It was without fault that the ending of this movie always pulled at my emotions. All of the people who had needlessly perished at the expense of one man's pride and the cost of greed in such a grand tragedy, waiting for Rose to return home to where her heart had always lied, it still brought me to tears. When I was younger, we always joked about how she did let go, but now that I was older, I saw the truth in her words. Though she did let go of Jack physically, he had always been with her in her memories, and she clung to them until she saw him again. It really was hauntingly beautiful, and I wiped away a tear that had been unwillingly shed.

"Are you all right, my dear?" Aro's voice brought me out of my reverie as the credits started to roll.

"I'm fine. Sometimes movies affect me. This happens to be one of them," I replied.

"But, you're crying."

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head at Aro's ridiculousness that he sometimes showed. "Humans have emotions, Aro. The ending is sad, but it's also beautiful. Rose had the chance to live a full life, free from Cal's control, and in the end, she's reunited with the one she truly loved, the one who helped her find herself and taught her how to live."

Sighing, I turned so I could face Aro more directly. "Even if Cal did care for Rose, he was too proud for his own good. He never gave thought to what she wanted or needed. All Cal thought about was himself and how other people would see him. Jack, on the other hand, he cared about her. Nevermind what that meant for him. He wanted Rose to be happy and to be free. He wanted her to fly, and she did."

Aro looked at me, confusion still evident in his expression. "This is what caused you to cry?"

"It's romantic." I bit the inner part of my bottom lip. Was Aro really that oblivious? "Though, in hindsight, Rose didn't need a man to save her from Cal, even if the movie played it that way. She was strong-willed from the beginning. I think, eventually, Rose would have found her own way, with or without Jack. I really think that she knew what she wanted. She was just too scared at the time to go get it."

"And you are not?"

Our eyes met, and without pause, I answered, "No."

Aro's hand reached up and gently took hold of my jaw as he leaned in, kissing me slowly. He pulled back momentarily, but I didn't react. When he leaned back in, the kiss grew more profound and passionate, and before I knew it, Aro was on top of me, my back against the cushions, one of his arms wrapping around my waist. The kiss lasted until Aro must have realized my very human need to breathe, and he sat up.

We were both quiet, and as the credits came to an end, Aro reached over and closed the lid to the laptop. "You should call your parents."

He stood, and I watched as he walked around to the other side of his desk to retrieve my phone from where he kept it. "I'd rather see them," I commented, hoping he'd have a better response. Unfortunately, he had none and chose to ignore it, or so it seemed.

"I believe it is early afternoon there." Aro handed me the phone before sitting back down beside me, and I pressed the button to turn it on. "These devices have a speaker capability, do they not?"

I nodded. "Are you always going to listen to my calls?"

With still no reply, I waited for the phone to load, and then I hit the send button after locating my mother's name in my favorite contacts. The phone rang as I activated the speaker, and my mom finally answered, frantic, not at all to my surprise. Even before I could say a word, she started in, my name probably showing up on her screen. "Liliana, where in the world have you been? Your father and I have been worried sick that something happened to you."

I gave Aro a pointed look as I replied to my mother. "Sorry, Mom. It's been hectic here, but I'm okay."

"It has been three weeks since your father and I have heard from you. The least you could have done was emailed or sent us a text. Your father was ready to file a missing person's report. We've been calling, and I've sent numerous messages. I even contacted Emilio hoping that he had heard from you, and he hadn't."

Hearing Emilio's name felt like a knife stabbing me through the heart. "I know. I just saw the notifications. I actually lost my phone on a flight. I was so tired, and I left it on the plane. They located it, but they had to mail it to me, which took some time. I just got it back the other day, but my charger stopped working, and I had to get another one."

I hated lying to my mom, but what was I supposed to do? I couldn't tell her the truth. Aro had already proven to me that his laws meant more than anything to him. If she found out, he would get rid of her, of that much I was sure. However, the way the lies came so naturally left a hole in my chest and nausea in my stomach. I had never hated myself more than right now.

"Oh, Lia. Do you know what could have happened without your phone? You could have been stuck in some foreign country with no way to contact anyone. What about the friend you said you're traveling with? You could have used their phone, couldn't you?"

"Yeah, I guess. I was just so freaked out about losing mine, I didn't even think about it. I don't think he did either until right now."

My mom was silent on the other end of the line, and it actually made me nervous. "Lia, you're traveling with a boy? I hope you're being safe at least."

"Mom!" I heard Aro snicker to the left of me, and I glared daggers at him. "Nothing is going on. Like I told you before, we're just friends."

"Well, be careful. It would have been nice to speak with this boy before you left with him to travel. I would like to know he could be trusted," my mom added.

"He's not exactly a boy, mom. He's practically three, um, thirty years old," I said, quickly catching myself.

Of course, Aro chimed in, whispering at my ear. "I was in my mid-twenties," he corrected as I rolled my eyes.

"He has over ten years on you." I could almost hear my mother shaking her head in the background. "I trust your judgment, but please, Lia, call every once and a while. When do you plan on coming home?"

It was those words that nearly had me spillover. I was never going home to my parents. Volterra, my first home, would also be my last. I would never see them again, only hear their voices, and I had no idea how long Aro would allow even that to last. I swallowed back the painful lump growing in my throat. "I don't know. I really like it here, and there's always the house back in Volterra."

"Sweetheart, I know you never wanted to leave Italy, and you know that I would be okay with you moving back. You're an adult now, but your father doesn't like the idea. He's already upset that you took a gap year from school."

He had been. My father wanted me to attend university right out of high school, preferably Rice University in Houston or Southern Methodist University right there in Dallas. Something about keeping me close to home. However, I had other plans. I needed a break. I wanted to learn in my own way and explore all of the possibilities before committing to another four, possibly six years of formal education.

"He'll get over it. Besides, there are plenty of good schools near Volterra, the University of Florence, for one. I could enroll there as an EU student easily."

I heard her sigh on the other end. "We'll talk about it later. I need to get back to work. I have a meeting in twenty minutes I should prepare for."

"Okay. Tell Dad I'm all right."

"I will. Please stay safe and call. I love you."

"Love you, too, Mom."

Ending the call was one of the hardest things to do at that moment, but the line was already dead. Aro took the phone from me and put it back in his desk, sealing it away like a revealing letter he wanted to keep from prying eyes. "It's getting late. Why don't you get ready for bed?"

I had heard him, but I didn't move. I sat frozen to the spot, my eyes on the gold-flecked rug that ran the length of the room. Aro moved behind me and placed his hands on my shoulders, massaging them gently. It felt good, and I tried to allow myself to relax. It wasn't a lie that I was starting to let myself give in to the bond. What other option did I have at this point? Even if he had still taken so much from me, it was going to happen.

"I could always draw you the way Jack drew Rose. Right here on this sofa. It would make a stunning piece," Aro said softly into my ear.

If his goal had been to bring me out of my thoughts, he had. I turned back to him. "No, thank you. You've already seen me without clothes once, without consent, I might add. That's all you get for a while."

He chuckled. "You wound me, my dear."

I quickly stood and made my way towards the bedroom door before opening it. "You're right. It's late. I'm going to bed."

"Sweet dreams, Lia. Good night."

Once in the bedroom, I changed into a loose-fitting top and shorts to sleep in before heading to the bathroom. I went through the motions realizing I was actually more tired than I had initially thought. By the time I hit the bed, my eyes were closed. It wasn't an instantaneous sleep, as I had hoped it would be, but at least I didn't lie awake all night either. Within the hour, I had fallen asleep.

It was the middle of the night when I was woken up. I felt the bed disturbed behind me, and I flipped myself over to see Aro lying on his side, his eyes watching me steadily. I sighed, my heart pounding from the initial surprise of feeling something in the bed with me. "You scared me. What did you want?"

"You."

I frowned. "It's the middle of the night, and I thought we had an agreement about you not watching me sleep."

"I wasn't planning on watching you sleep, Lia."

Aro reached out and stroked my cheek with one of his fingers before he leaned in and kissed me. It was the last thing I wanted at this moment, and I pulled away. "Aro…"

He hushed me and proceeded to start again, this time pulling me close to him, so I couldn't break away. When I did try, his grip only became tighter, and his passion more erratic. The next thing I knew, he had worked his way on top of me, and when he released my lips, I turned my head from him. "Aro, stop."

But he didn't. Instead, he leaned down to my neck, his lips touching the skin. His hands ran down my sides until he found the bottom of my shirt, and then they traveled up until they reached my chest. At this point, I was thoroughly worried. Aro told me that he wouldn't be able to go all the way with me until I was like him, that it was too dangerous to do so, but the way he was acting now certainly felt like he was about to go ahead anyway, no matter what the consequence.

I started to struggle underneath him, but he was much too strong, holding me firmly to the bed as he leaned back down to my lips. "Aro, seriously, stop!" With no acknowledgment of my yelling, I did the next best thing, and what happened as a consequence, I would hopefully live with. I was able to lift my right arm, and with all the strength I possessed, I slapped him hard, right across the face. "I said, stop!"

It did the trick. Aro paused in his actions, and what I didn't expect to see was the look of hurt and pain that crossed his features. Within a moment, he was off of me and out of the room, my bedroom door closing loudly behind him and then finally the door to the main hall as Aro left his quarters.

I tried to get my breathing under control as I sat up in the bed, my right hand on my somewhat swollen lips, my left across my stomach as I leaned slightly forward, feeling like I was going to be sick. When the feeling subsided, I ran a hand through my hair and waited for my heart to slow. I couldn't stay in this bed any longer. I had to walk or do something. No, what I needed to do was see Sulpicia. I knew that's where I was supposed to be.

I stood and went over to put on something more decent in case I happened to run into any of the others along the way. Once I was dressed, I left the room and began to make my way to the stairs and then to the tower entrance. I couldn't help but think about what Aro was planning to do. Maybe he was just worked up over something, or perhaps he was hoping, with some of our newer interactions, that it would be okay. I really couldn't believe that he was meaning to do what Emilio and I had started the other night, but nevertheless, it frightened me. I knew it was something Aro wanted desperately, but I also trusted that he would wait until he made me like him.

I had reached the stairs to the tower, and I climbed them slowly. It was darker than I remembered, the only light coming from a small wall sconce at the landing. When I reached it, I went to knock on the door that led to Sulpicia's room, but before I could, Corin stepped out of it. "I thought you would be asleep. Were you coming up to stargaze?"

"Actually, I was hoping I could speak with Sulpicia for a bit if she's not busy," I replied.

Corin smiled, though I could tell there was something else behind it. "Oh. She is a little preoccupied at the moment. Maybe we could go downstairs and talk for a while if you need to."

I shook my head. "No, that's okay. I'll just come back later. Can you tell her I stopped by?"

"Of course."

I went to head back down the stairs when I was suddenly stopped on the edge of the landing by the one voice I did not want to hear, and though I shouldn't have been surprised, I was. "Lia, wait."

When I turned around, Aro stood there at the door, and Corin dismissed herself to go back inside, closing it behind her. "Preoccupied, huh?" I sarcastically responded.

"This is the last place I expected you to come," Aro frowned.

I shrugged. "You can't get it from me, so you come here instead?"

"As strange as it may sound to you, even I have urges that beg to be met. Sulpicia is my wife."

"And I'm your mate!" The forcefulness of my voice startled even me, and the silence that fell between us cut sharp as a blade. After a moment of the panic that hit me settling in my chest, I made to move towards the other door, which would take me outside to the bell tower. Before I could move far, however, Aro grabbed my wrist in his hand. "Let go."

He loosened his grip, and I shrugged my wrist out of his hand. "Where are you going?"

"To get some fresh air."

"I'll come with you."

"No." I put a hand up to stop him, and amazingly, he receded. He watched as I entered through the other door, out into the night, and shut it carefully behind me. I didn't have the strength right now to slam it had I wanted to.

Why did it hurt so much to realize that he went to be with Sulpicia? They had been married for three millennia. Did it really shock me that Aro was still sleeping with her? More so than that, why did I even care? Hadn't I been trying to fight this mating bond for weeks now? Why should it matter to me that he went to another woman to get his fix?

Aro had admitted that Sulpicia had been the only woman he had ever slept with. I supposed that it all made sense. He cared about her. She cared about him. It was a matter of convenience that they married in the first place. Aro needed a companion, and Sulpicia needed protection. The arrangement benefited them both. They were bound to have a sexual relationship whether their love was that of mates or not. It was only natural. Why should a vampire's sex drive be different from a human's?

Maybe it was something else that was bothering me so much. Was it the fact that Aro went to Sulpicia as a confidant? Would he confide in her about anything? He had definitely spoken to her about me before. It was the reason she had wanted to meet me for so long. Was he back in her room talking to her now? He hadn't followed me for which I was grateful.

I sat on the floor of the bell tower and pulled my knees into my chest. My dad had an affair many years ago. It hadn't lasted long, but when my mom found out, she was heartbroken, questioning what she had done wrong for him to go off to another woman. She blamed herself for not being adequate enough for him. This was something she didn't tell me until much later when I was older.

I had questioned her about it, memories coming up one evening about when they were living apart. My mom had moved us in with her parents for the summer before we moved back in with my dad so I could go back to school. They went to couples counseling for a year before working things out, and ever since, to my knowledge, their marriage had been fine. My mom said my dad had made a mistake, and it was one he had paid for and regretted. It nearly destroyed their marriage, but somehow, they pushed through it. Could it be those memories that made me feel the way I was feeling now?

The door behind me opened, and I was ready to tell Aro off for disturbing me, but it wasn't Aro that spoke. "May I join you?" The golden-eyed, blonde-haired doctor took a seat beside me when I nodded. "The stars are beautiful tonight."

"Yeah. I don't get to see them this clearly back in the city." I turned to Carlisle and met his gaze. "Did Aro send you?"

"He's fighting with himself."

"This concerns me why?"

"Aro is trying to do the right thing, for you, for him, for the coven."

Scoffing, I replied, "I don't see what the Volturi has to do with any of this."

"The Volturi has everything to do with this," Carlisle rectified. "I don't want you to think that I am defending some of the actions he's decided to take. I advised him on such when he spoke of them to me. However, Aro has placed himself at the head of our world. In doing so, he's made many enemies, as many as he has made followers and friends.

"The Volturi established themselves as protectors of our kind. Even now, weapons are being created, which are a threat to our existence. While under normal circumstances, we are immortal by human standards, we can still be destroyed. You've witnessed it yourself." I remembered back to the trial Aro had me sit in, and I involuntarily shuddered. "Aro is doing everything within his power to keep these events from coming to light."

Carlisle went on, "Then there is the matter of him finding you, his mate, after three thousand years. He's trying to manage his role as one of the leaders of his coven while also learning how to be with the one he never thought he would have the chance of meeting."

I sighed, trying to take in what Carlisle was saying, but the truth was, I didn't want to hear it. I knew he meant well, and I knew he was right. It was simply easier to stay frustrated than trying to accept it.

"You should know, the only person who could ever hurt Aro is you." I looked at Carlisle then. "If anyone wanted to destroy him, they would only need to do something to you. You need to understand that. Outside of the Volturi and my family, no one knows that you exist, and while you're human, it is safer for you this way. I don't say this because Aro is my friend. I say this because your life could be at risk if people knew Aro had finally found his mate. There's a reason they leave Sulpicia and Athenodora here in the tower."

"I know," I remarked. "Aro told me about his sister, and I've been around Marcus a few times."

"I did speak to Aro on a certain subject matter. I hope he takes my advice as he has inclined to do so far," Carlisle mentioned.

"What advice?"

Before Carlisle could answer, Renata made an appearance at the door, and I frowned. It wasn't that I didn't want to see her, but her presence meant that Aro wished to see me. I sighed. So much for distancing.

"Looks like I have to go," I told Carlisle. He gave an understanding smile in reply, and I added, "Thanks for hanging out, even if it was Aro that sent you."

Renata was quiet as we walked back to Aro's quarters. It was a tad strange. I had always known her to have something to say about how I had hurt Aro once again. Not receiving the lecture concerned me, but I wasn't going to complain. When we reached the door to his study, she stood back at her usual post, saying nothing to me, and I entered the room.

Aro sat at his desk, one of his many journals in front of him, quill in hand, writing hastily on the page. He didn't look up, so I decided to speak first to get his attention. "You summoned me?"

Still, without breaking eye contact from what he was writing, Aro answered, "Yes. Your travel bag is on the bed. Go pack what you will need for three days."

I froze where I stood, confused about what was going on. "Aro?"

He finally looked up at me and met my gaze. "You wanted to visit your parents. Closure will be beneficial."

He spoke as if he were trying to convince himself of his words, and I saw as he promptly returned to the journal. It took a second to get myself to move into the bedroom, my world feeling like some sort of dream-like state, and I hoped that was a lie. I wanted this to be real. He was going to let me see my parents. The only downside, it was solely so I could say goodbye.

A/N: Fun chapter to write! The next one is already written, just to tease you a little bit before next week comes around, and I think you'll enjoy it as well. Please leave reviews! It makes me so happy to be able to communicate with my readers and sometimes end up having discussions about Aro and the Volturi and random television shows. Thanks for reading!