His fingers flew over the alternating black and white, the ensuing melody slow and soft in comparison. The music was not something that he had practiced and overplayed to the extent that the same people –he used the term loosely in his mind— who had been enraptured by it during its composition now complained if they heard it.

It was something new, foreign.

"I like it."

His hands ceased their movement. The words were softly spoken –too soft for a human to have heard, even without the sound of the music filling the air. But Edward heard them clearly. The muscles in his arm clenched slightly before he forced them to relax.

"Aro." His tone was cordial, but not inviting.

Aro took no notice of his tone. "Edward," he greeted a sardonic edge to his reply. Edward felt Aro's presence near his shoulder in less than a second, an impressive feat considering the size of the room –impressive to humans, yet not to him.

The room itself was his alone, a few doors away from his bedroom, with only a handcrafted piano –Aro had bought it for him, after listening to Bach play it once. Although the Aro himself had never learnt the art, Edward had.

"What is it called?" Aro asked, a hand sliding over the keys.

Edward cocked his head to the side slightly. "I haven't decided."

Aro hummed in response. Edward didn't know why he bothered with the façade of concern. They both knew that he didn't care. He didn't know why he played along either. Edward waited for the real reason behind Aro's presence as the other vampire stalled, fingers pressing at the keys clumsily. Edward didn't hide his amused smirk as a medley of notes that weren't in the slightest smooth burst out. No matter how many years passed, the art of producing music was beyond Aro.

Aro lifted his hand, and Edward knew that if he turned his head, Aro would be wearing that slight pout that he had once found charming; a hundred years made more of a difference than one would think. Aro huffed before taking a seat next to Edward dramatically; his body warmer than Edward's, as it had always been.

"Marcus tells me that you intend to return to Carlisle."

Aro's voice was his usual mask of coolness and calm, as though he wasn't at all perturbed by the thought of one of his own leaving. Edward had known this man for long enough a time to sense the nuances where others would hear none: a flinch when mentioning the possibility of his leaving, a pause of less than a millisecond before saying Carlisle's name.

Edward devoted the latter to a part of his memory carefully labeled 'Carlisle and Aro,' different from the parts that were simply 'Carlisle' or 'Aro', but rather the two of themtogether. The thought caused him to pause, but Aro was looking at him expectantly, and he shoved it with the rest of the moments –only a handful, spread years apart—to seriously consider the statement.

He finally admitted. "I'm thinking about it."

"How long?"

There was no need to explain the question. "The past year." The answer made Aro let out a soft sigh of relief and twisted glee. A year, for someone like Aro, was an infinitesimal amount of time compared to the eternity for which he would live; had lived.

"You never thought to tell me before." It was somewhere between a question –You don't trust me with your secrets? You don't consider me an important part of your life? Marcus is more important to you?— and a statement –You've only begun to seriously consider the decision. Something has caused you to change your mind. Marcus is more important to you.

Edward cleared the only doubt he was presented with. "I only told Marcus because I knew that he would pass the information on to you." The explanation was only a half-truth. Marcus was the only person who would look at him without judgment regardless of what he chose.

Aro nodded slowly. "I see." Edward smiled at the statement. Aro's mannerisms had not changed much over the century; he only ever said, "I see" when he did not and also did not want to flaunt his ignorance. The only thing that had changed was the extent of Edward's understanding. "You wish to leave the Volturi-"

"As my father did," Edward ended. They shared a small smile at the words. Father, the one who had turned him. Father, the one who had raised him when he was less than a decade old. Father, the one who had cared for him when he had been torn between fighting the Hunger because of his lingering humanity and giving in to it because of his growing vampirism. Father, the position he would assume once Edward left. Father meaning Carlisle.

"I've always thought you would," Aro said thoughtfully. "You are both extremely alike."

"In terms of our eating habits?"

"Amongst other things." The comment surprised Edward. Carlisle and he looked nothing alike, aside from the pale shade of skin which all vampires shared. And where Carlisle was compassionate and inviting, Edward preferred his own company and didn't encourage friendships, even amongst the Volturi itself. Not to mention that Carlisle was stronger than any vampire he knew –to live next to humans, see their blood, feel the Hunger and yet not act on it-

His fists clenched, something ugly like jealousy welling up in him of its own accord. He knew it was wrong, because Carlisle had felt the same urges when he was as young as Edward, and he had forced himself to ignore them, as Edward tried to. To feel as if it were unfair was wrong of him.

But, the part of him that was human still felt it.

His back slumped slightly –cringing into himself—before he straightened. He had adopted the practice of feeding on animals –not difficult since Aro made sure that they were brought in for him—but he also ensured that he wasn't tempted. He spent as much time indoors as Sulpicia and Athenodora.

Aro smiled at him. "You will be able to resist the hunger," he said confidently.

"Oh?" Edward grinned before continuing in a teasing tone. "I thought that Alice's gift was beyond both of us."

Aro let out a short laugh. "Indeed, our dear Alice has a gift that is vastly different than my own. But, I have the advantage of knowing you where Alice does not," Aro said smugly. He was not wrong. Aro definitely knew him better than most, the only other person who surpassed him was Carlisle.

"Will you be staying for long?" Aro asked, now somewhat more assured in Edward's alliances and asking for politeness' sake alone.

Edward shrugged. "Depends."

"On what?"

Edward shrugged again. "Circumstances."

Aro was silent for a few moments, and he squirmed uncomfortably in his seat, before he pressed down on the key before him. The shrill of the F sharp rang in the air. Then, "It would be a pity for us to lose yet another one of you elusive Cullens."

"I didn't say that I would stay with Carlisle," Edward pointed out, although the unsaid, "But you didn't say otherwise," hung heavily in the air with the dull echoing ring of the note. Aro pressed C before the previous note could completely die out.

"We shall see," he said, tone measured to be somewhere between formal and casual.

"So we shall," Edward echoed the sentiment.

"Tell Carlisle I send my regards," Aro said slowly. Edward nodded. "And Esme," he smiled, and Edward inwardly flinched away from the ugly thoughts of Aro; thoughts Edward couldn't resist listening to. "Is she still cooking, I wonder, such a human task," he said, as though it were the worst thing a vampire could do. It could be, he guessed, to Aro. "Of course, you would be thinking slightly more of our beautiful Rosalie," he sent a sly look in Edward's direction.

"She has Emmett," he said sharply. "They're mates, Aro, even you wouldn't dare come between them."

Mating was important, to be respected. Carlisle had told him once –years ago, sometime after meeting Esme—what is was like. He likened it to the feeling of feeding on humans, although he only knew it from accounts that other vampires, not 'vegetarian', had given him. His world narrowed to the point that nothing else existed except his mate and him. It was almost as though a sort of warmth had crept into his skin and spread its way across his body, palpable compared to the coldness they normally felt.

Edward wondered if he would ever be able to feel what Carlisle had with Esme.

"I am no fool," Aro said, frowning at him.

"I didn't say you were," Edward sighed, suddenly feeling tired, old beyond his years. He gave a sardonic smile at the thought, it was apt for his- situation. "But I do know that everybody lusts after Rosalie, and that you may let that overcome you."

"I would never, Edward," Aro sounded offended. Edward thought he heard a twinge of guilt behind it, since they both knew that he would if the opportunity presented itself, but it was gone too quickly for him to pinpoint it.

"It does not matter, nothing shall befall Emmett, and they will probably live together forever," Edward said. The word gave him pause; forever was a long time, and it had yet to cease to amaze him just how long. One day it would, as it had Aro and Carlisle. He didn't know whether he was looking forward to that day.

"Let us hope so," Aro hummed, and Edward didn't know which he was referring to –somebody harming Emmett or the couple's long life ahead. He didn't venture to guess either, in case it was the former.

"Jasper is still with them," Edward said for the sake of polite conversation.

"Oh?" Aro used the same tone. "Astonishing power, it must be difficult to be around so many humans at once."

"He has enough control over his Hunger," Edward said wearily. Even though he hadn't moved, his body felt tired whenever around Aro.

"It was not his Hunger I was speaking of. Humans have no control over their emotions, to feel everything that they do so acutely," Aro's eyes closed for a moment before he opened them again. They were red eyes heavy with emotion that wasn't his to feel. "That boy's mind is a wonder," he added almost as an afterthought.

Of course, Aro had touched Jasper twice now. "I would think so."

"Carlisle takes care of his own, though, soon to include you," Aro said, his tone signaling the end of the conversation. Edward didn't reply. Aro stood up quickly and walked out, throwing back at him, "Find a name for your song," before the door slammed shut. It was a long while before Edward resumed playing.

He did not know the origin behind this song.

Sometimes thoughts would break into his mind from unknown sources –one of the humans visiting, perhaps—and he had to play, hands moving of their own accord to play out what his head thought. Aro and the others knew that it would be useless to try speak to him at such times.

"A name," he muttered to himself, a habit he had picked up in the 1960s, after meeting a group of hippies during one of his hunts. He had stayed with them for a period of time, never quite blending in –his gentlemanly ways and polite speech made that impossible—but they had accepted him nonetheless. Aro, he remembered, had not been pleased.

Aro had eventually killed them and Edward had returned to the Volturi.

The song started slow, almost gentle, before speeding up to a climax, then breaking down again. A cycle of highs and lows that reflected his life and something or maybesomeone-

Edward stopped playing when he heard the sound of audible breathing from his bedroom.

It wasn't difficult to pinpoint –most of the vampires did not bother with the pretence of breathing while within the building, and there were only a handful of people who dared to enter his room in his absence. His fingers twitched with annoyance at having to leave before he hefted his body up, lips pursing. The rush of breath –in and out, in and out, a steady motion that was more vampire than human— stopped as his feet took slow steps towards the door. He was going to his room, and they had both heard him. There was no need to try and get his attention any longer.

He walked slowly, not using any of the speed that he had been gifted, to annoy the man in his room, and then smirked when a small exhalation of air signaled the annoyance of the man. Edward opened the large doors to his room, the same that he had used for the past decade, only changing a few things inside the area at the request of the other vampires.

He didn't care either way, he hardly spent any time in the room, it's appearance was of no matter to him.

"When are you leaving?" Caius asked. He was lying on Edward's bed, staring up at the ceiling. The bed was there only because Caius had liked the color scheme, and the usual pattern was that what Caius liked, Caius got. He had given it to Edward as a present on the 50th year from his turning and had spent more time on it than Edward ever had.

"I don't know," Edward said, laying down next to him.

"Hmm," Caius murmured unintelligibly. "So you're really leaving."

"Yes, I am." They laid down in a comfortable silence for a while longer, Caius' hand finding its way into Edward's, finger tracing a pattern on the skin of his palm. Edward let the action continue; Caius wouldn't take it any further, he knew from experience.

"You know," Caius broke the silence suddenly. "If you are going to Carlisle, you are going to have to act like one of them."

"A human," Edward specified.

Caius nodded. "Human," he said reluctantly, unable to completely hide his wince. "Why would you want to do that to yourself?"

"Same reason as Carlisle," Edward said.

Caius snorted. "I never understood Carlisle's reasons. Honestly, a doctor, of all the professions in the world he had to become a doctor," he spat the words with barely concealed disgust.

"He enjoys it, as you enjoy your own," Edward forced himself not to pause before continuing to say, "profession." If being a leader of the Volturi could be considered one, especially with Caius' inclinations.

Caius ignored the comment. "Why do you think he forces Jasper to live with those horrid creatures? I can only imagine his suffering."

Edward frowned. He did not understand everyone's fascination with Jasper. "Jasper will be fine, he just needs to time to- become accustomed to it all," he said sharply. He had liked the blond boy, during the few times he had seen him. He had an impressive ability, making it all the more difficult for him to live where he did and how he did.

"I bet," Caius said, not in the least believing his words.

"What does your ability say?" Edward asked.

Caius laughed, although without any real humor. It was a running joke between them –Edward did not know Caius' ability, but the man's instincts had never proved him wrong, so he called it his ability. "It says that Jasper shall fall victim to the Hunger soon."

Edward tugged on one of Caius' fingers. "Don't be cruel," he chided.

Caius grinned. "But he will, Edward, I can sense it. Do you not trust my ability to see?"

"I trust your ability as far as I can throw Jane," Edward said, rolling his eyes.

"Which is quite long, really," Caius said pointedly.

"Speaking of whom, she'll be glad that I'm gone," Edward gave a small half-smile.

He sensed Caius' frown. "She would not dare show her displeasure," he half-growled. Then he sneered. "Aro would want her to be punished, severely."

"You need not sound so happy about it," Edward said, although there wasn't any resentment in his voice, he was used to Caius and his ways. Sometimes he felt a spark of worry about his apathy with all things related to Caius, at some point he would have been upset, felt disgusted and horrified with the other man's behavior. Now, there was only the calm acceptance of someone who had watched too many deaths at the hands of one man.

"I haven't had a play date in a long time," Caius complained. "Aro has been so," his nose scrounged up at the thought of their leader, "strict lately. It's not fun anymore." He paused. "Maybe I should join you on your trip, there has to be at least one human whose life is insignificant-"

"Caius," Edward said warningly.

Caius laughed. "I would think that you would recognize a jest when you heard one, after spending years with me. Do you not?"

"No, I don't," he said honestly.

"Of course you do, you can read my mind, or have you lost your ability?" Caius countered.

Edward winced. "It is not that simple," he said, a common argument between him and the other vampires in the Volturi. "I mean, if we don't call Aro's ability 'reading minds by touching someone' or something equally inane, how is it that I am forced to live with the ability 'reading minds'." Caius did not say anything, they had had this conversation far too many times, and they both knew that his ability wouldn't get another name anytime soon. He sighed, before nodding. "I can, but do you want me to?"

The Volturi, regardless of their habits and their food choices, had taught him how to control his ability, more so than Carlisle ever could have alone. The thoughts of everyone at the Volterra were now a mere buzz in his consciousness, and unless he focused, he couldn't decipher their thoughts into anything legible.

Caius paused, and then nodded slowly. "If you wish to, you can try."

Edward only had to focus slightly before the Caius' mind hit him. It wasn't particularly coherent, but Caius' thoughts almost never were, his mind worked too quickly, spanning over too many topics at once. Flashes of images, along with a constant stream of words.

Aro smiling at Jane, Jane with a knife hanging over her body, screams and pleas for help, Edward leaving without looking back, Edward in a monotonous field of buildings, Caius standing next to him, a human girl being bitten, blood, blood everywhere, "You really shouldn't have left, Edward," said by a soft voice-

Edward pulled back, shaking his head slightly. Caius' mind was stronger than most, louder to the point of being almost deafening, thoughts flickering from one topic to the next with a speed he had only seen in certain vampires and female teenagers.

"You're definitely not coming," he said dryly.

Caius grinned at him shamelessly. "Only if you ask nicely," he said, voice low and tongue flickering out to wet his lips. He had used that exact same tone and action to seduce half the men and women who visited, the effect had been lost on Edward a while back.

"That hasn't worked on me in over forty years, Caius," Edward said, shaking his head slightly.

"And yet you blush," Caius drawled, leaning on his forearms to look at him.

"We're vampires, it's physically impossible for us to blush, Caius," Edward said.

"If you could, you would," Caius said, moving to look over him.

He kept silent, because Caius was right, even now he would be blushing. The only sign, though, were the tip of his cheeks becoming a shade paler, hardly recognizable given his already pale skin. Caius smiled, and Edward knew that his sharper than average eyes had noticed the change in color.

"Thought so," Caius murmured.

Edward pressed back into the mattress, to put more of a distance between him and the other man. Caius laughed at the barely noticeable action, before moving away and lying back on the mattress again. Edward relaxed at that, unsure why he had even felt uncomfortable in the first place.

"Sometimes," Caius said thoughtfully, "I forget sometimes that you are but a child."

Edward frowned. "I'm not a child."

"You are by vampire's standards," Caius retorted.

Edward resisted the urge to snap childishly 'Am not', but Caius smiled anyway, as though knowing what he wanted to say. That instinctual ability of his again. "I'm going to go," Edward changed the topic.

"I know," Caius said, and there wasn't anything else to say about the topic.

Then, he asked, "Do you think Marcus will mind?"

Caius grinned. "Edward, Marcus cares as much about you as I do my next prey."

Edward laughed.

-|-

"You did not really think we would be letting you leave without a proper farewell, did you, Edward?"

Aro's tone was sarcastic, but the intention sincere. Edward knew that Aro did not care for him –liked him as a friend, perhaps, but more importantly, wanted his gift. Edward looked at the man steadily before flickering his glance over to the two who stood on either side of him.

He almost rolled his eyes at the pose they gave; their theatrics were one thing all of them had in common.

Caius grinned at him, fingers tapping his sides in a fidgety manner and his muscles tensing and relaxing under his clothes –he could hear the shift in cloth. Edward took in the actions, and then the color of his eyes, just slightly more vibrant a red than usual, breathed in the scent of blood, and understood. He had just fed; he needed to spend the energy. "Good bye," he said.

Marcus kept silent, mouth flickering up in a barely detectable smile before falling again.

Edward worked on instinct and let himself into Marcus' mind.

A network of connections, as though a map of people had been created, each interlocked with others with colored lines. Edward. "His loyalty is wavering." Aro. "Leave him be." A beautiful, smiling woman with black hair and kind, if red, eyes –Didyme as always, laughing at something. Caius' maniacal grin. "Let him go to Carlisle; it would be useful to have friends in the Olympic Coven." Aro again, thoughtful this time-

He pulled himself out, shutting out the man, face impassive. Marcus would not even have felt the intrusion. Aro was looking at him expectantly and he shrugged.

"You don't have to," he said softly.

Aro laughed. "Of course we do, you are part of the Volturi, Edward, and your leaving is a sad occasion, even if it is only for a while."

Edward smiled at the man, nodding understandingly. "Of course."

"In fact," Aro continued, "I will be taking it upon myself to accompany you to the Cullen household itself."

Edward frowned. "I'm not sure if that's the best idea."

"But I insist," Aro said. "It will be nice to see Carlisle and the rest of the family after such a long time. Caius will be accompanying-"

"I won't do anything, Edward," Caius said cheerfully, and Edward didn't doubt him.

"As will Renata and Felix," Aro said, waving a hand in the air, and at the sound of the names, the two figures appeared in the room. Renata immediately attached herself to Aro, almost hidden by his larger build. She looked up at him, smiling faintly before ducking her head again, as though nervous of being caught. He smiled back; she was a nice girl, if a little… obsessed.

"See you, Ed," Felix said, and Edward's smile widened. Felix was not one for talk, but he was friendly enough, as enthusiastic as Caius about his meals, if not as cruel with his methods. The nickname wasn't one that Edward was fond of, but Felix was the only person who used it –Caius as well, if he wanted to annoy Edward—so he did not mind.

Another figure entered, at a slower pace.

Jane.

His jaw clenched. The animosity between the two of them was no secret to the members of the Volturi. Aro looked at her questioningly and she bowed her head slightly, moving to the other side of him, glaring at Renata. Mine. The word sounded in her mind so loudly Edward took a step back from the force of it, turning to pick up his bags as he shook his head subtly to clear it of her.

When he turned back, Marcus had disappeared. Aro was frowning, displeased.

"You don't all have to come," Edward said before Aro could start.

Aro looked almost startled. "Of course we do." He cast a glance at Felix, who had Edward's bag in his hand in the next second. Then his brow rose slightly. "Is that all you're bringing?" he asked, gesturing to the slim suitcase. Edward shrugged, and then nodded.

"I'm quite sure that Alice will want to bring me shopping," he said, a perfectly plausible reason, knowing Alice. "I could use help for that?" he asked hopefully.

Caius chuckled. "Never come between a woman and her shopping," he said wisely.

Edward felt the inane urge to pout. Caius' eyes lit up in amusement, and Edward knew that the man knew exactly what he had wanted to do. "Are you sure you don't have Alice's gift?" he asked. Caius waggled his brows, and Edward moved to stand next to him and Aro.

"We should be quick," Aro said.

Edward nodded and made to step forward when a forceful thought stopped him. "Wait." Jane's voice was as commanding in his head as it was in everyday life. Edward gritted his teeth, but nodded such that only one looking for it would be able to notice it.

He turned to Jane. "I'd like to speak to you," Edward requested formally.

Aro was before him the next moment, his stance defensive although Edward thought that between him and Jane, it was probably he who needed protecting, even if he would be able to anticipate the young girl's actions. "Why?" Aro asked, voice low and careful.

"There are things we must discuss," Jane said from behind him, but Aro ignored her. He continued staring at Edward –who met his gaze unflinchingly—before nodding slowly.

"Very well, we shall wait by the jet," Aro instructed, and both Edward and Jane each let out a soft 'yes'.

They were gone, leaving Jane and Edward in the room.

Edward looked down at the girl expectantly.

"You must not leave," Jane said.

Edward was surprised. "Why?"

Her mind raced with images and thoughts, too many, too fast, he couldn't decipher them, but he understood enough.

"Aro wants you here." Aro smiling at Edward. Edward using his gift at a meeting. "He will be upset without your gift in the Volturi." Aro touching Jane. Jane snarling at Edward. Aro hovering over Edward, almost touching. Jane and Aro together, definitely touching-

Edward pulled away, wondering if it would be polite to mime throwing up. He was reminded of exactly why he had learned to block minds.

Jane crossed her arms, and Alec appeared at the doorway, eyes watchful and on Edward.

"He wants you," she said blankly.

Edward shook his head. "What Aro wants is for him to decide, he will not affect the decisions that I make. He knows that." And Aro did, Edward had told him, when he had first joined, and while he doubted that Aro would take his words to heart, he knew that Carlisle would help him if anything went wrong.

"You will upset him," Jane said, angrier now. Alec tensed. Edward felt more afraid of the boy than his sister, Jane he could predict, Alec not so much. He looked between them.

"Aro will not like you coming between us," he said blandly.

Jane's mouth twisted into something ugly. "Aro is-"

"Waiting for you," Alec finished, moving next to his sister and laying a hand on her shoulder. She calmed slightly under the touch, although her eyes were no less filled with hate. For whom he had no doubt. He wondered if it had been wise to send everyone away; Felix would be useful if Jane insisted on using her ability on him now. Not that she would dare, Aro's punishment would be decided by Caius, it would be harsh.

"Go," Jane spat, and Edward turned and sprinted.

Aro was waiting for him in the jet, black, Victorian clothes looking strange but not completely out of place in the leather seats and televisions that were placed around the jet. Caius was near the window, tapping at the window with one fingernail, gently, so that it would not break. Felix was flirting with the air stewardess, a human girl who looked thoroughly excited at being near vampires –as all humans were, until they were killed, that was. They would wait until returning to Volterra before killing her. He almost missed Renata, sitting next to Aro, his hand patting her head.

"Where's Jane?" Caius asked knowingly.

Edward shot him an annoyed look before taking a seat opposite him. He didn't bother with the belt –airplane crashes would not kill him. Caius smirked. He turned to Aro. "You should not taunt her," he said.

Aro smiled, shrugging slightly as he continued playing with Renata's hair. "She allows herself to be baited so easily, it is her fault, not mine."

Aro, as he often was, was right. "Still," Edward pressed the issue. "It's not easy dealing with a jealous teenage girl."

Caius tittered in laughter. Aro looked as amused. "She must learn not to let her emotions overcome her senses that easily. Alec is far more proficient at that," Aro mused and Edward let himself a glimpse of Aro's mind.

Jane and Alec. "Pain." Alec alone, smiling at Aro. "Senses." Alec in a pair of pants, standing before Aro while Jane kneeled next to him. "What an interesting pair." Alec, naked, in the middle of Aro's room, eyes wide and trusting. Jane on the bed, Aro's bed, naked as well, flesh pale. Aro walking towards one of them-

"They're only children, Aro," Edward said, flinching away from the thoughts.

Aro shrugged. "They are old, only their bodies are those of children. They want to take part in activities like the adults that they are. Who am I to deny them that?"

"Apparently, a pedophiliac," Caius joked. He knew about the relationship. Experienced it.

Jane and Alec. Aro whispering something into Jane's ear. "You keep him happy." Aro shutting the door behind him. Jane removing the thin cloak that was the only piece of clothing to cover her. Alec slower, carefully taking off each article of clothing and folding it before placing it at a corner. "Come here, boy." Alec walking closer but hesitating half way, eyes a dark red, blackness creeping in at the edges. "You want your food? Come here, boy." Alec being nudged forward by Jane-

Edward did not hide the disgust that he felt. "Both of you, apparently."

"Reading our minds, Edward?" Caius tutted. "Not reading, I apologize, you are delving into our minds and gaining the information through a series of images and words, correct?" Caius shook his head. "You need to act your age, sometimes, Edward. After all, you've been seventeen for over a hundred years now, and not in a single one of them did you actually act seventeen."

Edward glowered at Caius. "Since you are so keen of acting that age, I'll have to do your job."

Aro laughed unhelpfully.

"No need to be harsh, Edward," Caius clucked his tongue. "I'm just looking out for your well-being," he said, faking sincerity. Edward saw right through it, as did Aro.

"He's right, though," Aro said. "You need not be so grown up all the time." Caius leaned over and ruffled his hair to emphasize the fact. Edward pulled away automatically, careful not to break the seat with too much force as his back hit it.

"I simply do not understand why you refuse to let me touch that mop on your head," Caius said, giving his hair a dirty look.

"It is not a mop," Edward said, voice pitching too close to a squawk for his comfort as Caius' hand reached out again, running cold fingers through his hair, tugging briefly before pulling back. "It's fine."

"Oh?" Aro questioned. "I think it could use a comb. Why don't you visit that nice place that Alec visited for his hair cut? It was a mess when he first came, matted and wet and disgustingly long. He looks far better now," Aro said appreciatively.

All of the lingering humor in the situation was lost at the mention of the boy. For he was a boy.

Aro saw the repulsion in his face –not towards Aro, but rather his actions and the whole set of circumstances the twins had to live with—and shook his head. "You should not think of them as children, or you underestimate them."

"That will never happen, of that you can be sure," Edward said dryly.

"I treat them both as adults, they appreciate that and they pay me back in due," Aro said. "The boy especially, Alec. His sister is willing, but she tires more easily. Alec has more stamina, he is sharper." Aro thought about the topic. "But Jane, she has the will that is necessary, much like you Caius," he gestured at the white-haired man. "She is far more," he considered the words before settling for, "creative than her twin."

Caius leaned back on the seat, moving it lower. "The boy has potential."

"They both do," Aro agreed.

"Does it bother nobody here but me that they have the appearance of children?" Edward asked rhetorically.

Caius answered it anyway. "Yes. Don't worry, Edward, a few more centuries on you and I promise that you'll hardly take notice of appearances either. You never know, you could mate with a child," he added teasingly. Edward's lips turned down in a scowl. Caius noticed. "You don't appreciate my jokes, Edward? Pity."

Aro covered his laugh with a fake cough. "He is right, though, Edward. One's appearance should not matter in the least."

"Hypocrite," Edward accused lightly. No matter who it was, the one thing in common with all of Aro's bed partners was their beauty. "I've never seen you bring to your room someone who couldn't decorate the cover of one those magazines that Heidi reads."

"Heidi," Aro said, elongating the syllables of the name. "Now there you have a real woman; gorgeous."

"Agreed," Caius said, his word slow.

Edward scowled. "I would appreciate your not treating my friend as an object."

Aro laughed. "Of course, of course, we would not dare. We shall not speak of the ladies again," Aro said, miming the zipping of his mouth with two fingers pressed together.

"We could speak about the men," Caius suggested lasciviously.

"So one's gender does not matter either, then?" Edward asked curiously.

Caius' brow lifted at the question. "Have you by any chance seen the people Aro has laid with in recent years? They do not waver towards either gender. Aro is unable to decide which the fairer sex is."

Aro did not look insulted with the comment. On the contrary, he looked almost pleased. Edward felt a childish want for his Mother, for Esme, who provided some protective shield from all the evil in the world; from Caius and Aro. "Both females and males have their attributes, and I am able to recognize it." Edward had a question on his tongue, about why Aro wasn't acting as old-fashioned as he did in other matters. Aro answered it before he could ask, though. "I've lived a long time, Edward. Human ideals do not limit me, I am both beyond and above them."

"I would have thought you to be-" Edward stopped. "Well, against such things."

"Humans are narrow minded," Aro said sharply.

"And you take it upon yourself not to be like them," Edward presumed.

Aro nodded. "They are fools. I am not."

Edward smiled at the statement; it was so Aro.

"Sulpicia?" he asked Aro, since the man's wife had to be aware of his activities.

Aro gave a one armed shrug. "She does not concern herself with who I sleep with. I return to her at the end of the day, that is all that matters, is it not?"

"But once you've found a-" he stopped, because he didn't know if Sulpicia was Aro's mate, only that she was his wife.

"Exactly," Aro said, predicting what he had been about to say. "I've touched you, Edward," he halted briefly, processing Edward's expression in smug glee as Edward's mind went through the different stages of touching, "and I know what Carlisle has said about mating. It is the most powerful force in the world, some say, rivaled only by the Imprinting that shape shifters undergo."

Caius' face darkened at the mention of the creatures. Edward knew of his hatred towards werewolves, but he had not sensed –or read—any resentment towards the other creatures.

"They are not werewolves," he said, questioning Caius.

Caius did not answer.

"They only take the form of wolves," Aro added.

Caius looked annoyed. "I'm not particularly against them."

"But you're not for them either?" Edward guessed, correctly, it seemed, as Caius nodded.

"Why anyone would choose to smell like a mutt is beyond me," Caius said, grimacing at the mere thought. "Disgusting."

"You've met one, then?" Edward asked curiously.

"Carlisle lives near the creatures," Aro informed him. Edward was surprised, he hadn't known. Carlisle had never thought of these shape shifters when with him; he didn't know whether to be pleased or annoyed. "Which is part of the reason we do not visit him too often, I'm not fond of smelling like a dog. Nasty thing."

Caius nodded in agreement. "There is an agreement between these La Push shape shifters and the Olympic clan, Carlisle mentioned once, I think. It was quite a while ago. He has pretended to be a human in Forks thrice now, I believe, and the Quilete tribe has always lived in La Push. He has an agreement with them," Caius snorted. "As though wolves," at Edward's glance, he amended his words, "Or men who take the form of wolves, would keep their word."

Edward smiled faintly. "They probably think the same of vampires," he countered without any heat. Caius and him often had these discussions –heated sometimes, more often not—about what humans thought of vampires. Or, in this case, shape shifters. "How do you know about them, though?" he frowned.

"Edward, Edward, Edward," Aro shook his head slowly, sadly. "Even if Carlisle insists on not being in our presence, we always watch over our friends." Friends was not the word Edward would have used, but he did not argue. "The wolves are not as discreet as one would imagine; they think that they are safe, protected from curious eyes. They are not."

"Can they not smell us?" Edward asked, curious more than anything.

"Of course, as we do them. I sent Demetri to watch them a few hundred years ago, the second time Carlisle chose the area." Aro's lips pursed. "They scented him after a few weeks, but only near the border, so they could not attack him."

"Since they know about the existence of vampires-"

"Cold Ones is what they use to refer to us, I think," Aro interrupted, an amused smile lighting his face. His fingers were wrapped in strands of Renata's hair, pulling at it in a tight grip that was bound to be painful if Renata had been a human. "Strange, I wonder if we should call them the Hot Ones."

"They're hot?" Edward asked, before mentally wincing at how the question was phrased.

"Well, I have heard that the men are fairly good-looking," Caius said casually, although he was grinning at Edward's embarrassment. "They are hot, though. Carlisle estimates their temperatures to be steady over a hundred. Imagine that, Edward, we might actually feel the heat for a change."

Edward laughed. Vampires did not feel the heat that humans gave off, instead, their own low temperatures made humans feel colder. Warmth was not something he had felt in a long while. "It would be interesting to touch one of them," he admitted.

"If only," Aro said. "The shape shifters of La Push, according to Carlisle, detest the Cold Ones. We would be fortunate if they allowed us on their lands, much less allowed us to touch them."

"Not that we would need their permission," Caius was quick to add.

"It would be nice, one in a while, though," Edward pointed out. Caius opened his mouth, as though to argue, before shrugging. Far from an agreement –since Caius enjoyed not having permission—but even Caius could admit that a willing body could, sometimes, give as much pleasure as an unwilling one.

"Perhaps," he compromised.

Aro looked at Caius disbelievingly. "A shape shifter's permission?"

"I wasn't speaking of just shape shifters," Edward said.

"But a shape shifter's permission?" Aro asked.

It gave both him and Caius pause. "It would be nice to have the permission of a shape shifter to touch them," Edward said reluctantly. It did not matter whether or not he liked them. Caius' mind was offering enough opinions to change his own.

A group of wolves, larger than normal wolves, eerily calm. Another pack of wolves, werewolves this time, though, he recognized the difference in size, attacking Caius. The first pack of wolves again. Carlisle's face. Carlisle's thoughts. "Fascinating creatures." Caius' indifference. "Disgusting." Hatred, even. The second pack of wolves again, their blood, this time. Aro carrying Caius away. More blood. The first pack. Clean fur. "Stay away." Humans now, in that same formation. A man stepping forward, brown body naked. The pack leader-

He looked at Caius, while he had known about the man's confrontation with werewolves, he was beginning to understand Caius' hatred of them. Much like Rosalie's hatred of drunks, after what had happened to her with her fiancé.

Edward didn't know if he should be understanding either hatred, though, for hatred was hatred, no matter who it was directed at.

"They would be warm to the touch," Caius said, eyes closed as though imagining the situation. "He probably wouldn't want you to touch him, though."

"He?" Edward questioned, wondering if it was a matter of preference.

"The Quilete tribe shape shifters are all male," Aro informed him. "Or they were two hundred years ago, females could have evolved since then, but I have heard that such cases are extremely rare. Next to no cases of female wolves, the majority are male."

"Then how do they," he would not stutter, "have kids with the gene?"

Caius' face expressed amusement. "Surely you know how people have kids, Edward? Carlisle must have shown you first hand, I hope."

"Of course not," Edward said immediately, allowing some of his horror to creep into his voice.

"Really?" Aro looked at him with raised brows, surprised. The last time he had touched Carlisle was a long while ago, and his gloved hands ensured that he wouldn't touch Edward accidentally –it was a courtesy for the members of the Volturi.

"No," Edward repeated. He was thankful for the fact that nobody here had his gift; they might not be able to see his embarrassment –except for Caius; Caius knew him too well—but they would have been able to read it all too clearly in his thoughts.

"Why Edward, from the colour of your face, one would assume that you were a virgin," Caius said knowingly.

Edward glared at him.

"Really, Edward? I would have thought that you would have taken care of that pesky problem a long while back," Aro said, as though his not having sex was somehow a bad thing. "I mean, the last time I touched you was," he paused, and then shook his head. "A long time ago. You really should have found somebody by now."

"Mates aren't exactly that easily to find," Edward snapped.

Caius laughed, coming out loud and unexpected. Aro only smiled slightly. "We did not meet a mate, Edward," Caius said. "Although, I am sure that I can find someone who would be willing, and, even if they are not, it does not matter, does it?" Caius shrugged, and then looked at Edward's frown, and shrugged again. "Or perhaps it does to you, although I do not claim to even begin understanding your reasoning."

Edward calmed at the words –Caius had that effect on him, although it had the opposite on most others. "I will find my mate, and then I shall be ready," he said confidently.

He didn't think it would be possible for Aro to look more amused, but he did.

Edward stalwartly ignored them for the remainder of the trip.

-|-

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