AN: Ugh, this chapter took forever to write. But I've been waiting for this chapter forever! Some of this stuff was supposed to be in the last chapter, but since I took forever to write that chapter, I decided to give it to you guys. Even though I know what's going to happen, I'm still sitting in suspense! Enjoy! Chapter takes place over multiple days.

The next few days, I didn't see much of Aro, which was slightly upsetting. But when we did see each other, it was only in passing when I was walking somewhere with one of the guard, Heidi being my frequent companion. And whenever we saw each, he'd be walking one way, and I the other. Whenever our eyes caught, he'd always smirk like he knew something I didn't. Some kind of dirty secret.

But that's not what wigged me out. We'd both be on the opposite sides of the hallway, and when he'd see me walking with Heidi, he'd subtly move closer to the middle of the hallway, and when we did pass by, our hands would graze against each other. Heidi would only laugh as I would blush, but didn't make any smart remarks.

Most of the time, I spent my time in the lounge with the guard. As the days slowly went by, I met the rest of the guard. There was Chelsea, whose gift was to manipulate relationships between people, which made me suspicious of my relationship to Aro. But Heidi reassured that our mating bond was too strong to manipulate me into submission, or so she heard it from Marcus. Then there was Chelsea's mate, Afton. "Technically, he really doesn't have anything to contribute. He's only here because Chelsea convinced Master Aro," Felix informed me.

Next was Corin, who spent her time with Caius' wife, whom I've yet to has the power of keeping people content and happy. I've learned that Marcus had a wife, who happened to be Aro's sister. Her name was Didyme, and supposedly she died under mysterious circumstances that no one knows about. Corin doesn't really come out much, as she spends most of her time with Caius' wife, who supposedly never recovered from Didyme's death.

I met Renata when Heidi and I were walking down a hallway once, and Aro was walking by. And I'm not sure if I liked her or not. Not only was she extremely beautiful, but she was following him awfully close. Whenever I saw them walking together, I refused to look at Aro. I even went out of my way to sidestep in front of Heidi to avoid touching his hand. I could tell he wanted to say something each time I did that, but I kept on walking.

Heidi only laughed as we walked through the gardens on a warm, yet cloudy day. We went shopping for clothes the day before, and thankfully, I could get anything I wanted that wasn't depressingly black."Oh honey, there's nothing to worry about. Renata's Master Aro's personal bodyguard."

"Personal?" That sounded suspicious. I looked at the multiple plants and flowers, which were originally planted by Didyme and maintained by the Volturi's human secretary, with particular interest. I found that if I distracted myself during a conversation that I found particularly agitating, I didn't get upset as easily.

"Honey, don't take it the wrong way. She's only his bodyguard because of her gift. She can divert any physical attack that comes close by putting a thought in that vampire's head to diverge their attention." Huh, that does sound a little impressive.

"But is it really necessary for her to be that close to him?!"

"If Master Aro is the only one around, then yes. Otherwise her gift can go several meters out to protect Master Marcus and Master Caius when needed." I humphed in response, not liking it at all.

The other member of the guard I became aware of was Santiago, a rather tall vampire with bronze skin and dark dreads. Like Afton, he wasn't gifted. But he possessed supernatural strength like Felix and Emmett. He didn't talk much, which made him even more imposing. There were other members of the guard, lower members, that I didn't really see much or know much.

When I wasn't in the mood to hang out with anyone, which was impossible because either Heidi or any other of the main guard followed me wherever I went, I spent my time in the library. Usually I was alone, curled up in a chair next to the fire. But other times I wasn't alone. Sometimes I'd find Marcus reading in the chair opposite from mine. We didn't talk, but his presence was strangely comforting. Much more comforting than Caius' presence whenever we passed each other in a hallway. One time I fell asleep while reading, I woke up with a blanket over me. I'm pretty sure it was Marcus.

But most of my days were spent in the lounge, either watching movies with the guard or playing video games with Felix. I don't know how many times I laughed my ass off watching him fall off of rainbow road on the N-64. Many arguments and shout matches started from these battles, with the rest of the guard either staying neutral or picking sides.

However, today I decided to sit back and relax and watch Felix and Demetri play Call of Duty while checking my email. I decided to keep my phone off me as the guys were driving me crazy. I know my phone was probably blowing up back in my room, as I only texted them once since being marooned here. Most of the emails were junk, and I almost deleted the one from Hannah. "FOUND THIS-THINKING OF YOU."

I clicked the email, only to find nothing but an attachment. Clicking on it, a separate window popped up on the screen, with the buffering icon spinning and spinning. I almost shut the laptop when a familiar voice came through the speakers. "Maggie, over here!" My heart stopped. It was Andy's voice. It was back from high school. Suddenly, I was transported back to the cafeteria of Forks High School. It was lunch time, and there at the lunch table were all my friends, with Andy presumably holding the camcorder.

Despite graduating almost 5 years ago, I was surprised at how young I looked. My hair wasn't quite as long, and-good god! Were those braces? How long ago was this? My younger self looked up, like a deer caught in headlights, before smiling shyly. This must be from freshman year. I watched in awe as my younger self joked around with herself, and I felt homesick. Not just for Forks but for simpler times. Suddenly, I felt very crowded. "Whatcha got there, pipsqueak?"

"Hey!" Felix took the laptop out of my lap as I tried to reach for it back, only for it to be in vain. "Felix, give that back!" This drew the attention of Demetri, Jane, Alec, and Heidi, who were doing their own thing in the lounge.

"No way, shorty. You've given us a gold mine. And we've completely out watched our movie collection."

"What's this?" Demetri was the first one to cluster around Felix and I. Despite my previous struggles, I continued to reach for my laptop. There was no way I was going to let them watch any of this. It was too embarrassing!

Felix only smirked at my efforts as he stood up and walked towards the tv. Oh god, he was going to hook it up. "A collection of Maggie's most embarrassing moments."

"Ooh, this I have to see."

I turned to stare at Heidi, quite shocked. "Heidi!" Seriously, I felt betrayed. Heidi became one of my closest confidantes.

"Hey, why are you so surprised? You know I'm nosey!" This was true. Everytime I picked up my phone to answer a text, Heidi would always ask me who I was texting. And it got annoying real fast. I only sighed as I took my place on a bean bag as Jane and Heidi sat above me on the couch. I grimaced as everyone muttered with excitement as Felix finished hooking up the laptop to the tv and made his way back towards the rest of us.

Then, the image changed. I was suddenly transported to my junior prom, or rather, getting ready for my junior prom at my house. I was in the bathroom, fighting for the mirror with Joss, Alana, and Monique while Hannah held the camcorder. "Move over!"

"No, you move!" I groaned, burying my head in my hands as I heard my younger self squabble with my younger friends. Much to my embarrassment, I could sense that everyone in the room was enjoying themselves at my expense. Particularly Heidi, Demetri, and Felix.

The film cut to another scene, this time my dad was holding the camcorder and my friends and I slowly descended the staircase in our dresses. "Why weren't you a pretty little thing." I blushed slightly at Demetri's sentiment. He certainly was a smooth talker!

"Demetri's right, Maggie. You certainly looked ravishing." I blushed slightly as I watched my younger self twirl for the camera, where my hair was held halfway up by a circular, crown-like braid with the lower half curled off to the side. Suddenly, the living room door opened and all of our dates came in. My heart became heavy when I saw a younger Andy come into the frame. No, stop it! Leaning forward, I brought my knees as close to me as I could and rested my chin on my knees, watching as Andy slipped my corsage on my wrist.

The scene jumped to the actual prom, the theme being an enchanted forest for that year. The place where our prom was held that year was covered, and I mean absolutely covered, in plants of various sizes and fairy lights. It was unbelievable. I had to smile at the scene, either dancing wildly with my friends or stuffing myself at the table. "Maggie, don't you think you had enough?" I had to snort. Of course it was Hannah or asked me that.

"Never!" My younger self grabbed a cookie before running off.

"Somebody stop her!" My younger self only laughed before the scene changed to my senior prom. The theme was Moulin Rouge, and there I was, in my infamous red dress. The same dress with rhinestones on the top and a slit up one side. The same dress I was wearing when I was crowned Prom Queen and making Georgiana jealous at the same time. The same dress dad almost never let me wear.

I didn't think the room could've gotten any louder, but I was wrong. "Damn, Maggie! You looked pretty hot." I grimaced at Heidi's remark, as I continued to glare at the screen, which switched to me being crowned.

"She's right, pipsqueak. Too bad Aro has dibs on you, otherwise I might've taken a shot at ya!" I grabbed a nearby pillow and threw it at Felix.

"Don't be gross!" Demetri laughed as Felix bounced the pillow off of his arm.

"I think that color looks great on you. You should wear it more often." I turned my head and gave Jane a little smile, who offered one in return. We all watched as the scene changed to a slow dance. I don't know who was filming, but they zoomed in on me and Andy dancing. Suddenly, it was like these past few days didn't matter anymore. All I could focus on was the past, which I swore didn't matter anymore.

I sat absolutely still, trying not to let my emotions get the best of me. "Honey, are you alright?" Great, now everyone was looking at me.

I nodded slightly while blinking rapidly. "Yeah." Luckily, the scene didn't last long, and soon I was watching my younger self at a cheer practice, goofing off with my friends.

"Maggie, over here." My younger self turned to look at the camera, winking and waving her pom poms before running across the field and jumping on a friend's back. I had to snort.

"You never told us you were a cheerleader." I turned and gave Felix a side eye.

"Didn't think it mattered. What's it to ya?" Felix only shrugged.

"I guess I never really took you for the type, that's all." Hold on a minute! Turning my attention away from the screen, I pivoted my body as best I could to stare at the tall vampire sitting next to Heidi.

"What's that supposed to mean?" My tone was borderline flirtatious, however, it was only for fun. These past few days, as I grew closer to the guard, I bonded with Felix first. He reminded me too much of Emmett and the guys down at the Rez for me not to bond with him. I liked him, and I could tell he liked me as well. We both flirted with each other innocently, and I could tell it drove Aro nuts. Whenever he saw Felix and I walking down a hallway, laughing about something, his eye would twitch slightly. I knew I was playing with fire, but it was hilarious.

"Aren't cheerleaders supposed to be...I don't know...snobby bitches?" I raised a brow, smirking slightly.

"I think you watch too many movies about American teenagers."

"And I think you watch too many movies about vampires." Touche my friend, touche. I returned my eyes to the screen, I found myself a little shocked at the scene. There, at a lunch table outside, sat my friends and my younger self. And my hair was short, really short. And it was a perm. Oh god. Heidi squealed.

"What did you do with your lovely hair?!" She sounded quite affronted, and it was hilarious. I had to look closer before things started to come back. Oh yeah, I remember I played Rizzo in our school production of Grease.

"Pfft, give me a break Heidi. I only did it because I didn't want to wear a wig in the musical I was in."

"I didn't know you could sing." At that point, my younger self began to sing "Look at Me I'm Sandra Dee," and I buried my head in my hands. Singing was the one thing I didn't want anyone to know about.

"You sound pretty good, pipsqueak. You should sing for us sometime."

"No."

"Aw, why not?" I didn't answer Heidi as I stubbornly kept my gaze on the tv. Things were going alright until it showed me crawling into Andy's lap, making the chair fall backwards mid-song.

"Ew, get a room you two!" My face really began to flush as I watched my younger self run off with her high school sweetheart, holding his hand as they ran in between the tables.

"Skipping class to fuck, pipsqueak?" Felix shook his head mockingly, tsking at the same time. I turned my body so fast I almost fell out of the bean bag.

"We did not fuck!" I hissed as my face began to burn again. "All we did was make out."

"Sure you did." Suddenly, the room filled with snickers and I swiftly turned back to the tv. My eyes widened as I watched my younger self come back on screen without her boyfriend, hair askew...Wait a second, was that a-

"Is that a hickey?!" I immediately deflated and shrunk into the bean bag. Of course it had to be Heidi.

"Damn, pipsqueak, didn't think you had it in you. Are you sure you guys didn't-" I don't know how, but I got up on my feet so fast that I cut off Felix mid sentence.

"That's it!" I unhooked my laptop and shut it, despite the multiple protests I heard.

"Aw come on, it was just getting good!" I rolled my eyes as Heidi whined as she attempted to grab my laptop.

"Come on, don't be that way, pipsqueak!" I knew Felix was only joking, but I had enough as I quickly left the room. This was too embarrassing. I was going to kill Hannah! As I slowly walked back to my room, my mind started to wander from thoughts of strangling my best friend for unintentionally embarrassing me to the warm and fuzzy memories I had of Andy and I.

I found myself in a daze as my pace slowed, before fully coming to a full stop. I leaned against the wall whilst looking out a window that overlooked Volterra. "Skipping class to fuck?" Felix's question irked me. Not because it was so personal but because it was bringing back memories that I wish I could forget. Memories that were warm and inviting.

I slowly started walking again, but I couldn't keep my mind from going back to the one and only time Andy and I did "fuck," as Felix subtly put it. It was back in high school, and I lied to dad about sleeping over at Hannah's. I dropped my car off at her house, where Andy picked me up and we ended up in the backseat of his car behind the football field. Cliche, I know. Almost as cliche as the moment afterwards when we crawled on top of the hood and fell asleep gazing up at the night sky.

As my mind went back to those tender moments, I subconsciously started to compare my clumsy experience with Andy to my borderline violent experiences with Marcus. With Andy, it hurt. A lot. But only because it was my first time. And despite how gentle he tried to be, the whole thing was sloppy as hell. My expectations for sex were completly squashed after that one experience.

However, my involvement with Marcus was an entirely different experience. Before I saw him for who he really was, Marcus was passionate to the point of leaving bruises on my body. The only difference was that those bruises weren't intentional like the ones when he beat me. And the passion left as quickly as it came. When he started to take advantage of me, the roughness turned into brutality. Both experiences left me never completely satisfied. My mind started to drift into the darker, hidden places where I kept my most intimate thoughts. And I slowly began to wonder what it would be like with Aro. His hands gliding over my skin ever so slowly, lighting myself on fire, despite the coolness. I started to shudder at the thought, as I bit my lip to prevent myself from moaning out loud.

I was too wrapped up in my intimate thoughts when I collided with Aro, letting out a gasp as I nearly fell backwards. If it weren't for his hands, which, thankfully, not touching my bare skin, I would've fallen on my ass. Thank the lord I was holding my laptop tightly, otherwise it would've fallen to ground, shattering. I waited until I caught my breath before I opened my eyes. And once I did, I found Aro looking down at me, with one of his smiles that made me weak in the knees.

"Didn't I tell you to be careful, Margaret?" I blushed slightly as he squeezed my shoulders slightly. The way he spoke to me when we're alone was completely different than how he talked to me when the others were around. It was so intimate, it was borderline uncomfortable. He spoke to me like we were already involved. Which technically, was true. However, we have yet to be physically intimate. And that's exactly how his tone sounded.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." That was a complete lie, and we both knew it. Aro chuckled lightly,

"And here I thought you were a good liar. The look in your eyes tells me otherwise. Now what could possibly be going through that pretty head of yours to make you wander into me?" Coming back down to earth, I wiggled out of his grip, inwardly smirking at the brief annoyance that gleamed in his own eyes.

"Excuse me, but I wouldn't have walked into you if you didn't just come out of nowhere! You need to stop scaring people." Aro only chuckled in response.

"On the contrary my dear, it is you that needs to be careful. I wouldn't want you to fall out a window." The corners of his mouth quirked slightly as he reached out and tucked a stray hair behind my ear.

"But we're nowhere near a window," I deadpanned. And not surprisingly, Aro chuckled.

"No, but you do seem to have a tendency to daydream. Of what, I can't imagine." That was a damn lie, and he knew it. The devilish smirk he gave only proved my point. He backed me up into the wall, with one arm placed above me on one side. I knew where this was heading, so I decided to tease him. As Aro leaned down towards me, I flawlessly turned the other way and slowly started walking.

I knew I must've incurred his frustration, because he was at my side in a flash. "Please, I wasn't daydreaming. Felix just annoyed me again, that's all." From the corner of my eye, I could see Aro stiffen in place, so I stopped walking. His normally charming expression hardened, and his face twitched slightly. Gotcha!

"You seem to be spending a lot of time with him, it seems." I had to stifle my laughter as Aro made no attempt to hide his displeasure. Making him jealous was more entertaining than hanging out with the guys down at the Rez.

"Well, yeah, considering you want me followed nearly everywhere I go, I kind of have to."

"I do that for your protection," he replied vehemently. "Besides, there are other members of the guard for you to spend your time with." Yikes, his tone was borderline accusatory. Better reign this in, fast.

"Relax. I do make it a habit to spend time with Heidi and the rest of them. Felix and I just happen to get along better. There's nothing for you to worry about." I was not prepared for what Aro said next.

"I could say the same for you and young Renata." I didn't have to look at him to know that he was intentionally being smug, as if to say, two can play at this game. I turned to look at him, quite furiously, only for his amusement.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Another damn lie. Whenever I saw him walking with Renata, I made it very obvious that I was upset about it.

Aro's eyes gleamed dangerously as he slowly backed me into the wall again. He chuckled darkly as he barricaded me with both arms above my head. "Oh, my dear. There's no point in lying to me now. I don't have to look inside your head to know what you're thinking. Your body language speaks for itself." He put a hand on the bony prominence of my waist, sensuously rubbing up and down, making me shiver slightly. "And right now, it's telling me you were indeed daydreaming. Care to tell me what was going on in your pretty head?"

His cheshire grin only widened as my face flushed. Shit, shit, shit! If he saw what I just thought moments before I walked into him...I wanted to open my mouth in protest, but as Aro moved his hand slowly up the side of my body, all the sass I had in me before quickly dissipated. I could feel his hand move from the side of my hip to my backside, before settling on my shoulder, just shy of my collarbone. He chuckled darkly as I bit my lip slightly, trembling as I inwardly tried to ward off his hand.

I didn't have time to react when I felt his thumb briefly settle on my collarbone. For I knew that one single touch revealed everything. I barely had time to blink when I saw Aro's eyes darken to the point where they looked onyx. And before I knew it, Aro was clutching on to me like I was about to disappear, with one hand behind my head, the other on my waist. I let out a mixture between a gasp and a moan as I felt his lips press against my collarbone, making his way up my neck, quite passionately.

My body arched into him in response, making him growel slightly. "You're not the only one, my dear," Aro whispered hoarsely. I wondered what the actual fuck he meant by that until realization hit me like a ton of bricks when he raised his head to look at me. With his forehead against mine, Aro gazed at me with a look I've never seen before. It was a look that was complete hunger and desire, a look that told me he knew exactly what I was thinking beforehand. A look that completely understood my own frustrations, and sought to relieve them.

Once again, Aro turned his head to one side, and leaned forward as he moved his hand from the back of my head to cup my face. Our noses were touching, our lips mere inches apart. "Hey pipsqueak, where are ya?" I nearly headbutted Aro as the sound of Felix's voice made me jump. Without letting me go, Aro turned his head slightly in the direction of Felix's voice, visibly annoyed to the point that he was almost angry. And to be honest, I was a bit angry myself. As much as I hated to admit it. As the sound of Felix's (or at least I presumed it was Felix) footsteps drew near, Aro turned back to look at me. He stared at me quite longingly, with a pained expression on his face, before vanishing back the way he came from.

Despite me pointing out how opulent his efforts to please me, Aro still went to great lengths to try to win my favor. Not that he actually needed that much effort to begin with.

Almost every single morning, I woke up to at least one bouquet of flowers that Heidi brought in with my breakfast. Each one came a handwritten note that started off quite innocently. But as the days went on, they slowly moved from innocent flirtations to him subtly revealing his ardent desires. And in rare mornings, they were borderline scandalous. I found myself clinging to Aro's notes that I had to stash them away to keep my sanity. Thankfully, I had the guard to keep me distracted.

Speaking of the guard, Aro made no more mention of his jealousy for my relationship with Felix. Even though it apparently still bothered him whenever he saw me walking with Felix. When I told Felix about Aro's irrational jealousy, he nearly doubled over from laughing. Overall, I was enjoying my time in Volterra, but a part of me missed home. I was terribly worried for Bella and the guys down at the Rez, especially Jake. I knew Victoria wasn't a threat for them anymore, but they put themselves in so much danger.

Eventually, I got up the nerve to call Bella, who, like Hannah, was concerned for my well being. But thankfully, she knew the whole story and didn't freak out as much as my best friend. "Are you doing ok, though? They aren't mistreating you, are they?" By they, she meant Aro.

I was laying on the soft grass, looking up at the cloudy sky in the garden, listening to the sounds of birds chirping as I talked with my sister. Not too hot, not too cold, just the way I liked it. "Nah, everybody's cool. Except Caius, he's still an asshole." Bella laughed.

"They all are." And by they, she meant Jane and the rest of the guard. I knew she was only half-joking, but I felt the need to defend my newfound friends.

"Hey now, they aren't that bad, I promise," I said as I struggled to sit up.

"How can you say that?!" I nearly fell back at my sister's choice of words. "I mean, you've seen what Jane did. They even tried to kill Edward!" Oh boy, I know where this was heading. And I'm not sure if I wanted to go there.

"Ok, I admit that what Jane did was uncalled for, but she really isn't that awful."

"Are you kidding? Did you forget what she did to Edward? And to you?" I went silent for a moment, remembering my attempted sacrifice. While I did it to save my sister, it was rather foolish. Not that I regret it, but it truly was idiotic of me.

"Of course not. To be honest, I'm still a little upset with Aro over that whole thing. But after spending a lot of time with everybody, I can already tell that there's more to them than their reputation." This was obviously the wrong answer.

"Maggie, you can't be serious! They almost killed Edward!" I rolled my eyes. Surely she can't realize if Edward wasn't acting like such a knob then he wouldn't have been in that mess. Sighing, I adjusted my sunglasses.

"Yeah, well, excuse me if I don't have any sympathy for someone who stages a dramatic event in order to get himself killed because he overreacted to a false claim." Should I feel bad about saying my opinion in front of my sister? Yes. Am I? Not in the slightest. Why should I apologize for speaking the truth?

Again, this was the wrong thing to say to Bella, who went off and said she was never going to speak to me again. In turn, I yelled, "Fine, be that way!" I hung up and threw my phone down before collapsing back on my back. Ugh! What did she even see in him, anyway? Granted, after talking with Edward in Jacksonville, I had a much better understanding of his motives and rationale. But the way she clinged on him was borderline disturbing. Whenever Edward was over or whenever I saw them outside of the house, it was like they were in their own little world.

To make matters worse, that musical chuckle I grew so accustomed to rang out from behind my stationary body. "Your sister seems rather headstrong, doesn't she?" I didn't move from my supine position on the grass as I heard Aro's voice from somewhere above or behind me.

"More like stubborn. Like, I really don't get her obsession with Edward. It's getting creepy."

"Maybe young Isabella sees something you don't." I snorted. Yeah right.

"Oh please. Don't be gross." Both of us fell silent, and I could only assume that Aro sat down on the stone bench that was not too far behind me. The same bench I found uncomfortable to sit in. It would be really nice if there was some kind of cushioned swing.

"Is there any particular reason why you're laying on the grass?" Aro asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Cloud gazing. Bella and I used to do it all the time when we were kids."

"My dear, I think you need a blue sky for that. Not an overcast sky filled with clouds."

"Not true. You can still see patterns and clouds that pop out, like...that one." I pointed up. "And the different shades of gray make the sky look cooler." Aro chuckled again.

"I forgot how imaginative you humans can be." Another silence fell between us and I suddenly felt awkward. After out almost kiss the other day and with him seeing my forbidden thoughts, I found myself skittish around him lately.

I slowly sat back up and attempted to scoot backwards until my back hit the bench. Boy, things weren't getting easier as time moved forward. And I was finding this whole pregnancy thing a huge pain in the ass. Not because I was ungrateful towards my baby, but because it was limiting my ability to move comfortably and the random cramps I've been having. Letting myself settle a bit, I unconsciously leaned my head against Aro's leg. It was only after I felt him running his fingers through my hair did I push myself up to sit on the bench, as far from him as possible.

Despite having sunglasses on, I still felt extremely shy, so I took them off. There was no point in wearing them since apparently Aro could read me like a book. I could feel his intense stare as I kept my eyes on my hands, which were folded in my lap. Even when he reached out and touched my hair, I kept my gaze forward as I raised my head slightly. "I very much like your new haircut, my dear. Short hair suits you well."

I scoffed. "Please. You only like it because my neck is fully exposed."

"While that may be so, that's not the actual reason. Your features are much more enhanced than they were before." I blushed as Aro moved closer and brushed a lock of hair behind my hair. "Although, I am rather curious as to why you cut your hair."

"Just needed a change, that's all. I was feeling overwhelmed with everything that was happening."

"Like that tedious wedding?" I froze, eyes fixed on the grass in front of me. I was waiting for him to bring that night up. I think you and I need to have a chat soon, my sweet. If I was shy before, I was downright embarrassed now.

Gritting my teeth, I scooched away from him. "Don't ever talk to me about that night again." Unfortunately for me, the bench was only so long. And soon, Aro was only inches from me.

"And why shouldn't I? You and I have so much to talk about. Particularly what goes on through that pretty head of yours," Aro grinned at me wickedly, pushing another lock of hair behind my ear. I felt my eyes flutter shut, tightening as he continued to caress my curls. Please, not now.

"Because I don't want to talk about it." I turned my body away from Aro, hugging myself tightly as I hung my head. I felt my eyes start to burn, due to the mounting embarrassment.

I felt Aro's cool hands gently pry my arms away from my body, before gently forcing my body towards his. Somehow, he managed to scoot closer to me, before gently lifting my head. "Why must you be so embarrassed, my dear? I've seen plenty of minds worse than yours." I grimaced as the fool chuckled lightly.

Upon seeing my discomfort, Aro put both of his hands at the base of my neck, thumbs grazing my skin. "Despite what you may think, your mind is perhaps the most beautiful one I have ever seen. You have nothing to be ashamed about, considering your desires are mine."

I opened my mouth to protest, to deny everything he's said. But nothing came out, for we both knew he was right. Aro looked at me, not with his usual desirous gaze, but with a more tender look. And once again, we found ourselves close together. Aro leaned down, letting his forehead rest on mine as one of his hands cupped my face.

I shivered slightly as his thumb gently brushed my lips before it returned to the side of my face. Our noses touched as Aro brought me closer to him by cupping both sides of my face. "Beautiful." I let my eyes flutter shut as I prepared for the inevitable. Something that I've been fighting the urge to do myself. Despite the many interruptions, despite the inner battle inside me that told me to suppress my feelings, I longed for this. I craved to feel his lips on mine. I long to welcome the new set of frustrations that would come after we kissed.

"I thought I'd find you out here, Aro." Damn it! A soft, but refined voice forced us to pull apart. And for a split second, I thought Aro was going to snap. He hungrily gazed at my lips for a moment before turning to look behind us. Given the fact that we were interrupted so many times already, I thought he would look pissed. But to my surprise, that charming grin of his returned to his face.

Letting go of me, Aro rose from the bench and walked towards a rather thin looking woman with ashy blonde hair and skin that resembled powder. Her prominent bony features in her face made her appear like she swallowed a lemon. Or she just seemed timid. She was wearing a long, black Victorian styled gown that had a spidery lace pattern and brass buttons that went up to her neck. This must be Caius' wife. "Ah, Athenodora. How lovely it is to see you again." He greeted her with a kiss on both sides of her face, and I had to control myself as I slowly stood up. Not in America. Not in America. Not in America! "What brings you down from the tower, my dear?" Stop it, stop it, stop it!

"Caius needs you. The Romanians are causing trouble again." The willowy blonde kept her gaze on me as Aro sighed and rubbed his temples. Like her husband, Athenodora was imposing.

However, there was a difference between the two. Caius was imposing in a menacing way. Athenodora was shrouded in a veil of mystery, a veil that seemed impregnable. I tried to hide my nervousness as she slowly took a step towards me. Cradling my bump, I felt myself beginning to lean back on my heels, slowly rocking back and forth. "I've also come to meet the young lady who sassed my husband. Corin has told me so many things she's heard from the rest of the guard."

If I wasn't nervous before, I was now. I stopped rocking on my heels and hugged myself as she continued to stare at me with calculating eyes. Aro turned back to look at me with a slightly worried expression on his face before slowly making his way over to me. He gently put an arm around my shoulders before leaning down to whisper in my ear. "Don't be afraid. She's been wanting to meet you." Yeah, right.

Still holding onto me, Aro slowly led me to where the elegant yet mysterious vampire stood. As we got closer to her, I noticed she wore her hair in a very extravagant chignon updo that was parted down the middle, with a few thick strands that hung loosely from the sides of her head. Soon, I was standing face to face in front of the elusive Athenodora. She was maybe only a few inches taller than me. Then again, she could have been wearing heels. "My dear, this is Athenodora, Caius' wife. Athenodora, this is young Margaret. For now, she'll be staying with us for a short while."

I heard that. Don't think I don't know what you meant by that. I gave Aro a pointed look from the corners of my eye, which he purposely ignored as he squeezed my shoulders. I returned my gaze to the willowy vampire in front of me, whom, to my surprise, regarded me with great interest. I was about to open my mouth to say something when Athenodora grabbed my hand and held it between hers, her ruby eyes sparkling. "Why, I've never seen eyes that blue before! Are you sure they're not contacts?"

I was startled by her sudden enthusiasm. Her demeanor was very frigid only moments ago. Laughing nervously, I wriggled out of Aro's grip. "No...No. They're real. Don't ask me how. I mean, my mom has blue eyes, but not as dark as mine. My dad's dark eyes must've fused with hers." The corners of her mouth quirked up slightly. I gasped and jumped back slightly as Athenodora leaned closer to get a good look. A little too close. Aro lifted a hand to stop her but brought it to his mouth when he realized it was too late.

"They are so pretty! I'm so jealous," she exclaimed as she pulled away. "It's a shame that you won't have them for much longer." Wait, what?! My eyes widened, as did Aro's. I couldn't tell who's were bigger at the moment. But that didn't matter right now. What mattered was what the actual fuck she meant by that? Was Aro planning on turning me into a vampire so soon?!

"Huh?" My eyes flickered in fear back and forth between Aro and Athenodora. Aro was a mixture of fury and apprehension, while Athenodora remained unbaffled.

I didn't have time to blink as Aro stepped in front of me. "You promised you would behave." From all my interactions with him, I could tell that Aro was able to hide his emotions easily, not letting his anger get the best of him, like Caius. However, there were times where his anger was subtly evident in his charismatic demeanor. And this was one of those times.

Athenodora casually brushed him aside with a hand, and I must say that despite how shocked and betrayed I was at this revelation, I will never get tired of seeing Aro so miffed. "I promised you nothing. You are not my husband." Fucking burn. I nearly let out a laugh as Athenodora gave me a subtle wink, which did not go unnoticed by Aro, who's face twitched slightly. 'And besides," she strolled over to me with great confidence. I flinched slightly as she placed a cold hand on my shoulder, watching her turn and stare at Aro quite smugly. "I'm only stating the obvious. This young lady has beautiful eyes. You should think twice about keeping them around a bit longer." I blushed as my eyes found Aro's, which were filled with something I had never seen before. Instead of offering a rebuttal like he normally does, Aro fell silent as he probed me with his eyes. Athenodora watched with a knowing look and stepped back as Aro slowly stepped towards me, his eyes never leaving mine.

Once again, I found myself staring up at Aro, with my bump separating us as we stood toe to toe. For only the second time in my life, I saw regret in Aro's eyes. I wasn't anticipating what happened next. "I need to go see Caius now, sweetheart. I'll come see you later." Sweetheart? Since when did he start calling me that? He leaned down and kissed my forehead gently and looked at me for a moment before disappearing once more.

After he had disappeared, I subconsciously reached up and touched my forehead. Staring at the spot where Aro stood, I could feel myself dangling off the precipice of desire as I felt the dynamic shift, quite drastically.

"Aren't you going to eat, sweetheart? Your dinner will get cold." Recently, Aro's been joining me for dinner. Or rather, he just conveniently shows up right after Heidi brings me my food. Then he just makes himself at home, making it awkward for me to eat.

"No, this is weird," I said as I stared at my pasta before me. It truly was weird. I have a phobia of eating things in front of others while they're not eating.

Aro chuckled. "Pray tell, how is this weird?"

"It's a human thing, I guess. Like whenever I go out to eat with Bella or one of my friend's, sometimes one of us will get our food before anyone else does. And that person usually is me," I chuckled nervously. "And I just don't feel right eating in front of other people! It makes me feel uncomfortable because I feel guilty that I have food and they don't."

Aro chuckled once more. "Humans never cease to amaze me. Especially you, my dear." I stopped poking my food with the fork in my hand and lifted my head to look at Aro, who was leaning forward slightly while resting his chin in the palm of his hand. I felt my face burn as his eyes probed me once more, before I quickly returned my gaze to my untouched plate. "Would it make you feel better if I joined you?"

I was just about to take a bite when he said that. "What?" It only took me seconds for me to process what Aro had said. I let my fork drop to the plate and pulled a face at Aro after realizing what he meant. "Please don't. That's disgusting!" The bastard only chuckled.

"Why is it? I have to eat as well."

"Feed. You mean feed. There's a difference. And besides, I really can't stand the site of blood," I made a face as Aro chuckled a little darkly.

"My dear, you do realize what we are? What I am?" I swore I saw humor and mischief gleam in Aro's eyes as he smirked at me.

"I do, but you're talking to a girl who almost passed out in junior year biology when we did blood typing." I shuddered at the memory, recalling how I slipped off the metal stool, nearly hitting my head on the floor as I attempted to grab the lab table.

"May I?" Aro offered his hand, which I stared at uneasily. I didn't want him to see any of my embarrassing moments, and this particular memory was one of them. My eyes flitted back and forth between Aro's hand and his eyes, which sparkled quite mischievously. Normally, I wouldn't have been so lenient with him going through my memories. But now…

I slowly gave Aro my hand, which he took eagerly. Closing my eyes, I let myself travel back to junior year biology.

*Flashback*

I was sitting at a table with Hannah, nervously pulling at the sleeves of my sweater. Today was the day Mr. Molina was having us figure out our blood type. By ourselves with a lancet. I knew about this lab activity for weeks, thanks to the class syllabus. But I was still nervous. "Dude, are you ok?" I turned to look at my best friend, who seemed oblivious to my phobia.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You look really pale. Did you drink enough water this morning?" Nope. Before I could answer, Mr. Molina walked in the room, trying to carry a few cardboard boxes.

"Ok guys, I want you all to take one piece from each box," he said as he set said boxes down on a table, telling a girl named Avery to start passing the boxes around the room. Pulling out a pair of rubber gloves from his lab coat, Mr. Molina snapped them onto his hands. The sound of rubbing gloves hitting human flesh was quite unsettling, and a shiver went up my spine. "The first should be an indicator card. The second is a four-pronged applicator. And the third is a sterile micro-lancet." Mr. Molina held each object up as he announced them.

I could feel my insides churning as he held up the micro-lancet, even though the barb was invisible from view. I instinctively hugged myself around my stomach, trying not to double over. I've always been afraid of needles, or any sharp thing for that matter. I remember when I was younger I accidentally stepped on a rusty nail, and dad had to bring me to the hospital to get a tetanus shot. Both were completely agonizing and I screeched like a banshee. "Hey," Hannah put a hand on my arm, and I nearly jumped out of my seat. "Are you sure you're ok? Do you want me to take you to the nurse?"

I shook my head fervently as Mr. Molina came around with a dropper filled with water. "I'm coming around with a dropper to prepare your cards. Please don't start until I get to you." Deep breaths, Maggie. It'll be alright! "Once I put water in each of the squares, carefully prick your finger with the lancet." He grabbed Avery's hand and thrusted the spike into the tip of one of her fingers. Shit, shit shit!

I could feel myself starting to sweat, despite wearing a lightweight sweater. Without thinking about it, I started to rock back and forth on my stool, biting my lip to the point where it almost started to bleed. "You don't look so good. Are you sure you want to do this? I'm sure Mr. Molina would let you slide on this." I ignored Hannah as I watched our teacher squeeze Avery's finger gently until blood started gushing from her finger. I could feel air get caught halfway in my trachea, and I almost choked.

"Once you put a small drop on each of the prongs, apply it to the card. Just a reminder that the Red Cross is having a blood drive in Port Angeles next weekend. If you're not 18 yet, I have permission slips on my desk." Finally, Mr. Molina arrived at our table and placed droplets in the squares. I watched as Hannah used the lancet and squeezed her finger.

All of a sudden, the stench of rust and salt made its way to my nose, and I had to swallow the bile that immediately started to rise in my throat. Hannah turned to look at me, her face immediately filling with worry and fear. "Maggie, are you alright? Seriously, do you need to go to the nurse?" Upon hearing this, other kids turned to look at us, and I froze. This can't be happening. "Here, do you want me to do it for you?"

Before I could answer her, she grabbed my hand and jammed the lancet into my finger and squeezed it. Once I saw blood coming from my finger, I had enough. I needed to get out of here. Letting out a gasp, I stood up from my stool, wanting to quickly walk out of the classroom. However, I must have stood up too quickly because I nearly tripped over my own feet. Instinctively, my arms flailed forward and I managed to latch onto the table top as I felt myself slide to the floor.

*End Flashback*

"All of that over a small drop of blood?" The corners of Aro's lips quirked up as I pulled my hand away from his, shaking it like I just got burnt. "My dear, that was quite the overreaction." I lifted my head and glared at the grinning idiot sitting across from me.

"Excuse me, no it wasn't! I absolutely cannot stand the sight or smell of blood and I hate sharp objects! When I was a little girl I stepped on a rusty nail. In middle school, I personally saw another kid get his skull cracked open during a fight at recess. And in freshman year, my friend convinced me to watch The Silence of the Lambs at a sleepover when her parents were sleeping! So I'm glad to know that my traumatic experiences entertains you and makes you laugh."

"Margaret, I'm not laughing at your 'unfortunate' circumstances. I'm laughing at the irony of you being frightened over the sight of blood while being mated with a vampire. I would hope that your misguided fears won't stop you from becoming one yourself." And there it was, the elephant in the room. I watched as Aro's grin fell as I sat back in my chair and froze.

"So Athenodora was right. You do want to turn me."

"Sweetheart, it's not like that." Oh, this again. I was genuinely curious on why he started calling me that. Usually he uses some Italian term of endearment. This just seemed so out of character for him. Unless it was because of the massive change in the dynamic of our relationship. Aro reached out to grab my hand, but I tore it away from him, betrayed. "While it is my wish for you to become a vampire, I do not want to turn you against your wishes."

I scoffed. "That's not what was implied earlier, but ok."

"Please don't roll your eyes at me, Margaret. It's getting tiresome." I inwardly laughed as I tried to bite back a smirk, which luckily, went unnoticed by Aro. "Yes, it's true that Athenodora should not have said the way she said it. But she didn't mean no harm. When she found out about you, she was adamant about keeping you human, even after you have your baby." I stared at him with a look of disbelief while wanting to believe him at the same time. He slowly stood up from the chair he was sitting in and made his way over to me. Once standing in front of me, Aro offered me his hand. "Come with me, sweetheart. I have something to show you."

I stared at his outstretched hand, wondering if I should take it. A few months ago, I would have straight up refused. But now, I was anxiously awaiting every touch, even if it meant Aro could read my thoughts. Blinking, I slowly reached out and grabbed his hand, which was surprisingly smooth. And strong. I thought with my ever growing bump it would have been hard for the both of us. But I underestimated the strength he had as a vampire.

He slowly led me over to where my closet was, except it wasn't the same wall. Or was it? Gah, my hatred for secret doors just intensified! I watched as Aro easily managed to find the handle. "Really? Another secret door?"

Aro turned his head and smiled at me slightly. "You'd be surprised how many we have of those around here. They can be quite useful when there's a war going on outside."

"It sounds like you know a lot about that."

"My dear, you don't know the half of it." I waited for him to elaborate, but he never did. Before I could react, my vision suddenly went dark as Aro blindfolded me.

"Seriously? Is this really necessary?" The bastard only chuckled.

"As necessary as the air you breathe. We wouldn't want to ruin the surprise, now would we?" And he had the gall to call me over dramatic before. Another surprise? Really? I can't wait to see what obnoxiously opulent gift he has this time.

"That sounds kinky." Before I knew it, Aro pressed himself against me from the behind. No pun intended. His lips were on my neck as both of his hands gripped my waist, with one of them sensually going up and down my side.

"Be careful my dear. We're not in front of the others like we were before." I could feel him smirk against my skin as I shivered slightly.. Aro squeezed my shoulders gently before releasing me. I heard a click as he opened the panel/hidden door. Grabbing my hands gently, Aro led me for a short distance before stopping. "Whatever you do my dear, keep your eyes closed."What for? You already have my eyes covered. I scoffed as Aro moved to remove the blindfold. Unfortunately, he heard me while he was undoing the blindfold and settled his hands against my neck. "What did I say about rolling your eyes at me, Margaret?" How did he know? Geeze, nothing makes it past this man.

I felt the fabric pull away from my face as I kept my eyes scrunched tight, just as Aro told me to. However, I was unsure when I could open my eyes, so I just stood in place for what seemed like an eternity. After a while, Aro chuckled. "You know you can open your eyes now, my dear."

"I don't want to. I'm scared."

"What is there to be scared of?" Aro asked, with a hint of amusement in his voice. Did he find everything that made me uncomfortable amusing?

"Because I know this surprise is going to be just like all the other surprises you've given me: opulent and over the top." The fool only chuckled.

"I think, my dear, you may be pleasantly surprised this time around." And that just confirmed that this was another opulent and over the top gift. I inwardly sighed before I slowly opened my eyes. However, as soon as my eyes adjusted, they almost fell out of their sockets. In front of me stood a well-decorated nursery. It wasn't as big as my room, but it was cozy enough. The walls were a soft yellow with white molding on the top and bottom. On one side of the room was a very beautiful, white crib with baby blue upholstery with a matching blue and white crib skirt. It sat beneath a white canopy.

Near the crib was a very cozy rocking chair, with a foot stool. There was also a changing table, baby mobile, dresser, and a few plush toys. I felt my heart melt and my breath get caught in my trachea as I slowly made my way over to the crib, letting my hand slowly glide over the smooth wood. "I had Heidi design and put everything together. It's only partially finished, of course. I expect you would want to change things once the baby is born." I opened my mouth to say something, but the only thing that came out was a choked back sob. Blinking furiously, I slowly turned to look back at Aro. Without thinking, I walked over and threw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck. As I buried my face into his chest, Aro immediately wrapped his arms around my waist, or lack thereof, and rested his chin upon my head. "I take it you like it, sweetheart?"

I muttered "yes" as I continued to hold back tears. There were truly no other words to describe what I was feeling. This was probably the sweetest thing he has ever done. "Thank you," I whispered hoarsely. "I love it."

"And I love you, mia tesoro." I froze. Did he really just say what I thought he said? No, it's too early! Please don't push that on me!

We stood in silence for a few moments, still holding each other close. "I hope you don't expect me to return the favor." Another silence.

"No, but one day you will. I can see it in those beautiful eyes of yours. Your feelings for me are becoming more apparent. I don't need Chelsea to help me with that." I said nothing as I felt him bury his own face in my hair, humming slightly. Smart ass, I thought. But I knew deep down he was right. I was just too afraid to admit it to myself.

One day, I was coming back from sitting outside. It was a beautiful day, a rare one where the sun was present without any clouds. Because of this, neither member of the guard came out with me, even though we were perfectly hidden from other human eyes.

I was curious to what vampires actually looked like in the sun, as I really didn't buy Bella's story about sparkling in the sun. I tried to get one of them to come out with me, to test the theory, but to no avail.

On this particular day, I was growing extremely uncomfortable. Not only from the heat but because I was feeling mild cramping in the lower part of my abdomen, so I decided to head back inside for a nap. Once inside, I leaned against the cool stone and let my eyes close, finally glad to be out of the warm, Italian sun.

Once recovered, I stretched slightly and proceeded to walk back to my room. Only I forgot how to get there. And surprisingly, none of the guard was there. Not even Heidi, who became one of my closest confidants. Shrugging my shoulders, I picked a direction and slowly moved down the hallway. I thought it was funny, that despite walking through the same halls constantly, I still haven't can't remember how to get somewhere. I guess I was just too dependent on the guard.I felt like I was going in circles.

As I made my way through the halls, which was more creepy when I was alone, I thought back on my time here. It's been at least a good two and a half weeks, and despite my protests that fell on Carlisle's deaf ears, I found myself enjoying it all. Mostly the company of the guard. And while Athenodora didn't venture out from the tower that much, I saw her on occasion. She always made an effort to stop me whenever we saw each other. According to her, she wanted to bond with her new "sister." As creepy as that was, I still enjoyed my time with her. Most of my time with her was spent in the art room watching her and Jane doing whatever. They tried to get me to join, but I declined, seeing that I didn't want to embarrass myself.

But whose company I most cherished and looked forward to was Aro's, as much as I hated to admit. Spending time with him was different than spending time with the guard, mainly because we were alone. At first it was awkward, but I grew more comfortable as the days passed by. And because he made me laugh. Most of the time we sat in my room and talked, but if it was a cloudy day, we'd walk through the garden, and he'd hold my hand. Then there would be times where I'd be reading a book and he'd just stare at me, which I found unnerving. "What are you staring at?" I'd ask with humor and disbelief in my voice.

And he'd say something cheesy such as, "Something beautiful," and I blush before burying my face in the book again. As each day passed, my feelings for Aro got stronger, despite my efforts to squish them. It was inevitable that there would be some sort of physical contact between us every time we spent together. Whether it being him holding my hand, a soft kiss on the forehead, or his foot "accidentally" hitting mine when we were sitting across from each other. Whenever there was physical contact, I'd always mask my feelings from his gift by playing a random song in my head, something that was completely non-romantic. However, this strategy failed as my mind would automatically shift in the opposite direction and play songs like "Love Me Tender," "Goodnight, Sweetheart,Goodnight," and "I Only Want to be With You." Needless to say, Aro was slowly getting the upper hand in our little game, as evident by his cheshire cat grin that appears on his face every time my mind failed to block itself. Thankfully, he said nothing of it.

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I didn't even notice that I ended up in the hallway that led to the throne room. I don't know why, but this hallway creeped me out more than the other hallways in this place. "Heidi? Jane? Felix? Come on guys, this isn't funny." It really wasn't. I've always had at least one member of the guard with me or nearby.

A sense of foreboding went down my spine as I carefully walked down the hallway. Not too far from the throne room, I nearly tripped on something that lay discarded on the ground. I furrowed my eyebrows as I bent down to get a better look. However, I nearly fell on my knees as I realized what it was: a teddy bear. No, absolutely not. Please, not this! After realizing where it came from, I wanted to throw up. I hugged the bear to my chest, squeezing it tight, in memory of the lost child.

Sadness turned into anger as I felt my face harden. I needed to speak with Aro, whether he liked it or not. Slowly, I stood back up and continued to walk towards the throne room, ready to give that bastard a piece of my mind. However, before I could get there I ran into Heidi, Demetri, and Felix. The last two were carrying what looked like dead bodies on a stretcher. Oh god! I've never smelled a decomposing body before now, and it was absolutely retched. I pulled a face and pressed myself against the wall. "Hey shorty, what are you doing here?" Felix sounded nervous as he tried to hide the body pile from my view.

All three of them looked nervous, like they've been hiding a dirty little secret. Heidi was the most nervous of them all as she wrung her hands. I stared at them in disbelief, trying to avoid the dead bodies that lay on the stretcher. "What am I-What am I doing here? Where the hell have you three been? I came back inside to go back to my room but no one was there. I got lost and found my way here.

"Maggie, we didn't know you'd be coming back inside so early. It was time for us to feed and-" My eyes closed in annoyance as I held a hand to silence Heidi.

"Yeah, I can gather that," I nodded to the pile of dead bodies that Demetri and Felix tried so desperately to hide the slowly rotting corpses. "Never mind. Is Aro in there?" I nodded to the partially open throne room, holding the teddy bear up in the air to emphasize my point. Heidi's eyes went wide as Demtri and Felix awkwardly looked away. "Were there any children in this group, Heidi?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at her.

Heidi hesitated. Aha! Gotcha! "I don't think that now's the best time to talk with Master Aro-" Screw that! I pushed past her as I made my way to the throne room. Neither Demetri or Felix made an effort to stop me as I burst through the doors. They, like Heidi, merely followed me as I stopped dead in my tracks.

There before me was a sight like no other. Human corpses lay strewn across the marble floor, blood pooling beneath their bodies. Other members of the guard were slowly cleaning up the grotesque scene as I let my eyes slowly move across the floor. My heart shattered when I came across a few children, and I put an arm around my bump. I let out a choked sob, which caught the attention of Aro. "My dear, you shouldn't be in here." My eyes zoomed on a nervous looking Aro before they narrowed. Yeah, you better be nervous. Asshole. While taking a deep breath, I carefully avoided stepping on any dead body or stepping in a massive pool of blood. Did I mention I wasn't wearing any shoes? I haven't been wearing any lately as the coolness of the floors made it easier on my feet. However, it was inevitable that I stepped in small amounts of blood. But at this point, I didn't care.

Not taking my eyes off Aro, who was becoming more weary by the minute, I finally came face to face with the vampire in question. The room fell completely silent as Aro and I stared at each other. However, unlike my second arrival in Volterra, no sexual tension was present. It was complete anger. "Children, Aro? Really?" I made no attempt to hide the disgust in my voice as I shoved the bear in his face, which he naturally deflected.

"My dear, I have no control over the humans Heidi brings to us." He tried to put a hand on my face, but I flinched harshly.

"Don't touch me!" Aro's eyes widened, shocked that I would openly defy him. "And don't give me that excuse. It's not like you tell her not to." My eyes started to burn, and I blinked furiously from letting any tears fall. Which had little to no success. "They're innocent children, Aro! They have done absolutely nothing! None of these people did."

"My dear, we have to feed. And we cannot feed on humans that live in Volterra. Heidi does what she has to in order to bring humans to us. It's not our fault the humans bring their children." Taking a step back, my eyes widened. I couldn't believe how dismissive he was being! Aro took another step towards me, his face twitching in annoyance.

"I can't believe you! You're nothing but a monster, and I never want you near my baby and-" I was cut off mid-sentence when a familiar face emerged from the sea of corpses. Despite being drained of life and all personality, or lack thereof, Georgiana's body lay among the corpses. I slowly walked away from Aro, who's eyes I could feel burning a hole in the back of my head, and stopped mere inches away from her head.

Staring at the corpse of my high school nemesis brought on weird feelings. One on hand, my younger self would feel elated about Georgiana getting her kemumpance. Yes, I was horrible in high school too, but who wasn't. We all have our dark sides. But on the other hand, looking at her decomposing plastic body with her eyes rolled back into her head made me feel strange. I neither felt happiness or sadness. I remembered talking with Andy before the wedding, and how he casually mentioned that Georgiana wanted to add Volterra to their honeymoon itinerary. But if she's here, then that means...Oh no. Please!

I dared to let my eyes wander, and I nearly collapsed on the floor as I let out a cry. There before me, lying in a deep pool of blood, was my first love. My high school sweetheart. Someone who'd I'd always consider a friend. Oh god, no! I collapsed on my knees beside Andy's head. Thankfully his eyes were closed. Andy, you idiot, I told you not to come here! I slowly raised a hand and let it caress his now cold face. If I was hiding tears before, I made no attempt to do so now. A steady stream of tears fell down my face as I shook violently. Not caring who was watching, I leaned down and kissed Andy on the lips, not caring if there was blood or not.

I let my hands explore his pockets, and I found his wallet. Opening it gently, I found something I never expected to find. Especially not after his wedding. It was an old polaroid of us back in high school. It was taken at La Push, Andy was sitting on one of the logs with me standing/bending behind him with my arms wrapped around his neck. I gently smiled at the photo before letting out another sob. "Damn it!" I probably startled everybody in the room, but I didn't care. "For once in your life, why couldn't you listen to me! I told you not to come here, and yet you did anyway. Andy, you idiot!"

I continued to sob over his body as I felt a cool hand press firmly on my shoulder. I had no doubt about whose hand it was. Clouded with rage, I slowly stood up from the floor, not caring that I had blood on my knees or hands. I didn't say anything to Aro as I turned to face him. Like I said before, he was very good at not letting any emotions show. But it was very clear that he was getting upset with me. Not that I gave a damn. I stared at him for a moment before attempting to hit him with my balled up fists. Unfortunately for me, he was able to grab both of my wrists thanks to his catlike reflexes. And unfortunately for me, he made no effort to soften his grip. "Let go of me." My voice dripped with venom, which only annoyed Aro further.

"No. I will not let you go until you calm down." There was something so eerie about his calm, but edgy voice. I snorted.

"Oh that's rich, coming from you! Just the other day you claimed you wanted to protect me and that no man should ever put his hands on a woman. And yet, here you are, hurting me. Some man you are. You're pathetic and I hate you!" Something inside me told me I was going to regret what I said, but I didn't care. My bravado slipped slightly as I heard him growl, and for a mere moment, I was frightened. Thankfully, he loosened his grip on my wrists.

"My dear, you need your rest. I would strongly advise you to do so. Now." I continued to glare at Aro as he nodded for Felix, who gently placed his hands on my shoulders.

"Shorty, come on. This is not where you want to be right now." I stared at Aro, who stared back with equal intensity. Glaring at him one more time, I picked up the teddy bear I had thrown and swiftly turned on my heels and followed Felix.

All I could do was cry for the next few days. It hurt so bad, my sobs shook me to the core. I didn't care who could hear me. Thankfully, the crying only lasted a short duration. Then it turned to an eerie silence. Whenever Heidi or any other member of the guard tried to come check on me, I'd yell at them to go away.

However, whenever I was walking the halls, I barely saw Aro anymore. If I did, we'd walk past each other without a second glance. I vaguely remember him coming to see me hours after our fight, but we'd only stare at each other before I would turn away, not showing interest in him whatsoever. He made no attempts to see me after that.

I still ate of course, but not for me. If it weren't for my baby, I might've not been eating at all. I slept with the teddy bear every night, aching for something to hold. The devil on my shoulder kept repeating that I didn't deserve my baby. And maybe she was right. Let's face it, I was a complete wreck.

I wanted to call Hannah, but what was I supposed to say? Sorry, I haven't called because I saw one of our friends die? Boy, some conversation that would be. I wanted to call Bella, but we weren't speaking either. And I felt awful. Multiple times I wrote a text before deleting it, debating if she would even answer. After days of wallowing in pity I finally plucked up the courage and wrote a short, but apologetic text. However, I turned my sound off so I wouldn't hear it ping.

That same day, I finally decided to come out of my room, hoping I might run into Athenodora. I missed her, and craved her advice. As I walked through the halls however, I did not run into Athenodora. I ran into the last person I wanted to see: Aro. We both stopped dead in our tracks, like we were both deer in headlights. However, we weren't standing so close like before.

We stared at each other, neither one of us willing to back down. However, Aro broke the silence. "And just where do you think you're going, my dear?" His voice was hard, not having the same tenderness he always spoke with whenever we were alone. I narrowed my eyes slightly.

"I'm going out. I need some fresh air. Or did you forget I'm not some bird you can keep in a gilded cage?" His face twitched, but said nothing.

"And pray tell me why you can't take a walk in the gardens where I can keep an eye on you?" Oh hell no, he did not just say that. I took a few steps closer to him, but stopped when I felt close enough, narrowing my eyes.

"I was under the impression that I could go out as long as I had one of the guard with me. Or was that another lie?" A hint of danger flickered in Aro's now bright red eyes, but it passed. Waiting for his rebuttal, I was surprised he only sighed.

"Fine. But you will take one of the guard with you and be back before the sun goes down, or I will come get you myself. Do you understand me, Margaret?" His palms twitched, and I can tell he wanted to have some sort of physical contact, but I stepped back slightly. I nodded stiffly, not wanting to provoke him any further. "Good." And with that, he was gone.

I managed to get Heidi to come with me, who said she wanted to do some shopping anyways. It was a sunny day, so she wore her scarf, sunglasses, and glove, and we chatted amicably as we walked the streets of Volterra. However, I could tell she was definitely avoiding the elephant in the room, which was my fight with Aro. I could also tell that she wanted to talk about it, but the look on my face told her she knew better.

We outside at a small cafe, with her rummaging through the various bags she had and I eating my strawberry gelato. Somehow I regretted asking Heidi to go with me, as the chatter became quite stagnant. It eventually turned to the elephant in the room, and I quickly looked for a way out of the conversation. I brought up the fact that I haven't done any shopping yet, and Heidi grabbed for my wrist so fast I'm surprised it didn't break. I let her drag me through the streets of Volterra until she finally found a shop she liked. As she got lost in her own shopping, I eyed the exit, which was open to let in the cool breeze.

I waited until Heidi was in the dressing room to make my escape. However, once outdoors, I had no idea where to go. As it appeared we were far from the square where Edward almost got himself killed. So I picked a direction and casually walked through the streets. I found an alleyway that was similar to the one where Alice drove through only a few months ago, and decided to go down it as it was less crowded.

The people started to thin out as I slowly made my way to the outskirts. I found the spot where Alice parked that obscenely yellow Porsche, and leaned against the tree, savoring the shade. And that's when I heard it. Someone calling my name, like a whisper in the wind. It sounded so familiar, yet I didn't recognize it. Opening my eyes, I took in my surroundings, but didn't see anything. There it was again. Shaking my head, I closed my eyes again, blaming it on my insomnia. Most nights I've been having nightmares, many of which Aro appeared in. Aro. Damn him! Sighing, I opened my eyes, wanting to distract myself from the vampire in question. However, in front of me was someone whom I thought I'd never see again. Someone whom I believed to be dead. "Marcus?" Before I knew it, everything went black as I fell to the ground.

AN: Boy oh boy, did things turn ugly fast. I told you things were going to happen in this chapter. These two just can't catch a break, can they? They need to work on their issues, pronto! Anyway, I'm going to take a break before starting the next chapter. This chapter I think is the longest one I've ever written. 47 pages in Google Docs! However, the next chapter will be shorter, but a lot more darker. You have been warned.