King's P.O.V

She's ready now to have her family, but things haven't fallen into place just yet. The kings have been trying to have Amaryllis' daughter visit, but it was to no avail and they were all sensitive to the fact that Amaryllis was missing her daughter more and more as days went on. Aro knew where the daughter was located now, thanks to a side assignment he gave Demetri, but Amaryllis is against going to see them purely because the other scientists are still around. She just didn't want the slightest risk of drawing attention to her family.

Essentially that family would need to move in until everyone was certain that all of the doctors were ascertained and destroyed- and no one really knew how long that might take. It was understandable to Aro and Marcus, that Ezra and Maria would be uncomfortable uplifting their lives to come stay in a strange place full of other vampires, but they could at the very least have Lilith stay for a couple years. They had her for about that long, and from what Arjana mentioned to Marcus, after sharing her updates with Lilith through the 'mind link,' Lilith continually mentioned that she greatly missed her mother and was more than willing to stay until the scientists were all gone.

It was intriguing to Aro specifically about Lilith's ability to add 'mind links' and he privately wished he could attain her power. They can share thoughts no matter the distance, but one could still retain privacy. Arjana explained it to Marcus that you had to reach your thoughts out to someone in order for it to reach them.

So with knowing that their mate was hurting inside, they were each determined to set things right. While Amaryllis was out with the Cullens, Aro strode to Maxum and Arjana's home in the castle and knocked on the door. Maxum opened it and glared Aro down. Aro however was used to this and continually smiled. "May I please come in? It's about Amaryllis." At that Maxum lightened up ever so slightly and stepped aside.

As soon as Aro got comfortable on the couch, he spoke. "You have noticed that she has been missing her daughter no?" Maxum crossed his arms, "I'm not going to take Lilith away if that's what you're gonna ask."

"No, no of course not," Aro assured, "I simply wish to try and contact them- more specifically Maria. We have only ever been harshly hung up on by Ezra and have yet to even hear the voice of the step-mother. Surely I could try and reason with her?" Maxum continued his accusing stare.

"I may not agree with what Ezra is doing or his choices in general, but I won't let some stuck up asshole threaten them. Especially not Maria. She's a good person and second mother to Lilith."

Aro kept his mask on perfectly, although inside he was thinking of all the ways he could torture the hulking mass before him. Aro may seem 'kinder' than before, but he still had little patience for disrespect. "I ensure you that I do not wish to threaten them in any way. I simply wish to talk to her. Won't you at least ask her for me if she would be willing to speak?" Maxum was mulling it over so Aro tried to push further.

"I'm only trying to do what's best for my mate. I know you think of me in a dim light, and I won't argue and say that I am actually a saint, but you know I love Amaryllis and would do anything for her and you also understand that I don't want to do anything that my flower would disapprove of. Now tell me, isn't it worth a shot for me to try and persuade them to come over, and do you really believe Amaryllis would tolerate me if I tried to threaten her family in order to attain that goal?"

"I may not be the most well-read man in the world, but I got feelings about people, and you Aro are a snake," Maxum bit out but then sighed, "…but you are a snake that would do anything to protect what he loves. You'd even kill without a second thought to keep it," his eyes narrowed accusingly before he conceded, "I see what you mean though. You wouldn't want to do anything that she would disapprove of- and she would drag you through hot coals if you threatened Maria. Fine. I'll call her now and ask if she'd be willing to talk to you."

Aro smiled brightly as Maxum dialed her number. It rang out once, but she picked up during the second try.

"Hello?" A female voice with a slight Spanish accent rang out.

"Hey Maria. You got time to talk?" Maxum asked.

"Oh yes! I've missed hearing from you guys so much! I wish we were still mind linked. How is Arjana doing? How are you doing? Is the castle of the undead treating you well?" Maxum smiled.

"I'm fine. She's fine. I was wondering if you were alone right now," He looked to Aro, "This is kinda a private convo." After a beat of silence Maria responded.

"Right. Ezra won't be home from work for another couple hours, and Lilith's downstairs making some sort of mess." Maxum and Aro both hear the woman's footsteps before she spoke again. "Alright she shouldn't be able to hear me in here. Are you okay?" Concern laced her tone.

"Yes, I'm fine. Listen this is about Lilith. Um, well you know Amaryllis and how much she wants to see her daughter. These years 'growing up' have been rough on her without her daughter, and I think she's spent enough time 'getting a chance to be a kid'. She has her diploma now, is attending online college, and has a safe place to call home now. Well…it's not my place to really say anything but she kinda parented Arjana with me and I know she's a good mother. There…I…uh…spoke my peace on the matter, but one of her mates wants to talk to you. You don't have to of course and trust me I won't let him threaten you otherwise." Aro was pleased that Maxum decided to open the discussion and say his opinion. Arguments can be more persuasive coming from a friend.

"I… uh….yes," Maria replied, "I'll talk to him." Maxum sighed and handed over the phone before sitting down across from Aro to listen in.

"Hello! It is a pleasure to make you acquaintance. I'm Aro," Aro stated cheerfully. Maria cleared her thoat and sounded much more confident.

"Hello Aro, I'm Maria. Is Amaryllis with you?"

"No, I'm afraid I'm talking to you without her knowledge. She doesn't wish to push further on this subject, but I can't let it go. Her loneliness is getting the better of her, and let's face it, we really don't know when our enemies will be eliminated. I don't want her to miss seeing her daughter grow up."

"I'm sorry. I really am, but Ezra doesn't want to uplift everything to go there for however long we would need to stay. Our roots have become deep and we turned this place into our home. If we went their once, we might get followed and get captured. It is too risky," Maria countered with a polite but firm voice.

"But think of little Lilith. Is it fair for her to not see her mother in such a long span of time? I do understand your fear- and I really do sympathize, but you must realize that we are a powerful force to be reckoned with and that I will not let harm come to my mate's family so easily. We could provide you with protection after you leave and it is not like you would be caged here if you chose to stay."

"I'm sorry but we don't quite trust that you'll protect us, and we aren't certain about the idea of Lilith being in such a cruel environment," Maria interjected. Aro took a moment before responding.

"Have you spoken at all to Maxum or more so Arjana about how they are surviving in such a cruel environment?" There was silence. Maxum looked uncomfortable with the idea of getting in the middle again but he spoke out anyways.

"They have actually been very accommodating. Arjana has been having a blast here and although I don't trust them, I trust that they'll try to protect us….if only for Amaryllis' sake."

"I'm sorry I can't. I just can't. Ezra is dead set against it," She said after a couple minutes. Aro could tell she was cracking, but also inferred on who was the head of the household. It would be a problem if she decided to be a dutiful wife and listen to her husband. At this point all Aro could hope for was to start a flame of rebellion in the woman's head.

"You seem to be a lovely person, and I'm sure Lilith is quite lucky to have you," Aro complemented, "I'm sure you are a wonderful mother and a dutiful wife, but sometimes mothers need to overrule their husbands and make sacrifices in order to preserve the safety of their child. I'm offering a safe haven for her and the rest of you. You could live a peaceful life here and could even work and enjoy yourselves amongst the humans if you chose. From the sound of it, life for a long time was picking up and moving so I'm sure Lilith would be quite used to it. And my brothers and I will prove to you every chance we get that we will do whatever we can to make Lilith happy here."

Aro paused for a moment and sighed, "Sure you are safe now, but haven't you all been in this situation before? Amaryllis mentioned a place in Montana where they all felt safe, but it didn't last, and it was from their comfort that they lost an entire part of their family," Aro knew that he was starting to step over a line judging by the way Maxum was glaring so he quickly moved on, "Think of Lilith. I'm sure you have seen her tears and frustration at not seeing her mother. Do you really wish for her to grow up and spend years without her mother in her life? I'm sure you are an amazing mother and that she adores you, but she needs Amaryllis too." Aro waited patiently for her response.

"I'm sorry…. I got to go."

Aro sighed, "Well please consider my words at least. Thank you for your time and have a pleasant evening." After returning the phone to Maxum, he thanked him and then made his exit.

"She may be traditional, but she will do what she feels is right for Lilith," Maxum stated before walking towards his room. Aro stopped in the doorway and glanced towards Maxum. 'That almost sounded consoling,' Aro thought with a smirk and he left.

While Aro was trying his hand at retrieving Lilith, Caius and Marcus were trying to plan a couple perfect get aways. Caius remembered how Amaryllis looked at the painting of the mountain range on their first date and later how she would look while talking about her time in Montana. He was planning a trip to America where they would first visit a couple major cities and then end it in Montana. Marcus was browsing through different cruises, trips to Paris, and trips to Japan. After 30 minutes of research, he sighed.

"She would like a trip on a cruise, but because of our condition, we wouldn't be able to attend."

"We will not have her go on a cruise alone," Caius snipped with a bit of jealousy. He was not too fond of the idea of his mate wearing scantily clothing around strange half naked men for a week.

"Of course not," Marcus agreed, "…but because of us our mate may not get to live happily like she would like. She can go amongst the humans and the sun….we cannot." Caius shook his head.

Since Amaryllis has moved in, Marcus has slowly reverted back to how he was back when Didyme was alive. His rare soft chuckled has evolved into a booming laughter; he has become far more animated in discussions; and essentially he has come back into the world of the living. With all the positives, there has been a draw back. Marcus was terrified of losing this happiness that he felt and was just waiting for something awful to happen. Aro once told Caius in confidence that Marcus' fear is like a constant buzzing in his head. Marcus felt that at any moment Amaryllis might slip through his fingers, whether it be because of her death, or because he might lose her favor. This led him to always go even further than his brothers to do anything he could to make her smile (and the brothers were already going above and beyond). He practically worshipped the ground she walked on, and was even more possessive than Caius in terms of protectiveness over her. At the same time, doubts cloud his mind that what he does isn't enough and that he'll disappoint her.

Amaryllis has been giving back and trying to show Marcus especially that she wasn't going anywhere, but Aro thinks that it might take a very long time before her words and actions will actually get through to him. What's worse is that Amaryllis was cursed with a very similar insecurity. She did a lot for them but constantly felt that it wasn't enough. It was quite amusing to Caius and Aro, in an odd way, to watch how their mate and Marcus' insecurity would bounce off one another. He would take her out for dinner, then she would feel worse about herself and buy him a book that he's been wanting, than he feels worse and takes her to an art museum, which in turn makes her feel worse so she plans a relaxing get away. When Aro and Caius realized that showering her with gifts all the time was actually making her feel more insecure, they both toned it down slightly to try and get her used to things. With her and Marcus however it is an endless give and take mixed in with that fear of not being enough for one another. Caius was concerned, but Aro has assured him that things will eventually blow over.

'Marcus has spent so long in the depths of despair, that he is paranoid about his happiness now," Aro had told him, "And although Amaryllis may act like a figure of confidence around others, she grew up learning that any happiness never lasted for long and that getting comfortable came with a deadly price. They both have problems they need to work out- and this may takes years- but it will happen and they will both be stronger by the end of it. We just have to be patient with both of them and ensure that Marcus' train of thoughts never get too negative and make sure we remind Amaryllis every day that she is more than enough for us.'

Remembering Aro's words, Caius patted Marcus' shoulder, sympathizing with the man's fear.

"If we cover ourselves head to toe and take precautions then we can be with her wherever she goes." Marcus didn't seem convinced. "We are still limited," He frowned.

At this point Aro strolled in. "We are only majorly limited in specific situations like theme parks and beaches and in both situations we can work around it. If you are leaning towards a beach and cruise, then let's just take her on our boat and buy her an island," Aro shrugged while seating himself on a couch. Caius nodded in approval and the mention of the idea seemed to cheer up Marcus immensely.

"Do you think she would like that?" Marcus asked, "Maybe she would like a cruise because of the people." Aro waved his hand dismissively.

"She will be ecstatic to be able to be with us in the sun with no fear. You worry far too much on trivial things," Aro shrugged, "Aside from that, Carlisle bought his wife an island and I refuse to be shown up by him," Then he smiled and clapped his hands once, "So it's settled- Marcus start looking for an island. Once that is done- I will design a perfect home away from home for us all. Until that is ready, we will plan another getaway. Caius what did you have in mind?" Caius handed over his meticulous schedule and Aro smiled.

"This will be perfect. After the Cullens leave we will whisk her away to America," Aro said while handing back the plans to Caius.

"I will have everything…." Caius was cut short by a sound of boots half skipping towards them and beautiful humming. All three of their heads snapped to the door and each felt a bloom of excitement. Quickly, Caius and Marcus put everything away just before Amaryllis strolled in. She was in winter clothing with a long sleeved sweater, jeans, boots, and a hat. Her hair was down and messy due to the wind, and her lips and cheeks were still rosy from the cold. She immediately took off her jacket and hugged the closest mate too her- which was Marcus. Afterwards she rested on his lap and allowed Marcus to snuggle against her like she was a cuddly teddy bear. Amaryllis giggled but then made a straight face.

"Hello sir," She saluted Aro which made him smirk. He knew where she was going with this and loved that she was feeling childish. He put his feet up on the desk and crossed his arms. "I take it you have a report for me?" He asked sternly. Amaryllis was trying exceptionally hard to keep her serious face. "Yes sir!"

Aro did a slight nod. "Well out with soldier." Amaryllis went into indiscriminant detail about her trip with the Cullens and the kings enjoyed the pure joy in Amaryllis' tone. While talking, Marcus let his hands roam all over her which caused her to pause a couple times, but she kept focused. The kings were properly pissed at hearing the part about a rude store owner, but didn't let the airy feeling get snuffed out by showing their anger (although they each made a mental note about it). The guards nearby smiled as they listened to the booming laughter of their masters.