Restaurants, hospitals and airports

I didn't have to stay at the hospital overnight as Carlisle was pretty sure that I wouldn't have another mental breakdown. He said that the reason for me collapsing was probably just the stress caused by Jasper accident and the break-in into our apartment.

The break-in.

I didn't really think about it at first as I was too worried about Jasper. But now the break-in worried me a lot. I didn't think the bad feeling I had last night meant anything special, but apparently it did. The burglars entered my apartment between two and three in the morning, the time when the weird feeling of unease started and I decided to leave the apartment. Coming to think of it now, it was probably one of the best decisions in my life so far. I talked to the police a little while after I woke up and they told me that the whole apartment was destroyed. The tables, chairs, couches, beds and closets were chopped with what they think was an ax. Just thinking of what could have happened to me if I would have still been there makes me shudder. These burglars didn't seem to care about anything else but getting as many valuable possessions as possible. I could really imagine that any person standing in their way would be mercilessly killed by them. Or maybe if the person was a woman and they had a good day they would only rape her. I shuddered again and willed myself not to think about it further.

Before I was leaving the hospital for the night I went to check on Jasper. He looked horrible with cuts all over his face, his arms and legs bandaged and a breathing mask covering most of his face.

"Hey big brother," I greeted him. Of course I knew he couldn't hear me, but I read somewhere that it was good to talk to unconscious patients, so that was what I did.

"Get well again soon. With Edward being in Hong Kong and you being here nobody's there to entertain Emmett. Of course there's Rose, but knowing how much you approve of their relationship that's probably a reason for you to wake up even sooner," I chuckled lightly.

"I'm sorry you're in here Jasper and I know it's all my fault. I should have somehow told you that I spent the night at Edward's place and not at my own, then you wouldn't have felt the need to go to the apartment immediately and all this wouldn't have happened," I said, resting my head in my hands in guilt.

"Bella?" A soft voice asked. I turned around and saw Esme standing in the doorway.

"Carlisle told me that it's time for you to leave now as visiting hours basically ended about an hour ago and he can't make any further excuses for you," Esme said, smiling at me warmly.

"Thank you Esme. I'll see you tomorrow big brother. I love you," I said turning from Esme to Jasper and kissing his forehead, just the way he had always done when we were kids and I was afraid of something.

"You are really close, aren't you?" Esme asked when we left the room and walked in the general direction of the exit.

"Yeah. Rose and Jasper have always been my best friends and once my parents died we became even closer. We truly are like siblings," was my answer.

"Emmett told me a lot about the relationship between you and your cousins before, but I never believed something like that was possible. I guess you proved me wrong today," she laughed softly and I smiled at her.

"Bella, I was wondering if you'd mind having dinner with me today?" Esme asked me suddenly.

"I would love to Esme," I answered surprised. Esme smiled at me brilliantly and lead me towards her car. It was a black Audi S5. I felt my jaw drop when I saw it and Esme chuckled.

"It was a present from Carlisle for my last birthday. He loves German cars," Esme explained.

"Then Carlisle and I have something in common. I don't know much about cars in general, but from the whole outer appearance the German cars, especially Audis, are my favorites," I said as Esme and I got inside.

"So, where do you want to go for dinner, Bella?" Esme asked.

"Edward showed me this cute little restaurant not too far from Discovery Park. It's called La Bella Italia. It's a really nice place, do you know it?" I asked.

"No, but I think Edward mentioned it once or twice when he was over for dinner at our house," Esme answered thoughtful.

"It belongs to some old friends of Edward's parents. They are really nice, but I have to warn you! If we go there, watch out for Francesco, he's a huge flirt," I laughed and Esme joined in. Once we had calmed down we agreed to go there because Esme wanted to 'check Francesco out'. I really had to laugh at that and could only imagine how Emmett would have groaned if he had heard his mother saying that. After about thirty minutes we arrived in front of the little restaurant and went inside. I could see that Esme really liked it as she looked around with an affectionate expression on her face.

"Bella!" An excited voice exclaimed and I turned to see Francesco hurrying towards me.

"Ciao Francesco," I said, greeting him in Italian. That was also about everything I could say in Italian.

"Ciao Bella! How are you? Where is Edward?" He asked looking around, apparently thinking Edward would be with me.

"I'm fine Francesco, thank you. How are you? Edward's not with me tonight, he's in Hong Kong right now."

"Well, at least you are here. And who is this beautiful lady accompanying you?" He asked and reached out to take Esme's hand and kissed her knuckles. I had to stifle a giggle when I saw Esme blush.

"This is Esme Francesco, the wife of Edward's boss," was my answer.

"Ooooooh, so this is the famous Mrs. Cullen! Edward has told me so much about you," he said winking at Esme which made her giggle.

"FRANCESCO!" Someone roared from the kitchen and made him jump.

I turned around and saw Giulia leaning in the doorway to the kitchen with her arms crossed, looking at her husband with raised eyebrows.

"Ah, Giulia, you startled me. I was just welcoming young Bella here. She came without Edward this time, though," he said, smiling at her angelically, trying to distract her. Giulia looked over at me then and her serious expression was replaced by a gentle smile.

"Bella," she exclaimed and came over to hug me. "You came back. It is so good to see you. How are you?"

"I'm fine Giulia, thank you. As Edward is in Hong Kong right now I had to go a whole week without excellent Italian food and so I decided to come here tonight. He's an amazing cook and I can only guess who taught him how to cook like that," I said smiling at Giulia who blushed at my compliment.

"Thank you, Bella. Do you want to sit at Edward's usual table? The one in the quiet corner with Francesco's mother's painting hanging on the wall above it?" She asked, smiling at me softly.

"I would love to sit there," was my answer and I returned her smile. After that she was leading Esme and me to our table much to Francesco's dismay.

"I have to apologize for Francesco. He's especially flirty tonight. If he bothers you don't hesitate to call me," she said and left.

"Okay, I see you were not exaggerating when you said he was a 'huge flirt'," Esme giggled and I laughed at her girlish attitude.

"But please don't tell Carlisle anything about that or I'll never be allowed to go out with you again," she added with a wink.

"My lips are sealed Esme," I laughed.

After a very flirty Francesco came over and took our order we talked a little bit about her family, Emmett especially.

"I really have to thank you Bella," Esme suddenly offered unexpectedly.

"Uhm, you're welcome, but what for Esme?" I asked confused.

"Emmett always wished to have a little sister, but after him Carlisle and I were never able to conceive again. I was really sad that I couldn't fulfill Emmett's biggest wish, but now that I see that he has you, the little sister he always wished for, I'm happier than you can possibly imagine. My heart was about to explode with joy when I heard him call you 'little sister' today at the hospital," Esme explained with tears in her eyes.

"Yeah, Emmett has always been a kind of brother for me, making me laugh all the time and protecting me from all the bullies at school. You have no idea how scared they all were of Emmett," I answered, laughing at the memory of their shocked faces when an enraged Emmett came to save me.

"Scared? Of Emmett? We are talking about the same man, aren't we? Cause the Emmett I know is a huge softie," Esme laughed.

"Yeah, I know that, but most people were just intimidated by his appearance. I mean, he truly is huge and if I didn't know that he is about as dangerous as a teddy bear I would be scared of him as well," I said.

"Yeah, I always wondered where he got that from as neither Carlisle nor I are like that at all," Esme mused.

"Well, Emmett is just one of a kind," I laughed and Esme agreed with me laughing hard.

We continued talking for hours and decided to go home around midnight. Esme offered to drive me home and I gladly accepted. I really wasn't in the mood for walking home. Some people might call me paranoid, but I never liked being outside alone at night and especially since the break-in last night that feeling only increased.

"Bella, where am I supposed to take you? I mean, you don't really want to go back to your apartment, do you? Those burglars could come back anytime," Esme asked me worriedly.

"No, no, Esme, I'm not going back there. Just take me to the Four Seasons, please," I answered.

"The Four Seasons?" She asked surprised.

"Yeah, I'm going to stay at Edward's apartment."

"Oh! Yes, I think that's safe enough and knowing Edward he probably committed the whole staff there to keep an eye on you and make sure you'll be alright," she laughed.

"As a matter of fact, that's exactly what he did," I grumbled in response. Esme stopped laughing and looked at me surprised.

"He did?" She asked.

"Yeah," I grumbled again.

"I was actually joking when I said that. I can't believe he really did that. It's really embarrassing, isn't it? I remember Carlisle doing the same thing at the beginning of our relationship," Esme mused.

"Yeah, it is. Every time I walk inside the building Geoffrey wants to know how I am and if everything is alright. Edward even told him to call me and make sure I'm okay if I don't show up in the lobby."

"Don't be angry Bella. Can't you understand why Edward did all this?"

"No, it's absolutely unnecessary."

"No, it's not. He cares about you deeply, Bella. I would even go as far and say he's in love with you. He just wants to protect you, make sure you're safe. I can imagine that he was absolutely pissed when he heard he had to leave Seattle. He doesn't want you to be alone and unprotected," Esme said softly. I was shocked when she said Edward was in love with me. I knew that I was in love with him, but did he really feel the same about me? I realized that this between us was probably more than just a game for him, but I couldn't believe he felt as strongly about us as I did.

"I think it's a bit early to talk about love in our case," was my answer.

"Why would you think that?" Esme asked.

"Esme, we know each other for a little over a week now, that's just too early," I said, knowing that it wasn't too early for me, but definitely for him.

"Why? Carlisle confessed his love for me right the day after we met and then we got married a few weeks later. As you can see we're still happy and in love like on the first day," Esme said softly.

"Yeah, that might have worked for you and Carlisle, but-"

"No buts, Bella! Tell me the truth, how do you feel about him?" Esme interrupted me.

"I like him," I mumbled.

"But that's not all."

"W-What do you mean?" I asked nervously. Does she know? Was it so obvious that I fell in love with Edward?

"I know you love him and so do you," she answered smugly.

"I-I don't know what you mean," I stammered.

"Yes, you do Bella. Be honest with yourself, take a deep breath and tell me what you truly feel when you see him, hear him or think about him."

I did as she said and closed my eyes.

"I love him," I whispered.

"There you go. Saying it out loud is the first step to really accept it. You love him and now the only question is if he loves you."

"Yeah, knowing the answer to that would help me quite a bit," I mumbled. Esme only smiled and the rest of the drive was spent in silence.

"Here we are Bella, the Four Seasons. Have a nice night," Esme said when we were there and I got out of the car.

"You, too, Esme," I answered and walked into building.

"Good evening Ms Swan," Geoffrey called as I entered the lobby and beckoned for me to come over to him.

"Good evening Geoffrey. What is it?" I asked when I reached the desk.

"I was wondering if you could take Mr. Masen's mail up to the apartment with you?"

"Of course, that won't be a problem," I smiled at him.

"Thank you. Oh yes, Mr. Masen called to let you know that he will take an earlier flight and already arrive at Sea-Tac airport at 8 p.m., instead of 10 p.m.."

"Really? That's great! Thank you, Geoffrey. Have a nice night," I said, walking away smiling.

"You're welcome Ms Swan. Have a nice night, too," he said, smiling as well.

Once I reached Edward's apartment I noticed how incredibly tired I was. The whole day was very exhausting. I went to the bathroom, brushed my teeth quickly, put Edward's shirt on once again and then went over to the bedroom and slumped onto the bed. It didn't take long and I was fast asleep.

When I woke up the next day I was surprised that I didn't have any nightmares. Normally when something terrible such as Jasper's accident happened I had the most horrifying nightmares, but not that night. I suspected it had something to do with Edward. Whenever I was with him I felt unusually calm and apparently his apartment had a similar effect on me. Only being here, where he lived, kept the nightmares away.

I didn't get up immediately that morning, but decided to stay in bed for a little while longer to relax. I snuggled into the blanket and looked out of the window watching the ships go by on the water.

All in all I had a very peaceful morning, watching ships and finally having breakfast without any interruption. After I was done with breakfast, I decided to go to the hospital and check on Jasper once again. Maybe my aunt would be there, so I could apologize for scaring her yesterday. I still felt bad that she had to witness that.

When I left for the hospital I greeted Geoffrey down in the hall and went outside to get a taxi. Once I arrived at the hospital I saw that there was a different woman sitting at the front desk. I sighed in relief, not yet ready for another encounter with Victoria.

"Happy not to see Victoria again?" A voice asked me and I jumped. I turned around startled and looked into the amused face of none other than Carlisle.

"Gosh, Carlisle, did you want to give me a heart attack? Never startle me like that again," I breathed, placing my hand on my chest over my rapidly beating heart.

"Sorry, Bella," Carlisle chuckled.

"It's okay and to answer your question from before, yes, I am glad not to see that woman again. I was really close to punching her yesterday," I grumbled and Carlisle's expression suddenly turned serious.

"I'm really sorry about that. This wasn't the first time something like that happened. Believe me, I was furious with Victoria and could finally persuade the board to take action," he said.

"What did they do?" I asked.

"I don't know, but she's not here today, so they either put her on leave or fired her," he said and I nodded. I didn't really pity her, she was just too unfriendly and haughty yesterday.

I found out then that Carlisle was on his way to visit Jasper either and so we went there together once again, only this time the atmosphere between us wasn't as tense as the day before. We were both very positive about Jasper getting better soon.

When we walked through the door to Jasper's room I was immediately tackled by my aunt who wrapped her arms around me and started to cry.

"I'm so sorry Bella. I should have been there, I should have stayed, but it was too much. Please, please forgive me," she pleaded with me. I hugged her back tightly.

"Of course, Lillian, I wish you hadn't seen that. I know that it must have been horrible for you," I said.

After my aunt released me I looked up and saw that everyone was there; Lillian, Richard, Rose, Emmett, Esme, Carlisle and Alice. I looked at Jasper then and saw that he still hadn't woken up. I must have looked very worried as Carlisle started to reassure me immediately.

"Jasper's injuries were very severe. It's usual for patients like him to stay unconscious longer than others."

I nodded and looked at Alice then who looked very exhausted.

"Alice, you look like crap. Did you sleep at all last night?" I asked.

"Thanks for the compliment, Bella. And no, I hardly slept at all," she answered laughing lightly.

I stayed there for a few hours together with the others. We talked about anything and everything.

"Hey, does anyone know what time it is?" I asked at one point.

"Yeah it's 6.45 p.m.," was Emmett's answer and I started smiling. Only thirty minutes left until I have to leave for the airport to pick Edward up.

"What's with the smile, Bellsy?" Emmett asked.

"Oh, nothing," I said, still grinning like an idiot. Of course I didn't fool them.

"Seriously Bella, what's up?" Emmett asked curiously.

"I have to leave in thirty minutes," I answered.

"Why?" Rose asked this time.

"Does this have anything to do with the fact that my COO decided to take an earlier flight back from Hong Kong?" Carlisle asked with a smile.

"Most likely," I answered, smiling broadly.

"Eddie's coming home early?" Emmett asked.

"Yep, I'll pick him up."

"Cool, can I come with you?" Emmett asked enthusiastically. I felt my face fall a bit, but managed to keep my smile in place. I wanted to be alone with Edward and that was practically impossible if Emmett came along, but still, I couldn't say no to him. Just as I wanted to answer, Rose decided to speak.

"Emmett, I think it would be better if you didn't go with Bella."

"She's right, Emmett," Esme agreed and Emmett pouted.

"Why?" He whined.

"Emmett, I think Edward would prefer to be alone with Bella tonight," Carlisle answered.

"Oh!" Emmett said and it looked like he just had an epiphany. His expression though changed almost instantly into an evil one.

"Ooooooh, seems like Bella wants to get some tonight, huh?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows the way he always does when he teases someone.

"EMMETT!" Rose, Esme and Carlisle screamed instantly. Esme was standing close to Emmett and smacked the back of his head hard.

"Ow! That hurt Mom!" He whined. Esme glared at him which made him shut up instantly.

"Seriously Emmett, do you have to tease Bella about that all the time? It's probably smarter to wait anyway," Rose said and shrugged her shoulders. Emmett's jaw dropped.

"But Rosie, do you want to say that you regret having sex with me?" Emmett asked.

"Okay, this is my cue to leave. I really don't want to know anything about my daughter's sex life," Uncle Richard said and walked outside while glaring at Emmett. At least now we knew where Jasper got his protectiveness from.

"Sometimes I do Emmett, I really do," Rose said and Emmett was about to respond when I decided to leave either.

"Okay, I think it's time for me to go either. See you," I said as I walked out the door.

"See you Bella," They said.

"Have fun getting laid by Eddie tonight," Emmett exclaimed and the next second I heard another smack that signaled that Esme had once again hit Emmett.

"Thanks Esme," I called from outside the door, giggling quietly.

"You're very welcome Bella," she called back and I left the hospital, still giggling. Esme's and Emmett's relationship was just too funny. Still, she was exactly the kind of mother a guy like Emmett needed.

I went back to Edward's apartment then and changed into some very nice looking clothes Alice gave me a while ago and left again right after I was done dressing up a bit. I was very excited to see Edward again. I really missed him a lot.

Once I arrived at Sea-Tac airport I immediately looked up at the huge monitor showing which planes had already landed and which planes were still to come. I saw that Edward's flight would land in about five minutes and went to the door that led to the arrivals hall. There were already a lot people there waiting for relatives and friends and I was afraid I wouldn't see Edward in this huge crowd.

The crowd was getting bigger by the minute and I felt more and more lost. I started to feel a weird sense of claustrophobia as people started pushing me around. I heard a few people talking about Hong Kong and so I knew that Edward's plane had already landed and that he was most likely already somewhere here in this crowd, but I simply couldn't find him. People kept pushing me around and at one point someone shoved me so hard that I lost my balance. I already saw myself lying on the ground, however, I was caught by strong arms before I could hit the floor.

"Are you alright Miss?" A velvety voice asked and I immediately knew who it was. I spun around quickly and looked into Edward's beautiful green eyes. He apparently hadn't recognized me at first, but now he was smiling broadly and his eyes started to sparkle.

"Now that you are here I am more than alright," I said and pulled his lips to mine. It was the first time I kissed him since I found out that I was in love with him. I tried to put all my love and longing for him into that kiss and he responded eagerly. Our kiss grew more and more heated, but at some point we had to break away from each other because we needed to breathe. However, our foreheads still touched and our eyes stayed closed.

"Bella," Edward whispered and kissed my nose. "You have no idea how much I missed you."

"I think I do. I missed you, too. So incredibly much," I whispered back.

We continued standing there for a few more minutes until new people started pushing us and I was about to fall again if Edward hadn't caught me once more.

"Come on, let's go to the car," Edward said and put one arm around my waist to protect me from falling again while pushing the cart carrying his suitcases with the other. On the whole way to the car Edward didn't let go of my waist once and from time to time I felt him kissing the top of my head. When we arrived at the silver Volvo Edward opened the trunk and put his suitcases in while I went to sit inside the car. Edward joined me a few minutes later and started the car. Once we were out of the parking garage Edward reached for my hand and kissed it.

"I missed you so much," he said once more and I only nodded while squeezing his hand. He didn't release my hand for the rest of the drive. We didn't talk much, words would have only ruined the moment.

When we arrived at the hotel a few employees immediately came over to take Edward's suitcases and bring them up to his apartment. Edward put his arm around my waist once again and led me inside. We quickly greeted Geoffrey who smiled at us and then went up to his apartment.

Once we were inside and Edward's suitcases were brought up Edward started to kiss me again, only this time his kisses showed a hunger I had only experienced once before. He pushed me up against the wall and I wrapped my legs around his waist while his lips attacked mine hungrily.

"Oh Edward," I breathed when his lips moved from my mouth to my neck and collarbone.

"Bella," he whispered against my skin and I shivered at the reverence in his voice. "You are so beautiful."

He continued to kiss me like that for a few more minutes before he pulled back and sat me back down on my feet.

"Sorry, I lost control there for a second," he whispered and caressed my cheek.

"Don't be, it's okay," I answered while leaning my face into his hand.

He smiled at me and left his hand at my cheek when he suddenly started yawning.

"Jet lagged?" I asked smiling.

"Yeah, but I don't want to go to bed yet. I want to stay with you," he said, looking at me intently.

"Well, do you mind if I stay here for the night?" I asked and his face lit up instantly.

"Of course not, I'd love to have you here," he said happily.

"Good cause I have nowhere else to go at the moment."

"What are you talking about?" He asked, furrowing his brow in confusion.

"You remember when I was all alone and decided to spend the night here?" I asked and he nodded. "Well, apparently some burglars broke into our apartment and destroyed it completely shortly after I had left. The police said I was lucky that I wasn't there when they came cause they seemed to be ruthless and would have probably hurt me." Edward's expression turned very serious for a second and he hugged me tightly before he answered.

"You are not going back there. Ever." He stated firmly.

"What?" I asked surprised.

"It's not safe there. If these people could get in once they could get in again. I won't let you live there for another second."

"But where am I supposed to live?" I asked. I didn't want to argue with him.

"You'll stay with me. If you don't want to I'll search for a new apartment for you, but you won't go back there," he said firmly and looked at me very seriously.

"Can we talk about this some other time? Right now I just want to enjoy my time with you?" I sighed and he smiled once again. However a second later he yawned again.

"Come on, let's get ready for bed. We can talk some more there," I said and we both got ready for bed.

Once we were done we went to the bed and lay down. I immediately cuddled into Edward's side, lay my head on his chest right above his heart and listened to his strong heart beat while I breathed in his wonderful scent. He put his arms around me protectively and buried his face in my hair.

"Bella?" He asked after a while.

"Hm?"

"Would you like to accompany me on my next trip?" He asked. I was too shocked to respond immediately which apparently made him insecure.

"You don't have to if you don't want to, but I missed you so much and don't want to be without you again," he said nervously. I lifted my head and looked into his anxious face and smiled.

"I would love to," I whispered and kissed him.

"Thank you," he breathed in between kisses.

After that I lay my head on his chest again and he started humming a soft, beautiful melody into my ear. We didn't talk again that night, we just held each other and enjoyed each other's company. At some point I fell asleep in Edward's arms and heard a soft, velvety voice whispering. I wasn't sure whether I was dreaming or not, but what he said made my heart melt.

"I love you, Bella."