Guess who managed to write that chapter on time? I'm so happy about it, yay! Unlike my excitement, this chapter was a little sadder, but also more realistic than Twilight, in my opinion, regarding the reaction of the characters and I think Demetri will stay that way for a while, I even heard '사랑인 것 같아 (I Think It's Love)' by Taemin on repeat to get into the melancholy mood (well, I already listen to him a lot so it was a bonus). Thank you for reading my work, see you next week!

[English isn't my first language, so please be kind!]

[All characters belongs to Stephenie Meyer!]

8

Under the Moonlight

- Did you find him? - Elia asked as soon as Demetri found her at the balcony. She had stayed where Aro and Esme left her, static, praying that good news would come to meet her.

Demetri tried to approach as quietly as possible so that she would not notice his presence. He managed to admire the girl looking at the moon for a few seconds before she realized it was no longer alone, but it still wasn't enough.

If he had the chance, Demetri wanted to be able to admire her all night, until the sun came up and her body shone like a silvered stone.

- Yes - Demetri left the shadows, going to Elia's side.

His response made her red eyes sparkle in the dark in a way that never did while looking at Demetri. Her heart really belonged to someone else and Demetri felt almost empty while realizing this.

He was confused about what he would say to her, what would hurt her less... But there was still something he needed to clarify that night.

- How did you know he was here? - Demetri asked. Elia wrote the letter and asked him to deliver it, she knew the human boy was around - Does Aro...

Elia sighed, she lowered her head and soon her eyes were no longer visible to Demetri. She would rather look at the abyss below than at his face.

- Aro knows, of course he does - she smiled, but didn't look happy at all - how do you think I ended up finding out he and my family was here? I can't read minds, but Aro doesn't hide anything from me, all of his cruel acts are in plain sight.

Elia sat on the floor, hugging her knees, Demetri did the same, noticing that she had exchanged the coat she wore hours ago for a clean, black silk blouse that marked her body. Would she have dressed up for the human?

Her hair was still disheveled, now because of the wind, but in a pretty way at least to him. In fact everything Elia did was beautiful in his view.

- How… How was he? Did he seemed... - her voice was shaking, she must be very concerned with that human.

- He looks like a normal man - Demetri replied. A human who shouldn't be here, he thought.

- But when he received the letter... How did he react?

Demetri remembered when he saw the human in the forest, he was indeed brave to have followed her here, but the way he reacted would not make Elia happy.

He was scared to see Demetri, especially when he realized what he was, or the idea of what he was. He was scared.

- Humans fear what they cannot understand - said Demetri - it's natural.

- So are we unnatural? - he could feel her pain escaping through her voice.

Elia hit the back of her head on the stone pillars of the balcony. Demetri was unable to stop her in time, so when she tried to hit again, at the risk of knocking the entire column, Demetri managed to stop her with his hand.

- What are you doing? - he asked - You will end up hurting yourself that way!

- No need to worry - Elia replied, she was still smiling, but maybe because her face was unable to do anything else - I won't bleed.

- We don't need to bleed to hurt ourselves; you know that, don't you?

Elia covered her face with both hands, her chest moved quickly and she moaned in pain, but no tears would run down her stone face. Demetri remained beside her, embracing her body for the first time since he met her in Italy. He wanted it so badly to be close to her, he had prayed every day to the ancient gods that he could stay close to her, but now, seeing Elia suffering in his arms, he felt selfish.

Was it worth it to stay with her like that? Letting the love of his life live in suffering?

- Do you miss him? - Demetri asked, regretting it almost at the same time. Of course, Elia missed the human, if she not why would her risk her privileges with Aro just to see him?

Elia gently released herself from Demetri's embrace, but to him it was almost as she screaming that wanted him away.

- I would trade everything for him - Elia said - every part of me.

She brought her hand close to the heart, her fingers lightly brushing her neck, close to the silver scar.

- Aro says that sometimes love causes wars and that this can be the end a family or a clan - she continued - I wouldn't mind ending the Volturi if I could be with Claudio again.

Demetri's mind started to boil, full of worry and jealousy. If Elia really thought that way, he now understood why she needed to stay in the castle, away from the human.

- But from the way you're acting with me now - Elia looked at Demetri - He won't come to meet, will he?

Demetri thought about how he had scared the human, the way he held the crucifix, how he trembled with fear...

- I think he wanted to find you, but not that way.

- Because I'm dead, and we don't have a remedy for that, neither how to go back in time.

Demetri nodded, he reached out his hand to hold hers, as tight as he could. Elia could no longer be alive, he wouldn't hear her heart beat, nor witness the blood flush her cheeks, but he didn't care, he wanted her the way she was now.

- I don't mind being dead - said Demetri - people idealize the past too much.

- No, I'm not…

- I just wish I could feel the pain in your place - he took a deep breath and for a moment felt even more anxious, Demetri often forget that Elia smelled was attractive, even for a vampire – so that you wouldn't suffer anymore.

- I would never allow that - said Elia.

- Why not? – he asked, his anger and frustration finally surfaced - Why do you have to deny even that gesture of mine?

- Because it's not fair - Elia wiped imaginary tears from her face - Love doesn't have to be, to feel complicated. Love is easy. It is... It was easy for me and Claudio.

Elia closed her eyes, even though she was a vampire, Demetri never saw her look as pale as that night.

- And because I care about you, Demetri – she said - You don't have to suffer for me to show that you care.

- But I suffer for you - Demetri grumbled – for a long time now.

- You could have talked to me.

- And to say what? - Demetri sounded a bit too rude. Now he regretted not reading self help books with Jane.

Elia crossed her arms against her body and the vampire didn't want her to move further away from him, so he tried to control himself.

- To stop being attractive to me? – he said, with a more moderate tone.

Elia smiled, it was just a glance, but Demetri felt more relieved right away.

- If you want me to say what I feel - he took courage to say what was stuck inside his heart for what seemed like forever - then know that I need you, and I want you to love me for eternity.

Demetri tried his best to appear unconcerned, but if he were still human he was sure a vein would be pulsing above his head, about to explode. He never felt this way before, not even on the battlefield or in the numerous missions that the Volturi gave him. Everything that has lived up to now seemed easy, much easier than waiting for an answer from Elia.

- I like you, Demetri - Elia said again - and maybe someday I will be able to correspond what you feel for me, but now, I just can't.

She wanted to be polite, Demetri knew her every little gesture of her, but the fact that Elia couldn't look him directly in the eye was what saddened him the most.

- So you're not going to meet the human? - Demetri asked, anything was better than being silent.

- I don't know - Elia replied - maybe it's better to part ways now. Aro would never allow him here, being in the village is the closest he can get.

She stood up in an elegant and graceful way, holding the black hair that hit her waist.

- Thank you for doing this for me, Demetri, and I'm sorry.

Elia continued to avoid looking at Demetri, while the vampire remained on the floor, watching her leave, under the moonlight.