To all who follow this story, I'm sorry for not having published it last weekend and for not having warned you. It just happened and before I knew it I had missed the deadline.

Anyway, here's the chapter and I'll try to post another one on Saturday!

Oh, I got a question about a vampire's singer and whether that means a singer is a soulmate - "singer" is, in a way, a vampire's soulmate, but in a slightly different way. It's actually an extremely strong attraction that a vampire can feel for a human whose blood and scent are irresistible to him. I think it has a lot to do with the interpretation of the vampire in question, and Edward himself says so, he ends up falling in love with Bella, but we have the case of Emmett who found two singers and ended up killing them.

[Twilight characters belongs to Stephenie Meyer]

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

22

Hysteria

Despite the silence, there was an uneasy feeling growing in the back of Demetri's mind. The feeling grew stronger after the screams of the traitors stopped, and then it was impossible to avoid it.

He captured Stefan on a trail near The Red Forest, but Aro's orders were very clear, kill, without trial, as he was already guilty of conspiracy and the more nomads appeared the more the masters were certain of their decision. Demetri was with Afton and Santiago, as Felix and other members of greater physical strength ended up staying to protect Aro and Caius, as well as Alec. If too many nomads showed up, he could easily numb their senses.

This wasn't the dream team Demetri had hoped for, but it was enough to rip Stefan's head off. Demetri knew that the Romanians didn't run to a place at random, and that there had to be a hiding spot there, maybe someone willing to help him. That's when the Irish appeared. Afton was the first to see them, red heads among the trees. They didn't have specific orders to kill the Irish coven, but they did have orders to kill anyone who helped the Romanians and none of those vampires had gifts interesting enough for Aro.

- How many more are there? - Henri approached to ask, carefully placing Maggie's remains in the fire.

The French coven had come while they were still chasing Stefan in Moldavia, not to conspire with the nomads, but to help. Rumors that the Volturi were hunting the traitors had apparently spread quickly, and the French had come as a gesture of loyalty, just as they had answered the call about the vampire child. They didn't want any trouble, and Henri, their leader, had come as a gesture of good faith.

Demetri heard him whisper "she was just a little girl" in French as he watched Maggie burn.

- I felt some running west after we got the Irish, to Poland, probably. They can have coverage there with trees and parks.

- And how many must die? - Henri asked. Demetri could feel his anxiety.

- At least one must live to advise the others, but don't worry, now, besides the Volturi, the French are the only coven in Europe. Aro will be pleased and you will be able to hunt more freely.

Henri nodded. He was a cautious man, perhaps because he had people he wanted to protect. Demetri could sense that. More than once, he turned his head toward his country and sighed.

Demetri found himself doing the same.

- Do you have a mate?

Henri's question took Demetri by surprise. He was as observant as he seemed and didn't hide it.

- Yes - Demetri replied, even though he didn't know if that was the right answer.

Henri didn't say anything, he just nodded and walked away from the fire.

Someone had to watch the fire until it burned down, to keep any of the remains from escaping. Demetri usually did this, but the talk with Henri distracted him. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and looked at the date. How long had it been since he heard from Elia? Demetri could tell when Alec called her when he wandered away from the group, sometimes miles for privacy, but it had been weeks since he'd done that.

Maybe that's why Demetri had a bad feeling.

The phone had no signal there, so he would have to go to an inhabited place to text Gianna out of sheer desperation. He had never been so grateful that vampires burned easily, because as soon as the bonfire was over and they covered the ashes, they left for Poland before the sun caught them, to the depths of the Białowieża Forest.

In the old days, Demetri would look forward to long missions, as they were exciting, he was created to track and it gave him an incredible adrenaline boost, as opposed to standing guard over the city like a statue at established points in Volterra. Away from the castle, he could hunt, chase, track, do whatever he wanted without Aro's watchful eyes constantly around him and in his mind.

But now? Now Demetri just wanted to go home and it wasn't hard to guess what had changed.

Elia was in Italy, she had stayed behind, and being away from her in the first few months after the turn was torture. Demetri didn't remember much from his first months as a vampire, except that he felt thirsty all the time and that if it weren't for the amount of people living in Cairo, Amun would have had trouble covering his tracks of destruction. Then Demetri thought of Elia, and her lost innocence, and how Alec was confining her within the walls of Gianna's house. Demetri didn't know how she was resisting.

Jane and Gianna ignored his calls and texts, probably on Alec's orders, but Demetri started calling just to annoy them anyway, to make it clear that he hadn't given up. He hoped that Elia would know about it someday. He would make one last attempt, and if no one answered, Demetri had a feeling he had to go there and see for himself what was happening.

They sought shelter in the back of Białowieża, near the oldest trees with the widest and strongest trunks. Santiago felt most comfortable inside the fallen trunks, although Demetri had the feeling that he just wanted to escape Afton's nonsense.

Henri remained vigilant and despite the apparent quietness, Demetri could hear vampires moving at a considerable distance.

"I can't sleep," Demetri remembered thinking after Amun had created him, and how amazing it had been at the time. Now, it was just a nuisance. Now, he couldn't dream of the one he loved.

When the sun finally began to set in that cold, ancient forest, Demetri heard the vampires stirring again.

- Afton and Santiago, west - he then addressed Henri - we're both going across the border, it's better to kill them before they leave the forest.

It was much more fun to run away from human eyes, so the vampires didn't have to hide. The nomads weren't as fast as they, and the fact that they were scared was an advantage for the Volturi, who were more organized.

They were chasing three, Demetri knew right away, but two were following together towards Afton and Santiago, perhaps hoping to win a confrontation as Demetri had a reputation. Henri and Demetri were going along the edge of the trees.

- There, I saw her! - Henri shouted.

Demetri also spotted the brown hair in the distance. Since running didn't help, the nomad jumped to the top of the trees, which Demetri thought was foolish, but soon the attack came. She began to rip off the branches and throw them like spears. The wood itself wouldn't be enough to hurt a vampire, but the speed with which she did it was frightening. She didn't want to pierce the body, but to slow them down. She aimed for the joints and soon one of Henri's arms was torn off. Demetri hid behind a tree, but a second spear ripped off the top of the tree.

"Shit," Demetri thought as more spears were thrown for they were at a disadvantage now. Henri was worried with finding his missing arm, and so the spears were aimed solely at Demetri's crude hiding place. He had to try his luck and moved, changing trees two, three times, until he heard a shout, and saw the nomad be thrown from the tree violently.

Demetri went towards her as soon as he realized who had arrived and saw Aro's young face staring at him as he remained bent over the nomad's body, holding her arms, preventing her from moving. Renata was right behind him, with her hand extended over the master to protect him.

Aro's hair was tied in a loose ponytail and a few strands partially covered his face, but despite his paleness he looked more alive than anyone else there.

- Master - Demetri gulped, he shouldn't be saved by Aro, but on the contrary - everything was under control.

- I see - Aro smiled slightly.

He stopped talking, then his attention returned to the girl he was holding, he remained focused until he finished reading her thoughts. Henri appeared soon after, standing next to Demetri, his arm already in place.

- You can live if you tell the others what we're doing, and how troublesome nomads will no longer be tolerated - Aro spoke in French, and he squeezed the girl's wrists so tightly that Demetri heard them crack.

When he got back to his feet, the brown-haired girl had dragged herself away from the group and ran.

- She lives close to your border, so it will be your responsibility - Aro said to Henri.

He then turned towards Demetri.

- Leave us.

- But, master, what if...

- It's okay, Renata - Aro calmed her - you can go find Afton and Santiago, and you, Henri, can go home now, thank you for your loyalty.

Renata's face was smeared with dirt, it was strange to see her struggling to maintain her composure on the battlefield, but she soon obeyed Aro. As for Henri, he greeted Demetri before leaving and the vampire felt good about having made a new friend, perhaps someone who would come to his aid if he needed it, if Elia needed it.

Soon Aro and Demetri were alone and there was no one around them other than a few curious animals.

- You came personally without the rest of the Guard - Demetri pointed out - did something happen?

- I was just tired of Caius sorting through the Romanians' relics and holding mock trials with the remaining nomads - Aro sighed while playing with the ends of the hair he had pulled out of the nomad - they were planning a major attack on Volterra, did you know that? They would turn hundreds of humans and lead them to us, trap us in our own castle and tunnels, that was the plan. What happened on the outskirts of our territory, the attack that killed your beloved Elia, was just the beginning.

That made Demetri's insides burn with hatred, but he fought not to lose control.

- She is avenged now.

- She is - Aro nodded, he touched one of the trees as if he could read its thoughts - and you want to see her.

That wasn't a question.

- After spending so much time with my Guard I end up guessing your next moves. You would probably take advantage of the fact that you are far away and go to Italy just to see her.

- I wouldn't put the mission at risk - Demetri hated having to explain himself.

- I know, I just can't understand all the nuances of romantic love yet, and what's the limit.

Aro sighed.

- But Alec would come after you as soon as he noticed you were missing, which would be another headache... - Aro rubbed the top of his head - He has become a constant headache.

Demetri wanted to agree, but he was afraid of crossing the line by doing so. Talking to Aro should always be done with caution.

- Do you know what I saw when I touched Elia's hand?

Demetri shook his head, he was earing to leave, but he also knew there was a possibility that Aro was just distracting him so Alec could attack, or maybe he was just being too paranoid.

- Blue eyes.

The vampire didn't understand at first, but he thought Aro was waiting for a specific reaction.

- Blue eyes... I remember her nephew had eyes like that.

- No, they weren't the eyes of a child. - Aro held up his finger, then sighed as he realized that Demetri really didn't know anything.

- So... - Demetri gathered all the courage he had to ask - Can I go? Can I see her?

- Yes - Aro smiled, but as if mocking the tracker - if anyone asks, I'll say you're on a mission for me, so you have two days, then you must return to the Romanians' hideout, my friend lives nearby and I haven't visited him in ages, he will return with us to Volterra at the end of the mission.

- Your friend... - Demetri felt stupid for having forgotten and even more so for not having paid attention to Alec's reaction at the time. He'd never seen Alec afraid before, so - The doctor.

- Yes, his name is Minos, he'll help the girl Elia - Aro started walking back to the center of the forest, where Renata had gone, with a different sparkle in his eyes - the mind and memories have always fascinated me, and I can't wait to test it.

xxxxx

Returning to Volterra was almost nostalgic for Demetri, even though he had only left three months ago. He had intended to go straight to Gianna's house, but as soon as he arrived in the city he realized that Elia's trail was spread out, which meant that in the three months she had left the human's house and was moving around the city, perhaps learning.

"This must be good," Demetri thought.

The city was livelier than usual, with a few tourists scattered around the main square and the restaurants open.

Even so, the main trail still led him to Gianna's mansion.

Demetri jumped over the wall, as he had no time for simply knocking on the door. He walked hurriedly among some flower beds and there she was. Elia was at the garden, humming something while a strange cat entwined itself between her swinging legs as she was sitting on the edge of a stone statue that decorated the garden.

It was still dark, Elia skin didn't glow, and her head was down, so he could barely see her eyes. It was as if she was alive again and he was the vampire watching over her from a distance. No matter how much Elia yell at him, Demetri wished he could go back to that time.

She didn't notice him and Demetri didn't want to break that enchanting vision. He was dirty, wearing worn clothes and he was sure there were ashes in his nails. As for Elia... She looked different.

It was as if Demetri had become unused to looking at her. Three months had passed, but time seemed to have failed to do justice to what he felt. She was there, in front of him, exactly as he remembered, but at the same time something seemed to have changed.

- What are you doing here? - Elia said when she finally noticed his presence. She must have been too lost in her thoughts not to have seen him arrive. As she looked at him, Demetri soon realized what seemed different. Her eyes, although red, a sign that she was well fed, were dull and melancholic.

"Maybe it's the clothes", he thought, she was wearing a black dress that, although it highlighted her waist and collarbone, seemed to make everything dimmer, as if she herself was surrounded by a shadow that could not be dispelled.

- Is this how you're going to greet me after months?

Demetri barely managed to take a step towards her, as Elia walked up to him and stopped him from moving with her hand on his chest.

He should have seen the doubt on her face, but he didn't notice because of his own feelings. Demetri held her hands, kissing her fingers full of relief, because she was surviving in the clan, even without him or Alec. If Elia had any hostile intentions toward Demetri's return, his kisses seemed to dismiss some of it, for she stopped pushing him away.

Elia buried her head in his chest and let Demetri finally hug her.

- They won't let me talk to you - Demetri said, completely oblivious to the fact that she had tried to push him away - but I tried, so I decided to come, I just wanted to see if you were okay, if you were comfortable, if you are being fed...

Elia pushed him away when she heard the last part, and Demetri was bothered by the fact that she didn't look at him. It was as if he had lost something important during his absence.

- Something happened, didn't it? Tell me, and I'll fix it in a moment.

The girl then laughed, but quickly muffled it with her hands.

- You can't fix it, but you can answer me something I want to know.

- Anything - Demetri said without hesitation - but first, please tell me if you're comfortable here, if Gianna has treated you well...

- I don't live in the mansion anymore - Elia answered, she extended her hand, allowing Demetri to hold it again, but still without looking him in the eyes - Jane took me to the castle.

- To the castle? - A shadow passed over Demetri's face - With Jane? She's...

- She treats me well, everything is fine, everything was fine...

Demetri decided to keep quiet, if Elia wanted to ask him something it must be important.

- You met my family, didn't you? Before it all happened... What were they like?

- Oh, so that's it? - Demetri felt more relieved, kissing Elia's hand again - When you lived in the city, I remember your brother and your nephew, you were similar, so similar that it was almost scary...

Demetri laughed, but Elia didn't, something was wrong.

- Only them?

- Sometimes I heard you talking on the phone with your father, only him, he must live in Rome.

- Are you sure?

"Blue eyes," Aro's words immediately came to his mind.

- Of course I'm sure, I don't hide anything from you, nothing more.

Elia nodded, still staring at the ground. She was strangely tense, and Demetri saw the silent pain behind her eyes. There was no sign of the cat in the garden anymore, the little beast seemed to have gone, so Elia fell to her knees and Demetri tried to hold her, but she didn't seem to want to be lifted. The vampire soon knelt beside her, worried about something that seemed to be afflicting her and suffering because he couldn't change places to feel for her.

- I did something terrible, and I thought you knew...

- Whatever you did, I'm sure you'll be forgiven.

- There's no one to forgive me anymore, that's the problem! - Elia punched the ground and soon cracks appeared in the stone floor of the garden.

Demetri held her other hand, afraid that she would hurt herself, even though he knew that was no longer possible.

Elia hugged him and Demetri kept her head against his chest for a long time until she spoke again:

- The fact that you don't know what I'm talking about makes me feel relieved, so relieved...

Her voice disappeared, and she began to sob even though no tears were able to come out. Demetri held her tightly, using one of his hands to stroke her hair and kissing her face, in a desperate attempt to make her feel better.

Elia wouldn't tell him what had happened, at least not now, and the visit that should have brought lightness to Demetri's heart only served to throw him into even greater worry. Demetri never wanted to see Elia suffering again, because he feared that she had as little value for life as Marcus did.

- Tell me what I can do, please... - Demetri said as he tried to comfort her - Give me a task, something that will make you feel better, anything...

The sobs stopped, but Demetri remained tense as he held her, afraid that Elia would run away alone. Her hands were still clinging to his, and he missed the ring she used to wear.

This wasn't just any pain, this could only be the pain of losing someone she loved, romantic love, as Aro used to describe it. Demetri felt foolish for not having guessed it before. A lover, a man, of course Elia must have someone, and she would choose him even after she became immortal. But something must have gone wrong.

Despite holding her close, the presence of grief around her seemed to create an invisible barrier between them, something Demetri could not cross. He took a deep breath, trying to find the right words, but nothing seemed to be enough.

- I'm... sorry, Elia - he said, trying to hide the frustration he felt for not being able to do more. - If I could change something...

Elia cut him off with a kiss, using her strength to keep his face pressed against hers. She didn't care what he looked like or smelled like, or that she was still connected to Alec in some way, and Demetri didn't hesitate to kiss her back in a hysteria of feelings. How long had he fantasized about this, since when had watching her from a distance stopped being enough? And seeing her with Alec, seeing him show her off as a bride or wife, Demetri couldn't stand it, he wanted Elia for himself, only for himself.

Soon Elia was no longer cradled in his arms, but wrapping her legs around his waist and encouraging Demetri to hike up her dress as she took off his threadbare coat.

They stayed in the garden just long enough for Demetri to be sure that this was what Elia wanted. Then, before the sun rose, he carried her into the mansion in his arms, for at that moment she would be his.

Given the rating of this fanfic here, I couldn't add too many specific details of you-know-what, but please take into consideration that Elia is still a newborn and that feelings and emotions get stronger during that first year. It's not like she's suddenly going to discard Alec or forget about her grief, it's all just mixed together.

Oh, and about the French Coven, they appear in the last movie, so I thought it would be nice to include them here.