Just a fic that has been plaguing me constantly for months. I needed to get it out of my system but I don't know if it's worth making into an actual story. I'm keeping it as a one shot for now. If you want me to continue as a multichap fic, please say so in a review or PM me.

Song for this chapter: Evanescence-Bleed

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Happy? I'm not.

Summary: Everyone has scars in their lives, but after a few incidences involving Alec and Jane, Aro realises that they may be wounded deeper than he expected.

Wounded by Childhood

Aro scribbled into his logbook. It had been ten years, seven months and twenty eight days since he had discovered Alec and his twin sister, Jane. Both of whom were incredibly gifted, but such miraculous powers came at a price.

The twins had many troubles. The minor trouble was that the twins were feared and despised by everyone in their village. They were banned from the church, shunned in the classrooms, taunted in the streets. As horrible and prejudiced as that may seem, that was the least of the children's worries. But the hatred aimed at the twins would play a factor in the major trouble.

Jemima Bryan had died giving birth to the twins, leaving them with their father, Domenic Bryan. Domenic was once a wonderful man; a devoted husband, a considerable employer, and an excited father-to-be. He had loved Jemima with all his heart and her death changed him completely.

Domenic began to drink heavily, drowning his sorrows was the only way out. He sold his thriving business and confined himself to his house. The only time he left was to purchase more alcohol, and rarely some food. The villagers began to talk.

"Have you heard? Jemima Bryan died through childbirth! Had twins, she did. It was the first one that killed her. Doctor Clifford had to cut her open to get the next one out. How ghastly!..."

"Did you know that Domenic Bryan has sold his business? The help say that he spends all his time in his study, drinking! Still, the poor man must be going through such a terrible time right now..."

"One of my friends works for Domenic Bryan. She says he's inherited all Jemima's money. Apparently there was a lot of it too - she got it from her great-aunt in a will. She was going to use it to send her children to private school. Now Domenic uses it to buy rum. In fact, I don't think he's lain eyes on his children more than once..."

Gossip spread like wildfire, reaching everyone in town before the twins were a week old. It was horribly exaggerated in some parts, some said that Jemima had been possessed by the devil, he used her to birth his 'demon spawn'. But it was deadly accurate where it was said that Domenic neglected to acknowledge his children.

The twins had a wetnurse (hired by Jemima prior to her gruesome death) who also served as their nanny. Her own baby had died and she was on the streets until Jemima took her in out of kindness. Her name was Lucinda. She was only seventeen, with blonde curls and big brown eyes.

Lucinda named both the twins, fed them, sang to them. he even tried to coax Domenic out of his study to see his babies.

"Oh, their not my babies," he responded, his sneering tone slurred from the alcohol. "They belong to the Devil."

"But Mr. Bryan, they really are the most beautiful children you'll ever lay your eyes on. I-"

"If that's what you really think, Lucinda, then you have been bewitched," Domenic stared into the fireplace, gulping down a glass of whiskey.

"Sir, I really think-"

"Out."

"But Sir!"

"I said OUT!" In his rage, Domenic whirled around and flung his glass of whiskey at the young nanny. He missed, but only by inches. A small scream escaped Lucinda's lips. She ran out of the study and straight to the nursery, trying to contain her frightened sobs.

Years passed, and the twins started school. Parents warned their children to stay away from the Bryan twins. They had heard the rumors.

So the twins were shunned by their peers. The teacher was not much nicer. He would whip the twins at every occasion, and ridicule them in front of the class. Alec would just stand there and stare the teacher in the eye, he knew that it frightened most adults. Jane would hold on to her brother's hand and fight back tears of fury and sadness. Jane hated to cry. She refused to cry in public, or any place someone might hear or see her. Instead she would cry into Alec's shoulder in the privacy of their room.

One evening when the twins were five, Lucinda was preparing dinner. Alec and Jane were playing cards in the dining room, when Domenic walked in. The children rarely saw their father. He mostly ate in the study on his own. It suited them just fine. If they were being completely honest, they admitted that their father scared them.

Domenic spared them one cold glance before swiping the paper from a little table and plopping down in a wooden chair. Alec and Jane shared an unsure glance. Jane shook her head, but Alec pretended that he hadn't seen her.

Alec tried to be courageous and fished in his pocket for a slip of paper.

"Papa?" He said uncertainly, tapping on Domenic's knee with shaking hands.

"What?" Domenic growled, not looking up from his newspaper.

"I need you to sign this. It's from my teacher." Alec carefully slipped in 'my' instead of 'our'. He didn't want to get Jane in for trouble.

Domenic snatched the slip, tearing the corner. He read it through, and his teeth gnashed together in anger.

"Boy," he snarled. "Are you honestly giving me this disgraceful evaluation from your teacher, on account of insolence in class?!"

"Yes Papa," Alec whispered, shaking.

Domenic grabbed the little boy by his right arm and threw him against the wall. "How dare you?!" He screamed.

Jane screamed too. "Alec!"

Lucinda came running in from the kitchen and held the sobbing girl back from running to her brother.

The two watched helplessly as Domenic beat Alec, screaming at the boy.

"First you MURDER your own MOTHER in cold blood, now you have the nerve to HUMILIATE me as well!"

The man hooked his fist around and delivered another punch to Alec's stomach. Alec coughed, and blood spurted from his mouth.

Domenic seized his son by the neck with one hand, opened the door to the basement with the other. Then he flung Alec down the stairs and slammed the door.

Jane and Lucinda were both shaking and crying. Lucinda waited until Domenic stalked off to his study (grabbing a bottle of whiskey on his way out), then she pulled Jane up and they both ran down to the basement.

Alec was lying on the basement floor, blood all over his face, bruises and cuts everywhere else. He was shaking violently, which made Jane cry harder.

"Oh Lord," Lucinda whispered. She turned to the frightened little girl. "Jane, stay with him!"

Lucinda ran upstairs. Jane took her brother's hand and squeezed tight. He opened his blue eyes and blinked weakly.

"Jane," he whispered. "Jane..."

Jane fought back more sobs as she met Alec's eyes. "Yes brother?"

"Jane...don't be scared."

"Alec..."

"Please. It's a lot worse than it looks. See?" To prove his point, Alec shifted all his weight to his elbows (which he found to hurt a lot) and forced himself into a sitting position.

"Don't hurt yourself, Alec," Lucinda murmured, coming back down with a wet cloth and bandages. She dropped to her knees beside Alec and began to carefully wipe the blood from his face.

All the while Alec clung to his little sister's hand.

This was the major trouble in the twin's lives. Alec received regular beatings from Domenic, and he only fought back when Jane was involved. The minor trouble of the shunning was a problem here. The doctor would not come to the house to treat Alec. Instead he spread rumors on the street;

"You know Domenic Bryan is beating his twins?"

"It's what they deserve if you ask me."

"If they were mine I would have drowned them the second they were born."

"Rightfully so! Apparently they've been even worse since their maid left. What was her name? Lina? Linda? Lucy?"

"Oh it doesn't matter. All that matters is that she came to her senses. She saw the twins for what they really are."

More years passed, and the twins hit adolescence. They discovered their gifts under terrible circumstances, and were declared the 'Witch Twins'.

Afton had to be physically shoved into Aro's office. He bit his thumb at Felix and Demetri before walking unsteadily to his sire.

"Um, Master?"

Aro looked up. Afton was standing in the middle of his office, looking as if he could faint.

"Whatever is the matter, Afton?" Afton was frozen on the spot.

Aro got up from his seat and drifted towards Afton. Afton held his hand out helplessly. Aro grasped it, then gripped it tighter and tighter as his anger grew and he saw what Afton was trying to show him.

Afton felt the need to say it out loud anyway; "Master, the villagers are burning them. The Bryan twins are going to die tonight."

Aro left his office in a rage. He shouted at the top of his lungs. "Assemble the guard! What on earth are you waiting for?! Brothers! Come to me at once!"

Marcus and Caius did come. Both of them were confused by Aro's sudden flurry of rage. Aro rarely got angry, but when he did, he got VERY angry.

"Come, brothers. It might not be too late."

"Too late for what?" Marcus asked, looking at his normally serene companion, who was now seething with anger.

"What is going on, Aro?" Caius demanded.

"Those damned villagers are burning my twins to death at the stake! Ready yourselves, brothers. It will be a long night."

It took only one hour for the entire Volturi to travel two hundred and sixty thousand miles to the scene.

Aro's unbeating heart dropped when he heard the villager' screams and chants of joy and vengeance. The twins were already alight. The yellow and orange flames licked at their legs and feet.

Aro stopped at a most peculiar sight. The flames were slightly blurred. Neither twin was moving, or screaming. Aro's eyes flashed when he saw Alec's power.

Aro's eyes ripped away from the mist to the villagers, and his entire frame trembled with pure fury and bloodlust. "Kill them all," he hissed.

The guard sprang into action and soon the villagers were not screaming from pleasure, but from terror.

Aro , Caius and Marcus doused the flames and ripped the twins from the stakes. As soon as Alec hit the ground, Jane's eyes snapped open and she began to scream and shake.

Alec did not.

Aro didn't hesitate, he lifted the boy's wrist and was about to bite.

"What do you think you're doing, Aro?!" Caius hissed. "They're only fifteen years old!"

"I have no choice! They're both dying!" Aro glared at Caius. Marcus kneeled by Jane, trying to soothe the frightened girl.

"Shush child. It's over now. Hush." Marcus looked helplessly at Aro.

"Alec!" Jane screeched. "Alec don't die!"

"Your brother won't die child. He will be reborn a glorious, powerful creature. As shall you," Aro glared at Caius one last time, before sinking his teeth into Alec's wrist.

Caius dropped down to Jane and stubbornly did the same.

Amidst the chaos, the Witch Twins were reborn.

PRESENT DAY:

Aro sighed as Demetri ran into his office.

"Master!"

"Yes, Demetri?"

"Jane is torturing random birds and Alec stole Afton's car again!"

Aro pinched the bridge of his nose. In the last few months, the twins had been acting up. Jane was using her gift far more often than necessary. She would start an argument at every occasion, and when she was screaming at her opponent, sometimes she'd just burst into sobs. Not 'ha now you're going to get into trouble' sobs. Actual upset sobs. She would lock herself in her room for days until Aro had to order that she came out.

Alec was a whole other story. He was normally quiet and distant, but now he was mindlessly violent. He stole the cars of the guard members and took them for a joyride until he was caught. He snuck off regularly and nobody knew where he was going, because no one had the guts to follow him. He picked fights for no reason and refused to obey orders.

Aro sighed again. "Just follow him, Demetri. Bring him back and tell him to come to me."

"And Jane?"

"Send her to me aswell."

"As you wish, Master."

After Demetri left, Aro began to ponder.

Alec and Jane were changed too young. They had a lot of trauma in their past lives. What if this was all coming back at them now? They were young - despite Jane's opinion - and they had a lot of responsibilities in the guard. Was the stress becoming too much? Aro didn't know. He just didn't know about teenagers. Especially teenage vampires with traumatic pasts.

But he knew someone who did.

Aro picked up the phone on his desk and dialled a number. It was a number that he had read in the thoughts of a visiter a few months back. He hoped it hadn't changed.

It answered on the second ring.

Thanks for reading. I have a few ideas for this as a story. If you want me to continue, please tell me. I might put the second chapter up anyway, just cuz Evanescence is fuelling my angst and I feel like it.

Shan.