I was unbelievably reluctant to upload this. YE OLDE FILLER CHAPTER AHOY. If you guys don't like chapters that focus mainly on Nyx, then, er…oops?

Aaaaaand...THE PET REACHED 400 FAVOURITES YEW GUYZ. I'm amazed. Like, wow, fuck. How the cheese did that happen? MANY THANKS!

Your world's closing in on you now,

It isn't over.

Stand and face the unknown,

Got to remember who you really are…

I'm sure it must look a lot like Alec and I are dropping out of the sky. Actually, in a fashion much less cool and dramatic, all we do is drop out of an extremely tall oak tree. We land either side of a male vampire, startling him so much that the human he was grappling with, about to bite, finally fights her way out of his grasp and makes a break for it.

The vampire is tall and red-haired, with a slim frame and an angular face. His deep-set eyes widen comically before setting into a more natural-looking expression of surprise. His eyes flicker from Alec to me and back again as I eye up the human dashing her way out of the park, shrieking as she goes. Her temple is bleeding from the struggle, and I can smell it from here. Lifting my chin, I focus on the back of her head. She stops running, jerking to a halt fifty feet from the park's closed gate. Thankfully, she is human, so it takes only a fraction of my concentration to keep her locked under my effect.

"Alec," the vampire murmurs, his voice low and thin. His accent is unmistakably New York-ian, even sounding as if he's swallowed ashes.

Alec's face is bare of all emotion. He keeps his gaze fixed on our first recruit. "Feeding out in the open," he says, his voice as inflectionless as his expression. "Unwise, Robert."

Robert's eyes become a tad wilder. They dart back to me again, then focus just beyond at the human he was about to kill. I watch as he goes from anxious to perplexed, then back to anxious again.

"The park is closed," he croaks. "There's nobody around."

I do that thing where I keep my trap shut to avoid coming off as a complete disaster rather than a disciplined Volturi guard. I copy Alec's stance – spine straight, shoulders back, head high.

"She was around," Alec muses, nodding in the direction of the prey. I watch Robert's Adam's apple roll up and down his throat. He flexes his hands into loose fists, truly worried now. "Why not others?"

My eyes flicker over Robert's frame, reading his body language as panic begins to set in his features. I almost feel bad for the guy as he begins stammering. "I-I…"

"Luckily for you," Alec says, rolling his shoulders back languidly. "An error in feeding habits isn't why we're here."

Robert's torso sags in relief. "It isn't?"

"No."

Alec begins pacing – a casual stroll back and forth at a lazy human pace. This careless movement unnerves Robert, causing him to take an unconscious step back towards me. He flinches away as he hears my teeth click together, unhappy with his proximity to my sizeable personal bubble.

"I'm sure you've heard by now," Alec says, taking on a conversational tone. "Whispers, rumours – talk of conflict."

Robert nods slowly, shooting a quick glance from Alec to me just to make sure I'm not about to spring. I manage to keep my poker face – mouth smooth and eyes cool and emotionless.

"Yes." He swallows again, but he looks a little less afraid now that the conversation's taken a turn away from his hunting habits. "I've heard…rumours."

His tone falls flat on the last word and it doesn't go unnoticed. Alec nods, still pacing, his steps measured and leisurely. "And what, exactly, have you heard?"

Another glance from Alec to me, another uncomfortable stammer. "Th-That the…" Upon Alec's brow rising, Robert hurries his story along. "The Romanians are rising up. Gathering an army. They…" Robert pauses for a minute, long enough for Alec and I to exchange a quick glance. He wants me to be ready in case Robert makes a break for it. Alec's power might be something that all immortals quiver to behold – but mine is still faster.

Robert sighs; a slow gust of air from deep in his lungs. His shoulders slump in defeat. "Two of them approached me."

"Really," Alec reacts, pretending to ponder, pursing his full lips into an exaggerated pout. "Is that so?"

Neither Robert nor I are oblivious to the threatening glimmer in Alec's eyes.

I decide to speak, to play the faux-bad cop to Alec's even faker good cop. Adopting my favourite imitation of Jane, I tip my head to the side, allowing my lids to hang a little lower over my eyes.

"Why, pray tell, would they have spent precious preparation time approaching you?"

Alec meets my eyes again, throwing me that wickedly pleased expression to let me know I've done well. Robert backtracks immediately, horrified by what I'm implying.

"N-no, no," he says insistently, holding one hand up to me. "I have never had anything to do with the Romanians. Never!"

"What did they say to you?" Alec asks, sharper than before. Robert visibly reels, aware that he's walking an extremely thin line.

"We'll know if you lie," I add. Playing up to my still-obvious status as a newborn, I allow my words to crackle on a hiss.

Robert doesn't flinch, to my disappointment. What can I say? I still like that I'm able to scare people, being as not-scary as I am. His eyes sink to the ground, defeated again.

"They asked me to join their army," he admits, not daring to so much as peek at Alec's expression. "They offered me things. An endless supply of food. Women."

My eyes slide shut and I rock backwards, feeling a sickening tightness grasp my stomach from the inside. So, they have more slaves. I suppose I'm not really surprised at all, but it's still one hell of a blow. It's been less than ten months since we freed the last of them. These new women must all be newborns, younger than me, snatched off the streets. Either that, or they've been kidnapped from mates and covens. Maybe they've even created new immortal children.

Alec catches my slip in character while Robert's eyes are still lowered. He doesn't rebuke me. His eyes are hard – a silent reassurance that whatever women are there won't be suffering for much longer.

"And?" Alec prompts, eerily quiet.

"And I said no!"

On edge with the revelation that the Romanians have been kidnapping, turning and raping new women right under our noses, my next words are barely distinguishable from my growl. "And when you turned down their plea to fight for them, they, what, accepted this gracefully and you skipped off to get on with your day?"

Alec clicks his tongue, arms folded tightly over his chest. "It doesn't sound quite right, does it, Phoenix?"

"No. It doesn't."

"I ran!" Robert blurts out, his face sheet-white with distress. "Of course they didn't let me go. They were going to kill me!"

"You managed to outrun highly trained, angry Romanian soldiers?" I reply, snarky and unconvinced.

Robert physically winces. "Not exactly."

My eyes flare. Alec lifts his chin, jaw flexing as he clenches his teeth. "I must say, I am really looking forward to hearing this spectacular explanation."

Robert looks as if he's on the verge of an aneurism. If I were any less pissed, I'd definitely be snickering. "They chased me deeper into the city, and I ducked into a crowd," he tells us, hands held out in front of him defensively. His face crumples a little as he grows desperate. "C'mon, you know New York! The City That Never Sleeps? I waited them out. They weren't going to do anything to tip you guys off – not now! After a while, they had to leave me be. Like you said, they need time to prepare."

Alec and I stare at each other in silent conference. Robert is like an old, rotted-through branch. It doesn't take much of this silence for him to snap.

"I would never go against the Volturi! My loyalty is with Aro!" He proclaims.

There are a few more beats of silence. When Alec feels like Robert had suffered enough, his lips stretch into a beautiful, calm smile.

"Well, that's excellent," he commends, subtly slipping out of his offensive posture. Robert eyes him sceptically, worried about his sudden change of mood. He's right to be wary. "Because he's expecting you in Volterra."

Robert's mouth pops open, but not so much as a breath of air comes out. Alec, as casually as before, strolls around the befuddled vampire and comes to stand beside me. I smile too as he slides one arm around my waist. His familiar scent really is a tonic to my aggression. I lean my temple against his shoulder, keeping my eyes carefully trained on our new comrade. Alec squeezes me to his side as he nods at the human just beyond, trapped under my power.

"After your meal, of course."

vVv

"It is so not smart to send Robert on his own," I frown. Alec reaches for me automatically as I hop down from the gate, leaving the small park behind. "He's a proven flight risk, according to his own story."

Alec grimaces, taking my hand in his before I even touch ground. This is clearly just me stating the obvious. It's already occurred to him.

"Hopefully he knows that he cannot outrun us, no matter the circumstances," Alec sighs. We dart into the dark street, silent as ghosts. "We have no choice. We don't have the luxury of time required to escort him. Or any of them, really."

"Hold up, what's this? Why, my trust issues are tingling!"

Alec scoffs at me, rolling his eyes – but his lips twitch up into a fond smile.

"I get the feeling that that one may have been a bust," I sigh.

Alec sighs too, agreeing with me. "If it is, he'll pay. Eventually. Seeing him in Volterra will be a genuine surprise."

"Yeah," I agree, walking at a human pace with Alec's fingers laced through mine. "But, then again, where the fuck else is he gonna go? The Romanians are looking for him too."

"That's true," Alec muses, his voice quiet and contemplative. I can practically hear the gears cranking in that big brain of his.

"Where else do we have to hit?"

Alec sighs, sounding exhausted though we've barely begun. "There are a lot of vampires in the States," he says, his tone hinging on complaint. "We have one more nomad in New York, then a coven and three nomads in Ohio, two covens in Illinois and three in Iowa, a handful of nomads in Arkansas, Alabama and Kentucky, four more covens in Texas, one in New Mexico and one in Arizona. There are a handful of nomads scattered up north, but we'll get to them on our way into Canada. Then, of course, we have the Olympic coven."

I wonder if Alec felt the way my fingers twitched when he mentioned Arizona. My birth state. I feel my throat run dry and my stone heart twist.

I've got unfinished business in Arizona.

Alec keeps prattling, but I zone out. Fuck me. When she was just fifteen, my mom popped me out in a hospital in Phoenix. That was the oh-so original title they stamped on babies who hadn't been named yet. Gloriously stone-ified as she was, she never did bother to come up with a different one. So I remained Phoenix. Like, on my birth certificate and everything. Thanks, Mom.

If I can barely remember my mom, then my dad is a lost cause altogether. He fucked off when I was three, never to be seen again. Not that I'm complaining. Apparently he was a big-time douchebag – tats, a motorcycle and a problem with ketamine. He was seventeen when he met my mom and knocked her up within four months. I recall hearing that same story over and over again from her. Raging bitch. Of course, then she shacked up with her new boyfriend – a carbon copy of my dad – and all was forgotten.

When she bought the farm my grandma took me up to her home in Colorado. And, as they say, the rest is history.

"Once we have more allies, we'll be able to send them seeking for us," Alec continues. "We'll have to visit the Olympic coven personally, but I don't see it being an issue. In fact, they probably already know we're coming."

"Wait, so you mean we don't have to run through the entirety of North America? Hot damn, what a crying fucking shame."

Alec chuckles. "Your optimism is infectious."

I breathe in deeply, flashing him a broad smile. "I'm a ray of motherfucking sunshine."

His laugh is louder this time. "Whatever gets you through the day."

vVv

As soon as we've sent our next victim - er, ally – on her way, Alec's phone buzzes in his jacket pocket. I watch the suave blonde, someone I recognise from the Volturi's last fun-filled gala, vanish into the shadows. Gone. Off on her merry way to find some of her little vampire friends. Still, my eye won't stop twitching.

Would it be so terrible to use the groupies as pawns during the inevitable battle?

"Yes?" Alec answers, his voice all tight. He's watching my stony face anxiously, awaiting an explosion. Nah, man. I'm calm, I'm calm. I am cool. I am zen…

She touched his fucking arm.

"Felix," Alec breathes, sounding a bit relieved.

That is MY ARM. MINE.

"Yes, we got our two, where do you want to meet?"

She stank up his fucking jacket with her toxic skank scent!

"Sounds fine. We'll be there in fifteen minutes, as soon as Nyx stops breathing fire."

THAT'S MY FLABBERFRACKING JACKET.

"Er…don't ask. We'll see you soon."

Alec hangs up and tucks his phone away while my nostrils are still flaring. I am so clearly not impressed that Alec actually hesitates for a moment, giving me an edgy once-over to make sure he won't lose his hand before he places it against the small of my back.

"Come on," he tells me, reaching around to squeeze my hip. "Felix is waiting for us at the edge of the city."

I grumble, shoulders tight and hunched. Alec's sigh is utterly exhausted. "If you can't handle vampires one-on-one then how do you think you're going to cope when the castle is full of them for months, maybe years on end?"

He begins to guide me down yet another alleyway so we can climb and jump from roof to roof without being spotted. As we both crouch to spring, I allow a mean smile to stretch across my face.

"Oh, that's easy," I tell him.

"Oh?" Alec replies, weary as hell.

I nod. "Uh huh. I plan on paying Jacob and his werepuppies several obscene amounts of money from your vast bank accounts in return for keeping them at a comfortable two-hundred meter distance at all times."

With that, I spring. Alec leaves earth a fraction of a second after. It takes less than a second to reach the top of the building. I grip onto the edge of its roof and vault to my feet. Alec lands more sensibly, with one hand on his hip and the other massaging his temple.

I figured I was over the issue with the fangirls. Honestly, I think I'd have been more weirded out if I found out that Alec was a thousand year old virgin. However, being over it from a distance and over it when they're right in front of me, flaunting their cleavage right under Alec's face is a whole 'nother story altogether.

And I'm willing to bet it's a story that ends in blood.

"And I don't have a problem with most vampires," I add, strolling along the rooftop as I peer around, trying to figure out which direction we need to go in order to run into Felix. "Only the ones that have spent any portion of time down your pants."

Alec's face does this cute pinchy thing which indicates that he clearly doesn't know how to react. In the end, he tips his head towards the sky and gives this exasperated whine-sigh. I swing my arms back and forth, waiting for directions.

Alec peeks at me through his lashes. "These are going to be a long couple of months for me, aren't they?"

I smile demurely. "You bet your sweet ass they are."

vVv

Thankfully, it doesn't take us long to find Felix. He looks relieved to see us, bless him.

"You two didn't encounter any problems, did you?" He asks.

Alec and I share a glance. Weeeeell, my lapse in thirst control and jealousy issues aside, there's really not much else to report.

"Not really," Alec replies. "Robert is on his way to Volterra. Bethany said she'd detour through Iowa and pick up her friends on the way."

"Excellent," Felix says approvingly. "Another state down."

"We should call Chelsea, let her know we're alright."

Felix nods. Alec whips out his phone and presses speed dial three. It's answered after the first ring.

"Alec?"

"Yes. We're fine. Just checking in."

"Good," Chelsea breathes. I can hear the relief in her voice. "Jane's fine too. She called about twenty minutes ago."

Alec nods even though she can't see him, seemingly pleased. "Give her my best the next time she calls. We'll check in again in about six hours."

"Stay safe." It sounds like more of a command than a gesture of good will. Alec gives a small smile.

"Of course," he says. Chelsea disconnects the call. Alec sighs as he tucks his phone back into his pocket.

"Can we go hunting now?" I ask, preparing my most convincing pout. "I'm hungry."

"Nyx!"

"What?" I demand.

Out of the corner of my vision I catch Felix's eyes roll. He's got that here we go again look on his face. Prick.

"You ate not five hours ago, how are you hungry?"

"I ate one measly human! One! That's, like, a snack at best."

"I could go for a meal," Felix interjects, saving me the hassle of arguing and Alec the hassle of losing. I smile approvingly, turning a smug gaze on Alec's grumpy face.

"Fine." He sighs harshly, relenting. I clap my hands in delight. My teeth flash in the dark.

"Let's go hunt at a club or something. I'm literally dying of boredom." Besides, I, for one, have had a damn stressful day. Would it actually kill us to have an hour of fun? No, I don't believe it would.

Alec gapes at me, clearly not on the same page. "Are you, Nyx?! Are you literally dying?"

He's already frustrated after our run-in with that groupie, so it's not hard to aggravate him. However, it pissed me off more, and call me immature, but a sizeable part of me wants to make him pay for my having to deal with him being an unabashed slut for the foreseeable future.

"Yeah, I am. Come on, let's go do something fun!"

Felix clearly isn't in the mood for our usual nonsense. "Let's just go," he pleads, exasperated. "We're burning moonlight."

Alec scowls. "Caius would smack us stupid if he knew we were wasting time going clubbing."

"We're not just clubbing, we're hunting," I tell him, smiling my smuggest smile just to piss him off. "It's completely necessary."

Before Alec can even open his mouth to reply, Felix seizes us both by the shoulders and begins steering us towards the edge of the building.

"Put me with the teenagers, I said," he grumbles to himself, marching us forward and ignoring our heated protests. "It'll be fine, I said."

"Um, OW!" I complain, trying my mightiest to wriggle free of Felix's iron grip. It's no good. It's as if his fingers have been soldered to my collarbone.

Alec is in a similar predicament, showing his teeth as he jerks against the titan vampire's hold. "Get. Off. Me." He snarls. I might be used to being toted and dragged around like this, but Alec isn't. "Felix, OFF!" He demands.

Felix has had enough. He stops abruptly, swinging us around so that we almost career straight into each other. He keeps his grasp on us, his expression stony and stern.

"Now, look," he snaps, stooping over so he's more at our level. I stiffen, affronted. "We have a long journey ahead of us, and it is not going to go smoothly if you two don't stop acting like children long enough to do your damn jobs!"

Alec explodes, furious. "I am not a child!" He yells.

"I am," I input.

I can't help but keep going, even though I know this is a sore spot for Alec. Maybe it'll be a sore spot for me, too, in the future. Maybe after a hundred years of being treated like a sixteen year old, I'll understand Alec's frustration. As it is, I still feel young.

"We all know that," Alec hisses meanly. As I stiffen, Felix gives us both a shake.

"Enough," he growls, straightening up. Finally, he allows us to worm free. He crosses his arms over his broad chest as Alec theatrically brushes his shoulder off, fuming. "I am going hunting, with or without you."

It's not often that Felix gets cross like this – not with us. It makes me feel uneasy. "I'm coming," I grumble, flouncing forward sulkily.

Alec takes a step back, turning away from us. Felix rolls his eyes before lifting his face upwards, listening carefully to the sounds of the city behind us, searching out an ideal hunting spot. I keep my eyes on Alec's stiff back and tense shoulders, still sour over his comment. I watch his knuckles bulge under his skin as he clenches and unclenches his fists.

"Just east of here," Felix announces. "Sounds like a decent spot."

However, after one glance back at Alec and I, Felix gives a small sigh.

"Catch up soon," he says. In one lunge he springs over the side of the building and drops, leaving Alec and I by ourselves.

There are a few beats of silence. I roll my shoulders back, feeling ill at ease. Alec is still as a stone, facing away from me.

"I'm going," I tell him stubbornly.

There's another moment of quiet, then Alec grits out: "Fine. Go."

I stiffen further. Part of me wants to get into it with him, drag him along by his clothes while the both of us bitch to the high heavens. That's usually what happens. Still, now, I feel a little short on energy. The larger part of me just wants to bow out.

"Fine," I whisper. In an instant, I'm gone.

I don't risk standing still when I'm on the ground. Allowing myself one sniff to catch Felix's scent, I hold my breath and bolt.

It doesn't take a lot of time or effort to find the club. Felix has left a sufficient trail. It's not a big place. There's music pounding, the sound of glasses clinking, and humans galore – a veritable feast.

Too bad I seem to have lost my appetite.

From the other side of the street, I watch the bouncer turn away a couple of already-drunk frat boys. They swear and throw their weight around before sloping off, separating themselves from the rest. Easy pickings. I watch as they roar with laughter and stumble around, already having forgotten their rejection. Such easy prey. All it would take is a coy smile and they'd follow my across the city.

Boring.

I turn away, unable to find any enthusiasm for hunting right now. What I want to do is go crawling back to Alec and wait meekly for his forgiveness, but, um, no. Fuck that. Fuck him. I didn't even do anything! He's just sulking like the brat he is. It's nothing unusual. Why should I sit around while he soothes his ego? Double fuck no and a one-fingered salute to that.

Abruptly, I feel homesick. I want to be back in Volterra, surrounded by my stuff and my people. I want to be doing my regular boring things like patrolling for no reason other than to make it look like we do something aside from sitting around on our immortal asses until duty calls once again. I want to lounge around in front of the thrones listening to Aro plot and Caius bitch. I want to spend hours curled around Alec in bed, listening to the sound of his breathing. I do not want to tour the entirety of fucking America just so we can traipse off into battle with a little more of an edge.

I scowl sadly, digging at the ground with the toe of my boot. It's so easy to whine about the boring times until things really aren't boring any more.

I think of my bedroom – little and cosy and safe. My stomach sinks at the thought, as if my spirits are physically drooping. Feeling wrung out after all the travel and thirst and chasing down vampires and now, to top it all off, my heated bickering session with Alec, I just want to be home. I want to be surrounded by familiar purple walls and swaddled in familiar black sheets. I want my TV and my books and my collection of framed photographs-

Unfinished business in Arizona.

I stiffen, jolted abruptly out of my little sulking session. With pricked ears, I listen for the familiar light sound of Alec's ghostly, approaching footsteps. For once, I'm glad not to hear them.

I make the decision quickly so I won't change my mind. I need to do this. I might never have the chance again.

I think of Felix, inside the club, waiting for me. I think of Alec, who, eventually, will want to find me. They'll both be furious when they realize I've skipped out on them. Caius will have my ass on a silver platter when word reaches him. Hell, maybe he won't need to. Maybe I'll be mobbed by Romanian soldiers in the instant I leave the city. It's not smart or logical – not in the least. But I've got nostalgia on the brain now. It's not something easily pacified.

Without allowing myself time to talk myself out of it, I take off into the night, hoping with all the hope in my body that I'll be able to evade everyone long enough for one final trip down memory lane.

vVv

I half expect the emotions driving me to quell as I make my way cross-country. They don't. Without my family and my things and Alec around me to distract from the urge for closure, it stays roiling in the pit of my torso.

The sun rises and sets and rises again by the time I've reached Arizona. It makes it difficult to get around, but it also gives me the chance to confuse my trail. Hopefully that will keep Alec and Felix at bay long enough for me to do what I need to do. My phone bleats in my pocket every few minutes, a constant reminder of how much shit I'm going to be in once this is over. For once, the fear of Caius and Jane and Demetri and Alec's combined wrath isn't enough to curb me. I can't turn back now.

I find the house first.

I move through the city, having had the address memorised ever since I left the place. Instinctually, I know where I'm going. Once I meet some familiar landmarks, my human memories unfold like a map. It isn't hard to locate. However, once I get there, I find it's hard to remember.

It's not like it used to be at all. This is both a weighted disappointment and a cool relief. This neighbourhood is nothing like I remember. There are no broken fences, no cans or needles littering the sidewalk, no incoherent humans stumbling or passed out on the neatly-kept front lawns. All the houses are painted pastel colours with nice cars in their driveways. Their windows are clean and crack-free. Yet this is definitely it. The basic foundations are still the same. Two rows of semis. Three fire hydrants. The dying tree and patch of brown grass at the end of the cul-de-sac are gone, replaced by neatly clipped rose bushes and a slide for the neighbourhood kids. I lurk in the shadows as ordinary people go about harmless lives. I don't quite know if I feel sad or not. The crack-shacks are long gone – replaced by this little suburban dream.

My phone rings and rings, but I ignore it. I know I'm being a dick – Alec's probably worried sick – but for once, I've got other things on my mind. Alec will understand. I think.

I stay watching long enough to catch two little boys running along the sidewalk and into the front yard of my mom's old house. That one building is perhaps the biggest shock of all. I remember sitting in that front yard, picking bunches of dandelions for the cup on the kitchen windowsill. The front door had been broken from one too many break-ins. It wouldn't lock any more. Now it's been replaced by a light yellow door with a mottled glass window. The two boys tromp through it, shouting for lunch. I hear the mother within, telling them to be patient.

I feel weirdly empty. Not better, but not worse. Honestly, I don't know what I was expecting to find here.

I think of Alec as I leave the sweltering city. We don't talk about our human lives. It's like some silent agreement. I know the gist of his, and he knows a little about mine, but that's it. It's not something either of us want to talk about. Now, I'm glad. It'd be a whole lot easier for him to find me if I'd given him the grittier details.

To be fair, I know for a fact that his was a hundred times worse than mine. At least I'm only butthurt about a small part of my life. My grandma saved me – gave me a life worth living. I never would have been able to pay her back for that, not if she'd lived to be a hundred. I was so lucky. I was so fucking lucky.

My pace is sluggish as I reach Arizona's borders. I stop once I cross the state line, feeling rather shit. My phone rings again. My eyes slip shut and I duck my head, breathing deeply. Maybe this is ridiculous. I've interrupted our entire mission – for what? To chase some fucking ghosts. I lift my head towards the light navy of the sky, eyes stinging as I stare at the cluster of stars, fighting to be seen once the sun completely sinks. I'm so, so stupid. Alec will be right to be furious with me. Feeling my throat tighten, I sigh and reach for my phone.

Alec's name flashes across the screen as my cell buzzes angrily in my hand. I bite my lip, feeling lower than dirt. Part of me wants to hear his voice – but I know it won't be comforting. I don't think I'm up for hearing him scream at me right now. Hesitating for a moment, I kill the call and shoot him a quick text.

I'm sorry. I'll find you soon.

The fact that I know that finding him will involve calling Demetri and begging for directions is enough to make me whimper. My ringtone pierces the quiet once again, and so I finally shut my phone off completely, sinking down into the dust of the highway floor as I think of what to do next.

Finding my mom's house didn't give me the closure I wanted. I remember plenty about living with her, but perhaps I don't remember enough of her as a person outside her bad habits for the sentiment to really mean anything.

Besides, she was never really the one I missed, was she?

I straighten out of my slouch, thinking again. My torso quivers as I think of the other house, but I rule that out quickly. Someone else will be watering her flowers, cooking in her kitchen, snoring soundly in her bedroom. I think that seeing that in person might kill me – and will definitely kill the new intruder. No. I'm not ready for such a hefty dose of reality just yet. However…

I rise to my feet again, brushing myself off. Pausing for a second to consider how outraged Alec and Felix will be once they find me again, I shake my head and take off.

I try my hardest not to think about where I'm going and how reckless it is. I'm still a wanted fugitive over here after all. One call from one witness and I've caused a stir sizeable enough to tip off any nearby Romanian soldiers. I have to try my hardest not to care. I'm in trouble enough as it is – no point in turning back now.

The sun is rising again when I hop the tall, wrought-iron gates. Dew is beading on the blades of grass and downy flower petals. I recognise the place so instantly that it throws me. My breaths tremble through my lungs. My pace is human, and I clench my tight fists around the straps of my bag, feeling weirdly lightheaded. I bite down on my lip as I allow my legs to navigate me. When I finally come to the spot I was looking for, I stop breathing altogether.

My lip slips between my teeth, and I knot my hands together over the front of my skirt. All kinds of strange and not-too-welcome emotions scrunch my stomach up tight. Automatically, as if by reflex, I feel my throat tighten and my eyes begin to sting. Bouncing awkwardly on the balls of my feet, I pry my eyes open and let out a long puff of breath.

"Hi, Grandma."

vVv

To be honest, it's really nothing special. Light grey limestone. Simple inscription.

Sophia Rose Miller

Beloved Friend and Grandmother

Then there's the dates. The date of birth and the date that she…died.

I never liked the headstone they picked for her. I mean, freaking grey? Really? What kind of boring, pansy-assed cop-out colour is that? I'd wanted something more dignified – something proud and pretty, like black marble. Maybe with one of those white, cherubic angel statues to top it all off, but the people she'd put in charge of organising her funeral fucked off behind my back and went with cheap and cheerful. Bastards. I figure they didn't have much of a choice, money-wise. All those scary radiation treatments kind of sucked up the funds, and a chunk of it went towards my secret plane ticket to Italy.

I allow myself a minute, tired smirk. If she only knew.

I hadn't been allowed to make too many decisions at the time. Not that I was entirely approachable, regardless. Needless to say I was not in the greatest of moods, and that, sometimes, translated into kicking. My greatest tribute to the ceremony was picking the flowers – big, frilly purple things from her garden. She was into the weird and not so well known plants, forever dragging me off to bizarre markets to buy all sorts of freaky garden shit and home-made incense and stuff. Not gonna lie, my grandma was kind of a hippie.

I think it was fortunate that people were so afraid to come near me. I was left up to my own shit, which made it a whole lot easier to escape – I mean, accidental homicide aside, of course. Sneaky old grandma, telling people she'd already asked someone to come pick me up after the funeral. She had her shit together, I'll give her that.

I smile at the headstone – a slightly livelier smile, this time. Trust Sophia Miller to say fuck the system just so I could be happy.

"I am happy, grandma," I tell her, creeping a little closer to the stone. "Fuck, you've got no idea. I mean, shit's kinda crazy right now, but we've got it. We can handle it. Oh, uh, yeah – I'm sort of a vampire now. So, uh, yeah. That's a thing…" I nod, lips pursed as I contemplate. "It's not a bad gig. Thirst is kind of a bitch, but aside from that, it ain't bad. I mean, I'm gonna live forever, which is nice. Y'know; reassuring."

Before I really acknowledge what I'm doing, I've sunk down, crouching next to the gravestone. Reaching out tentatively, I touch one careful fingertip to the surface, cool and smooth against my hyper-sensitive skin. It reminds me of Alec's skin, but, for once, this fails to comfort me. My finger begins to quiver. I realise, swallowing hard, that I never worked up the courage to touch it before. Trembling, I allow my hand to flatten, smoothing over the hunk of rock – the only evidence, besides me, that the best human I ever knew even existed at all. "I did what you wanted," I continue, my voice a little hoarser than before. "Shit, I feel like I've done it all but haven't done a thing. Probably because everyone I know is about a thousand years older than I am, so, y'know, I hear a lot.

"I'm not in school any more, but that's okay because the classes I actually went to kind of sucked ass. But…you knew that. You…you were the one who had to listen to me complaining about them." I inhale shakily, leaning my weight against the length of the stone. I press my temple against its edge, huddling in close. "But I'm learning a lot. Not really school-type stuff. Vampire stuff. Shit, there were whole wars that we never even knew about and they changed the whole world we live in. I mean, if the Volturi hadn't won, everyone would probably know about vampires, 'cause the Romanians don't care shit about stuff like that. They're, uh, they're the people we're fighting against right now. I know you're all anti-war and stuff. Honestly, I'm not buying the whole deal myself, but this is kinda hugely necessary. I don't fancy being a slave. Or dead. But it's okay – it's not like I'm fighting alone.

"Remember how we used to talk about being a really little family? You said if my mom and I hadn't been such delightful little handfuls that you'd have loved a fucktonne more kids. Like, millions. I promised you shitloads of grandkids, but that's kind of out the window. But, still, I got my big-ass family. And I live in a castle, so, hey, it's safe to say I've gone up in the world.

"So, there's Aro and Caius and Marcus. They're pretty decent as far as morally ambiguous overlords go. Well, Caius is a dick – and I can say that because nobody's here to scold me. I like Marcus 'cause he's chill. Just doesn't give a shit, you know? But in a nice way. Aro's…crazy. There's no way around that one. It seems like he knows everything because he can read minds, but I'll bet you could teach him a thing or two. Oh, yeah, as it so happens, superpowers aren't that super where I am. Hell, even I have one, and that is not something I ever thought I'd say. Mind control – more fun than it sounds. I try not to take that shit too seriously. I don't want to end up on a permanent power trip. I'll end up being, like, Jane's less-intimidating, better-dressed twin…which is practically incest, so, bleugh, no. FYI, Jane: also a dick, but I have to at least try to not want to kill her because seeing us fight gives Alec a headache and also, I don't like being tortured. Fact.

"Then there are the wives – also fairly chill, considering they never, never…never leave that freaking tower. Like, seriously, I do not understand how neither of them have permanent brain damage. I suppose they're okay because of Corin – ultra-chill, you'd like her. I'd say that she's pretty fuck-the-system too, except she's part of it. Santiago's pretty similar, except he's not as outgoing. I think you'd like him too – he's really friendly and funny and, honestly, pretty damn kind considering what he does for a living. I don't know about Felix and Demetri – Demetri being dick number three, but in a funny, easy-to-fuck-with way. He's in charge of me, which sucks for him, but, heh, at least I don't get blamed for being a little jerk. That's his problem. Felix is cool. He's easy to get on with and he's a lot worse at Mario Cart than he thinks, which bodes well for me. Not so much for the X Box, but for me. I get the feeling that you'd have an unrelenting urge to smack them both over the back of the head and tell them to sit the fuck down. I mean, I don't know if you'd have hands afterwards, but I figure it'd be worth it. There's Heidi – she brings us food, so needless to say, I like her. She and Demetri are the literal fucking embodiment of Schroedinger's Cat, relationship-wise. They're together, they're not together, they're not official, they're not un-official. It's a fucking headwreck, let me tell you. I'm pretty sure they have worse commitment issues than I did. I mean, Alec and I were never exactly smooth-sailing either, but at least we didn't take hundreds of years to get our shit together. Personally I think she could do better, but whatever. Then there's Chelsea and Afton. They're actually together, but Alec says they're not married, which is kinda weird to me. I mean, don't they come from the time when everything was a drastic sin? Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure that at least Chelsea pre-dates the concept of sin. I think you'd like her. She's one together lady, I'll give her that. She's the head of the guard so she's kinda developed an I-take-no-shit mentality. Afton kinda keeps her grounded, I think. They're super in love, which is sweet, but a little gross. Like, Felix told me that when Alec was a newborn, he heard them, y'know, doing their thing, and he figured Chelsea was in pain. So in he runs and, well, long story short, Afton loses a leg and Alec unwillingly sees his first naked lady. Oh, they, uh, they put Afton's leg back on. Live amputations aren't really a problem for vampires. Thankfully…"

I swallow hard, feeling my throat dry automatically. "And there's Renata. You'd really like her. She's the one person there who's always been kind to me. She's not really a fighter like the rest. I mean, even Santiago can hold his own if he has to…Alec says that she's too sweet. I mean, she does her job and she's good at it, but if Aro were to turn over a new leaf and declare: "Hey! We're gonna become pacifists, you guys! Animal blood and hugs for all!" I don't think she'd complain. She's, uh…" I fight the sting in my eyes, curling in closer to the block of stone. "She's kind of in a bad way right now. She got hurt…real bad. Chelsea says she's healing, but I don't know… I think I'd feel a lot better if she was hooked up to one of those heart-monitor machines. Of course, it wouldn't really show anything, but still. It'd have to be better than watching her just…lie there."

I sigh, falling silent for a few seconds. I don't get to talk about Renata much. If ever I bring her up or Alec catches me moping about her, he just tells me that she'll be fine. He doesn't like talking about it. His nose gives this tiny little crease – the usual indication that he's getting upset and wants to change the topic asap. It's the same with the others. They don't want to talk about it, they don't want to think about it. Even Corin's shut up about it. Luca and the kiddiespawn are grudgingly silent, too. They divide their time between patrolling with the guard and sitting in the infirmary with Renata. She's never alone, which is a comfort. I've found Aro, Marcus and even Caius down there at times. It's not easy on me, and I've known her for less than a year. I can't imagine how it feels to the people who've loved her for centuries.

"I suppose…I suppose I'd better tell you about Alec," I say eventually. For a fleeting moment my mind conjures up a startlingly realistic image of her soft face, faux-stern, brows raised teasingly. I squirm as if I'm sitting right in front of her, about to have the dreaded Talk.

I give one of those silent, through-the-nose laugh-exhales, shaking my head. "God. What can I tell you about him? We're, um…well, we're together. And not like me-and-Dave-Brandwell together – which I cringe to even think about. I mean, like, really, in-it-for-the-long-haul together. And given that we're both going to live forever, together is a long fuckin' time."

I decide to leave out that one ever-present, nagging thought: that is, if we both make it through this war.

"Anyway – um, well, long story short: he's an asshole, but he's my asshole, so it's okay. He's Jane's twin, which is a whole explanation in itself. He's…" A small smile curls the corners of my lips upwards as I continue. "He's wonderful. He's brave, and strong, and seriously smart. He can play all kinds of instruments. Every Friday night when the sun sets he plays the piano. It's the one time that the castle is ever truly quiet. He tried to teach me, but you know me – tone deaf and all. He might be patient and calculating when it comes to projects but he's also got a temper, so we ragequitted on that one pretty quickly. I like to listen to him, though. He gets this serene expression on his face, as if he's suspended in a whole other reality. He reads a lot, and he likes chess – probably one of the few things he's successfully taught me – and he speaks over two dozen languages. He's really protective. It can be annoying when he gets jealous, but it's also kinda reassuring, because before I happened along, he was a total slut. Not gonna lie. Like, seriously slutty. Really. Lucky for me, he's also loyal, and he can be really loving when he wants. Not that romantic, though, which is good. I don't think I could stomach that shit. He's also really pretty. Like, seriously, his face throws the cosmic balance out of whack. Actually, I think his very existence throws the cosmic balance out of whack. Maybe that's why the fates decided to give him to little old me – humble him down a little. How can one person have all those qualities, plus staggering good looks, plus that almightiful power of his? Like I said: superpowers. His is pretty much the be all and end all. I, uh, I kind of accidentally eavesdropped on Caius and Aro discussing it a few weeks back. They're worried about him. The Romanians want him. Bad. They either want him on their side or they want him dead. Even worse than they want me dead. I mean, I'm a pain in their collective asses, no doubt, but I'm not the one who's gonna turn the tides of war. They have a very small safety net; if we get John, it's pretty much game over for them. It's a reassuring thought, but still… Alec's our big gun. I'm kinda surprised that Aro's letting him out at all, but I suppose we're short on hands as well as time…."

After a pause, I digress. "I love him," I tell her, smoothing a careful finger against the stone. "I love him so much. It's insane sometimes. I never thought I had this kind of emotion in me. Aro says I was too young. Maybe I still am. Sometimes I think it's gonna swallow me whole, y'know? Just swallow me up completely. It's scary. Really, really scary. But it's okay. Alec says if anything like that is going to devour me, then he's already going to be there, waiting for me." A new smile plays at my lips as I feel my eyes begin to prick. "That's how I know you'd like Alec."

Feeling a strange, clear sensation of serenity wash over me, I'm taken by surprise when something drives through the top of my grandmother's gravestone, smashing it into a hundred thousand pieces.

I didn't want to skip from them just arriving in the country to rolling up on the Cullens' doorstep, and thus this wee little filler-chap was born. I really enjoyed writing the last chapter but this one was a nightmare. It was SO TEDIOUS to write but at least now I've got it out of the way and will be able to get to the more exciting stuff!