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Fire and Smoke

Prompt: as a universe jumper you just wish people would take your advice seriously sometimes (alt: A witch jumps through a failed portal and accidentally lands in the Twilight Universe after the events of New Moon. Trying to find the way home seems impossible, especially before Breaking Dawn happens. Things don’t go as planned, well, Bella doesn't go as planned. Who would’ve guessed.)

Paring: Alec (19) x reader

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Instead of stepping into your living room through the portal like you’d done millions of times before, you fall from the ceiling into a living room that’s definitely not yours. Groaning, you sit up from where you landed and take in the spacious room and nice looking furniture. You can’t quite put your finger on it but something about the room seems familiar, like you’d seen it in a dream.

“Um…” A deep voice says from behind you. There in the doorway, staring at you slack jawed is Emmett fucking Cullen. The only problem? He’s a fictional character.

“No fucking way.” You breathe in disbelief, eyes wide. Something is definitely not right. “But- But you’re not real.” Your heart beat increases in speed as panic sets in over your body. You begin to glance around the room again, hoping that there’s answers you didn’t see before. There’s none, just the vague sense of familiarity that you have no business having. “No, I can't be here.”

“Well I just watched you fall through a cloud of purple smoke from my ceiling, so…” He continues to look at you as if he can’t quite believe it either as Rosalie appears in the doorway behind him. Your blood runs cold seeing her, dread quickly joining the panic.

“No! No no no! Not you too.” You wail threading your fingers in your hair and bringing your knees to your chest. Panic seizes your entire body. You feel like you could puke right now as the room begins to spin. “This can’t be happening. This isn’t possible.” Your vision blurs with tears and you feel cold hands touch your shoulder gently. The tears begin to fall as you register the solid weight chilling you through your shirt. Real. They are real and touching you. A sob escapes your throat, an agonizing sound no one should ever make. You can barely hear Emmett explaining how he watched you fall through your failed portal into their living room.

You feel a wave of calm wash over your body instantly freeing you from the growing panic attack. Jasper must be here now too. You lift your head and through blurred eyes you find most of the Cullen clan standing in the living room staring at you in surprise. Rosalie is the one crouched next to you surprisingly, hand still on your shoulder.

“You didn’t hurt yourself when you landed, did you?” Esme stands behind Rosalie peering down at you. You stare up at her with wide eyes, shaking your head slowly.

“Have you met Bella yet?” You whisper trying to gauge where in their timeline you landed. This is so surreal for you, “What year is it?” You tug the strands of hair still woven in your fingers trying to use the slight sting to ground yourself.

“We’ve met Bella, yes. Today’s May 13th, 2006.” Esme smiles down at you and you try to remember what was supposed to be happening. Was this the first book or second book? “You’re from the future then?”

“The future? I’m not even from this universe.” The moment you say it you notice the absence of your magic. The hollow feeling inside of you foreign as your panic starts to increase again. Jasper sends another wave of calm feelings towards you before you can work yourself up too much. “Did I land after James or after Italy?”

“Italy.” Alice stares at you with unabashed interest as you groan in displeasure. “How did you know?”

“Because this universe is fictional in mine. The books are pushing 20 years old.” You look down at your palms, trying to call your flames but they never come, your hands not even warming. Your eye twitches and as if on cue more calm floats through your body and you figure Jasper is working double time to keep you sane.

“Wait wait. How did you get here?” Emmett asks, pointing to the ceiling where you fell from.

“I’m not sure. Something went wrong with my portal and I landed here instead of my living room.” It doesn’t make sense to you, leaving Yelena’s house and portalling to yours was a very frequent occurrence. Portals are one of the easiest things to master, there’s no reason you should be anywhere except your own home.

“Can’t you just make another one?” Emmett shrugs his shoulders like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. More calm blankets you thickly, panic and dread being held at bay by Jasper.

You shake your head, the words feel like lead coming out, “No. The magic in this universe is foreign to me.” You can’t even feel it in the air which is a big problem. If there’s no magic here does that mean there’s no way home? You feel your stomach twist and siliva pool in your mouth. Another wave of calmness fights it off, making you feel almost loopy.

“So you’re a witch then?” Emmett plops himself down on the couch.

Rosalie rolls her eyes at him, “Wasn’t that obvious?”

“So you know what’s going to happen in the future?” Alice is pulling you up off the ground and pulling you toward the couch. The rest of the Cullens present all find a spot on the couch, Jasper leaning against the wall as far as he can away from you but not taking his eyes off of you. Assessing you as a threat or a bomb, you aren’t quite sure.

The front door suddenly opens and shuts, interrupting the conversation. Edward and Bella appear in the doorway, Edward with a confused look on his face as to who you are. Bella zeros in on you as well, her eyes darting to you sandwiched between Alice and Rosalie. She looks confused as well but doesn’t voice any questions.

“Oh good! This is-” Alice stops suddenly realizing they never got your name. She looks to you for help and you supply it for her. “Y/N, right. She’s from a different universe, she fell into the living room.” Alice says it like it’s the most normal thing in the world. She catches Edward and Bella up, waving them closer to the couch. “Our world is fictional in hers, so she’s telling us what’s about to happen.” Edward raises his eyebrows and crosses the room to hear what you’ve got to say. Bella doesn’t say anything as she comes to stand next to Edward, her arms crossed over her chest loosely. She looks awkward and out of place, uncomfortable almost.

“Sometime soon an army of newborns are going to come from Seattle to kill all of you. The wolves help you in the fight but the Denali’s don’t. Then right after the Volturi will show up and threaten you about Bella still being human.” There’s a noticeable silence as everyone’s stunned face turns to look at you to see if you were joking. “Victoria’s army.” You clarify since they don’t really look like they believe you.

“I’ve been watching her though, she hasn’t made any decisions to suggest that.” Alice furrows her brows, digging through her mind to recall her visions of Victoria.

“Yeah because she’s using some local kid as a cover.” You’ve never been strong in divination before so you aren’t your coven’s seer but you wonder if this is what it feels like to know the future. You don’t know if you like the feeling or not, having everyone blindly taking your word. What if things change? Yeah you don’t like this feeling, unease creeping into the back of your mind. It disappears seconds later and makes you wonder if it was really there or if you’re just losing it.

“Has your house gotten broken into yet?” You ask Bella, her eyes widen and she shakes her head.

“Then you still have a little while to prepare for everything. I should speak with Sam.” You don’t offer any more information about it even though it looks like Bella wants to ask. You wish you could remember the timeline better, everything happened so quickly in such a short amount of time. You wonder if the tribal elders know anything about what happened to you.

“You said the Volturi come? They don’t help?” Edward asks you, prompting you to return to your original thoughts.

You shake your head, “No they don’t help. They um…” You pause, not knowing if you should share the next part. “Jane meets with Victoria and Riley. They don’t take care of them right away because they want the army to win.”

“Why would they do that? Aren’t they supposed to be the vampire police?” Bella asks Edward, frowning in confusion.

“The Volturi don't like large, powerful covens. Half of us are gifted, they’ve done similar things to other covens in the past.” Edward tells Bella and decide not to add your two cents.

“We should move up my transformation date. So I can help.” Bella tells Edward matter of factly.

“It’s not a good idea. You being human was the only thing that saved you, Edward and Seth. Victoria and Riley find you while everyone’s distracted with the main fight. If you’re a newborn they might get ideas about tempting you as a distraction like you’ll do to them.” You tell her before Bella can start a whole argument in front of everyone or, god forbid, call another vote. She frowns at you, the displeasure swirling in her eyes but she doesn’t try and argue it.

“Does someone have a computer I could borrow? I need to do some research about the occult in this universe if I’m going to try and make it home.” Since you can’t make a portal like you normally would, you’re going to have to figure something else out. There’s no way in hell you’re staying here.

“You can use Carlisle’s, he won’t mind.” Esme volunteers quickly and you nod your head, mentally listing off things you’ll need to research and find. Hopefully you won’t be stuck here after all.

~

La Push is exactly like it was in the movies. It takes a minute to find Sam and Emily’s house, Bella’s directions were easy enough to follow, it's just weird not taking a portal. You wouldn’t call yourself directionally challenged but actually having to drive and not miss all the turns is a little difficult. It’s not like you drove very often to begin with, most of the time portals were more convenient. Driving was for leisure or sight seeing, not everyday transportation and even then a lot of people opted for brooms instead of actual cars.

You park Emmett’s jeep in front of the house hoping this goes well. You laugh at your crooked parking job and head to the door. You knock on the door and listen to the footsteps approach. Emily opens the door, a polite smile on her face.

“Can I help you?” She asks, she’s got a towel in her hands and the smell of baked goods wafts out of the open door. She looks like she did in the movies, friendly and scarred.

“Hi Emily, is Sam or any of the boys around? It’s kind of urgent.” You smile at her hoping not to freak her out too much.

“Oh! They are on patrols right now but they should be back soon. Is everything okay? Please come in while you wait.” She opens the door farther and steps out of the way, ushering you inside. Their kitchen is familiar from the movies. “Have a seat, the muffins should be done in a few.”

“I’m Y/N. I know Bella and the Cullens.” You sit at the table, “Things are going to get weird soon.” She raises her eyebrows and nods. You make small talk about baking while she moves around the kitchen. You’re dying to try one, they smell so good.

There’s a commotion outside, several voices yelling at once before multiple footsteps are pounding across the porch and the back door is slammed open. Sam and Jared run into the room, more voices behind them all talking overtop each other. They stop short when they realize it’s just you and Emily in the kitchen, unharmed albeit a little startled at their intrusion.

“We smelled a vampire and saw the car parked out front.” Sam looks between you and Emily suspiciously, signaling Jared to clear the rest of the house.

“Oh, that’s me. I borrowed Emmett’s Jeep. I need to speak with you about the Cullens.” The rest of the boys file into the kitchen, spreading out to get comfortable. “Where are Seth and Leah?” You ask, noticing their absence.

“Clearwater? Seth hasn’t phased and why would Leah be here?” Sam asks confused, he’s never seen you before. He glances at Jake, asking through the mind link if he knows you. Jacob shakes his head, not knowing who you are. You hear Jared reenter the kitchen behind you.

“Because she phases too? Right before Seth does.” If she hasn’t phased yet Harry must still be alive then. A few of the boys give you dubious expressions.

“How do you know that?” Jacob asks from across the table. “I thought Alice couldn't see our future?”

“She can’t. I’m from a different universe, one where this is all a fictional story and you are all characters in it. I fell into the Cullen’s living room this morning. I know what’s going to happen to everyone. The increase in phasing? It’s because of the increase in vampires in the area, right? Seth and Leah will phase soon because of the red haired vampire you’ve been chasing. She’s building an army. They phase back to back.” You word vomit at them. No one says anything for a second, they just stare at you with raised eyebrows as they process what you said.

“Okay back up. The red haired vampire is building an army. Start there.” Sam sits at the table and the rest of the boys not already sitting somewhere follow suit.

“Okay so in Tw- last year? Bella caught the attention of some nomads, they tried killing her but the Cullens killed the leader of their group. The red head was his mate and wants revenge. The vampire you killed in the clearing a few months ago was the other member of their group.” You start, Jacob nods his head, verifying in the mind link that you’re correct so far. “Well she’s in Seattle creating an army of newborns to come here and destroy the Cullens and Bella. They won’t respect your treaty with the Cullens if they win and will probably come for you next since you killed Laurant. They send someone up here to gather some of Bella’s clothes so they can lock in on her scent and I think that’s what triggers the Clearwaters to phase.”

“And the Cullens? What do they do?” Sam asks, his face serious.

“They fight. Their ‘cousins’ in Alaska don’t come down to help. In the books the pack helps in the fight after being trained by Jasper on how to fight newborns. I’m not here to tell you what to do, I’m just telling you how things happened in the books so you aren’t caught unaware.” You raise your hands in a mock surrender not wanting to come across as too pushy.

“If we help, do the Cullens win?” You nod your head at Sam’s question. “Are any of us hurt?”

“Jacob gets hurt covering another pack member’s back. He heals and makes a full recovery. That’s why I came now instead of later. Jasper’s agreed to start training you early to avoid any injuries. If Jacob does get injured, Carlisle will set his bones back in place but it will help if there’s someone else in the room helping. More so for Jacob’s comfort.” Okay so maybe that wasn’t entirely true but if they knew Carlisle runs secret experiments with Jacob’s stolen blood then they probably won’t want to help.

“Say we believe you. When is this army supposed to come here?” Sam asks, his serious demeanor never wavering.

“I don’t know. Like a month maybe? Now that Alice is aware of them she can watch the timeline better. I don’t remember if the books gave an explicit date.” You shrug, it’s really not your problem anymore. Now that everyone knows you can focus on finding a way home. Looking back, you’d laugh at how untrue that statement will become. You rise from your seat, ready to leave but pause at the door. “I’ll let you guys talk about it. Someone should let Harry know about Seth and Leah though, he has a heart attack from the shock and doesn’t make it.”

~

As you’re driving back to the Cullens’ house you see Rosalie waiting on the side of the road. She waves at you, appearing next to the car when you slow it to a stop. “Hop out, I’ll drive.” You smile at her, grateful because you’ve come to the conclusion you really hate driving.

“Alice said you were planning on asking if someone could take you to Port Angeles. I need to get some parts for my car anyways.” Rosalie said climbing into the driver’s seat after you crawl over the center into the passenger seat.

“Yeah, I wanted to go to the bookstore. See if I could find a deck of tarot cards and maybe some occult books. I wasn’t my coven’s seer but it’s worth a try. If they have any crystals I can try to meditate with them. Or maybe if I can astral project to my universe and tell my sisters where I am, maybe they could open a portal for me. The magic in this universe is a lot more archaic than mine I think.” You explain your thought process to her. You just hope it’s as doable as it sounds.

“Do you think you’ll be able to? Go home, I mean?” Rosalie hesitates to ask.

“I hope so, I know I don’t belong here. Becoming a vampire isn’t really high on my list of desires either and I’m afraid the longer I stay here the more likely it is I’ll have to get turned. I won’t be able to avoid the Volturi forever.” Rosalie looks over at you, a soft look in her eyes like she understands. Which you guess she does, she wouldn’t have chosen this life for herself either.

The rest of the car ride is spent in a comfortable silence, the scenery enrapturing you. Rosalie drops you off at the bookstore, telling you that she’d be back in a half hour to pick you back up. The book store is dimly lit and you wander to the spiritual section hoping they have something you could use. They do have a generic set of tarot cards and a handful of different books. Most of them look like duds but there’s one about astral projection and another on mirror scrying. Both of those look promising. They don’t sell any crystals but that’s okay. Flipping through the book about scrying gives you hope that maybe you’ll be able to speak with Yelena or one of the other girls after all.

Rosalie finds you still flipping through the books and laughs when the store clerk refuses your silver nuggets as payment. It’s not your fault that’s the only thing you had in your jacket pocket from your bet with Lillian when you fell into this universe. Rosalie pays for your two books and tarot cards and the two of you head back to the Jeep.

“Are you hungry? We can get something for you before we head back to Forks?” Rosalie offers, surprising you. She’s a lot nicer and more thoughtful than in the books. Probably because Bella narrates them but still.

“That would be awesome, I don’t even know how long it’s been since I last ate.” You give her a sheepish smile. “I’m fine with anything. Oh, is that a hot dog cart? Can we go there?”

One hot dog later and the two of you are back on the road. The wind whips your hair around while Rosalie drives back to Forks. You happily eat your hot dog, taking in the scenery like you did on the drive out. The moment feels surreal to you and you find yourself wondering for the thousandth time how this is your life.

~

The small mirror you borrowed from Alice sits in front of you as does the book you got in Port Angeles. You’ve spent hours trying to see anything with no luck. The tarot cards you got a few days ago were a bust, they kept telling you contradictory things. This is such bullshit, you think to yourself. There’s not a clairvoyant bone in your body it seems. The herbs you burned have done nothing but irritate your eyes and make you smell like smoke.

The famous meadow is peaceful, something you thought would help you to no avail. You lay back, closing your eyes, trying to clear your mind of the frustration and confusion. Staring into a candle flame didn’t work either, the element you’re so familiar with silent and unhelpful. You wonder how you’re supposed to make it home if you can’t even make a simple connection.

The birds chirp in the distance and for a moment you forget where you are. You picture yourself in your backyard, surrounded by the flower and herb garden. The smell of the rosemary bush is comforting and familiar. You hear a twig snap but don’t open your eyes, forgetting where you actually are and thinking it’s one of your sisters.

You wonder why they haven’t come to sit with you. Turning your head and opening your eyes you see nothing but the tree line instead of your back deck. Suddenly remembering where you were, you sit up seeing two wolves. They are sitting respectfully off in the distance, waiting for you to notice them.

“Um… hi?” The wolves run off back into the woods while you sit wondering what the fuck just happened. A woman steps from the treeline a few moments later followed by a man and understanding washes over you. “Oh, you guys phased. Is your father alright?”

“Yes, he’s alright. We wanted to come thank you for having someone warn him.” Seth smiles at you, him and Leah stop in front of where you’re sitting. You stand to greet them so you aren’t craning your neck all the way back.

“Y/N, nice to meet you guys.” You offer your hand out but Seth swats it away, pulling you into a hug.

“Thank you so much.”Seth murmurs in your ear. Leah replaces him, thanking you and giving you a squeeze. “Sam said he wasn’t going to make it if you didn’t say anything.” Leah frowns, troubled by what could have been.

“Yeah, the shock of both his kids…” You trail off, you’re pretty sure it was Leah who set off the chain reaction and you don’t want the guilt of what didn’t happen to eat at her.

“Our mom is really grateful. She wants you to come for dinner, our Dad wants to thank you too.” Seth smiles, looking between you and his sister who nods in agreement.

“Oh! I’d love to but really, I’m just glad he’s okay.” Seth whoops at the acceptance, fist pumping and running off back towards the woods. “I’ll go let Mom know, I’ll see you later! It was nice meeting you!" And he’s gone. Leah shakes her head in the general direction Seth disappeared into.

“I’ll wait at the border so I can show you the way. Six, tonight.” Leah gives you a small smile before turning and jogging after Seth. You watch her go, glad that their father is okay. You wonder again if this is how seers felt when they were able to use their visions to avoid something terrible happening.

~

Things get weird very quickly. Firstly, Seth and Leah continue to come around asking you to hang out with them. Which, honestly, is great. It’s nice to have friends here too. Secondly, Rosalie and Emmett are always around places you are too. Going into the woods? Them too. Going into town for food? They could go for a drive. Hey the games on, come watch with me. Hey I’m gonna fix my car, come sit with me while I work. You think they are also trying to be your friends? It’s just confusing. You didn’t think Rosalie or Leah would be the friendly type, Seth and Emmett for sure, but not them. You aren’t complaining or not enjoying their company, it’s just thrown you off a little bit. You’re beginning to think Bella is a terrible narrator.

Bella for the most part doesn’t acknowledge you much. Her and Edward are often off doing their own thing. She gave you dirty looks when the wolves came to train the other day too. You aren’t really sure why she doesn’t like you, you haven't done anything to offend her. You and Alice have been running through everything for the battle. You guys give Bella a detailed timeline she needs to follow. Everything is supposed to go perfectly. After the battle you plan on leaving. The Cullens don’t have the answers or resources you need to make it home. If New Orleans or Salem won’t work maybe somewhere in Europe will. Alice has assured you they will prevent Breaking Dawn from happening, at least the whole pregnancy thing. You honestly don’t care what they do, you just want to be left out of the potential Volturi shitstorm that follows.

Every second you aren’t working with Alice or hanging out with one of your new found friends you’re consumed by the thought of getting home. Sleeping is difficult, you often find yourself staying up all night to research different ways home. Meditating trying to make connections with someone on the other side during the day when it’s just you and Esme at the house. The tarot cards you’re about to throw in the garbage, they are so useless. The herbal teas you’ve been trying to astral project with don’t seem to do anything other than increase your trips to the bathroom. Even though you are settling in and making friends here it still feels wrong. You feel like you don’t belong here, which is true, but on a deeper level your soul just knows this isn’t the place you’re supposed to be. Your fire is gone, your magic is gone, you feel lost. You aren’t even having dreams here, no glimpses of home, no one trying to make contact with you. Just lost.

~

“You did what? You’re actually fucking with me, right?” You drag my hands down your face in exasperation. You laugh desperately trying to reign in the urge to leap across the room to strangle the brunette staring at you with her mouth hanging open in surprise. “Bella, Alice and I literally spelled it out for you. From where to stand, what to do, when to do it, Alice saw it play out perfectly. So why?” Edward opens his mouth to come to Bella’s defense and you hold up your hand to cut him off. “No Edward, don’t make excuses for her. I want to hear her say it herself.” You level your stare at Bella, forcing her to hold your gaze.

“Why are you doing this? I’m- I’m sorry, okay. I panicked.” Bella did the stutter and hair tuck combo further enraging you. You can see her wall of defenses growing behind her eyes and her arrogance reconstructing everything to once again make her the blameless victim of her own stupid actions.

“Why am I doing this? Bella, I’m never going to be able to go home now. Because of you.” You ball your hands into tight fists, “Do you know what’s going to happen when I get to Italy? Aro’s going to see everything. Things Alice has only seen glimpses of because nothing was set in stone until now.” You pause and lean forward, your lips curling back into a snarl. “Once they know everything they are going to kill me. And then? They’re going to come here and kill all of you to prevent everything from coming true. They are going to say because you all knew what was going to happen and still did nothing to stop it, you still chose to break their laws.”

“They might offer you a choice and we can -” Bella tries to start, proving yet again that she didn’t listen to a word you said.

“NOT EVERYONE WANTS TO BECOME A FUCKING VAMPIRE BELLA.” You scream cutting her off. “Believe it or not, this isn’t the fucking the Bella show. I had a life, I had friends, I had a family that loved me. I am never going to see any of them again. Because of you. You had one fucking job and you couldn’t even do that right. Congratulations. I hope you’re fucking happy.” You turn to stalk out of the room, to find somewhere to cool down and maybe come up with a way to save yourself. Or jump off the cliff in La Push. That option’s still there. For now.

“Happy? Why would I be happy?” Bella’s face starts turning splotchy with embarrassment but the anger building in her eyes reminds you of when she confronted the pack in New Moon about Jacob. Arrogant and wrong.

You stop mid step, slowly turning back to face her. The vampires in the room are all watching with mixed expressions of horror and shock. The Volturi guard who came to inform you of your summons and Rosalie look absolutely gleeful watching Bella get screamed at. “Isn’t this what you always wanted? The attention?” The smile you give her is sinister. “Oh no, Bella’s in trouble. Let’s drop everything and rush to her aid. Let’s put our lives in danger so we can save Bella.” You mock her. “Please be so fucking for real for once in your life. There was no reason for you to go off script. There was no reason you needed to fucking name me to the Volturi. But we both know why you did it. So just admit it.”

Bella leaps to her feet and balls her hands into fists at her side. Her face pinches in anger before turning and storming towards the stairs, probably to make her escape to Edward’s room. He’s at her side in an instant, giving you a dirty look. Fucking prick. Everyone listens as she stomps through the house, slamming the bedroom door open and it softly shutting behind Edward.

You turn to the rest of the Cullens, “Alice said we needed to keep the future a secret until they leave for the honeymoon so the timeline wasn’t altered beyond what we could control. Bella knowing always ended in everyone dying. Alice saw everything happen perfectly but telling everyone too early always made something go wrong.” Your mouth pinches in frustration and you look towards the window, the setting sun casting a golden glow into the living room.

“The future’s very unclear now. There are too many possibilities until more decisions are made,” Alice murmurs next to you. The two of you agreed shortly after you fell into the living room that avoiding Breaking Dawn all together would be safer than risk letting the events play out. There was a long silence, no one knowing what to say. You wish the portal would’ve just dumped you into the void instead of ending up here.

“Human, we must be going soon.” Felix speaks for the first time since entering behind the Cullen’s when they returned from the battle. You don’t turn to look at him but sigh. So much for jumping off the cliffs.

The front door slams open and Leah strides in, not stopping until she’s standing in front of you and pulling you into a fierce hug. “I can’t believe she did that to you.” She mutters, squeezing you a little tighter. “If you come back, no matter what, we will always be friends.” She takes a step back and looks you over once more knowing this is probably the last time she’ll see you. Her eyes move past you and move back to you before giving your shoulders one last squeeze. Leah turns and leaves as quickly as she came.

Alice takes her place, holding out a backpack for you. “It’ll be okay.” She says as you take the bag. She pulls you into a hug, Esme taking her place after. Jasper watches from a little farther away and tips his invisible hat. Rosalie and Emmett are the last two to approach, Rosalie hugs you with a sad look on her face. Emmett doesn’t crack any jokes as he hugs you after Rose. The house is silent as you follow Felix out the door. You all know you won’t be returning.

~

The plane ride to Italy is long. Felix and Demitri sit closest to you playing a card game. You can see them side eyeing you every so often and you wonder if they are talking about the living room argument. There’s two vampires you don’t recognize in the very back of the plane and Jane sits in front alone. The Volturi having their own private jet was not on your bingo card but it makes sense. At some point you fall asleep because one moment you're staring blankly ahead and the next Felix is shaking you awake. You groggily follow them off the plane, trying to rub the sleep from your eyes. The streets are empty as the four of you make your way back to the castle. The two other vampires ran ahead to inform the others of your arrival. The cobblestone streets echo with only your footsteps as you near a different looking plaza than from New Moon. You wonder if the filming location was somewhere else then.

You make your way through the hallways of the clock tower to the underground portion of the palace’s entrance. Jane disappears down the hole first, followed by Felix. Demetri looks at you expectantly and you sigh before jumping down, cold arms catching you before your feet hit the ground. You’re led through the dark tunnels by Felix. The elevator you all ride further underground is silent save for the cheery classical music playing in the background. Finally, you make it to the reception area.

The receptionist stands and greets everyone in Italian. A figure wearing a dark cloak comes around the corner. “Sister, you’ve returned with a snack.” A melodic voice teases Jane and pushes the hood off his head. He looks at you over Jane’s shoulder as they hug, his eyes flaring with something you can’t decipher. His eyes don’t leave yours when they pull away and it kind of freaks you out. Great, he’s probably thinking about eating me, you think. They both look so different than you imagined they would. More beautiful for sure but judging from the Cullens every vampire is prettier than how you pictured them.

He walks with the four of you to the entrance of the throne room and follows you in when the doors open. The room looks exactly like the throne room from the movies. The princes are waiting for you at their thrones and you just hope they kill you quickly. “Ah, the Cullen’s human seer. Welcome dear.” Aro rises from his throne, smiling so wide you think his face will crack.

“I’m not a seer?” You say confused wondering what the fuck Bella told the guard in the clearing.

“Are you saying Isabella is a false witness?” Aro asks, tilting his head assessing you. You don’t know what the fuck that means.

“Um yeah? I suck at divination.” You scoff, you can’t believe her. Actually, you can. She didn’t give a rat's ass about anything other than her single sided, weirdo competition with you.

Aro hums, regarding your confusion thoughtfully. “Jane dear, could you clear things up for our guest?” Aro turns to Jane standing off to the side with Alec. Demitri and Felix somewhere behind you by the door.

“We informed the Cullens we would be returning to check on Isabella’s mortality. As we were leaving she whispered to Edward that Y/N was wrong about the last surviving newborn and then asked if she had to be turned as well. We inquired about their other human and Isabella told us Y/N knew of future events, which is how the Cullen’s survived the battle. I decided she needed to be brought to you to be examined as a gifted human.” Jane declares obediently.

You groan, face palming yourself hard enough the contact is audible. “That fucking bitch.” You mutter to yourself. Of course she’d give them just enough to get you taken here. She probably thought that you would speed up her transformation date if it came out that the Cullen’s had two humans living with them. You stick your hand out for Aro and you wonder if your soul will be condemned to this universe or if it’ll hopefully return to your sisters. Aro’s in front of you in a blink of the eye, scooping up your hand greedily. His eyes go distant as he searches through your mind.

“A hybrid child?” He breathes before smiling at you again. “Amazing! It seems Isabella only gave us the glimpse at what a treasure you are. To come from a different universe where we are but a mere story, how exciting. A whole other universe.” He muses thoughtfully before continuing, “And a witch, marvelous! Your magic doesn’t work here my dear?” His face falls a little when you shake your head confirming before patting your hand with his. “Not to worry.” You don’t like the sound of that.

“Aro.” Marcus calls uninterested from his throne, he holds his hand out and just like before Aro’s gone and there in a flash. He takes Marcus’s hand before whipping back around to look at you. That’s not good. Not good at all. He gleefully cackles and claps his hands together before gliding back towards the end of the dias by the steps.

“Young Alec here will show you to a guest room you can rest in. My brothers and I have much to discuss from what you’ve shown me.” He smiles at you again and you feel a soft breeze, Alec appearing at your side. I don’t want to stay here though, you think to yourself.

You turn and follow Alec out of the throne room wondering why they are letting you live. It’s suspicious and you don’t like it. Maybe you can still jump from a window. Alec extends his arm out silently offering it to you after the two of you exit the throne room. You blink in surprise but take his arm, if he’s being polite there’s no reason not to be polite back. The last thing you want to piss him or his sister off by offending him. Torture is not something you’d like to experience.

“Do you prefer Y/N or is there another name you’d rather go by?” Alec asks politely, leading you at a nice pace through the halls. It surprises you that he wants to know your preference instead of calling you ‘human’ like everyone else has been.

“Y/N is fine.” You say softly and he hums to himself before repeating it. You find yourself liking the way he says your name, his voice like the rest of the vampires you’ve met has a nice pitch. “Alec,” You start, unsure if it’s a good idea. He stiffens at the sound of his name but you continue, “is there anything to eat here?” His lips twitch when you hastily add, “other than me. I haven’t had anything since before I left Forks.”

“Ah, yes, I’m sure Gianna can find something for you. You’ll have to forgive my family for forgetting humans need to eat more often than us.” He continues leading you down the hall, any vampire clearing the way when they see the two of you coming. The decor and artwork in the palace is beautiful, no two hallway exactly the same but all cohesive in the same aesthetic.

Eventually the two of you make it to a hallway with fresh candles burning in the sconces lighting the hall. There’s a vampire in a light gray cloak holding a gilded tray waiting for the two of you. “Forgive me, I overheard the human is looking for something to eat. I needed to speak with Gianna and thought to save you the trip.” He holds out the tray and dips his head down to not look at either of you. You’re aware of Alec’s high ranking status among the guard but this is so crazy to you.

“Thank you.” You say softly, reaching out to grab the tray but Alec beats you to it with his vampire speed. The vampire who brought you the food is gone the second Alec has the tray firmly in his hands. He pushes the door open with ease and gestures for you to enter first, following you in when you comply. The room is decorated with a mix of deep reds and golds, the beautiful ornate furniture that seems to be a common theme throughout the castle takes your breath away.

You drift to the plush velvet couch wondering how the hell this is your life now. A simple witch, just trying to go home after a coven meeting. Honestly you thought they’d kill you in the throne room but whatever Marcus showed Aro changed something. You know he’s gifted but you can’t remember what it was. It hits you when Alec settles in with you after setting the tray down on the table next to you. Why he of all people was ordered to escort you, why he wouldn’t stop staring at you when you got here, why he offered his arm to you, why he asked you what you prefer to be called. No fucking way, you think. It all makes sense now.

You groan, dragging your hands down your face, feeling so stupid and blind. You let out a humorless laugh. Alice must have seen it before you left Forks which is why she sent you with a bag. She knew and didn’t say anything. Probably because she knew you’d kill yourself before leaving the state and they’d all get murdered for it. The betrayal burns you to the core. She knew how you feel about becoming a vampire, she knew how desperately you want to return home, how empty you feel without your magic and she still sent you here blind. To save themselves.

“I fucking hate the Cullens.” Is all you say feeling Alec’s concerned eyes on you. And you mean it. Rosalie and Emmett were the only ones to ever have your back. “And fuck Bella too.”

He lets out a surprise laugh not expecting the venom behind your words. “You’re in good company it seems. I too do not like the Cullens or their problem pet.”

You laugh at his sentiment for Bella. “I tried so hard to keep them out of trouble long enough to find a way home. Rosalie, I think, was the only person in that house that stood in my corner against Bella’s nonsense. I should’ve known they’d choose Bella.” You shake your head at your foolishness. “I just wanted to go home.” You whisper feeling despair wrap around your heart.

“It’s their loss if they couldn’t see your value.” He pats your shoulder gently and you know he’s right but it still stings. You didn’t have to stay with them, you shouldn’t have but they sucked you into their problems so easily when you offered a solution. To be fair though, it’s not like you had the means to go anywhere else. No money, no identity, no knowledge of this world. Even staying with the wolves wouldn’t have been a long term solution.

“I-” You're unsure of how to start this. “Are we?” You trail off confused and kind of overwhelmed. Mates. You can’t get yourself to say the word knowing you’re condemning yourself to this world.

“I was wondering how much you’d figured out. Yes, we are mates.” He says cautiously, you nod your head at his confirmation. He reaches out and gently takes your hand in his. “I understand your desire to return to your own universe but I would still like the chance to know you while you’re here.”

“I don’t think I can.” You whisper the words that have plagued you since landing in the Cullens’ living room. “Go home, I mean.” You curl your fingers around his, “My magic doesn’t work here. There’s only been a few witches in our history to go through a failed portal. None of them ever returned to us.” You swallow thickly, the last of your words coming out as a strangled whisper. “Or their souls.” He squeezes your hand, unable to find the right words to comfort you. “I just wanted to see my sisters again. Or at least be able to say goodbye.” The last bit of hope you were desperately clinging to drifts away as your tears start to fall. You curl into his side, seeking comfort from his presence which strangely enough helps. He doesn’t say anything for a moment, just strokes the top of your hand with his thumb as he holds onto it and offers you his silent comfort while you cry.

At some point you must cry yourself to asleep because you are woken to the door being pushed open. You slowly lift your head off Alec’s shoulder and open your eyes to see a blurry Jane. She stops short, surprise written all over her face as she narrows in on Alec still holding your hand. “The Masters would like to see you brother.” You rub the sleep from your face as you shift around on the couch, releasing him from your weight.

“Sister, would you mind keeping Y/N company until I return?” He rises from the couch and gives her a happy smile. She nods her head and steps out of his way as he breezes by to head back to the throne room.

Jane levels a look at you that you can’t quite read. “You’re a lot prettier in person than how I pictured you from the books. I think I like your brown hair better than the blonde they gave you in the movies.” You tilt your head before looking back to the tray of food you had forgotten about earlier. “Will it bother you if I eat? I know you can hear it and I don’t mind waiting a little longer.” You look longingly at the small containers of pasta and salad Gianna gave up for you.

Jane raises her eyebrows, surprised at your consideration of her having to hear you eat over your own hunger. She shakes her head and gestures for you to eat, “Master Aro said you are like us. A witch.” She sits in the chair across from you, looking like she had more to ask but unsure how.

“Yes, I was. In my universe magic was the fifth element and easily harnessable. We didn’t have to hide like witches did here.” You poke at the salad, continuing, “I’m sorry for what you went through as a human. I thought the trials were made up until I landed here and tried finding a way home. It’s horrifying how evil humans actually are in this universe.” You scowl, shaking your head. You look up at her, her face hard but her eyes are soft looking at you. You stab some of the mixed greens onto your fork, stuffing them in your mouth quickly. You’d hoped that if there were others with magic then you could find a way home but every lead you followed dried up eventually. The closest you could hope for were mediums and psychics but all your emails went unanswered. With every day that passed with no response your hope died a little more.

“What was it like? My brother and I couldn't control our magic.” She asks, leaning forward in the chair. You swallow your bite of salad thinking how to explain it.

“It was like an extension of myself, inside of me like another limb.” You smile sadly. “ Some witches were stronger in some areas than others which is why covens were so normal. Most of the time it would be the first ability that presented growing up and then the rest would follow. Some people could only wield magic in a certain way, like the healers. Their magic was too pure for destruction. Some people could only wield destruction magic or practice nature magic. It really just depended on the person.” Jane nodded for you to continue. “When I was a kid my magic presented itself as I woke up from a nightmare. I woke up screaming and surrounded by fire. Everything in my room was in flames, my bed, the walls, me. I thought I was going to die.” You’re still able to recall how scared you were. “My parents were screaming in the hallway trying to get to me. My entire house burnt down that night. My parents were both healers that came from long lines of healers and nature witches so they sent me away to live with some fire witches since they couldn’t help me. I never saw them again. I think they were disappointed I wasn’t a healer like they were. It took years to finally control it well enough not to burst into flames at any emotional spike.” Jane blinks at you in surprise, clearly not expecting your story to be like hers. You eat more of the salad, letting her process everything.

“You could control fire?” Jane asks with curiosity written all over her face.

You nod, “To an extent, yes. I could create it, move it, extinguish it.” You finish off the salad while you think of your coven. “I excelled in offensive magic and alchemy. I could enchant things and create portals. I was actually getting pretty good at transmutation before I ended up here. Our coven wasn’t the largest but we made it work.” You reach for the bowl of pasta next, wondering if Gianna made all of this or if she bought it from somewhere. Either way, you’re a big fan of the salad.

“I think my brother and I would have very much liked your universe.” You agree, they would’ve been very powerful in your universe. She didn’t say much more, letting you eat the pesto bucatini uninterrupted. You cross the room after you finish, reaching for your bag wanting to change out of your jeans. You hope Alice sent you with something comfortable and not just high end nonsense. Maybe a gun to blow your brains out with.

“What in the actual fuck.” You dig through the bag, finding one outfit and a whole lot of lingerie. “What the hell is wrong with her?” You feel Jane peeking over your shoulder looking at the contents of the bag with you.

She laughs at you as you turn around wide eyed and beet red in the face. “So that’s what the look she and Edward shared in the clearing was about. No wonder they didn’t put up a fight when we said we’d be taking you.” Your mouth falls open in shock. You really shouldn’t be surprised they both knew and didn’t tell you. Fuckers. Absolute back stabbing fuckers. “Come, I can get you some things to borrow.”

Jane leads you out of the room and through another series of hallways. Seriously unless someone’s there to escort you, you’ll never figure out the maze of hallways. Jane opens a door, gesturing for you to enter before her and you wonder how heavy these doors are. Jane’s room is similarly decorated to the one you just left except hers looks lived in. There are books scattered around the room and little trinkets lining the shelves.

“Sit, I’ll find you something suitable to wear.” She points to a chair in the corner before she opens the armoire and begins digging through it. She tosses a plain black shirt to you over her shoulder, followed by a pair of black sweatpants. Both seem too big for both you and Jane. Nevertheless you start changing out of your jeans and sweater and into the borrowed clothes. It blows your mind a bit that Jane’s being nice to you when her reputation is certainly not nice. Maybe it’s a witch camaraderie. Maybe it’s because you’re her brother’s mate.

The door opens as you're tying the pants so they don’t fall off of you. Alec’s head pops in the room looking slightly panicked. When he sees you and Jane staring back at him he visibly relaxes. “I went back to the other room and found you both gone.” He opens the door wide enough to slip into the room and lets the door fall shut behind him.

“Your human wanted more suitable clothes than what the Cullen sent her with.” Jane shrugs like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. His human. It echoes in your ears as Jane floats towards the door. “I will see you both later.” She doesn’t wait for a response and leaves through the door Alec just came through.

“Where’s she going?” You ask confused why she’d just leave you in here.

“I don’t know. Probably to her room.” Alec shrugs, crossing the room to take the recently vacated chair you’re standing next to.

“This isn’t her room?”

“No, it’s mine.” Well that makes a lot more sense. You feel silly for asking such an obvious question. He tugs you down to sit with him, more on his lap than the cushion and traps you in his arms. He doesn’t say anything else, just holds you with his eyes closed. He looks content, happy even. You take the moment to study his face and come to the conclusion that he’s ridiculously good looking. Like actually ridiculous.

You settle back into Alec and let him hold you. The weight of his arms feel nice and it brings you a strange sense of comfort. You aren’t sure if it’s because you’re mates or if it’s just the physical contact of another person. It’s nice so you don’t think too far into it. His thumb strokes the inside of your wrist so lightly it almost tickles. Your eyes close at some point like Alec’s had, your body long melted into his. He moves you into a slightly more comfortable position and drags a thick blanket over the two of you. He’s content with holding and guarding you while you sleep like a good mate should. Alec’s been waiting too long to not take this seriously. There’s no way he’s screwing this up.

~

A little over a month passes and you’re still suspiciously human. Alec has been spending a lot of time with you, taking you around the city and showing you spots he thinks you would like. When he can’t be with you, he entrusts your care to Jane or Felix and Demitri. You’ve really enjoyed touring the wineries around Tuscany, the ancient architecture and artwork. Alec has been good to you, making sure to take care of your human needs the best he can. He takes better care of you than you take care of yourself. He doesn’t push you farther than holding your hand or holding you in his arms while you sleep. You think you could be really happy with him if you stay here. You just wish you didn’t have Bella to thank for sending you here. Even Jane seems to enjoy the time she spends with you, alone or together with Alec. It surprises you, the Jane from the books and the Jane you know are two very different Janes. Again, Bella is a terrible judge of character.

The displaced feeling is still eating away at you. You haven’t been able to speak with anyone about it because no one would understand. Your theory of Europe being a magical hotspot was a load of shit. There’s no magic here for you to use. Everything you’ve tried fails miserably to the point you’ve contemplating just giving up. You just aren’t sure what to do anymore, you’re just lost and dejected hoping for a miracle.

The trouble continues when you’re following Felix and Demitri down one of the towers after enjoying some wine and watching the sunset. The stone steps are getting harder to see and keeping up with them is getting more challenging. You’re just about to open your mouth to ask them to slow down when your foot lands on the step wrong and your whole leg gives out from under you.

The next thing you know, you’re falling before you distantly hear a crack and searing pain on the back of your neck is the only thing you can feel. There’s faint cursing and cold hands are touching you. It’s the last thing you feel before everything goes black.

~

It feels like when you’re a kid again waking up on fire, except you’re not waking up. You’re paralyzed in the flames, everything around you pitch black. You can feel the fire inside you, running through your veins and dancing under your skin but it doesn’t hurt. You’ve missed the comfort of your fire. Maybe your soul made it back home after all. You drift through the flames, floating and feeling at peace. Finally resting.

~

It’s very confusing when you open your eyes, the canopy of Alec’s bed above you. The canopy is wrong though. There was no pattern before, just a solid red but now there are fine lines across the entire thing. You can see things floating in the air, little specks swirling around and dancing in your vision. What the fuck? You turn your head to the side and see Alec reading a book in a chair he pulled up next to the bed. At the sound of your movement his eyes snap up meeting yours.

The book is tossed aside and his hands are holding yours in a second. The thud echoes in your ears, bouncing around the inside of your brain. You could see everything perfectly, his movement not blurry at all. His hands feel warm in yours and he gives them a little squeeze as you continue to stare at him. He looks different, clearer than before. You stare into his black eyes and feel a sharp pull deep inside you. Everything feels right looking into his eyes, you feel happy and content being near him. It dulls after a few moments. You figure it was the mating bond snapping into place which only means one thing.

“I died, didn't I?” Was all you asked, you knew you did and now you’re a vampire. Your voice is so different. There’s no natural rasp and it’s a slightly higher pitch. It almost sounds like you’re talk singing. You hate it. You also hate the intense burning in your throat. You hate the sharpness of your vision and the noise that makes your ears ring.

Alec squeezes your hand once again and nods. “Coming down from the astronomy tower with Felix and Demitri. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there.” He looks genuinely upset. “I had hoped you would choose this life on your own and things could’ve happened differently.” You don’t say anything, a hollow feeling floating through your body. You’re stuck here now. Forever. As a vampire. You’ll never get to see your sisters or your home again. You’ll never feel the warmth of your magic again. The hollowness you’ve felt in its absence will never go away and will forever be a part of you. A big part of you wishes they’d just let you die.

You lay in silence for a while before the door creaks open and Jane slips in the room. She has a giant, steaming bowl on a tray in her hands. She sets the tray down on the bedside table, fishing a blood bag from the hot water and handing it to you. “We figured it would be easier this way until you’re ready.” She pats Alec on the shoulder as she turns to leave. Her voice sounds different too, not as alluring as it used to be. The realization hits you that this is the only thing you’ll ever have again.

“Thank you.” You whisper, everything still too loud. You stare at the blood bag in your hand, it’s warm and the little air pocket floats around at the top. Alec squeezes your other hand trying to be supportive as you continue to stare at it doing nothing. He doesn’t try to rush you and reaches down to pick his book back up so he’s not staring at you and making you uncomfortable. He opens the book back up and continues reading or at least he pretends to. You can feel the warmth from the bag seeping into your hand but it doesn’t give you any satisfaction.

Eventually you bring the blood bag closer to your face, still examining it. Alec doesn’t turn to look but you know he’s watching out of the corner of his eye. You bite the corner, really hoping it doesn’t explode in your face. The coppery flavor isn't there or maybe it is and you like it now. It’s not what you expect. Horrible when you think about it but forgettable when you don’t. Alec doesn’t say anything as you drink the blood bag like a capri sun nor does he say anything when you fish out the other bag from the bowl Jane left. This one’s not as warm and you don’t enjoy it as much as the first. You drink about half of it before holding it out to Alec, offering him the rest.

He raises his eyebrows at you and shakes his head, pushing your hand back towards you. “You need it more, il mio tesoro.” He watches expectantly as you finish the blood bag, smiling and patting your leg. He rises from his seat, holding his hand out to you. “The Masters requested to see you when you woke.”

You take his hand and let him lead you out of the room. The hallways are empty of others, just you and Alec making your way down the hall. You travel at a normal speed you think? You’re unsure how fast your movements are now that you can move at super speed. You can hear everything so loud and clearly it’s getting overstimulating. You hold your breath when you pass Gianna, she looks up but barely has time to smile as you and Alec speed by. You can hear her heart thudding in your ears, the blood rushing through her veins and it makes venom pool in your mouth. Not the mouthwatering kind but the kind right before you throw up. It’s too overwhelming and you kind of want to rip her heart out just to shut her up.

Felix and Demitri are waiting by the doors of the throne room and Demitri sighs seeing you before fishing out an ancient looking pouch. Felix snatches the pouch out of Demitri’s outstretched hand gleefully sliding it into his pocket.

“I told you she wouldn’t eat Gianna, Mitri.” Felix gloats before turning to you. “Welcome back, Kid. Sorry about before.” He goes to ruffle the hair on your head but stops when Alec lets out a low, threatening growl. Felix retracts his hand grinning at Alec. They open the door to the throne room and follow the two of you in.

The three vampire royals are all sitting on their thrones waiting. Marcus looks exceptionally bored, Aro smiling wide, and Caius his usual grumpy self. They wait for you to approach with Alec and you’re too busy looking around at all the new details to notice Alec bowing. The sharp details of the marble are beautiful, the flawlessness of some areas contrast the cracked or dulled areas of others.

Aro speaks to you in hushed tones, no doubt trying to help with the overstimulation you’re experiencing. He informs you that you’ll be starting training with Felix and Demetri so that your newborn qualities can be controlled. You aren’t sure what the red cloak means compared to the various shades of gray everyone else wears but it doesn’t really matter. You don’t think anyone would try and mess with you because of their fear of Alec.

~

Training with Felix doesn’t intimidate you like it probably should. Right now you’re stronger and faster than him. And you know how to fight but you didn’t tell him that when you started. Alec and Demitri observe in the corner of the room. It’s just the four of you in the training room, probably cleared out by Alec for your privacy.

Felix stands in front of you mirroring your relaxed stance. “We’ll start easy. Throw a few punches so I can see what we’re working with.” He stays in his relaxed position, open and bracing for a blow. You don’t believe he’ll just take them like that.

You cock your arm back like you’re going to try and swing an uppercut since he’s so tall. At the last second you twist and slam your foot into the side of his knee. It buckles and while Felix is trying to catch his footing you straighten and swing as hard as you can. His jaw is at a reachable height now that he’s slightly hunched over and you don’t hesitate to send your fist flying as hard as you can. It connects with Felix’s jaw with a sickening crack and his body goes flying across the room. He lands against the wall with a thud.

There’s a loud, disbelieving laugh from somewhere behind you, probably from Demitri. Felix sits up and clicks his jaw back into place. You look down at your perfectly unblemished hand. Felix is up and advancing on you and you let him, back to standing casually in the middle of the room you wait for his strike. He goes to lunge and grab at you but you slip out of the way easily. You dance around Felix as he continues to try and swipe at you. He starts making them more and more challenging, seeing what you can handle. Eventually you see an opening in his guard and you take it. You were able to land a few jabs before Felix found himself on his back looking up at you.

“I think you’re a little more advanced than I thought.” He laughs in amazement. He wasn’t expecting a tiny thing half his size to thoroughly wallop him like that. Newborn or not.

“Felix, my friend, you’ve been slacking on your own training it seems.” Demitri laughs, holding a hand out for Felix to take.

Felix rolls his eyes as Demetri hoists him up. “Still couldn’t beat me yesterday so what’s that say about you?”

Alec’s arms wrap around your midsection and you feel his body pressed behind yours. “My strong mate.” He murmurs and nuzzles his nose against your neck. You can feel the pleased grin on his face, the smugness for your accomplishments.

Felix turns to you with his hands on his hips. There’s a stern expression on his face that doesn’t match the mirth dancing in his eyes. “Couldn’t’ve warned me before we started?” He laughs and shakes his head when you give him a sheepish smile and shrug.

The four of you move to leave the training room together, done for the day. You wonder how your training will go when you aren’t a newborn. Hopefully Felix won’t hold too bad of a grudge.

~

Spending time with Alec is something you’ve grown accustomed to. Your favorite place to spend time with him is in your shared room because he’s more relaxed and affectionate with you away from everyone’s prying eyes. He’s open around his sister and friends but even more extreme when it’s just you two. You gaze over at him and admire his lounging figure as he reads his book. He really has been making you happy. Your eyes slide past Alec to the crackling fireplace he’s using as a light source. Your mind quiets as you stare at the flames and focus on the inviting glow.

All you can focus on is the dancing flames in the fireplace. It’s like they are calling out to you, whispering your name and coaxing you farther under their spell. Your feet are glued to the ground, heavy and unwilling to bring you closer to the fireplace. Your entire body feels stuck, frozen in place while the flames enthrall you. Everything around you fades away as you continue to stare into the flames, you don’t hear Alec asking if you’re alright, you can’t hear the other vampires in the castle moving around, everything is drowned out by the cackle of the fire.

You feel at peace watching the flame dance around and wish you could still wield magic. You miss your fire, the warmth it provided, the familiarity of your magic swirling around inside of you, the comfort it brought by always being with you. You want to reach out and touch the fire, feel the flames curl around and lick your fingers. You want to feel its warm embrace again, surrounding you like a blanket. You don’t notice smoke filling the room and Alec’s panicked voice yelling for you. You continue to stare into the fire, unnoticing as your clothes slowly burn off your body, flames dancing on your skin mirroring the flames in the fireplace. Your entire body is engulfed in fire, the flames heating your marble like skin and you feel truly warm for the first time since turning into a vampire.

Your trance is broken by a vase hitting you square in the chest. The flames vanish in a wisp of smoke when you startle, the vase hitting the ground and shattering. Alec is in front of you immediately, checking you over for any injuries. “Are you alright, cuore mio? Are you hurt?” He must realize that he’s looking at your naked body because his hands retract and Alec blinks a few times before continuing to look you over. Upon finding nothing wrong he tears his cloak off and wraps it around you.

“I just wanted to feel them again.” You whisper, gazing over his shoulder at the fire still burning in the fireplace. He steps in front of your line of vision, trying to keep you from busting into flames again.

He wraps one arm around your waist pulling you close. His other hand holds your head against his chest, softly stroking your hair. “I was so afraid you wouldn’t be alright.” Alec murmurs while holding you in his arms, his head angled down so his cheek could rest on the top of your head. You slowly come back to your senses, the spell from the fire seeming to release you fully from whatever hold it still hand on you. Wrapping your arms around Alec, you hug him back while the last few minutes start setting in. You were on fire. A little flutter of hope curls around your heart, maybe you haven’t lost your fire after all and it’s returned to you now.

“Let’s get you dressed.”Alec gives you another squeeze before letting you out of his embrace. You let Alec redress you, his careful movements amusing to you considering you’re still stronger than him in your newborn stage. He leaves his cloak over your shoulders as he buttons the borrowed shirt closed. It’s long enough to reach midthigh but he still finds a pair of pants for you to wear.

“We should inform the Masters.” He holds his arm out for you as you leave the room, escorting you through the halls. You’re acutely aware of the lit candles burning as you walk through the halls, the flames brightening and growing stronger and straightening as you pass them before dimming back to their normal flicker. It’s like your trance earlier put you in tune with fire, more so than you were in your own universe. You were aware of all the elements before, even the ones you weren’t good at wielding, but not like this. This is completely different. You don’t feel anything except the fire.

Caius and Aro are already in the throne room when you follow Alec in. Aro turns from where he’s standing, a smile stretching across his face. Quite the opposite from Caius, who narrows his eyes, always displeased with something.

“Ah, Alec and Y/N! What brings you to us?” Aro lets you two approach him, Alec still gilding you on his arm. Alec bows, something you still feel weird about doing and probably why Caius still doesn’t like you very much. He holds out his hand for Aro to read his thoughts, finding it easier than putting into words that you were on fire. Aro’s eyes widen, a gleeful gleam in them as he assesses you in a new light like you’re a prize. You guess you are in their pursuit of being the most powerful coven. “Fire? My dear, could you do it again and show us?”

Caius leans forward in his chair, resting his hands on his kneecaps watching in curiosity at the new development. It’s the only time he’s never glared at you but you’ll take what you can get. You unclasp Alec’s cloak and hand it back to him while your nerves increase. You don’t even remember being on fire last time or how you even became on fire. You look around the room, hoping there’s a candle you can focus on since the last time the fireplace was your trigger. There in one of the sconces is a candle still burning, the flame flickering around. As you zero in on it, the flame stops flickering and burns straight up as a steady flame. Your mind quiets again as you stare at the flame and for you time stands still. You hear and feel the crackle of the wick burning, something inside of you wants to mimic the feeling. Your eyes unfocus on everything except the flame as you become it. It’s like you’re also the candle wick burning bright and strong.

There’s an Amore! yelled in the distance but you pay it no mind, still focusing on the bright glow of the flame and it reflecting back through your eyes. The trance is once again broken by Alec, stepping between you and the candle. It takes a moment for you to blink through the fog. It feels like you’re a candle just after being blown out, smoking as your embers cool and looking for a spark to relight. Alec is wrapping his cloak back around you, shielding your modesty. He unbuttons his shirt as fast as he can before sliding it around your body under the cloak. It’s a little awkward trying to get your arms in the holes but Alec’s hands are there already buttoning the shirt closed. He tugs the front edges of the cloak so it pools closed around you hiding your bare legs. Satisfied with you being covered he turns back to stand beside you as Aro and Caius regard you.

“Oh that was marvelous!” Aro claps his hands, smiling from ear to ear like the Cheshire Cat. “Oh my Dear, what a wonderful gift you have! We’ll have Gianna order you some fireproof clothes and a new cloak.”

He turns to Caius who looks impressed, the first actual emotion other than disdain you’ve ever seen on his face. “Purphaps a few fire extinguishers as well, we can’t have her burning the whole palace down.” Aro cackles at Caius’s joke, well, you aren’t sure if it’s a joke or a mild insult.

“Come Brother, let us go find Marcus and delight him with the news.” Aro turns and glides towards the dias where the thrones are. Alec holds his arm out for you to start walking towards the door, his hand finding your back to escort you back to your room.

Walking back through the hallways in nothing but Alec’s shirt and cloak seems to be stressing him out more than it does to you. Alec glares at every guard you pass, intimidating them to avert their eyes until you pass. He actually growled at the first one because they didn’t look away from your bare legs quick enough. Legs! It’s cute he’s being protective of you but he’s acting like you’re wearing a bikini.

When the two of you make it back to your shared room he pulls you close to him, wrapping his arms around your middle and hugging you from behind. He noses the side of your neck leaving kisses in his wake. It lights a new kind of fire in you, a delicious warmth spreading from your neck and pooling low in your belly. Alec’s fingers tighten their hold on your hips as you push back into his hardening crotch.

Pausing his assault on your neck he whispers to you while his hands slide up to cup and squeeze your breasts. “My little mate, so powerful and beautiful. How did I get so lucky?” You feel his nose ghost the shell of your ear as his fingers roll your nipples through the borrowed shirt. Alec grins when he hears you let out a soft moan accompanied with more grinding. “What do you need, carissima?” Alec doesn’t wait for a response and pushes his hips forward into yours, grinding against your rear and kneading your breasts roughly in his hands. You moan out his name trying to grind back into him desperate for more friction. You hear him chuckle, rolling his hips again against you. “Use your words for me, principessa.”

“Please Alec.” You try pathetically, the need for him growing in you by the second. You hear him tut behind you before he pinches both of your nipples harshly.

“Try again amore.” Alec noses the shell of your ear again, his enjoyment from teasing you clear in his voice.

You push your hips back against his again trying to swim through the pleasure of his touch. “Please fuck me Alec.” You say softly, the neediness in your voice apparent. You don’t care, you want more than the few kisses you’ve shared with him. You're greedy for his affection, his attention, him. He has you spun around and in his arms speeding towards the bed. His lips are on yours, firmly melding them together in a hot, hungry kiss.

You and Alec fall onto the bed together, him slotting himself on top of you without breaking your kiss. He tears your borrowed shirt down the middle, the buttons flying around you in Alec’s haste. He leaves you in his cloak and breaks the kiss to admire you under him. There’s a hunger in his black eyes, a burning desire for you that makes your heart swell. You know he cares for you, yes, but the intense look he’s giving you leaves little doubt about how strongly he feels for you.

~

A lesser guard comes by your room later with a new cloak folded nicely on a silver tray. Instead of another red one it’s pitch black. You don’t understand what it means or why Alec is practically vibrating in excitement when he turns away from the door with it in his hands. He has the same smug grin on his face while he peppers kisses over your face murmuring sweetly in between kisses.

“My pretty little mate. So beautiful. So powerful. How am I so lucky?” He keeps repeating more to himself than to you. When he’s satisfied with the praises and kisses he’s given you he takes a step back.

“Not another red one?” You reach out meaning to take it and put it next to Alec’s by the door. He pulls it away from your hands grinning.

“Of course not. The red was to indicate your newborn status. You would have been given a grey one next, probably one to match Afton’s but I can’t be sure. Since your gift is so powerful you have a black one like the Masters. It shows your status among the guards.” He drapes the cloak around your shoulders and fastens the clasp around your neck as he explains, the smug grin never wavering.

He takes a step back, admiring your form in your new cloak. “My beautiful mate.” He moves back towards you, resting a hand on your waist and the other on the nape of your neck. He cradles your head, tipping it back to smile down at you before capturing your lips in his for a firm kiss. He rests his forehead on yours, grinning. “Out ranked by my own mate.” He doesn’t sound upset at the notion, quite the opposite, he looks overjoyed.

“It doesn’t bother you?” You whisper up at him worried he could resent you at some point. It’s happened before in the past. Mages uncomfortable with your level of power being too close or exceeding theirs. Some mages only date hedge witches or practitioners of simple magic so they could stroke their own egos through the entire relationship. You’ve been a vampire for maybe a week and you’ve already leap frogged almost everyone here.

“Bother me? Amore, why would it bother me? I get to brag to everyone about my beautiful, powerful mate. My mate. I get to see you instilling fear in the hearts of everyone from your power, not from mine.” He smiles at you again and nuzzles your cheek with his nose and you can tell he’s being genuine. You’ve never had such a supportive partner before. Someone not secretly competing with you or threatened by your power. Not secretly hoping for you to slip up. Alec is nothing but supportive, actively rooting for your success. You think you might love him for it. He kisses your forehead again and pulls you into another tight embrace.

Alec walks to two of you back until the back of your knees brush against your bed. Alec leans away from you, grinning. “Bothered? Definitely. Just not in the way you think, amore.” He gently pushes you back so you fall back onto the bed. You see what he means now that you aren’t standing eye level in front of him.

He runs his hands softly up your legs starting at your ankles. Gliding over your pajama shorts and grasping the waistband before pulling them slowly down your legs. He tears the shirt you’re wearing down the middle and then off your body completely leaving you in only your new cloak. Seriously, you think, I just put that one on. You and Alec are going to have no shirts if he keeps ripping them off of you.

~

With your new found status in the hierarchy of guards, there’s a lot more free time than you expected to have. You don’t have patrols or watch shifts like the lower members do. You don’t have to stand guard outside the throne room. All you have to do is train your few hours each day with Felix and attend hearings or go on missions, both of which hasn’t happened yet. A lot of your free time is now in the library reading through the vast selection of literature from across the ages. Jane or Alec normally join you when they are free too, sometimes the three of you reading in silence or a pair playing chess while another reads.

There was no warning the day they came. A member of the lower guard was sent to bring you to the throne room, not saying the reason. You figured today would be the day you’d have to sit through a trial. Inside the throne room though are two familiar worried looking faces. Emmett and Rosalie stand in the center of the room and turn to look back at you as you enter.

For a split second they look shocked, like their brains short circuited before refiring. It looks like Rosalie is about to say something but Emmett is already moving to stand in front of you. You’re off the floor being squeezed in his arms. Hisses and growls fill the chamber from Alec and the other high guard at the same time Emmett murmurs "thank god you’re okay.’ Rosalie is there behind him, pushing him out of her way as soon as your feet are on the ground again.

“We’ve been so worried about you.” She squeezes you like Emmett does, giving you a hug that would’ve surely cut you in half if you were still human.

“You act as if we’d purposely hurt my mate.” Alec appears by your side as Rosalie sets you back on the ground. Rosalie raises her eyebrows at Alec but doesn’t say what she’s thinking.

“How have you guys been? I need to get a phone so we can talk more often!” You smile at Emmett and Rosalie excitedly. Maybe you can get Leah’s number too.

Emmett pulls his out of his pocket and slaps it in your hand. “Here. No excuses.” You laugh and slide the phone into your own pocket.

“The lovely Rosalie informed us of the recent transgressions of her coven. It seems she and her mate are far smarter than the rest of the clan.” Aro smiles his creepy smile and clasps his hands at his chest. “Why don’t you catch up in one of the sitting rooms while my brothers and I discuss what to do about the rest of the Olympic Coven.” It was a clear dismissal but a polite one. You wonder what trouble Bella’s cooked up now.

Alec leads the three of you back to your bedroom. He perches you on his lap in the armchair letting Emmett and Rosalie take the loveseat. “Not that I’m unhappy to see you but I’m surprised you came.” You didn’t think you’d ever see them again.

“Bella’s been insufferable ever since you left. Parading around like nothing happened. Our final straw was her telling Edward they should still let everything happen since she knows they get away with it not considering she's ruining Carlisle’s and everyone who was a witness’s reputation with the Vultori.” Rosalie states as soon as she’s settled onto the couch cushion.

“Jesus Christ.” You facepalm and shake your head. Disappointed but not surprised.

“She was pissed when we figured out you’d been turned.” Rosalie continues, “Alice said they granted you time to settle in but she never saw you or Alec choose. After Bella decided she was still going to have the baby Alice saw the Vultori come. She said you were there as a vampire wearing a black cloak and that you wouldn’t try and stop the Volturi. Bella lost it when Edward explained what the cloak meant and she started the turning argument again. And then the baby conversation happened a few weeks later.”

“I don’t even know what her problem with me is. I didn’t do shit to her.” Like what the fuck?

“She’s jealous. Jasper told me after you left.” Emmett causally states from his relaxed position on the loveseat.

“Isabella is an incredibly selfish fool.” Alec comments lightly stroking your hand resting in his. You can’t help but agree with him.

“We didn’t want her to take us down with her. So we left. We told them we wouldn’t be a witness for them if they followed through with the pregnancy and the Volturi came knocking.” Rosalie sighs. You feel bad for Rosalie knowing she loved Rigatoni in the books but since you came and told everyone what would happen you robbed her of that. There was never a guarantee that things would’ve exactly played out the same. Even if you didn’t tell them and went on your way eventually you would’ve still ended up here in Volterra.

Emmett and Rosalie don’t stay but promise to stay in touch. They are heading up to Sweden claiming they are overdue for another honeymoon. Even though you originally didn’t want to stay in this universe let alone a vampire in the Volturi, you’re content. Happy even. You have a mate that loves you, friends, your fire. The only thing you wish you could’ve had is one last goodbye to your sisters. You hope they found a way to at least see you’re okay.

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