Experienced Thinkers (Katherine)

[Katherine O'Riley]

Never did she imagine she would be in this kind of a life, let alone in a castle as extravagent as this one. She had never been a messy type of woman, except when it came to her kills which was something she never brought home. She was used to cleaning everything herself which was fine as her home was small in comparision to something as big and beautiful as this one was. No one could be cautious about who they let inside their house which was why she rarely ever let anyone in. She wasn’t a clean freak when she hunted but at home her small little home was spotless. Time gave her that oppertunity to make sure she was able to live comfortably in case she ever had a surprise visitor. Of course that was only when she was home. Whenever she returned from a trip, she always dusted and inspected the place from top to bottom but nothing was ever taken.

She had been quite impressed with what she had seen thus far entering into the castle. It was like something out of a fairy tale. It was crazy to think of everything she had seen and witnessed in her exceptionally long life. “I’ll get used to it.” She repeated, kind of in shock still from what she had seen. It was absolutely breathtaking if she could even if she couldn’t breathe. She didn’t have to breathe of course. She was used to being lonely, and being on her own, so this would take an adjustment to get used to it all. She had fallen for Alex already, she just wasn’t so sure what to make of his home. It was huge, and she was sure that she would easily get lost in here. Even with as lucky as she had gotten, there was no way she could avoid getting lost in a place of this magnitude.

She liked him, alot. And the feelings there were mutual, she could tell that. She loved how he was treating her right now. She lived in a small well maintained home, but she still had more than enough money in the bank to travel where she wanted to. She could do as she wanted, when she wanted to. Of course now, she had to focus on the fact it wasn’t just her anymore, that there was someone else more important than herself. And that was Alex. “And I agreed that I would be honest too. I know, we both want to get to know the other better. This is how I plan to start that. I’m a very honest person, sometimes a little blunt and insolent as you’ve described me, but....I always speak what’s on my mind. But I promise that I will always tell you what’s going on, and how I’m feeling. We’re alot alike, you and me, in that we both may appear that we have no feelings at all but they’re carefully hidden. Masked if you will from most others.” She spoke with the same Irish accent she was used to using, though had carefully hidden for most of her time in Italy as not many Italians liked the Irish given their differences.

She smiled softly when he had taken a seat beside her. She liked him being so close. “As have I....after you and I parted ways many years ago...you left quite an impact. I never found anyone quite like you. You know, back then it wasn’t quite important to settle down, I was still a newborn. But....I travelled all throughout Ireland until the nineteen hundreds when I moved over here to Italy, and soon I found myself residing here in Volterra. And I’ve been here ever since. From there, I met Chelsea Volturi, and your son, Aro. I’ve been close with them as much as anyone affiliated with them could be. I’ve....worked for them doing small tasks where I can. And in exchange they allowed me to remain in Volterra. Being alone is not something I would have chosen for myself but that was what had happened. To be honest, after our first meeting, I thought you were some kind of a dream because as quickly as you were in front of me, suddenly you were gone. I wasn’t even sure you were still alive until I saw you today.” She soon found herself leaning her head against his chest as they were sitting there. She was going to have to open up about her past and so would he have to soon enough. For now she took comfort in just being close to him at that given moment.

[alexander james mason]

Alex was glad that they were trusting each other already this much. He never really spoke about his private life, in fact he never spoke about his private life. But he was going to for Katherine. There was something in him that was telling him this was right. This was what he had been waiting and looking for all these years. Even while he was a child, he longed for someone to love him. He craved the attention that he never got. But he hid behind a mask of hatred. He hated so many people, mostly because none of them showed any feelings towards him. That was his biggest problem.

He had always craved love and attention. That was why he had fallen so hard for that human. He would never forgive himself for allowing her to do what she did to him. But due to his craving for love he had allowed himself to be made a fool. But this time he knew it was not going to happen like that. Katherine had been hurt too. She understood the pain he went through. She understood it as her own. She had felt it. That made their bond all the more stronger as they both were fearful of being hurt and thus made them cautious not to hurt.

He was enjoying just having her here. She looked good in his world. She fitted. It just proved how right this was. It was fate. It had to be. It was funny how the world worked.

When she moved forward and laid her head on his chest he melted to her. Normally he would have recoiled in horror. No one had ever gotten this close to him. "I am glad that you moved here. If not I would never have found you" He pushed a strand of her hair from her face and smiled. Resting his cheek softly on her head he sighed happily. "My life has been pretty meaningless. I was made a vampire by a man giving me a second chance. He knew what I had done and knew that I deserved another chance. From then on I just moved around, I have been to every country in the world. Experienced so many things. Learning has been my main focus. I am a legal judge in most countries I have visited. I am also a lord in another few. Education was the only thing I could see was my path, due to my power I realized it was the way forward. I never imagined I would have a woman in my life, but this.. us.... it just feels right. It is like fate." He smiled softly as he kept his head on hers. Just feeling her beneath him felt good.

[Katherine O'Riley]

Trust was the one thing that kept relationships strong and bound them to eachother. She had never been one to dig into her private life with most people, Chelsea was probably the only exception. She was used to being a private person, and not to get too close to someone. Chelsea had a way of getting her to open up even somewhat, but even she didn’t know everything. There was something about this situation that just proved how right and fair it was. That they were supposed to be together no matter what. Even when she was a little girl, she had always dreamed of the prince coming to save her from her life. Aside from her two sisters she had not had the best loving home life. Both her parents were cruel to her, and she had gotten her fair share of trouble from them. She had longed for someone to truly love her, someone who wanted to love her for her, that she wasn’t related to. It was why as a human she had clung to the first guy that had showed her any attention. Aiden, he had been brilliant and had been loving for a while. She had longed for a relationship like that and so when Aiden had betrayed that trust, it made her unsure of her choices.

It was why after she was turned that she craved the attention, longed for it again. And she thought she had that when she had first met Alex but that had proven to be against them. And now, to be in his home, and to be with him, it was something out of this world. She had chosen after her home life and the human life she had left behind to hide behind the mask of lies, of not showing anyone who she really was, but only Alex had been able to bring that down quickly. She had hated so many people but it wasn’t because she thought she was better than they were, it was because of how they had treated her and those just like her. Opening up to someone like Alex was getting to be easy, but still there were some things she kept inside, which was one of her biggest problems.

She did not want to be made a fool of again, not like before but something had told her that she wasn’t going to be. She knew that Alex would not dare hurt her, not like that, because he had been through it himself. He knew the pain of it. He understood it as though it was his own in how she had understood it for him. He’d felt it, he’d known it. It was one of those things that made the bond between them even more strong, even more powerful than it already was to begin with. They were both fearful of being hurt and thus they were more cautious to not hurt themselves much less someone else that way.

She had to admit she liked being here. It felt good, even though she worried about getting lost in here, she felt like she fit in, and there were only a handful of places, that she had ever felt this way about. The Volturi’s castle being one of those places. It just proved without a shadow of a doubt just how right this was, how perfect it was. It had to be fate telling them that this was it, that they were meant for eachother. It was funny how fate liked to intervene when one least expected it. She smiled when she had laid her head against his chest, and was relaxed when he had pushed a strand of hair out of her face. She was happy, there was no doubt about it. It was like they were melting together, to be as one. “I’m glad too, because I know that my life would not be what it is, without you in it. You know I often questioned why it was that I stayed single for so long and now I know. I was waiting for it to happen, I was waiting for you.” She told him honestly as she felt him rest his head against her own.

She sighed happily as she was quite content with the way things were. “My life was too, for the most part. I can recall with such clarity what it was like to take a life. I was fifteen and still human, I was the middle sister of three kids. My parents devoted their lives to my sisters. I was the odd one out. They paid me no attention at all, although they were not exactly the violent kind. One night I woke up as I heard a noise. I went to go check on my older sister. There was a man, who was attempting to kill her. I don’t remember what caused it but I went behind him and killed him. I disappeared before my sister could wake up. No one knew that I had been the one to kill him. They just called it a mysterious suicide. Four years later, I was dating a man who....was my entire world. He knew almost anything there was to know about me, we were talking about marriage. I guess I was more serious about it than he was because one day I went to go visit my best friend, and I found them in bed together. I slit their throats...it was fascinating to take their lives, and I don’t regret it. No one knew of course that I had done it, as I could be very sneaky even then. Two years later, I had attended my sister’s wedding, the youngest of my sisters, and that night both my older and younger sisters, as well as their husbands were found dead, drained of their blood. I didn’t at the time believe in what had killed them.”

She could recall with such clarity the looks on her sisters’ faces and how difficult it was. Why she was telling him all of this now, was because she felt she had to be honest and open with the man she loved. Even if it came at a cost. She knew that he might not understand everything. But he had made more of an impact in her life than she ever would be able to tell him. He had given her a reason to keep moving forward, in hopes of finding him again. "It was only after I...I was changed that I knew the truth. I was only twenty at the time. When I was changed six months later, turned into a vampire, I was left completely on my own. I was changed on the day of my twenty first birthday. My sire, if you will abandoned me. Didn’t stick around at all. I had to figure it out all on my own. I can remember only that I woke up in a warehouse, three days later. I never found the vampire that made me what I am. I assume he is dead by now. I hunted in Ireland, which was where I was changed. My life was almost normal, like before until you came into it. From then on it’s been one thing after another. Using my talents, if you will to lure my prey to me, I’ve only ever fed on humans and that’s all I will feed from. I will refuse anything else. I’ve seen and experianced quite so many things, I can’t even count how many bodies I’ve left behind in my wake, but I’m guessing it would be close to a million by now, if not more. Aside from learning how to exist in the world as it is, to hide what I am, to save my life, I favored education. Where I came from, you know I wasn’t given much of a proper education, I had to learn on my own for the most part. Learning is something that I value above all else. Money is nothing but an object to me. I kept moving forward and here we are. I never imagined I’d....have a man in my life after all the heartbreak I’ve been through, but it feels good. It feels like it was meant to be. That fate was giving us a second chance I suppose. If you believe in that kind of thing.” She smiled warmly as she kept her head on his chest. She enjoyed just being so close to him right now.

[alexander james mason]

Listening to her story he felt like they were so a like it was strange. He could see exactly why she had been angry and horrible like he was.. is. They had both had horrible upbringings and lived to tell the tale. There was only so much a person could take before they cracked. It just so happened when he cracked he became an evil sadistic shrew with no regard for life at all. He had killed both his brother and partner while he was still human but they deserved it. He never felt any guilt. It was just not something he had ever felt.

He felt it now, having realized his actions had hurt Katherine all those years ago. He had never meant to hurt her, in fact he had never knew he had hurt her. He was a new vampire in his own right and was only concerned about blood and sex. Just like all young males did. But that did not excuse hurting her the way he did. He felt like he needed to apologize to her for it. She had just gotten caught up in his childish games.

"We are very alike you and I. My parents cared little about me. My father was an alcoholic and beat me and my mother and younger brother. I used to stand in front of that woman and take the beating for her but she never so much as thanked me. Many a time he would beat me till I was within an inch of death. Sometimes I would just have to lie there in my own blood. But we were the children of a wrong marriage. My mother was a higher class and my father was scum. And that he was. I never had anyone to love me. I grew up hating everyone and everything. I did not care. It was all I knew" He shrugged slightly.

"I got away as quickly as I could when I could and worked my way up to a bar. Thats where I met her. She was a vixen from the second I seen her. She wanted me the second she set eyes on me. But I did not know that at the time. But I fell for her. A fool hearted boy. She ripped my heart out. I found her with my younger brother. I killed them both. Their lives were mundane. When I found them it was like I had no feelings. I was numb. I was chased from my town and into the woods. Where I found my sire. He welcomed me into his cave and spoke with me for hours. It must have been hard as I was covered in human blood. But he listened and he understood. He told me I deserved a second chance at a new life."

"I took it. It was brilliant. But I also killed ruthlessly. It was more to get my own back. It was mostly women. Sleep with them then slaughter them. It was my own sadistic way of getting my own back. Sadly you got caught up in that. I do apologize for the way I acted all those years ago. I did not mean to hurt you" He sighed softly and put his nose in her hair.

"I promise to make it up to you. But this must be fate." He smiled again, still repenting for hurting her.

[Katherine O'Riley]

Never had she found herself in a situation where she was as open as she had been just recently, when she was forced to explain a part of who she was, that had made her what she was. The horrible upbringing of which she had witnessed in her own family unit made her see things for what they were. She loved her sisters and would have died to protect them but was not given an option to. She was not afraid of what she had done. She had no regret for killing her former love and her former best friend at once. There was only so much she could in fact take. As sadistic as it might sound she would do anything and everything to protect the one thing that she valued most, her life, and now Alex was apart of that because without him, she would be shattered once more.

She had never once felt guilt in her life, but she knew if she hurt Alex, the way that she had been hurt she would feel it. The truth was the two of them were a lot alike and that was a scary thing too, as though they could almost read what eachother was thinking and better yet feeling. She had known that he had never meant to hurt her, it had just happened, they were both new to being vampires in their own right and that back then things were different. Even though it had all been but a childish game, she would do everything she could to prove that she wasn’t going anywhere.

She didn’t have the strength to stay away from him. She couldn’t. She listened to his story and she was for once in her life feeling empathy for him. She felt bad for how he was brought up as at least her parents never really were the violent kind. “I’m sorry to hear that. I know what it’s like to be cruel. But you’re right we’re too much alike. I can only imagine how that must have warped your view on alot of things. Including—love, just like mine was. You had a more horrible upbringing than I did. I had my sisters but without them, I would have probably killed my parents myself. I didn’t only for their sake. My parents were in a marriage they shouldn’t have been in either. I was the child they didn’t want. My sisters were both planned, in advance. I was the mistake in their eyes, which was why they treated me like I was filth. Why I stood there, and I protected my sisters better than they could. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t know what love was, or that it even existed. We had eachother, and I thank the stars for that every day because I wouldn’t be here without them. I’d have been dead long ago without them.” She sighed as she went on knowing he wouldn’t need to know much more than this.

It wasn’t important to talk about the horrible people in her past, those who were dead and almost forgotten."I was the forgotten child if you will. So my sisters and I decided to run as far and as fast as we could, when I was young. We left our parents, they couldn’t find us. We never saw them again once we ran. They died years later of natural causes, if I remember correctly, not that I care. My parents were of the same class if you will but both just as spiteful and dark as one could be...or expect.” She sighed as she looked around the room, while her head was still on his chest. Hearing his talk about the woman who had hurt him, she wanted to rip the woman apart, but that was because it echoed similiarily to what her own experiance was. At least she didn’t have to worry about her former love being with one of her sisters, she’d have killed him first before he even thought about it. At least that was the only decent thing he had done. “That was how I felt, after I killed the prick and the whore that did what they had done, I didn’t care that I killed them. I didn’t care that I should feel remorse for it, but I didn’t. I couldn’t. I had no feelings back then. Nothing else made sense. I was a fool I suppose for it. Aiden had ripped my heart out, I am sure it was never completely healed....still it’s getting there. So you were chased from town? I was lucky I was able to still live among them as I wasn’t a vampire yet. When I awoke from my vampiric life I was alone, in a warehouse in Ireland, and I only knew I needed to eat, and fast. I pulled in people just by opening the door, and soon I came up with tactics that worked wonders of luring my victims to me. Once I was able to withstand the thirst I went out on my own to hunt. I didn’t have anyone to talk to, no one to show me the ropes so mostly I lured young men to their deaths. It was probably considered sadistic by the number of young men who I had taken, and tortured, maimed...and even killed. I was just getting the grips on what it meant to be what I was when you and I met....Alex. You were alluring, and charming. I know that you did not mean to hurt me, that you didn’t even know you had.” She could feel his nose in her hair and she grinned. “You already have, Alex, by just being here. By not leaving again. This is more than just fate....this was what it should have been like for us from the start. We just weren’t ready for it then but we must be now.” She still felt like the luckiest girl in the world just to be sitting next to him with her head against his chest. She closed her eyes as she just sat next to him.

[alexander james mason]

Alex still bore the scars of his fathers rage. He had one specific one along his chest, his father had attacked him with a spike whilst drunk and had almost tore him in half. Luckily it happened when he was older. He knew how to look after his wounds by this point. He even had his own little first aid kit. One that he had made up from stealing from others. He had had to sew the wound shut and take care to keep it clean. Back then keeping it clean was pouring alcohol on it and taking the pain. He was so used to pain that after the first time he never even shuddered when pouring the corrosive liquid on the open wound. For anyone else not used to it they would be flat on their back, especially with a wound like Alex had had.

He bore his marks. They were little reminders of his past. When he was human he used to look at them and feel anger. He had longed to kill his father but he never found the time to. He had been glad to hear that his father had been attacked and basically ripped apart by some people who he owed money to. Sometimes people didn't get what they deserved till later on. But it always came.

Nodding his head softly as not to hurt her, he listened to her words. It was like she understood on a level that no one else could. She had lived and felt most of the pain he had. "My father was ripped apart by the very life he enjoyed. He owed too much money to the wrong people and they came for him. My mother also got caught up in it. Her death was pretty nasty also. There is a part of me that wishes it was me that had killed that heartless cur. He was consumed by his drink. He cared for nought but it."

"I wont leave you I promise you that." His hand found its way to her cheek and he lightly stroked her cheek.

[Katherine O'Riley]

Although her past had not been as vicious as the one that Alex had clearly suffered from it was still traumatizing. It had given her a reason to want to kill the man herself, but alas everything had happened the way it did for a reason. He had died a horrible death so she did not care what he suffered, same with her mother. The two weren’t worthy of being her parents to be quite honest. The only family members she had cared for were her two sisters and they had long since been buried, their bodies ash by now, but their spirits lived on inside her. They were what kept her alive, kept her from going back to a life she regretted. A life of pain and heartache.

A life she had not looked back to in over a thousand years. Some things were better left forgotten. Which she had done a good job of forgetting most things of her human life, except where her sisters came into the light...into a conversation. They were the untouchable piece that she wished she could reach, but knew she could not. She had been used to the loss. Loss came with the time, with the knowing that there was nothing that could replace what was. Still becoming a vampire she had put that past to rest, and had moved forward, building a wall around her heart. One that hadn't been brought down until now. Until she had found her mate.

She may not have any phyiscal scars that most vampires who had gotten, over many a battle had, but she had the emotional scars which could be just as bad, if not worse sometimes. In her oppinion one was just as deadly as the other could be. Back in her past, she would have believed that even she had gotten what she had deserved, but in all honesty, being what she was, had been a gift, not a curse. It had allowed her to experiance a part of her life that had been taken away from her. She was not an innocent woman by any means, as she had killed without mercy, but even there had been things that she had not found herself being involved with. Especially when men had come into play.

The pain was something that not even the alcohol could fix. The taste of it was not even worth consuming in the end. She had learned to become a fighter early on. It was that or she would have been dead long ago. Although being what she was, the emotions had long since been buried, covered in stone the way her body felt when one hit her who was not quite as strong. Like the human men she had tortured, who had tried to fight back. But they still lost anyway.

It was fun to see their expressions as she had ripped pieces of their bodies from them without a second’s hesitation. The parts she had severed would often leave her victims paralyzed so that they could not fight back as she had finished them off, as they were quite a delicious meal when they were afraid. Some things were better left in the past, as she had often reminded herself. Even with the way she had hunted, she had longed for someone to share in the joy she felt while doing it. But perhaps that was going to change now that Alex was there in her life. A fact she had hoped would stay that way. “I would say that I’m sorry to hear that in normal situations, but in what you told me about him, I am glad he died that way. Same with your mother. I never witnessed my parents’ deaths but I’m sure they were equally horrible. That’s kind of how my parents were, not alcoholics but they didn’t give a care in the world about me. About my sisters, they did, but even then they turned violent against us all when we refused to be married off at such young ages. They tried to get my sister married when she was sixteen, I was fifteen, and my baby sister was barely twelve at the time. They’re lucky we got out when we did otherwise we would have killed them.” It was something that had caused her and her sisters to run before they were forced into a marriage they would not have been prepared for. A smile appeared on her face as she felt him touch her cheek and how he had stroked it, promising he would never leave her. “And I promise to do the same in return. You’re stuck with me, Alex. Whether you like it or not. I'm not going anywhere.” She grinned mischeviously as she said it. She still had her head rested against his chest, as she just enjoyed staying in that position. It was quite comfortable after all.

[alexander james mason]

Back when they were both born the world was very different. The poor where seen as a disease. There was social classes that despised each other, there was no harmony in the world. And there was no protection of children. They had both endured ridiculous amounts of neglect and on his own part torture. Parents back then did not have to show love or compassion to their children and that was why there was so many monsters in the past. He had been made a monster by his parents. He had seen things that no child should ever have, and thus in turn caused him to copy them. Even as a child he was cruel and sadistic. People seen his wounds inflicted form his father but they walked past him as of it was his own fault.

They lived in a small village, one where everyone knew everyone. All bad deeds did not go unnoticed. But no one cared. Nobody ever batted an eyelid. He felt angry that Katherine was neglected. He would never wish that on any child. Obviously he was male, not that he was being sexist, but he was able to endure a lot more. Female children were a lot more dependant. It was just natural. He felt his lip curl slightly at the thought of her being forced into marriage. "I am glad you managed to escape them." He never prayed on children. It was just something he would never bring himself to do. Children where a whole separate matter.

He chuckled softly as she said he was stuck with her. "And you are stuck with me." he grinned to himself. The prospect of being stuck with each other was actually quite a nice feeling. "Our pasts define us as who we are, we have both been through a lot. But now that we have each other we can change. We can grow. And become different people. We will learn to love again together." his lips found her head and he kissed her softly. His heart was softening to her, he knew of her past and her pain and he felt he needed to protect her now. He had to keep her from harm and make her life better.

[Katherine O'Riley]

It was strange to see the world having changed from the way it was when she was young to how it was now. It was a mysterious kind of life she led. Vampires had to learn to adjust to different times, different era’s, something that not even the humans had to put up with. She did not always like the fact that social classes weren’t supposed to intertwine with eachother because they had often enough in her home life. Her parents were from two distinctly different worlds. There had been no such thing as protection against abuse on children, whether it be from adults or other children. Bullying happened more often than she could in fact count. Back then they didn’t have to show love, by even the simple things, like physically hugging their children, or even taking care of them in terms of making sure they had a roof over their head or food in their stomachs. She had had to work for everything she had had.

It was what had turned her against the very people that she was supposed to love. They were more of a monster than she was, even now as a vampire. Parents were supposed to protect their children, not hurt them. That was what she had seen, in her long eternal life. Love and compassion had long since changed from the way parents were when she was born to how they were now. She had learned to copy even those actions that she knew she shouldn’t. The only exception had been to her two sisters. Without them, she was just as difficult as her parents had been. Just as vicious in her attacks. Although she had not been a fan of children, she would never dare hurt a child since she had been hurt that way when she was a child. Children were supposed to feel safe with their parents, if nowhere else.

Because she was a female she had been treated as though she didn’t exist. It didn’t make sense why her two sisters were doted upon but she was not. Perhaps it was because her sisters were planned, and she hadn’t been. The idea of having been nearly forced into marriage made her want to well attack those who orchastrated it despite the fact they were long since dead. She was able to hear him speak and if she had been human a chill would have gone down her spine. “I barely didn’t....but I’d have stayed behind if it meant my sisters could be free. That’s just how I was....you don’t leave someone behind if you truly care about them.” She told him in a matter of fact tone. She could be polite and that was what she was attempting to be of course. It wasn’t entirely easy but she was trying.

“Oh am I now?” She replied to her mate. She grinned, as the prospect...the very idea of being stuck with Alex for eternity was not only a nice feeling but an overwhelmingly good feeling. It meant she now had a purpose in her life aside from maiming and torturing her victims. As her head still rested against his chest, she couldn’t help but feel something that before she would have been unsure of. She was content. She felt complete just by being near him.

“Yes, they definitely do. We wouldn’t be who we are without them.” A sigh escaped her lips as she lifted her head so that she could look at him for once. “And what kind of change are we talking about Alex? I think we’re both different now. I mean look at us. You know, how we were when we first met. I know I’ve changed a lot since then and I know, just by talking to you now...I know you have too.” She chuckled lightly as her lips found his. Kissing his lips softly she pulled away and had a grin on her face as she did it. “I don’t think that will be a problem.” She said as she kissed him again before returning her head back on his chest. Her heart already felt like it was healing itself because of Alex, because he was there, and just listening to her. That was something that most others would not have done. It felt as though the pieces that were ripped to shreds from her human life were slowly being erased and that her heart, which she had thought would never be healed, would never be repaired was slowly getting a second chance. Just like she had a second chance at life, at love.

[alexander james mason]

The concept of caring for someone was strange to Alex. He had had a younger brother but he had never cared for him. If anything he was a thorn in Alex's side. There was no favorite so he never had to be jealous. But the boy always took what Alex had, or tried to. Of course Alex was unable to control himself when his little brother helped himself to the female he was going to marry so killed him also. When doing so he never even batted an eyelid. It did sound cruel but it was just the way Alex was brought up. Violence was always the answer in his book. Nobody crossed him. And even still to this day it was his policy.

"I have no notion of that concept. My brother and I... we were more like animals. We had no feelings towards each other. In the end I killed him. He was the one who took the female from me. I have no remorse over it. He was not a brother in my eyes." He shrugged simply. The truth of the matter was he did not care. He had never cared. What he done was payback in his own eyes.

He smirked mischievously and nodded. He was never one to be bound by one person but it seemed exciting. The thrill of the experience, especially since it was with Katherine.

"Perhaps we will change more. We will evolve to understand compassion, and perhaps not be as brutal as we once were." He chuckled softly and pressed a kiss back on her lips. If this was what love felt like he was in love. He could not explain the impact she had on him but he was glad that she was his.

[Katherine O'Riley]

Sometimes she wondered if caring about someone other than herself was only going to get her hurt in the end. It had hurt like hell when her sisters were murdered, but they didn’t know what they were up against. At the time, neither did she, but that had all changed. There were no miracles, not for her. Killing had been really easy, and it shouldn’t have been, not when she was a human. But she didn’t care about all that. She killed when she did, because well frankly she had no other option. The man she had killed at fifteen would have killed her and her sisters too, and she couldn’t have that. And Aiden and her former friend would have made her life a living hell because Aiden was that kind of a guy that if he could get something he’d brag about it. Something she never would have heard the end of.

She didn’t have a care in the world when she killed them. It was fun—easy even. Something she never would have believed. Of course it only got easier once she was transformed. Being violent was the one thing that she could do without batting an eye. It may sound cruel but it was all she knew, growingup. If one wanted attention they had to either take it themselves, or get it by some other means. Violence was not necessarily her policy but it was something she did quite often. No one dared cross her. Not one that had was still alive....a smile came to her lips when she thought of it. “I can’t imagine what it is like killing a family member, though had it happened to me, the way it did for you, I’d have killed them without a second thought. Without even feeling a hint of remorse for doing so. He doesn’t sound like a brother, but then again I wouldn’t know, I never had any.” She shrugged as she kept herself in close proximitiy to the vampire next to her. It was a strange to feel this way but she liked it, no she loved it. It was a feeling she would have to get used to. Even after all this time.

A mischevious grin appeared on her face when she thought of how things could in fact change. Both for the better and for the worst. She had never been bound to anyone, whether it be one single person or more than one. So the prospect of the whole thing was exciting, scary but exciting at the same time. The thrill of it all she hoped would never fade. She had to admit she enjoyed it when they kissed. They didn’t have to worry about hurting the other at least physically when they did so. Unlike with a human, you had to worry about whether they’d survive it. “Perhaps so. Though as long as we don’t lose ourselves along the way. I think we’re starting to understand it, otherwise we’d have probably ripped eachother apart by now.” She chuckled lightly. “Or at least not be so brutal to eachother as we have been in the past.” She chuckled thinking of how they were reunited.

Still how they got reunited was something she would never forget, despite how insolent she could be. His aggressive behavior was quite amusing to her, though she’d never cop to that. “I am just excited about being here, right now, with you in this moment. I don’t know what our future holds exactly, but what I do know is that whatever it is, as long as we have eachother we’ll be fine.” The comforting aspect was that if they were stuck with eachother, what could that mean exactly? But even just sitting in his castle, she felt like it was her own as well. Her eyes looked upon his face, and she just smiled at him. “I’m glad you brought me here. Granted it’s huge and it’d take a life time for me to even figure out where everything is....but it’s beautiful. And it just....feels very comfortable, to me.” She didn’t know where things would lead to but she wondered what he hoped for, if they were both thinking of things going in the same direction. She knew that she was in love, no doubt about that. And although she could not explain how he had impacted her....or what drew them together she was just lucky that it had. That in the end, he was hers. He was the one she had waited almost her entire existance for.

[alexander james mason]

Alex did not feel guilt for his brother. He had never felt guilt for any of his victims, they had been mere pawns in a bigger plan. He justified his killings with the fact he needed to feed or he would die. His life seemed more important than a couple of humans here and there. It could be seen as selfish but Alex was destined for bigger things. He did chose his victims carefully. He would only take those above a certain age and those that seemed like they had no life before them. So he was considerate in some sense. He had crossed paths with many humans whom he knew were destined for greater things and to take a life of someone whos impact was of importance seemed almost stupid.

He chuckled softly to himself. He knew now he would be unable to hurt her or be brutal towards her. His feelings for her were just too strong. He wanted to express them and tell of his love but again he was fearful that she did not share the same feelings as he did. He would wait till they had been together at least a few weeks before declaring his love. Although he was very impatient he felt it was quite a struggle to keep them to himself and would find himself over stepping the mark soon. He only hoped that it would not have negative consequences on himself. He knew that she felt something but was unaware of the true extent of it.

He smiled at his words. His first genuinely soft smile. He was glad that she wanted to be here with him and was comfortable here. "Do not worry about it my dear, you will become accustom to the castle very soon. If it helps I can put up sign posts." He chuckled softly, wrapping his arms around her he picked her up and placed her on his knee before pulling her closer to his chest. His lips found her head once again and he relaxed against her. "Move in with me?" He whispered softly.

[Katherine O'Riley]

She was just like Alex in alot of ways. She did not feel bad for her victims, if she had, she never would have been able to keep killing, but she needed to, because it was the only way she could survive. There were few humans that she left untouched because they served a better purpose. The ones she usually killed were usually near the end of their lives—or had done something that was worth killing to begin with. Like those that went after young victims of their own.

Sometimes the ones that were let go from the criminal system. She never touched anyone under the age of eighteen because she felt it was robbing them of their existance. She had always been known to be vicious and that she killed without a reason. Which was true, but she had always selected her victims carefully. And had always preferred to hunt in the not so crowded areas of Ireland and now, the same applied to Italy. Though it did not stop her from missing her old hunting grounds.

Alex was one of those guys that she could truly forsee having a future with. She had seen it when they first met, had hoped for it, but clearly that was not their destiny then. Now, it seemed like it was. True he was a bit crazy. They both were. To a certain extent but she had wanted him to be by her side, no matter what. She had wanted the two of them to be closer than they were now. Still the fact of the matter was they didn’t have to worry about eachother dying, since they were immortal. Because not only was Alex, Aro’s sire, but she knew he would be safe irregardless, and hoped that her own life would be secure because she was his mate. Still she could not account for that alone. She would do anything for Alex at this particular point, she had to open up her broken heart to him. It was something she had done, from the start and the feelings only seemed to intensify from there.

As crazy as it sounded, she wanted to see what their lives would be like. She’d never really lived with anyone else, since she had become a vampire. It was like lightning striking hot and fast, that was how she felt being around Alex. It was like everything else did not matter, but what mattered was right next to her. She didn’t know if she had the strength to be apart from him. To be all honest, she did not know what she would do if she had to. She loved him, she didn’t have to think twice about that.

She knew there would be some kind of consequences if she let herself get in too deep without knowing what it was that he was feeling. She didn’t want to make a mistake here and cause him to think that she didn’t care, when in fact she cared very much for him. She could tell without him even saying anything that he was impatient about something but she couldn’t get a read on what it was that he was impatient about. A chuckle escaped her lips as she thought about everything that had led her to this point.

She was getting more comfortable with her surroundings, though she knew that even if Alex did put up some kind of a sign that it would undoubtedly still cause her some kind of a confusion. A contented sigh escaped her lips when he suddenly wrapped his arms around her, as she was picked up and placed upon his knees. She loved the closeness that he was giving her. It felt as though she was not meant to be anywhere but where she was. “Well hopefully so. Since I do not plan on being away from you very long...unless we’re both busy....given what it is we do on a daily basis.” She worked for his son, so naturally there would be times where she would be called away. She felt him press his lips against her head again, and her head was against his chest but only briefly. When he asked her to move in....she was at a loss for words for a few minutes. Despite the fact that it was said in a whisper she could hear it as though it was shouted. A soft chuckle escaped her lips as she once again looked at her mate. “Yeah? Is that what you want? Us to move in together?”

She was curious as she had never lived with anyone else, let alone a male before. And when she had been human she had been taught that one didn’t move in with a significant other without there being a true reason for it, in most cases it was either due to a child coming into the mix or a marriage. Either way she had seen many of her friends leave to be with their partners in such a manner but never had she thought it would be something she herself would ever do. "I've never lived with anyone else, since I became a vampire...but it would be an interesting adjustment...to be sure. Though one worth looking into." She grinned as she placed a kiss on his lips.

[alexander james mason]

Alex never regretted asking her to move in. In his heart it was what he wanted. He wanted to be with her and live with her, experience life like never before with her. The only thing he worried about was if she would agree or not. He felt the minutes pass by like it was centuries. He really hoped that she would say yes. He knew that he had been quick with spitting it out but it was almost like he was unable to help himself. He bit his lip slightly, waiting for her to answer.

If he was human he was sure his heart would be beating out his chest. And he probably would have bitten clean through his lip. He had never been clumsy as a human but at this point in time it was almost heart wrenching. He was holding his breath. Not that he needed to breathe but it was just the anticipation of the moment. He exhaled as she spoke, a smile playing on his lips. "I want you. To be with you, and it would be easier if you were here with me. It means we can come home to each other every night if we are away doing things. At least we would always meet back here as this would be home to us both."

He wanted her to move in more than she could think. He just wanted to have her here all to himself. To be able to protect her and give her a part of him that she would be comfortable in. He knew that he would have to make a few changes to some of the rooms to accompany her belongings and give her private space if she wishes. But if she agreed then he would have it completed within the next few days.

"Would you like to move in with me?" He grinned sheepishly. She still had not said yes or no. He too had never lived with another. He had been intimate with the human before marriage that was seen as a sin in that time, but he had never moved in with her. "Me either. It would be an interesting experience" He kissed her back softly. Stroking her hair with his hand he smiled.

[Katherine O'Riley]

She could tell that Alex had wanted her to move in from the start. In her heart she knew that it was what he wanted. She wanted to at least be sure of things before rushing into something but just being around him, she felt something she had never felt before. She knew that he was serious and that meant she had to be just as sure of herself. It felt like an eternity when he had asked, but she was going to have to say one way or another soon. Still she watched as he bit his lip as though he was waiting for an answer. Had she been human, she was sure that she would not have been able to resist him or his temptations. She barely could now. She liked the idea of making him wait for an answer knowing it would be all the more rewarding when she finally agreed to do something. His smile playing on his lips was tempting. The anticipation and the suspense seemed to be building up and she was sure that if she was human she would have of course lost her heart, because it would have burst out of her chest. She was slightly nervous about the whole thing but her talents allowed her to minimize the appearance of it. She listened to his words, letting them sink in.

The fact of the matter was she wanted Alex to herself. To be able to see him every day. To not have to worry about him. There would have to be some changes of course, should she decide to move in with him. It was gorgeous to have him beside her. She had never been to close to anyone the way that she had been close to Alex. Change was inevitabel of course. There would have to be certain changes within the castle so that it would of course suit her personality as well as her few belongings. She knew it would also only take a couple of days to do so since Alex seemed to be very intent on what it was that he wanted, and would do anything to get that done.

She was very attracted to him, from the way he looked at her, to the way he spoke...all of it. “I want you, and to be with you as well.” She told him as she looked at him, with a subtle smile on her face. She liked the grin on his face. She had not been intimate with anyone while she was a human, as it never got to that point. Not that it mattered. When he asked her again, she grinned as she leaned in and kissed him again. She cleared her throat that she did not need to speak softly. “I just wanted to make sure you were serious about all this. About us. It is what I want too. But you’re right it would be easier if we were both under the same roof. But at least we don’t have to worry about sleeping. It’s...definitely going to be an adjustment of course...getting used to actually living with one another, something I’m looking forward to.” She chuckled softly. “Interesting is always good though. Should be quite fun. You’ll have to show me around of course.” Taking a deep unneeded breath she looked at him, thinking of what her sisters would have said about all of this. She knew that her sisters would have said that it shouldn’t happen, not without being married first. It was the one thing her sisters had done prior to moving in with the men they had loved.

She thought about that as she looked at him.”So what I’m saying is, that yes, Alex, I will move in with you.” She felt better to have said that she would live with him. She knew that it was something she normally wouldn’t have done but her feelings for him were clouding her judgement. Which was fine, but she wondered where this would all lead to. She’d not have to worry about being alone anymore. Of course it would be different living here. As opposed to just visiting. She chuckled lightly as she looked at him, kissing him once more. She loved him and there was no denying it.