Aurora pressed her cheek against Xavier's back, feeling a bit mentally exhausted and overwhelmed.

"Hello, love."

Xavier smiled as he felt her arms wrap around his waist with her head resting on his back. He turned the stove down to low and let the soup simmer.

"Hi," she whispered, tipteing up to place a sweet kiss on the back of his neck.

"How did it go?"

Xavier turned around to wrap his arms around her. He slowly moved forward until Aurora's back touched the kitchen island.

"I think it went really well," she murmured against his chest. "We talked, cried, and laughed— did I ever tell you how attractive you look when you cook?"

Xavier's chest rumbled as he chuckled. He placed his hands on the counter, trapping her in his arms. "You're getting distracted, sweetheart."

"Oh, right— well," she hesitated, remembering Megan's wishes to tell him herself. "She wanted to be the one who told you everything herself— when she's ready."

It was silent for a moment and Aurora looked up to see Xavier thinking about what she just said. He sighed but nodded.

"I guess I should respect her wishes," he muttered, feeling a little dejected. As an older brother, the urge to protect his younger sister was strong, yet at this moment, he felt powerless. "But it was... that, right?"

He didn't even need to clarify what he meant by "that" for Aurora to nod. His jaw clenched as he closed his eyes to take a deep breath. It was the 21st fucking century, how does this shit still happen?

"They won't even do anything about it because their parents are paying everyone to keep quiet," she added bitterly.

Xavier closed his eyes, his knuckles turning white with how tight he was holding onto the marble counter. The anger in him was boiling, burning him as it awaited its release.

"I'm going to kill them," seethed Xavier. "I'll go to the school tomorrow and I'll fucking teach them a lesson— each and every one of them. No one messes with the Knights and gets away with it."

He was so angry and he could only imagine his siblings being just as angry as he was when they found out, especially Elijah. He had always had the closest bond with Megan and despite his playful nature, he was unpredictable when angry. Xavier could feel the rage inside of him, and just when he thought he was going to explode, a small voice stopped him.

"Don't."

Startle by the sudden interruption, they both turned to look in the direction of the voice only to see Megan poking her head into the kitchen, having been eavesdropping in on the conversation.

They both waited for the younger girl to speak. It was silent— they could hear Megan take a deep breath to calm her nerves.

"I don't want to cause any more trouble," Megan muttered, fidgeting while playing with her fingers, not meeting her brother's piercing stare.

Xavier's expression softened at her words. "Megan, you aren't causing anybody any trouble. Come here, peanut."

He beckoned her to him and immediately she ran into his arms. Being 10 years older than her, he tended to baby her. She hadn't heard that nickname in a long time, and she felt herself tear up when he said it. It was a nickname their entire family called her because she was the youngest.

Xavier wasn't one to show affection often, especially to those who were not Aurora, but his sisters were an exception, It had been a while since she had a famous Xavier bear hug and she had missed them desperately. She felt loved and safe like her big brother could protect her from everything in the world.

"What happened to your uniform?" He asked when he pulled away, helping her sit down on a stool at the breakfast bar. He looked at the large long-sleeved shirt she had on, and he could've sworn he'd seen Aurora wear something similar. Yes, this was how often he paid attention to his girlfriend.

Megan turned to look at Aurora and the latter gave her a nod. It would be the right thing to just come clean instead of making up an excuse.

Megan bit her lip, looking down as she played with the hem of the shirt, contemplating her answer. Xavier waited patiently for her explanation— he didn't want to push Megan to say anything she didn't want to. He was going to be there for her, which meant he'd have to be patient.

"I-it got dirty," she took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Megan wasn't exactly sure how her brother was going to react. "The- T-they dumped spaghetti and milk on me during lunch."

Closing his eyes once again, he tried to control the anger that was rising in him again. He needed to scream at someone or punch something.

"If only I had the guts to fight back," whispered Megan, looking down ashamed.

Xavier shook his head, his hand grasping onto her shoulder, giving her a gentle squeeze. "This has nothing to do with whether or not you fought back, peanut," He sighed. "This shouldn't even have happened in the first place."

Xavier brought Megan in for another hug, bending down, so she could reach him from where she was seated.

"We're going to deal with this together properly," he rubbed her back, silently reassuring her.

"But-" she began to protest.

"No, peanut," he said sternly. "You know I am not going to let this go. All of them need to be punished for their actions and I'm going to make sure that happens."

He could hear her breathing quicken as her little head began to overthink with what Xavier would do. Megan knew her brother could be ruthless— which was why people were so scared of him. But, she definitely didn't want him to go to jail for murder.

"I'm not going to kill them, per se, but there will be consequences," he promised as he felt Megan hesitantly nod against his neck.

"How about, after dinner, we hold a family conference?" he suggested, softly. "Then, we can decide what to do— as a family."

Megan thought for a second, knowing she had to eventually explain everything to her family. She didn't want to keep anymore from her family.

"Alright."

His lips formed a small smile as he patted her head affectionately. He was proud of her—if she was willing to talk about everything that was going on, then this was definitely progress.

"Good, I'll let everyone know, peanut," he praised, keeping his arms around her. He sighed softly. "I'm sorry for being such a terrible older brother. I should've been there to protect you."

Megan shook her head. "You're the best older brother I could ever ask for. If anything, I'm sorry for not telling you sooner."

Ever since the bullying began, she became more distant and quiet. It was a change that her family noticed, but they had just thought she was going through a phase. It wasn't until the small bruises began to show up that they figured she was hiding something. But what could do they do when every time they would ask, she would distance herself even more?

"Hey, none of that, peanut," scolded Xavier, pulling away to give her a stern look. "You don't have to be sorry. Never apologize for something like this. I know how hard it is for you to talk about this, but we're family and we'll always be here for you. You're a beautiful and smart girl, peanut, and we're going to get through this together."

A small smile appeared on Megan's face and she nodded. Xavier smiled, kissing her forehead.

Aurora watched the siblings' exchange silently as a stray tear escaped down her cheek. She quickly wiped them away, hoping to not get caught, but she was too slow. Xavier had already seen her.

"I-I don't know why I'm crying," she sniffed, causing the siblings to chuckle as they looked at her. They reminded her so much of her and Conner. She remembered whenever he would comfort her and tell her that everything was going to be okay. She found herself missing that big idiot.

"Come here, you big baby."

Xavier motioned her to join them and when made if over to them, he immediately wrapped an arm around her shoulder. She hid her head into Xavier's side as he rubbed her shoulders comfortingly. He met Megan's eyes and shook his head with a smile playing on his lips.

Megan knew she was going to be okay.

❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎

"They fucking did what?"

Aurora could hear Elijah's voice echo through the room. She could practically imagine everyone's angry expression as she walked back into Xavier's home office.

They just had dinner and were currently in a call with all of the Knights present. Aurora had gone to make them her famous smoothie— wanting to let Megan tell her story to her family. It was hard listening to Megan explain what's been happening to her a second time. No one should have to go through bullying, no matter who or what their circumstances were.

Aurora placed the two mason jar mugs on the table— one for Megan and one for her and Xavier to share. Megan gave her a grateful look as she continued to talk to her family. She was sitting in front of the large computer, camera pointing directly at her while Xavier and Aurora sat slightly behind her off to the side.

Grabbing their mug, Aurora made her way back to her seat, only to be stopped by Xavier. He pulled her onto his lap, wrapping his large arm around her as she got comfortable.

She could see that both his jaw and fists were clenched— he too, along with everyone else, was angry. She cupped his jaw and rubbed it gently, hoping he would loosen up.

"Why didn't you tell us, peanut?" Maddie asked, wiping away a tear. She was sorry she wasn't there for Megan when the younger girl needed it. Lucas rubbed his girlfriend's arm soothingly, also feeling angry since he saw Megan as his younger sister.

"We could've done something about it earlier," added Stephanie with Ethan by her side. "You know you could tell us anything."

"I know- I just," Aurora reached over to give her shoulder a reassuring squeeze as Megan took a deep breath. "I just didn't want to disappoint you guys."

There, she said it.

"Oh, my baby," sobbed Isabella as she stared into the screen directly at the wounds on her youngest daughter's face. Alexander was cursing in the background, feeling the rage course through him as he thought of what they did to his daughter.

"Peanut," Alexander took a deep breath, appearing back on screen. "You would never be a disappointment to us. Never in a million years."

"We love you for who you are," Isabella said as she wiped away a few lingering tears. "No matter what, baby."

"I know," muttered Megan, looking down to avoid the stares. She had always looked up to her siblings— they were all always outspoken and brave, unlike her, who preferred hiding in the shadows. "I love you guys, too. I'm sorry for not saying anything earlier and I'm sorry for being distant these past few months."

During these past few months, everyone could tell Megan wasn't as happy as she had been and instead, she would keep to herself. She felt bad for not being present, but she was just scared of her family seeing her as a disappointment.

"Don't apologize for something that's not your fault, peanut," Damien muttered, similar to what Xavier had said. It was the first time he had spoken up since the beginning of the call. He had been shocked to see his baby sister's face all battered and bruised— he was afraid he was going to lose his temper and scare her. Being the oldest brother, there was a part of him that felt like he had failed her. "They are the ones who are going to pay for what they did to you."

"And we'll make sure of that," promised Elijah, agreeing with his older brother. This was the first time that Aurora had seen Elijah not his usual playful self.

The conversation shifted a bit to a lighter mood. It was the first time in months they had seen Megan talking a lot more and they were all happy that their old Megan was coming back.

"We're getting on our plane the first thing tomorrow morning," declared Isabella.

"And we're pulling you out of school," muttered Alexander— the disproval in his voice evident. All of his kids had attended Ridgecrest Academy and he had been sponsoring them for years without asking for anything in return.

Although he never revealed to the school that any of his younger children were attending with them using Isabella's maiden name, he still expected them all to be treated fairly alongside everyone else. Never would he have imagined the bribing going on to keep his own daughter's bullying on the down-low. Just thinking about it enraged him and he, too, felt that he had failed his own child.

"But ma-"

Isabella gave Megan a stern look, cutting her daughter off. "The fashion show is over and we have no business here in Paris anymore. I would rather be there for you, baby."

"I'm really okay with staying with Xavier and Aurora, ma," insisted Megan, wanting her parents to spend more alone time together. "They've been taking care of me really well."

"I know, peanut, but as your mother, I can't bear to be away from you right now— not after seeing you like this," Isabella's mind was made and it was going to be difficult to change her mind.

"Dad?" Begged Megan, pulling off a puppy dog face.

Alexander sighed. He couldn't say 'no' when his daughter looked at him like that. He wrapped an arm around Isabella and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Love-"

"You can't change my mind, Alexander. I'm going back to see my baby whether you like it or not," she stubbornly shrugged him away.

"Sorry, peanut," Alexander gave his daughter an apologetic smile.

"Well," interrupted Stephanie. "How about this? We'll take Megan out for a girls' weekend— just me, Maddie, Aurora, and peanut. We'll make sure she's alright, ma, so you two can just relax and enjoy the rest of your vacation in Paris."

"Yeah, ma," agreed Maddie. "It'll be good for her to get out and have fun. We'll take good care of her— you have nothing to worry about."

"Please, ma," Megan pleaded. She didn't want her parents' trip to be cut short because of her. And a girls' weekend sounded fun, especially with her sisters and Aurora.

Isabella looked conflicted as she sighed. "Fine, but-"

She was cut off when the girls cheered, including Aurora.

"But," she repeated louder. "We're still pulling you out of school while we deal with the school and your peers."

"You don't hear me complaining," muttered Megan. It's not like she had any more school work to do— there was only a week left until she graduated. She was already guaranteed a spot at the same university Elijah was going to and there was nothing more to be done.

The last week of school was usually meant for graduation practice, taking photos, and yearbook signing— all of which she wouldn't have enjoyed anyways. She wasn't even sure she wanted to attend graduation.

"Are you feeling better now?" Asked a still concerned Maddie. It hurt her to see her sister like this, especially seeing the effect it had on Aurora when they first met. She'd be damned to let Megan go through the same thing her best friend had gone through.

Megan nodded, a small smile forming on her lips. "A lot better actually, especially letting it all out— thanks to Aurora, of course."

Aurora reached over and squeezed her arm with affection.

"That's what family's here for, right?" Winked Aurora, causing a wide smile to spread on Megan's face. She was taken aback when Megan suddenly launched herself at Aurora, and now Xavier was holding both of their weights up. Aurora chuckled as she returned the hug, patting the younger girl's back.

"Hello, I'm still down here, ladies," muttered Xavier, casually reminding them that he was still there— not that he was feeling winded from holding the two. "Holding both of you up— mind you."

Aurora rolled her eyes and glared at him just as Megan pulled away. "Are you saying we're heavy?"

"Of course not, love," grinned Xavier as he placed a kiss on her cheek. "Peanut on the other hand..."

His voice trailed off, causing Megan's mouth to fall open with shock. They could hear laughter coming from the computer as Megan began to attack her brother. Poor Aurora was caught in between the assault and in the end, the siblings ganged up to tickle Aurora, knowing she was very ticklish. All while she was just an innocent bystander.

A minute later, Aurora exhausted slumped against Xavier's chest as the siblings shared a high five.

"Don't worry, my beautiful Aurora," called out Elijah, his playful and flirty demeanor coming back. He felt an itch to annoy his older brother. "I'll come and save you, babe."

Xavier sent a warning glare to Elijah who in return, smiled cheekily.

"Watch it, kid."

❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎

Question: Do you guys prefer reading stories where there are images to describe certain things? I'm just wondering because I find it difficult to fully describe outfits sometimes. Let me know because I'm kind of down to add images to show the outfits!

Thank you for reading and have an amazing rest of the day x