Without Her

3rd p.o.v

Marcus dropped into his chair, an utterly bored expression on his face. Nothing was interesting without Didyme. Prattling Aro could not hold his attention, and while he resembled his sister, he was not her. Caius was coldblooded, and his violent temperament was nothing more than irritating to Marcus. For the first time in a long while, he was absolutely alone, but still, he was not satisfied. Only wonderful, breathtaking, Didyme could bring a smile to his face. Even though she was gone, the memories of her remained painfully, vividly, clear.

The way her lips felt against his, sweet and innocent…

The sound of her laugh, how it used to send tingles down his spine…

How her hair smelled, a crisp, fresh scent that reminded him of sunshine…

The memory of her was the only thing that mattered anymore. Marcus was only there because his bonds to the Volturi were strengthened by Renata. He had no doubt of that, although he had never discussed it with anyone. Aro's ambition was evidence enough for him, and in his place Marcus would have done the same. The fact that Aro had not said anything, upon reading Marcus's mind only strengthened the idea. If it was false, surely Aro would have mentioned it by now.

The dreamlike memories he often reviewed seemed more real to him than anything else. Maybe because he hadn't really been living until she'd arrived in his life. Now that she was gone, time didn't seem to pass for him. It was like one dreadful moment that was being drawn out for far too long. Everything just felt like a nightmarish dream. Over and over he saw her face, heard her words, and felt her touch. Memories so exact that every time they ended, it felt like he was loosing Didyme all over again.

/"It's lovely to meet you, Marcus!" She sang, her voice burbling with laughter. Being around her was unusual, he couldn't help but think. Aro had warned him that his little sister had a strange effect on the people she met, but the way she made him want to laugh at nothing in particular and smile just because he could wasn't something he had been expecting.

"Lovely to meet you as well," he said, offering her a small polite smile. The girl was a charmer, that was for sure. If her beauty didn't draw a being in, her personality would. He wondered if the girl had ever frowned in her life, and at that moment, it seemed impossible.

The way her hair fell, draping across her shoulders in soft curls was far too alluring for Marcus's liking. She just might be his downfall, he thought wryly. Anyone who could make a man feel as happy as this was truly dangerous…/

He sighed, pulling out of the memory. How right he had been, at the first meeting. The love of his life had been his ruin, or at least, her death was. Sure, everything was wonderful at first glance. He was perhaps one of the most powerful vampires in the world, had subjects that practically worshiped him, and a beautiful house that came with a steady supply of food. But without Didyme, it meant nothing to him.

/He watched her face, a puzzled expression on his. How could she love him? It must be Aro, putting her up to this. After all, how could she fall for boring Marcus? Other men, far more handsome and interesting had tried to steal her heart, but she'd rejected them all. There was no easy way to know for sure, he couldn't see any relationships that directly related to him. Ignoring his own feelings of sheer joy, he sighed and took the high road.

"You don't have to do this Didyme, Aro shouldn't use you as a bargaining chip."

"Oh Marcus…" She said, a soft smile gracing her lips just for him. "You can be so silly sometimes."

"Silly?" Marcus had asked, before he had been cut off by Didyme's impulsive lips.

"There. Do you see now? I love you Marcus. I understand… if you don't love me." She said, the last bit coming out broken.

"Oh." He said slowly. "I see." Frantically he tired to think of something better to say, something that wouldn't make him sound like a bumbling idiot. Words really weren't of use to him at that moment (what with the ability to form coherent thoughts lost), so Marcus did the only thing he could think of. He leaned forward and kissed her like he'd always wanted to./

That day had been the happiest of his existence. As their relationship grew, Didyme began to take up more and more of his life. The thoughts of domination and power were slowly erased by the overwhelming amount of love he felt for Didyme. It was like an unstopable tidal wave had swept all other thoughts of life away. But instead of leaving destruction it left only beauty in it's wake.

/"Let's runaway!" Didyme declared one morning, as she slid into his lap. Her petite body melding into his perfectly. Her scent was so strong that for a moment, he couldn't think at all. Inhaling slowly, he wrapped his arms around her waist and brought his face close to hers.

"Runaway?" Marcus had laughed, once he was able to speak again.

"Yes! We could travel the world. Aro and Caius could still create the empire they dream of, they don't need us."

Marcus had nodded, seeing the sense in her words. The idea of power really wasn't as appealing as it used to be anyway. If Didyme wanted to leave, then they would. It didn't matter where they were as long as he was with her.

"Let's go tell Aro." He murmured, sealing the deal with a kiss. "Then we can go pack."/

If only they'd left a day early than planned. Aro had insisted they stay for another week and they had, humouring his last wishes. On the day of departure, Didyme had been found dead, her ashes still warm to the touch. Who could have done such a thing? Marcus still didn't know. Aro hadn't been able to find anyone guilty, and with his gift it would be impossible to hide it. To this day he could still see the apologetic smile on Aro's face when he'd told him that the killer must have fled before anyone could catch him. Didn't he care at all? Marcus knew he did; the bonds that had tied Aro and his sister were clear enough.

Marcus's fists clenched and he pounded the table with one hand at the thought of her murder going unsolved. His fury was stale though, and he couldn't bring himself to do anything about it but wallow in his own pain now. But if the murdered ever did reappear, Marcus would kill him without hesitation. He imagined him ripping his body piece by piece, slowly and painfully. He would not allow Alec to use his gift, oh no, the murdered deserved to spend the last days of his life in terrible pain. It was only fair for what he had done to sweet Didyme.

Still, Marcus couldn't believe that she was truly dead… But she is. Just a pile of ashes. A pile of nothing, he thought bitterly.

Without her, his eyes were glazed, as if he was not truly alive.

And he wasn't.

So? Thoughts/questions/concerns? This was based of the little thing on Stephenie Meyer's website about Didyme in the Breaking Dawn FAQ. I thought it was so sad, and this idea has been floating around in my head for awhile now so I wrote it down. Tell me honestly, did it completely suck? I won't be offended if you flame me, I promise. Any constructive criticism would be much loved and reviews will be reciprocated.

Ah. Marcus is so cool. I want a plushie of him so I can squeeze it 'till his head pops off and dangle it from my dashboard. Doncha just love Paula Abdul? That was a quote by her, or at least, some of it was.

-Adrina Necia