scent than we thought. Our failed attack on the previous headquarters resulted in one lead and one witness. I turned back to Edward, who still carried Bree on his back; she was going to be held under my influence until we were back in Italy, but the strain was heavier than I thought. Of course, my sour mood didn't help either.

"Don't worry Alec, we'll find them," Jane reassured from beside me as I turned and saw Edward's nod before he scrunched his eyebrows and raised his hand.

"Hold! Wait stop!" Edward said as we immediately stopped in our tracks and he looked around casually. "I hear something." He said tapping his temple as I backed up against Jane and strained my ears.

"Coming from the west, faint…. very faint. Like underwater. Another shield maybe." Edward questioned as he shifted a still unconscious Bree and Jane looked briefly towards them, her eyes lingering a little too long on Bree.

"They're gone," Edward said as he looked at me and I pursed my lips.

"Do you know where they went?" I asked quickly as I turned my com on. "Ecco, echo we have movement in the…" I glanced as Edward pointed towards the Northeast of the woods. "Northeast side, over" I signed off before I heard the static of Jasper.

"Heard, over. Checking out now." Jasper called as we continued forward, Jane falling back walking slightly in front of Edward…or more likely in front of Bree. Once this was all over I made a note to have a conversation with my sister. Judging from her very brief glances she didn't know I caught it, and it seemed my heart wasn't the only one that was lost. I smiled to myself and looked on the ground before I ran in line with Demetri a step-in line as he was focused on the scent in front of us.

Once again, I was impressed with his dedication and skill. I couldn't catch the faintest scent but somehow Demetri had zeroed in and was completely enthralled. Becoming antsy I checked in again with Jasper, the length of time since they went to check was prickling at me.

"Jasper, come in is everything okay?" I asked as silence rang in my ear and I scrunched my eyebrows together. "Jasper, can you hear me, over," I asked again as static came in and I turned to face Jane who was tense, looking over her shoulder to catch any movement.

"I don't like this. They should have responded by now." Jane muttered as I nodded.

"The voices are back, still faint. I can barely catch them, they changed course." Edward said quietly as he shifted Bree. "I can hear Jasper though; the coms are off. There's a building a mile from here, that's where they are." Edward said as I shifted my weight and picked up the pace.

Before long my ever-long patience was rewarded as the burnt remains of a building were in the horizon and I sucked in a breath at the state of the grounds. As before everything was burnt but they weren't as careful as they were before. The structure was mainly intact, the doors blown open however the grounds were well kept. Whoever was here obviously left in a hurry, the question left was why and where was Bella?

"The trail ends here. It's fresh, only hours old." Demetri said as I slowly walked and Edward calmly looked around and nodded towards the approaching footsteps and soon Jasper and Jacob approached, Jacob still transformed as he shook his head. Jasper, on his part, had his eyes peeled and I was on guard.

"We dismantled a vampire; he was traveling alone or so he claims. He was a nomad but I found this in his pockets." Jasper said with a hardened voice tossing a half-broken chain and I recognized the Romanian insignia.

"Do you think he knew where Bella was?" I asked carefully, my anger mounting.

"No, he didn't know anything. His emotions betrayed him, but he was a scout for them." Jasper sighed and looked around the once fortress and turned his eyes carefully onto Alec "We found him near the prisons, at least that's what I think they were. Bella's scent was heavy there as well as another. I couldn't recognize it but she's still alive. No doubt what we came to find we'll find here." Jasper said as he turned to Edward.

"Put the girl down here, we're going to need to search the building. Any clothing, hair, anything at all that can give away a clue as to where they went. Alec, Jacob, and Demetri, you take the east and we'll take the west." Jasper said as I nodded my head.

"We'll start on the outskirts and make our way back to the middle, we can't afford to miss anything," I said as the wind shifted and I turned to take my leave when a starling scent hit my nose and I stiffened instinctually.

"Jane, move!" Edward hollered before a masked vampire jumped from a pillar and threw a glass bottle at my sister before she dodged and hissed.

"Move!" I yelled as more vampires approached and I caught the collar of my attacker and ripped away from the mask, the snarling woman ripping away my cloak and I growled before I maneuvered us to the ground, tearing off her head and threw it in the opposite direction.

"Ambush!" Jasper snarled as I balled my fists.

Obviously, I thought as I groaned when the stinging pain shot up my arm and I twisted myself up and out, the pain intensified as I yelped and the man who bit my arm smiled before I cast my gift but only a few were affected and I was caught off guard.

"A shield user" I grumbled as I targeted those who were struggling under my influence and made quick work, all the while Jane came to the same conclusion I did as she started to target those on the outskirts as I turned my back and saw Jacob push down a vampire and tore off its head, our eyes meeting as he gave me a nod and went back to the fight.

"Alec!" Jane screamed as I turned swiftly and saw her collapse as a bottle exploded on her head and she slumped to the ground.

"Jane!" I yelled as I ran towards my sister and checked her. How is that possible?

"Alec!" Edward yelled as I was pushed to the ground, Edward's body covering my own as I saw a bottle fly past where my head was. "Knock out potions. Don't get hit" Edward rushed out as I saw him tackle another vampire, knowing their moves ahead of time as he had the advantage.

Knock out elixars? So, they did have them. "Figures" I mumbled as Jasper had his eyes on a blonde-haired man who was standing on the outfield and I deduced that he must have been the shield user. Picking up my groaning sister I placed her next to a still unconscious Bree who started to squirm, and I refocused my gift on them both; the taxing of the amount of energy wearing on me.

"Alec" Edward yelled as he leaped beside me and whispered quickly "Focus on the blonde-haired man, I'll cover you and block for Jane and Bree. Jasper will aim for him." Edward said just as another vampire started to charge and he blocked me just as he said.

"Protect them" I growled out as I ran straight and took out two more, removing my influence from my sister and Bree and targeting straight on to the blonde-haired vampire who quickly went rigid with a gasp. All at once, the remaining five vampires were taken out as one scent hit my nose that was hidden behind the shield user.

"Vladimir" I growled out as I ran, following my nose as the snake darted from his hiding place, coat flying in the wind as I gave chase. "Vladimir" I shouted angrily as he threw a glance over his shoulder and I targeted my offense onto him sending him crashing to the ground. I jumped on him, my hands on his throat as I held him to the ground and gave back his sight as I bared my teeth. "Where is she?!" I yelled as he glared and snarled and I squeezed tighter, enjoying the pained look on his face.

"Farther than you can reach her" He smirked as I heard the others behind me and Jasper placed a firm hand on my shoulder.

"Alec, contain yourself!" Jasper said hard as I held him pinned and Jacob came bounding from behind tearing his arms off in one swoop as Vladimir howled in pain. The ripping of the bones and flesh tore at me and I smiled knowing it came from Vladimir.

Armless and helpless, I released him but still kept my gift on him as I tore his leg clean off and threw it to a hastily made fire. His torso and head were the only ones that remained and I smiled as Vladimir only snarled and glared throughout.

"Under orders of the United Volturi Council, I, Alec arrest you under crimes of mate stealing, murder, attempted murder, mate killing, and kidnapping. And those are the only ones off the top of my head." I smirked as he hissed, and Jasper raised him, bringing the venom chains and tying them around his body. Not like he could go anywhere but they were fools leaving them behind at their old base. Now the chains were ours to do as we pleased.

Hissing and snapping his jaw, Vladimir resembled more like a wild animal than the dignified front he and his brother tried to put out. However, Jacob, who had transformed back into his human self-stepped in front of him, eyes black and stormy and drew back his fist, the satisfying crunch of broken bones sending Vladimir groaning.

"That," He said clipped "Is for my sister" He growled as Vladimir's head snapped back into place as another punch was blown, this time by Edward who's eyes were black and cold. I raised my eyebrows at him, no doubt my question in my mind.

"I know my past actions don't prove it and that many will not believe me but I do care about Bella. What they did to her…..he deserves worse." Edward said lowly as I glared and grabbed his collar, my patience gone.

"if you value your life you will tell me where she is" I growled as Vladimir smirked and said in Romanian "You will never reach her Volturi scum! She will be dead and gone….once my brother has his fun. Every night I hear her screams as her pussy gets fucked, her claiming long gone and the bitch is used for when we need our cocks wet" Vladimir smirked as I saw red and I lunged. Only when Jasper, Demetri, and Edward were able to hold me back as Jacob started to punch him mercilessly.

"You didn't!" I screamed as I tried to ignore the gruesome images of Bella…..of that monster and what they did to her. "I'll kill you," I whispered deadly as Edward grimaced and looked away, his eyes meeting mine, the air I didn't need leaving my lungs in a gust of breath and I felt my legs weaken. "I'll kill you with my bare hands if you touched her!" I screamed as Jasper tried to calm me but I was livid.

Edward balled his fists before he darted away, soon coming back with a fist full of herbs as he lit them on fire and blew it out, the smoke of sage heavy in the air as he started to waft it near Jane. "We need her awake," Edward said stiffly as I turned to him as Jane stirred. "I'm going to bring him back to the Volturi. Vladimir, Bree, and Jane if she can. Together we'll make the trip back, if you all go forward Vladimir is too much of a liability." Edward said as for once I agreed with his plan.

Kneeling next to Jane I observed the plant and the effects it had as Jane stirred more and she awoke with a gasp as she searched for a still unconscious Bree and made sure of her safety before turning to me.

"What happened? Where did they go?" She said urgently as I helped her to her feet.

"They're gone, we took care of most of them….and we secured a battle won," I said gravely as Jane's stare focused on Vladimir as she growled lowly in her chest.

"I can see that." She whispered as Vladimir started to convulse violently, his mouth opened in a grotesque fashion as he withered and twitched on the ground. "I'll have fun with him. I heard that Edward and I will make a trip back?" She said as she rolled her neck, shaking her head as I wanted to question her about her condition.

"I'm fine Alec, save your focus for the mission. I'm still alive, aren't I?" She asked as I pursed my lips and hugged her briefly, giving her a swift kiss on the forehead.

"This may be a battle won but the war has just begun. One of our own is still missing and we aren't going to make quick enough progress with this one here." Jasper said as he kicked Vladimir who hissed. "Alec's right. Edward, Jane – you both take back the prisoners. Bree needs to be integrated and Vladimir….well Vladimir needs extra attention." Jasper commanded as I smirked at the awaiting fate for our friend.

"I can still smell Bella's scent, it's faint but it's here. It leads north that way." Demetri hedged as I looked up towards the mountains.

"Then that's where we need to go," I said as I looked back towards Jane and Edward.

"The coms will stay in for as long as possible, the signal will hold but once you reach the sea, we'll call if anything changes," Jasper muttered as he rolled out his neck and sighed.

"Same here. I'll…uh….say hi to your wife for you." Jane murmured as Jasper gave her an appreciated smile.

"Stay safe…. all of you." I hedged as I glanced at Edward who looked up briefly and smiled shyly. I hugged Jane in a tight embrace, her mask of indifference falling away as she grasped my jacket.

"Be safe. Bring her home" She whispered as I nodded and kissed the top of her head. "And give them hell." She glared as we smiled at each other before I gave Jane one last hug. I turned towards Edward as I released a breath and held out my hand towards him.

Edward to his credit, barely paused as he grasped it and I smiled (barely). "Take care of my sister; don't let them out of their sight. Also…thank you…for taking care of my six." I said as I shook his hand, the first friendly interaction I ever incited towards the Cullen boy. Possibly it won't be the last. Possibly.

"I will." He muttered as I stepped back and looked at the retreating group, Vladimir stuffed unceremoniously in a sack.

"Well….lets keep going," I muttered as I turned and followed the trail to Bella.

I wasn't sure how long we had run for; days or weeks but it mattered not. Eventually, the trail went go and we were once again at a crossroads.

"We've been running in circles!" Jasper growled as we saw the same tree from four days ago, and I sighed. Bella's scent was heavy in the air, but it seemed aimless; the trail leading us nowhere.

"We can always backtrack. Ugh, I don't understand! What started as too little of scent turned into too much! Something isn't right here" Demetri muttered as we paced around, and I sniffed the air but couldn't catch a scent that was different than hers.

"Jacob anything?" I asked as Jacob once again transformed and shook his head.

"No, it's the same as the tracker. It's like a bubble maybe or a skip trace that Bella mentioned." Jacob murmured as my ears perked up.

"Skip trace?" I asked

"Yeah, shield users, if they're powerful enough anyways, can make a bubble, long after they're gone to capture scents. It's an evasive tactic that was used in the first war." Jacob explained as I looked on baffled. "What? In that very long year, it left time to read. I tore through Didyme's book and learned a lot about your history and laws. Skip tracing was one of many tactics used." He explained as Jasper slowly nodded his head.

"That would make sense but if Bella was the one responsible where would she have learned something like this? I certainly never taught her this….hell I wish I had known about it!" Jasper growled as I shook my head.

"I never knew." I said quietly "When Didyme's book was hidden, much knowledge of the first war was lost as well. Didyme and Aro were the ones who came up with the battle plans. Marcus was strategic it's true but Aro had a tactical mind. Didyme recorded many of his ideas." I said as looked up to the sky and took in a deep breath.

"Well if this is skip tracing we have to double back. Find another direction or something" Jacob paused as Jasper's phone went off and we all tensed at the first sign of news in days since we split off from Jane and Edward.

"It's a text from Alice" Jasper mumbled as his eyes widened and he gripped the phone, shocked eyes meeting ours. "We have to go back. Something happened at the palace!" Jasper said urgently as we stiffened and before I could say a word Jasper ran off and one look at Jacob and Demetri had us following in his footsteps.

Bella

"Didyme?" I kept whispering as the woman only stared at me, a look of panic and confusion on her beautiful face.

"What?" She whispered as she came closer and familiar hands grasped my face as I could only stare in shock at a much more delicate, much prettier version of Aro. Same nose, same face structure, similar eye shape but her eyes…. were kinder. Softer. They didn't hold the same malice or thirst. Didyme.

"Bella what are you saying?" Diana/Didyme whispered as she stroked my cheek and I tried to move but I hissed as that only intensified the pain. "Don't try to move! You'll aggravate the wound." She cautioned as her hands fretted over the black-inked webbing that still shown on my skin.

"Didyme" I whispered, my words repeating themselves like a trance as I could only stare as she sighed and shook her head.

"Bella for the last time my name is Diana. Didyme was lost to us you know this!" Diana/Didyme said in frustration as I shook my head and snapped out of my own shocked stupor.

"Didyme…. your Didyme," I said as my mouth finally closed and Didyme sighed and shook her head once more, frustration leaking through as she came closer and placed her hands on my neck checking it over.

"Bella…. stop it. Please, stop the ramblings, did they hurt your head? Has the poison already spread?"

"No! N-no my head is fine! You are Didyme! You look no older than you did in the portrait, you look exactly like her…why do you think your someone named Diana?" I asked as Didyme simply shook her head.

"Bella….the elixir is working much faster than I thought. You need to calm yourself down. The webbing is spreading!" Didyme muttered as I gasped in pain, a harsh reminder of my current state. "I have more sage but only a few leaves left. It should help the pain but stay still." Diana/Didyme instructed as I listened but couldn't get over my bewilderment.

"Didy…Diana" I corrected myself as calling her Didyme would be fruitless even though I was staring right at her. Why does she think she's someone named Diana? The woman I've been speaking with, the woman I cried with, bonded with was actually Didyme herself? How could this have happened to her? What did the Romanians do to her? Or was this something she did to herself? Just when I thought the questions would stop….more just came up.

Didyme meanwhile was busing herself, her brow furrowed in concentration and I could tell my current state over who she is or who I know she is was troubling her.

"Diana…what happened to you before? Before here?" I asked slowly as I watched her close her eyes and sighed in frustration before turning back to me.

"Bella you know this….I lived in a village with my family, I met Didyme on one of her travels and was sired by her."

"Yes, but…..what about before that? I mean the times in the warring ages, where you were changed? You must remember the change? Or what you did in hiding perhaps? That time before here but after your human life?"

"I –" She stopped short as she looked to the ground before a determined look came upon her face and she lightly shook her head. "I admit it's a bit confusing, but that whole period is very painful. There's a reason I don't like talking about it." She murmured as she turned her back and her shoulders were tense.

"I understand," I said softly "But even painful memories are remembered." I rolled to my side, grasping my side as webbing moved even mover up my stomach but if my last act on this earth was to resume Didyme's memory then at least I would have died doing something right. "Didyme I have scars too. I've loved and lost and loved again….lost him too. I lost my father, my mother….pretty much my entire family. Then my adopted family months later. I was betrayed, hurt, and changed forever." I muttered softly staring at my deathly pale skin. It was times like these where I faintly remembered my human flesh, how warm I was. The faint tinge of blush on my cheeks, how my brown eyes would shine in the sunlight. I loved being in the sun for that very reason but now….now all I have are golden eyes. Gold eyes and hardened skin

"But then I remember all the things I've gained. Even though all the hurt, all the pain….there was some good that came out of it. Like meeting Alec. Even if that is somewhat shaky….I'm glad I knew him. Glad I loved him. Happy even to know that I had time with him." I smiled as I remembered his face, his eyes, and all the times we would spend in our sanctuary. "I met Jane, my best friend. I reconnected with my adoptive family and even though the relationship I had with them is gone….a new one took hold. I never thought I would trust them again and now, well, I considered them allies. Friends. Even trusted the one who I would never trust again to continue my work, the work that Didyme started. Even if I died….her legacy….my legacy would live on. Somehow anyway."

Didyme hunched her shoulders over as I explained and she looked over to me over her shoulder as her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. Something I said resonated with her as she sat down and faced me as she dropped her head into her hands.

"I don't remember" She whispered "I don't remember that time very well. Blank spots and foggy memories tend to happen when I try and think of those times, which is why I tried not to recall them."

"In Didyme's diary…..she wrote passages from that time." I said small as I approached her cautiously "I found it. In her lab, beneath the castle. Details of her life, her dreams, and ambitions. What she wanted to do when the war ended. Her life with Marcus."

"Marcus?" Didyme repeated with awe in her voice "I remembered a Marcus. He was always so handsome. So, kind, regal, and strong. He always treated Didyme with such….tenderness."

"Do you remember the times in the warring ages? Did you and Didyme ever speak of what would happen after?"

"No….at least I don't think? I don't, I don't remember"

"Do you remember Didyme teaching you any new recipes that weren't included in the book? Like the one they used on me, to make me blind?" I asked as she looked back towards me and the confusion and fear in her eye spoke volumes.

"No"

"You can't remember? Even if you think back on it?'

"I- I can't. I don't know. What is the point of this?" She asked as her hands shook slightly as she prepared the herbs.

"Because even you aren't Didyme and I'm crazy then you would have remembered the time before. There would have been long periods of time where Didyme couldn't have communicated with anyone. She wrote on it in her diary and that the potions that you created…if Didyme taught you them then she would have written them down, somehow." I explain as she looked away.

"Do you remember a locket?" I asked quietly, the pain in my side scorching but I grit my teeth and bared it. As her head shot up and her hand went to her throat as she looked down. "Didyme wrote about a locket in her diary, but there wasn't a lot of information on it. Alec mentioned that Didyme considered it her most prized possession."

"It was a gift from Marcus." She whispered as her eyes glazed over and she blinked as tears came to her eyes. "It was a mate's gift."

"A mate gift?" I asked confused

"Yes, it's a custom that the royals would do, a court practice if you would. It would be a gift before a mating ceremony. Something unique towards the mates themselves….the locket held a lock of mine and Marcus's hair tied in a ribbon." She whispered as I perked up at the sense of possession but Didyme startled as she said the words and gasped "I can't be her!"

"Why not?" I asked softly as her breathing sped up and she brought a hand to her head.

"Because if I was Didyme then I had more power than I thought, I would have had the power to escape long ago, or more of a chance to escape instead of staying here." She whispered brokenly as I nodded.

"But you and I are both familiar with surviving one more day to live a hundred more. Who is to say that if you attempted escape…. that you wouldn't have been killed? Maybe – maybe it was purposeful?" I whispered as Didyme's eyes filled with tears and the clump of herbs fell to the ground as my eyes zeroed in on them.

In Didyme's book, it was always mentioned Sage in her healing recipes. Sage was a very potent and powerful plant used to bring balance back, heal the broken, and cure the sick.

Ignoring the screaming pain and biting my lip to keep the gasp of air I grabbed the plant and dragged myself onto my knees as Didyme's eyes widened and her mouth dropped in surprise. Before I had time to think, before I really processed what I was doing I shoved the bundle inside her mouth and kept my palm over her lips, guaranteeing the healing properties would be absorbed by her as she squirmed in protest.

"Bella! What are you doing?! You'll die without it!" She hissed as she spits out the now dry herbs as her wild eyes met mine.

"But you'll remember who you are," I said quietly as she grabbed my shoulders painfully and shook me as she screamed out

"I'm not Didyme! That was supposed to stop the poison! Bella you're going to die! That was a lifeline for you, why would you waste it?"

"I didn't waste it! I know your Didyme! I know it! I just need you to know it too! Call it a bluff or a gamble but I know it's true! I know your Didyme and the only way to solve this mystery, the only way to know the truth is to hear the missing pieces from you! Diana was my friend….that means you are my friend. I know you have your memories you just can't access them right now. I know I sound crazy, but Sage heals right? It heals the broken, cures the sick…that's something you learned from Marcus. Your mate….Marcus!" I yelled as she let me go and I collapsed to the ground and I grasped my side as the webbing spread even more.

"Marcus" She whispered as her hand once again went to her neck and a lightbulb went off.

"Do you remember a necklace?" I asked copying her movement and held a hand up to my neck as her eyes landed on me.

"Necklace?" She asked confused as I urged her on.

"Yes, a necklace…or – or a locket! It was a locket! Didyme wrote in her diary how she would always wear a locket, that it was her most prized possession, that it was a gift from Marcus"

"A gift, a gift from Marcus"

"Yes, she always mentioned that she loved it but….never how she got it or what it was for. What was it for?" I asked as her eyes glossed over and she slowly sat on her knees, her head a million miles away.

"It was my mate's gift. Marcus gave it to me, wrapped it around my neck before he claimed me. It had a lock of my hair and his tied together. He told me that it symbolizes our bond. That I was his just as he was mine. I never took it off for that reason….until" She stopped short as a small gasp escaped her lips. "Until….Aro. I went with him, I was so worried for Marcus and Aro had told me he knew where he was, I thought he was changing. I thought he changed his mind until I saw Vladimir…..my necklace was payment. Aro tore it from my neck as he watched me…..he watched as they…..I was dead." She whispered as a sob broke free and she covered her face as her body hunched forward and I tried my best to scoot myself closer to her, settling my hand on her leg as she cried.

"Aro…..he did this to me!" She bawled as I slowly nodded my head and made light shushing noises as I tried to calm her.

She cried, she cried for a long time but eventually, she looked up and whispered, "Where are they?"

"Where are who?"

"Marcus…. Aro, Caius. Where are they?!" She asked panicked as she once again gripped my shoulders.

"I assume they are still at the castle. I don't remember the night I was taken, when I woke up, I was already in prison." I admitted as she took in deep breaths as her eyes widened

"You said you were Alec's mate? Alec has a mate" She whispered wondrously, and I couldn't help but smile at the thought of him.

"Yeah, I mean I guess, I think so….it must be the bond? I love him, I know I do. I just never told him."

"Did he help you?" She asked quietly as I thought back to the very beginning when I first found her book and the ominous warning Alec gave me.

"Yes, in his own way, in the best way he knew how…. he tried to help me."

"What about….what about Marcus? What do they believe?" She asked disjointly as I shifted my eyes away.

"Bella! Please answer me!" She said sharply as I pursed my lips.

"Everyone believes your dead. Everyone believes you perished on the battlefield. That the Romanians must have killed you and burned your body; your ashes mixing with the rest of the dead." I explained

"And Aro?" She asked gravely

"He made everyone believe he mourned you. That he overtook the Romanians in your name. That he rules in your ideals and manipulated Caius and Marcus into his plans. That he holds power because you wanted it." I explained as she lightly smiled but it didn't meet her eyes.

"He was always so ambitious." She whispered quietly as she slowly let me go and sat back on her knees facing me, her back straight; posture…almost regal. Whatever happened, this was a very different woman in front of me.

"I always admired him for that you see." She continued as I paid rapt attention "He was my elder brother. He was the one I looked up to. He was the reason I pushed myself, the reason I strived to be better. He wanted to become better. He wanted influence, fame, glory…..power. He always wanted more power." She whispered hauntingly

"One night he went out for a walk, mother and father had passed away and I was to be married off – I was close to becoming a spinster and that would have been no life for me…or Aro; but he left. One night he said he would be meeting a gentleman and he never came back. I was alone….no one would want to marry a woman without a family. A name or title. I was a healer it's true but that didn't mean they weren't afraid of me. They were afraid that Aro had been taken by a demon. Whispers of sightings of him at night with red eyes, but I never saw him."

"What happened?" I asked quietly, not wanting to break Didyme out of her memories

"I had stayed out too long; a mother had birthed a child and the labor pains had lasted long into the night until the babe was born without a cry. I was cast out, accused of witchcraft and devil worship. That I had cast a spell that had taken the babe's breath out of its lungs. I was chased into the woods and then…..I saw him. My brother. He was dressed so fine! Dressed in silks and frills and linens of the nobility. He said he was waiting for me, that he wanted me to have a chance at a normal life with a husband and babe of my own. I told him that my dreams had not changed….that life was never meant for me. I never wanted children or a husband that took away my freedoms. I wanted to live the life I wanted, no matter the cost. My conviction was the same as it was since he left. That was when he changed. He sired me and brought me into this new life. I met Caius…and Marcus." She sighed out Marcus's name until her face darkened once again.

"We were happy, I thought Aro's ambitions would have been tamed when he was changed by the Romanians….but it just made him want more. When he changed me, I later discovered he was hoping for power similar to his, more power to add to his collection but…that was not for me. I was an herbalist and healer in my past life and now I was a healer in this new one as well. My talents lied in the betterment of people. In making them happy. I had no draw towards glory or power….I was content with the life we had. I was happy. Aro was not." She scrunched her brows together as she grabbed my hand and squeezed as I gulped back a scream of pain.

"When he discovered my talents for alchemy he wanted to use them in his quest for power. The Romanians wanted it too. Everyone wanted what I could provide them but I refused. I didn't want to involve myself in the war for power. I refused…time and time again. Caius made it known he disagreed with my stance but at least he respected me….Aro…Aro sold me. On the night of battle, I learned of what he was planning to do to my Marcus. I tried to persuade him, that the power had made him mad but refused to listen to me. I tried to warn him, I tried to get to my Marcus….I convinced Alec to free me. Alec knew that I was useful, out of everyone in the palace he was the only one who actually listened to me! Marcus was fearful of what would happen if I stepped foot on the field but I couldn't sit by and do nothing. He freed me and then I saw Caius and I trusted him to bring me to my husband but instead, I saw Aro. I saw him fighting them, I saw him defend Caius and myself. I believed….I believed him when he said that he had changed. That he was being foolish and would bring me to Marcus but instead….he sold me. His own sister, he sold me like a mule and I was brought here as a prisoner. The Romanians wanted me as a weapon of war and again I refused." She gasped out as her tearful eyes turned to mine.

"You must know the rest. They used me, Raped me. Beat me. They tortured my mind, body, and spirit. I felt so powerless until I made friends with a guard….they provided me with the ingredients I needed." She led on as she slowly stood and went to the corner of the hole and started to dig, before bringing up a familiar glass vial I had to come to know so well.

"I threatened that if they touched me again, I was going to make them lose everything and they called my bluff. So, I drank it. I drank it in hopes that I would forget everything I knew, that I would become useless to them and I would wait until I could find another means of escape….but, well, no plan is perfect." She sighed as regret filled her voice.

"It was still so experimental. I wrote about it, in hopes that I could return to it, finish it properly. It was a memory aid. It was supposed to help vampires recall their human lives. Relive past events so that we could have our past life and new life combined. I could never figure out the mechanics of it and when I was brought here….I reversed it. I had hoped that I would forget everything I knew….not everything I was. This figment creature….this 'Diana' was everything I had hoped not to be. Never docile, or compliment, or doing things out of fear. Never forgetting who I loved….who I was." She said as her voice became quieter. She sighed once more until she squared her shoulders and squeezed my hand tighter.

"Until you came." She said quietly as I looked up and she was smiling sweetly. "You came because you were headstrong, brave, and clever. You grieved and lost….and suffered. Suffered greatly." She paused before she kept going "and for that, I am so sorry. Sorrier than words can say but, you are here. You're here and you've done me a tremendous service and…I am in your debt Isabella Swan. We've cried, suffered, and endured this prison….together. Even if I may have lost who was….I have gained a newfound direction and purpose. I can never be who I was." She whispered "But that doesn't mean I can't be happy or be better than what I was. I'm different yet the same. Experienced yet green. Wise and a fool. All these things and more but I know who I am." She smiled as she slowly lifted herself back to her feet and I could only stare at this regal, powerful woman.

"And who are you?"

She smiled before she answered, confident and cool "I am Queen Didyme, mate of Marcus and one of the leading alchemists in the world…..and I'm going home."

I would rather be a lover than a fighter

Because all my life I've been fighting

Never felt a feeling of comfort And all this time I've been hiding

I found peace in your violence

Can't tell me there's no point in trying

I'm at one, and I've been silent for too long

Silence – Marshmello ft Khalid

A/N: Well it's finally here. Y'all I'm so sorry about the extremely late update and I know it's less than perfect but for what's going on right now it's the best I can do and honestly, I'm proud I was able to get it out. The situation right now is a lot more stable so I'll have more writing time in the future, but I also want to have regular updates so for now, this story will go on a temporary hiatus. It won't last long, really, I expect it to be less than two months but it's just so I can fully focus on my health right now.

Three weeks ago, I made a doctor's appointment for frequent migraines and dizzy spells I've been having, and to make a long story short they had me come in again because they thought I might have a growth in my brain.

Safe to say and Thank God there wasn't growth but that still left the question of what was going on with me. After another appointment, I was finally diagnosed with PCOS. Now here lies the health part that is so important and why I need a break from updating for a while.

I have to prepare for surgery in regard to my PCOS and to do will take up about 90% of my time as well as finding treatment options that can help because of a blood clotting condition that would make usual PCOS treatment a piece of cake. Not to get too personal here but basically, I can't promise regular updates or even the same quality of writing if I commit myself to the posting schedule. So, from now until after the surgery, I'm going on a hiatus to not only focus on wiring my fanfic and other original work but also focus and get ready for the procedure. It's nothing life-threatening or anything like that but I wanted to provide an explanation for my absence and a sure promise that I will return, and this story will be told. Thank you all for your patience and I'll see you all soon!

~ Jules