MARCUS FELT HIMSELF SLIPPING DOWN INTO HIS SADNESS ONCE MORE. It was the way things were as of late that just depressed him. He had been so hopeful that River would have had a good time at her own event. He'd loved seeing her so cheery talking to everyone. For once she hadn't been so stressed over various things. Now all of that was over and he saw the blatant discontent on his mate's face whenever he came by her office and the door was open.

It was hard enough to have her ripped apart right in front of him, but she was pushing everything down below. It wasn't good for her at all, but he did not want to see her even sadder than she was now.

He was on the backdoor ends of things, managing the letters that came in that supported their views of war. He had lost everything in their last war. Marcus had not forgotten the fact that Didyme was dead because of war. His friends were dead because of war. His elders and his maker were dead because of that war.

War was what depressed him, no matter how justified.

The papers he had gotten for the past week were boring, to say the least. So many condolences to himself and his brothers, even his mate. Relocation notices, requests for funds he had to send over to River, and a few personal letters that he had sorted to be read once he figured out just how many of them there were.

Now that they respond to their mail in a timely matter, they get so much more of it. At least Marcus hasn't been having to spend so much of his time answering the phone. Figuring out how those worked in the first place was baffling to the older vampire. Now he has the hang of it, but he'd rather people just run across the ocean or the world if they wanted access to him or his brothers. That was how it used to be.

Hell, it's not like they get tired.

Then came the letters he was more inclined to read and respond to. While most of the messages containing details that may pertain to where Andrei may be and any collusion with other vampires were in email or text, Marcus saw a few handwritten letters that had been sent. One in particular caught his eye due to the beautiful envelope. Most vampires don't bother with nice stationary these days, so Marcus assumed this was from one of the elders that don't come out of their holes for anything other than what they have to do.

When Marcus opened the letter, he realized that he was in over his head.

Dear Volturi Coven,

I write this on behalf of myself and my mate, who must remain nameless until we reach Volterra for fear of our safety. It has come to our attention over the past week that there are issues regarding the Cullen Coven and their dealings with the human named Isabella Swan. We have overheard from the member Alice Cullen mentioning of a pregnancy. She does not know that we have heard this mentioning. After this, there was a call between Alice Cullen and Edward Cullen, her covenmate, which mentioned the fugitive Andrei. This was not a negative mentioning but rather a positive one. We have also come to understand that during the Ball of which many were in attendance, Edward Cullen and Isabella Swan got married.

This was not announced prior and it is understood, according to Carlisle Cullen's own words, that it was a 'shotgun wedding'. Whether or not the current pregnancy was a factor in this decision is unknown.

Yesterday afternoon through a video recording it is confirmed that Isabella is colluding with Andrei.

It is pertinent that we are received in Volterra at the Volturi Castle. My mate and I can only keep a secret so long due to our physical proximity to Edward Cullen and his Coven Master, Carlisle Cullen. If this information were to reach the public before we are safe, I fear we may be killed by Andrei or Edward Cullen himself. My Coven Master does not know about our leaving forever and only believes we are going on vacation together.

Attached to this letter is the singular video recording that I was able to get of Isabella Cullen. The physical copy should be watched and then destroyed for safety purposes.

There was no signature. Marcus watched plenty of letters come in from allies, but this, this was new. Who would be so afraid of someone like Edward Cullen that they wouldn't share their name with their own king? Marcus found it very strange. Were they not a bunch would could be trusted with this information?

Then came the actual information. Marcus had to pass over the small slight to their Coven and notice the elephant in the note.

How the fuck was Bella pregnant?

Of every woman, this had to happen to her. For some reason Marcus believed it immediately. Only something this outlandish would happen to Bella Swan. Or was she Bella Cullen now? Legally Isabella Cullen? Marcus didn't need to get hung up on those details.

He wasn't shocked that she would work with Andrei. Who other than her would work with that man? A human woman of only perhaps eighteen years of age, freshly out of high school, with no job and no real money of her own. Only she would have the foresight to work with a man who could now use her as a breeding machine now that he knows she can carry a hybrid pregnancy. The ineptitude from Edward to protect this woman is laughable.

The logistics of a human/vampire pregnancy have been a running gag between vampire covens for millennia. Who would be desperate enough to have sex with a vampire and have their child? What vampire would be cruel enough to likely kill a woman by getting her pregnant with an immortal child. Clearly Andrei, for the sheer fact of his narcissim, but Edward? Or did the pregnancy cause them to get married for his Christian sensibilities?

He always thought that was dumb.

Maybe she got pregnant and he felt bad for never marrying her the proper way. Unless they were dumb enough to think getting married voided the legal notice of turning.

A half vampire baby. Who would have known.

He knew River would never believe this, no matter what he said. He would have to contact his brothers over the hilarious news, but talking to River in the castle about it in depth would be futile. She would never believe they could get pregnant. No way. That would be too much. Too little logic for her wise mind. Marcus would have to keep his true feelings as a gag between him and his brothers.

Even if this was objectively bad news, he loved the idea of knowing all of this. It just... added more to his day. Whether or not he liked to admit to it, Marcus liked overseeing mail and what was inside of the mail. Anything addressed to his was especially lovely.

This fleeting joy would only last so long. It was mainly a distraction from the horror of what was going on. He couldn't blame himself, everything was falling apart around him. His brothers in other countries, his mate being forced to stay inside the city at all costs. As much as Marcus is a homebody, he was hoping that he could show River around the city, maybe get some ideas on the restoration project he'd wanted to put funding into. The local University had some funding issues as well.

Now all of that would have to wait. He would be there, in his office and in the castle, waiting. That's all he does anymore.

Except now he has to tell River about this letter.

That didn't even cover the video. Marcus had almost forgotten about the drive that was placed at the bottom of the letter. Whatever this said, it was damning.

He had a place to plug it into his computer and download it. Thank the gods there wasn't any malware on the thing. There wasn't any video on it, he realized, it was just mp3. Alright, he could work with that, though for the legal side it made it fallible. There could be a vampire out there who could mimic voices.

Oh, who was Marcus kidding, Aro would have recruited them by now, or at least found out who they were.

"Andrei... seen before," came Alice's voice. All of it was a bit garbled and Marcus couldn't make out everything. "didn't know... Bella could... pregnant."

Marcus stopped the video. He thought that maybe he should be watching this with his mate, or should be sending a copy over to his brothers. It felt weird to be watching this alone in his office. He would have to concur with others, to figure out what they should do.

Frankly, with the war, any damn progress on Bella's legal requirement to turn was going to be thrown by the wayside. Marcus knew they didn't have any people to spare. Except if she was pregnant, would that risk exposure? Would they be keeping her inside in order to make sure she wouldn't cause concern? Her father would surely want to know that she's pregnant.

Would that pregnancy even work the same? Could they keep this away from Carlisle? He was the only medical professional in their midst. Surely Carlisle would have said something if he knew she was pregnant. Surely he wouldn't be in support of it if he thought something could happen. Whether or not they even told Carlisle that they knew would have to be a serious discussion. He was already pushed so far away, running towards his family off a ledge of self-implosion, but River and Aro cared for that man. For ridiculous reasons, they still cared.

Marcus figured why he was the one sent the letter. He was methodical about his responses. Not that River wasn't, but she had some resentment towards Edward in particular about what was happening to Carlisle. Again, it all came back to that care for Carlisle. Whatever, everyone has that one person they want to do better.

He wouldn't be checking out that thing again until River was done with the latest round of emails.