A/N: Hola! 'Tis I, Countess Jackman, bringing you another Twilight story. Currently, I've reached yet another roadblock on "Bitemarks and Bloodstains", and this little ficlet has been floating around in my head since, well, forever, so I figured I could inject what little creative energy I have left into this story. I hope you all enjoy it and better yet, review!

Summary: They were the most feared members of the Volturi Guard. They were manipulative and powerful. And most importantly, they were in love. (They just don't know it yet.) AU.

Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer, therefore I do not own any of these characters. I just use them to invent my own storylines.

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Prologue

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From the moment he laid eyes on her, he knew that she was special. It wasn’t very often that someone quite as unique as this frail human girl came around. Oh no, they were a rarity and he would die if he didn’t have her in his collection. Positively die.

It had taken a few weeks of convincing, but they finally agreed to let him have his way, if not for the sake of shutting him up. He was so ecstatic that he had succeeded in swaying them to see his reasons that he snuck to her village that night. Like always, he sampled some of the local blood as he crept along in the darkness toward the small farmhouse on the outskirts of the tiny town. He had to preserve all of his will power for her. If he messed this up, he would lose what could possibly become his most prized possession in his collection.

As quiet as a mouse, he slinked into the house. He flashed through the house, stealing into each of the bedrooms and taking the lives of the innocent. He took her mother and her father first. They were simple enough. Then, he crept to her sister’s room and finished her off as well as her husband and the little baby in the crib. It would be best if he left none alive; survivors always made for sticky situations. He was on a mission and this was necessary. He knew that it might come back to bite him, but he couldn’t give up now. Not when his mind was reeling from all the consumed blood.

Her room was the last one, at the very end of the hall. Her door creaked ominously as he pushed it open. She didn’t stir in her bed and he was thankful; she slept like a rock. Like a ghost, he floated over to her bed and knelt down. Her warm breath stirred around his face: she smelt delicious, but he reminded himself that he couldn’t take her.

Not here. Not yet. Not now. But eventually.

Eventually, she would be his. Not his lover, but his daughter. His most precious piece. Jane would certainly not be happy at his newest addition to the family, but there were ways he could make it up to her.

Raising a delicate hand, he dragged his finger across the smooth plane of her cheekbone. A shiver raked through her body and she moved about on her bed, but her eyes did not open; she did not rise from her deep slumber.

“So beautiful,” he whispered in his silky voice. “So tender.” His nail cut into her skin, a drop of blood pooling. It was stark contrast to her abnormally pale skin. It was like she was meant to become one of his kind, one of their kind - a vampire.

He licked the warm blood off his fingernail and shuddered. She tasted even more delicious than she smelt. But he had to refrain. He had to get her back to Volterra. Cautiously, he slid his arms under her body and lifted her off the bed.

“No,” she muttered.

He paused and looked down at the girl in his grasp, her lank brown hair spilling over his arm. The venom would fix that, he thought, as he stared at her intently, waiting for any signs of awareness.

None came. She slept on in his arms and he leapt from the window, landing gracefully on his feet.

He had won his prize. Aro couldn’t have been any happier.