This is only unofficially betaed for now as my life has officially blown up! Next chapter due on my birthday (September 7!). Until then, ENJOY!

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BPOV

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Emmett insisted on taking the limo to the police station, arguing that having the driver there would also act as a security guard for us. To my surprise my father agreed. Esme, Carlisle and Alice were all staying at the house, not wanting to make a bigger scene. Edward was accompanying us as he had to give his own statement.

"I should have called the hospital this morning to check on Alex," I said as I climbed into the limo.

"He had a good night," Edward responded. "He's been downgraded to serious but stable."

"Thank you," I said, smiling at my brother-in-law.

My father filled us in on what we could expect today. I think he liked being the knowledgeable one on the subject. Edward was still bothered by the fact that he got out of there and left me behind.

"The only choice you had was to stay and let Alex die or leave and help him live," I said to him. "Can you honestly say you made the wrong decision?"

"It's not that easy," Edward said.

"It's just that easy," I insisted. "There was no way that Royce was going to let me leave... and maybe it is a good thing he didn't. I was able to be an dispassionate third party as he berated Rosalie for her choices. Can you say you could have stayed calm as he berated her? Could you have defended her to him?"

Edward was silent, as were the other men in the car and I realized that this was really the first real information I had provided from my time in the room.

"Honestly," I continued. "Royce was just lost and scared. Look at how you guys felt when Rose was out to smear your family. And she had nothing on you. Royce stood to lose everything because of his choices... and hers. I have to say I feel sorry for the man."

"Only you," Edward said, interrupting me.

"What do you mean, only me?" I asked.

"Only you would pity the man who shot someone, then held you hostage," my father said.

I didn't know how to react to that. Of course I pitied Royce. He made some monumental errors in judgment, but he didn't deserve to die, even if it was by his own hand.

"I love you," Emmett whispered into my ear.

Exiting the gates to the Cullen Estate was an exercise in patience for Demitri. The paparazzi were ten people deep and cars lined both sides of the streets. Felix was at the gate with three other men, who tried to get us through safely. Once we were through, Emmett pointed out our motorcade. There were at least ten cars following us, hoping for a glimpse of us.

"How are we going to handle this at the police station?" Edward asked Emmett.

"Maybe we should call ahead and ask to be allowed into the underground," Emmett said.

"It would completely negate any press," Edward agreed.

"And make them even more desperate later," I said.

"What do you want to do?" Emmett asked me.

"Face them like we did at the hospital," I said.

"Kiss and run?" Emmett asked with a smirk.

"Not exactly," I said, smiling at him. "Although I did enjoy that. I was just thinking we should stop in front and walk through with our heads held high. The more we hide and evade, the more desperate they get and I can't spend my whole life hiding... I can't do that, Em."

"I know," he soothed.

"Okay," my dad said. "We'll do it Bella's way. Here's what I suggest..."

The rest of the ride was spent deciding exactly how to deal with the press. Once we stopped in front of the police station, the throng outside was enormous. As planned, Felix stepped out of the car and pushed through the crowd, coming to the rear passenger door. As soon as it was opened, my father stepped out, not making eye contact with anyone in particular. Once he was out, Edward stepped out, followed by Emmett, who held his hand out for me. I grabbed his hand and twisted in my seat, stepping out.

Once I was out, the shouts were completely unintelligible. It was like standing in a stadium full of people all yelling different things, a complete jumble. The only words I could catch was my name, Isabella, and the occasional Cullen. Emmett wrapped his arm around me on one side, and my father stood protectively on the other, my hand linked into his elbow. Edward pushed his way through first, saying nothing except, "Excuse me." We followed quickly and Felix shut the door and brought up the rear, making sure we were able to get through relatively unscathed. Once we reached the stairs, three officers made their way down from the top, demanding that the reporters and photographers give us room.

Once we entered, I let go of the breath that I didn't even know I was holding. There were three people waiting for us inside, Alec, Jane and one of the Cullen lawyers, Caius, as well as a few police officers.

"Chief Swan," one of the men said, calling my father.

"Chief Diaz," my father greeted. "Good to see you again. Let me introduce you to my daughter Isabella."

"Good to meet you, Sir," I greeted.

"You too, Mrs. Cullen," he said, shaking my hand.

"This is my husband, Emmett, and my brother-in-law, Edward," I said.

Chief Diaz shook both men's hands and led us back to a large conference room. He indicated where he wanted me to sit. Emmett took the seat to my right immediately and my father moved to take the seat to my left.

"Excuse me, Chief Swan," Caius said. "If you don't mind, I'd like to sit there so I may confer with Mrs. Cullen."

"Oh," my father said.

"That isn't necessary," I told him. "I would like my father next to me please."

Caius was none to pleased about that, but settled in the chair next to my father, not wishing to make a scene. Emmett smiled at me and held my hand under the table. Edward sat next to Caius, with Alec on his other side, and Jane moved to sit next to Emmett. Eight officers, including the chief, sat across from us, and as I looked around I could see three video cameras focused on us.

An officer stood up and introduced everyone on the police's side of the table. He also told us that the whole interview was being video taped.

"Excuse me," Caius said. "We have no issue with this being recorded for police purposes but we do need your guarantee that this will not be made public, and that all copies of the tape will be destroyed when they are no longer needed."

"Agreed," the spokesman for the police said. "Since the suspect is deceased, the only reason for these proceedings is to evaluate the conduct of all parties and to preserve any evidence in case of lawsuits."

"Understood," Caius said.

"Do you mind if we use first names, since both of you are Dr. Cullens?" the officer asked.

"We would prefer this be kept formal," Caius said, before I could speak up and say that was fine. "To make it easier, I'm sure you could refer to Isabella as Mrs. Cullen for these proceedings."

I nodded my head in agreement.

"Mrs. Cullen," the officer said addressing me. Emmett's hand squeezed mine under the table. "Why did you and Dr. Cullen go into Miss Hale's room after Congressman King?"

"We were standing at the nurse's station talking when the congressman rushed past. His entire demeanor was angry and out of control," I responded.

"Is this true, Dr. Cullen?" he asked.

"Yes, Sir," Edward said.

The questioning went on with the questions alternating between Edward and I, the other party asked to confirm the first party's statement. When we got through to the part where Edward had to leave the room.

"So Alex was shot, you grabbed him and just left?" the officer asked Edward, incredulously.

"No, Sir," I answered, defending my brother in law. "I was directly next to Alex when he was shot and I helped him immediately. Dr. Cullen tried to convince the congressman to let me go to save Alex, but Congressman King wouldn't. Edward's only choice was to stay in the room and watch Alex die, or take him out and give him a chance to live."

"That must have been difficult, Dr. Cullen," the officer said, seeming to change opinions of Edward.

"Very," Edward said.

"What happened when you left the room?" he asked.

"I had to try to move the patient while maintaining pressure on his wound. As soon as I had him outside the door part ways, one of the security guards holstered his weapon and crawled forward to help me move him. Two nurses, Jacob Black and Kim..." he started explaining.

"Kim Brady," I filled in for him.

"Kim Brady," he said. "They had a stretcher and they helped me move Alex onto it. I had Kim take over the pressure on the wound and they started moving immediately. I tried to go back... but the security guards wouldn't let me. Once the police arrived I was led to the conference room on the far end of the floor and told to remain there until everything was cleared up."

"Thank you," the officer said. I looked over at Edward and smiled. The questioning went back to me and stopped at the point that I left the phone off the hook for the police to listen in to everything that happened. After that, snippets of tape were played and questions were asked about where Rosalie and I were in the room compared to Royce. Two and a half hours after it began, it was over and the police were thanking us for our cooperation. As we stepped out of the conference room, I saw Rosalie in the hall with Jasper. Edward and Emmett immediately started to move in the other direction, but I stopped and pulled my hand from Emmett's, moving towards Rosalie.

"How are you feeling?" I asked as I stopped in front of her.

"Why do you care?" she asked, not in the cruel way I had become accustomed to with her, but genuinely confused.

"I was in that room, too, Rosalie," I said to her. "You didn't deserve any of that."

"But I did," she said. "I made terrible choices and hurt a lot of people."

"I can't deny that you hurt a lot of people and burned a lot of bridges, but you still didn't deserve what happened in that room," I said. "You need to use it as a springboard to move forward. The most important thing now is where you are going to go from here."

"I won't be that person again," she said, with tears falling down her cheeks. "I can't be, it's too important."

"I'm glad," I said to her, before slipping back into doctor mode. "You make sure that you get enough rest and take care of yourself. You've been through a lot and need to keep yourself strong for your little one."

"Thank you, Dr..." she said, pausing at my last name. "Cullen."

"It's just Bella," I told her.

"Edward," she said, calling her former fiance.

"Rosalie," he nodded politely.

"I don't want to do this here, but I really want to talk to you," she said.

"Have Jasper bring you to the house when you're done with your statement. But if you try any games, I won't be responsible for the consequences," Edward said.

"Thank you, Edward," she said. "That's more than I deserve."

We went into the main lobby and thanked the police and Caius before preparing to meet the throng to make our way back to the car.

"Isabella," Jane said, almost tentatively.

"Yes," I said.

"NO!" Emmett said.

"It would be best, Emmett," she said.

"No," he said again.

"What?" I asked.

"She wants us to attend the press conference," he growled.

"Why?" I asked. "What benefit would it serve?"

"It will hopefully limit the madness outside. Right now you two are not only gossip rag fodder, but genuine news as well. It isn't going to die down any time soon," she said.

"Why are you against it, Emmett?" I asked my husband, wanting to understand both sides on this issue.

"I don't want you put in that position," he said with a scowl. "They will ask anything and everything. If you don't answer, you are hiding something, and if you do they analyze and dissect it until it is something completely different. This is a no win situation."

"The police have already given me a copy of the statement they plan to release and it will look odd if we don't stand there in support and offer our own statement. This needs to be done," she said.

Edward and my father got involved in the conversation and in the end we found a compromise that worked for all of us. Jasper and Rosalie joined us just as we were prepared to step out into the circus, and handed Jane a statement on behalf of the Hale family. She nodded and smiled at Jasper, still visibly bristling at the sight of Rosalie, who had caused her, and the whole Cullen family, a lot of grief. Rosalie looped her arm into Jasper's, cringing into her brother for support. The over-confident woman that I had met just days before gone, and replaced with this shadow of a woman before me.

"Ready?" Emmett asked me, placing his arm around me.

"As I'll ever be," I said.

By the time we stepped out of the front doors of the police station, the crowd of reporters had grown even larger. The sound was deafening and I found myself clutching Emmett's hand for support. He squeezed my hand supportively and whispered soothingly in my ear. The police spokesman was going first, so he stepped up to the podium that had been set up for the occasion. We filed in behind. I stood between Edward and Emmett, with my father and Alec behind me. Jane stood to our left, almost directly behind the officer at the podium, with Jasper, and then Rosalie on her left. There were at least forty microphones attached to the podium and I listened as the crowd quieted down, prepared to listen to what was being said.

"The Seattle Police, as well as Seattle Grace Hospital would like to thank Dr. Isabella Cullen, and Dr. Edward Cullen for their quick thinking and actions yesterday, which not only saved the life of the security guard injured in the incident, but prevented further injury or loss of life. Unfortunately that did not include Congressman Royce King as he was completely overcome with guilt and remorse for his actions. Unable to deal with the consequences, he took his own life. Congressman King's family will be issuing a statement later today. There will be a short question and answer session after the families have had their say."

As he stepped away from the podium, and motioned to Jane to take his place, the crown got loud again, momentarily. Once Jane was situated in front of the microphone, the noise was near deafening, until Jane cleared her throat and held up her hand. Like well trained monkeys, the reporters and cameramen fell silent, waiting for the diminutively statured woman to speak. Once they were calm she took both statements from the small bag she carried and prepared to make her statement.

"I have two statements to read today, one from the Cullen family, and one from the Hales. I will start with the Hale family's statement," she said, almost glaring at the reporters lest they should start their commotion again. "Yesterday was one of the darkest days in our family's history. We would like to thank all those involved for the successful outcome, and ask for your understanding as we set about the finding a way to heal from this tragedy privately. Our condolences go to both the injured security guard and his family, and to the King family. Thank you."

The crowd started going crazy, snapping pictures and yelling questions. Jane simply stood, composed and held up her hand, waiting for everyone to settle down. I stood, as composed as I could and waited for her to read our statement. I shifted my weight anxiously and Emmett gripped me a little tighter. I looked up to him and smiled, anxious to have this day over with, so that we could get on with the business of being married.

"The Cullen family would like to thank you all for your concern at this time. The family would like to send their condolences to the friends and family of Royce King, who was a friend for many years. All parties involved have cooperated with the police fully, answering all questions to the best of their ability, but out of respect to the families, will not speak of the events publicly. As for the marriage rumors that you have all heard, I can, in fact, confirm that Emmett Cullen and Isabella Swan were married last week in Las Vegas in a private roof top ceremony. Please give the newlyweds their space and privacy to enjoy married life. Thank you," she said.

The questions were fast and furious, but Emmett just wrapped his arm around me and led me back inside while the police spokesperson stepped forward to field some questions. Once inside, two officers led us all downstairs to our waiting limo that had been moved into the secure underground parking area. As we reached the car, I noticed another limo waiting, I assume, for Jasper and Rosalie Hale.

"You take care of yourself, Rosalie," I said to her.

"I will," she said. "You're a good person, Isabella. You've treated me much more kindness than I deserve. I am sorry for the way I treated you in the past."

I nodded, unsure of how to respond to that and quickly got into the limo. Emmett was directly behind me and moved as close to me as he could, without me sitting in his lap. My father, Edward, Jane, Alec and Caius followed us into the limo. Once we were all in, we moved quickly into the street, away from the paparazzi that had been stalking us.

"That's done," I sighed. "Onto the hospital next."

"Are we going to face any disciplinary action?" Edward asked Caius.

"If you do, there will be lawsuits. You could not have anticipated any of this," he said.

"Will we have time to visit Alex?" I asked Edward.

"I would like that," Edward said.

Once we got to the hospital, my father, Emmett, Edward and I headed straight to the ICU to check in on Alex, while Caius, Jane and Alec went to inform the chief of staff and other hospital administrators that we were here to meet with them as requested. When we got to the ICU, the first face I saw was Sandy, who was in the hall pacing nervously.

"Sandy," I said, quietly as I walked over to her. "Is everything okay?"

"They are removing his breathing tube," she said. "That's good, right?"

"That's great," I said. "How are you holding up?"

"Not too bad," she said, looking nervous. "He regained consciousness this morning and now they're taking out his breathing tube."

"That's a good sign," Edward said, smiling at her.

"Have you eaten anything?" I asked her.

"Yes," she said. "Someone brought me a tray."

"Good," I said.

We made small talk about the children and how long her mother was able to stay until the docor came out of Alex's room with a smile on his face.

"Dr. Swan," the old surgeon greeted.

"Hello, Dr. Perry," I said. "I'd like you to meet my husband Emmett Cullen and my brother-in-law, Dr. Edward Cullen."

"Right, they told me you had changed your name," he said.

"Yes, Sir," I agreed. "Although it is slightly confusing since Edward has just started working at the hospital as well."

"You came to check up on our patient I assume," he said.

"We did," Edward and I said.

"Well, he is doing better than I expected. He successfully came off the ventilator and his oxygen sats look great," he said. "No infection at the incision and the drain is collecting a minimal amount of fluid. All in all I would say he should be here for two or three more days and then he'll be able to recuperate at home."

"That's great, Dr. Perry," I said.

Sandy just thanked the doctor and shook his hand.

"I guess we should let you get back to Alex," I said. "I'm sure he's anxious to see you."

"Thank you, Bella," she said, giving me a hug.

After a few more goodbyes we stood at the door as Sandy was reunited with her husband. We smiled and waved at the couple before we moved down to the administrative area of the building. Once there, we were greeted very enthusiastically by Aro and some of the other board members, before being ushered into a board room. Jake and the other nurses that were on the floor when all hell broke loose, were also present and there were hugs and introductions all around before Aro called his meeting to order.

The next twenty minutes were filled with pompous hospital speak about how wonderful we all handled ourselves and of course the customary political back patting that always accompanies board meetings. They announced that the room that Royce had killed himself in would be closed down for the foreseeable future. We did not have any lack of space so that would be cleaned up and used as a temporary storage room until such time as it was needed again. The nursing staff were all given a two week paid stress leave with the hospital's thanks beginning the next morning and Edward and I were given four weeks.

Honestly, I believe that they were trying to stop the rumor mill and let the situation die down so that we didn't have reporters trying to get in to question us and that the staff that was here could concentrate on their jobs. I wasn't complaining in the least. By the time we left the hospital, the paparazzi had gotten wind of where we were and were snapping pictures like mad. I simply ducked my head and stepped into the limo, actually looking forward to getting back to the Cullen estate. Jake rode back with us, stating that he still couldn't get into the apartment building, what with his status as my best friend. Frankly, I think he liked the creature comforts of the Cullen's.

Once we reached the main house, everyone unloaded except for Emmett and I, who were continuing on to the garden house. It was only early afternoon but apparently Jake had plans for my father for later and we'd see them all on Saturday.

"I finally have you alone," Emmett said, pulling me into his arms.

"Um hmm," I agreed, leaning into him so he could wrap his arms around me. I lifted my lips to meet his in a simple kiss.

Of course there was nothing simple about the kiss. As soon as our lips met, it was like magnetic attraction and we got lost in each other until we heard Demetri clear his throat. Apparently we had arrived at the garden house and he had opened the door for us. I blushed and buried my head in Emmett's chest as he laughed heartily.

"Sorry, D," he said.

"No worries, Sir," Demetri said with a grin.

"I can't wait to get these death traps off," I said as we stepped out of the car. We walked slowly towards the house as Demetri hopped into the car and moved off. I was just about to comment about it being the only time that we have entered the house together when he wasn't carrying me, when he swept me into his arms and carried me through the door he had just unlocked. I locked my arms around his neck and looked up at him. His eyes were shining and I felt myself shiver in anticipation.

To my surprise, he carried me into the living room and placed me gently down the overstuffed leather sofa. I stuck my bottom lip out and pouted.

"I thought we were heading to the bedroom," I said. What can I say? The man had turned me into a sex fiend.

"You, Mrs. Cullen, have a one track mind," he said, showing off his dimples beforesitting next to me and pulling my legs onto his lap. He gingerly removed the death trap shoes from my feet, causing me to moan. After the shoes dropped to the floor, he rubbed his hands up my leg, directly under my skirt, making me moan in anticipation.

"Patience," he said, smirking at me as I began to writhe in anticipation.

"Are you trying to seduce me, Mr. Cullen?" I asked his hands caressed my thigh under my skirt.

"Maybe," he said, linking his fingers into the top of my stay-up stockings, pulling it slowly down my leg. I moaned again, unable to believe how this man made me feel.

"You are driving me crazy," I said as he repeated the procedure with my second leg, both stockings landing somewhere on the floor.

"Shhh," he said as he moved his hands onto my legs again, rubbing my calves in his massive hands, moving down to my feet, and taking them gently into his hands, rubbing soothing circles into them.

"Oh my God!" I moaned as he continued to massage. "You are trying to seduce me."

"If I was, would this work?" he asked, chuckling deep in his chest.

"Hell, yes," I said, looking at him through pleasure hooded eye, before I let them close and leaned back, enjoying the feeling of his talented hands working over my aching feet and calves.

"And if I was trying to butter you up to ask you something instead?" he asked after a bit.

"Ask me what?" I asked, popping one eye open to look at him.

"Ummm, not yet," he said, moving to my other foot.

"Now I'm curious," I said to him. "What did you want to ask?"

"Nope," he said, pretending to zip his lips and throw away the key.

"Very grown up," I said, sticking out my tongue at him. He smiled and let out a laugh, his dimples on prominent display.

"Tell me," I said, pulling my feet from his hands.

He shook his head no.

"Am I supposed to guess?" I asked him.

He shrugged his shoulders.

"Emmett, please," I said, sticking my lip out.

He closed his eyes and shook his head no, crossing his arms over his chest and turned his head away from me. I pulled myself up on my knees on the couch and moved to try to straddle his lap. The tight skirt was having none of it so I stood up and unzipped it. The noise of the zipper caught his attention and he opened one eye to look at what I was doing. I smirked, tugging the tight skirt over my hips and dropped it in a puddle on the floor.

"Emmett," I said, as I straddled his lap in just my tiny white lacy panties and blouse. "Please tell me what you wanted to ask me."

"No," he said, his voice taking on the husky tone that made me drool. Score one for lacy panties. I ground myself against him and leaned back and began unbuttoning my blouse. The silence of that action brought another one eyed peek.

"Please," I said as I pulled my blouse off, exposing the little matching lacy bra that matched the panties perfectly. Thank you, Alice!

The now prominent bulge in his pants was pressed into my core and I ground my hips against him, delighting in the feeling. He dropped his head back on the couch and groaned in pleasure. I took that as an invitation to unbutton his shirt.

"Isabella Cullen, do you have any idea what you are doing to me?" he asked huskily.

"Maybe," I said, biting my lip and looking at him.

He stood up, lifting me like I weighed nothing and carried me up towards the bedroom very quickly. I had every intention of using whatever leverage I could to get the question out of him, but as he laid me back on the bed, all memories of any questions I might have had were gone.

"I love you," he said as he hauled his shirt the rest of the way off, toeing off his shoes and tugging off his socks as he went. "You are my world."

"As you are mine," I said to him as he laid next to me. Our lips met in a heated kiss, my hands moved across his sculpted chest and stomach to his belt buckle and I quickly undid it and went to work on his pants. I sat up so I had the leverage to pull his pants down. He lifted his hips to help and I took full advantage of that, hooking my fingers into the waistband of his boxers and tugging them down with his pants, allowing his massive erection free.

"Bella," he growled.

"Yes, Dear," I said cheekily as I starting kissing his chest.

"Baby," he growled. "You're killing me."

I didn't answer, instead I let my lips and tongue play with the smooth contours of his chest, occasionally allowing my tongue to dart across one of his hardened nipples, while I got familiar with those smooth plains, I moved down to the top of his glorious abs.

"Fuck, Baby," he growled, knotting his hand into my hair.

I don't know why, but knowing that I was able to turn him on so much, made me bold and I began kissing over the muscled plain of his stomach, alternating between soft sweet kisses and letting my tongue explore more of his skin. As my cheek reached the tip of his hardness, I turned my head, making him groan. I opened my mouth and blew against him.

"God, Baby!" he groaned, thrusting his hips up.

I leaned in and placed a chaste kiss at his tip, making him hiss in pleasure. The sound made me even bolder and I brought my tongue out to swirl around him.

"Fuck, Bella," he groaned. That was the idea!

With no more thought, I opened my mouth and engulfed him, taking him in as far as I could. His answering moan drove me crazy and I set to work, to please him even more. His hand stayed tangled in my hair as he moved his hips in response to my actions. I set into a comfortable rhythm that he seemed to enjoy and brought my hand up to work the part of him that was not getting the attention from my mouth and tongue.

"Shit, Baby," he moaned. "I need you! I need to be in you."

I lifted my head and was about to tell him that he was in me, in my mouth. But the cheeky comment died on my lips as he took the opportunity and rolled me over onto my back, moving his body so that his head was even with my panty covered core.

"This are pretty but they have to go now," he said as he tore the lace scrap of panties away from me. He dove his face into my hot core, causing me to cry out his name. His tongue set to work teasing my already inflamed button as I moaned and writhed under him.

"Please," I begged him. I could feel my coil tightening, my body ready to explode for him. "Emmett!"

I was just about to fall over when he pulled away. Before I could protest, or even put together a coherent thought, he moved my legs over his shoulders and lined himself up, thrusting into me in one movement. I cried out in ecstasy as I exploded around him. He moved in me, drawing the pleasure of my orgasm out even more. As I felt my orgasm finally winding down, I grasped his arms in my hands, opening my eyes to look up at him.

"Emmett," I called out as he moved more frantically in me. "Oh God! Oh!"

My second orgasm crashed through me without warning and I arched my back as I called out my husband's name again.

"Bella," he called out as I felt him loose control, allowing my clenching muscles to milk him dry. He growled as he leaned against my legs, seemingly unable to support himself after that explosion. We stayed that way for a moment, both gasping and panting. Finally he moved, separating us and falling onto the bed next to me. There were no words as we snuggled in together both trying to regain some sense of composure. I think I was drifting off to sleep, secure in my husband's arms and completely blissed out in my post orgasmic state.

"Are you happy here, Bella?" he asked as his hand caressed up and down my spine. I lifted my head to look at him, trying to figure out where he was going with his question.

"Wherever you are, Emmett," I said kissing along his jawline.

"I mean on the estate," he clarified, letting out a gust of air. "I know it isn't the most comfortable place with all the drama with my father."

"I don't want to stay here forever," I said being completely honest, "but as long as we are here, separated from the drama... I am enjoying the peace and the lack of reporters that we'd have at my place. Plus it has some benefits that my place doesn't."

"Like?" he asked.

"Lack of neighbors, for one," I said, causing him to chuckle. "And I quite like the bed and the shower."

"I love you," he said as he stroked my cheek. "I want you to be happy. If you want to leave we can go to a hotel or find somewhere else to stay until we find a place of our own."

"I like the sound of that," I said.

"Which part?" he asked.

"The place of our own," I said, understanding his confusion.

"So you don't mind staying here until that happens?" he asked.

"As long as we have our privacy, I don't mind," I said, laying my head down on his chest and drawing mindless shapes across his skin with my hand.

We were quiet for a while and I just thought about a house, our house and I have to say the idea really appealed to me.

"Our own home," I said quietly. "I like the sound of that."

"Me too," he chuckled.

"Will we be able to find anything private like this?" I asked, looking out the window at all the trees that lined the property from this side.

"It depends," he answered, running his fingers through my hair.

"On?" I asked.

"How close you want to be to the city," he said. "It doesn't matter to me because I can do a lot of work from home but if you plan to continue to work at the hospital then I don't want you to have to commute long distances, especially after you've worked a long shift."

"I guess that depends," I said, feeling my skin heat at the words I was about to utter.

"On?" he asked.

"When we become parents," I said.

"Why will that matter?" he asked, but the tone of his voice changed.

I sat up, looking at him, trying to make sure that he didn't feel that I was taking advantage of anything. "I won't work at the hospital once I'm..." I started to explain. "Once I'm a mom. I don't want to go twenty-four hours without seeing our child. It's hard enough to fathom going twenty-four hours without seeing you."

"For me too," he said, leaning up on his elbow.

"Em... when we have kids, what do you expect from me?" I asked.

"I honestly have no expectations. I just want you to be happy. If you're happy staying at home with our kids then do that. If you want to work full time, do that. If you want to find some middle ground, then do that. I'll never ask you to give up your career for me. I have already taken so much from you as it is," he said.

I knew he was talking about the privacy and anonymity I had enjoyed in my life before we met, but I couldn't find it in me to regret that loss, because it was something that came with Emmett. There was not one without the other, and I would never regret him.

"But you have given me so much more," I said, grabbing onto his hand. "I am more confident in my own skin when I am with you. I know you love me, I can feel it in every touch and look. I wouldn't trade that for anything."

"I love you, Bella," he said. "I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy."

"I love you, Emmett," I told him, honestly. "I am happy, because I'm with you. I do want our own place. I want somewhere that is ours. Not yours, not mine, and definitely not your parents'. If we have to move farther away from the city, then we do. I like having privacy to move around without being worried about reporters, but I won't hide from them. I won't allow them to change who I am and what I'm doing."

"But you need to make sure you're safe. There are so many crazies out there," he said, concern showing on his face.

"I know," I said, thinking of Royce. "I'll take whatever precautions that you think I require, but I need to live too."

"That's all I can ask," he said, pulling me into his arms.

"As for the hospital, maybe I'll just look for a clinic to work in. I don't care where we are, there will always be need for doctors," I said.

"What about your dream?" he asked. "We have the resources to make that happen. It's such a great idea, and I'm sure even Eddie would want to get involved. We are in an enviable position. We don't need your salary, or mine... we could live comfortably for the next five hundred years and never need anything. I know you want to make a difference... this could be your shot."

"You'd really want me to do that?" I asked.

"When you told me about opening a clinic for the people that are slipping through the cracks... Bella, it is the greatest idea ever. There are people out there campaigning for the poor and destitute, but there's not a lot for the working class people that have to choose between health insurance and food or shelter," he said.

We lay there and spoke for a while about what we'd want to do, and where we'd put the clinic. We spoke about our home and how many bedrooms we'd need, which led to a discussion on how many children we'd want... which led to more practice making said children.

"Even after we've finished having our children, we can still practice, right?" Emmett asked, from under me as we lay, still gasping for breath after our latest round of lovemaking.

"Definitely," I agreed, laying against his chest.

His stomach growled loudly and I looked up at him.

"I guess I need to feed you," I smirked. "I have to help you keep your energy up."

"We could order in," he said.

"But then we'd have to get dressed," I said.

"You're planning on cooking naked?" he asked.

"Not completely," I said, pulling away from him and looking around the room. When I saw what I wanted, I reluctantly got off of him, padding naked to where his shirt had dropped and slipped it on. Then I smiled and waved as I ducked out of the room. I hadn't even gotten to the bottom stair when he was behind me, clad in only his boxers.

"What are we cooking?" he asked as we headed together for the kitchen.

We moved through the kitchen together like a well oiled machine. Emmett seemed to sense my needs before I even vocalized them and the chicken and pasta dish was done quickly. We sat at the table, enjoying the fruits of our combined labor.

"This is so good," Emmett moaned, his mouth still full of food.

"Didn't your mother teach you not to talk with your mouth full?" I giggled at him.

"I couldn't help it. I had to compliment the chef and I couldn't stop eating long enough to do it," Emmett said as he scooped another bite into his mouth. We finished the rest of the meal and made our way to the sink to wash up the dishes. Emmett wasn't much help in that department, preferring to hold my semi-naked body, trying to make it more naked by unbuttoning it, rather than the dish towel I had given him.

"So not helping?" I said as he pressed his hard length into my back, letting me know exactly what he wanted. "Emmett," I groaned as he wrapped his arms around me and placed kisses against my neck and ear.

"I want to take you back to bed," he said. "I'll do the dishes in the morning."

There was nothing in that statement that should have triggered my mind, but somehow it did. Suddenly the unasked question from before was now forefront on my mind.

"So you had a question you wanted to ask earlier," I said, spinning in his arms.

"Nope," he said, still kissing my neck.

"Emmett," I moaned. "Please!"

He stopped kissing and looked at me before nodding and smiling. He lifted me up and sat me on the cool granite countertop and stood against me.

"I love you, Bella. So much that I can't even begin to count the ways. There are things that I regret though," he said.

"Regret?" I asked, my heart lurching into my throat.

I guess he saw the look of concern on my face as he brushed his lips against me.

"I don't regret us," he clarified. "But your dad had a point. I regret that I didn't give him the opportunity to walk you down the aisle. I regret that we don't have pictures from our wedding and that everyone didn't get a chance to see us so happy. I regret that I allowed my father to speak to you as he did and I really regret not making sure we had a way to contact each other."

"Em..." I started to say, but he lifted his finger to my lips to stop me.

"I love you, Bella. I want to marry you again the right way. Allowing your dad to walk you down the aisle, a best man and bridesmaids. It doesn't have to be big. It can be something small here in the gardens. I want pictures that we can hang on the wall and that your dad can show to his friends," he said.

I was stunned speechless and not even sure what to say. My lack of response seemed to dampen his enthusiasm a bit and my eyes filled with tears a little.

"We don't have to..." he said. It was my turn to place a finger on his lips.

"You are by far the sweetest, most thoughtful husband in the entire world," I said to him, moving my finger and replacing it with my lips. We kissed for a while, each kiss more frantic then the last until we managed to shed our clothing and made love in the kitchen, my back pressed into the Kitchenaid stand mixer behind us, that had obviously never been used. As we came down from our highs, clutched together, I decided to play the tease a bit.

"So what was the question you wanted to ask?" I asked him.

"Isabella Cullen, you are my very reason for breathing. I want to wake up next to you every morning, fall asleep beside you every night, and make love to you as often as we can for the rest of our lives. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife... again?" he asked.

"I will," I said, placing a chaste kiss on his lips, which was funny considering our current location and state of undress.

"That's the second time you've proposed to me when I haven't had any panties on," I said, giggling.

He laughed and hugged me.

"Oh shit!" he said.

"What?" I asked.

"Alice... she gets feelings about these things. We'd better get dressed. I would lay money on the fact that the little pixie will be here any minute!" he said, lifting me off the counter and carrying me up the stairs and into our room.

The pixie in question was standing outside our door, vibrating with excitement by the time we managed to throw some casual clothes on and as she dragged me down the stairs, I briefly wondered what I had gotten myself into.