I'm sorry about the wait on this chapter, guys. Real life has been crazy as hell lately, and it's gotten the better of me. Hopefully things will get back to normal soon. I didn't get a chance to reply to many reviews, and I hate that. I'm sorry, but want you to know I cherish every word you all leave for me!

Anyways... special thanks to my kick ass betas, Maggieloo402 and AydenMorgan, who worked on this chapter with the speed of lightning. I adore you both more than you could ever imagine!

To all of you out there that have faved/alerted this story, thank you so much for taking a chance on me. I hope I'm making it good for you! To the Twitter ladies, you keep me sane and happy in a life full of crap. I flove the shit out of all of you.

I hope you enjoy this chapter, please let me know what you think!


EPOV

I walked down the hall of the brightly lit Intensive Care Unit, lost in my thoughts. The entire night had been spent thinking of Bella, trying to figure out the exact way to approach the subject I was dying to speak to her about. I wanted her to come stay with me. I wanted to give her everything that she was missing out on, but my purpose would be shrouded behind dinners and benefits. She couldn't know the real reason I wanted her with me, just as she couldn't know how I truly felt.

Each room that I passed was filled with people. Families of the sick and wounded, all gathered together, hoping for the best. For most of them there was some possibility, hope that with time, they would be mended and return home. Except in the one room where it really mattered. The room with Bella's mother.

As I reached the end of the hall, dying to catch a glimpse of Bella, the sight before me caused bile to erupt in my throat. My beautiful, sweet girl was being dragged out of her mother's room by James.

Her eyes were full of tears as she strained against him, trying to break free from the grip he had on her arm. My anger flared to pure violence as he dragged the woman that meant more to me than anything else away from her dying mother. I wanted to kill him. I wanted to tear him away from her and punch him until he couldn't breathe.

I bit back my anger and watched helplessly as he pulled her down the hall and out of my sight. The minute they rounded the corner and my eyes were free of that horrid sight, I realized the importance of my plan.

She would never set foot into Midnight Sun again. From the moment Bella entered my home, there would be nothing left for her there. I would make sure of it. No one would ever harm her again.

I turned on my heel and stormed out of the ICU, racing toward my office to begin preparations. The offer needed to be too good to refuse, for both Bella and James. I had to get her out of there. If I wasn't sure before, images of his hands gripping Bella's arm solidified my resolve. She would never go through that again.

~0o~0o~

Dear Isabella,

I shall always be near you; in the garish day and in the darkest night - amidst your happiest scenes and gloomiest hours - always, always; and if there be a soft breeze upon your cheek, it shall be my breath; or the cool air fans your throbbing temple, it shall be my spirit passing by.

I sealed the letter and placed it carefully in the hospital mailbox before going outside. I sat impatiently waiting for my brother, Jasper, to show. He had called this morning to ask me to lunch. Any other day it would have been fine to catch up with him. Today was the worst of days.

The sun bore down on me, feeling as though I had the weight of the world resting on my shoulders. My anxiety was heightened and my body felt like it was working overtime to find solutions to problems I couldn't fix. I was teetering on the edge of insanity from the stress that had consumed me.

I closed my eyes and pictured the one and only thing that could possibly calm me down. Bella. Her warm eyes and soft brown hair hypnotized me. Her fingers as they traced up my sides still burned my skin, sending jolts of electricity up my spine. The way she laughed and her voice when she called my name stayed with me always, haunting me.

"Hey," a quiet voice said, pulling me out of my daydream.

I opened my eyes and looked up into the glaring sun, at my bother standing before me.

"Hey," I said back to him, sliding over on the bench to make room for him.

He sat down, reaching into the bag I hadn't noticed he was holding by his side. Watching him quietly, he lifted two boxed sandwiches out and handed one to me.

"You look like shit. You need to eat," Jasper said, and gave me an "I'm not fucking around" look.

I took the sandwich and slowly unwrapped it from the plastic container, trying to remember the last time I had eaten. With everything that had been going on at work, and my stress over Bella, it had been a day or two at least.

"Thanks," I mumbled as I took my first bite.

We sat in silence for a while, just eating and enjoying the peace and quiet. As my stomach filled with food, I felt my mind become stronger. The energy that had left my body was suddenly rushing back in, flooding my veins.

"I guess I did need to eat," I admitted as I took the last bite of the sandwich.

Tossing the plastic into the trash can next to me, I turned to look at my brother who was still working on his lunch. His blonde, curly hair hung low over his eyes in waves, making it hard to determine his mood.

He had called me this morning, wanting to meet for lunch-something we hardly ever did. I could usually tell what was on his mind by the way he looked at me, but today it seemed as though he was hiding something.

"What's going on, Jazz? Why the power lunch?"

Jasper turned his head and brushed his hair out of his eyes. He studied me for a moment, his eyes full of concern and hesitation. Saying nothing, he took another bite of his sandwich. I sighed heavily, running my hands restlessly through my hair as I waited for him to say something.

After he finished his lunch I was sure that he was going to speak up, but instead he just shifted his weight and sighed. I stood from the bench and turned to look at him as he continued to ignore me.

"If you're not going to say anything, I have a ton of shit to do before rounds, so..."

"I know what you're doing," Jasper said angrily.

I choked on my words as what he had said registered in my mind. Without having to go into greater detail, I knew what he was talking about.

"I have people watching that building twenty-four hours a day. I watch low-life assholes go in and out, knowing what they are doing in there and unable to prevent it."

Jasper rose from the bench and looked at me. I could see the anger in his eyes and the rise and fall of his chest as he fought to keep control of his emotions.

"Just when I think I've gotten what I need to finally get this guy, who do I see walking out of the building in question? My fucking brother. If that doesn't fuck me and the whole investigation up, I don't know what will."

My heart stopped beating altogether. If things had been bad before, shit had just hit the fan.

"I had to scramble to come up with some fucking reason as to why my brother was seen coming out of a whore house. Are you trying to get me disbarred, Edward? Are you? Because I honestly could not think of a good reason as to why you were seen in that building. I know there is no way in hell you would be fucking one of those whores, right?"

Without hesitation I grabbed Jasper by the collar of his shirt and pulled him so close to me that our noses grazed. We were both panting wildly, anger taking over as we went head to head.

"She's not a fucking whore! Don't ever say that again!"

I shoved him away from me before I could wrap my hands around his neck like I wanted to. How dare he come here and attack me without asking for the facts first. He was always one to jump to conclusions, letting his emotions run his life. This was the perfect example.

"Jesus Christ, Edward. Do you have any idea what you are doing? To me? To Mom and Dad? To yourself?"

I resented the fact that he was bringing up our family for the simple fact that they had nothing to do with it. He was acting like I had become involved in some sort of highly criminal activity. What I did in my spare time was my business and no one else's.

"This conversation is over," I spat. "Mind your own fucking business, Jasper. I'll try not to do anything that will threaten your job. God forbid your life gets fucked up."

With that, I stomped away. I could hear my brother's voice calling after me, but I had no interest in what he was saying. He had said his piece, and that was the end of it.

~0o~0o~

"Over my dead fucking body would I ever let that happen," James hissed, puffing his chest and making like he was going to lurch at me.

I sat in a rusted chair across from him in his office, approaching him with my offer. After leaving Bella's room, I marched right down the hall and told him the offer. Bella had thankfully accepted, now all I had to do was convince the vile piece of shit sitting across from me.

"I'll make it well worth your while, James. It's just one girl. How much will she really be missed?"

Even as the words fell from my mouth, I was wracked by guilt for the way I was speaking of her. She deserved better, much better, than how I was talking about her, but showing that weakness to James would only make it that much more difficult to convince him to release her.

"Besides, it's just for a few weeks. Then you'll have her right back where you want her," I lied, knowing there was no way in hell I would ever let that happen.

I swallowed hard and held James' glare as I waited for an answer. The hard lines on his face and tightly pressed lips warned me that this wasn't going to be easy. I sighed heavily, shifting in my seat.

"Your brother is the District Attorney, is he not?"

"He has nothing to do with this. This deal is between you and me and no one else," I warned.

He looked at me, his eyes hard and narrowed. I could almost see the wheels turning in his head, trying to find some way that he could adapt my request to fit his own devices.

"She has appointments. There are other people that she sees and I won't risk losing the business. I don't see how this can happen."

I could feel the blood in my veins start to boil as I watched James shake his head at me. His resistance to my plan was expected, but I was quickly losing my patience. There was no way I was going to accept a no from him.

"I was hoping that you would make this easy for me, but since that seems impossible, then I have no problem saying this," I threatened as I leaned forward onto my elbows, closer to James. "You know who I am as well as who my family is. My brother is District Attorney of this city, and I would have no problem cluing him in as to what exactly it is that goes on in this place."

James' eyes widened as my threat registered. I could see caution and anxiety pass through his eyes, and I knew I had his attention.

"You wouldn't," he whispered.

"I would. Especially because the girl I just saw had bruises all over her body. You don't treat your women properly and you don't run a clean business. I've had it. You either give me the girl or I give you to my brother."

"You'd go down with me," he warned.

"I'd be more than happy to. Just so that I know you are ruined."

We held each other's stares like two animals ready to attack. We didn't move and barely breathed. It was a waiting game to see who would break first.

I knew he was going over what I had said in his mind. The threat of the extinction of Midnight Sun was something to be taken seriously in his eyes. His money and his business were being threatened, and that wasn't something a man like James would tolerate. I expected there to be problems in the future unless we could work this out to both of our advantages.

"You have a lot of balls, you know that, Cullen?" he spat at me.

I nodded my head slowly, not dropping his stare for one second. I was not bending on this. Bella was going to be released to me, whether he liked it or not.

"Ten thousand a week, for two weeks," he said, cocking an eyebrow at me.

"Fuck you. That's a bullshit offer and you know it," I growled at him.

"You want her, you pay for her. Take it or get the fuck out."

James moved to stand up from behind his desk as I curved my fingers into tight fists. A smile lingered on his mouth, pissing me the fuck off. He knew I would pay it, just as I knew I couldn't refuse.

As I opened my mouth to accept his offer, he continued.

"And she is required to be at my disposal when I need her, two nights each week."

I flew up out of my chair as my patience fizzled, slamming my hand on the desk in front of us. My vision turned red, thinking about Bella leaving me to be with another man. There was no fucking way that I was going to let her go.

I leaned over the desk, my face red with fury, and glared at him.

"Fuck you," I seethed. "Do you honestly think I am going to let her be touched by some other asshole while she is with me? If you think that is going to happen, you've got another thing coming."

I wanted to kill him. The anger that boiled in my veins urged me to reach over the table and snap his fucking neck. He was disgusting, an animal who deserved nothing but to die a slow and torturous death. How he managed to live as the scum he was was beyond me.

I drew in a jagged breath and tried to calm myself, remembering that it would not be in my best interest to piss him off. I still needed to get him to agree. Swallowing my anger, I lowered myself back into my chair.

"You seem to have become quite fond of my Bella, haven't you, Cullen?" James asked as he sat back in his chair.

I snorted, trying my best to calm my temper and regain control of the situation.

"I just don't take kindly to men who treat women like slaves. It would be wise of you to give her to me."

"You say you don't like the way I treat my women, yet here you are, sitting in my place of business. You have paid to keep Midnight Sun up and running, therefore you are a hypocrite. Do you think she won't be a slave when she is paid to reside in your home?"

"That's different," I hissed, the fury in my voice reaching across the table and slicing at him.

"How? How is it different? You are paying for her, whether it is here or there. That makes her a slave, to both you and I. We are in fact two pieces of the same puzzle."

"Bullshit. I could never be like you. I may be paying for her company, but I assure you that she is free to leave if she ever decides to. I will not, like I'm sure you do, use physical or mental intimidation to keep her."

James said nothing, just sat in his chair and watched me through narrowed eyes. I knew I had him backed into a corner; there was nothing he could do but accept. I waited as he contemplated my offer, smiling inwardly when he took a deep breath and sighed heavily.

"Fine. My offer is still ten grand a week. I'm sure you can handle that, considering your family. I will need her one night a week, that I will not bend on. Do we have a deal?"

I wanted to tell him to fuck off when he mentioned the one night she would be away from me, but I knew he wasn't going to give in. I had to think about Bella as well, as she may also want to see her other clients. I had no idea how she felt about that.

"Fine. It's done. One night a week. I'll need advance notice of which night, so I can plan ahead of time. The arrangement will start on Friday, two days from now. She is not to step a foot into this building while she is with me, do you understand?"

James nodded quietly and wrote something down on a piece of paper on his desk.

"I want the ten grand for the first week by Friday, or she doesn't show. The rest of the money you will give me in one week. Are we in agreement?"

I nodded as he reached for the phone on his desk. My heart was suddenly racing again, but not from anger. This time, it was racing from excitement. I shook it off immediately, unwilling to allow those feelings inside of me. There was no need to be excited. This was a business deal, for two weeks of her time. After that, she was no longer mine.

"Get Bella in here," James barked into the phone before slamming it back onto the receiver.

The door opened immediately and I turned to see Bella walking in. She stood awkwardly against the wall until James motioned for her to sit in the chair beside mine. As she did, she looked up at me and smiled lightly. My heart pounded furiously in my chest.

Mine.

"Bella, are you aware of what Edward and I have been speaking about?"

Bella nodded quickly, her eyes passing from James to mine. Traces of blush bloomed on her cheeks, beckoning my hands to touch her face. I fought back the urge to drag her to me, instead focusing my attention back on James.

"I asked her about it before I met with you. There was no sense wasting your time if she wasn't interested. Like I said before, I have no interest in making her my slave."

James narrowed his eyes at me, obviously not liking my tone. I heard Bella gasp beside me, and I turned to look at her. Her eyes were wide and full of fear as she looked at me, then at James, trying to gauge his reaction to my rude demeanor.

"Then you understand that you will be staying with him for two weeks, in his home, twenty-four hours a day. You will be at his disposal for whatever he requires, whenever. Yes?"

"Yes," Bella said quickly.

My mind and heart struggled against each other as I listened to James tell Bella what was required of her while she was staying with me. My heart was ecstatic, wanting to take her from this place this very instant and never return her. My mind told me to stop those errant thoughts. They would get me nowhere that I hadn't already been; the place I swore I would never go again.

I suddenly thought of all the things I needed to do in preparation for her arrival. It was just two days from now and there was so much to do. Her arrival would be awkward for us both, and I needed to assure her that she had made the right decision. I wanted the transition to be as easy for her as possible.

"So it's settled," I said quickly, turning to Bella. "I will send a car to pick you up on Friday afternoon, if that's alright with you."

A look of surprise washed over her face and I realized that she had probably never been asked her opinion before. No one had cared what she thought, or what she wanted. Suddenly my vision was clear as day, and I understood how desperate I was to please her and make her happy. I wanted to give her everything she desired and possibly more. That started now.

"A car will be outside your house at five Friday evening. It will bring you to my home. See you then."

With that, I stood up and walked out the door.


So, what do you think? A lot of shit went down here, what's your take on it all? Please, be kind and leave a review. I fucking adore them.