CHAPTER FIVE
(benjamin and vivienne)

Benjamin materialized beside his beloved mate, who was perched delicately on a tree branch. He had detached himself momentarily to gaze at the woman he adored, taking in every last detail and etching them into his memory. It was a refreshing sight, seeing her alive and well after the long years he had thought he'd never see her again.

Vivienne's soft voice teased, "Take a picture—it lasts longer, my dear." The many years spent separated from each other had inflicted a painful strain on their bond, but as they stood together once again, the proximity began to slowly mend the emotional scars that had formed in their absence.

Benjamin's voice was a soft whisper as he confessed, "I've missed you." His gaze remained fixated on her, unwilling to break eye contact for even a moment.

Vivienne spoke quietly, her voice tinged with regret and self-blame, "Even if I could have returned for you?" A deep sense of remorse was visible in her eyes, a reflection of the despair she felt at leaving him behind.

Benjamin responded simply and resolutely, "I don't care." In that moment, the only thing that mattered to him was her presence before him, alive and within reach. The depth of his love for her was boundless, and nothing else held importance in comparison.

Before she could utter a word, Benjamin silenced her with the press of his lips against her own, his actions fueled by years of longing and missed connection. Initially taken aback, Vivienne soon surrendered to the kiss, which gradually transformed from soft and tender to one filled with an undeniable hunger.

Their hands intertwined and held tightly onto each other, relishing in the first touch in so many years. In that moment, they were oblivious to their surroundings, their focus solely on the kiss that had grown increasingly passionate. They cared not if the vampires within the house could overhear them or if the wolves in the surrounding forest could sense their presence.

Edward's voice interrupted the intimate moment as he spoke, "I hate to disturb you both, but my daughter is very insistent on meeting you, Vivi." Benjamin and Vivienne groaned in unison, reluctantly pulling away from their embrace. They glanced down at Edward and Bella with a mixture of irritation and resignation.

Vivienne let out a small whine and sent a sharp glare in Edward's direction, pleading, "Couldn't you have waited just a little longer? Come on, even five more minutes would have been great! Is that really too much to ask?"

Edward smirked and shook his head, his smile playful yet firm. "Sorry," he responded, "but I'd rather not let things heat up too much. You were making some of the other guests in the house feel quite uncomfortable."

Vivienne pouted defiantly, "So what?"

Benjamin chuckled lightly, leaning close to whisper in her ear, "We'll have the whole night to ourselves, hopefully." She glanced at him, her smile growing.

With a resigned sigh, she conceded, "Okay, fine."

Vivienne gracefully jumped back to the ground, followed swiftly by Benjamin. She extended her hand towards Bella and introduced herself, "Vivienne Beckett—Apologies for missing your wedding. The Volturi had their eyes on the day, so if I suddenly showed up... Let's just say it would have been messy."

"Bella" she responded, her smile warm as she shook Vivienne's hand. "I wish I could say I had heard a lot about you, but I only learned of your existence a few days ago."

Bella's surprise was evident as she looked at Vivienne and then at Edward. "Let me guess," she teased, "Rosalie?"

Edward responded with a nod and a smile. "Yeah," he admitted.

Edward glanced at Benjamin and then back at Vivienne, a smirk playing on his lips. "It's hard to believe you never mentioned him," he remarked to her, clearly amused.

"Yeah," she agreed, a hint of irritation in her voice. "Can you even imagine if I had mentioned him, and he'd been found by the Volturi after you and the family got involved with them a while back? I mean, seriously, you have no clue how much I want to go on a tirade about what actually happened."

"You knew?" Edward questioned his sister, an air of surprise laced in his voice.

Vivienne let out a small growl, "Of course, you idiot. I was still with the Volturi at that time, but I have to thank you for all the trouble you caused because otherwise, I might not have been able to escape."

Benjamin reached out and took hold of her hand, gently redirecting her focus to him. He had a multitude of questions on the tip of his tongue, yearning to know if she was alright, if they had hurt her, and the like. But in that moment, he also knew that sometimes, silence spoke louder than words.

Vivienne smiled affectionately at him, fully aware of the thoughts running through his mind. She lightly squeezed his hand, reassuring him of her well-being. "I'm fine," she simply stated, and those two words were all he needed to hear to ease his heart.

A light disturbance in the form of approaching footsteps drew their attention, and they all found themselves looking towards them. Jacob and some allies were present in the house, while Amun exhaled in relief upon seeing his coven member, but the moment his gaze landed on the clasped hands of Vivienne and Benjamin, a wave of guilt consumed him. He had made a selfish attempt to tear apart their love.

Her usual venomous nature seemed to melt away when she was with Benjamin; he brought out the most tender and loving aspect of her being, healing any darkness within her with his presence alone.

Vivienne looked at her mate and nodded, reluctantly releasing his hand as she knelt down to meet the height of her niece, who had made her way over to her.

"Hi, Renesmee. I'm Vivienne Beckett," Vivienne said gently, her gaze fixed on her niece.

Jacob instinctively adopted a protective stance, his caution fueled by the sight of her red eyes. Meanwhile, Edward fought the urge to roll his eyes at the wolf's overprotectiveness.

"Hi, Auntie Vivienne," Renesmee replied, her sweet smile lighting up her face.

Bella smiled kindly and placed a reassuring hand on her daughter's shoulder. "It's okay," she reassured them. "You can show her."

Vivienne looked at the mother, puzzled, as Renesmee reached out and placed her hand on her cheek.

Vivienne's mouth parted in surprise as a series of vivid images flashed before her eyes, the details seared into her mind. Once the visions faded, she smiled genuinely and praised, "That's truly an incredible ability, Renesmee." She observed as her niece's face illuminated with delight.

"You have a gift too, right?" Renesmee inquired.

Vivienne nodded in confirmation, a wry smile tugged on her lips as she revealed, "Yeah, but mine might be a bit unnerving for some."

"Can I see it?" Renesmee requested, her curiosity piqued.

Vivienne looked at her brother, concern written across her face. He picked up on her thoughts and chuckled, reassuring her, "It's okay, I'm sure Renesmee will find it fascinating."

"Fascinating, huh?" Vivienne stood up, her gaze sweeping over the immortals around her, all of whom were curiously anticipating the revelation of her gift. A sigh escaped her as she looked around, her eyes finally settling on Amun. He had no idea to what extent her powers were capable of, but he was vividly aware of what they had nearly inflicted upon him.

"I have some other words in mind to describe it, but 'Fascinating' barely scratches the surface," Vivienne stated, shifting her gaze away from Amun. She looked tenderly at her mate, her eyes meeting his in a shared look of curiosity. He was a creator, and she was a destroyer—that was the essence of their powers.

She fixed her gaze on a tree that stood a good distance away from them, and raised her hand, a small, dark green ball of light materializing. When it struck the tree, it appeared that nothing remarkable was occurring, but as the immortals observed, they noticed that the tree began to lose its vitality. Vivienne gestured again, drawing back her power, bringing a halt to its life-draining effect.

She looked at the tree in dismay, its lifeless form a stark contrast to its once vibrant state. She then noticed Benjamin move, his hand waving gently as he restored the tree to life.

Benjamin turned towards her, a gentle smile gracing his lips as the tree returned to its former glory. It was a silent reassurance of his understanding and acceptance of her power.

Renesmee and the other immortals observed the interaction between Vivienne and Benjamin, the contrast between their powers all too evident. While Vivienne could bring death, Benjamin could bring life. It was a balance between creation and destruction, a testament to the duality of existence.

Upon her departure from the Egyptian coven, Vivienne's fate was supposed to be one of banishment. Yet, her absence was the result of her own voluntary retreat after the shocking revelation of her powers. A dangerous ability lay dormant within her, capable of extinguishing life—she had nearly killed her leader, Amun, nearly destroying him with her own power.

The consequences of her powers' use became immediately clear as blood tears trickled down her face. Vivienne had come to understand that each time she unleashed her abilities, it left its bloody traces behind. She held the power to extinguish life, yet each utilization took a toll on her physical well-being. Every life she stripped from existence forced the blood she had consumed to escape from her body.

Benjamin noticed the blood trickling down her face and swiftly reached forward, wiping it with his hand. He looked at the liquid and asked in a hushed tone, "Does this happen every time?" She nodded, moving to wipe the rest off her face, aiming to spare her niece from the sight of it. Unfortunately, the scent of blood was still present and the others would surely detect it.

Once her face had been cleaned, Vivienne slowly turned towards Renesmee, only to find the young girl visibly taken aback. Surprisingly, there was no fear in her reaction; instead, she looked entirely enthralled.

Renesmee exclaimed, "Wow! That's incredible!" Everyone around them chuckled at her response, much to Vivienne's surprise.

Perhaps she had exaggerated a bit, influenced by her time in the Volturi. They had relentlessly stressed the destructiveness of her power, with the exception of Aro, who seemed strangely captivated by the beauty of her abilities.

"Can you sap the life from anything?" Garett inquired.

Vivienne glanced at him, the corners of her lips tugged into a smirk as she replied, "I wouldn't say anything; I haven't actually tried it..." Grateful that none of them asked about the blood, she felt a wave of relief wash over her.

Simultaneously, she tried to quell the memories of her encounter with Amun and how close she had come to releasing her powers upon him. She feared what would unfold if she ever actually did utilize them against a person. Drawing conclusions, she suspected that if her abilities were strong enough to snuff out life in plants, the same could be said for individuals.

"Just remind me to never to make you angry," Jacob joked, eliciting a chuckle from her.

Vivienne quipped, "Don't worry, I have my emotions under control, wolfie." Her teasing tone made Jacob roll his eyes at the nickname she had given him.

"It's Jacob," he protested, only to be met with a snort from her. As the others made their way indoors, the atmosphere grew quieter, leaving only Vivienne, Benjamin, and Edward. Bella had gone home with Renesmee, as it was becoming late, and Jacob followed suit, as usual.

Edward observed as the others departed, his gaze shifting discreetly towards his sister and her mate. He noted how they were already enveloped in each other's embrace, having been apart for a staggering 186 years. The numerous years they had spent apart must have been unspeakably agonizing.

"You both have some serious catching up to do," Edward quipped, drawing their attention toward him.

Vivienne and Benjamin looked at him, and she pulled her mate closer. She nodded, a hint of excitement in her eyes.

"We've got 186 years' worth of love and life to share," she replied, a smile dancing on her lips.