Chapter 14- The Story

Bella's POV

Paul was waiting with a car outside to take Edward and me away from the Collective. I couldn't tell if he was merely annoyed or ridiculously pissed. Part of me hated what I had done to him and the current position that I had placed him in, I had to get him out of Sam's order.

"So tell me Birdie, how'd you do it?" Paul asked and I felt Edward's fingers tighten slightly around mine.

"The same was I always do it, I just found a way," I answered giving Edward's hand an answering squeeze.

"But that balcony was a mess and the whole place was crumbling before we could stop it…" Paul said trying to get more out of me. I figured I might as well tell the tale so I could spend my time begging Edward for forgiveness as soon as we got home instead of answering his questions.

"Yeah," I started, "the balcony was destroyed. It basically cracked under my weight so I… I had to go back inside. I remembered an underground path from the blue prints and searched for it, but it appeared to be everyone's escape route so… I waited. Thanks for packing me the oxygen mask… I probably wouldn't have made it with out it."

"Sure sure, so…" Paul answered trying to keep me talking.

"I hid until morning and made my way out."

"Company?" Paul asked. He was wanting to know if I had to fight my way out. Fight was a bit of an understatement.

"Yes, plenty. Thanks for the light grenades too… anyways once… I … err… got the tunnel cleared I made it out… however I didn't have a clue where I was… I had only walked a couple of miles before I emerged somewhere in the woods, opposite of where we went it. It had to be five miles from the road so I started running… that is where I met your friend," I explained turning to Edward whose face was a mask of worry.

"I still can't believe you broke his finger… while he was tazering you… that's priceless, even for you Birdie," Paul laughed.

"I thought he was Jake or I wouldn't have let him get so close… then I thought he was one of them so I tried to escape but he is just fucking massive and stronger than fucking Emmett!" I explained, and Paul just laughed harder which in turn seemed to piss Edward off further.

"Anyways the rest is history… I seem to be more corporative after about a million fucking volts… and then Seth carried me back…here I am," I finished as Paul pulled up to my apartment.

"Where are we?" Edward asked looking around and I gave him a warm smile hoping that letting him into my life a little more would un- piss him off.

"Home," I breathed as I pulled him behind me.

Edward didn't speak as we entered my place and I allowed him time to look around and get comfortable. I was dirty and wanted a shower more than anything but I wanted to allow him to set the pace.

If he wanted to talk I'd let him.

If he wanted to fight I'd take it.

If he wanted to hold me until forever I'd welcome it more than air.

He did none of those things though; instead he stayed silent before turning his gaze on me. His body was ridged but his eyes were soft and inviting so I took a chance and stepped closer to him until we were almost touching. I could feel him towering over me but I allowed it.

I don't know how long we stood like this before I felt his hand under my chin pulling my face up to look at him. No words were exchanged as he searched my face and it seemed like he was trying to look deeper into my soul. My hands hung limply at my sides as he cradled my face in his. Ever so gently he leaned down and pressed his lips to my waiting mouth. It was slow and sweet and so desperate that my body wanted to collapse under the onslaught of emotions behind his lips.

When he pulled my face from his and our eyes found each other the pain in his face was gone and now was replaced by his normal expression of adoration and tenderness.

"Come," he whispered pulling me behind him. I didn't know where we were going and I followed silently as he searched through my apartment until finding my master suite. I thought the destination that he was searching for was my bed but he passed it in stride for my bathroom.

Once inside he started the water in my huge stand up shower before returning to me. He didn't speak and did not rush as he undressed me from my filthy clothes. I was his puppet and allowed him to push and pull and move me until I was naked in front of him but still covered with the reminisces of my mission. Then he followed suit with his own clothes before pulling us both in to the steam of the shower.

His fingers were gentle as he washed my hair and then the dirt from my body. I hated the way his face would furrow when he realized that the spot he was cleaning was not stubborn dirt but instead bruises, he hated the marks from the tazer the most.

Once I was clean he reversed our positions and allowed the water to run over his perfect body as he washed his hair and face. When he turned away from me I couldn't stop my fingers from finding the scar on his left shoulder and as soon as I made contact he flinched away from me. His head bowed under the water and I wrapped myself around him holding him as tightly as possible.

We stayed like that until the water ran cold.

When we got out he dried me and wrapped a towel around my body before wrapping one around his hips. The silence was deafening but if it was what he needed I would never speak again.

He bent to pick me up cradling me to his chest like a bride before striding to the bedroom. He laid me in the middle of the bed before covering my body with his own and feeling cleaner and safer than I had ever felt before we slept.

I woke up still covered by him and realized that we had been a sleep most the day. The sun was sitting against the Chicago skyline and it painted my room in a wonderful mixed kaleidoscope of orange and purple.

When I looked down to Edward's face I was met with burning green eyes and a sweet face to match.

"Hey…" I breathed my voice raspy from sleep and smoke.

"Hello beautiful," Edward whispered his arms snaking around my body.

"Did you sleep?" I asked my fingers stoking through his clean messy hair.

"Umm… better than ever," he confessed rolling our positions until I was resting on his chest his arms holding me to him.

"Me too."

"Bella?" he asked his voice calm and soft.

"Mmm?"

"Do you have any idea how scared I was?"

"I do."

"I doubt that," he answered his fingers stoking up and down my spine.

"I would say I'm sorry but I don't think that would suffice as far as apologies go."

"You could try…" he teased pulling my face up to his and this time when I looked at him I knew the worst was past.

"I'm sorry I made you worry, and I'm sorry you got pulled into this mess… if I had been there I would have never let them pull you and Jasper into this…"

"I guess asking you to promise never to put me through this again is out of the question?" he asked with false hope.

"One day… I'll make that promise to you… but I can't right now, it would be a lie… and we don't do lies," I offered and he nodded.

"How bad was it… scale of one to ten," he asked as his fingertips found the bruises on my shoulder.

"Edward, scars are just that… scars. They are external not internal. I'm here and I'm fine… and as far as how bad it was… you don't want to know," I answered trying to protect him from any more unpleasant memories.

"Well… It appears we are now in the same boat so I might as well get use to hearing things I don't like," he said and instantly I set up in shock.

"Edward you are not in the same boat… give Sam some time to calm down… I'll talk to him, get you and Jazz out of this," I explained and his expression was confused.

"Bella… I'm going to do this. You guys need us and I'm not about to just walk away. I'm here until you send me away," Edward answered his voice strong and unwavering.

"Edward please, you can't. It's dangerous and reckless."

"So I've heard."

"How can you be so calm about signing you life away… and please… please… tell me you are not doing this for me. I couldn't bare it."

"Couldn't bare it?" he asked his tone moving from strong to harsh.

"Yes, don't do it Edward. I'll get you out of all this," I offered and before I could stop him he moved me off of him and began to pace the room.

"So… you get me out of this… and then what? We are finished?"

"It's really the only way Edward. We still have some time, but…" I said.

"This is not the only way!" he yelled, "I'm doing this… and yes part of it's about you… how could it not be? Do you really have no concept of my feelings for you?"

"Edward I…"

"I'm not finished!" he cut me off again, "I also now have a brother and two friends caught up in this… I am not the kind of person to walk away. This discussion is over… unless you find the thought of me actually in your life so repulsing that you rather me be completely removed from it."

Now I was mad and I set up on my knees to yell at him.

"You think I want you out of my life? The thought of not seeing you, of not being with you like this," I motioned between us, "it kills me. Worse than any pain I have ever felt. But the thought of you hurt, of involved in something like this because of me, is a million times worse!"

His face changed and I swear I saw that stupid annoying sexy smirk on his lips.

"Are you fucking smirking at me?" I snapped.

"Yes!" he snapped in return before climbing back onto the foot of the bed and dragging me underneath his body.

"I'm in this, both us and the Collective. Get use to it. Your mad because you care just like I have been fucking enraged for the past twenty-four hours thinking of losing you,. " Edward said his voice full of authority as he held my head between his hands, "I'll be fine."

"How do you know that?" I asked my heart pounding in my chest as the mere thought of losing him.

"Because," he started his lips moving across my collarbone, "I have you to protect me."

"What if I can't stand the thought of losing you?" I asked sobering up the conversation.

"Then don't…lose me," he answered his lips coming down so sweetly upon my own.

"You must be starving," Edward said between kisses and until he mentioned it I hadn't realized that I was ravenous.

I nodded.

Edward placed another kiss swiftly on my lips before removing himself from the bed I so desperately wanted to live in. I watched as he moved to his bag taking in his glorious body and messy hair. He pulled out a set of scrubs throwing the top towards me and dropping his towel to pull on the bottoms.

Hunger for food was replaced by a different kind of hunger as I followed the line of his spine down to his tight ass.

"See something you like?" Edward asked and my eyes snapped up to see him smirking in the mirror.

"Mmm…" I moaned knowing that he couldn't resist the sound of my need.

"Don't…" he warned his eyes burning into my face through the mirror, "you haven't eaten in two days… let me be a doctor and take care of you."

"Mmmm… I would love to play doctor and let you take me," I replied twisting his words causing him to grip the dresser.

"Not fair," he said through clinched teeth before turning back towards me with a strained look. I watched as he stalked towards the bed as if I was his prey making my need settle low in my belly.

He crawled up the bed before straddling my legs and just as I thought I had won he picked up the scrub top and pulled it over my head.

"Food first," he said brushing my cheek with his fingers, "and then we can spend the evening however you choose beautiful."

I wanted to pout but I was still letting him call the shots… for now.

A/N: Ginger Von Diesel is my beta and I love her lots. Next chapter in a few days. Leave me love.