Into Your Arms

Volturi Castle.
Volterra, Italy.

Alec slowly walks through the halls, trying to get back to his room and hide without being seen. Unfortunately, thanks to Melody, that’ll never happen.
“So how’d it go, Romeo?” she asks, appearing in front of his door.
“None of your business,” he mutters, trying to get around her.
“It didn’t work out, did it?” Melody frowns. “Ah, well, you don’t really have to tell me. I can see it.”
“Shut up and get out of the way,” Alec snaps. “I’m not in the mood.”
“I can see that too,” she grins.
He sighs in frustration. “Do you enjoy pissing me off?”
“Well… yes. Mostly, I like being right.”
“Who said you were right?”
“I did. I told you not to expect anything, but did you listen? No. Of course not.” She crosses her arms. “You kissed her, or maybe she kissed you, but she ran away and now you’re going to sulk around here for the next couple days being the mopey-emo-boy.”
“I said shut up.”
“Just admit I’m right.”
“I’ll admit you’re right once you get the hell out of my way!” he says angrily. “Now move!”
The door slams behind him as he walks in, running his right hand through his hair and checking the contents of his left pocket- a diamond ring, still clearing and dancing in the light as it winks up at him from his hand.

Cullen residence.
Forks, Washington.

“I um… I have something to say, well, actually, a lot to say.” I stand in front of my family, the events from last night pushed to the depths of my mind. “I figure I should be honest, you know? I haven’t really been lying but… I haven’t really been telling the truth either.”
Carlisle nods for me to continue, and I slip back into my familiar British accent I’ve suppressed for years.
“I was born in London, England, on 22nd November in 1940. Don’t ask me for specific details, I don’t remember. My father was a doctor and my mum was a typical housewife, and my older brother Peter was planning to be a lawyer.
“The summer I was 15, about to turn 16, we went to Volterra, and that first night I couldn’t sleep, so I wandered out into the plaza, and it was there I met Alec Volturi.”
I glance up for a moment, examining everyone’s faces, which are surprisingly blank; I take this as my cue to continue.
“I only stayed there for a week, but by the end I had-“ I quickly correct myself. “I… thought I had fallen in love with him. In May of 1957, a former associate of my father’s became incredibly drunk and lit our house on fire. I fell out the window and barely survived, but then a vampire named Elizabeth turned me and saved my life.
“She ended up being the head of the Robertson clan, and I joined; we lived all over the U.K. and a few months after I was turned, I discovered my ability to control fire.
“And then in 1994…” I trail off, feeling the empty space around my ring finger out of habit. “In 1994, we went to visit the Volturi, and I saw… I saw Alec again.
“After a few days of staying, I decided to join the Volturi, mostly because Alec was there. The next weekend, a ball was thrown as a celebration, and because the Robertsons were leaving the next day. There was something that my friends weren’t telling me, and I discovered that Alec’s ex-lover, Cassandra, was there.
“She took me aside and told me I was nothing more than a trashy rebound, and seriously shook me up. A few months later, things between me and Alec began to…” I pause for a moment. “’Fall apart’ isn’t exactly the right word, but the best one I can think of.
“Eventually one thing led to another and I found out he cheated on me with her, twice, so I broke off our engagement and left the Volturi. The rest… The rest you know from there.”
Silence; I look up at everyone, with expressions ranging from “that explains a lot” to “where did that come from?” to blank, completely blank.
“I wanted to be honest because this might be the last time I’ll ever talk to you like this,” I say quietly. “Because… You’ve all been like a family to me, but I’ve realized that I don’t stay in one place for long.”
Esme stands up and wraps her arms around me in a hug. “You’ve got all the time you need, sweetheart.”
“If you were to tell us that you were leaving tomorrow…” Carlisle nods. “We’d understand.”
I smile and nod as my “siblings” continue to remain speechless.

~~~~~

The private plane sits on the edge of the runway, the engines quietly humming as the full moon glistens overhead.
I stand quietly in the darkness as Alec steps towards me.
“You’re… You’re coming back?” he asks, hope in his voice.
“Not exactly,” I answer after a pause. “But… I left the Cullens. I have no more obligations holding me back.
“However,” I continue, holding up my hand to cut him off, “I’m not rejoining the Volturi, yet. I’m going to be more of a nomad that stays in the same general area. I want to take things slow, this time.”
He nods. “I can respect that.”
“Good,” I smile, standing on my toes and kissing him on the lips, a long slow kiss that stretches out for seconds, minutes, maybe more.
As we pull apart, he smiles at me, a smile that lights up his eyes. “That’s taking it slow?”
"Not exactly," I wink. “That was more like sealing the deal.”