Woman of the Hour // volturi kings

36. those words

"I should go first," Claire quickly injected. She needed to get this out of the way, because they were going to keep it a secret for as long as possible and now that she knew, it was eating her alive. "One second."

She passed her drink to Caius, who took to carefully from her, and stood, taking a few steps in the direction of the fireplace. Luckily the dim room was enough to obscure her gift, but as she approached it, the brothers saw it.

They eyed it curiously, bewildered as to what it could be. She obviously had help getting it into the castle and on to the wall, because it was nearly as long as she was tall. Their sneaky little soulmate, conspiring with their guards in their own castle. They were so proud.

She reached up to the lower right corner of the sheet, reaching on her tiptoes. With a sharp pull, the fabric fell away.

Silence. The kings didn't utter a sound, all that Claire could hear was the thumping of her own heart and the crackling of the burning fire. She watched them with a sharp eye, waiting for any indication of how livid they were with her. The quiet minutes waded on, and she couldn't take it much longer. They hadn't moved, they were like statutes, their eyes glued to the canvas that was now back home where it belonged.

Staring back at them was themselves and their deceased wives, all dressed in their finest clothing. They all looked stoic and intimidating, just like the image they tried to portray to the world. Their Claire had hunted down the same artwork that used to hang in this very spot, centuries ago. Back when the wound of a dead wife was still raw for Marcus, and when Caius and Aro were set on their revenge.

It felt like lifetimes ago. Hundreds of years without their Queens, Aro without his sister. They couldn't bare to look at their faces after their violent ends, so all of their portraits were hidden away in the darkest corners of the castle or given away with little care. Never to be seen again, or so they thought.

Staring at the faces of the women they once loved, they felt nothing. Not the aching, not the horrid loss. And that's what shocked them the most.

"They deserve to be here, too." Claire's timid voice cut through the silence.

The queens used to support her kings; they were their backbone. And they deserved to be here, in the castle that they once ruled from. She wasn't jealous, she was appreciative. They were there when she wasn't, she believed that they shouldn't be forgotten to time.

"Claire..." Caius was the first to choke out a sound. He was so torn. He wanted to be mad, to be furious at the invasion of his privacy. But he felt so awful and guilty for keeping his wife secret from his soulmate. "What did you do?"

His voice sounded rougher than she had ever heard it, it cut through her. Her back snapped straight and she latched her hands together, her anxiety spiking. Maybe this was a terrible idea, he sounded so upset with her. He sounded like how she remembered Edward, before he would chastise her for something she did wrong.

"I'm sorry," she muttered. "I knew you wouldn't tell me about them on your own, I had to do something. I'm sorry."

In a flash, he was in front of her, his ruby eyes staring into her soul. She looked up at him, her eyes brimmed in unshed tears.

Oh, he had scared her. She had misread his tone for anger with her, when it was anger at himself.

"No no, my love. Do not apologize." He lent down and cupped her face in his cold, gentle hands. "I am not upset with you."

His gentleness with her never wavered, he always treated her like fragile glass and never raised his voice at her. The ghosts of her past were still tarnishing her perception of the men who were meant to love her unconditionally and completely.

"Why didn't you tell me about them?" Her lip quivered as the teras finally welled over, slipping down her cheeks before being wiped away softly by Caius' thumbs.

"I...we didn't want you to hate us," Marcus admitted from his seat, his eyes downcast.

He was terrified that she was going to be upset, maybe even leave him. So, he put off telling her about Didyme, then weeks turned into months and now he was faced what he was most afraid of. Claire had found out on her own.

"I could never hate you," she said softly, stepping around Caius to get a clear look at Marcus and Aro. "I could never hate any of you. I just wish you were honest with me."

Aro finally broke from his trance and steadily made his way towards her. He was torn. He was upset and sad and so guilty. He delved into her mind daily, he knew her deepest secrets and her hearts desires. But he never offered her the same courtesy; he kept his own sister and his wife a secret from his own soulmate.

"Claire," he started, leaning down slightly, his face mere inches from hers. "I am so sorry. We are so sorry. We didn't... we couldn't loss you, sweetheart."

He brushed away her tears, and Caius drifted closer to rest a supportive hand on her lower back. They guided her towards Marcus, they knew he was struggling the most.

He still loved his wife when he lost her, and it was never something they talked about. He mourned alone, in solitude, for years on end. He didn't like talking about Didyme, but he needed to now, because he might lose the best thing that ever happened to him.

He was still looking into his lap, unable to face Claire, his brothers or the forgotten face of his late wife. He could imagine Claire's look of heartbreak, of anger perhaps. She wouldn't want anything to do with him anymore, she would leave him because of the secrets he kept from her. He deserved it; he only did this to himself.

So, when he felt her fingers running through his tussled hair and heard the steady beating of her heart, he couldn't help himself. He reached forward and wrapped his arms around her middle, pulling her into his lap and tight against him. He buried his face in her neck, inhaling her calming scent while he tried to settle himself. Her fingers continued their ministration, and she began humming an old lullaby her mother used to sign to her.

"I love you, Claire." He murmured into her skin, for the first time. He needed to tell her, he needed her to know that he was completely hers.

"I love you, too."

a/n: ya'll get an early chapter because it's my birthday tomorrow so i won't be around till monday! so you get a gift toooooo.