Author's note: Sorry for taking so long (well, longer than usual) its been a doozy of a week. If any of you are interested in a playlist for this fic, there is one if you have Spotify. Just search for a playlist called "my dear secretary".

Monday morning, I went to work like usual.

I had heard nothing from anyone at the office over the weekend about the incident at the dinner party, which was a relief. I knew that I would have to talk to them about it sooner or later – they probably wanted to know if I wanted to press charges. But if I did that, they would have to notify my dad back in Forks about what happened, and I knew he would want me to come home.

I was getting ready by the door, putting on some light lipstick while looking in the large hall mirror when I felt the brush of fur against my legs. I smiled and looked down at my new feline companion, who was now completely bandaged up and vaccinated. I still had to feed him antibiotics in his food in the morning, but the vet had told me that as soon as his bandages could come off, I could stop with the medication.

I had not given him a name yet. After brushing against me four or five times, he flopped contently to the floor and purred loudly. I looked down at him, amused.

"Kitty, you're lucky that your only trouble is missing half a tail."

Most of the morning at work passed in relative peace and quiet, and nobody looked at me funny, which was something I had feared after Helen had found out about what happened. But sure enough, when the lunch hour came, a woman approached me - one that I hadn't seen at the office before, but going by the way she dressed, it was unmistakable that she worked for the Volturi as well.

"Miss Somersen?"

"Yes, that's me."

"The Masters have requested an audience with you."

"Okay, when?"

"Immidiatly Miss – but if you would rather do it after you've eaten..."

"No, I can go there now."

To say that I was nervous as the woman led me to the throne room was an understatement. I hadn't seen Aro since that night, and I had no idea what he had told his colleagues. Maybe they would blame me, and request me to go home. But most of all, I just wanted to move on and pretend that it hadn't happened. When we reached the doors, I had to wait a couple of minutes outside before they could receive me – then a buzzer sounded from the head secretary's table, and she shot me a wide, practised smile.

"You can go in now."

"Yeah, thanks." I muttered, my polite vocabulary slipping due to my dark thoughts as I walked through the double doors. I knew that there was a frown on my face, but I didn't bother schooling my expression, as there was no doubt in my mind that what we would be discussing during this meeting was going to be unpleasant. Nevertheless, I bowed my head at them respectfully in greeting.

"Uomini, thank you for having me."

They were not, for once sitting at their thrones – but by a long table in the center of the room that wasn't usually there – or maybe I just hadn't noticed it before. Piles and piles of books laid on the surface, some open, some not. Only Caius and Aro looked up when I entered, while Marcus appeared to be sleeping, reclined in a chair at the head of the table with an open book on his chest.

Slowly, their eyes fixed on me. Aro was the only one of them who smiled, but otherwise said nothing.

"You summoned me, what was it you wanted to discuss?" I asked them, and it was Caius who spoke up, his steely voice filling the room. Different from his brothers, his eyes were cold and hard, unfeeling but intense all the same. His long blonde hair was almost the same pale shade as his skin, hands gripping the arms of his chair like a vice.

"We have become aware of a breach in personal space, made by one of our guest last week. Is this true?" he asked, someone I had noticed by now that was not fond of small talk. I sighed before answering him.

"Yes, it is."

Caius shared a glance with Aro, before he continued.

"We want to advise you, that if you wish to take action regarding the matter, you should do so sooner rather than later. He can be charged by the law for his improper conduct, and punished accordingly. Of course, as we are the responsible party on this occation, we want to offer you a compensational package…" I quickly shook my head at him.

"Ah, signore, forgive me for interrupting but….I don't want any of that." he raised one single eyebrow at that, surprised.

"Beg your pardon?" he asked, sounding almost a little pompus. I knew that it sounded a little strange, and for a moment I struggled for how I would explain it to them. I looked down at the floor as my hands gestured as I spoke. I could sense their eyes on me, even now, making me slightly flustered.

"There would be a lot of paperwork involved, and a lot more of a mess than the actual incident was to begin with. As long as I do not have to be around him again, I have nothing further to say about the matter."

They were quiet for a long time, the silence awkward and stifling. Then Marcus drew in a long, sharp breath of air, as if just waking up from a long nap. He looked up towards me, his hands moving slowly in the air as if conducting an invisible orchestra. But I suspected it was something instilled in him since youth, his movements old-fashioned and theatrical. All Helen had told me before about him was that he was very, very old.

"Well, as long as you are sure." he said, nodding at me slowly.

"Yes I am sure, but thank you for concerning yourselves all the same."

"Then you may return to your work, thank you Miss Somersen."

I nodded towards them respectfully once more before turning to leave the room. But before I did, I could see that Aro was fixedly staring into some point in the distance, a expression of barely controlled anger on his face. His hands resting on the table were clenched, and half his face set in shadow.

Somehow, I knew that I had disappointed him.