A/N: So this is that start of the storm. The crimson tide if you will. The chapter is short but packed and the next chapter has already started. I can tell you this is the shortest chapter of the whole story. But I felt like this was right where it needed to be and finished. I will say the end of this had a sad heartfail, but remember my promise: Near death but no actual death. There is a method for my madness. This will be a HEA. I hope you guys enjoy this and don't get to mad at me. I'm going to take my lap top and hide under the couch and get to the next chapter so that I won't hold you in limbo for too long. See ya at the bottom.

BPOV

Edward ended up racing a couple more times, and we had a good time. We ended the night and his friend Dakotah's bar doing shots and dancing. It was honestly a blur. I was doing these shots called flying dragons with Rose and we both ended up with the giggles. We closed the bar down.

"Dude I can't drive" Emmett said his large arms around Rosalie's waist.

"I know. But I called dad and Liam's coming man. This shit is gonna hurt tomorrow and we got mom's brunch. That's going to suck" Jasper drawled.

"It's going to suck hard. But she ain't gonna let us out of it" Edward said from behind me. His arms were around my waist and his chin was resting on the top of my head.

Liam came and he dropped Edward and I off at his townhouse. From the outside it looked like a regular mid-sized house in a pretty upscale neighborhood. When we got inside I nearly fainted. It sobered me up quite a bit. It was a lot of dark woods and black furniture. The kitchen was black and stainless steel and looked like it had never been used.

"Wow Edward, I never thought your house-"

"This baby is our home. We're gonna live here together. Next week my mom and dad are going to take you to tour FCSU and get you all signed up for classes for the fall; you have a car so you can get out and have some you time. I know my family can be a lot and I'm sure you miss a certain amount of alone time" he said leaning against the counter crossing his arms across his chest.

I looked at him and felt my bottom lip slip between my teeth.

"You got something on your mind, you know you can tell me anything?" he said

"Tonight scared me. I mean I know that what you do isn't complete legal and it isn't safe. I just saw some things tonight that kind of raised my hackles. I mean people openly threatened me" I confessed.

"Bella baby, come on let's go talk and I'll show you where everything is. We'll have our stuff tomorrow. But tonight I just thought we would have some time to just chill and talk. I feel like we're under a microscope and always have a bunch of people around, but this is our home our safe place. We don't have to hide. We can say and be anything we need to be here" he said as he took my hand.

The house was bigger than it looked from the outside. A media room with a full bar and a game room made up the basement level of the house. The second floor had Edward's office, the kitchen, dining room, a large living room the door out to the three car garage, a foyer and the stairs to the third floor. Edwards bedroom was huge with a sitting area his large sleigh bed and two walk in closets. And off of his closet he said was a secret room that he wouldn't tell me about until we were married.

"Why do you have to be so secretive, what does us being married have to do with anything? Why don't you trust me?" I could myself becoming a little sad but mostly angry.

"Until we're married; if something ever got into the hands of the cops; they could subpoena you to testify against me, my father my brothers; and I would never expect you to lie for me; but in my world; Loyalty is the name of the game, I would never expect you to betray me, but if you did, there are some people who are loyal to me that would try to hurt you. I would die to protect you Bella, so the les you know for right now. The safer you are" he explained.

"Edward, I-Marry me?" I looked him directly in the eye and I was as serious as a heart attack. I would do anything for this man, the threats I'd received scared the life out of me, but I had every confidence that Edward and the family would protect me. I would do the same for them. When I said ride or die; I meant it whole heartedly.

"Don't say something you don't mean Bella. You know I love you and the more I find out about you; the deeper in I get for you; but for the men in my family, Marriage is a blood in blood out bond. Divorce, it would never be an option. It is a vow that is written in blood. So I need you to think about that really carefully before you agree to it" he replied.

"You don't want to spend your life with me?" I looked up at him my lip between my teeth.

"Bella we would be on a jet to Vegas right fucking now, but I want you to be sure" he said as he opened the dresser across from the end of the bed. He pulled out a pair of boxers and a t shirt and set them on the bed in front of me.

"Here for the conversation we're about to have, you're gonna wanna be comfortable baby. He stripped off his jeans down to his boxer briefs and unbuttoned his shirt taking it off with the wife beater he was wearing under it. His muscled arms chiseled pecks and biceps, his ink. I had to shake the replay of last night out of my head this was a talk we needed to have.

I stripped down to my bra and panties and Edward stopped cold and stared at me. He licked his lips as my bra fell to the floor. I quickly pulled the t shirt over my head and pulled the boxers over my hips. I bent over from the waist and I admit I wiggled a little just because I knew he was watching.

"Bella-" his voice had an edge and warning to it.

"What?" I asked

"Come on I'm gonna go on the deck if I smoked in the house my mother would lose her shit" he said laughing as he opened the French double doors.

The deck off if his- our bedroom overlooked the pool; which had a few lights on but the moon was so bright it was so pretty.

"God it's beautiful out here" I said sitting in the lounger.

"Yeah; it's alright. I didn't really spend a lot of time here before I got locked up" he said leaning back and lighting a cigarette.

"Why?" I asked

"Well, I umm work with my father a lot. His business, the family business, has to be passed down to his oldest son. I'm his only child" Edward said.

"But what about Jasper and Emmett, I thought you were the youngest?" I asked.

"I am, but I'm his only biological son, so there are pieces of the business he's groomed them for, but the boss, the leader, has to be a blood born Cullen, and I'm the only son. So I spend a lot of time with my father, so most of the time I just stayed there. I really had no reason to come home. There was no one here for me to come home to" he shrugged it off.

"What about now?" I asked turning towards him.

"You're my heaven. My reason to come home" he said as he flicked his cigarette.

"So what is this all important conversation we need to have; I'm dying here. What are you going to tell me I don't already know" I asked

"Bella, it's not what you think. I just – fuck how do I even say this shoit-the things I do, have to do, my family does, it's bloody. I've killed people, cleaned up and botched crime scenes. It's always all in the name of family and respect. My father-"

"Edward. I know, I mean I googled your family after you told me who you were" I confessed.

"So you've known the whole time?"

"The Cullen's of Chicago; organized crime, rule with a fist that's more iron that some of the most savage of Italian Mob Bosses, your father; they said he is suspected of something like a hundred and seventy unsolved murders and even more unsolved missing persons cases. Esme told me about how she fell in love with your dad, and told me to be clear about Loyalty before you and I got in too deep; Edward I'm not stupid, I mean I'm not all together street smart, but I'm not naïve enough to believe that you're just a night club owner who got caught with a little bit of personal use drugs. Now I'm not going to say I wasn't a little less than impressed with the prostitution and human trafficking, but then again I know that some of those girls do this willingly and that Emmett tries to give them an out, so that is the peace I will make with it" I huffed out.

"But something changes after tomorrow, the press, while they are suspicious of what my family is up to they have no proof so they mostly see us as a bunch of socialite old money richies, that is what we want them to see; it works to our favor and even provides us with alibies, but that also provides or enemies with some of the tools they need to exploit us. Tomorrow once they see us together, they will try to get to you, you will be safer than the fucking queen of England, but it won't stop them from trying; and for that I'm sorry and if you want to walk away I get it, or if you want to not be seen with me tomorrow-"

"Edward, we've already been seen kissing on street corners, I told two absolute strangers in a restaurant bathroom that you're my boyfriend, so sorry handsome, the cat is already out of the bag" I shrugged and stood up as he put his cigarette out"

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"To brush my teeth and try to get 4 hours of sleep before we have to meet the family for brunch and try to look the least bit decent for the millions of pictures that are going to be taken of us tomorrow" I said

"You're going to look beautiful no matter what; and besides who gives a fuck what they think of you. I think you're the most beautiful woman in the world and I'm lucky as shit to have you want to be with the likes of me" he said as we both waked into the massive bathroom. He took out a new toothbrush and as he shaved and washed his face. I brushed my teeth and put my hair up in a tight bun so that it wouldn't frizz in the hot night; that was one thing about florida, the nights were incredibly hot and muggy in the summer. My long straight hair would frizz out into a ball of knots during the night and would be an unbearable mess, and with all the alcohol we're drank tonight I knew tomorrow morning was going to be rough for me.

I snuggled up to Edward when he crawled in bed. He set the alarm and turned on some music the lights were dimmed and we were lying nose to nose.

"When you wrote that first letter did you expect this?" he asked softly.

"Not in my wildest imagination. I never thought being this happy and this loved was ever possible" I confessed.

"Bella, baby to know you is to love you; from the first letter I felt something for you, it confused me cause I was just use to being the odd man out and not having to worry about anyone but me; so you were a complete surprise" he said softly touching my face.

"I had never felt like I would have anyone on my side and then I met Rosalie and then your mom, and even if you weren't there your words helped me build the strength and the courage to be something other than invisible. Edward everything you've given me-"

"Bella how can you not see you gave me so much more. You make me feel better about the monster I have to be. You gave me your heart and your soul without knowing about how much my family is worth. You saw me for me before you thought of what you could get. When I felt like the lowest scum on earth, you saw me as ten feet tall and larger than life. I will never be able to say to you what that meant to not just me, but my family. I seriously have a purpose now"

"Care to share what this new found purpose is?" I asked leaning forward and softly pressing my lips to his.

"Making you the happiest and most spoiled woman on this earth, I will give you everything, I would buy you a tropical island just to see you smile, you are my life" he said

"Edward the only thing you could ever give me; well there are a few things" I said

"Anything, I would give you anything" he said leaning up on his elbow

"Come home to me, every night, don't ever make me a promise you can't or don't intend to keep, never lie to me or cheat on me, and promise me one day we will have a family and you will be the father to our children that I never got to have?" I asked.

"I would give you all of that no questions asked. I love you I could never deny you anything. I would steal the moon from the sky if that would give me a glimpse of that beautiful smile"

"Just be good to me Edward and I will always be good to you" I said touching his face.

He leaned forward and ran his tongue across my lips and held my cheeks so softly as he poured every ounce of love he could.

We made love that night. It was soft and sweet. The orgasm was so intense I could barely keep my eyes focused on him like he demanded for me to watch him, to watch us together.

He rolled us over, still buried deep inside of me and I laid my head on his chest and listen to his heart pound against his chest.

"You know we were supposed to be going to bed" I said softly when my breathing returned to normal and I could speak.

"We are in bed, we just did something to help take the heavy off the conversation we just had" he said softly rubbing my back.

"Yeah we did kind of need it; but somehow I knew if we were ever gonna have a chance at spending our lives together; we were going to have to do that. Although I had hoped I made it clear to you that good bad right wrong, I'm yours Edward. I love you" I said as the yawn escaped my throat.

"Go to sleep baby; morning is going to come before you know it; and mom will snap out if we're late" he said kissing my forehead. He whispered his love and told me how glad he was that he had me in his life. He was telling me about the night he was arrested when I let out my last yawn and sleep overtook me.

I felt like I had just closed my eyes when Edwards alarm went off. I sat up blinking away the freight train that was roaring through my head.

Edward was already awake and I heard the shower going. I smelled coffee and bacon which made my stomach snarl angrily. I reached over and turned off the alarm and groaned to myself

"What the hell was I thinking drinking that much?"

"I have no idea, but you better get up and get ready, the cars will be here in about forty minutes and Esme is already wound tight, you don't want to fuck with that. I bought over your guy's stuff. Esme wants everyone in Red, white and black today, you know the colors of the family crest. It's kind of tradition for the first brunch of a new family member" Rose said laying an absolutely gorgeous fifties style sun dress out on the best that was white but had these gorgeous red roses stamped onto the fitted bodice and even bigger roses onto the slightly flared a line knee length skirt. The straps of the dress were small little roses with crystal centers. It was absolutely beautiful and had the perfect white and red jewel trimmed ballet style flats.

"I think I should wear my hair down with this, and put those red and crystal barrettes in on the sides; the ones I bought at the mall. They are perfect for this" I exclaimed. I have to admit I was more than a little surprised that I was this excited about getting dressed up, and fashion. Neither had been a priority for me in the past; but it was just one more thing to add to the list of the five hundred new things in my life, lifestyle and other things that had drastically changed.

I went into the bathroom of the guest room to find that Rose my productive little meddling friend had brought all my new brushes and the ceramic flight iron and had them heated up on the counter.

I took a quick shower cause as Rosalie said I smelled like Edwards cock. I laughed and shook my hips as her as I went into the bathroom and closed the door. The hot shower woke me up a bit but did nothing to dull the strong headache.

I got out and quickly blow dried and flat ironed my hair which tamed it but my soft curls still remained. A quick and natural make up job had me feeling and looking a little less zombie and a little more human. I stepped into the bedroom where Edward was coming out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist.

"You know you could have just come and showered with me" he smirked as he dropped his towel.

"Sorry but your mother is already on a rampage cause we were supposed to be over there this morning and she had to change everything so the cars would pick us all up here. I'm not doing anything else to poke the dragon; and you are insatiable. So no I couldn't have showered with you" I said dropping my own towel and slipping into the lacey bra and thong set as Edward stared at me.

"You need to get dressed Edward; the card will be here soon and you need to do something about that hair of yours" I said pointing at his wayward rust colored locks.

"Yeah right, we know how I do babe" he said as he slipped on a fitted black baseball hat that said crimson tide across the back and had the signature blood red A in the front. He looked utterly sinful with a crimson Armani button down shirt and black tailored Armani slacks, he looked casual yet tough.

"Smart ass, you're lucky I love you" I said as I brushed a few curls back and clipped the barrettes into place.

"Baby look at us, we look fucking amazing together" Edward whispered in my ear as he wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my bare shoulder.

"You're the amazing one. Now how does this work?" I asked as my nerves kicked up.

"We're just going to go eat at this awesome hotel that has an outdoor seating area. The press will snap about a thousand pictures of us as we walk in. we have a private outdoor dining area, people will still try to get video and pictures of us as we eat. We pretend we are just a normal family that is rich and bored. No big deal, I won't let anything happen to you baby, I'll be with you the whole time baby" he said kissing my cheeks.

"Okay well let's go get this out of the way, some comfy sweats a bowl of ice cream and a nap are only going to come to me after we do this" I complained and grabbed my purse and sunglasses.

I went downstairs and was leveled with the bitch brow of my soon to be mother in law.

"So did you have fun last night my sweet girl" she sounded sweet but I knew the meaning was anything but.

"Umm Esme I'm sorry-wait- No I'm not sorry. Edward and I had some time alone as a couple. We hashed out some things we needed to hash out he fucked my brains out and we slept together as a couple alone in his house for the first time. So you know what. I had a fucking blast, we're going to get to organized fuckery show on time where I will be put on display like a prized fucking pony and we'll all enjoy it" I snapped. I had no idea where that came from but I gave her my very best bitch brow and put my sunglasses on and headed towards the front door.

"Well now that was spoken like a true Cullen woman" Esme said as she walked by and slapped my rear end.

"But as I said before, your bitch brow still needs work if you're ever going to succeed my crown" she said with a wink and put her sunglasses on.

The four large blacked out SUVs slowly pulled into the driveway until they came to a stop in the cul de sac style circle in front of Edward's house. Each couple climbed into to one and I was actually happy that Edward and I would get a few more minutes alone together.

"I'm so not in the mood for this. I hope I can keep my trap shut in the presence of all those mangy reporters" I whined and leaned my head back. I actually dozed off. Edward woke me a few blocks before the hotel. I looked in the mirror and adjusted my hair and makeup and took a few deep breaths. The sidewalk outside of the hotel was packed there were actually a few armed security guards. Another SUV that followed our convoy held some of Carlisle's Samoan weapons. They were what Edward called enforcers. They were the largest men I'd ever seen. I'd never heard any of them speak and most of the time I forgot they were around.

We slowed in front of the hotel and before the door to Carlisle and Esme's car opened the cameras were already flashing. They were screaming as Edward stepped out of the truck. A few of them welcoming him home. Some asking how he beat the charges. Some of them screaming to Emmett and Jasper how they felt about their biological father trying to put away their baby brother. Emmett whispered something into Jasper's ear and they both threw their heads back in laughter as Rosalie smiled up at Emmett with this knowing smirk on her face. Edward held out his hand to help me out and as I slid out of the car and everyone in the crowd went silent as they watched Edward slip his arm around my waist and pressed his lips to my temple. I bit my lips and smiled up at him.

"They're eating this shit up" he whispered in my ear and I giggled as he kissed me on the side of my head again and then they hurling of question and the blinding of the cameras commenced at once. It was dam near painful as they all screamed mine and Edward's names. We turned toward a few of the nicer ones so that they got their pictures. Edward the big ham even kissed my ring finger in some of the pictures which got the reporters asking a new round of questions about if we were engaged if he'd gotten me pregnant. It was so ridiculous it made me laugh.

The street seemed to empty as the body guards formed a tight circle around us as we moved to the lobby of the hotel.

"You mean they're just going to leave?" I asked Edward as we waited in the lobby for our hostess.

"If they ever want to be invited to another brunch they will. The ones who stick around usually lose their jobs. Esme is like the queen of south beach. The woman has shut down entire department stores if she got in a mood where she didn't want to shop with anyone.

Brunch was amazing and funny, and just like Edward had said there were quite a few people who attempted to get cell phone video of us, but the guards quickly thwarted them.

When the meal was over the guys all went outside to smoke a cigar while they waited for the drivers to bring the cars around.

"Something in me felt wrong something in me felt like I needed to run away. I turned around and there were a few guys standing on the corner and the one I recognized from Edward's races. The one who looked at me like he wanted me dead; I didn't understand why he was there but something about it didn't fit but he seemed to be going the opposite direction so I turned back to Edward and just as Edward was about to say something 3 cars came screeching around the corner windows down and that's when gunfire erupted. I was immediately thrown to the ground. Edward and Jasper were shouting Orders to the guards who were returning fire. Edward laid on top of me and I was shaking and screaming all I heard was the rapid gunfire and then I felt a searing burning tearing feeling in my stomach and then my thigh. I screamed more but Edward had slumped down and wasn't moving. I tried to push him off of me but he was wasn't moving. I screamed again for Carlisle.

"Baby come on you gotta let me up I whispered. I tried to push him but he was dead weight and his head fell forward. When he slumped his head turned towards me. I could see a small drop of blood coming from his mouth. Then I heard sirens and then I heard a lot of muffled screams and then I swear I could hear cameras clicking. I just couldn't get my brain to focus on any one thing. I was trying to hard to talk to Edward.

"No baby, shh better than alright" he panted out as he struggled for every breath.

"please Edward. Don't leave me. You promised I whispered"

"I won't promise what I can't" he wheezed.

"Please stay" I whispered and I felt so sleepy like I was floating away. I swear in the distance I heard Esme scream. I couldn't be sure. Hell I couldn't even tell you what had just happened to me.

A/N: