The Rose and The Thorn (Caius - Twilight)

Chapter 6 - Sides of a Coin

Caius' POV

I snuck in as the sun was beginning to rise, my thirst silenced by the blood of some unfortunate man roaming the streets alone. I thought I was safe until I opened the door to my room, revealing an angry looking Aro.

"Brother, I thought you were going out hunting, you've been gone all night however. Was it a good hunt?"

"Excellent thank you brother, however if you'll excuse me I was looking forward to some alone time."

"But I am here to tell you of my plan, and a rather excellent one if I do say so myself."

"Perhaps later, I was hoping to finish my book which I started yesterday."

"You appear to have something troubling on your mind my dear brother, would you care to share?" He held out his hand, beckoning me to take it, but I knew doing so would put Sophia in danger.

"Maybe later, I really want some alone time right now." Aro looked at me in disbelief, but didn't question my response. He swiftly left, leaving the door open behind him and myself pondering the phrase 'if looks could kill.' I checked my antique clock, stolen from HRH Elizabeth I of England, it was 5am. I had 3 hours until Sophia arrived for work.

I wandered over to the window and gazed out, longing for the ability to sleep. I knew Aro and Marcus would drill me into telling them where I had been and what I was hiding from them, but they would ridicule me for feeling this way about a mortal. They knew me only as world-domination seeker, not a romance lover, even when I was married.

I lay on my couch and thought about Sophia, the way her hair lay on the pillow around her, her chest rose and fell as she breathed, her cheeks flooded with blood when she looked modestly at the ground. Before I knew it my clock chimed 8 o'clock. I rushed downstairs, appearing almost instantly in front of my brothers. I straightened my cloak and walked to my chair, sitting down with etiquette and smoothness only achieved by a millennia old vampire and ignoring the questioning stares from Aro and Marcus.

"How was your book my dear brother?"

"Good thank you."

"Are you free to talk yet, or is there another book you need to finish?"

"No, I'm free to talk to you now. What did you want to say to me?"

"I spoke to Marcus after the interviews and had an ingenious idea. After we decided you should father our vampire/human hybrid, and you said you needed the perfect woman, I decided Sophia should mother the child. She's everything you're looking for is she not?"

I froze in shock, if vampires can even go into shock that is. I had no idea how to react, and how I could possibly let them murder Sophia like this. I knew they wouldn't think twice about leaving her to die once she had fulfilled their plans.

"Brother?"

"I think that's a wonderful idea Aro, she's young, strong, pretty, not afraid of us, she should do perfectly..." I was cut off by knocking on the doors.

[M] "Speak of the devil. Enter." Sophia entered, her ginger locks tied into a messy bun, grey pencil skirt hugging her figure perfectly and eyes sparkling in the little light. I was mesmerised by her natural beauty as she begun walking towards us.

"I'm sorry to interrupt but I was was sorting through my desk and..." Aro lifted a single finger

"Let me my dear." He held out his hands, standing up and walking forward he cupped her delicate hand. They barely touched each other's skin when Aro suddenly turned to face Marcus and myself.

"Sophia has found the letter the Cullens sent us, the one when Jessica had her 'accident'." I remembered the conversation when Jessica interrupted us, the reason we had to find a new secretary.

[M] "What does it say?"

Sophia handed Aro the letter and turned to leave the hall.

"I'll be outside, sorry for interrupting you again." She left, closing the door behind her. I stared at the door longingly afterwards until Aro sitting in his throne distracted me. He pulled the letter from it's envelope and begun reading it.

"Dear Aro, Caius, Marcus and the rest of the Volturi,

I hope this letter finds you well and your journey back to Volterra wasn't to exhausting.

I am writing to thank you for leaving my family in peace. I am unaware of what Alice showed you, but I am guaranteed that I am grateful towards both her and yourselves.

I am also writing to ask if you would like me to send you updates on Renesmee's progress to help ease your worry of her forfeiting our bond with the human race?

Please do not hesitate to respond to this letter, you know I will always cherish the time I spent with you in the 19th century.

Yours sincerely

Carlisle Cullen."

[C] "They are thanking us for not doing what was right?"

[A] "They posed no threat to our world, brother."

[M] "I think we should be more worried about the vampire who has just arrived."

We all turned our heads to the double doors, and the scent of an unknown vampire.