gift or curse (A Twilight fanfiction)

Chapter 22

We quickly changed into suitable traveling attire. Nothing of the previous thrills of anticipation were felt this time and we were in and out the dressing room in seconds. At the front desk awaited us an envelop in which we found passports and a wedding certificate that only lacked our own signatures. There was also a credit card and while I put my signature – a new one, with a new last name – next to Demetri's, he placed the card in his wallet and the passports in his inner pocket.

After that he took me to the garage and opened the door of a black car that looked like it was made for a race track. The inside smelled new and a little hesitant I asked, once he sat down next to me: "This isn't yours, right?"

"Why? Don't you like it?"

"Are you kidding? I feel like a movie star. Is this really yours?" The leather even squeaked as I carefully leaned back.

His charming grin caused me to shake my head in disbelief. "It must've cost a fortune."

"You'd be surprised how much money you can accumulate over a thousand years."

Yeah, that made sense. The interest alone would probably be more than all my previous wages put together.

This wasn't a rush job. That much became clear when Demetri never sped up beyond the speed limits. It was bright daylight outside and the dark windows of the car prevented anyone from getting a glimpse of diamond skin. We only stopped for gas at one of those help-yourself stations and we didn't speak much. Occasionally he pointed out a specific architectural importance or answered one of my questions about the vampires we were about to find.

"Will we actually meet them, or it this more a spy mission?"

He changed lanes to overtake a car that went too slow and smoothly went back to the right. He looked at me while driving and answered: "We're not going to meet them. There are plenty of vampires around who are loyal to the Volturi, they will provide us with sufficient information."

That made me feel a lot better.

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Day turned into night and into day again. Borders were no trouble, no one even halted us or wanted to check our passports. I had seen bits of Europe before, but I'd never been to Romania. Since we couldn't walk in daylight, because it was a lovely day, Demetri took us deep into the mountains, where we waited for the sun to set again.

"Can you hear them? In your mind?" I asked, while we sat on the top of a high mountain, overlooking so much of the world it almost dizzied me. Clouds drifted above and beneath us, creating a never ending moving painting of dark and light.

"If I concentrate, yes."

"So, you've met them before?"

"Not face to face, only from across a field." He seemed deep in thought as he said that and again I wondered if it had something to do with the Cullens and what happened four years ago.

This time I did ask. "What happened four years ago?"

He looked my way and narrowed his eyes. "Who told you about that?"

Reluctantly I answered: "When I was with the Cullens, they warned me not to go to Italy, due to something that had happened four years ago. But they wouldn't tell me what it was. Please, tell me." I made an effort to ask and not command. I wanted Demetri to trust me with the truth of his own free will.

He sighed and stared in the distance. But he did take my hand, so I waited patiently. In the west, the sky darkened.

Finally he explained: "Four years ago, someone came to us with a complaint about the Cullen coven. Something they had done, that is absolutely forbidden in our world. Aro, Caius and Marcus decided that with such a large coven, we all had to go to them to ... pass judgment."

"What had they done?" My voice was barely a whisper. I couldn't imagine that family doing anything wrong. They had been a model of the utmost decency and civility.

He looked my way and grimaced. "You have been there, tell me, was there anything out of the ordinary?"

I cocked my head and thought back. There were shapeshifters, could that be it? I doubted it. Vampires couldn't make shapeshifters, right? Then, perhaps ...

"There was a child. Some sort of mix between a human and a vampire. Was that it? But she could hardly be a threat."

"You know the rule, turning children is forbidden. It's too dangerous. We thought she was such a child."

I wrinkled my forehead and thought about it. Jane was barely old enough, should she loose her temper she could cause a lot of damage. To a vampire mind, but even more to humans. What if she had been even younger, without restraint, without control. My nose scrunched up, yes, I could see the danger.

"But Renesmee isn't a full vampire. She was, well, at least looked older than Jane, when I was there."

Demetri nodded. "Yes, and that is why they are still alive. We came to an ... understanding. But they will never forgive us for wanting to end the threat."

In my mind I heard the infectious laughter of the girl and some form of protectiveness surged through me. I could imagine how her family, her parents, must feel about anyone trying to hurt their daughter. Would I ever forgive anyone for that?

Vampires couldn't have children, but they could love passionately. If anyone even so much as pointed a finger at my Demetri, I would have a very hard time letting that go.

One thing I didn't quite understand yet, so I asked: "What do the Romanians have to do with all that?"

"Ah, yes. They were there, on the battlefield. Hoping to do a bit of damage, if a fight had came to pass."

The word battlefield caused the image in my mind to shift from a conversation similar to the one we had in Alaska, to a full out second world war scenario and I bared my teeth. Demetri could have been hurt that day. I grabbed his hands and his eyebrows shot up as he took in my expressing.

"Hey, it's alright. Nothing happened. And even if it had, we could have handled it. Perhaps we should have, than we wouldn't have to be here, today."

"No, I don't want you to have to fight. Please, promise me you won't fight any war."

"I promise", Demetri hastily said, but then he frowned. "Ariadne."

My eyes widened in shock. "Sorry, I take it back. Oh this is terrible. I could do so much damage with this power. Perhaps I shouldn't go with you."

He sighed and pulled me closer, so my head rested against his chest. His hands rubbed my back and slowly I felt the distress leave me.

"Trust me," he whispered, "you don't have to worry about me. Just think, before you speak."

"Do you think I can undo my own commands?"

"I don't know, perhaps we have to test it."

"On you?" I leaned back in horror.

He laughed. "I prefer not. But come, the sun is low enough, we can go see if someone is around who will be cooperative."

The idea of using a random person to test my theories on, made me uneasy, but I had to know how this gift worked.