I know it's not as exciting as Midnight Sun (which I'm expecting today) but thanks for reading.

It shocked Bella to wake up the next morning and find Edward in bed with her. She assumed he was both pissed enough and in deep enough with his business that he wouldn't bother to join her. She'd had a long moment of doubt where she almost went back to her old room to sleep, but she wouldn't run now. Standing her ground was the answer, she just had to figure out how to balance herself on the shaky ground which was now her foundation.

Slipping quietly out of bed, Bella took a quick shower and pulled her hair up. Quinn would wake at any minute, and she wanted to get to the nursery before that happened. She turned off the monitor as soon as she entered the room so there was no way they could disturb Edward.

There had been no sight of him after their argument. He went upstairs to spend time with Quinn, and she went out into the biting cold to walk through the garden. It had been on the tip of her tongue to apologize, but she didn't feel that she had any reason to say the words. It hurt to think he would spend most of their marriage holed up in his office, but maybe he had no choice. In a way, she knew what she was getting herself into all those months before in Forks. Loneliness and desperation made her turn to a criminal for validation, and she had to live with the consequences of her choices.

Surprised to hear the doorknob turn, she looked over to find Edward standing just inside the nursery. He wore plaid pajama pants and no shirt, and she had to look away from the enticing sight of his bare chest.

"He's not awake yet," she whispered.

She wished he would leave the room so she could flee to the kitchen, but he remained where he stood. Since he didn't respond to her statement, she wasn't sure what he wanted.

"Bella."

It was impossible to face him; her head refused to turn. The view out the window showed a rain-filled sky, which perfectly matched her mood. Tears tracked silently down her face, upsetting her further. The last thing she wanted was for him to see her as weak.

Edward touched her shoulder, reminding her that he moved like a stealthy jungle cat. Before she could process it, he'd wrapped his arms around her and pulled her face into his chest. She sobbed, trying to bite back the sound. Stroking one hand down her hair, he shushed her.

Why could he be nice to her in the quiet of the early morning, but not in the middle of the day? Why did he offer comfort when she hadn't asked, but not when she desperately begged for it?

"Come on," he murmured, guiding her out of the nursery.

She followed him to their room, seeing that he had the baby monitor tucked in his pocket. "The one in the nursery isn't turned on," she mumbled.

Instead of responding to that, he sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her to stand between his legs. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

Sighing, he wiped a tear off her cheek. "Why do women say that when they don't mean it?"

"Because if I told you what was really going on in my head, you would tell me I'm overreacting." She tried to untangle herself from his arms, but he seemed determined to hold on.

"Have I ever said that to you?"

Her gaze remained focused on the carpet. "No, I don't think you have."

"What can I do, Bella?"

"Honestly, I don't know at this point." She had no choice but to look at him when he tilted her chin up. "I mean it. I feel bad about yesterday, but I'm not wrong."

"No, you're not wrong."

Both of her brows went up. "I didn't expect you to admit it."

Scrubbing a hand over the stubble on his chin, he said, "You wouldn't take anything seriously. Each time I mentioned your guards, you laughed it off. With Angela here, I had to protect you both. If lying was what it took to make you take precautions, then I felt it was worth it."

"And at no point when we were being open and honest about what you do for a living did it occur to you to rectify that lie?"

"I didn't even remember discussing the bomb with you when we were opening up." He spread his hands between them. "It's true that Carlisle and I were injured in the blast. He wasn't invited, but someone leaked the meeting to him and he showed up at a dangerous time. We were supposed to stay back from the building, but he ruined that plan."

The blast that he'd said killed more than twenty men. She gripped his hands. "Why did you set the bomb?"

"The Volturi Family took out a hit on me for killing their spy, who was also the son of the boss's brother."

"Did you know that when you killed him?" The word 'killed' came out strangled, but at least she'd said it.

"No. I knew he'd infiltrated our organization, and he was caught before he could feed them anything important. We set him up with false information as a test, and he failed."

She took a deep breath. "So they tried to kill you?"

"Yes, me and Jasper. After all their talk about wanting peace at any cost, they sent men to kill me." He shrugged. "They had to be dealt with."

Pressing her hands to a stomach that wanted to revolt, she took slow, deep breaths. "God."

He cupped her cheek. "Are you okay?"

"I think so."

"Part of the reason I'm not fully honest with you is the nature of the business. You have no place in that part of my world."

"What if I did?"

Dropping his hand, he stared at her as though she'd grown another head. "What if you did what?"

She swallowed the lump in her throat. "If I had a place in your world?"

His expression made it clear he thought she was crazy. "The mafia world? The world full of illegal activity, death threats, and bloodshed?"

"Yes." Never had he said he loved her. Never had he said he couldn't live without her presence in his life. He wanted Quinn, and he wanted to keep Bella for his pleasure. Sweet Edward wouldn't come out every hour of the day, and she had to remember that. But maybe she could find her place with him after all, a place by his side. Assuming she could keep her stomach out of her toes when they spoke of blood and death.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

"I'm not an idiot, Edward. I can help you."

He shook his head. "Don't take this personally, but I don't think your mind is devious enough to help me."

"We'll see." Backing up, she moved toward the door as he stood and followed her.

"We will?"

She shrugged. "Either I lose you to the demons, or I join you in fighting them."

"Neither of those are options." He reached for her, but she evaded him.

"Yes, they are. I know your schedule is erratic. You can't be a nine-to-five guy, even if you wanted it."

In the middle of the hall, he stopped walking. "We have a baby, Bella. He needs you."

"He sleeps most of the day, and I can help you when he's sleeping. Or revisit the nanny idea."

"You don't want him raised by someone else."

Clearly, he was trying very hard to talk her out of her crazy idea. "Not raised by, but looked after. What if it was Rose?"

"Rose has a job."

"She hates it, though. She was thinking of getting into interior design, but she doesn't have the credentials. If we pay her to be our part-time nanny, she can afford to open her own business."

Stepping closer to her, he took her chin in his long fingers. "When did you figure all this out?"

"Just now."

"You're an innocent, Bella." Edward brushed his lips over hers, and she rested her hands on his shoulders.

"My innocence is long gone, Edward. Everything I thought was right is wrong, and vice versa."

When he dipped his head again, she figured he was trying to distract her. It worked, at least for a minute.

"Edward, you can't make me forget what I said by kissing me."

"That sounds a lot like a challenge."

Snorting, she put her palm in the center of his chest to ward him off. The feel of his warm skin beneath hers made her heart pick up speed, but she wasn't going to allow him to sway her. "It's not."

"Why do you want to go from the comfort of your life now to the daily hazard of getting involved with the gritty reality of Seattle's underground?"

She took a minute before responding. Even she didn't know the best answer. When Rose said she should stand by Edward's side, Bella had thought she was insane. Now, it felt like the last resort to making her marriage work. "I want to be by your side in all things."

There was no stopping his forward momentum when he pushed her against the wall and ravaged her mouth. It was a reaction she hadn't expected from him, but it made perfect sense. He broke away from her mouth to suck on the skin of her neck.

"The very thought is hot as hell," he whispered in her ear. "You have no idea how much I want to fuck you right here."

"We just had sex yesterday."

Edward pulled back to look at her. "So?"

Having no response that would make sense, she stood still while he planted his hands on the wall by her head, leaning in to swirl his tongue over her pulse.

They froze at the sound of Quinn crying from the other side of the wall.

"I'll get him," Edward said.

Bella remained where she was, trying to calm herself and breathe properly. It was a marvel that Edward already wanted her again.

The sight of her half-naked husband carrying their baby against his bare chest had her clenching her legs together. "Not fair at all."

"There's always later."

Taking her hand, Edward led the way down the stairs to the dining room. She sat in her chair and reached for Quinn, feeding him while Edward spoke to Tyler about breakfast. When Quinn was finished nursing, Edward took him so Bella could eat.

"This is all I want," she said, watching the two of them.

"Most days, I can do it, Bella. Just not every day."

Eventually, he settled Quinn in the swing so he could read his newspaper. Bella kept stealing glances at Edward because he had not put on a shirt. He didn't appear to notice her heated cheeks.

After some time, he stood. "I'm going to get dressed. If Emmett and Jasper arrive before I'm back, please tell them to wait for me in my office."

"Yes, sir."

Leaning down, he kissed her forehead. "Now you want to be all polite?"

"Just remember, it's reciprocal."

Once he left the room, she pulled her cell phone from her pocket to check her email. It surprised her to see a text from Alice. They hadn't had any communication since Quinn was born.

When Edward came back down the stairs in a black suit and pewter tie, she didn't even glance up at him. She remained staring at her phone.

"Bella?"

"Hm?"

"What is it?"

Finally, she looked up at him. "Alice sent me a text."

Immediately, his face changed and he practically snatched the phone from her hand. "What does she want?"

Bella slumped in her chair while Edward read the text. He handed her phone back with his brows up in his hairline.

"Yeah, that was my reaction," she said.

"I know she and Jasper had a talk about the way she acted, but he never told me how it went." Edward began pacing the length of the table. "She's never apologized to me, and I know she hasn't apologized to you."

"No, she hasn't."

"So why the change of heart?"

Edward broke off his pacing when Garrett appeared in the arched opening to the dining room. "Mr. Cullen and Mr. Whitlock are here."

"Thanks, Garrett."

Garrett left the room, and Bella stood. "Should I ask Jasper about it?"

They heard the voices of the two men, and Edward shook his head.

When they came into the room, Jasper moved to the coffee carafe and the extra mugs first. Emmett went straight for the swing and smiled down at Quinn.

"Jasper," Edward began. "Do you know anything about the text your wife sent to mine?"

Jasper looked at Edward over the rim of his mug. "She's been talking about making amends, but I didn't know she did anything about it."

Edward nodded while Jasper sipped his coffee. "And she's sincere?"

"Why wouldn't she be?"

"I don't know, Jasper, I never expected the attitude she displayed to come from her in the first place."

Emmett sat in the chair to the left of Bella's, pouring himself coffee as well. Bella sank back into her seat to watch the exchange between the brothers-in-law.

"No," Jasper said. "I didn't either."

"Have you taken something from her she's expecting to get back if she makes nice?"

Jasper slipped his hand in his coat pocket, but not before Bella saw the way it curled into a fist. "No."

"So I can trust she'll be genuinely apologetic and polite if I allow her into my home?"

Jasper set his mug down with a snap. "She's your sister, Edward. For God's sake."

"She was fucking disrespectful, Jasper. I don't care who it is, I don't put up with that shit, and you know it."

Jasper set his teeth and barely managed to speak through them. "As far as I know, she's sincere."

Edward turned to Bella. "You can accept her offer if you want, but I'll be damned if she treats you the way she did before. If you don't want to see her, I'll back you up."

Bella looked from Jasper's reddened face to the fire in Edward's eyes. She'd rarely seen him so protective of her before. Admittedly, it turned her on, but it wasn't the time or the place.

"I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt."

"I figured as much." He ran his fingertip down her nose. "Don't feel like you can't send her packing if she isn't sincere after all."

"Edward," Jasper said warningly.

Edward turned fierce eyes on Jasper. "I dare you to say what you're thinking."

After several beats of tense silence, Jasper put his hands up and backed out of the room.

"Who wants more coffee?" Emmett offered.

Bella turned to him gratefully. "Me, please."

"Bella, we'll discuss your ideas further at dinner this evening." Edward gave her another kiss to the forehead before leaving the room.

Emmett didn't stick around for long, leaving her with her thoughts and the sound of Quinn's swing moving back and forth.

Edward had shown her that he could be a guard dog when he thought she might be threatened, even by his sister. She would give almost anything to be in the office to see if Jasper had anything else to say about their exchange. Edward had a right to be mad at Alice, but she understood Jasper had to defend her, too.

If they were to move forward with her by his side, would the four of them get along? She knew Emmett had no problems with her, but that wasn't the same as having her work with him. She wasn't sure if Jasper even liked her, or if he was respectful because of her status as his boss's wife.

She shivered at the memory of the look on Edward's face. So angry, but so controlled. Unmoving when it came to protecting what was his.

He'd made it clear she belonged to him, but at what cost?

Malice is back next chapter. Will Edward let Bella into his inner sanctum?