After our movie day -Seth as usual- took off to attend to 'business', leaving Riley and I alone in the late afternoon.

We hadn't seen or heard from Duke all day, Seth occasionally leaving during movies to check on him. Each time he would report back that he still hadn't moved from his statuesque position behind his desk.

By noon, our sixth movie ended. Groggily, we stood and stretched out, yawning as the day drew to an end.

I was nervous about tomorrow, having 3 new faces joining us. I stared out the window in the room, taking in the setting sun when my stomach began to rumble.

"I heard that" Riley caught as he headed for the door

"Any preferences?" He asked, lingering

"Just a sandwich would be good, but, can I come? I mean, is it safe for me to come down there?" I asked, wanting to leave the room we'd been cooped up inside for the entire day

"I guess so, but -" Riley was interrupted by a surprising knock at the door.

He stood motionless for a moment, ad then he yanked it open.

We both expected to see Seth standing there, instead - to both our surprise - stood Duke, he had both of his hands leaning on the door frame; just like the night he had ambushed me from my bathroom.

I wasn't sure just how I felt.

I was happy to see him, yet nervous about our last confrontation.

He looked exceptionally handsome today. His hair was splayed wildly over his head, like he'd had a rough night's sleep and hadn't bothered to comb it. He was wearing a simple navy V-neck shirt that clung to his figure, black jeans and boots.

Duke gave one look to Riley who just nodded

"I'll get that sandwich ready for you" He smiled, before leaving

Duke slowly stepped out of the doorway and shut the door behind him, careful of his steps towards me.

I watched him carefully from where I stood at the window, my arms folded in self defense

"I want you to know that you shouldn't feel guilty for Anna having left" He started, his expression soft and careful.

I wasn't used to this, I was more used to the arrogant, light switch personality.

I just nodded

"I also wanted to apologize for scaring you and pushing you into telling me about what had happened" He continued "It was out of line. I could feel you buckle, yet I persisted with my demands" He confessed formally as though he was apologizing to his boss after receiving a complaint from a customer

"Its fine" I mumbled

It was done, there was nothing he could say to take back what had happened.

All I could do was accept his apology and attempt to move forward.

"It's not" He quickly responded, taking a step towards me cautiously

"It's over and done with, I accept your apology, but it's going take awhile for me to get past that horrific look on your face"

It did remind me of something in a horror movie. Something fictional, only told in scary stories and shown on big screens at the cinema.

"I assume Seth has filled you in on what's happening tomorrow?"

I nodded "Yeah, he did, and I'm not sure I'm comfortable with you making yourself uncomfortable around your brother just because of me"

"It's not about how Darius and I. It's about protecting you. That's what's important" His eyes kept trained on mine as he spoke

"I'll do my best to remain open minded about all of these people risking their lives for me, but I have one condition" I sighed

"What's that?" A hint of curiosity in his voice

"You help Seth and Riley keep Grant away from me" I offered, easing the tension

I was surprised and relieved when Duke smiled "Gladly"

"Gladly?.. Something you don't like about him?" I asked, curious of the eagerness

He shrugged his shoulders

"It's all too clear for me how Grant feels around you, I don't like it" He explained "I don't like a number of things about him and his vulgar impulses"

"That makes two of us" I scoffed, the tension lightly fading

Riley - seconds later - emerged back into the room carrying two plates.

One with my sandwich which he handed to me, the other a hamburger he'd made for himself.

Duke took that moment to flee, giving us both a quick nod before leaving

I looked down at my sandwich, and smiled. He'd cut it into four small squares.

"I take it the talk went well?" Riley spoke through a mouthful of hamburger he chewed

"As good as it could have"

-

After our dinner, and another action movie with Riley, I kicked him out of my room early, in hopes of getting a good early night's sleep in preparation for tomorrow's guests.

I escaped to my bathroom at around 9pm and changed into loose clothes. Before leaving, I stopped for a moment when something on the floor caught my eye.

I leaned down and pulled out my red, blood stained work shirt. Flashbacks ensued, my head pounding as I remembered being thrown against the side of my car. Hungry red eyes dove into my memory, causing me to flinch.

Slowly, I began walking back into my room, holding the shirt in front of myself as I examined it.

"I can have that washed for you if you want" Duke's smooth voice caused me to jump as I gripped the shirt tightly to my chest. He was sauntering around his usual chair, ready to watch me overnight.

"Oh, that would be, that would be good" I stumbled "I hated this shirt you know? I hated putting it on, I hated everything it stood for, but I kind of miss it now" I reminisced

"I guess the saying sticks, that you don't know what you have until it's gone" He watched me intently

I hung the shirt over the arm of the long sofa, and made my way back toward my bed. I snuggled in and pulled the quilt over my body.

"You shouldn't be so nervous about tomorrow, it's going to be fine" He spoke, obviously feeling my anxious mood about the day to follow

"It's a little hard to relax when I know Grant is going to be here, when your brother is going to be here, when all of these people will be here risking their lives for me, someone they don't even know or care for" I replied casually as I lay still on my back

"You are worrying too much. I already told you, you've got Seth, Riley and myself looking out for Grant's tricks, and what happens between my brother and I has nothing to do with you. We have all agreed to do this, and if they didn't want to risk their lives, they simply would have said no to it"

"But they don't even know me" I retorted

"But they know me. They knew Thomas, his family"

"Right" I murmured, looking at the ceiling, still not feeling one hundred percent convinced

"Just take one step at a time, don't overwhelm yourself. So to start, try not to have any nightmares tonight" Duke spoke quietly and calmly as he slouched back in his chair, resting his head back.

-

Luckily, my night had been dreamless and uninterrupted. It was perfect, peaceful and relaxed, just how I had needed it to be.

When morning rose, I'd woken up refreshed and ready to take on the next hurdle.

Standing, I stretched my body out wide.

The first place my eyes glanced once adjusted, was to Duke's chair, he was gone. Instead Seth sat there replacing him, watching me as he stood.

I sat up and crawled out of bed

"Hey" I groggily groaned, rubbing my eyes and stretching my calf muscles out

"Morning" Seth greeted with a smirk as he walked towards me "You know if you stay like this" He looked me up and down "Then I'm almost sure you'll be safe from Grant" He commented as he lifted a thick knot of hair up from my head and screwed his face up

"Ha-ha" I sarcastically swiped as I flicked his hand away from my head

"But, it looks like Duke's trying to make amends with you" He spoke, raising his eyebrows as he nodded towards the end of my bed. I turned, and saw that my red work shirt was washed clean, and ironed flat, neatly placed on the end of my bed.

"You say that like it's a bad thing" I said as I moved towards it and held it up by its sleeves

"It isn't, but it may come as a bit of a shock to you if you haven't already noticed the obvious" Seth spoke, winking at me as he shuffled through my wardrobe.

I remained silent, unsure of what he was insinuating.

Seth rolled his eyes "He's got a thing for you Rosalie, and it's intense"

"I highly doubt it" I murmured as I thought deeply about it for a moment.

Parts of me told me it was true, he did like to flirt with me and my emotions. He also tried extremely hard to gain back my trust, which he had no obligation to do.

But he was a vampire, a vampire that had been immortal for years beyond my imagination.

He probably didn't even believe in realistic relationships anymore, not after everything that had happened with Anna. Technically, he could have had any woman he set his eyes on, there was in no way shape of form in my mind as to a reason he would want someone as young and as inexperienced in life as me.

"Are you going to wear that shirt today?" Seth asked, breaking my deep thoughts free as he looked up at me and my frozen composure

"Yeah, I think so" I looked it over, wanting to wear something familiar to me, something that reminded me of home, well, kind of. This shirt was all I had left in a physical state that reminded me of Clora.

"Here then, wear a nice pair of jeans with it, and maybe curl you're hair at the ends, but don't make it so obvious, brush it out when you're finished" He suggested throwing me a pair of dark blue baggy boyfriend jeans.

"You know the amount of things you know about fashion make me wonder if you're-"

"Gay?" He finished for me "Have you ever thought that maybe I just enjoy dressing you up in favor of my own desires?" He raised his eyebrows at me

I stopped in my tracks on way to the bathroom and gave him a strict glare.

He just winked and rolled his eyes

"No Rosie, I am not gay. I used to have a girlfriend who watched a lot of project runway, it kind of became stuck in my mind" He smiled with a genuine answer

-

After an hour of messing about with my clothes, hair, and makeup, Seth was finally convinced I looked ideal enough for the day.

Not too dressed up and not too dressed down.

I stuck with a little mascara, tan blush, and dark eyeliner - enough to look natural and not attract too much attention, especially that of Grant's.

Grant and Harris were the first to show up, so both Seth and I headed downstairs to greet them together.

We began into the living room where Riley lay sprawled across the sofa, a PlayStation portable gripped in his hands as he furiously pressed buttons. Grant was hovering above him, demanding that he was pressing the wrong buttons and that was why he wasn't winning. Harris sat beside Duke on a separate sofa, chatting about something humorous, small laughter audible.

As soon as Seth and I entered the room, Grant spun around, Harris and Duke's gaze turning towards us.

Riley didn't move.

Grant was in front of me within a second, lifting my hand from my side as he held it up to his face, kissing my skin gently. Riley made a half coughing half gagging noise.

Slowly, Grant dropped my hand back down and rolled his eyes. He then turned back to sitting on the arm of Riley's sofa. Something told me he was being cautious, and I suddenly wondered if he had already been warned to keep his distance from me.

Harris stood from his spot and moved towards me, he was dressed in an expensive blue suit with a gold pocket watch tucked in the pocket of his jacket.

"It's very nice to see you again Rosalie" He smiled as he shook my hand

"It's good to see you too, and thank you for coming" I smiled back

"It's not a problem dear, really. Besides, I always love a challenge. It keeps me feeling young" Harris added as he returned to his seat beside Duke

I sat on the lounge facing Duke and Harris in between the coffee table. Seth sat beside me as Riley looked up at me from his game, winking as though this were something he did on a daily basis.

-

For about the next half hour, the group sat in the living room, talking about light subjects before the big one were to be dropped.

Harris asked me many questions, but nothing overly personal. Things like, what I planned on doing when I left school and what my lifetime goals were. Luckily he hadn't asked me about my family, only about my friends and my favorite subjects.

I wondered if he knew about my mother, I wondered just how much any of these people actually knew about me.

I was so far surprised that Grant had kept to himself, he just continued to either watch me with a seductive smirk or complain to Riley that he wasn't playing the game properly. Riley would tell him to move off and wave him away with his hands, but it made no difference.

Seth sat quietly beside me and occasionally joined in conversation, cracking a few jokes here and there. Duke remained beside Harris and mainly kept to himself, saving his voice for what was to come.

I was beginning to think no one else was going to show after hour two when a loud knock sounded at the door.

My stomach began doing violent flips as Duke stood and walked towards it, giving me a quick 'relax' smile.

"Who would that be?" I whispered to Seth

"By the thought of it, I'd say it were Parry. His thoughts are always about looking forward to fights" Seth smiled, somewhat settling my stomach's nerves.

I was most nervous to meet Darius, for obvious reasons, and Jaymi, only because I had been the only girl in the house for more than a week.

I listened carefully behind me as I leaned back in the sofa, casually trying to calm myself.

"Good to see you again Duke" A deep gruff voice greeted as they approached

"You too Parry" Duke replied as they rounded the living room, coming into view. I looked towards them as Seth, Grant and Harris did.

Seth was right about the burly part, it was the first thing I noticed.

Parry was tall and built like a bulldozer. His light blond hair was shortly cut, his jaw chiselled and defined, his eyes were a pale pastel blue as they finally met mine.

"This must be Rosalie" He spoke, holding a firm hand out towards me.

I stood and shook it, smiling nervously.

"Rosie" I corrected, sitting back down

"My name is Parson, but I prefer Parry" He told me as he turned towards the rest of the group.

"Seth" He nodded in greeting, before turning to greet the others.

Duke took a glance towards me, and smiled reassuringly, sending my heart on a rampage I was sure he could feel. He took my nerves away, but he replaced them with alternate feelings that I couldn't understand.

"How was Africa?" Riley asked in a bored flat tone as his eyes still kept trained on his game

"It was good, you would have enjoyed it out there in the plains where you belong" Parry replied sarcastically as he smacked Riley's forehead

"What time is you're rat of a brother supposed to be getting here?" Parry shot as he looked towards Duke who stood to my left

"Soon" He sighed, the tension easily readable

"You know I love you dude, but I'm not looking forward to seeing his ass-face today" Parry tilted his head towards Duke

"Trust me, I know how you feel Parry" Duke patted him on the back as Parry threw himself in the spot beside Harris that Duke had occupied.

Did Parry know about what had happened with Anna and Duke the other night? Who else knew about it? What had Duke done, sent out a newsletter with the information? What other reason did Parry have to not like his brother?

Again, the group remained to converse for another good half hour before there was another nerve pulling knock at the door.

Parry groaned, confirming my skittish apprehension.

Seth jumped over the sofa to answer the door in rescue of Duke who glanced at me before turning his eyes to the door.

I tugged at the hem of my shirt nervously as I waited for the moment Darius appeared.

"Seth, it's nice to see you" A deep voice greeted.

I watched Duke's face the entire time as Parry, Harris, Grant and Riley busied themselves in their own conversations.

It was beginning to appear as though no one cared for Darius, which made me even more on edge.

Duke's expressions were a mixture of emotions. But they weren't hard to pin-point.

Anger, rage, heartbreak. He was trying to remain calm, but even I could see how hard it was for him. His eyes followed every movement his brother made.

"Duke" Darius addressed his brother as he came into view.

Seth jumped back over the couch beside me as my eyes averted to the man that now stood beside Duke. This was the man that had ripped Duke's heart from his chest, betrayed his own blood and reveled in the disdain his father had for the 'other brother'.

"And this must be the wonderful Rosie" Darius smiled towards me as he held a cold hand out, my feet fighting a wobble as I stood.

His hair was grown, pulled back into a low short ponytail at the back of his head while dark loose strands fell besides his ocean blue eyes.

Despite all I had heard about him, there was no doubt that the guy was incredibly attractive - just like Anna had described. But I still stood by my opinion that Duke was the most attractive man I'd ever known.

"Hi" I forced a smile as I lightly shook his hand, hoping he wouldn't feel my shaking fingers. My gaze flickered in between the brothers. They were awfully similar, in many ways. A lot like my dream had shown me.

"I've heard a lot about you, it's nice to finally put a face to the name" He smiled charmingly.

"I hope its all good things" I joked, trying to ease the already high paced tension

"Of course" He lightly laughed, taking a seat on the arm of the sofa beside Parry, who looked less than amused.

Darius was wearing a deep black suit, a dark blue tie with a long black overcoat. He looked awfully professional, the apple of his fathers eye.

I leaned back into the sofa as Seth threw an arm around the back of the couch behind me.

The conversations swarmed around me, distracting, overwhelming.

I felt my ears get hot and my palms sweat as I grew agitated and brittle. I had to get fresh air.

My head snapped from the various conversations when Duke appeared directly beside me leaning down close to my ear as he whispered to me "Hungry?"

He knew I needed out, it was an excuse, so I gladly took it.

I stood up and followed Duke to the kitchen, feeling my breathing become rigid as eyes followed us out.

"You have to relax. I know it's a lot to take in, but I can assure you there's nothing to worry about" Duke soothed me as he met me in the middle of the kitchen that instantly reminded me of Anna

"It's hard, it's a little intimidating being in a room full of creatures that could within seconds maul you to death" I mumbled as I leaned my hands on the bench, hanging my head low

Duke stood beside me, his hands on his hips as he looked me up and down.

"They are here for the complete opposite reason Rosie, remember that" He sighed as I looked up to meet his eyes.

His words and voice seemed to calm me and settle my nerves, but his closeness kept my heart on edge.