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Complexity
By : TwilightScribe
Category: Twilight Series > Slash
Views: 3852 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or make any money from this story.
Chapter List
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Title: Complexity

Fandom: Twilight series

Pairing: eventual Marcus/Seth

Part: III. Departures and New Arrivals

Prompt: 001. Bitter ; 008. never

Words: 6166 words

Summary: Volterra was his prison, an entire city, but it didn't make up for the fact that he was alone and tortured. There had to be something to make this death sentence worthwhile.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight series, and I don't claim to own it either. It belongs to Stephanie Meyer, and I only write these things to satisfy the muses and make nothing from it.

III. Departures and New Arrivals
Dinner at the Cullens was a somber affair. The atmosphere was tense and awkward, with only a few weak attempts by Esme and Carlisle to break the silence. To Seth, it felt as though he was at a funeral. Only, in this case, the dead person was still alive and people were trying to figure out how to deal with that development.
He supposed that, in a lot of ways, it really was like his funeral; even though he wouldn't be dead.
At least, he hoped that he wouldn't be dying anytime soon; being dissected didn't exactly sound too pleasant to him. Especially if he was still alive when they were conducting it. He refused to think about that, and instead he tried to focus on the positive. Even if all he had to go on to provide him with that one shred of hope was that lingering feeling inside of him which told him that he had to go; that this was something that only he could do.
When he'd finished eating, he still had a full hour and a half left until he had to go to the clearing to meet the Volturi. Esme cleared the table in a flurry of motion that Seth had long gotten used to; no one could move like any of the Cullens could. Just like how Esme was in a class all her own, the Cullens had been the ones who had taught Seth that not all vampires were evil creatures who killed for sport and fun.
He would try to keep that open mind once he was in Volterra, but he wasn't so sure that he'd be able to do that. His first impressions of the Volturi weren't exactly all that positive, but he'd hold out on making his final judgment.
As Seth stood up from the table, Alice flitted over to his side and immediately slipped her arm into his. Her face was solemn and down-turned; she gently tugged him from the room, “Come with me Seth... please?”
She turned her face up to Seth's, but her eyes refused to meet his and instead searched his face for something. Her large golden eyes were pleading in addition to the sorrow which had permeated them all evening since it had come out that he'd been the one chosen.
“You don't need to ask me, Alice,” Seth replied with a small smile. “I never thought you'd ever ask me to do anything; usually you just drag me off.”
“Things are... different now.” Alice murmured softly. I may never see you again.
That made Seth look away, and the smile slide off his face, “I guess so. But I kind of miss your enthusiasm already; it's making this harder.”
“Well, for you I guess that I'll have to try harder.” She smiled at him as best she could, though it didn't quite reach her eyes; at least her tearless sobs had stopped. That was just heart-wrenching, because it seemed as though she was always on the edge of breaking out into actual tears, but her nature as a vampire kept any from spilling. “But I have a few things for you.”
Now that sounded more like the Alice that Seth knew and loved.
“Oh really? Since it's you, I doubt that it's just a few things.” Seth's face lit up in a small grin, and he let the tiny vampire lead him from the kitchen and into the main room before following her upstairs at a pace that would have a human going at an all out sprint.
“Rose and Esme chipped in,” Alice replied, her voice cracking just a little. “We were going to give it to you for your birthday, but we figured that waiting would be pointless... since you wouldn't be around to celebrate it with us.”
Seth shrugged, “You know that I don't like all of you making such a big fuss over me... I sort of feel like I'm taking advantage of all of you.”
Alice snorted, “Jake feels the same way; he whines about us spoiling him, though I didn't hear him complaining when Rose and Edward gave him a new motorcycle for his twentieth. Though, I wonder how he's going to take his wedding presents at this rate – oh, and that bridal party that Esme and Rose are so adamant about him having.”
At that, Seth couldn't help but burst into laughter despite the solemn air which hung over the entire house, “B-bridal shower?!”
“Of course!” Alice replied, bouncing a little on the balls of her feet when they reached the landing and headed for her room. “If Jasper's having a bachelor party – and there's no way that Emmett would let him go without one – then Rose and Esme are going to commandeer Jake's and turn it into a bridal shower.”
“Jake's gotta be pissed about that.”
“He was counting on you managing to pull him out of that 'horror', as he called it.” Alice opened her door with a flourish, wrinkling her nose just a little. “I still have to see about getting their room sound proofed and soon. At least they won't be here for their honeymoon; so I won't have to listen to them going at it like rabbits all the time.”
Seth raised an eyebrow, “They go at it that often?”
“Okay, okay so I may be exaggerating that just a little, but they go at it quite often,” Alice shrugged and rolled her eyes. “Honestly I'm surprised they're not sexed out even after three years. But then, I think that Jake is quite capable of being a –”
“I do not need to hear it Alice!” Seth clamped his hands over his ears for dramatic effect. The door to Alice's room closed with a soft click, cutting them off from the rest of the Cullen family who'd remained while the others had gone to sort out their problems with Seth's sudden departure.
“Fine, fine! I'll spare you the details.” Alice flopped down onto the arm of her comfy dark brown armchair and gestured at the bags gathered around it and her feet. “I got you some new clothes, and Rose went and found you something really nice. Esme helped me pick out the best outfits for you to take with you.”
Seth scuffed his feet on the floor feeling a strange cross between nervousness and embarrassment, “What's wrong with what I'm wearing right now?”
Alice's smile slipped a little, “There's nothing wrong with it, it's just... we want you to make the best first impression possible on the Volturi because that could possibly influence how they'll treat you later. We're just trying to think of everything, Seth.”
“You've got a point there,” Seth conceded. He really had no idea what one was supposed to wear when going to meet the coven that was considered vampire royalty. “So what do you want me to wear?”
Seth refused to look at the labels on the bags, and waited patiently by the door as Alice went through each of the bags and picked different things out of them. Some of the items she threw towards Seth – which he caught by instinct – and others she discarded onto the arm chair to probably be packed later.
From what he could see, Alice and the others had really limited herself in terms of how much she'd bought for him. It was considerably less then what she bought him or Jacob when she went on one of her insane shopping sprees with Rosalie or Esme.
“I got shoes for you too, but just go and change into that while I pack the rest of this.” Alice refused to meet Seth's eyes as she began to fold the various articles of clothing that she'd almost carelessly thrown onto the chair. She gestured towards her bathroom which was just off her room. “Go on. I want to see you in it.”
Knowing that Alice wouldn't stop harassing him until he fulfilled her request, Seth rolled his eyes and proceeded into the bathroom to change. The clothing was simple but was definitely high quality; the Cullens really didn't spare any expense, which was something Seth had noticed over the years.
Laying out the clothes over the edge of the sink, Seth quickly stripped down to his underwear and was almost mortified to discover that Alice had even tossed him a new pair. What business did she have buying him underwear?! Shoving aside his embarrassment, Seth was about to pull on the pants that Alice had given him when he realized that his own baggy underwear would show under the relatively tight pants.
Well, they weren't tight to the point where Seth would consider them indecent, but they were a lot tighter then anything he'd ever consider wearing if given the choice. But since he'd promised Alice...
How on earth do tight pants make for a good first impression?!
Ignoring the blush which now painted his cheeks, Seth pulled the pants on – which were charcoal grey trousers that tapered in to his ankles at the bottom – before turning his attention to the rest of the clothes which Alice had given him.
Next was a tailored short sleeved, white collared button-up. Seth had never been too fond of button-up shirts since he found them to be a little constricting, but Alice had made sure that this one fit him like a glove without it feeling uncomfortable or clingy. He slipped the shirt on over his shoulders and buttoned it up. For a moment or two, he debated whether or not to tuck it into the trousers, but decided not too.
The last two items which lay innocently on the sink were a black tie – why Alice had chosen a tie was beyond him – and a black, long-sleeved cardigan. Seth put the cardigan on, finding that it hugged him just like all the clothes did, and buttoned up the front of it to about mid-chest. Then he glared at the tie.
He had no idea how to tie a tie.
A soft knock at the door broke Seth out of his glaring contest with the article of clothing, and he opened the door to find Alice standing there with a tiny smile on her face. As always was the case then, it didn't reach her eyes.
“Did you need some help?”
Seth held out the tie, “Yeah. Can you help me with this?”
Her smile softened just a little, and her eyes betrayed her sadness, “Of course.”
A comfortable silence fell over the two of them as Alice's hands worked swiftly over Seth's chest; the cold radiating outward from her hands. Once she smoothed the tie into place, tucking it under the cardigan, she stepped back and took in her handiwork. With a short nod, she handed him a pair of smooth, black leather boots that probably would come up to about his knees.
“Sheesh Alice, I think you went a little overboard with this...” Seth pulled the boots on regardless, zipping up the sides of them once they were on.
“Let me have my fun.” Alice's hands were on her hips, and there was a stern look on her face despite the situation; as always, it made Seth smile and shake his head at her sometimes juvenile antics.
“Don't I always?” Seth looked up and into the mirror which Alice had attached to the back of her bedroom door. And even though he thought the outfit was a little over the top in how it showed off his body, he did have to admit that he looked good; he looked put together. “Heh, I owe you for this Alice.”
Again with the sad smile, “You don't owe me anything Seth.” If anything, I owe you. I owe you so much.
“Did you finish packing everything else?” Seth took a quick glance around the room, noticing that all the other clothes which Alice had thrown onto the chair were gone, and there was now a neatly packed in the place of his backpack. “Okay... nevermind then...”
“I didn't think that they'd let you bring anything more then a single bag,” she murmured. “I hope you don't mind that I added a few things to your few possessions that you're taking with you, in addition to the clothes that I packed.”
Finally Seth returned her almost eternally sad smile with one of his own, “That's fine Alice.”
And then, because it seemed right to him, Seth reached out and pulled the tiny vampire into a warm embrace.
“Thank you so much Alice. I won't ever forget you.”

.:-o-:. .:-o-:. .:-o-:.
When Alice and Seth returned to the main floor, they found the entire Cullen coven there waiting for them. Even Jasper and Jacob were there.
Seeing Jacob was like leaving his mom and his sister all over again. The young shifter looked almost completely broken, and anyone in the room could've accurately said that the only thing that was keeping the young man sane was his mate who even then was constantly at his side.
Jasper's hand rested over Jacob's, squeezing it gently, while the other arm was wrapped around his significantly younger lover's shoulders. The vampire's mouth was drawn into a thin line, and his eyes seemed much more tired and stricken then any of the others; all of the sorrow and guilt were building up inside of him because of his 'gift'.
“Seth...”
That seemed to signal something, because all of the Cullens surged to their feet when Jacob spoke. The older wolf immediately broke away from his mate, coming over and wrapping his arms around the smaller wolf in a brotherly embrace. Seth returned it, imbuing it with all the feelings that he wanted to convey.
Please don't cry for me. I don't want all of you to cry for me.
But Seth knew that telling Jacob not to cry would be stupid, since the older wolf would then insist on it. No one else in the Cullen family could cry except for Jacob – and he technically wasn't even an official member of it yet – and that meant that he had to cry for all of them. Or, at least, that was what Seth was sure that Jacob would say to him.
“I'm sorry.”
“You don't have to apologize...” Seth murmured as they pulled away.
Jacob immediately fell back into his lover's embrace, welcoming the strong, cold arms which encircled his shoulders, “Somehow... I feel that I have too. Even if this isn't my fault. But also... I can't go with them to see you off.”
That confused Seth, “Huh?”
Jasper answered this time, his voice soft and low, “We don't want the Volturi to take anyone else with them. Aro might... choose to take Jake with them if he's there, or he may fixate on him despite...” I just want to keep him safe. I can't ever lose him. If I lost him...
“That's okay. I understand.” Seth gave Jasper his best smile. He could understand why the vampire would want to keep his mate – his lover and fiancé – safe even if the risks were low. Seth couldn't be mad with either of them. “Good luck with your wedding, Jake. I hope the 'bridal shower' isn't too bad.”
Jacob snorted, “You heard about that, huh.”
“Alice told me.”
“Stupid vampires... treating me like a girl... I'm not a 'bride' you know...” Jacob muttered darkly. He drifted away a little, sorrow forgotten for a few moments as he grumbled about ‘stupid vampires and their backward ways’.
Of course, that made Seth smile just a little, and seemed to break some of the tension in the room.
Jasper frowned at his now fiancé’s dark muttering, “I do believe that I’m one of those ‘stupid vampires’, Jake.”
With a snort, Jacob playfully pushed his mate, “You don’t count; I’m talking about your sister and ‘mother’, here.”
Alice grinned, “Come on, Jake, you’re the last one of us that I’m going to get to see get married, and it’s only one little bridal shower, you can stomach that, can’t you? I don’t think you’d appreciate the kind of bachelor parties that Emmett throws.”
“I believe I’m already regretting the decision to allow him to plan it,” Jasper muttered, rubbing his temples with his fingers.
Something that Seth had learned over the years was that even though vampires technically weren’t supposed to be able to feel physical pain, Jasper often developed headaches when the emotional atmosphere of a room was charged particularly strongly. Often it was caused by too many people having too many conflicting emotions that it became difficult for him to sort through them all.
Emmett was grinning like the cat who’d eaten the canary, “Aw, c’mon Jazz I’m sure that you’re going to love it! Live a little.”
“Need I remind you Emmett that I was already dead and over seventy years old when you were turned.”
“Quit making yourself out to be some old man; you’re going to make Jake feel awkward about all of this,” Emmett nudged the older vampire with his elbow.
“Like I don’t already.” Jacob pointed at Emmett’s chest, his body language and tone of voice threatening, “This bachelor party of yours had better not involve strippers or hookers. Come to think of it, it had better not involve women who work in any profession that could have to do with sex.”
“Someone’s jealous,” Emmett joked; not taking the threats seriously.
Rosalie interrupted her husband’s tirade before he had an armful of pissed off werewolf on him trying to scratch his eyes out. She reached up, standing on her tiptoes to reach, and grabbed his ear firmly, pulling it down, “Shut up Emmett. And Jacob is right: If you hire strippers or hookers, it won’t be just him who you’ll have to protect your ass from.”
“… yes Rose.”
It was funny how someone as big and brawny as Emmett could be scared by someone who was as model-like and almost dainty as Rosalie; but the female vampire was just downright scary when she was angry.
A silence fell over the group then, and the light atmosphere was dispelled and that somber one from earlier returned with what could be considered a vengeance. It felt choking, the silence, and none of them dared to break it.
Eventually, Carlisle did.
“If we’re to make it to the clearing by midnight, then we should be off.”
“Right…” Suddenly Seth was unsure, but then he thought of Leah and his mother, and he felt his courage return. He was doing this for them and for everyone else he cared about. “Wait… ‘we’?”
This time it was Rosalie who spoke, “You don’t think that we’d let you go to them alone, did you?”
“Yes, we’ll take you to them.” Esme smiled warmly up at Seth with that motherly smile that she reserved for all of them. “It’s the least we can do for you.”
“You’ve done so much for us,” Alice added. “We can’t forget that. If we let you go alone, then we’d feel only that much more badly about all of this.”
“If Jane’s going to be there, then I would feel so much more comfortable if I was there to keep her from hurting you,” Bella murmured. “After all, they originally just came here for me.” I want to protect you for as long as possible… it’s my fault you got mixed up in all of this.
“You’re a part of this family now.” Jasper stepped forward and wrapped one of his arms around Jacob’s shoulders in a comforting gesture. “Family looks out for family.”
“I’d go if I could,” Jacob replied. “But they’re not going to let me, and if I even try to, then they’re going to knock me out. So Seth? Just be safe.” I hope that you’ll be happy one day.
“Thanks Jake.”
For a brief moment, Jasper looked between his mate and Seth, before seeming to come to some sort of decision, “I’ll stay with Jake here, to make sure he’s safe.” I don’t want to leave him alone… not like this, and not right now.
Jacob was already shaking his head, “No. I want you to go with Seth too, Jasper. That way I know that he got there alright. I want you to go for me.”
The pleading in Jacob’s voice and face seemed to win out in the end, because Jasper joined Seth’s little escort guard. Before the group of Cullens who’d be escorting the young wolf left, Jasper reached out and cupped his mates face in his hands, pausing to search his face for a few moments.
“If you do something stupid, I swear I’ll kick your ass.” Then he pressed his lips to Jacob’s for a brief moment before he pulled back again.
“Same here.” Jacob walked them to the door, staying inside the huge house as the Cullens and Seth assembled on the porch. With sad eyes, he watched as the vampires assembled in a loose formation around the young man who’d quickly become his best friend.
“Hey Seth? If you ever do come back, make sure you visit.” Then the door to the house closed, cutting Jacob off from view.
Seth and Jasper were the two who looked back at the door with looks of guilt and pain written across their faces. But neither of them could afford to get overly emotional at that point because they both had something that they needed to do.
The run to the clearing was, in Seth’s opinion, far too short but at the same time it seemed to drag on forever. None of the Cullens said anything, and he couldn’t find anything appropriate to say to any of them, to thank them, to say goodbye. He’d never really been good with this kind of thing.
When they finally reached the clearing, Seth was a little surprised to find that the Volturi delegation was already there waiting for them. His heart started to pound wildly with fear at the knowledge that this really was happening to him; that it wasn’t just a very bad dream. Seeing the various members of the guard and Aro standing there waiting for him just made it all seem very real.
“You’re a little early,” Aro replied, his tone full of good humour. He cast his eyes over the entire Cullen coven. “Although, the honour guard was not really necessary. We are vampires of our word, you should know that Carlisle.”
“Of course Aro,” came Carlisle’s even reply. It was amazing how he could drain all the tension and sorrow from his voice in order to deal with the fickle and unpredictable leader of the Volturi. “But we only wanted to see Seth off. After all, he is a member of our family.”
Aro glided forward with another of his sickly, too sweet smiles on his face, “Well, may I be introduced to the one who will be accompanying us back to Volterra then? Manners please.” He gently chided Rosalie who’d fallen into a slightly defensive stance at the ancient vampire’s approach.
Warily, Seth took a step forward so that he was standing on Carlisle’s right. He met Aro’s eyes and mentally willed all of his fear and anxiety into the bottom of his stomach, “Seth Clearwater. I’ll be the one going with you.”
“Ah, well then, it’s a pleasure to meet you Seth.” Aro’s smile only broadened as he took in the young shifter in front of him. Yes, he thought, he will do quite nicely.
Edward growled, “He’s not a toy that you can play with Aro. Take good care of Seth.”
“I wouldn’t dream of ‘playing’ with him, Edward. I’m ashamed that you would think so little of me.” A look of totally unconvincing hurt crossed the vampire’s face. “I merely meant that he will fit in with our coven well enough. Although… from your mind Carlisle, I was expecting that he would be a bit… taller.”
Even though it was coming from someone who was quite possibly the last person who Seth wanted to be making cracks about his height, Seth blushed.
“I’m not that short…” In truth, Seth was on the shorter end of shifter size. Most of the other wolves towered over him since they were over six feet tall; only Jacob and Embry had comparable heights to them, and he was the shortest of the three at 5’9 and a half.
“Ah, do not think too much of it,” Aro replied with what was supposed to be a reassuring smile. It only came off as being creepy. “I only meant that I had been expecting one of the… taller among your kind; I’m afraid that Carlisle’s thoughts had created a sort of preconceived notion of what you would look like. You have my apologies Seth.”
Seth already knew that he didn’t like Aro, and he trusted him about as far as he could throw him, which was probably not going to be that far.
Taking in the other members of the guard, Seth noticed that there were three other members of the Volturi there with Aro.
One of them was a timid looking young female vampire whose height was comparable to Alice’s. Seth guessed that she was probably no taller then around five feet, and the way that she stuck so close to Aro clued Seth in that she was probably his personal guard. Her hair was short, coming to her chin in the front, and spiking out wildly in the back. She looked pretty enough, but her eyes stayed fixated on the ground. All in all, she didn’t look like the kind who saw battle very often.
Beside the timid vampire was what had to be the tiniest vampire Seth had ever laid eyes on. Her hair was long and dirty blond. She was the same height as Alice, but her features were much younger and more akin to those of a young girl then those of a hardened killer. Her eyes, though, told a different story.
The tiny, angelic vampire’s eyes were ablaze with malice and hatred. She was alternating glaring between Bella and Seth, who belatedly realized that she was blocking out whatever gift the small vampire possessed and was probably attempting to using on him.
Suddenly he was very glad for Bella’s powers.
He couldn’t explain it, but he already felt intensely afraid of the small vampire, even though she was practically half his size. Something about her just didn’t seem right. She just radiated cruelty and, dare he think it, evil from every inch of her being. Unlike the Cullens, she seemed to be the perfect imitation of the vampires of myth.
The kind that he was built and destined to fight and kill. Or to die trying.
Out of all of them, the big one stood out the most.
He was a bit like Emmett, size-wise, being so tall that he’d easily tower over Seth with a lot of muscle mass. He had dark brown hair, and there seemed to be an almost constant grin on his face; he looked like the type who enjoyed the risk and dangers that his life with the Volturi afforded him. When he spotted Seth, he winked at him.
That apparently caught Edward’s attention and he gave the broad vampire a warning look and copied his sister’s defensive stance; all the while glaring darkly at both the large vampire and the tiny one.
Aro didn’t seem affected by the tense atmosphere around them, and if he did then he was very good at hiding his discomfort. “You have extended the courtesy by introducing yourself, now I think that it is time that we return that.” He bowed, deeply and gracefully but it seemed mocking at the same time, “I am Aro, one of the three leaders of the Volturi.”
Definitely the one in charge.
The timid looking vampire went next. She only lowered her eyes and gave the tiniest curtsy Seth had ever seen, “Renata.”
“Jane.” The tiny vampire spat out her name with such venom that Seth winced back from it. She definitely was one to be feared. Especially with the hate that she was already cultivating with a passion for Seth.
Lastly was the broad one, who was still grinning as he introduced himself, “I’m Felix.”
After that, a sort of uncomfortable silence fell over the clearing as everyone debated about how to say their last goodbyes. Seth was just confused, worried, and scared about what was going to happen to him, and he had no idea how he could go about saying goodbye to what had become a second family to him. He guessed that he’d just have to wing it, like he’d done for everything which had cropped up in consequence of this.
Of course it was Aro who broke the silence, and his impatience was almost palpable, “Well, shall we be off? We do have quite a lot of ground to cover in order to arrive in Volterra in a timely manner.”
“Right…” Seth managed to get out in a soft, almost strangled voice.
Alice threw her arms around Seth’s neck, again sobbing dryly, “Take care of yourself Seth; I won’t ever forget you.” She kissed his cheek briefly before releasing him and stepping away to allow the rest of her family to say their goodbyes.
“None of us will be forgetting you anytime soon,” was what Rosalie told him as she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a squeeze. “You’re better then Jacob at getting under my skin sometimes, don’t change that.”
The tall beautiful vampire also pressed a kiss to Seth’s cheek before pulling away, taking his hands in hers and giving them a comforting squeeze with a sad smile before stepping back to let her husband have his turn.
Emmett was still grinning, but now there was an edge of sadness in his gold eyes, he playfully punched Seth on the arm, “You take care kid.”
“I’m not a kid,” Seth snapped back, automatically with a tiny grin on his face too.
That made Emmett chuckle, and he playfully ruffled the wolf’s hair, “To me you are. We’ll see you again sometime.” The surety in his tone caused a warm feeling to surge up in Seth’s chest.
Then he too stepped back, allowing his adoptive parents and the leaders of the Olympic coven to come forward to bid their goodbyes as well.
Just as he’d expected, Seth found himself smothered in one of Esme’s motherly embraces. He patted her on the back, somewhat awkwardly because his arms were half-pinned to his sides by her fierce strength.
Like Alice, Esme’s shoulders were shaking with the force of suppressed sobs. No tears would fall, though, and she murmured, “You will always have a home with us. We love you Seth and will miss you dearly, so please take the best care of yourself as you can.”
Carlisle wrapped an arm around Seth’s shoulders in a one-armed hug, “As Emmett said I’m sure that we’ll see each other again, and until then, I hope that you take care of yourself and that you’re happy.”
Through all of the goodbyes, Seth had managed to keep his own tears at bay, but Esme and Carlisle’s kind words were his restraint’s undoing, and a few tears spilled over. He struggled to answer them, “Thank you. Really. I’ll do the best I can, promise.”
Esme smiled up at him warmly, even though the pain on her face and inside of her was clear, “Thank you.” She and her husband stepped back, joining the rest of their family.
Edward and Bella were next, both taking turns to give him warm embraces – the kind that siblings gave each other – and offering their own words of farewell.
“I’m so sorry that all of this happened, Seth,” Bella murmured. “I can’t help but feel guilty that if I had done as I’d planned to do, than this wouldn’t have had to happen. I’m so, so sorry.”
“It’s alright Bella.” Seth gave her his best comforting smile, “No one could have expected this to happen; you don’t have to blame yourself for it, I don’t.”
She weakly tried to return his smile, but it looked too sad to really count, “Thank you Seth. I guess I don’t have to tell you to be careful, but I will. You’d better stay safe!”
“I will.” I promised Esme that I would.
“You’d better,” Edward murmured with a small, crooked smile that had seemed to become his trademark over the years that Seth had known him. “Or else none of us are going to be able to forgive ourselves.”
“I said I’d do my best.” I can’t make any guarantees; not with them involved.
Edward smiled and began to speak slowly, “I told Jacob once that he was very lucky to have a connection to your mind. You have one of the purest, most kind minds that I’ve ever come across. I hope that just because you now reside with them doesn’t change that. I’ll miss getting to hear your thoughts.”
At that, Seth couldn’t help but blush. It was rare that Edward gave people such blatant compliments, and Seth knew that that was the highest compliment that anyone could probably ever give him. Edward had ‘heard’ many peoples’ minds, and to be told that he had one of the nicest was a very good compliment and parting gift.
“I don’t think there’s much that could change that about me.”
At that, Edward’s smile turned a little sadder, “I hope that you’re right Seth. I hope that you’re right about all of it.”
“Me too.”
Jasper was the last one to say goodbye, and he couldn’t even muster the smallest of a smile. All of the emotions of his family and Seth were weighing on him, and it showed in his face and eyes, “You take care of yourself, Seth. I’m going to miss your optimism; heaven knows that we need it.”
“Thanks. You’ll look after Jake for me?”
“He’s everything to me. I’ll do more then that, but I just want you to be happy right now, since I know that he wouldn’t ever forgive himself if you didn’t.”
“I promise that I will.”
Jasper nodded, than in what had to be a spur of the moment thing, he embraced Seth too. It was the first time that the blond vampire had initiated contact between them in such a familiar manner; normally he left that sort of thing to Jacob.
“Take care.”
And then Jasper stepped back to join the rest of his family, his face falling into a careful mask of neutrality. He’d resigned himself to this just as all the others had, and it gave Seth a sort of strength from seeing him act that way. Jasper had to be strong for Jacob, who would be dealing with this harder, possibly, then any of the Cullens since he’d known Seth for a considerably longer amount of time then any of them.
Knowing that it was time, Seth stepped warily away from the vampires who’d become his second family, and joined the Volturi who stood waiting for him. For a few seconds it looked as though Aro might put an arm around his shoulders in a mockery of a comforting gesture or a ‘welcoming’ one, but then the ancient vampire seemed to decide that it would be better not too. The looks that the Cullens were giving him would have killed if it was possible.
Jane disappeared into the woods first, followed closely by Renata and Aro – the former of whom stayed very close, which affirmed Seth’s observation that she was probably Aro’s personal guard – and then Felix nudged him.
“Move it.”
And with one final glance back at the Cullens over his shoulder, Seth turned away away from them and plunged into the woods after Aro, with Felix close behind him.

.:-o-:. .:-o-:. .:-o-:.
If anyone is wondering, Marcus' first appearance in part five. I just thought that if my readers were beginning to get anxious about whether or not Marcus is actually going to appear at all that I should just tell him when he appears. As always, part four will be added next week. I hope that this chapter was enjoyed.
As always, leave a comment if you enjoyed this fic. I always appreciate the feedback, no matter how miniscule.
Twilight.
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Complexity	By : TwilightScribe Category: Twilight Series > Slash Views: 3852 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or make any money from this story.

Complexity