[BamaFan121s]

“Who’s this?” I asked, pointing to the dark haired vampire in the picture.

It was Carlisle who answered. “Didyme. She was the wife of Marcus.”

“Marcus had a wife!?” I asked, shocked. I’d known that both Aro and Caius had wives. I’d seen them. It only made logical sense that Marcus would have found a mate too, especially considering the length of his vampire existence. However, in the two times I’d been around him, he seemed so detached…so bored with everything, I found it hard to believe anyone or anything could capture his attention. “Well, what happened to her? Where is she now?” I was both confused and curious.

“Ah yes, Marcus had a wife,” Carlisle answered, his voice seemed saddened. He walked forward, followed by Edward to stand beside me looking at the goddess like vampire in the picture. “She was quite extraordinary. Didyme was adored instantly by anyone who met her, human and vampire alike. Her story is a very tragic one indeed.” I noted again the trace of saddness in his voice.

"You knew her well?" I asked.

“Yes. She was with Marcus during my time with the Volturi. She was not only Marcus’s wife, she was also Aro’s sister.”

“His sister?” I asked astounded, caught off guard again.

“Yes. As I explained, after Aro was changed, he began to seek out those whom he felt showed the most potential in hopes that in immortality, they too would also have extraordinary talents. You are, of course, aware of how powerful a gift Aro possesses. It did not take him long to grasp the magnitude of it either. It by far overshadowed that of Marcus, and even the tracking abilities of James and Demetri.” I suppressed a shiver at the mention of the sadistic vampire who had once tracked and very nearly killed me. "Being that he himself had such a strong ability, he wondered if it was genetic. He sought out his sister to test his theory."

“And did she have any talents?”

“She did, although it was to Aro’s disappointment that it was not a gift that would prove…useful…to him,” Carlisle paused, seeming to choose his words carefully. “Didyme emitted an aura from her that made others euphoric, merely by being in her presence. Her happiness was infectious, influencing anyone who met her. It was during that time that I came to live with the Volturi. During that time, the entire atmosphere within Volterra was rather pleasant.

“None, however, were more influenced by Didyme than Marcus. He loved her from the moment he met her, and she him. The bonds of their love was the only I have ever seen that could rival that that the two of you share.” He stopped and smiled at Edward and myself. I could not imagine any two people, human or vampire, who could possibly love each other more than Edward and myself. “Marcus and Didyme lived happily for many years…they even considered leaving for a while, living on their own, away from Aro, Caius and the others. The entire world was under the impression that Marcus was dead, and he shared no interest in Aro’s obsession with adding members to the Volturi.”

Carlisle paused and his expression became mournful. “But…” I encouraged.

“But, they never got the chance to leave.” Carlisle expressed a heavy sigh. “A few weeks before they’d planned to say their good-byes and go their separate ways from the Volturi, Didyme was killed.”

“Killed?” I squeaked, my bell like voice an octave higher than usual. I couldn’t imagine who would have the strength to kill a vampire…. ”Oh no!” I practically gasped with the realization. “By another member of the Volturi?”

“Yes. And off course, with Aro’s ability to read every thought that has ever entered the mind of any individual—well, almost any individual—“ Carlisle paused a brief moment, inclining his head slightly towards me. “—it did not take him long to locate the culprit. A newborn, one of those he’d created. As you can imagine, Aro was guilt stricken, and Marcus, enraged, killed the newborn—Chloe, I believe was her name.”