epilogue is a lil long but i promise it's worth it! trigger warning for mentions of fire and death, just in case***

One year ago...

All Will could smell was the smoke.

He was moving as fast as he possibly could without drawing the attention of the ambling humans around him. The house was too far away for them to smell or see the fire yet, but as the panic in his chest grew it was all he could seem to focus on. He had to get to them in time; he had to save them. The face of their young daughter flashed in his mind; he didn't even want to think about her coming home to the mess he had created.

No, he thought. He couldn't leave her an orphan. He wouldn't.

Once Will was out of sight of any mortals nearby, he threw caution to the wind and ran as fast as he could towards the suburban home just a few blocks away. He remembered how easy it had been to find Anthony and Christina Masen. It had been painfully easy to trace the man to the bank where he worked, and then practically no work at all to follow his scent back to his home. And there he found his wife, who spent her days happily at their quaint little house painting and humming along to old jazz records. How unfortunate that these two had simply been at the wrong place at the wrong time... seen just a small thing that they should not have seen. He knew it was wrong... but he didn't have a choice. At least, he had thought that he didn't.

He had assumed the couple were on their own with no children to miss them, so he had told Alec and Jane that he found the pair and awaited their orders on what to do next. But then one day he happened to be observing the house when an unfamiliar car came by, dropping off a teenage girl that was the spitting image of Anthony Masen. She was young, maybe only seventeen or eighteen, with wavy bronze hair and clear green eyes. He watched her as her father stepped out to meet her on the porch, enveloping her into a warm embrace that only a father could provide. They were a family; they were happy.

No, Will had thought, his heart sinking deep in his chest. Suddenly, things did not seem so black and white. They weren't supposed to have a daughter. She wasn't supposed to end up alone. He couldn't do that to anyone, even if they were only human.

He had stupidly grappled with himself for hours, wasting time as he weighed each outcome over and over again. If he followed through with killing them, he would leave the poor girl an orphan. He could kill her too, but the rest of the guard did not know of her presence yet, and he could not bring himself to plan to take another innocent, young life. On the other hand, if he did not, Aro had the power to hurt Rebecca, his best friend, for disobeying his orders.

He had resolved to follow through with his hunt when he suddenly realized something: his Rebecca, so pure and good, would never forgive him if he did this. He knew that she would tell him that he always had a choice, and that she wouldn't want him to hurt someone if he knew that he could stop it. She would tell him not to lose himself in his quest to save her.

And so at last he was decided. He found Demetri deep within the city on the rooftop of a quiet dive bar; this was the place that they had decided to meet on their trip to Chicago. The sun was just beginning to dip beneath the horizon, concealing the two immortals in the darkness of the shadows around them.

Demetri's face was stoic as Will approached him, golden eyes determined and a fire of righteousness burning in his veins.

"I won't do it," he said. "I won't reveal where their home is. I can't condemn innocent people to death like this."

Demetri scoffed, rolling his bright crimson eyes. "They're just humans, William. No need to be the hero." He cocked his head, challenging him with his gaze. "You do realize that if you refuse, your precious pet in Italy might be in danger. You would really risk not tying up these loose ends and protecting our race just to feel better about yourself?"

Will bristled at the threat to Rebecca's safety, but he did not waver. "I'm not a murderer. I won't kill them."

The other vampire observed him for a few moments, nodding thoughtfully. "I see," he began, sighing disappointedly. "How unfortunate. But I knew you would fail. Aro thinks that there is potential in you, but I know the truth. You may be an excellent tracker, Cameron, but you are not one of us."

Will stared stone-faced at Demetri, letting his words bounce off of him like stones. "Tell Aro what you must," he said, narrowing his eyes. "I'm finished being his errand boy."

Demetri stared at him for a moment, and then suddenly burst into a fit of laughter. Will watched on in silence, at first confused but ultimately growing suspicious and concerned.

"Oh, William," Demetri said, finally catching his breath. "Did you really think that you could refuse and save the day? Did you really think that we would not have a plan of our own?"

Will furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean? You don't know where the house is. I told no one."

Demetri looked at him like it was obvious. "We had you followed. Jane and I knew that you wouldn't be able to finish the task, so we followed you and found the house for ourselves. In fact, she and Alec are probably there now."

No. It couldn't be. Realization dawned on his face, making Demetri chuckle with malicious delight.

He sniffed the air dramatically. "Hmm, do you smell that? It smells like there might be a fire somewhere."

Horrified, Will turned to the west, where he knew the house was located. Way off in the distance, he could just barely make out the curling tendrils of black smoke against the darkening night sky. The faint smell of wood burning encircled his nostrils, and then all of a sudden he was running.

With the cover of darkness, it was easy to get out of the city. He kept to the shadows as the condensed buildings became more sparce, and when he finally made it to the highway leading to where the Masen family lived, he was able to run more freely and focused on running faster than he ever had in his life to make it in time.

As he got closer and closer to the house, he could see the faint orange glow that the flames gave off into the night sky. The smell of smoke burned his nostrils as he ran along the highway out of the city and towards the small suburb where he tried not to think about what would be waiting for him. All he could see in his head were the faces of Anthony and Christina, and the dazzling smile of their daughter who he did not yet know the name of. He couldn't let them die tonight. He couldn't have their blood on his hands.

When he finally reached the house, he stayed close to the tree line behind the yard. There were people screaming outside of the house, likely neighbors, and he could just barely hear the sound of sirens coming closer in the distance. The warmth of the flames burned his marble skin as the light danced across the planes of his face.

The second floor of the house was already collapsed inward, the roaring fire already enveloping it into the inferno. He listened, but there were no sounds of voices or screams coming from inside. No sounds of struggle, or breathing, or even a heartbeat. That could only mean one thing.

Will fell to his knees, groaning in agony as he watched the fire devour the once beautiful home. This was his fault... it was all his fault. He should have never led them to this place; he should have never went looking for them at all. Any punishment or retribution from the Volturi was better than seeing what his deluded actions had caused. And because of his carelessness, three innocents were now dead.

"Sorry that you missed the fun," said a cold voice from behind him, and he did not have to turn around to know that it was Jane who spoke.

Another slight rustling told Will that Alec had appeared, too. "Aro will be disappointed to hear about your failure."

"I don't care," Will said, his voice breaking as he watched the house cave in on itself. There were more screams, and he could hear people crying. The sirens were getting closer, but of course, they were too late.

"Very well," Jane sighed, her voice oddly conversational as if she did not just murder three innocent humans. "Alec, let us leave him to wallow in his failure. We leave for Volterra at dawn. Do not be late."

Will made no sign that he comprehended what she had said, and listened to their footsteps fade away into nothing in the darkness of the trees behind him. Suddenly, he saw another car pull up on the street. The passenger door flew open, and Will's heart lifted and then sank as he saw the Masens' daughter launch herself from the vehicle and start running towards the house. She was screaming, begging for someone to help save her parents. Two neighbors had to grab her before she could try and run into the flames herself.

He watched her as she realized that there was nothing she could do. And then he watched her as she realized that her parents were never going to come out of that house alive. She fell to her knees, her sobs piercing the air and his heart and made him clutch his chest in agony. He had done this to her. He had been the one to cause all of her pain, and watching her now, he wished that he were able to cry because he knew that he would weep for her long after the flames would be extinguished.

He would never forget the sound of her cries for as long as he lived.

***

In the dim light of the early morning, perhaps an hour before the sun would rise, Alec and Jane watched and waited in the tree line behind where the Masen house once stood. The flames had been put out, the people had gone to bed, and the remains of the home sat in an eerie silence as the remaining embers glowed in the darkness.

Will was no where in sight, and Jane knew that he would come back to Italy with them. She and her brother were here to make sure that they had completed their task. There could be no loose ends. And so they sat, listening, making sure there was no life in the home before the medical examiners and law enforcement came in the morning to search the remains and collect the bodies.

Jane was almost ready to confirm that there had been no survivors when a faint sound pierced the silence. She shared a look with Alec, who looked just as bewildered as she felt. They listened more intently to make sure that it was not an animal or another human, but still, there it was.

A heartbeat.

Careful to make sure that there were no prying human eyes, the twins made their way to the wreckage, following the faint thumping of a human heart. The found the sound the strongest when they stood in the remains of what used to be the living room. Alec lifted a fallen piece of the ceiling with ease, and together they looked down at the pair of huddled remains below them.

The woman had clearly not survived, her lifeless hands still clutching her husband's even in death. She had been burnt nearly beyond recognition, and she lay still and silent beneath their gaze. But her husband had been lucky; of course, he was still badly burned and likely suffered from terrible smoke inhalation, but the twins shared a look when they realized that he was the source of the heartbeat.

"That fire would have been nearly impossible to survive," Alec said, staring down at the man clinging to life.

"And yet, here he is," Jane said. "He is strong... stronger than most humans."

The twins shared a look. They both knew what they were going to do.

And so they carefully untangled the man from his wife, lifting him from the ashes and wreckage with ease. He was large and physically stronger than an average human; they hoped that this gift would follow him to immortality, and if they were lucky, perhaps another that would earn them favor with their master. They had to work quickly and make sure that the humans would not ask questions; there was no room for error. They had to make it look like the man had died with his wife, burned beyond recognition, in a tragic accident.

A wandering vagabond close by and a few well-placed calls and bribes would make this all too easy. Eye witnesses would say that they knew the couple were inside when the blaze started, and there would be no questions asked. The humans would bury the remains, and Anthony and Christina Masen would be lost to time and history.

Later, just before the sun rose on the horizon, Alec and Jane disappeared into the trees as they heard the police cars approaching, Anthony Masen in tow and a freshly burned homeless male corpse lying next to his deceased wife in the wreckage of what once was their home.

***

Present Day...

Will waited impatiently in the small study, unable to keep himself from pacing back and forth across the stone floors. This room was a rarely used space in the Volturi castle, tucked away in the east wing and out of range for even a prying vampire's ears. He only hoped that his plan would fall into place; if word got back to Aro, then everything would be for nothing.

He was relying on the fact that Aro was lax with his guard, especially those closest to him. He knew that the Volturi king had all too much confidence in Chelsea and Corrin's influence, so he rarely bothered to search the thoughts of those he deemed worthy enough to keep close to him. This fact was the only thing that would allow his plan to succeed.

He was interrupted by the sound of the ancient wooden door creaking open. He ceased his pacing immediately and turned to face the intruder, hoping that it was who he thought it was. He let out a sigh of relief when he was met with the crimson gaze of Anthony Masen, who he knew used to have the intoxicating emerald eyes of his beloved Evelyn.

Will had come back to Volterra ready to murder Aro for lying to him and killing his best friend, consequences be damned. In fact, he had almost plotted to do so until he heard the rumors of Aro's new personal bodyguard, second only to Renata herself. When he first caught a glimpse of him in the throne room, it was like he knew exactly what he had to do to get his revenge, and hopefully, the girl he loved. A discreet note with the details of their meeting slipped into the pocket of his robes had led them here to this moment.

"Hello, Anthony," he started, nodding in greeting. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me. I trust you weren't followed?"

The older man shook his head, eyeing the golden-eyed vampire curiously. "No, I made sure that I was not. Aro thinks that I'm out hunting. Now," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "What did you mean when you said that you had information about my family? They were killed. If you're wasting my time, I won't hesitate to tell Aro what you're doing."

Will smiled thinly. "Did Aro tell you that your family was dead?" When Anthony nodded, Will raised a curious eyebrow. "And did you ever see any proof? Headstone, obituary, anything like that?"

"No, but I don't see why Aro would have a reason to lie. I've seen the remains of my home, there's no way that they could have survived. Make your point, please."

"I wanted you to meet me here because I know your daughter is alive. And, I know where she is. And she's in danger because of the vampire you serve without question andwith undying loyalty."

Anthony blinked, the words not making sense to him. "That's impossible," he said, shaking his head. "You're lying to me. She and my wife were both killed in the fire that destroyed my home... in the fire that should have killed me."

"If I was lying, how would I know that her name is Evelyn Sara Masen, and that she lived in Forks, Washington with your sister, Marie. How would I know that she likes to draw, or that she has wild brown hair and the brightest green eyes that I've ever seen." As he spoke, he watched Anthony's face soften, his mouth falling open in shock as the realization hit him. "I swear to you on my life that I'm telling the truth, and all I want to do is to protect her from Aro. But to do that, I need your help. I can't do this alone."

Unbeknownst to Will, Evelyn's father had been blessed with another gift besides his superior size and strength, which was impressive even as a vampire. He had been gifted with the ability to see someone's true intentions just by looking into their eyes. It would manifest as a feeling within him, like he was able to see someone's soul through their gaze, and he was always correct. Because of this gift, Aro kept him close at all times to help protect him and his fellow kings. And because of this gift, he knew that Will was telling him the truth.

Anthony Masen was conflicted; on one hand, he felt indebted to the vampires who had saved his life. Unknowingly, he was under the influence of Chelsea's ability that gave him artificial ties to the Volturi coven. The only ones stronger were that of family or lovers, and to the Volturi's knowledge, he had none of that left. Or at least, that's what they had wanted him to think.

But now that he knew that somewhere out there his beautiful daughter still lived, those ties seemed to shatter away in an instant. If there was one thing that Anthony was, it was a loving father and a fierce protector. And if she was truly in danger from those he now served, then he knew there was only one choice that he could make. He stepped forward, resting his weight on his hands as he placed them on the table that separated him and Will. His crimson eyes, determined and full of resolve, held the golden-eyed vampire's gaze.

His face was like stone as he finally made his decision. "Tell me how to get to my daughter."

***

In another distant wing of the Volturi residence, Aro, Caius, and Marcus sat in Aro's private quarters to discuss what had transpired with the Cullens.

"We shouldn't have let them leave. We should have killed them when we had the chance," Caius growled through his teeth, his blood boiling when he thought of how Aro let them go. He really only cared about his status and power; if the rest of the world found out about their leniency (or what he had done to Marcus' mate), they would begin to question the Volturi's place in the vampire hierarchy.

Marcus nodded in agreement, though he was oblivious to why Caius and Aro were truly anxious. "I'm not sure that we should have let them leave. They lose a risk to our race, and we don't know that Carlisle will follow through on changing them."

Aro stayed silent, fingers laced in front of him at his desk. Though a part of him agreed with the other two vampires, a much larger part of him wanted to see what would happen, and if Alice's vision would truly come to pass.

He was giddy at the thought of collecting all of their unique talents; Edward and Alice would make excellent additions to his coven. And he was also intrigued by their human pets. He didn't so much care for Jasper, for he already had Corrin and if he had Edward he would not need to control emotions because he would be able to know anyone's thoughts instead. But the way that young Bella had resisted each of their powers astounded him; he had never seen anything like it in all his years on this earth.

And Evelyn...

With the touch of her hand, she had been able to jump into his mind, his memories, instantly. He had never had anything like that happen before, aside from Edward's ability to read someone's current thoughts. And with the extraordinary gift that the girl's father possessed, he hoped that such unique mental powers ran in the family and would also affect her if she were to be changed.

It had been a good thing that he kept Anthony away while she was here. He had purposely not told his bodyguard that his daughter lived, and he hoped that it would stay that way. He needed him on his side for protection, and he did not need him getting distracted or wanting to leave the coven if he discovered her existence. He knew their familial ties would far outweigh the weak ties that Anthony had built to the Volturi, and Aro did not like losing.

Finally, he turned to Caius and Marcus.

"We must have patience," Aro said, his eyes flickering between the both of them. "The Cullens  have openly defied our laws by allowing their humans to know our secret. But this may work out in our favor."

Caius scoffed. "You still favor Carlisle, Aro. We need to keep our eyes on them and make sure that they follow through on their word."

Marcus looked utterly disinterested as he gazed into the roaring fireplace, barely listening to the conversation. "Shall we send someone to keep watch? William would be a poor choice since they know about him now."

"There is a... disturbance, nearby in Seattle. Clearly the work of some unruly newborns. We'll send a group there to investigate, but perhaps they could also check in on our new human friends," Aro said, nodding to himself as if already decided. Because of Will's insolence, he had lost his inside man with the Cullens, so he figured that watching from the outside might be the best way to ensure that they kept their word.

Aro hoped that Carlisle, Edward, and Evelyn would have the sense to keep quiet about what the girl had seen in his mind; he knew that they were wary of angering him, and if he ever found out that they had spread the secret, he would have to kill them. But he was playing the long game. He hoped that one day he would convince the more powerful members of the coven to join the Volturi instead. A coven like theirs, with so many gifts, was dangerous to his position of power.

"Worry not, my friends," Aro assured, meeting both of their gazes. "We'll get what we want in the end."

And I'll do everything in my power to get it, he thought, the image of the young Masen girl, crimson eyes shining and with the token black cloak of the Volturi in his mind's eye.