422Well, it has finally happened. The long awaited end to this story is finally here. I for one am so glad to finally be able to finish this story after so many years and many, many, many writing blocks. I hope those of you who stayed faithful to following this story are not disappointed in the ending. I tried to do my best in giving everyone a little bit of what they wanted but in the end I stayed with the ending I had envisioned a long time ago. So, without further ado, the end to 'A Different Choice Made'.
Previously:
"I found someone who can help with the twins." Alice's voice rang out like a gong silencing the others near them. Aro rushed to her side as he stared at the phone.
…
"Very well. See you soon Alice." She said as she hung up.
(December 13, 2011)
Bella and Aro had been waiting impatiently for Alice and her guests to arrive. The rest of the Cullens and Volturi coven had arrived by the day before or earlier in the day. Everyone had been exhausting themselves for answers for weeks and it had taken its toll on them all. Either they missed their mates or the idea of losing their queen and young princes had them terrified. The castle had welcomed everyone back and Aro debriefed them all. Most of the new information he amassed had been nothing but horror stories of demon children being born by 'bursting' out of their mothers. He had never been more thankful for the effort Carlisle put into taking care of his mate and children.
Finally the royal family had received word that Alice had arrived with two guests and they were all making their way to the throne room. Both Aro and Bella were standing at the front of the dais along with Marcus and Caius. None of them thought they could sit comfortably or at all until they had all the information they needed. Their elite guards were in the room with them along with the rest of the Cullens except for Edward who would not be trusted near their queen.
The doors opened to an excited Alice followed by a wary looking duo of vampires. The room could tell immediately that the male was like their princes since they knew what to look for. The woman however was a full vampire and by the stance of her body they could tell she was protective of the male.
"Bella, Aro, Marcus, Caius. I would like to introduce you all to Nahuel and his biological aunt Huilen." Alice said as she introduced the two stiffed backed vampires who appeared to be trying to assess everything going on around them at once. The male stood around 5 foot 7 inches with teak black eyes similar to his black hair and deep brown skin. The woman was of similar skin color but with beautiful dark brown hair that went down to her waist with curls. The only difference was the eyes.
"Welcome to Volturi Castle." Aro said as he started the proceedings. Normally he would simply take the information he needed but he did not want to have things go wrongly so he held back.
"My name is Aro Volturi. My brothers and I have ruled over the vampire world for thousands of years and this is the first time we had ever heard of a case for vampires to procreate. So we sent many of our people out into the world to find others who may shed some light on the situation." He explained. "My mate (he gestured towards Bella) became pregnant about a month ago while she was human. We now have two twin boys who seem to be growing at a rapid pace. Is there anything you can tell us that may help us?"
It irked Aro to do things this way but he had to hold himself back as seeing this man fully grown but still alive gave him hope that his sons would not die soon. He may even be able to get the man to mentor his sons on anything that may affect them physiologically as time passes. Who knows, maybe hybrids will be a new avenue for them to explore.
"Hello. It is a pleasure to meet you all." Nahuel said as he took in everyone in the room. "My mother was a human who was seduced by a vampire. My aunt and my mother fled into the forest to live since they knew no one in their tribe would accept the pregnancy. As I grew my mother became weaker. I eventually killed my mother being born by tearing my way out of her womb. My aunt took me into her arms and on instinct I bit her and changed her." Many vampires in the room looked astonished at a hybrid venom. The royals had decided to keep that information to themselves just in case it could cause problems later on.
"How old are you?" Bella asked not being able to wait any longer.
Nahuel looked at her tenderly. Aro did not like it.
"Roughly 150 years."
Bella let out a relieved sob as she felt Aro pull her into his arms. They would be okay, her boys would live.
"When did you stop aging?" Aro asked as he held his mate. Both of them basking in the good news. He could see the relief spreading amongst the ranks.
"Around 8? I am not sure. One day we simply noticed that I stopped changing." Nahuel said feeling more comfortable now.
"And your diet?" Marcus asked.
"Blood, human food. I can survive on either." Nahuel said.
"Are you the only one of your kind?" Caius asked on a hunch.
Instantly they could all tell that the answer made the two wary and very apprehensive. Now Aro was wanting to touch them. He would not have them hold anything back that he may need to know in the future.
"No." Nahuel said reluctantly. At their pointed looks he continued. "My father had two daughters with different humans before he had me. He then went on to have my baby sister."
"Are they just like you?" Marcus wanted to know if there was any difference between the males and females.
"Yes and No, none of my sisters have venom." Nahuel said.
The room looked mostly surprised at that revelation. Most of the women were miffed though that the females of this new species of theirs would be left without venom.
"Do they know why?" Aro asked. It was a pity that the females did not have venom.
"No." Nahuel said. He was very obviously not comfortable talking about his sisters.
"Who is your father?" Bella asked.
"His name is Joham." They could tell by his tone that he was not fond of the man. "He sees himself as a scientist." Nahuel nearly spat at the end. "He told me that he became obsessed with creating hybrid vampires and if one of my sisters is to be believed he has asked other male vampires to impregnate women so they could try and impregnate my sisters." Nahuel said with disgust.
"He wants to breed you and your sisters?!" Bella hissed. The disgust she felt was overwhelming poor Jasper who in turn projected it out. Aro had to calm her down before she frightened their guests, not that he would let them leave without his permission.
"Yes." Huilen answered for her nephew who looked sick.
"Do you know where he is?" Aro asked. He wanted that man before him now. This type of activity was not to be tolerated.
"My sisters are innocent in this." Nahuel spoke quickly. Huilen put a comforting hand to his arm. "Please, my youngest sister does not like his manipulations as well."
Bella stepped in. "Calm yourself. We understand that, we want to speak to him first. So long as your sisters are not involved in his 'experiments'."
"My oldest sister is the one who ended up raising the others. Joham would not take the burden." Nahuel said. He was scared for his sisters, mostly Jennifer.
"We will speak to him first and then your sisters if needed." Aro said formally but with finality. They had to know that they were the rulers of their world and while they could be merciful they would still do as they wished.
"Thank you." Was all Nahuel could say.
(Time skip)
Nahuel and Huilen spent over a month in the castle getting to know the princes. Bella was happy that the boys had someone they could relate to and who could help them in raising the boys. Nahuel had confessed to Bella how much seeing her and her family affected him. He had wished someone had helped his mother during his birth so she could have lived.
Joham had been found and brought before the three kings who knew the man to be guilty given how much he had struggled to get away from the guards who found him. They determined that over 400 years of various experiments had claimed the lives of thousands and a few dozen unborn children. They had all been disgusted at the atrocities the man had committed in the name of 'scientific curiosity'. He was executed for his crimes and it was deemed that so long as his sisters did not commit any crimes that broke their laws or began any 'breeding experiments' of their own they would be left alone. Nahuel was grateful that his sisters were spared and the monster that sired him was gone. All in all it had been a good month.
On the other side of the world one family and a larger extended one was celebrating the good news. Charlie was sad that he could not see the boys when they were smaller but Bella had promised to fly him and Sue over so that he could meet his grandsons. They would be staying on the opposite side of the castle with the rest of the human staff that lived on site or worked there. The chef would be happy to have another mouth to feed.
The Cullens had decided to stay near the Volturi for the next few years since the boys were still growing. The only ones who decided to stay in the castle were Rosalie, Emmett and surprisingly Jasper. Alice had reluctantly left with Carlisle and Esme to help keep Edward inline. While she would miss Jasper she knew that it would only be temporary and she would still see him. Still, Jasper was much happier being near the waves of happiness coming off of Bella, Aro and the twins at the moment and did not want to leave the boys since he also helped them manage their emotions and help them train and gain control over their abilities. He had a much better control over his diet as well since the Volturi allowed him to keep his diet and provided him with fresh blood.
Meanwhile Bella and Aro were simply content with everything in their lives. Aro had never thought he would find his one true mate and convince her to turn. Bella had thought she would never fall in love once again and had ended up with her soulmate and two beautiful boys. To them, everything was as it should be.
(February 2012) (Volturi Castle)
Charlie and Sue had come to Italy to meet the boys after it had been deemed safe enough for Bella to have sufficient control over her thirst. It had been the fastest anyone had ever seen. Charlie and Sue had been housed in a large Villa just within the city limits but not too close to the castle itself. The boys had been happy to finally meet their extended family in person and had reppead all the benefits of having loving grandparents. Many of the pack members had sent over gifts for the boys too. Aside from the smell, the boys loved everything they had gotten. Bella thought the carved out wooden figurines of a family of bats was hilarious. Jacob had made her very happy when she saw it.
Multiple pictures had been taken throughout the Swans stay to remember their trip and to capture but a moment in the boy's quick growth. Charlie told the boys that he wished to bring them to his home to take them fishing, camping and grilling. Both boys were happy to agree once their aging slowed down for a visit. They wanted to explore the human world more and their mothers blessing was all they needed. Their dad may be king but their mother was a queen.
Mercury and Sorin knew they would love nothing more than to explore the world together once they stopped aging. Their father would not want them to leave the castle walls without guards protecting them. Their mother however would see that they would need to be allowed to do as they pleased lest they decide to never return home. Their father was already aware of their burgeoning desires to fly the nest with his gift. He had not been happy.
(November 2012) (Forks)
The arrival of the royal family had been something the pack had to prepare for. They did not have any type of treaty with them and couldn't outright ban them from the lands since they would be staying up north in Canada with another coven and would only come down to visit Forks to see the swans. Still, it had been something they had all had to come to terms with in order to not have any incidents with the visits. No one wanted to acknowledge the fact that all the vampires fed on human blood but they simply did so somewhere else. Bella was the only one who was willing to start trying the animal diet in order to get her eyes to change. She wanted to be more inconspicuous.
Very few people were allowed to see Bella and Aro in the town as it was. Their story of Bella getting married in Italy had made the rounds months earlier in the year thanks to Charlie and Sue. As far as everyone knew this was just a trip from the newlyweds coming home for the holidays. They would make up a story for the boys in a few years when they could be passed off as teens so they could openly visit charlie. For now only the two were seen and not for very long. Charlie mostly ensured that folks knew about her and Aro through pictures and calls.
(May 2013) (Paris)
The twins looked to be around five or six years old. It was difficult to tell. They had slowed, maturing only slightly. It was still a concern for the family however given that their progress was fast. Their trip to Paris had been to fulfill two purposes however. One was to spend a nice family vacation together and the other was so that Aro could hunt down one of Johams previous acquaintances who was trying to have a child. The high death count of women had not been too out of the ordinary at first. The stories of an incubi were. The guards had known what to look for and had set out to try and find the culprit.
Aro had decided to take the entire family with him. Bella had protested at first but she knew that although the boys looked like children they were the furthest things from it. Their minds were already vastly matured and only their appearance hindered them. Mercury and Sorin both pleaded with their mother so they could go and in the end she caved. Although a part of them would like to have more 'hybrid' children like them around they did not want that to happen at the cost of innocent lives. They would hope that a woman would be willing to procreate a child in exchange of being turned. Ideally the male vampire would find his mate in a human female and decide if they wanted children before she was changed and they would go from there. Sadly it was not easy to simply find one's mate, their father had waited over 3000 years after all.
Still, their trip to Paris was spent visiting many places of modern importance as well as a few their father taught them about from his past. Their mother was especially enthralled with all of the history she was surrounded by. Getting around during the day time had been the best part for Aro and Bella. Sorin was all too happy to use his gift on them, they hoped it would grow in potency as he aged.
(December 2013) (Volterra)
Charlie and Sue had been thrilled with spending Christmas with their grandsons in the little house they had been staying in. Bella had reasoned that her time with them was endless while Charlie and Sue would only see them for as long as their mortal lives allowed so she sent the boys with three guards to stay in the house with Charlie and Sue for Christmas. Maybe next year she would be able to convince Aro to send the boys with their personal guards to Forks alone to spend time with the rest of the family. She knew Aro had a hard time letting the boys go far from them and it would turn into a disaster should the boys one day want to leave. She would not allow him to have the boys under Chelsea's power.
(August 2015) (Volterra)
It had been four years since they were born and Mercury and Sorin looked nothing like they should. Now they looked to be around ten years old if their height was anything to go by but they weren't sure how much their vampiric side had affected them as well as their genetics. Both could not wait until they stopped aging so they could go out into the world and try to have a normal life. Their education was beyond advance for children of their appearance. Their family had spared no expense in getting them the best tutors money could buy. To the few human teachers they had had they appeared to simply be child prodigies. To the vampiric tutors they had simply been honored to instruct the children of their king.
The vampiric world had been shocked to see them when words reached them of the possibility of hybrid children. Over the years many had tried to have their own forcing the Volturi to create more laws pertaining to the children and to protect the mothers. Bella had not been pleased when she found out about the group of women kept in cells for 'breeding' by one vampire who wanted his own army of hybrid children. She had not been the only one disgusted. Rosalie and Emmett had helped the Volturi by frequently going out into the world to try and find anyone trying to make more hybrid children. They were the biggest help to them since they were not part of the Volturi coven and were able to get more information.
Those that did know about them and wanted to have children with willing women were instructed to find said willing women who wanted to be changed in exchange for providing a child. Said pregnancy would have to be monitored and delivered by one Carlisle Cullen who was the only person qualified to do so.
In the past four years since the birth of the twins only one more child had been born that was like them. Her name was Cordelia and she was the daughter of an irsh vampire and a woman from New Zealand. The woman had given up Cordelia as agreed in exchange for being turned and did not seem to regret her decision. Bella had been appalled over that. Still the now 3 month old was doing fine. Carlisle reported that she too had no venom and so far no signs of a gift have manifested. Still, it was good news for everyone that they now had a way to continue to survive should they wish to.
Aro was hoping more boys would be born soon as neither his sons nor Nahuel seemed to be inclined to procreate soon or at all. He did not want for there only to be hybrids around. Bella had her work cut out for her when she discovered Aro had been looking into what kind of children could come from their sons and one of the hybrid females. She had not been amused and told him that if he continued that kind of thinking she would leave with her sons. Aro had made sure to never let those kinds of thoughts out of his mind especially near Mercury or Edward. He would not risk losing his mate.
Nahuel and his sisters had begun to spend more time around Europe as time went on. Nahuel and Huilen still felt more comfortable in their homeland but had begun to explore the modern world more. Nahuel liked to spend time with the twins and helped them whenever they needed someone to talk to since he was the one person they could relate to the most in the world. Nahuel was only too happy to help them when they needed him. He and his sisters also helped out with Cordelia when they were around. The little girl did not deserve to feel alone.
Carlisle found that he was happier now than he had ever been. His coven was separated for the past near decade now but he was sure they would come together again soon. Jasper and Alice were still together and although Jasper spent more time in Volterra there was no problem. Jasper had even begun to spend more time with Peter and Charlotte who came over to Europe once word had reached them. Rosalie and Emmett seemed to have settled in Italy for this decade now that they were the twins' godparents. Rosalie especially loved to be near them. Carlisle knew that they were also considering having a child via a surrogate and a donated egg. Rose would not contemplate Emmett sleeping with another woman. It was something Carlisle had begun to research and was willing to try and see if he could make it happen. Edward was the only Cullen who seemed to worry him since he had gone off on his own once more to get some distance from it all. Alice reassured everyone that Edward would return one day with his heart healed but it would take some time. Carlisle and Esme hoped it would not be too long, they missed their son.
(March 2018) (Maine, US)
Rosalie and Emmett Cullen were happy to welcome Ivy Marie McCarthy into the world. It had taken years and many failures for Carlisle to finally develop a way to fertilize an egg and then successfully implant it in a surrogate to allow Rosalie and Emmett to become parents. They had been the first couple to sign up for that specific type of pregnancy but they were not the last. Athenadora and Caius had done so as well and were the proud parents of a little boy named Aurelius Volturi. The surge in birth through either a planned pregnancy or surrogate had risen since the birth of the twins. They were the oldest of the known hybrids aside from Johams 'expirental' children. The Volturi had begun to recruit more vampires to help with policing their world since they would now be expanding.
Aro and Bella had come to the conclusion that they would need to have a division in their species for hybrids specifically and having the children of the royal line as the heads of this would be best. The three kings did not want to lose power over any of their kind after all. They also had no idea if any of them could procreate or sire more children. They were all quite literally going in blind. All the known hybrid children would be monitored and asked to report back with the Volturi coven every decade after their maturing. Their sires or parents were responsible for teaching them their laws and expected to bow to them as their rulers and accept any punishments should they break the laws.
Mercury and Sorin were happy to be in charge of this newest branch of the Volturi with the knowledge that Aurelius would one day join them once again having three rulers overseeing things. The twins had been wanting to leave Volterra for a while now and were thinking of making the Volturi branch of the royal family somewhere in North America in order to establish a larger base of operations across the globe and to get some distance from their parents. While they would love to explore Europe in its entirety the boys wanted to distance themselves from the family too and just be young men for a while. So it was decided that within the next decade the twins would explore the world while the coven established a new base for them to use in North America for the Hybrid branch of their kind.
(June 2020) (Forks)
Mercury and Sorin had been in Japan for the past few months exploring the country when news got to them about the spread of the Covid virus in early January. They had left immediately to the US to settle down and care for their grandparents since word about a quarantine had begun to circulate. They had done the right thing as it became apparent that the United States did not know what the hell they were doing in response to the outbreak. It did not help that the current President was only making things worse and each individual state was not enforcing the mandates. Still, they stayed and ensured they did their best to help out. They knew the wolves would be okay thanks to their heightened body temperature but the rest of the tribe worried them.
Mercury helped out doing any and all traveling when he could and even went as far as 'running' to other cities to buy things or simply 'procure' them for the people who needed it. Sorin was actually working as extra security around the town. He also helped organize activities for parents to do at home with their kids to help fight boredom. Charlie appreciated their help since he was not able to work as much as he used to and the boys helped him keep the peace.
(April 2021) (Headquarters)
They had spent nearly a year in quarantine with their grandparents when the twins were finally able to leave once they felt they could. Charlie and Sue had both made it through the outbreak and they were thankful. Now that they were free to move about they decided to finally find a place to make their headquarters and after much deliberation the choice was made for them inadvertently by Detective Micheal. It turned out that the largest concentrations of missing persons in the US were the places closest to the mountains and the cave systems. It was not a coincidence. They were sure that vampires and werewolves may be partly responsible for that but it may also be something else.
With the idea of not only establishing a base of operations for Hybrids but also finding a cause for them, the twins set up their stronghold in the Appalachian Mountains. They had bought as much as the surrounding land as they could in the area they wished to establish their 'home' and then they went about protecting it. Bella and Aro had sent over a few newly trained guards to assist them in securing their land. The small community type of homestead the twins had built would mostly be a front for the true fortress they would have in the mountains. That is where they would make their stronghold. The homestead would merely be a front for them to throw off suspicion and to have a place where the government could track them and send mail. They couldn't just make a random place appear in the wilderness and not expect people to pop out.
It was creepy for them in the beginning to be waiting for something to pop out at them. They had the feeling of being watched multiple times in the beginning so they acted as normal as possible. Their paranoia struck gold when they were attacked by a small group of men within the first month of building and clearing the land. They had never been happier to have higher senses but were envious of the real vampires who were able to take out the long distance shooters who had been hiding in the trees and higher up the land. It turns out that there were many hidden 'homes' and 'villages' hidden in the mountains and the surrounding land.
When they had come across the disgusting scene of men, women and children in cages used for food, fun and breeding they had been sickened. Aro had been appalled by what his sons had reported and Carlisle was able to track down Edward to go and help the twins. Normally Edward would not have done it but when he got word of just what had been going on there had been no stopping him. Edward had helped root out as many secrets as he could from the absolute filth hiding in the mountains. The few people they could rescue they did and those that were beyond saving were given a quick death.
It would take years of working their way through all of the mountains in the U.S. would take decades but the twins were willing to do it. They sent word to Nahuel and his sisters to help if they wished to and were surprised to receive help from all of Johams children. Many other vampires decided to set up a rotation with the Volturi guards so they could get in on the action as well since life in Volterra had been pretty calm.
Sorin and Mercury were determined to close as many missing person cases as they could during their existence. Their grandpa could not have been prouder of them.
(August 2021)
Aro and Caius had begun to notice the steep incline of modern technology and had decided that they needed to further their wealth by ensuring they could protect their kind from unknowingly prying eyes. They began by buying stocks and shares in the largest cellular and computer based companies around the globe. Next they did the same with the largest media outlets and banking systems. They wanted to have a firm grip in every major country in the world for leverage should things fall apart.
Bella however had also pointed out that they needed to control social media platforms since news traveled faster there than it did with regular news outlets now. Once more the kings and the Prince's all began to buy large shares in every single top ten social media platforms from all major countries. The twins even had their own accounts on many of those platforms but made sure to never show their faces or give away any distinguishing landmarks. They were quite popular on tiktok for their anonymous type of account. Something their mother was subscribed to.
(December 2029) (Italy)
Bella could not believe that another decade was about to pass. It seemed like it had been just yesterday when she had heard Aro say 'mate' for the first time.
They have come a long way since then. She could not see herself without him or their boys for any reason. She did not care what came their way, they would confront it as a family. Still, it was terrifying watching the world pass her by. Already Charlie was retired and looking very much his age. She was afraid of the day she would have to say goodbye to him. She had already lost her mother during the pandemic and did not speak to Phil again afterwards. Now she was faced with the mortality of the rest of her family and the tribe and she hated it. This was why vampires kept their distance from humans. As if sensing her thoughts Aro appeared behind her and wrapped her in his arms.
Bella relaxed into his embrace as she let her anxieties drift away for a moment.
"You must stop doing this to yourself tesoro." Aro scolded lightly.
Bella smiled ruefully as she turned into his chest.
"I cannot amore."
He sighed into her head.
"You knew this would happen." He said tenderly.
"I know." Her voice but a whisper in the wind.
"You know he has no desire to change." He said. He would know, he had offered to change the man himself.
"I know." How she still wished she could cry.
"We will never forget them mia bella." Aro said while tilting her face to his. "We could never."
It was true. They had so many pictures and paintings of their mortal family that it would be impossible to forget them. Charlie had even gone so far as to make recordings of himself reading stories for any future great grandchildren.
"How could you have stood by my decision to have a mortal life?" She asked him suddenly.
It caught him momentarily off guard but then the truth made him smile. Looking down at his beautiful mate he held her face lovingly in his hands as he gazed into her eyes.
"You are my everything, my love. With you I am complete. I would follow you anywhere." He said as he kissed her forehead. "My love." He kissed her nose. "My Bella." Finally he looked deeply into her eyes as they turned from crimson red to forbidding black. "My mate." He growled out as he kissed her lips with all the love, devotion and feeling he could muster.
Bella surrendered herself to his kiss and was swept away by his love.
So long as she had him she would survive.
Her love, her mate, her Aro.
The End.
That has been the longest running story I have ever done to date. I started this in May 2014.
7 years! Seven long years of constant writers block, and second guessing everything. But now, it is finally done. I have never been happier to be done with a story. I really wanted to give everyone the epilogue they wanted but I did the best I could.
I do hope the hybrid kids are okay with everyone. I liked the idea of more of them popping up and giving vampires a new way of doing things. Plus I really wanted to give Rosalie and Emmett a kid. They deserved it so much.
Don't forget to Favorite, Follow and Review for one last time. :-)
Thanks for being here for this.