"I can walk!"

"Like hell you will! Get in that wheelchair or I'll carry you out myself!" Demetri was staring down at me, arms crossed.

I glared at him. "Is that supposed to be a threat?"

"Only if you don't get in the damn wheelchair!" he said, narrowing his eyes. "The last thing you need is to collapse just as you get discharged. You're supposed to be taking it easy!"

My breath hissed out from between my teeth. I knew a losing battle when I saw one, but I was tired of not being allowed to walk or do anything for myself. I couldn't even go to the bathroom without being carried.

"Rowan," Demetri said warningly. "You know I'm right."

"Fine," I grumbled, eyeing the wheelchair by the bed with distaste. "But I'm getting in by myself."

"I don't get paid enough for this," Demetri groaned, rubbing a hand down his face. With Aro signing my discharge papers, Emmett getting the SUV, and Marcus and Caius back at my home, Demetri had been stuck with the task of convincing me to get in a wheelchair.

"I can do it!" I protested.

"You sat up too quickly this morning and lost all the blood in your face. Excuse me if I don't have much faith in your physical capabilities at present." Demetri's tone was dry. "Why can't you just accept my help?"

"I'm tired of everyone babying me!"

"Is that what this is about? You almost died, Rowan! We're worried about you. And you can't get better if you push yourself to do things you're not ready for yet, like walking." He saw my stubborn look and sighed. "You can try, but at least let me help you."

"Deal," I said instantly. He helped me to my feet, where I wobbled uncertainly.

"Easy. Just take it slow, alright?" Demetri said, gently steadying me.

"I'm good," I insisted.

"If you say so."

"I do." I took a tentative step, and-

"Son of a bitch, I told you-"

"I'm fine- ow- put me down!"

"What is going on?"

Aro had chosen perhaps the worst possible moment to reappear. My legs had buckled on my first step, but Demetri was quick to catch me before I could fall and was doing his best not to jostle me too much.

"Someone thought she was well enough to walk," Demetri said, carefully setting me down in the wheelchair.

I scowled. "I could have made it, Demetri, it was just-"

"Your legs giving out?" Aro asked, raising an eyebrow as he walked over to the wheelchair.

"I think that's a bit of an exaggeration-"

"That's exactly what happened," Demetri said. "I'll go inform Emmett that we're on our way down. Perhaps she'll listen to you better than her guard, Master Aro."

Aro took one look at my unhappy expression, chuckled lightly, and said, "I highly doubt that. Thank you for making sure she didn't injure herself further, Demetri."

"Of course," Demetri said, bowing briefly before sweeping out of the room.

"What are we going to do with you?" Aro asked good-humoredly as he rolled me down the hall towards the elevator.

"Let me walk?" I asked hopefully.

"Definitely not. You know the doctor has ordered no physical activity for at least another couple of days."

"What does Carlisle say?"

"Carlisle agrees," Aro said. "At least you get to have this recovery time at home."

"I guess," I conceded.

"Caius has been calling every ten minutes, he's very impatient for you to get back. Marcus too," Aro remarked as the elevator arrived, giving a soft chime as the doors slid open.

"They're the ones that chose to go instead of just leave with me," I said, though it was nice to have a little breathing room as I finally got to leave the hospital.

"You have to have a room on the ground floor until you can go up stairs and they wanted to help get it ready, you know that," Aro said gently. "We don't want to jostle you too much by carrying you up and down."

"I know," I said as the elevator slowed in its descent and the doors opened. "I'm just not used to having to rely on everybody else to do things."

"I understand." He pushed me to the pick-up ramp, where Emmett had the SUV idling. He waved from the driver's seat and I waved back.

Demetri opened the door to the backseat as Aro picked me up and transferred me into the car. "Thanks."

"Of course," he said, sitting next to me. Demetri shut the door and once he was seated in the passenger seat, Emmett pulled away.

"Glad to be out of there, Ro-bear?" Emmett asked, glancing at me through the rearview mirror. I could just see the grin on his face.

"Oh, you have no idea," I said, attempting to get comfortable in the back seat. I grimaced as my ribs shifted.

"Don't do that, you'll aggravate your ribs," Aro said, gently squeezing my hand.

"Sorry."

The drive to Forks from the hospital I was staying at in Seattle usually took close to four hours, but with Emmett's driving we arrived in half that. Surprisingly, only Caius, Marcus, and Rose were waiting for my arrival outside.

"Where's everybody else?" I asked as Aro carried me toward the front door.

"Inside. I didn't want them to stifle you," Rose said warmly.

"How are you feeling, amore?" Caius asked, pulling open the door for Aro and I.

"Alright. I just want to stretch my legs," I said, giving Aro a pointed look.

"I would wait few days before trying that, if I were you," Carlisle said with a smile, meeting us inside. "Welcome home."

"I'm glad to be back," I said. The thought had crossed my mind, when my father had me, that I might never see it again. A pained expression flashed across Aro's face at my thought. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize, please. I just wish we could have reached you sooner," Aro said, offering me a small smile.

Marcus spoke, cutting through the strained pause. "Caius and I have made the family room your home away from home until you're well enough to start using your room again."

"Thank you both, I'm certain it's lovely," I said with a smile.

There was a loud chorus of "Welcome home!" as Aro carried me through the kitchen, where most of the family was gathered.

"Edward will be back soon; Bella's mom just got in town so he went with Bella to pick her up at the airport," Alice told me, tagging behind the three kings as Aro carried me into the family room.

The family room looked completely different. A full-sized bed had replaced the large couch, the TV had been moved to a better vantage point, and a bookshelf containing all of my books sat against the wall. The nightstand beside the bed had my laptop and a large, colorful bunch of fresh flowers sitting on top of it. The only thing that remained the same was Edward's baby grand piano, and even that had been put into a far corner in order to make the room more easily navigable for those of my family that could actually get around.

"Esme was kind enough to help us decorate properly; this really isn't our forte," Marcus said.

I grinned at him. "It's fantastic. I can beat Dad and Jasper at MarioKart without even having to move!"

"You wish, kiddo!" Emmett laughed. "Just know that I'll always be the best."

Another five minutes had me situated in bed and flipping through channels on the TV. Carlisle and Esme walked into the room, looking like they had something important to say, and it was their expressions that caught the attention of me, and consequently the kings.

"Something on your mind, Carlisle?" Aro asked politely.

"Yes, actually. We just wanted to inform you that our cousins, the Denalis, will be arriving within the next couple days for Edward and Bella's wedding. They follow our diet and are acquainted with Rowan, so they will be no threat to her, but we wanted to inform you."

"The Denalis are coming?" I sat up so quickly that pain ripped through my shoulder and down my arm. "Ow, ow, ow!"

"That is why you're supposed to be lying down," Carlisle chided gently. "Or, at the very least, moving more slowly."

"I'm okay," I said, still grimacing. The kings hovered anxiously around me.

"Let me check the bandages. I don't think you reopened any stitches, but it's better safe than sorry," Carlisle said.

My shoulder had now began to ache, so I readily agreed, clumsily unbuttoning the topmost part of my shirt with my good hand. "When will the Denalis be arriving?"

"Tomorrow. When they heard about what happened they wanted to come sooner, but I told them to wait until you were home so that you'd have quiet time at the hospital to heal," Carlisle said with a faint smile. He only pulled my shirt to the side enough to see my bandages, which were still an unblemished white. "Though I doubt Irena will come down now that they know you're going to fully heal within the next few months."

"I feel bad for her," I said, wincing as Carlisle helped me move my shoulder back into a more comfortable position and lay back down. "And I still don't understand why Laurent did what he did in the first place."

"What happened?" Marcus asked, curious.

"Laurent was part of James' coven before James began the hunt for Bella, but he left when James began the hunt. He decided to go to Denali, where he met Irena - they were mates. Somehow, Victoria managed to convince him to go finish off Bella while we were gone from Forks, but he was killed by the wolves before he could finish the job," I explained. "She's been angry with us ever since."

"Interesting," Marcus mused. "I can see why she wouldn't want to visit."

"How much do these cousins of yours know about our relationship with Rowan?" Caius asked with a guarded expression.

"We haven't told them. We thought it best to conceal this information as long as possible, for Rowan's safety," Carlisle said.

Caius inclined his head. "There will be questions, us being here."

"We can trust them," I said, interrupting what could be a growing dispute. "They're my family, just like the Cullens."

"Very well," Caius said. "I trust your judgement, amore."

I beamed. "I'm glad. Though I'm sure it helps that Uncle Eleazar was once part of the Volturi, doesn't it?"

"Naturally. And he still is part of our ranks, if not in a more consultatory capacity on occasion. I'm curious as to what he has to say about your gift," Aro mused.

"He said her raw power was the most in a human that he had ever seen," Edward said, striding into the room.

"Ed, you're back!" I said happily.

"Hey, Ro. Bella should be by soon, I dropped her and her mother off at Charlie's," he said before continuing. "Eleazar's gift is more guesswork when humans are involved, as you know, Aro. But all things considered, no one doubts him in this case."

"No, I should think not. It will be nice to see him again. I am glad he has had success with your lifestyle," Aro said.

"As are we. How are you feeling, Ro?"

"Not bad, but I've been better. Carlisle said I can walk soon!" I said brightly.

"That is not what I said!" Carlisle called.

Edward laughed. "I'd take it a bit slow if I were you, you don't want to push yourself too hard. Want me to play something for you?" He gestured towards the piano.

"Sure, there's nothing on anyway." I turned off the TV. Caius stretched out beside me on the bed.

"Did you want anything to eat, dearest?" Marcus asked as Edward began playing. "It's time for your pain medication and you don't want to take it on an empty stomach, according to the doctor."

"Yes. Something light," I said slowly. The pain medication I was on tended to make me drowsy and nauseous, among other things, and I didn't want to risk eating something too heavy on my stomach.

"As you wish," he said with a gentle smile.

He returned shortly after with a bowl of fresh fruit, water, and my pain pills. I made a face as I took the pills with a few gulps of water and nibbled at the fruit, not particularly hungry.

"Is that all you want?" Marcus asked after I had finished eating half the bowl and was now picking at the fruit.

"Yes, I think so. Thank you."

"Of course, tesoro," he said, taking the bowl back to the kitchen.

Aro sat down in a chair and picked up a book as I yawned. Caius shifted so he was facing me. "Tired?"

"No," I said, but between the soothing music coming from the piano, the effect of the pain meds, and the warm, contented feeling that always came with having my mates around, that was more of a lie than I'd like to admit.

"Liar," Caius said softly, his lips turning upwards. "You should get some rest, you need it to heal."

"But I just got home," I protested.

"You'll have plenty of time to enjoy being home, I'm sure, but that can wait until after you've gotten some rest," he said, pressing a kiss to my head and twining our fingers together. "Don't you think?"

"Caius," I murmured, pouting at him.

He smiled and took the opportunity to capture my lips in a gentle kiss. "We'll still be here when you wake up."

"You'd better," I grumbled. I thought I heard Edward chuckle as he changed songs to something softer and more contemplative.

"Sleep," Caius ordered, sliding closer to me. "I'm not going anywhere."

I spoke through a yawn. "Alright, alright. I'll sleep. But I won't be happy about it."

"I think I can live with that." He murmured gentle words to me in a language I didn't recognize - Greek, maybe? - and between him and the piano, I slipped into peaceful oblivion.

Edited 6/26/2021