"Hello, my darling."

Nora said nothing, she just stood in the same spot and stared at him vacantly with her arms crossed over her chest. Ashamed of himself and of all of his actions from the past week, Aro looked to the bush of white roses next to him and began to talk, afraid that if he looked into her unforgiving eyes he'd fumble.

"I am so sorry for what I have done, amore. I know there is nothing I can do to make amends for my actions, but I swear to you I will do whatever it takes. I would endure burning in the hottest of fires for all eternity if that meant I would be worth even a fraction of your forgiveness."

Finally bringing his pain filled eyes to meet hers, he frowned at the expression on her face. It was neither angry nor sad, but there was no doubt that she was upset–her tears reflected like small diamonds under the dull sun and her hands were balled into tight fists by her sides.

With a jerk, she moved so suddenly towards him that he actually flinched and was caught off guard by her abrupt movement when moments before she had been eerily still. Her small body collided with his with a surprising amount of force and subconsciously, he brought his hands up to lay on her back to steady her. Her own arms wrapped around his neck tightly and he could feel the small tremors that passed over her.

Pressing her face closely to his neck, her warm breath tickled his skin pleasantly when she finally spoke. "Please," She was interrupted by a small sob, her tears soaking the material of his shirt. "Please–don't leave me like that again." All Aro could do in response was hold her and blink stupidly at the air.

It was a shock to him that he had become so overwhelmed; it felt like it had been centuries since he had last seen her. His only interactions with her had been through his brother's memories, fleeting though they had been. To finally be here, in front of her was...everything. He was finding it difficult to remember that this was real, it felt like some dream that was too good to be true.

She clung to him, just as desperate as he was to finally be together. Closing his eyes to savour this moment he carefully drew her closer to him, so close there was not a gap between them, yearning to feel her and know that she wasn't some apparition his mind had created in his hopelessness. "I am so sorry my darling, I will never leave you again. Never."

He was unsure if she believed him and he wouldn't blame her if she thought he was a liar. All the thoughts in his troubled mind were jumbling together, near unintelligible. All he could really focus on was her: her soft voice, her intoxicating smell, the feel of her delicate body in his arms after going so long without her–it was all consuming.

Nora's POV

I threaded my hands in his silky hair, burying my face even deeper into the coolness of his neck, hoping it might relieve some of the heat that blotched my cheeks thanks to my stupid tears. I had promised myself to stay mad, that I wouldn't cry but it was utterly hopeless.

I don't know what it was but to see him look so sad and repentful, to hear such things spill from his lips–it brought me agonising pain. It had made me angry at first, that I couldn't stay mad at him but now I found I didn't want to. I knew that it had all been a mistake and I knew he never meant to hurt me–just as I never wanted any of them to hurt because of my actions. It was hard to remember that though they weren't human, they could still make mistakes.

He pulled back from our embrace, taking my face into his hands delicately like it was some sort of priceless jewel he could easily break. Despite his gentle actions there was unbridled passion in his eyes. "I swear to you, I was only trying to keep from hurting you further. I never meant for it to do the opposite. I understand if you detest me now."

With soft eyes that betrayed how I wanted to feel, I gripped his wrists and rubbed my thumb over the soft flesh in a comforting action. "It is no lie that you have hurt me, but I don't detest you–I never could." He stroked my cheek with his thumb and against his wishes and the tough act he was portraying, I could see in his eyes he was reassured by my words.

Silence fell upon us as we just observed one another, drinking each other in. I noticed his eyes darting downwards every so often and my heartbeat spiked at the realisation that he was looking at my lips, his eyes now hungry for something that I had no experience in. I allowed my own eyes to glance at his perfect lips, overcome with the sudden urge to know what they would feel like against mine.

With a certain reluctance his face drew closer and warmth blossomed in my chest as our noses brushed, my breathing speeding up with anticipation. The faint smell of his expensive cologne was dizzying, overpowering and made butterflies dance in my stomach. Tentatively, he brushed his lips against mine, wavering as if he was asking for my permission.

"Please." I whispered against his lips, my hands travelling to grip at his hair. That was all the encouragement he seemed to need and soon, his lips were pressing softly against mine. The warmth in my chest spread to my whole body, every nerve tingling in delight as I leaned into him, Aro's lips soft and surprisingly warm against my own–testing the waters and my boundaries.

They moved more tenderly and fervently as I clung to him, scratching at his scalp and pulling him flush against me; I gasped when he released a deep growl at my actions, feeling it rumble through his chest. His hands were seeking too, one coming to lie on my waist to pull our hips together, the other intertwining and pulling softly at my curled hair.

His teeth, so dangerous and used to causing destruction, nibbled ever so slightly at my lip–lost in a haze of lust I timidly opened my mouth, allowing his tongue to caress softly against my own. All too soon my need to breathe became an issue and as if he could sense it, he pulled back only a hair's breadth from me–though his eyes, smouldering and filled with desire, never shifted from my own. We were still for a short while, his unrelenting eyes now a black abyss that nearly made me lost again.

"Well," I swallowed and inhaled sharply, still enthralled and breathless from the intensity of our kiss–my first kiss, might I add. "If I hadn't forgiven you before, I certainly have now."

He chuckled noiselessly, placing another short kiss on my slightly sore lips that sent electrifying shocks through my body. "I am glad to hear it, tesoro." Twirling a strand of my messy hair around his finger, he admitted something so quietly I barely heard him. "I thought you would never forgive me."

I shook my head at his line of thinking, resolved to reassure him. "I'm never one to hold a grudge–something you're lucky for."

"Yes, I am indeed lucky for that. But I'm also lucky that you are such a beautiful and kind woman." His eyes drifted around my face in a daze, watching my hair blow in the gentle, warm breeze.

I blushed a light pink and despite what had just happened, the compliment disarmed any bravery that I had possessed. I was only aware that he could read my thoughts thanks to the hand now on my cheek when he closed his eyes, smiling blissfully. "You are adorable, my dear."

"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled, my cheeks dusting an even deeper pink at his fondness and at how ridiculously attractive he was when he smiled like that–not the psychotic fake one he showed to his audience every day but a real one, filled with genuine affection. "You all seem to be thinking that today."

"Yes, I can see you had a good time." He mused and I was embarrassed to note he must have been looking at the dry batter in my hair and on my clothes. "I am glad you were able to have at least a little bit of fun in my...absence."

"Well Marcus and Caius are very sweet when they want to be." At the mention of his brothers he became a lot more serious and even a bit melancholy, his lips down turning into a deep frown. "Are you...I mean will you–talk to them? For me?"

He only brought his eyes to look at me when I rested my hand under his jaw and guided his face to mine, pecking his lips lightly. Humming, he rested his forehead against mine. "I will try, amore. Though I doubt they will be as forgiving as you."

I knew what he was really trying to say. The worry here was not Marcus, despite his protective nature he had only held a marginal piece of anger towards Aro. No, the problem here was Caius.

It was heartwarming that he cared so deeply for me, that he had become so angry with Aro. I couldn't deny there was a part of me that was thrilled with his defence and protection of me. But...he was blinded by his rage and I knew it would take a lot of convincing to calm his fury.

Stepping back almost completely I was amused when he tried to pull me back to him, his hands trying to grip my hips. "No, Aro. It's better to get this over with now, he will only become more high strung the longer he has to wait."

He took a deep breath in and sighed, looking to the sky as if he was asking for some divine intervention. "Your reasoning is unparalleled, my darling. You will make a wonderful Queen when the time is right."

"Let us hope so." I mumbled, twining our fingers together and pulling him in the direction of the doors.

Using his hearing, he had easily located Marcus and Caius and thankfully they made my job easier by being in the same room–Caius's office. We would have gone in by now if Aro hadn't been procrastinating, which was funny because they definitely knew now that we were outside the door.

"Just go in!" I hissed quietly when for the uptenth time he resisted as I tried to pull him towards the door by his hand. He relented and I guessed that he had looked into my mind that was screaming for him to just get this over with. His reluctance was causing my anxiety to go haywire.

I squeezed his hand and smiled before turning and opening the oak doors. The room was quite dark, thanks to the gravel grey sheet of clouds that now covered any light from the sun as afternoon turned to evening. Marcus was laying on the brown leather chesterfield settee by the fire, reading pride and prejudice of all things–I was sad to see he had finally cleaned the weird batter off of himself.

Caius naturally was brooding, sitting in one of the most uncomfortable looking hardwood chairs I'd ever seen; his head was leant on his hand and he was flicking boredly through the giant stack of papers on the desktop.

They stood to attention at our entrance, both looking pleased to see me. Marcus approached me first with rapid speed and I detached my hand from Aro's, moving to meet him halfway. "My love," He breathed, burying his nose into my hair. "I missed you."

"I was only gone a short while." I laughed, hugging him just as tightly as he was me and giggling when he lifted me and spun me around.

"And every second of it was agony." Caius dramatised, moving lithely around his desk and looking at me expectantly. With a roll of my eyes, Marcus let me go and I stepped into Caius's waiting arms, expecting by now to be suffocatingly crushed to his chest. It seemed even in his affections he could be rather harsh but it was something I was growing easily accustomed to.

He suddenly became rigid, his embrace becoming more protective. Baffled, I tilted my head back to see him looking at Aro with an acrid sneer. Okay...maybe he still needed some time to cool off. When he spoke, he hissed at him like a venomous snake. "Brother."

Marcus was substantially calmer, choosing to remain silent and watch how this played out and surprisingly Aro said nothing, seeming to wait for Caius to unleash his fury.

I was in no mood for the hostility between them to continue; they were brothers and I hated to feel like I was drawing a wedge between them. So, listening to my instincts, I tried to calm him.

"Caius," I whispered it airily, reaching up to place a faint, tactful kiss on his jaw that effectively drew his wild eyes to mine. "Please don't."

Those wild, fiery eyes were clouded now, watching as I leaned up to place another kiss on his neck. "He deserves to feel the pain he has caused you, carissima." He tried to keep the vicious edge to his voice, but as I slid my hand along his neck to play with the ends of his hair it became clear it was a losing battle.

Looking at Aro and Marcus over his shoulder, I signalled for them to leave. Clearly Caius was still too wound up–this would only lead to a fight that I didn't have the energy to endure. Sharing my sentiments, Aro couldn't have escaped the room any quicker.

Marcus lingered, the expression on his face was one of worry. I did my best to assure him that I was alright and suitably affirmed he left, the doors clicking closed behind him. At the noise Caius turned and was once again furious to see Aro had escaped.

"Amore! You–" His protest was cut short. When he turned back around to scold me I acted on impulse, holding his face firmly in my hands and crashing my lips to his. He was frozen in shock for only a second; in the next the dynamics completely changed.

He growled so deeply, so hungrily that I felt it vibrate through my entire body. Where Aro had been soft and unsure, Caius was his opposite–he was dominant in every way. His kiss was overpowering, mind numbing; I couldn't think at all, the only thing I could focus on was him: his strong hands hazardously pushed the papers from his desk before one seized my waist, the other tangling in my hair. He guided me back to lie on the desk top so he could hover over me.

He didn't wait for permission like Aro had and his tongue quickly won dominance over mine, his teeth biting carefully at my lip. Every attempt I made at gaining control was thwarted and I was content to succumb to his desires as he explored my body, running his hands from my face all the way to my hips. He separated from me, that same desire plain in his unnecessary deep breaths that matched mine.

"You are courting chaos, my darling." He breathed heatedly, leaning down to brush his lips against my throat; his cool breath was a pleasurable shock against my hot skin. "How long I have waited for this." He murmured to himself, before his teeth latched softly onto my neck–not hard enough to break skin but I knew tomorrow there would be a bruise.

I gasped and arched into him, closing my eyes as his tongue darted out to soothe the heat his bite left behind. I was incredibly warm–too warm and my heart felt like it was beating with the same speed as a hummingbird's wings. "Caius." I whimpered, trapped in a lustful daze. Tugging at the hair I had grasped in my hands, he groaned and pulled his face from my neck to place one last enticing kiss on my lips. I wrapped my arms around his neck to hold him to me.

I took a long moment to regulate my breathing, Caius content to lift me so I was sitting up caged in his arms and he was standing between my legs, placing his chin on the top of my head and breathing just as deeply as me. Leaning my cheek against his cool chest, I grew tired as my exhilaration left and he played with my hair, twirling it between his fingers. "Are you better now?" It was a stupid questoin; I knew I hadn't completely rid him of his anger but I had hope that I had helped a little—I mean, that had certainly helped me.

He chukled lightly, placing his finger and thumb under my chin to tilt my head back so I was now gazing into his pith black eyes. "Much better, my sweet gattina."

Eager to feel his lips aganst mine one last time I pulled him in for another short, chaste kiss. "Thats good, I'm glad. I don't like it when you fight." I mumbled tiredly, my eyes beginning to slip closed. There was something about them that was so comforting—I just knew I was safe.

"Come, darling." He was considerably quiet, noticing how I began to sway with fatigue. He lifted me into his arms bridal style and I groaned at the sudden movement, holding onto him firmly. He entered through a door I hadn't noticed that was slightly ajar, and inside was a very large and very inviting bed with completely black sheets. It was just as comfortable as I had imagined and I very nearly drifted off, but I was awoken when I saw him begin to leave. "Wait! Don't go...please?"

"Never." He promised with conviction. "I'm just closing the door."

"Mmhm." I mumbled, teetering along the abyss of sleep. As he finally joined me on the bed, pulling me on top of him like he had all those days ago, I drifted off into the most peaceful rest of my life, the exciting events of the day having drained all my energy.

A/N I cannot for the life of me find any good Michael Sheen gifs so I have gifted you Lucian☺️ As for Marcus missing out, I can assure you that in the next chapter you will be seeing...some things😏