Caius stood in the doorway to his niece's rooms, watching as she did nothing but sit on her balcony, a drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other, staring off into the distant hills of the countryside. She had arrived in Volterra the morning before and hadn't been seen since she walked through the doors. She was devastated, mourning the loss of both her parents and no one had the heart - or the balls - to interrupt her.

Sighing lightly as the time grew older, Caius pushed himself off the door frame and moved across the floor to the open balcony doors and turned to lean on the railing, crossing his arms and ankles, taking in her position in her chair. She had her feet pulled up on the seat with her arms draped over her spread knees, head dropped down and bobbing every few seconds as she cried.

After a few minutes of standing there, Caius sighed a little. "You really should consider coming down, Stella."

Isabella sniffled and shook her head a little. "I don't want to." Picking her head up, she looked at her uncle, her normally bright emerald eyes the darker color jade in her sorrow. Swallowing hard and taking a shuddering breath, "It'll make it real. I don't want this to be real."

Caius nodded a little to her, tilting his head to the side., "Your mother said the same thing to me, in that same chair, when your grandparents died. She didn't want that to be real either. I will tell you the same thing I told her all those years ago and you will probably not like it any more than she did. I understand that you don't want to say goodbye, but if you do not, you will hate yourself for it later."

Sniffling a little, Isabella nodded. "You're right, I don't like it." She sighed and stubbed out her cigarette. Standing up and turning to the entrance back into her rooms, she looked over her shoulder. "Give me a few minutes."

Caius nodded a little, "Take your time, Stella."

Ten minutes later, attired in a long black dress, short birdcage veil, elbow length gloves and tiara, Isabella emerged from her dressing room and looked to her uncle, "I still don't want to go."

Nodding to her and presenting her his arm, Caius smiled a little, "You needn't stay long, Stella. No one will expect you too."

*X*

After the announcement of the arrival of the princess, the attendants of the wake turned to the doors. Her other two uncles standing from their seats, had sorrowful yet understanding looks on their faces at her tardiness.

Aro, the eldest of the royal line, clasped his hands behind his back, "How do think he convinced her to come down?"

Marcus looked over to his older brother and shook his head, "He's her favorite, you know that. He is probably the only one that could have accomplished the impossible and talk her into it."

The two of them fell silent as the doors were opened and their niece and youngest brother walked in. They watched as she nodded in recognition of the condolences being offered but said nothing in return.

For Isabella, this was a slow torture, listening to the throngs of 'mourners' share their sorrow over the passing of her parents. Every one was worse than the last because there was not a single one amongst them who actually meant it. Her mother had left Italy shortly after her grandparents died twenty one years ago and had only returned once a year for the annual ball held in their honor. There were only a handful of people present that had even MET her father so how they were truly sorry to hear he was gone was a mystery to her.

When her mother left Italy, she had gone to America to give herself time to grieve without a constant parade of false empathy for her. That was where she met and fell in love with Charlie. They were married a short eleven months later in a small, intimate ceremony on the bank of a lake on a beautiful spring afternoon, attended by only twenty-five others. Her uncles and two others were the only Italians that had received invitations.

They honeymooned in Rio for two weeks. A month later, they had discovered they were going to be parents. Her uncles and the two at the wedding were the only ones told so imagine the shock that rocked the citizens when the princess, her new husband and newborn baby were at the Honorary Ball that year.

Isabella's parents had been on their way to lunch when an SUV ran a stop sign, t-boning the driver's side and killing her father on impact. Her mother had hung on for a few minutes more, but was also gone by the time the ambulance had arrived. Isabella had been in class when she got the call from the hospital about the accident, the news making her heart stop a moment before she screamed. She called her uncle Aro, not able to be the one to identify the bodies.

When all three of her uncles arrived the next morning, Isabella was still at the hospital, unable to leave her parents even as she was incapable of actually seeing them one last time. She stayed with Caius when Aro and Marcus went to the morgue to identify and sign for release of the bodies. Since her mother was a member of the royal family and her father was an only child himself with his parents also gone, it was decided to keep them together and bury both in Italy. Aro had arranged for four of their closest friends to attend the funeral, paying for their flights and accommodating them within the palace during their stay.

Her parents had been married for twenty happy years and there wasn't a single mother fucker present that could tell her what her father's name was.

By the time she got to her other two uncles, Isabella felt sick to her stomach, all the insincere words giving her indigestion. Lifting her eyes to Aro, she trembled a little before launching herself into his waiting arms, fisting his jacket and burying her face his chest, soaking up the warmth and comfort when his arms clasped tightly around her shoulders.

Aro held his niece for a few minutes, letting her cry before gently pushing her back and cupping her face in both hands, wiping her tears from her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. Giving her a small smile, "you do not have to stay long, Stella. Only about a half an hour until the toast is done."

When she nodded to him, she was released. Giving her uncles a small smile, she turned and strolled away, out onto the balcony and away from anyone that might actually try and talk to her. Moving off to the side, she leaned on the railing and dropped her head a little before sniffling again. Bending down and lifting the hem of her dress, she pulled her cigarette case out of the little holster around her calf.

It wasn't until she opened it that she realized that she forgot to put her lighter in it. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she groaned, "God damnit." Sighing hard, she looked up and saw a group of others about her age coming out on the balcony as well, her eyes locking on the lighter one of them pulled from inside his suit jacket.

Dropping her head back on her shoulders and blowing a raspberry, she sighed before pushing herself off the railing and walking over to the group. As he was so tall compared to her, Isabella reached over and lightly tapped the man with the lighter on his bicep. "Excuse me."

When Demetri felt a tap on his arm, he turned his head to see who it was only to choke on the smoke in his throat at the sight of the princess standing there. Clearing his throat a little, he turned towards her, "Your Highness."

Isabella just gave him a little smile, "May I borrow your lighter, please? I forgot mine upstairs."

Nodding, he reached back into his pocket and pulled out the requested item, "Of course."

Taking the offering with a grateful smile, she lit her cigarette and handed it back, "Thanks."

Demetri nodded once and watched as she turned and began walking away. When she made it about ten feet, he called out to her, "Your highness." She stopped and turned halfway back with her head tilted in question. He smiled softly at her, "My truest condolences on your loss, My Lady. I lost my parents a few years ago so I know well what you are going through. I know it's hard now and I know it will be for some time to come yet, but I promise it does eventually get better. It never completely fades or goes away, but it does get easier."

Isabella licked her lips a little as she looked to the sky, blinking her eyes free of tears before swallowing the lump in her throat and looking back at him, "You know, that is probably the most honest thing I have heard since I arrived. Thank you for that, Mr..."

Demetri bowed his head a little, "De Luca. Demetri De Luca, Your Highness."

Nodding to him again, "Mr. De Luca. Circumstances what they are, enjoy your evenings." With a slight dip of her knees, Isabella turned away and continued her way back to her dark little corner of the balcony, wanting to be alone for the last remaining time she could pretend her parents were still with her before she was called back to reality once again.

Twenty minutes later Caius came to do just that. With a heavy heart, she walked over to her uncle, taking his offered arm and allowing him to lead her inside. As they were passing the threshold, she saw Demetri and his group of friends just off to the side. Biting her lip a little, she pulled her uncle to a stop and called out, "Demetri." When he looked at her, she gave him a little smile, "My belated condolences to you as well. You give me hope that someday I might actually be alright as well."

Demetri gave her a sad little smile, "It only comes with time, My Lady. Be it a little or alot, time heals all wounds."

Taking a deep breath through her nose and letting it out slowly, she nodded to him and walked away with her uncle up to the dais where Aro and Marcus awaited her and Caius. Standing next to Aro, she waited as he said a few words of introduction before her speech.

Isabella withdrew a piece of paper from her glove and unfolded it, looking at it for a second before lifting her eyes to the crowd. She felt her gut begin to bubble with rage at the fake as fuck sadness she was seeing, she crumpled her speech in her hand before dropping it on the floor.

Swallowing hard, she lifted her head high and spoke clear as day, "I had a lovely little speech prepared, full of wonderful things to lift your hearts and lessen your sadness. Then I thought about it and I realized that there is not a single person amongst you that really gives a fuck about the death of my parents. So since there is no need for me to ease the burden of your loss, I'll make this short: enjoy the food because that is all any of you bastards are here for anyways." Turning to Caius, who was pressing his lips together to keep from laughing at the wave of shock his niece just created, she took his glass of champagne and held it up to the room, "To shrimp cocktail on someone else's dime."

Drinking the whole glass in one go, Isabella walked down the steps of the dais, set the empty glass on a passing server's tray and strolled out of the room and down the steps into the rose garden.

Demetri watched her leave, his eyes following her until she was out of the light of the ballroom. Slipping away unseen, he bounded down the steps, following the sounds of whimpers and sniffles to the center of the short hedge maze where he found the princess standing with her back to him and her head bowed. Walking up behind her and pulling the kerchief from the front pocket of his suit jacket, he cleared his throat to catch her attention, holding it out to her when she turned.

Looking at him for a moment, she took the offering, pressing it to her eyes for a moment before sighing hard, dropping her arms and wringing the cloth in her hands. Swallowing her next sob and choking on it, she took in a ragged breath, her shoulders shaking as she looked at him. Her every word when she spoke was full of heartbreak, "How... How did you handle this?"

Demetri looked up at the stars a moment and clicked his tongue before he looked back at her, clasping his hands behind his back, "I drank. When I said I knew what you were going though, I meant it. I was about two year younger than you when my parents passed in much the same fashion as yours. For me, as I am sure it is for you, it was the suddenness in which it happened. The helplessness of not being able to do anything. The self loathing for not being there. The anger at the son of a bitch that took them away in the first place. Now, on top of all that, you have the added issues of the masses who say they know and understand when there is no way they could without first being here. I won't lie, My Lady. For that, I do not envy you."

Whimpering again, Isabella turned around, shaking her head a little before moving over to a bench and sitting down. Once again pulling her cigarette case from her calf, she pulled one out and she turned back to Demetri, "May I borrow your lighter again?"

Pulling it out of his inner pocket, Demetri went over and crouched in front of her, lighting her cigarette for her. Dipping his head to catch her eyes, "I also meant what I said about it getting easier. My parents died almost five years ago and I miss them everyday but I can now look back on the memories and feel the emotions I'm meant to feel and not the crippling heartache that I once did. I swear to you, it WIll get better. It just takes time."

Isabella took a shaky hit from her cigarette, blowing the smoke out through her nose before setting her forehead on Demetri's chest and whispering, "I just feel so alone."

Demetri laid his hand on the base of her skull, gently rubbing her neck with his thumb as he looked down at the top of her head, "I know, My Lady. I know."

A few yards away, the scene was being observed by both Aro and Caius. Looking at each other, they simply nodded, turned around and walked away. They had personally known Demetri since he was a child and knew perfectly well that he had no ulterior motives when it came to comforting their niece other than an understanding shoulder to cry on and the benefit of his own unfortunate personal experience in the matter. Had it been anyone other than Demetri or a very select few others they had found with her, it would have been a different matter entirely.

When they returned back inside, Marcus looked at them in confusion, "Where is Isabella?"

Aro sat on his throne and settled back before looking over at him, "She is in the gardens with young Master De Luca. He was doing well enough on his own calming her down. We saw no need to interfere. Besides, perhaps speaking with someone closer to her own age might allow her to move forward in the grieving process."

Marcus nodded a little at that. He very well remembered when the De Lucas died and the resulting aftermath. Demetri turned seventeen a month before the accident that took his parents. Although if you were to ask certain people, the death of the De Lucas was no accident. Demetri had spent a great deal of time drunk in the months that followed because he was to have been on the plane when it crashed but had been detained at school. He had also felt partially responsible because he told them to go ahead without him when they offered to wait the few days for him to finish his project.

Nearly five very long and grueling years later, Demetri had turned into a very respectable young gentleman. It took him nearly a year to break the surface of the crashing waves of loss and begin to rebuild himself. When he turned eighteen he reclaimed his father's company from Aro who had overseen it until such time as Demetri felt up to the task. Now, four years after he took back over what he father had started, he was the owner of the most profitable import/export company in the country.

If there was anyone better suited to aid Isabella past this part of her pain and heartache, Marcus couldn't think who that might be.

*X*

Outside, Isabella's body rocking sobs had slowed and settled out into hiccups and whimpers but she still didn't pull away from the comforting hold she was in.

Demetri had only switched how he was positioned, from crouching to kneeling on one knee, but never stopped rubbing the back of the princess' neck as she settled slightly, whispering quiet words of comfort in her ear. It was maybe twenty minutes later that his phone rang.

Still not stopping what he was doing or moving more than needed, he maneuvered it out of his inner jacket pocket and flipped it open without looking at the screen, "Demetri De Luca."

"Hey man, where ya at?"

Demetri rolled his eyes a little, "In the gardens with the Lady Majesty. What do you want, Felix?"

There was a little noise of apology that came through the line, "sorry, Dem. The twins are talking about heading out and going to the bar next to the hotel. Didn't want to bounce without letting you know what was going on."

Nodding a little, Demetri looked down for a moment, "go ahead and I'll catch up with you later."

When she heard that, Isabella finally pulled back, wiping her cheeks off and shaking her head at him, "you don't need to stay. Besides, I should probably get back inside anyways and face the music over the scene I made."

Demetri pulled his phone from his ear and cocked his head a little, "you made a scene? I certainly don't remember that. I recall you telling it as it was, something that is actually most admirable." Then he paused a little and hummed in his throat, "would you like to come out with us, You Highness?"

Eyes going wide, Isabella licked her lips a little, "I don't know. I would have to ask my uncles and I'm probably in trouble."

Smirking a little, Demetri pulled her to her feet, putting his phone back to his ear, "I'll be in a moment. Tell the twins to wait a few minutes."

"You got it, Dem."

After hanging up and putting his phone away, Demetri looked back at the princess, "I highly doubt they are cross with you, My Lady. Your anger is understandable and should have been expected." Setting a hand on the small of her back, he gave her a little push towards the steps to the balcony. Walking with her when she started moving, he looked down at her with a small smile, "besides, hanging out here is only going to cause you to lose that temper of yours again because the masses will only wish to continue to offer you false words of both sorrow and apology." Stopping once he was inline with his friends, he cocked a little brow at her, "let me know what they decide."

Swallowing hard, Isabella took and deep breath and nodded, turning to her uncles and, still wringing Demetri's kerchief in her hands that she had forgotten she still had, made her way across the room to the dais.

Aro and his brothers watched their niece come in and have a parting word with Demetri, small smiles on their faces when she seemed to have calmed down substantially. As she made her way over to them, they saw her pause and glance over her shoulder back at the Young Master De Luca and him give her a little nod before turning back to them and continuing her way.

Once she climbed the three steps to the top of the dais, Isabella bit her lip a little before looking at her Uncle Aro, "Um, Demetri asked me if I wanted to go out with him and his friends for a little while. Um, would you mind if I did?"

Aro set his chin on the back of his fingers and smiled at her a little, "would you like to, Stella?" When she nodded once to him, he thought about it a moment before nodding back, "then I would suggest you go change. On your way back down, stop by my office and take some money out of my top desk drawer for the night."

Smiling a little, "how much can I take?"

Aro shrugged, "it doesn't matter. However much you grab is fine. Have fun, Stella."

Giving him the first real smile he had seen on her since she arrived, Isabella bent down and wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight hug for a moment, pulling back after he patted her on the back. Biting her lip and looking a little sheepish, "I'm sorry about the scene earlier, Uncle Aro."

Giving her a confused look, Aro cocked his head, "you made a scene? I must not have been paying attention." Then he shrugged a little, "ah, well, I cannot get upset over what I didn't see." Waving a hand at her, "now, off you go."

Smiling a little wider, Isabella turned and bounded down the steps and walked out of the ballroom with her head held high.

Once she was gone, Aro looked across the room at Demetri, lifting his arm and crooked a finger at him. Waiting a moment for him to present himself, Aro tisked a little before locking eyes, "I am holding you completely responsible for my niece's safety, Demetri. Do not, for one moment, let her out of your sight. If anything happens to her while in your care, I don't rightly give a damn how far back our families go, I will have your head."

Demetri simply bowed a little, "I would expect nothing less, My Lord." Looking back up at him, "what time should I have her returned?"

Aro shook his head, "so long as she returns safe, I don't care. She is an adult and perfectly capable of deciding that on her own."

*gasp* OMG, it's another repost? UGH!

Bah.

Okay, here's the deal. Yes, I know Cover Up hasn't updated in four months. You wanna know what I've done since the last time I updated that one?

I wrote an entire novel, and published said novel.

I spend several hours a day doing promotion and taking part in author take-over events throughout social media.

I have written over 10,000 words on part 2 of that trilogy, and another 10K on another book that will be publishing after my current trilogy is released.

I wrote the entirety of Red Horizon.

I wrote 11,000 words to complete You Will be Mine; which, by the way, was over three years old, and not updated for 2.

I have dealt with three family emergencies.

I am currently getting ready for a visit from my parents.

I have a daily chore list.

I have two kids that also need my attention.

I'm busy, but that in no way means I have forgotten about the whopping TWO WIPs I have. That is a pretty small number of WIPs if you look at my history where I have been known to have 6 or more at a time. I do this for fun. If I wanna write something else, I'm gonna write something else. Currently, I'm focusing on my older stories, but that doesn't mean I am not also going to peck away at Cover Up and Jagged Edges.

If finishing You Will be Mine after two years doesn't prove I ALWAYS go back to my stories, and I ALWAYS finish them, then I don't know what will. This is not me saying that it'll take me two years to update my current stories. I'm merely pointing out that when I start something, it's with the full intention of completing it. Nothing of mine stays in limbo forever.

I have half of Cover Up's next chapter done, but unless you want crap, you're gonna have to wait for it because Peter ain't talking to me right now. Demetri is. Be patient... or don't. That's really your decision. MY decision is what I write, and right now, I'm writing this one when I'm not writing my originals.

*blows kisses*

Speklez out!