Don't Hold This War Inside

"If you do not mind me asking, how were you turned, Caroline?" Aro asked as the two of them walked down the hall.

Carlisle had decided to go visit with some members of the Guard.

"I left America in the middle of the Civil War, after I got news that my husband died fighting in it. Apparently, the man who wrote me the letter, Charles Perry Newman, had fought next to him in the war, though how he survived had been a mystery to me.

"When i arrived in London, Carlisle took very good care of me. He knew how depressed I was since my husband's death and was always there for me. One night we went to an opera and Charles was there. I wondered how he could have made it out of the Civil War and to England in such a short time.

"Carlisle never really trusted Charles but always told me that since I trusted him, he would tolerate him. As it happens, I was poisoned months later and I knew it was him.He had mentally paralyzed me, stopping me from having any more visions.

"Charles became something slightly more than a friend to me and when Carlisle went out of town, he asked me to marry him. I refused and he got very angry. He explained to me then that he was the one who plotted Jasper's death and he was going to kill me. So, he attacked me. However I do not believe he knew he turned me. He had not drained enough of my blood to kill me.

"Carlisle found me and stayed with me after I woke up. He explained to me everything I would need to know about being a vampire. He told me about you, Aro, and your brothers and your guard. He explained to me what was and was not acceptable in the vampire world. He told me of an alternative way of life: feeding on animals. And I find that it works very well for me.

"Carlisle is...a wonderful man. It is hard to believe he has been alone for so long. I do hope one day he can find himself a mate. He certainly deserves one." Caroline finished with a smile.

The two had stopped walking.

They had come to a large window, overlooking the Tuscan countryside behind the castle.

"Yes, he does." Aro answered quietly.

"It is hard to find a man as good and loving and compassionate as Carlisle. And I admire and respect him deeply. He was presented with a curse and turned it into a blessing. I am so happy that he was there for me when I woke up. He guides me and he treats me like a real person. I am not just some woman to him. I am Caroline Victoria Farrow." Caroline said, almost to herself.

Aro looked at her thoughtfully, as he thought about her words.

Caroline was unlike any other vampire he had ever met.

She was sweet, she spoke her mind, and she was extremely compassionate.

Aro could see it in her eyes.

"Sometimes, I wonder what I could have done to make jasper leave me, to want to be with someone else." she said.

Aro snapped from his thoughts, looking at her curiously. "What do you mean? Did you not just say he was dead?"

"To speak truthfully, Aro, I have no idea if Jasper is truly dead or alive. But the very last vision I had, just seconds before I was turned, I saw him with another woman. and something in me knew that I had truly lost him forever." Caroline replied, her voice cracking.

She knew that if it were possible, she would be crying.

Aro felt a surge of anger course through him. He wanted to dismember the man who had hurt her this way.

"I do apologize, Mr. Aro, for being this way. But my feelings do tend to get the better of me sometimes." Caroline said apologetically.

"There is no need to apologize, Caroline. You are entitled to feel the way you feel and I do not object to that." Aro replied.

Caroline smiled. "You are a great man, Aro. Far nicer than the vampire world would give you credit for."

"Peter, Charlotte, I need your help. I am going to leave from here and I want you to leave with me." Jasper said a month later.

He had met some newborns, Peter and Charlotte, who Maria had instructed him to destroy.

But he could not.

They had become very dear friends to him.

"Of course, we will help you, Jasper. But we must first kill Maria. She will not let us escape if she is still alive." Peter said.

"I know. that is what I need your help with." Jasper replied.

"I could paralyze her while you kill her. She wouldn't stand a chance." Charlotte said helpfully.

"Wonderful. We will execute this plan tomorrow night. We must move quickly and quietly. There is no room for mistakes, do you understand? When we leave, we must go as far away as possible. Find water if you can to mask your scent." Jasper explained.

"Right. we will meet here again tomorrow." Charlotte said.

The three nodded and went their separate ways.

"How long do you plan to stay with us, Caroline?" Aro asked.

"I do not know. I just need to experience new surroundings. I need a new beginning." she answered.

"Of course, Caroline. I assure you I will try my best to give it to you."

"Yes. And I need to try my best to forgive Charles. I want so badly to but I cannot. I hope that by now someone has killed him by now. He was a bastard in life and a bastard in death. And the only thing I will ever feel towards him his pure unadulterated hatred."

"Anger is not a good emotion to harbor, Caroline. Especially, not for the rest of eternity." Aro said quietly.

"I know. But there is something you have to know about me, Aro. It is not in my nature to hate someone or to ever feel resentment for someone. And because that is my true nature, I despise what Charles has made me become." Caroline replied

Aro took her hand in his and looked her in her eyes, determination written in his eyes. "Caroline, do not ever let anyone, human or vampire, ever change your true nature. Nothing or no one can change or take control of who you truly are."

Caroline felt venom pool in her eyes as she looked up at Aro. "Thank you."