*
Sophie's laughter rang throughout the park, her shoulder pressing comfortably into Jennifer's, who laughed back with her. It was a beautiful day in Forks - the sun was shining, the air was warmer. Birds were chirping nearby as children ran around the playground, screaming and laughing.
Bella's graduation was in two days time now, the days moving quickly forward. Sophie was dreading it now, knowing that the departure of her mates was also coming within the week. She had no idea how long they'd be separated when they left and she had gotten used to them being around. It would be a weird transition to go back to the way it was before.
For now, though, Sophie enjoyed catching up with Jennifer. She hadn't seen her friend since before she went to Italy, both of them too busy in the weeks afterwards to meet up. Her friend from inpatient treatments looked good - her pale cheeks were flushed with happiness, her long brown hair shiny and healthy, eyes bright and full of warmth.
Sophie felt a pang of jealousy pass through her as she sat with Jennifer.
Jennifer had always made her own recovery look easy, and while Sophie knew it was far from the truth - the other girl had her own dark troubles - she wished she could get past the same bump that Jennifer had passed. And recovery wasn't the same for everyone, so while Jennifer had advice, some of it couldn't apply to Sophie.
Their laughter had fizzled out but the smile on Sophie's face remained as the two fell into a comfortable silence. Beside her, Jennifer began to pick at her nails as they both watched the life around the park.
"So, what else is new with you, Jen?" Sophie asked.
Jennifer shrugged nonchalantly. "Nothing much, still trying to get my life together most days. I've been thinking about going to school or getting a job or something. Sitting at the house all day is starting to get hard."
Sophie nodded, understanding the words that Jennifer wouldn't say. Jennifer was a year younger than Sophie, making her nineteen. Jennifer hadn't tried college after highschool - she had barely walked for her own high school graduation before she was admitted for treatment the first time.
"What would you go to school for?"
"Still trying to figure that out." Jennifer said. She went quiet for a moment. "I want to help people like us. You know, help others get through their own eating disorders."
Sophie hummed, looking over to her friend. "But?"
Jennifer cast a small smile to Sophie, knowing the older girl knew her too well. "I don't know if I'm in the right headspace to start the classes and start talking about all this stuff yet. I don't want to push myself back into..." Jen shook her head, not able to find the words.
Sophie reached for Jen's hand and squeezed it tightly. "I know what you mean..." Sophie let Jennifer gather her thoughts, but it became clear that she wouldn't talk about it more. "For the record, if you did ever decide to do it, you'd be great at it."
"What about you?" Jennifer changed the subject, yet not before showing Sophie a thankful grin. Sophie sighed, her shoulders slumping. "Anything new?"
"Not really." Sophie frowned. "I've been hanging out with some friends most days, which has been good for me. It's hard to stay by myself, especially when I'm not busy."
Jennifer nodded in understanding as Sophie continued. "I keep telling myself that I want to go back to school, but I don't want to leave again if I can't get a grip on myself, you know?"
"Yeah, I get that." Jen murmured.
"Anyway." Sophie shook her head, sensing the falling mood. "There's been more good than bad lately, so I'm doing good right now."
"Well, I'm glad to hear it, Sophie." Her friend smiled. "We should do this more often. I feel like we barely know each other any more."
Sophie joined Jennifer's teasing laughter. "We talk almost daily, Jen. But I agree, texting isn't enough."
The rest of their visit was light and easy. Sophie teased the existence of her love life, being vague with her answers as Jennifer giggled and pestered her for answers. When the two bid each other goodbye, they promised to meet up again much sooner.
Sophie was still smiling and content when she returned home, her good mood only getting better when she saw that her dad and Bella were home. She adjusted the collar of her sweatshirt, making sure the marks left from Riley Biers were still hidden from view before she entered the living room. "Hey."
"Hey Soph." Bella greeted her sister from where she was curled up against the armchair, a worn book in her hands. "Where have you been?"
Sophie answered her as she took a seat beside her sister. "No Edward tonight?"
Bella flushed as she shook her head. "He's going out with his family tonight."
That likely meant that his family was hunting tonight and Sophie dropped the topic. Her dad was sitting in the armchair next to the couch, brown eyes flickering between the baseball game and his eldest daughter. Sophie caught his eye, making a face at the weird look he was giving her.
He seemed like he was studying her, but trying not to make it obvious. It was almost like he was uncomfortable - it was the same look he always had when he needed to bring something up that neither of them wanted to talk about.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Sophie asked, starting to feel a bit uncomfortable and she tugged at her sweatshirt just in case it had slipped. This movement grabbed Bella's attention, the younger Swan also making sure that Sophie's bruises weren't visible.
Charlie opened and closed his mouth before sighing and rubbing at his eyes. "You got a package today."
Sophie frowned, exchanging a confused glance with Bella. "What?"
Charlie motioned to something behind Sophie and she spun to peer into the kitchen. From where she sat, she could see a large easel set up, with a few sketchbooks, canvases, and some smaller packages sitting on the counter beside it. Her heartbeat picked up, now easily putting the pieces together. She closed her eyes, trying to figure out how to explain this to her dad.
It wasn't like she had a job or her own money to buy more art supplies, especially art supplies that looked as expensive as the ones sitting in her kitchen.
Bella had also seemed to pick up on what had happened and she looked back to her book, biting her lip almost painfully to keep from giggling. Sophie glared at her, even though Bella was dutifully avoiding her gaze.
"Well?" Charlie raised his brows. "Where'd they come from?"
"I, uh, well." Sophie was stammering and she could feel her cheeks heating under her father's intense gaze. She felt like a child being scolded. "I'm seeing someone?"
That was not what she wanted to say.
Bella's head shot up, her shocked expression matching the same that was on her dad's. Sophie didn't know what to do. She could feel her own anxiety rising and desperately needed to get out of this situation. She hadn't meant to tell her dad that she had been seeing someone, this would bring up so many more questions.
"Well, who?" Charlie was seeming to collect himself better than Bella was, who looked like she was on the verge of laughter. "Do I know him?"
"No." Sophie muttered. "And it's still very new so I don't want to really share much."
"It's new but he's sending very expensive art supplies to your house?" Charlie was entering cop mode and Sophie knew this was getting bad. "How does he even know where you live, Soph? Where'd you meet him?"
One day, Sophie would tell Bella how much she appreciated her and she would give so many reasons why. Her younger sister jumping in to save her from this insanely awkward conversation with her dad was just one more reason why she loved Bella.
"I think it's cute, Sophie." Bella came to her rescue. "He clearly knows what you're interested in, so it was nice that he's paying attention to what you want or need."
"It is nice." Sophie nodded, glancing back at her gifts. She turned back to her dad, looking at him sheepishly. "Dad, I promise I will tell you all about him soon. But let it grow a bit more."
Charlie huffed, not looking too happy about the idea. "Are you sure he's a good guy? There's good intentions with these gifts?"
"Yes, dad, I promise. And Bella's met him, so can we leave it at that for now?"
Though her dad still didn't look convinced, he grumbled his agreement anyway. Sophie felt herself sighing and relaxed into the couch, knowing that this was far from over but that she got a break for now.
Bella settled back into her book, Charlie turning his attention back to the game. Sophie watched it along with him, commenting on good plays or complaining about players getting out based on close calls. Watching baseball together was one of their favorite pastimes and Sophie used to never miss a game with her dad. Their favorite team ended up winning in the last inning, leaving Charlie happy as he went up for bed.
"Thanks for jumping in earlier." Sophie told Bella as she stood to go up to bed. She had pulled her phone out a few minutes prior, sending a quick message to her kings to ask if they were close by. They had responded positively, telling Sophie that they'd be by shortly. "I had no idea what to tell him."
"I was really surprised you told him you were seeing someone." Bella didn't conceal her laughter now and Sophie felt herself getting red again.
"I didn't mean to." Sophie rubbed a hand over her face. "It just slipped out."
"It'll be fine." Bella waved off her concern. "He'll probably need some time to think it over, since you've never really brought up boys before."
Sophie nodded in agreement. It was quite a change for Charlie to go from never hearing Sophie express interest in relationships to getting expensive gifts delivered to their home. "Yeah, I'll have to talk to him sooner rather than later. Just need some time to figure out how to explain it."
"Imagine his reaction if he knew there were three of them!" Bella cackled again, ignoring Sophie's flushed face or her heated glare. "Oh Soph, I'd love to be part of that conversation."
"Shut up." Sophie pushed her shoulder as she walked past her. "I'm going to bed."
Bella's laughter followed her up the stairs.
Sophie's face was still bright red when she entered her bedroom, earning concerned looks from each of her mates. She greeted them quietly, taking a seat on her bed beside Aro. She tucked her hands into the sleeves of her hoodie, pulling her legs up underneath her.
"What's got you so flushed?" Caius asked near the window, turning to face Sophie as she finished situating herself.
"Bella thinks she's funny." Sophie told them, not able to fight off the fond smile. "Thank you all for the gifts, by the way. They're lovely."
Each adopted a proud grin and Marcus reached forward to grab Sophie's hand. "We're very glad to hear it, Soph."
Sophie couldn't help but think about her father's uncomfortable expression upon telling her of the Kings' gifts and pursed her lips. "Though, maybe a suggestion for future reference? My dad wasn't very fond of finding out that his daughter was seeing someone through expensive art supplies."
"Yes, perhaps the delivery could have been better." Aro hummed, though he didn't look very sorry to hear that Charlie had stumbled upon it. "Though, I do not believe it is a bad idea to inform your dad of us."
"You can't be serious!?" Sophie exclaimed, looking incredulous. "My father would die if he knew there were three men that I'm eventually going to enter a relationship with."
"No, no." Marcus jumped in before Aro could continue, ignoring Caius' borderline wicked smirk as he moved towards Sophie's desk chair. "I believe what Aro is trying to say is that your dad should know of one of us. That way when the time comes for you to leave Forks, he'll be more prepared."
A weight settled in her stomach at the thought of leaving her home. Sophie couldn't imagine leaving her father, leaving Jake and the pack, and her sister or the Cullens'. She loved them all, they all were her home.
"Which won't be until you're ready, Sophie." Aro continued, easily reading the unsure news on his mate's face. "Of course, we would love for you to join us as soon as possible in Volterra, but we won't bring you unless you are ready."
Sophie flashed a smile at him, feeling the slight anxiety over leaving Forks dissipating. "Thank you. And sorry, I don't mean to get all weird about it. I've just never lived away from home before."
Well, she had, technically, if she counted her very short stay at college. But that had gone downhill fast, and she had moved back with her dad very quickly. "And I'm sad that you guys are leaving soon..."
Sophie wished there was more to say about how she felt about them leaving, but she couldn't find the words she needed. A flash of movement had Sophie looking up from a frayed thread on her bedspread and she twisted to look at Caius, who was now sitting behind her. She flushed at his sudden closeness, the coolness of him pressing against her back and making her shiver.
Caius studied her for a moment, testing to see if she was okay with how close he was before slowly wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close to him. Though Sophie didn't necessarily mind how close her mate was, she tensed at feeling his hands near her stomach and shifted slightly. Aro and Marcus watched in silence, though both were ready to intervene if Sophie showed any discomfort.
"Sophie, I wish there was a way that one of us could stay here with you until you're ready." Caius started, shifting his hands to safer territory. Sophie could feel herself relaxing into his hold more, surprisingly at ease with laying in his arms. She was quickly getting cold though, and reached out of his arms for a blanket. "And I won't lie, I am worried about leaving you again. But it won't be long before one, or all in all honesty, comes back for you."
"And we're always a phone call away." Aro reassured, his hand landing on her arm over the blanket. "If someone needs to come back sooner, we can arrange a trip."
"What about the bond?" Sophie asked, looking over to Marcus now. "You three said if the bond is damaged, it can be equally bad for all members once I accepted the bond. What if being that far apart hurts us? I mean, even going to Florida for a weekend was putting strain on it."
Marcus pursed his lips. "True, but that is before you accepted the bond. I assume by the time we leave, it will have settled to the point where you shouldn't be bothered too much by it."
"I don't want you three to be miserable either though." Sophie huffed, realizing this was a losing situation anyway. All four of them would be slightly uncomfortable for as long as they were apart. If anything, Sophie hoped it would be a good enough distraction from her disorder.
"We'll adjust as the time comes, my dear." Aro leaned back against her pillows beside her and Caius, crossing his ankles over each other. "No more negative talk tonight, Sophie."
She only hummed - they were already on the negativity theme. "What of the Victoria situation, then? Jake told me she was here again while Bella and I were visiting our mom."
Caius tensed underneath her, Marcus shifted in his position, and Aro sighed heavily. The three of them had wanted to keep their little mate out of these matters, and protect her from the darkness of her new world for as long as they could. "She was here. Unfortunately, she escaped before any of us could capture her, no thanks to Emmett Cullen and one of the wolves."
Sophie tilted her head, not hearing that detail before. She knew of the treaty between the Cullens' and the Pack, thanks to one of Jacob's rants a little while prior. But she wasn't aware that there had been an altercation between the two groups, and that it had caused the redhead vampire to get away.
"We have the guard on it. She is remaining hidden for now, even from Demetri, which puzzles us. For now, they're monitoring the situation in Seattle." Aro continued, reaching up to punch the bridge of his nose. "It's chaotic but we need to get closer in order to obtain information from the vampires."
It was almost too bad that Riley had been killed before he was questioned, but none of the Kings faulted Afton nor Chelsea for quickly disposing of the newborn - they would've had a hard time doing the same if they had been the one to find him. Though, he would have been immensely useful in uncovering information about the newborn army in Seattle.
Aro, nor the other two, shared more of the situation. Sophie didn't need to know about the army, or the fact that the Cullens' were under threat of a new war. It was being handled, and with any luck, it would be taken care of before she caught any wind of it.
"Caius, as much as I am enjoying this, I'm freezing." Sophie pulled the blanket up over her shoulders before sliding away from her blonde mate, situating herself between him and Aro. Caius reluctantly let her out of his hold, though he kept a hand on top of her thigh.
Despite their rocky beginning, Caius had become much more open in his affection after Sophie had been attacked. Yes, he was still brash and brutally honest, but he kept his opinions of Sophie's condition to himself and between his brothers. She had enough on her plate for now, and he would not be adding to it. He was worried about leaving her again, with no one to keep as close an eye on her progress.
Sure, Caius knew she had her sister and father and the wolf, but what had they been doing for all those years prior? From where he sat beside her, he eyed her baggy clothes and her bone thin hands and wrists. The dark circle under the eyes and the sunken in cheekbones, the fading bruises that decorated her thin neck. And this was still his Sophie, still beautiful and fragile, but he needed her to be healthy.
He gently squeezed her thigh. "It was only a matter of time before you got too cold, Sophie. Thank you for letting me hold you for any time."
Sophie's pale cheeks were painted pink within a matter of seconds and she averted her gaze, easily getting shy again.
Marcus grinned cheekily at her. "Feel free to let me or Aro get a turn with you, too."
"In time." She mumbled, peeking up at Marcus, then Aro through her lashes. Aro couldn't help the gleeful laugh that escaped him, leaving Sophie to giggle beside him.
She had never been more happy that she finally accepted the bond, after weeks of back and forth. Sure, it was still very early and still a very big change, but Sophie trusted that these three men would be good for her. Their presence had her mind and traitorous thoughts silent and it was with them that she felt like her old self.
Sophie laid her head back on Caius' shoulder, taking a moment to herself to enjoy the quiet bickering between her mates and the peacefulness she felt within herself.
It was a shame, she thought, that they would be separated again soon. A shame that she knew she was ready to throw herself back into her cycle as soon as they were gone.
***
merry christmas, happy new year, all the things.
i am so sorry, i planned to have this out a while ago but the last bit was a struggle for me.
anyway, pls enjoy! the filler chapters are coming to an end and we are getting ready to move into the action!!
x pleuvoirx