It was several days before Caius would let her out of his sight, not that she minded. As long as she got to see her other mates as well, she was content. It was decided with all the changes, that the Christmas trip to Forks should be canceled. The kings and Carlisle agreed that she needed to settle into her new life. Find a routine. No one bothered to ask her what she thought. She did her shopping and shipped the presents home. And on Christmas day, they Skyped so they could be together. Kind of.

The Volturi didn't celebrate as a whole. Her mates were older than Christmas so it held little appeal for them. That was kind of trippy. Lily on the other hand had always loved the holidays. Her heart broke a little when she found out that there would be no decorations, no presents, no family. When the kings asked her what was wrong, she simply said she missed her family. It was true enough.

Jasper, Edward and Alice tried to get her to tell her mates she wanted to celebrate, but she refused. They'd changed enough for her without her complaining over something that really didn't matter. The Cullens hadn't celebrated until she moved in either. She'd spread the Christmas cheer next year.

For the most part, things went well except she missed her family. Her bonds with them ached the whole day, even with her blocking some of it. The kings had doted on her, watching movies with her in her theater room and providing her with all the milkshakes a girl could ask for.

Eventually, she withdrew to her room to spend some time on her own. She dug out the quilt that Esme had given her, remembering what she'd said at the time. For your first night alone. While she'd surely spent other nights alone since her arrival in Volterra. This was the first night she felt it so acutely.

Lily wrapped the thick blanket around herself and curled up on her sofa. A flash of something caught her attention and she flipped the edge of the quilt back to look at the inside of it. She gasped as familiar writing flooded her vision. She jumped to her feet and spread the blanket on the bed, with the bottom side facing up.

There, lovingly laid into the fabric, were letters from her family. One from each of them that Esme had somehow transferred to the material. Words of love and encouragement. And precisely what she needed on her first Christmas away from her family.

***

It was roughly three weeks past Christmas when she got a phone call from Edward. The kings were in trials so she was by herself in their common area. "Eddie," she exclaimed when she answered the phone.

He chuckled. "Hey, sis. Listen, would it be okay if I came to visit for a few days?"

She bounced in her seat. "Of course, it is. You don't have to ask."

"No, I really do. You're the queen now."

She groaned. "Don't start that queen business. Come see me. Let me know when your flight lands and I'll send a car."

"Don't you think you should check with your mates?" Amusement colored his voice.

"Fine, but go ahead and book your flight. If they say no, you can get a hotel room and I'll sneak out to see you." She meant it too. They weren't keeping her from her family. "I'll call you back."

She hung up and hurried into her room. She grabbed a dress without really looking at it and slipped it on before fixing her hair in a messy bun. She didn't take the time to look for shoes and hurried to the throne room. The guard opened the door for her with no hesitation and she rushed into the room.

All her mates instantly turned their attention to her. "Is everything alright, dolcezza?" Marcus asked, standing from his throne.

She waved him back down. "Everything is fine. Finish your trial. I just need to talk to you."

"Then come." Marcus sat and held out a hand to her.

In a flash, she was settled in his lap, head on his chest. He kissed the top of her head. "Sorry, Aro. Please continue," she said when she noticed the raven-haired vampire watching them.

He gave her a soft smile. "We were nearly finished anyway." He glanced at the guard standing beside the kneeling figure. "Felix," he said with a gesture and the large vampire ripped the prisoner's head from his shoulders. Demetri helped him dismember the vampire and they burnt the pieces.

"Leave us," Caius announced as soon as the execution was finished. "Come, cuoro mio." He held out a hand and she moved from Marcus to Caius. She stopped along the way to kiss Aro's cheek as she passed. (my heart -Italian)

Caius pulled her into his lap and settled his hands on her hips. "Now what is it you need, little one?"

"Edward would like to visit," she announced. "I already said yes, but he said I should ask you."

"While I appreciate the Cullen's curtesy, you need not ask. This is your home, Liliana," Aro told her.

She grinned. "Thank you. Will he be allowed to hunt while he is here?"

Marcus chuckled. "Of course. Just make sure he avoids the domesticated beasts."

She clapped her hands together and turned to Caius. Grabbing his face in her hands, she leaned forward and kissed him soundly. Before he could react, she'd dashed to Aro and done the same. And then once more to Marcus. The three kings were laughing as she headed to the door to go back to their rooms. "Lily, come back here," Marcus said still laughing.

She stopped at the door and looked over her shoulder with a grin. "Can't. Far too much to do."

***

Actually, as it turned out there wasn't that much to do at all. After texting Eddie, she told someone to make sure the room that Carlisle had used before was ready. Then, she had nothing to do but wait. She lasted about fifteen minutes before she threw herself dramatically on her bed and let her head hang off the side. She was good about entertaining herself unless she was waiting for something. She was too antsy to settle into anything.

Maybe she just needed to move. She got up and changed into her dancing gear. Grabbing her phone, she headed through her rooms to the studio. After pulling up her playlist she put her phone in the dock. She took a moment to look at the paintings Caius had done again. A smile covered her face and tension flowed from her at the thought of her blond mate. Then, she let herself get lost in the music.

"Perhaps we should call you fiore danzante instead of regina dei fiore," a voice interrupted and Lily turned to find Demi standing inside the door with a grin. Most of the guard called her regina or mistress but the Elite four who became her personal guard called her regina dei fiore or more often just fiore in reference to her name. It was a compromise with her mates that didn't want them calling her by her name. It wasn't proper they said. (dancing flower; flower queen – Italian)

She returned the grin and shut off her phone. Perhaps the favorite thing about her transition so far was the fact she could dance forever if she chose to. "Hey, Demi. What's up?"

"I have been sent to inform you that Felix has left to pick up the Cullen from the airport."

Her brows shot up. "Already?" Yay for dancing. She flashed past him to her room, yelling over her shoulder as she went. "Have to get ready. Can't chat."

Of course, it took Lily very little time to get ready. She still wasn't used to having vampire speed to do everything. She was waiting in the garage bouncing on her feet a good ten minutes before they were due to arrive. "Hurry up, Eddie," she murmured only to hear a laugh behind her.

She turned in surprise to find her mates. She grinned and ran over to meet them. After a round of hugs and kisses, she ended up in Caius's arms. "You do know you could have ran here the moment they arrived instead of lurking in the shadows?" he teased.

"Then why are you here?" she asked.

"Because we heard you were and wished to spend time with you, mia regina," Marcus answered with a soft smile. It seemed he was always smiling and it broke her heart to think that there were hundreds of years where he did not.

When the car pulled in, Lily bounced and clapped her hands. She didn't care if she was acting immature, she missed her family damnit. Edward climbed out of the front seat with a smile, but before she could greet him, the back door opened. She frowned until her favorite cowboy emerged, followed by her favorite pixie.

Lily shouted in excitement and flashed to her family, immediately wrapping them in her arms. Venom leaked from her eyes as she found herself in the middle of a group hug with three of her favorite people. "What are you all doing here?" she asked, laughter in her voice.

"You didn't think we'd let Edward come see you without taggin' along did you?" Jasper said.

"I'm so glad you're all here. I missed you," she said, giving them each their own hug. For the first time since she came to Volterra her bonds with Jasper and Edward didn't ache. Didn't remind her she wasn't with those that she considered family. "I only got one room ready, but we'll fix it."

"We've taken care of it, cara mia," Aro said. Lily turned to face her mates. "Edward sent me a message about his siblings coming with him just after you talked to us."

"This is the best surprise," she said with a wide smile. She kissed each of her mates on the cheek.

She turned back to her siblings. "Let's go inside and I will introduce everyone."

"I think we know who everyone is, little one." Caius sounded confused. He obviously wasn't expecting her to resort to the formality of introductions.

She nodded once. "Of course, but I think there are some things to discuss."

*****

Once everyone had settled in the common area, they turned to Lily expectantly. She was the one that ordered them all here, after all. She grinned and started with Edward. "Mates, this is my brother Edward. He plays the piano and writes music. He can read minds, but not mine. And I can't count the number of times he sat with me after a nightmare." Edward gave her a soft smile before nodding at the men across from him.

"Alice gives the best hugs and the best advice. She also has fantastic fashion sense and is the one that kept my closet full. You have her to thank for those sundresses you love so much." Marcus and Aro smirked while Caius gave her a deadpan expression. Lily just continued to grin. "She's also the one that reminded me everyday that life is what we make of it."

"And this is Jasper, my soul brother." She glanced at Marcus and he nodded, confirming the bond she'd long suspected. "He taught me to fight. He also taught me to be proud of who I am and loved me unconditionally from the beginning. He's my reading buddy and my greatest comfort. He's also fiercely protective."

She moved across the room to stand behind her mates. She rested her hands on Aro's shoulders and he lifted one hand to lay on top of hers. "Aro plays the violin like a god. He prefers to communicate by letter but he's also the one that modernized the Volturi. When I was in transition, he wore gloves so he wouldn't see anything I did not wish him to." Though their faces remained blank, she saw the flash of surprise in her family's eyes.

"Marcus is my scholar. He reads to me in Greek and Italian. He's the mediator. He teases me and laughs with me. His smile is one of my favorite things in the world." She ran her fingers through his hair before moving on to Caius. Marcus hummed in contentment.

"Caius's paintings are the most beautiful things I have ever seen. He is my biggest fan and fiercely protective though his heart can make him impulsive at times." She touched his shoulder and he covered her hand with his own, squeezing gently.

"She is my entire world," Caius said, surprising her. "I would gladly spend the rest of my life watching her paint and dance in the sunlight. She has given me more grace and forgiveness than I have any right to and I will cherish her for an eternity."

"She is our peace," Marcus adds. "There is nothing we would not do to see her happy."

"We love her and will protect her with everything that we are," Aro assured.

Edward looked between all of them. "Lily is family. She will always come first but if she loves you, I guess that makes you family as well."

Jasper eyed her mates warily. "I'll be frank, the only reason you haven't seen me before now is because I wasn't certain I could contain my temper and I knew hurting you would hurt her. You know who I am and what I'll do if you hurt her again. As long as you keep that in mind, I think we can get along."

Alice giggled at his words. She hopped up and flashed to Lily to pull her into a hug. "I'm so glad you're happy. I knew you would be."