*
The days after leaving Volterra turned into weeks of silence.
Sophie was honestly surprised that the Kings hadn't reached out in the near three weeks since she'd been home, and she wasn't sure if she was disappointed or not.
She spent more and more of her time with Jacob now, the both of them trying to cope through the things life had thrown their way recently. Jacob hadn't made any progress with Leah, but it didn't help that the girl rarely showed up for practice with the pack.
Bella was still grounded but Sophie was sure she found other ways to see Edward outside of school. It bothered her that her sister went back to Edward so easily, especially after watching her spiral for months after his departure.
Maybe that's what being a mate was though.
Towards the end of the second week, Sophie caught sight of her new guards. She saw them first when she had just gotten home from Jacob's, the two of them nearly giving her a heart attack.
She didn't know either of their names and she hadn't seen them in the Throne room. The man had floppy brown hair and looked to be Jake's height, while the woman was shorter, with hair of red flames.
They didn't show themselves very often, but Sophie hated having them around. She hated being watched.
It was near nearing the fourth week when she finally heard something.
It was Bella that invited her to the Cullen household, courtesy of Carlisle. She wasn't sure if any of the Kings would be there, but her heart rate had sky-rocketed anyway. She was nervous to see what was awaiting her at the Cullens.
Sophie's leg bounced furiously on the drive over, her sister shooting her worried looks every now and then.
Just like the last time Sophie went to the Cullens, Edward was waiting outside, his hands tucked deep in the pockets of his black pants. Sophie looked around the driveway, trying to decide if any extra cars were there.
"They're not here." Edward called to Sophie once the siblings were out of the car. He wrapped an arm around Bella's shoulders, the girl tucking close to his side. "But they're coming."
"Today?" Sophie asked, pocketing her own hands into her sweatshirt.
"This weekend." Edward tilted his head towards the house, indicating that he wanted Sophie to go inside. "But Carlisle wants to speak with you before they arrive."
Sophie relaxed minutely and, though still unsure of what Carlisle wanted to talk about, she followed Edward willingly into the house. She tried to keep her thoughts light, not wanting Edward to read anything else without her permission.
The house was unsurprisingly full, the rest of the family sat around on various couches in the living room. Edward led Bella to sit next to Carlisle and Alice, leaving the only empty spot near Esme and Rosalie.
Sophie hesitantly sat between the two women, returning Esme's warm smile.
Carlisle's own lips were pulled into a welcoming grin as he greeted Sophie. "How have you been?"
"Alright." She mumbled as she pulled her sleeves over her hands. "Better now that you're all back."
She shot Edward a look at that, and he winced, surely seeing the memories of Bella during his absence.
"I'm sure." Carlisle said, his own eyes shooting over to his son. "I'm also sure that you know why you're here."
"Partially. Edward said you wanted to talk to me." Carlisle nodded once Sophie finished talking.
He leaned forward, his elbows settled onto his knees. "Aro, Caius and Marcus will be arriving this weekend. They've each asked about how comfortable you would be with them all together or if you'd rather meet them individually first."
Sophie paused for a moment, taking Carlisle's words into consideration. Since she had left Italy all those weeks ago, it felt like a piece of her had been missing. She wasn't sure how big of a piece belonged to the kings, but Sophie figured having them back would help.
But meeting them all together seemed intimidating, especially when she thought about how she felt when she first saw them. Meeting them individually would probably be the best idea for her.
"Maybe individually at first." Sophie eventually said. "If they're okay with it."
"They will be." Carlise assured her with a nod before his face turned serious. "They will all still be coming all first, but the other two will give you space depending on who you're with. It's been very... difficult for them to be away from you without protection."
Sophie winced, feeling sorry that she was the reason the kings weren't with her now. "I haven't been unprotected. They sent guards, didn't they? I've seen them outside my house."
Bella looked alarmed at this news while Carlisle nodded. "Yes, Afton and Chelsea. I met with them when they arrived."
Sophie huffed then, averting her eyes to the hard wood of the living room. "Thanks for the heads up then."
"We wanted to tell you." Esme said next to Sophie, her smile still motherly towards the girl. "But the kings thought you'd be more comfortable not knowing."
Sophie couldn't argue with that, and she was perfectly fine until she caught sight of the two. She noticed Carlisle and Edward sharing a look and frowned. "What is it?"
Carlisle sighed, his amber eyes locked right on Sophie. As she stared back, she felt a sense of calm wash over her growing anxiety, much like the first time she met the Cullens. She relaxed slightly, waiting for Carlisle to continue.
"There was one more thing I wanted to discuss." He started. "The kings are... very concerned about your well-being right now and they wanted to know what they could do to help."
Sophie winced again. She should have known that her illness would come up eventually, but she wasn't aware that it would be this soon. The calm pushed against her emotions again and Sophie sighed. "I don't know what I can tell them."
She was acutely aware of Esme's hand now resting against her back, her thumb running soothing circles over her skin. Carlisle began again. "I know. Which is why I was going to ask your permission to explain it to them."
Carlisle looked sincere when he asked, and it seemed like everyone held their breath while they waited for Sophie's response. But she already knew what she was going to say.
Why wouldn't she let Carlisle explain her disease to her mates? She wasn't sure how to do it, wasn't sure how to tell them that she was sick and didn't know how to fix herself. It wasn't easy to admit to anyone that she was the reason behind her illness.
She was nodding before she realized it. "I think that's the best idea. But don't tell them everything. Just tell them what this means."
"I will." Carlisle told her, his lips twisting into another smile. Sophie felt herself smile back at the doctor. "Anything else we should know?"
"Nope." Sophie shook her head. "Sophie shook her head. She couldn't think of anything else that Carlisle needed to tell her mates before she saw them. "Thank you though, for letting me know."
"Not a problem." Carlisle stood then, moving in front of Sophie to squeeze her shoulder. "It was good to see you again."
"You too, Doctor." She told him, averting her eyes to Esme when he walked out of the room. Esme pulled her into her side, squeezing her tightly. "It was good to see you too, Esme."
"I'm glad you're doing okay, Sophie." The woman said as she stood. "Let me know if you need anything."
The room thinned out slowly and soon it was only Sophie, Rose, and Emmett left. Sophie tucked her knees under herself, her eyes trained on the television. Rose and Emmett talked quietly amongst themselves, their voices slow and soothing.
They eventually turned their attention to Sophie and the three had a conversation about the upcoming arrival of the kings and what Sophie was thinking. During their talk, Sophie found that she enjoyed their company, especially now that she was getting to know them.
Emmett was loud and mischievous, his lips always full of a smile as he cracked a joke. Rose was quieter but she could still make Sophie laugh and she listened when Sophie voiced her concerns.
They were still talking when Bella came to collect Sophie an hour later. Rose and Emmett bid Sophie goodbye, the man giving her a tight squeeze while Rose only sent her a smile.
Sophie left the Cullens feeling happy and, after her talk with Rose and Emmett, slightly more prepared to face the weekend. While it was slightly nerve-wracking to finally see her mates again, she wasn't sure if she could handle three of them while also trying to heal herself.
It was hard enough to try and cope with her eating disorder with only her family and Jacob, but now she was adding three more men to her life.
Sophie thought back to Alice and her vision and she hoped that she could come to terms with her recovery.
She hoped she didn't disappoint the kings in the same ways she managed to disappoint everyone else she loved.
***
Finally started writing this story again and I've got a few chapters lined up.
I hope you're all enjoying the story and staying healthy
pleuvoirx