As the months passed, Aurora learned how difficult and complex, and sometimes ruthless her husband could be. He was always considerate with his wife but at times his intense and violent nature toward others frightened her. Finally, things came to a head the night Lucius fought with his best friend Pullo. Eirene and Aurora were having tea in the back kitchen where the usually ate meals, and they heard thuds coming from upstairs. As they went out into the tavern to see what the uproar was, they came upon their husbands engaging in a brawl, both bruised and bloody from blows and falling down the stairs. When both were finally too exhausted to continue, Eirene ran to Pullo, who after staggering to an upright position dragged his wife after him out the door. With a helpless look at Aurora, Eirene followed him. The woman Gaia who was in charge of the prostitutes in the tavern, went to Lucius who told her not to touch him. As she walked up to where her husband lay, Aurora used her most imperious air that she had inherited from her noble father, and stared down Gaia. "He is my husband and I will attend to him." Gaia looked at her hatefully, but was smart enough to know when to back down. Not only would Vorenus kill her if she raised a hand to his wife, but she didn't know what his wife was capable of.

Aurora sank down beside her husband and took him into her arms, as he had done with her so many times before. "Lucius, my love. We must go upstairs where no one can see you in this state. Please stand up and come with me." Lucius nodded and allowed her to help him up and with her assistance mounted the stairs to their bedroom. One of the tavern maids had brought up some water and clean rags, which Aurora used to clean her husband's injuries. He didn't say much, but he sobbed in Aurora's arms afterward, sorrowing over all he had lost. "I am a horrible person, Aurora. I've killed my wife, cursed my children, abandoning them to death. I couldn't even be there to save your father."

Taking his face between her hands, Aurora tried to soothe him. "Lucius, you did not kill Niobe. Pullo told me that she chose to fall to her death. She was a sad and desperate creature, who felt she had no other recourse. What happened to your children was a horrible unfortunate incident, but there is nothing you can do about it now. And as far as my father, you bear no responsibility in that. You were tricked and you have more than made up for that by protecting his daughter when no one else would."

Lucius seemed to take comfort in her words, but there was still a restless need in him, and the intensity in his eyes almost frightened her. She could not turn away from the man she loved in his time of need. He took her roughly in his arms and pulled her beneath his powerful body. "I need you, Aurora. More than I have ever needed anyone before." He took her lips in a deep passionate kiss, and when she tried to move away, he pinned her body beneath his. She began to struggle, not used to this brutal stranger who was running his hands up and down her body as if she were a common whore. "Don't fight me, Aurora. I have to have you." Despite her misgivings, Aurora felt herself respond to his kiss and touch, and their lovemaking became ardent rather than forcible. Caesar's bastard daughter and Vorenus accursed of Hades, found a deeper, enduring bond that night.

Months passed and though mourning the loss of Pullo, Lucius found comfort in his wife. Then war came between Antony and Octavian and Lucius went north with Antony, much to his wife's dismay. She felt uneasy without him at her side to protect her, though she knew no one would dare touch the wife of Lucius Vorenus. She missed him beside her at night. Gaia gave her a little trouble, but Aurora took care of that problem with a bit of swordplay. Unbeknownst to anyone, Julius Caesar and Mark Antony had found it amusing to teach a young girl to use a sword.

"Aurora!" She looked up to see Pullo and Eirene come into the tavern, and she ran up them and joyfully embraced both of them. They went into one of the back rooms for some privacy and Pullo immediately wanted to know where Lucius was. He told her that Lucius' children were still alive but in a slave camp. Aurora fought tears at this news, tears of happiness for her husband, but tears of concern for the condition of the children. Leaving Eirene with Aurora, Pullo rushed off to find his friend where he was encamped in the North with Antony.

One morning while she was cleaning their upstairs living quarters, she heard a familiar voice speaking loudly from below. She rushed to the stair railing, to see her husband and Pullo standing with 3 bedraggled children. Lucius was telling the crowd about his children and warning them to treat them kindly and with respect. Eirene had run up to the children and gathered them into an embrace, leading them up the stairs into one of the empty rooms. Her eyes met that of her husbands, and he ran up the stairs two at a time to catch her in his arms. "Husband," she chided him, after embracing him tightly. "I don't want to take you from your children."

Sweeping her up into his arms, he kicked open the door to their room and deposited her on the bed. "Woman, I have been without you too long. The children are being attended to. I'll introduce you to them later." Aurora said nothing, just letting her husband show her how much he missed her.

Hours later, Lucius led Aurora by the hand to introduce her to his children. They had been given baths by Eirene and given clean but ill-fitting clothes. Aurora made a mental note to take them to buy new clothes the next day. She also wanted to pick Lucius up a few more tunics to replace his worn ones. She knelt by the smaller children and was saddened by the vacant looks on their faces. Embracing them, she told them that they were safe now with her and their father. The older girl was actually almost a woman and she could see in her how lovely Niobe must have been. The hatred in her eyes shocked Aurora, and she could see that Lucius was blinded to it. She didn't want to hurt him by commenting on it, hoping that the children would grow to love their father after getting to know him again.