#volturiguard

Although Christmas wasn’t widely celebrated by everyone within the Volturi, they decided that they all enjoyed the event that the humans call “Secret Santa” gift giving. Although the masters did their own version of gift giving (Caius gave everyone some torture device from a different era last year, while Aro gave everyone ugly sweaters based on what holiday they celebrated, and Marcus gifted books with dead roses pressed in them as book marks) the elite guard decided that they would pick up this tradition.

A week before the day they decided they would present their gifts to each other, Felix wrote out all of their names and threw them in a old top hat he found in Demetri’s closet (don’t ask...). The elite guard gathered and picked their names. Santiago picked his first, then turned to leave. Before he left, Alec stuck his foot out and caused him to trip and almost face plant onto the floor. He face planted into Heidi instead.

“Nice one...” Jane mumbled to Alec before they high fived each other. Santiago apologized to Heidi quickly, hoping she wouldn’t be too angry at him. He turned back to the twins before leaving.

“Stupid kids...” He grumbled, too low for them to hear before turning around to leave, praying he wouldn’t be tripped this time.

Heidi moved and gracefully picked hers before zooming to the corner to look at it. Afton shot a look at Chelsea who gave him a look back urging him to hurry up and pick. Afton sighed in relief after looking at the name, moving behind Chelsea as he did so. She laughed.

“Nervous are we?”

“What, no. Of course not...” She giggled at Afton’s response before taking him by the hand and running off.

“C...can I pick now?” Reneta asked shyly.

“No Ren, now that you asked, you have to wait until the very end.” Felix teased. She frowned. “Just kidding small fry, go for it.”

She reached her hand into the hat and moved to the corner with Heidi where they began chatting in hushed tones. Corin was next, she stayed quiet and quickly grabbed hers before leaving.

“Didn’t we have a date after this?” Demetri called after her.

“Yeah, in your dreams...”

“But I don’t sleep...”

“Exactly...” she winked at him before moving down the hall, disappearing out of sight.

“Oooohhhh...you just got rejected!” Alec shouted at him. The twins began pointing and laughing hysterically.

“You two are so amusing, why don’t you become comedians and travel away.”

“Sure...and you can figure out how to sleep so you can travel far far away and have dates with all the women who reject you in real life.” Jane retorted, cocking an eyebrow.

“Alright you two, pick and go before you wound me anymore today.” The two moved simultaneously to grab their names. They turned their backs to the two and looked at the names.

“Aw, I got Jane...” Alec sighed happily.

“Alec, you can’t tell people who you got, we go over this every year...” Felix smacked his forehead with the free hand not holding the top hat.

“Whoops, oh well!”

“Oh no, no, no, put it back.” Demetri told him. He turned around.

“Please no! I have the perfect gift already.”

“Alec!” Jane scolded. He groaned loudly.

“Fine! You people are such kill joys.” He put Jane’s name back and picked a new one. “Oh! I like this one.” A mischievous smile appeared on his face.

“Oh god...” Jane said as the two walked down the hall hand in hand.

“I feel bad for whoever he got.” Felix told Demetri.

“He probably has a bag of worms already...”

“For all you know, it’s probably you, Felix.” Reneta said quietly as she and Heidi moved to leave.

“And that is when I would pity you.” Heidi added.

“But Heidi, you love me.”

“Not as much as she loves me...” Demetri murmured.

“Demetri I will fight you...”

“Come on you two, quit the make out sesssion and pick!”

Demetri and Felix then realized that they were standing very close, the only thing keeping them apart being the top hat. They backed up quickly. Demetri grabbed one piece of paper while Felix grabbed the last one.

“Do you have Jane?” Felix asked him.

“I’m not telling you!”

“I already have her present...you have to give it to me...”

“Why do you already have her present?”

“Were you just hoping that you were going to get her because if so, then that wasn’t very smart.” Reneta told him.

“No, but I already have the perfect thing!”

“Oh, so you want to give her a used thing?”

“No, it isn’t used, I’m not telling y’all what it is!”

“Okay I’m going to give this to you, but only because I want you to shut up, alright?”

Demetri switched papers with him and then left, throwing his arms over Reneta and Heidi when he caught up to them. Felix smiled and began walking. He unfolded the paper to find Demetri’s name written on it instead.

“DEMETRI YOU EVIL MAN!” Felix exclaimed. Demetri laughed.

“What’s he yelling about now?” Heidi asked. Demetri laughed even harder.

“What did you do now?” Reneta questioned.

“Probably disappointed all the gods that have ever been thought of.”

(Part 2 of Jane’s suspicious)

    Aro smiled at the twins; his two most prized possessions in his collection of guards. They had just arrived at the door to his study, staring at him anxiously; Alec more than Jane. He looked skeptically at the two while a big smile crept across his face.

    "And what might I do for the two of you this evening?" Aro asked them. Jane and Alec shared a glance before answering.

   "We need to ask a favor of you master." Jane responded confidently as her nervousness faded away. Aro took a step to the side and allowed the twins to enter. He made is way over the his cluttered desk and sat down in the black leather chair behind it.

   “And what might this favor be, my children?” Alec looked at Jane who gave him a reassuring nod. If he were human, Alec’s heart would have pounded right out of his chest and fell to the floor in front of him. He walked forward with an outstretched hand and Aro grasped it eagerly.

   He saw everything...the time Alec first saw the girl and how he wondered how a girl like her could be so beautiful and yet trapped in such an awful reality. How Alec longed to help the girl get away from her father’s abuse; how he related her experience to his own and swore that he would not let her suffer the same fate. But finally, how Alec loved this girl deeply, even if he wouldn’t fully admit it to himself. It made Aro wonder how Alec stayed in contact with her without letting his secret of immortality slip. And of course, the part about how he wishes for him to change the girl was the part that truly interested him.

   It was unlike Alec to have such a request, but Alec never asked for much. The most Alec ever had asked of him was if he could get a flat screen television in his room, so a request like this...baffled him. But of course happy endings for vampires were so rare and if anyone deserved one, Alec would be high on that list.  

   Alec watched as Aro’ s face contorted from a pleasant smile, to an awkward grimace, and then for a spilt second he went blank before letting go of Alec’s hand, causing him to come back to reality. Whatever came next, the twins would handle it together as they always have, and would make sure they got what they wanted. That was the thing with the twins, they could get Aro to do whatever they wanted him to and Aro wouldn’t complain.

   “I must say Alec, you have found yourself in quite a predicament...” Alec let his hand drop to his side and hung his head.

   “That was it...” Alec thought to himself. “He won’t do it...”

   “But Master...” He cut Jane off with the wave of his hand.

   “And what exactly were you planning on doing with the girl after I change her Alec? And even before that, what’s your plan to get her out of her home? That father of hers is a rather nasty fellow isn’t he?” Alec’s whole demeanor changed with that statement. His hope in his master was restored with the simple change in his tone of voice.

   “Well...I...I, um...you see, I did not think we would get this far...I guess we would have to get rid of her father first, seeing that he is the problem and then bring her back here.” He stuttered. a boysih smile appeared on his face, causing Aro to chuckle lightly to himself before raising an eyebrow, for he saw what Alec’s plan was and this was the most basic overview that he could provide.

   “You guess? Are you forgetting that I read your thoughts a moment ago? I know exactly what you were planning and how you would go about every step...and I have to say, your methods of torture would put some of Caius’s to shame.” He smiled wickedly.

  “He shouldn’t have hurt her. She did not deserve what he put her through, what he puts my little human through...and he should pay for every bruise and every scar that he inflicted upon her.”

   Jane was startled by her brother’s cruel words. Alec wasn’t the type of person to go and torture people just for the sheer joy of it, although don’t get her wrong, he would on occasion. It takes a lot to get him angry like this, and as much as Jane would hate to admit it, he was far more terrifying than her when he was angry.

   “You know your plan Alec, take Felix and Demetri with you for back up and keep this inconspicuous. We don’t need to draw attention to ourselves anymore than necessary.” Alec smiled boldly.

   “Thank you master!” He exclaimed. Aro smiled back at him.

   “It isn’t a problem my son. Bring the girl back here safely, and then you and I will take it from there.” Alec eagerly grabbed Jane’s hand and thanked Aro one last time before exiting the study.

   Aro sighed before putting his head in his hands. Alec was a good boy, that he knew, but he couldn’t help but feel a little saddened by the recent discovery of his potential mate. Ever since he saved the twins from burning at the stake, he has treated them as if they were his own flesh and blood; his children. They grew up throughout their immortal lives right before his eyes, even though their appearances never changed. This was just proof of that.

   The young girl Alec had fallen for showed so much potential, and if someone as powerful as Alec changed her...who knows how powerful she would be! Aro was fully absorbed in his power hungry thoughts now.

*note: I picture Alec and Jane to be about 15, not 12-13 like they are in the books*

   Jane sighed as she walked through the twisting hallways of the castle. She was trying to find her brother Alec, who unfortunately was nowhere to be found. He was acting very suspicious lately and would disappear about this time of night every Friday. No one ever noticed his absence other than Jane. Aro tried to reason with her when she told him about this occurrence. He told her that her brother was free to do as he wished while he was off guard duty and that she shouldn't worry about him so much. But Alec is her little brother! How could she not worry about him?

   Jane caught a whiff of Alec's scent and eventually was able to follow it to the front of the castle. She was no tracker after all, and Demetri was on duty with Felix anyway, so he wouldn't be of any help. She peered at her brother through the partially open door. Alec watched the flowing water fall into the bottom of the water fountain. Jane noticed that he looked nervous. She could tell by the way he bit his lip as he paced back and forth. She laughed quietly at that; it was a nervous habit that Alec had never seemed to be able to get rid of., and it stuck with him throughout his immortal existence. Jane's laughing turned into a small gasp as she saw a young girl about their age approach Alec.

   She was fairly pretty for a human; slim build, big blue eyes that sparked with enthusiasm, and long brunette hair that cascaded in waves down her back. Alec smiled when he saw her and led her to sit next to him on the edge of the fountain. The two began to talk, which caused Jane to feel angry.

   "Who is she?! Why is Alec talking to a pathetic human?!" She said to herself, enraged by the fact that the little human thought that she was worthy enough to talk to her brother. Jane watched the two for what seemed like a long while before her mind started to wander and fill with questions. These questions only angered her further.

    Who is this girl? What is she to Alec? How does Alec know her? Why is he bothering to talk to a human? Why does he seem to like the human? Should she tell Aro that this was the reason Alec was acting so strange? Should she walk out there and drag Alec back in the castle and force him to explain himself? Before Jane could act on her impulses, Alec stood up from where he was sitting. He held the young human's hand and guided her to stand up in front of him. He began to speak to her in a very gentle tone.

   "I know there are many things that you wish to know about me, but for your own safety, please refrain from asking questions about things that will only get you hurt." He told the girl. She scoffed.

  "What is going to get me hurt, Alec?! What is so wrong about me wanting to get to know you?! Why must you insist on hiding yourself from me? Do you just not trust me?" The girl exclaimed, obviously hurt by his words. He shook his head frantically.

   "No! Of course I trust you! If I told you about myself, you wouldn't be able to understand."

   "What won't I be able to understand? Why don't you just tell me something, anything, that I apparently wouldn't understand and we'll see if I do or not! If I don't, I won't ask about it ever again, but if I do will you tell me what I want to know?" Alec put his hands on either side of her face.

   "Not today..." He pulled the brunette to his chest and closed his eyes, which were covered by blue contacts. "Someday I will tell you everything, but I have some thinking to do before I do tell you everything. And I will tell you, but I'm not ready right now. I don't want to ruin what we have."

   "Whatever you eventually tell me, it won't ruin what we have, and it won't scare me off either!” A moment of silence filled the air. Even Jane stayed silent, instead of cursing the girl for her persistence. Soon the girl spoke again.

  “Just promise me that you will get me out of there soon...my father is getting worse. He hurts me a lot more now Alec..." The human rolled up the sleeves of her shirt to reveal large, dark bruises and deep cuts all up her arms.

   "Soon. I promise, and then I will be able to tell you everything." Alec reluctantly let go of the girl. "I'll see you next Friday right?" He asked. His voice wavered slightly, leading Jane to believe that he was very concerned for the girl. She gave him a reassuring smile.

   "Of course Alec. I wouldn't miss it for the world." The human hugged him once more before leaving in the direction she came. Jane couldn't help but notice the small limp in her walk as she left.

   Alec began walking in the direction of the castle. Jane took a step back as he pushed the front entrance door open all the way, revealing her hiding spot. He gave her a look of shock as he quickly shut the door. "Jane...what are you doing here?"

   "I came to try to find you, after all you have been sneaking around every Friday. I wanted to make sure you are alright, but it appears it isn't you who is in some form of distress."

   "Jane I can explain..."

   "You don't have to Alec. I heard enough." Her brother stared at her with a frightened look on his face. If there was one thing Alec hated more than the Romanians, it was displeasing Jane.

   "Sister please, hear me out!"

   "How are you going to help her?" Alec raised an eyebrow. Jane sighed. "That girl you were flirting with out there? She was abused by her father, no? You promised you would get her out of there...wherever there is. How are you going to do it?"

   "I was going to talk to Aro about her. I'm sure he would turn her once he realizes that she needs help, just like he did with us!" Alec declared, as if he just thought of that idea now. Jane admired his confidence, although she needed to be further convinced that he was really sure about the things he was saying. 

   "You really care about that girl?" Alec slowly nodded. "Well then, I guess I'm going to have to help you out then..." Alec smiled happily at her. He was relieved that she wasn't angry with him. But then a look of uncertainty crossed his features.

   "Why are you going to help me? You don't even know her..."

   "Well I know you, and you would not waste you time talking to some human for nothing. And I know what we went though with our father while we were humans. No one should have to go through anything like that, regardless of who they are." Jane hugged her brother.

   She knew that she was doing the right thing by helping Alec. Even in this small interaction that she witnessed between the human girl and him, Jane could tell how much Alec really cared for this girl. But Jane; being the insecure person that she was couldn’t help but think about what would happen if Alec acted on his feelings for this girl. Would he pay more attention to her than he did to Jane? Would Alec cast her aside if it meant that he could be with this fragile human?

   Jane shook those awful thoughts from her head. Overall, all she wanted was for her brother to be happy; and this human girl clearly did just that, so she decided that she would stand by her brother with his decision, and deal with the aftermath when it came.