A/N

Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer.

I only own the plot of this story.

I think I got my mojo back after watching New Moon. Ideas flowed smoothly so this chapter was easy to write. I hope you like it!

Thank you Lauren and jasperbaby for the review. I can't personally send you a PM so here is my thanks to you both.

Chapter 28 The Empress

Characters: Bella, Edward, Alice, Kitty, Carlisle, and Mr. Hale's personal security detail

Bella POV

Everyone except Edward, Kitty and I left for the hospital. I really wanted to go and I was sure Edward wanted to go as well. I felt really guilty Edward stayed behind. I tried to convince him that Kitty and I would be fine without him here since Adam and Kevin were here to protect us but he insisted on staying. He must've been really tired as he fell asleep as soon as he got under the covers. He now lay curled with Kitty clutched onto his chest. In the beginning when Edward started sleeping in my apartment Kitty usually curled to my side when we all slept together but lately she started to cling onto Edward. The sight of them curled together always put a smile on my face. They looked so peaceful and happy together.

Since I lay down tonight so many different scenarios ran through my head. I started to feel like we were a burden to the Cullens. If it weren't for me Alice wouldn't have gotten injured, and we all wouldn't have had to be protected from James. If Kitty and I hadn't walked into their lives things would have been normal. Esme and Carlisle wouldn't have had to worry about losing their daughter. Thankfully the injury Alice sustained wasn't life threatening but it could have easily been. No one blamed us but if Kitty and I never walked into their lives this all could have been avoided.

One of the things I considered was to leave Los Angeles tomorrow. I couldn't tonight as Adam and Kevin watched over us like hawks. There would be no way for us to slip out of here without them noticing. We would cause more harm than good if we left tonight. Not only would we cause trouble to the Cullens but also to Mr. Hale. If Kitty and I left, Edward would be heartbroken but it would be better than risking his life. Until James was caught there was no guarantee of safety. The thought of leaving Edward made my heart feel like it was being squeezed. I felt like I couldn't breathe. My eyes blurred with tears. I loved him so much but because I loved him I needed to leave him. I couldn't just leave without saying goodbye but if I said it to his face I wouldn't be able to leave. I would probably have to leave a letter instead. The more I thought of leaving him more tears ran down my cheeks.

I didn't realize I was making that much noise until Edward woke up. "Bella? Is something wrong?" Edward asked as he lifted his head from the pillow.

"Nothing's wrong. Go back to sleep."

"Bella, you're crying. What's wrong?" Edward said and sat up.

"Really, nothing is wrong. Please go back to bed." I said to him looking down so that he wouldn't see the tears in my eyes.

Edward jumped out of bed and rushed over to my side. He sat down and wrapped his arms around me. "Please tell me what's wrong. Please don't hide anything from me. I love you. If you're hurt, I hurt too," he said and looked into my eyes as he held my face in his hands.

"I…I…I was thinking …about …leaving Los Angeles."

"What? What do you mean? You want to leave Los Angeles?"

"I thought maybe it would be for the best if Kitty and I left Los Angeles. We don't want more harm done to you all. If we no longer stayed near you all, then James would leave too," I said to Edward and I saw anger flash in Edward's eyes.

"I can't believe you considered leaving us. Can't you see how much we all love you? Every single one of us would gladly be hospitalized if it would protect you and Kitty. Clearly you don't see that. What can we do to make you see how important you two are to us? You're a mother for god's sake. Why would you consider something that may risk harm to Kitty and the baby? Do you know what the stress from running away could do to the baby? You could end up with a miscarriage. Have you even thought about that? Have you thought how hurt we all would be if we lost you all? Have you considered physical pain from an injury would be nothing compared to the emotional pain we would all endure if we lost you all? I love you so much. Have I not shown you how much I love you two and I need you two? You, Kitty, and the baby are part of me now. You all are my life now. I can't lose you," Edward yelled in tears.

"I'm so sorry. Please don't be angry at me. I just thought that if we left at least there would no longer be a risk of you all getting hurt by James." I said to Edward as I rubbed the tears off his face.

"Well you thought wrong. If you and Kitty left it would devastate us. My parents would feel like they lost their grandchild and a daughter. Rose, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper would feel like they lost their niece and sister. I would no longer have a reason to live," Edward said as he gripped the sheets. The force he had in his grip made a rip through the sheets.

"I'm sorry. So sorry. I was stupid. I love you and I don't want to lose you all either. I love you all, that's why I thought of leaving," I said to Edward and tears rolled down my cheeks continuously. Edward was a blur to me. I couldn't see him through my tears.

Edward's face was red from anger. "I need to go clear my head," he said and left the bedroom.

I felt horrible and stupid. Edward was exhausted but I just ruined his sleep. I had no idea how I could make things better. We've never argued once until now. This was our first argument and it was catastrophic. I just put a huge crack in our relationship. Maybe it's for the best. Maybe it will now hurt less if Kitty and I left tomorrow. I let Edward's words run through my head over and over again. The more I thought of it, the more I realized how wrong I was. I was really selfish to think that leaving was the solution to it all. None of us would be happy if we left. Kitty would be devastated if I took her away from Edward. She would miss Grandma Esme and Grandpa Carlisle. She would miss Auntie Alice, Auntie Rosalie, Uncle Em, and Uncle Jazz. She would only have me. Edward and Stephen would never forgive me if anything happened to Kitty and Matthew.

All of this was overwhelming and my stomach started to churn. I went to the bathroom and hugged the toilet to throw up. The stress was making me sick and I started to have abdominal pains. I've had this type of pain lately and from experience with Kitty I knew it was nothing serious. They were from the stretching of the muscles in my uterus. I had spoken to Carmen as well and she had assured me not to worry when I mentioned it to her my last checkup. I needed to relax so that the pain would go away but I couldn't move. I felt miserable, heartbroken, and sick in my stomach. The bathroom floor was cold and I was too sick to reach for the rug. I don't know how long I sat on the bathroom floor. I shivered from the cold. My limbs were now numb and I felt chilly all over. I needed help to get up. I still felt nauseous but I needed to get off the floor. I rubbed my stomach and tried to will away the pain. I crawled taking a break every few seconds. When I reached the door I cried out to Kitty. "Kitty, Kitty. Help me, Kitty." I don't remember how many times I repeated calling out to her. I felt like I was going to pass out soon.

Relief rushed through when the door to the bedroom opened and the hallway light shined in. I thought Edward returned to the bedroom. "Mr. Cullen. Mr. Cullen." The person who lifted me off the floor yelled. I realized it wasn't Edward who came into the door.

Kitty woke up from the yelling and started to cry. "Mommy, Mommy. I'm scared."

I needed to take care of Kitty but I felt so cold, nauseous, weak and couldn't move or speak. Then I heard Edward's voice. "Oh my gosh, Bella. Oh my gosh. What happened?" Edward asked to the man who was carrying me.

"I heard a distressed voice so I came to check this room out and saw her crumpled outside the bathroom door. She's got cold sweat and her lips are blue," the man holding me said to Edward. I assumed it was Kevin since he didn't sound as old as Adam did.

"Please put her on the bed and watch her. I'll go and get my medical bag." Edward said to Kevin.

"Bella? Can you hear me? Bella, can you open your eyes?" I heard another voice. I could tell it was Adam now. I felt too sick to verbally reply back to him so I squeezed his hand.

I felt the bed sink beside me and there were sounds of someone going through a bag. I realized it was Edward trying to get things out of his medical bag. I felt him check my pulse and the cold touch of the stethoscope. "Love, hang in there. Let's get you warmed up," he said to me. "Adam, could you go and run a bath for me? I need to raise Bella's body temperature. In the mean time I'll give her some I.V. fluids," Edward said to Adam.

"Of course. Kevin, I need you to go back out and stay alert while I take care of Mr. Cullen's needs," Adam said to Kevin.

I felt worse than I did. I now caused unnecessary trouble to Adam, Kevin, and Edward because of my stupidity. "I love you. I'm sorry I left you alone," I heard Edward say while he brushed his thumb over my cheek. "You'll feel better soon. Your electrolytes are out of balance. The I.V. fluid will kick in soon. I love you baby. Hang in there," Edward said and kissed my forehead.

"The bath is drawn. If you need anything else I'll be just outside the door," Adam said and left.

Just ten minutes of the I.V. drip made me feel better. "Kitty was crying. Where's Kitty?" I asked Edward.

"Don't worry. Adam calmed her down and she's sound asleep now. She'll be fine."

"I'm so sorry. I keep messing up."

"Baby, you didn't mess up. I did. I yelled at you and left you alone. I should have taken better care of you. I made you sick. I love you and I'm so sorry. Please don't ever say that you'll leave me. I can't live without you anymore. I can't imagine what my life would be like without you and Kitty. We have each other. Everything will be all right. Let's get you in the tub and warm you up," Edward said and carried me to the bathroom.

Edward sat beside the tub while I soaked. He looked worn out. I reached out and took his hand. "I love you. I'm sorry for acting so selfish. I didn't mean to. Everything I do seem to have a negative effect. I can't do one thing right. I'm sorry I hurt you."

"There's no need to apologize. I understand where you were coming from. If I was in your shoes I may have considered the same but that doesn't mean I like what you considered doing. Just promise me never to leave us," he said and smiled. "Let's get you out of the tub and I'll go and see if there's any soup left I could heat up for you. You need a little something in your stomach," Edward said and helped me out of the tub. He helped me get back into my pajamas and carried me to the living room.

"I'm glad to see some color back in your face. You were so pale earlier. Good thing your boyfriend is a doctor," Adam said and smiled.

After we caught a few more hours of sleep, Edward was woken up with a phone call from Carlisle. "That's great news Dad. I'm so glad to hear that Alice is fully awake now. How is she?...That's good. I'm glad there's no permanent damage. How long does she still need to be there?...Oh well, two weeks isn't so bad concerning the injuries she sustained. I hope she doesn't cause too much trouble to the doctors and the nurses. I don't know how she could go without shopping for two weeks." I heard Edward chuckle. "All right Dad, we'll be there soon. Give my love to Alice. See you all later. Bye," Edward said and hung up. "I've got great news. That was Dad. Alice is up and all seems to be good. Let's get ready to go to the hospital."

"That's wonderful news. I'm so glad to hear that she's up. I can't wait to see her. Should we go and alert Adam and Kevin?"

"I'll go and talk to him while you jump in the shower. I'll go ahead and dress Kitty and make some breakfast for her," Edward said and gave me a kiss.

When I got out of the shower, Kitty sat on counter while she watched Edward make pancakes. Kitty noticed me and reached out for a hug. "Good morning baby," I said to Kitty and gave her a kiss.

"Edward is making pancakes for me," she said with a huge smile on her face.

"Aww that's so sweet isn't it. Did you thank him?"

"Oopsies. Thank you Edward."

"Baby, you don't have to thank me. I'm making pancakes for you because I love you," Edward said and kissed Kitty.

"Bella, can you take these to the coffee table for Adam and Kevin? Thanks," Edward said and handed me two plates of pancakes, scrambled eggs, fried tomatoes, and sausages.

"Good morning Adam and Kevin. Here's some breakfast. Would you like some coffee, tea, Orange juice, or milk with that?"

"Coffee for me. Thank you," Adam said .

"Me as well. Thank you," Kevin said and smiled.

When we got to the hospital we were told to go to the waiting room directly instead of Alice's room. She was being questioned by the police with the Cullen's lawyer present. The Cullen's lawyer was there to make sure Alice didn't say anything that James could use against her later in court. Carlisle explained to me that the main thing they were pursuing here was to get a restraining order on James to stay away from all of us. James was already wanted for the crime of embezzlement in Chicago so once he was caught he would be taken back to Chicago but Carlisle wanted to make sure James couldn't come near us legally.

According to what Alice told Carlisle and the lawyer she said James hadn't physically harmed her but he verbally abused her to the point she got scared and fell off the stairs. She said she blacked out so she had no idea what happened after she blacked out but she did remember them running down the stairs towards her but do not remember if they fled or assaulted her physically. The lawyer assured them that were reason enough to get the restraining order.

Carlisle said that none of them wanted to get dragged through court too long so they didn't want to press charges against James for assault unless it was necessary to get him arrested here in Los Angeles but the lawyer assured him that he already had a warrant for arrest so they wouldn't have to press charges for the assault but he advises them to do so. Carlisle said Alice had no wish to be put on stand or to drag me and Kitty in it as it was evident that I would also be put on the stand by James' lawyer if Alice pressed charges for verbal assault that led to injuries and fleeing the scene of an accident.

Alice's wishes were to go back to normal as soon as possible and to make sure that James could no longer come near us again. Carlisle emphasized that Alice didn't want hers or my life disrupted anymore.

An hour later the detectives were done with the questioning and left with the Cullen's lawyer. We finally got to go and see Alice.

As soon as I opened the door and met Alice's eyes she squealed at us. "BELLA! KITTY! EDWARD! I missed you guys sooooo much. Hurry and let me give you a hug!" She shouted.

"Wow, you sure have more energy than usual. That's scary," Edward said and laughed.

"Eh, I was asleep so long my energy tank is full and overflowing at the moment," Alice chuckled. "Oh I'm so glad to see you guys. Oh Bella, I heard that James even got to Kitty. I'm so glad he didn't do any harm," Alice said and pulled Kitty towards her and kissed her forehead. Kitty snugly sat on Alice's bed and curled up on her good side.

"Anything we can do for you to help you feel more comfortable, sis?" Edward asked.

"Oh you're a life saver. I was waiting for someone to offer me assistance. The food sucks here and I'm starved. I need some real food. Now that I'm up, Jasper could use a little break. He needs to shower and catch some sleep. I don't want to sound unappreciative but he really stinks. I probably do too but they won't let me bathe until they run more tests on me later in the day. I had mom wash my hair using a little basin earlier. There was no way I was seeing the detectives and the lawyer when I looked like I hadn't washed my hair in days," Alice laughed. "Anyway, tell Jasper to go to my place to shower and catch some sleep. On his way back from the hospital tell him to stop by Rosti's and get me Minestrone soup, grilled shrimp salad, and linguini vongole."

"Well, other than food, is there anything you need?" I asked Alice.

"I need my laptop, planner, sketchbook and color pencils. Since I'm going to be here for at least another two weeks I might as well do some designing for the spring/summer line." I was glad to see that she really seemed much better. She was back to being Alice.

"Well now that you look like your good ol' self, I'm gonna go and see if I can squeeze Bella into Carmen's schedule to get her checked out. She still looks pale today and her blood sugar and blood pressure was low last night."

"Edward, I'm all right. I'd rather stay with Alice."

"Nonsense, Bella! Oh my gosh, you were sick yesterday? What are you doing here??? Go and get checked up. My Matthew could be sick. You two go! You can leave Kitty here with me, Mom, and Dad. The rest of you can all go. I'll have someone make sure Kitty is fed and she can nap in my bed."

"Umm, I don't think they'll let Kitty sleep in your bed, but I'm sure you're resourceful enough to convince them," Edward said and laughed. "Well I'm going to step out and make the call and see what Carmen's schedule is like," Edward said and left the room.

"Bella, I know that face. Stop looking like you're guilty. You had nothing to do with James being James. It's a pity he's so different from Stephen. There isn't an inch of humanity in that vile creature. Let's just forget all this happened and that he even exists. Let's put all this behind us and move on. Sooooo how was Vegas?"

Vegas. That seemed like ages ago. I can't believe it hadn't even been a week since we got back here from Vegas. So much happened that I forgot how beautiful the time Edward and I spent in Vegas was. "I had a fabulous time in Vegas. The food, the hotel, everything was surreal. Edward was so romantic."

"Come on Bella, details. I need details. Where did you go? What did you eat? Oh what did you get me for souvenir? Come on give this girl something to enjoy about. Last I heard from you was that you were going to have dinner at Bouchon after you had a ride on the gondola and went to Madame Tussaud's."

"Hmmm. Oh yeah now I remember. After dinner we went to the cactus garden in Ethel's chocolate factory then we headed back to the hotel and…" I remembered that we took a bath together and I blushed.

"Hey, what's that blush for? I saw that. Details. Bella, details."

"We took a bath together and he had aroma candles lit. You would have loved it. They were Agraria San Francisco's candles. Then we ordered some midnight snacks from the in-suite dining. The next morning he woke me up after the breakfast arrived. After breakfast I gave him the Lladro figurine I got him for Christmas. He loved it Alice. I was nervous but he loved it."

"Aww, I'm so happy for him. You are so good for my brother. He must've been so happy when he saw the figurine. Where did you two go after breakfast?"

"Oh Alice, you wouldn't believe it. He was so sweet. He took me to Anne Geddes at the Wynn and got Matthew some baby clothes."

"Wow, I had no idea Edward knew of Anne Geddes. He really must have done some internet search before he left for Vegas. Wow, I'm so proud of him. He wasn't a lost cause. I'm glad it was Edward and not Emmett. If you were stuck with Emmett, he would have bought Matthew ugly Lakers baby clothes," Alice said and laughed. "What happened after you both shopped at Anne Geddes?"

"We ate at BLT Burger at the Mirage, went to the botanical gardens at the Bellagio, and then he took me to dinner at Bartolotta at Wynn. He got us a private cabana. It was phenomenal. Then we went back to the hotel and he gave me a massage with the oil Rosalie gave him. He was so sweet to me," I said and blushed as I remembered that we made love in the morning.

"Okay, you can skip the details after the massage. I think I know what that blush meant." Alice winked. "What did you two do the next day?"

"We went to the Sterling buffet Emmett recommended and then went souvenir shopping. We got you the perfume from Payard. We sent a package full of pastries, jams, and chocolates. I wonder what happened to the package though. We couriered the package before we left Vegas."

"Oh you know what they arrived the morning before the accident. Jasper received them. Now that you mentioned it I remember him telling me he ate some of the pastries and the chocolates but didn't unwrap the little box that came with it. That must have been the perfume."

"I'm glad the pastries didn't go totally to waste."

"Well go on, what did you guys do after shopping?"

"He brought Italy to me."

"What? What do you mean he brought Italy to you?" Alice looked confused like I had lost my mind.

"He took me to Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas."

"Oh, I've heard of it. It's a Tuscan themed hotel wasn't it?"

"It was beautiful. We took a walk and had afternoon tea there. There were weddings and receptions going on and they all looked so happy. It felt like I was in a fairy tale."

"A fairy tale romance. It's so fitting. I can see you two getting married there," Alice said and winked.

"Alice!"

"Oh shush. So what came after it?"

"Everything was just amazing and it even got more amazing. He took me to Fleur de Lys. The floral sculpture of 3000 fresh cut roses was stunning and the food was so delicious I can't find the appropriate words to describe it. The next morning he took me to Egg Works for breakfast. He wanted me to have a relaxing casual time. The whole trip was unbelievable. It was so romantic and so sweet. Edward had taken care of all the details. Nothing went wrong. It was an out of this world experience."

"Aww, I'm so glad you two had a great time. I can't wait to see the pictures and videos. Tell Edward we need to have a little presentation of the pictures and the videos as soon as I get moved to my private room here."

"Alice, I don't think your parents or Emmett or Rosalie would be interested in our vegas pictures and videos but I'll make sure to tell Edward so you can see them. We need to get settled in first. I'm living on the clothes I took to Vegas and Rosalie's clothes."

"Oh, about that. I had a discussion with Jasper. We decided on Jasper moving into my place. It's too hard for him to see the place where I got hurt. I was hoping you would move in with Edward. I don't want you living there without us around. James knows your place but he doesn't know Edward's place."

"I don't know. I don't want to inconvenience Edward. I've done enough to cause you all pain."

"Bella, are you serious? Don't you realize how happy Edward would be if you moved in with him? If he asked would you move in with him?"

"I would move in with him in a heartbeat but I don't want to risk Edward getting harmed by James. Kitty and I should probably look for another place to live."

"Don't be ridiculous. You are either moving in with Jasper and me or with Edward. I'm sure Rosalie and Emmett would love to have you two live with them if it will stop you two from living alone."

"Alice, Edward hasn't even asked me to move in with him so why are we even having this conversation?"

"Bella, he always intended on you two moving in with him. Why do you think he even asked Mom and me to furnish his place? He even has Kitty's room there and he plans to change the other room into a nursery for Matthew. I know I shouldn't have told you this but you needed to hear this. He loves you. We love you. You two are family to us. I know he wants to ask you to move in with him. He's just worried that it might scare you or that you aren't ready yet. Bella, you said you would move in with him in a heartbeat.
Don't wait for him to ask you. Just tell him you want to move in with him."

"I can't do that Alice. I'll wait for him to ask me."

"Well if you aren't going to ask him, then I will tell him to ask you then."

"Alice, please don't meddle in this. Please let him ask me in his own time. If he wants to, I'm sure he'll ask me when it's time."

I really didn't want her to force Edward to ask me to move in with him. I was sure that when he was ready, he would if that was what he wanted. At the rate Alice was going with this, I wasn't sure how I could stop her from acting on it.

"Hey, Carmen said she can see you during her lunch break at one o'clock. Unfortunately she wants to check you on an empty stomach so she wants you to refrain from eating until the checkup is over. Sorry love," Edward said and sat down beside me by Alice's bed.

"Edward, Jasper's going to move in with me. He doesn't want to live at his place anymore. I'm sure you assumed that. So, what are you going to do? Move in with Bella? Ask her to move in with you?" Alice blurted out to Edward and I scowled at her for meddling in our business.

"Ummm. I was hoping Bella would move in with me," Edward said with a smile on his face. "Bella, would you move in with me? I know you still have the lease and I originally planned to ask you to move in with me after the baby was born but with what happened I would really like it if you would move in with me now instead of later. You could sublet the place for the remainder of the lease or Alice could use the place to stock things from the boutique. I could have the movers pack everything up so that you don't even have to move a finger and I'd rather that you don't go near that place ever again."

I was lost for words. Alice had told me Edward's intention already, but hearing it from Edward was so different. He really wanted me to move in with him. I saw it in his eyes. I glanced towards Alice and she glared at me that I hadn't answered Edward yet. "Thank you for asking me. Kitty and I would love to move in with you. Are you sure, Edward? It would turn your life upside down. Are you sure you can handle living with a three year old? She's a handful."

"I couldn't be happier. I can't imagine living apart from you two anymore. I basically live at your place now. We're just changing location to my place that's all. Thank you for saying yes," Edward said and he had the sweetest smile on him. There was so much love in his eyes I knew at that moment that this was meant to be.

"You two are so silly, it's annoying. You two should have moved in together eons ago. Since Jasper was the one who got you the lease and he has to let go of his place too, let's just have Jasper take care of it okay?" Alice asked and I nodded. I didn't care what she did with the place. I didn't want to live there anymore anyway. "This is going to be so much fun. It's a good thing I have so much free time since I'm stuck here. I'll get started on designing the nursery with Mom," Alice said happily. I was going to scowl but when I saw how happy Edward looked I let it go. I didn't want to rain on their party.

A/N

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I wrote this chapter as quick as I could as an appreciation to you all for sticking by me through my writer's block. Thank you all for reading my story. If you would please leave me a review it would be great!