Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

There seems to be quite a few of you in the reviews who are pissed at Jasper for how he acted when he first met Alice and the aftermath of that. You'll learn the full story in the next chapter, but they were both young and he realizes now that he's made mistakes, but it doesn't mean he doesn't still look at her like the one he should have waited for. She isn't going to fall back in his arms and he isn't looking for someone to play mommy to Peter. This is going to be a slow burn for them. Which is what it needs to be. Jasper still has a lot of growing up to do. Chapter 6 is almost on its way to my prereader, so it is on schedule to post right now, beyond that I'm still working on the next section but I don't see a delay coming as long as I can keep the words going. The problem is, Mobward isn't always that chatty. Hoping Isabella can help with that!

Chapter 5

I sat across the desk from Aro waiting for him to respond to Isabella's story. My father was beside me, his knee bouncing.

"She's a lovely girl, Edward. But she's with child and already halfway through her term from what you say. If we do this, and it goes sideways, she and the child will be at risk."

"I'll keep them safe. She's important to me, I can't describe it."

"Colpo di fulmine," Aro said.

"Call it that if it helps you to make a decision."

"Would you raise the child with her? A boy would need to know that he's not your blood."

"I would. This isn't a decision I'm making lightly. But Isabella will have a choice, too. I will not be like those heathens in Seattle. I'll offer her protection so she can start over and let her choose if she wants to include me in that life. She deserves that much."

Aro leaned back in the chair, looking at me. "Let me call Marcus, and he and I will travel to Seattle together. If two bosses go out there to meet with Carlucci, he may understand that standing by a soldier could prove dangerous."

"Thank you, Aro."

"Don't thank me yet. Keep her safe, but don't move against Jimmy until you get word from me. Unless he comes after you. You, not her. Then put him away."

"Yes sir."

I exited the office to allow him and my father to make their preparations. I got into my car and drove to my house. I made myself a quick dinner, planning my next move. So far Jimmy hadn't done anything to draw attention to himself here, but Bella had seen him. Part of me wondered if it was really him or if Bella's fear of him had her imagining him. I wasn't willing to risk it.

My night should have been quiet, but Jasper called me in an uproar. "The Moretti's are testing my last nerve."

"What did they do this time?"

"They're trying to sue me for custody. Dad went to visit Lucio and tell him that making threats against the family would end badly for them, but I'm not sure they listened. If Aro had paid the visit, it would be settled."

"You can't expect Aro to clean up all of your messes."

"But he can threaten another boss to clean up yours?" Jasper spat.

"Choose your words carefully, Jas. This is about protecting a woman who is being threatened. Aro understands that this punk could cause more problems than harassing Isabella."

"Fine, it was a cheap shot. I'm just ready to be done with the Moretti's and I'm taking that out on you. Gianna already has Aro on his way to Chicago. A few days and your problems will all be handled."

"You act like they would actually win. Even without Aro getting one of his judges to preside over the case, they don't take children away from their parents to give them to grandparents who barely bothered before. Moretti is grasping because any chance he had at redemption through his daughter is gone."

"Okay. I'll avoid them. Are you going to see Isabella while Aro is gone, or are you waiting for an answer to the problem?"

"I'm trying not to crowd her, but I'll go by tomorrow afternoon to see how Alice's cafe is coming along."

We ended the call and I settled in for bed. It didn't take long for sleep to take me, especially with the promise of seeing Isabella the next day.

My morning had me overseeing a few things at the bar so my father could take care of something for Aro, but by noon I was on my way over to Alice's. The crew I'd hired were working hard inside, getting the place ready for her, so I took the stairs two at a time to hear about her plans for the cafe once it was ready.

The sound of me bounding up the stairs must have caught Alice's attention, because she had the door open before I reached her landing.

"Do you always open the door before you know who's coming?" I asked.

"The window's open, so I heard you greet the crew. The glass to replace the cracked storefront window should be here this afternoon, so that's the big project for them once it comes in."

"Glad to see you're on top of things. Any other plans I should know about?"

"Nothing big right now. Isabella is helping me with recipes and the menu."

"Isabella? Does she bake?"

"Oh my, does she. And her pasta, better than even La Famiglia's. She loves the kitchen. You'll be very well fed when this all works out."

"Has she talked about me?"

"She's asked how long I've known you all. She was interested in why you were still single."

"And you told her what?"

"That you don't trust easily, and you've seen what a quick decision with the wrong person can do. A part of me still loves your brother, but he jumped into that relationship with Maria when he got back from Italy. He's impulsive, but you're calculating. You think four steps down the line."

"I have to. I'm going to be in charge one day. And if he's-"

My words were cut off by a scream. "Help!"

The commotion downstairs had me flying to the door before Alice could look out the window. I burst through the door downstairs to see one of the construction workers pulling Isabella behind him. I jumped through the missing window and flanked him, facing Isabella. "What happened?"

"It's Jimmy, he was following me."

"You saw him? It was him, for sure?"

"Yes. He's got a scar on his left cheek, and I swear I saw him when he drove past me as I made this turn. All the guys out on the sidewalk must have scared him off."

I wrapped an arm around her. "Okay, let's get you upstairs and then we'll figure everything out."

Alice had the door open when I got Isabella to the stairs, and soon we had her settled on the couch. "Alice, we're going to put your car in one of our garages and get you a loaner. He's seen what you drive and I don't want either one of you to get hurt. What did the car look like, Isabella?"

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "It was a sedan, not as big as yours, though. It was dark blue."

"All right, we'll keep an eye out for something like that while we're out. Now, what I need is for you to stay calm. We can't have you upsetting yourself and making yourself sick. You have the baby to think about."

Alice stood, making eye contact with me. "I'll call Jasper and tell him what happened so he can move my Camaro."

"Thanks, Alice." I reached over to take Isabella's hand. "We'll keep you safe until Aro comes back."

"Where's Aro?"

"He went to Seattle. I told him your story and he's speaking to Jimmy's boss. He isn't a made man, so if he makes a wrong move out here, we can ice him. But the last thing we want is for Seattle to come here and cause trouble."

"I don't understand why all of you are putting so much on the line for me. I'm no one."

"Hey," I said, reaching up to lift her chin. "Do you feel that buzz? I've felt it since the first time I reached out to touch you in that motel room. I hate that our first encounter was like that. That you felt the press of my gun's barrel against your skin in greeting instead of my lips brushing your knuckles. That the first words you spoke in Italian in my presence was the Hail Mary."

"You've made up for that first meeting. No one has ever looked out for me like you have. Not since my parents died."

"I want the chance to do a lot more than this, but it will wait until we're done dealing with Jimmy. I won't have you making lifetime decisions under duress. We will handle him, and then you'll be free to choose whatever you want. So just relax, and everything will be fine."

I kissed her forehead and walked over to where Alice was standing in the kitchen with her hand extended. "Here are the keys. Bella handed them to me when we settled her on the couch."

"I'll be back with the keys for your temporary ride. Keep an eye on her," I told Alice.

I ran down the stairs and watched as my brother pulled into the back parking lot. He got out and walked to me. "Do you have the keys?"

I nodded, exchanging keys with him. "Here they are. Watch out, I don't know if this bastard is still circling around waiting for another go at Isabella."

"We'll keep her safe, Edward, I promise."

Nodding at my brother, I went to the stairs and found Alice waiting at the bottom of them. I gave her the keys to her temporary ride and turned to walk away.

"You're a good man. Aro chose well with you as his successor."

I turned back and met her eyes. "Take care of her, and I'll be around tonight."

"Want me to hold dinner for you?"

"No, I meant that I'll be around. Jimmy knows where you live. I can't move yet, but if he approaches that door, he's threatening you, and Aro won't have a problem with me doing what needs to be done."

"Be safe, Edward."

I got into my car and drove to the bar, knowing my father would be there.

One look at my face and he was walking back towards the office. "What happened?"

"Jimmy followed Isabella back to the apartment. He knows Alice's car, so we switched it out for her. But until we get word from Aro, I'm not leaving them unguarded."

My father's face turned hard. "You aren't camping out over there the whole time. Do it in shifts."

"Yes, Sir."

"Who are you putting on this?"

"I was thinking of Sammy and Jared."

"Good, get them brought up to speed and then get some sleep."

I went in search of the two men I was going to be putting on the job with me. They were older than I was, just coming up in the organization when I was young, but they were two of the best. If you gave them a job, they were on it. And that's what Alice and Isabella needed right now.

It wasn't long before Sammy was on his way, aware that I would be relieving him tonight. Jared would be coming by the following morning to give me a chance to sleep, and then I'd be back again.

I drove to my place and closed the curtains, blocking out as much of the sun as I could. It took a little while to fall asleep, but once I did, I was out cold. I woke up around eight that night and after making myself a quick dinner, I drove to the cafe.

Sammy was parked in front of the bakery, so I pulled up across the street, flashing my lights before turning them off.

He walked over to my passenger window and leaned down. "Nothing out of the ordinary today. The crew got the window in place, so the building is secure and the girls are safely upstairs."

"Thanks, Sammy. See you in a few days."

I killed the engine and watched him drive off. There wasn't much going on, but my eyes scanned the sparse traffic that did go by, looking for the car Isabella had described. From her description, it sounded like a GTO or something similar, but we didn't know for sure.

My first shift in front of the cafe was uneventful, and Jared was there by 8 a.m. to relieve me, so I went home and crashed. The bright light and my normal routine were working against me, as I wasn't getting the best sleep, but with a thermos full of coffee, I was surviving.

The next two days were more of the same, leaving me dozing in the car as I fought to stay awake. One moment I was watching the intersection, and the next there was a knock on the passenger window.

I jumped in the seat and turned to the window with my gun drawn to come face to face with Isabella.

"Jesus," I swore. I leaned across the passenger seat to unlock the door and scrubbed my hand across my face.

"What are you doing out here?" Isabella locked the door once she was safely inside.

"I'm making sure Jimmy doesn't come around and hurt you or Alice."

"By falling asleep in your car? All you're going to do is get yourself killed. What if I had been Jimmy? I could have shot you and you would have never known it."

"Well, I'm awake now."

"Yes, and you're going to come upstairs. You can keep us safe from the apartment."

"Isabella, I don't think that's a good idea."

"And you passed out in your car like a sitting duck is? There is a deadbolt on the apartment door, so someone would have to break it down to get in. That means even if you did fall asleep, they'd wake you before they got inside. Please. I can't sleep thinking about you out here."

I sighed, because I could understand her concern and I needed to get her back inside; she looked cold sitting there in her robe. "Fine, I'll go upstairs with you."

I got out of the car and locked the door, walking around to her side. When she climbed out, I was there, checking that the door was locked before escorting her to the entrance to the apartment.

My arm was wrapped around her shoulders as she unlocked the downstairs door and then locked it behind us. We did the same at the door to the apartment, and once we were inside, I finally relaxed.

"Let me get you a blanket and a pillow."

Before I could tell her not to worry, she'd walked into her bedroom. I kicked off my shoes and removed my jacket and polo shirt, leaving me in my undershirt and slacks. Isabella returned with the pillow and blanket and sat them on the end of the couch before taking a seat beside me.

"Do you need anything before I leave you to go to sleep?" Isabella asked.

I reached out to take her hand and she squeezed it. "Thank you for coming to check on me, even though I don't think it's smart for you to be outside at night."

"I know, but I got up and saw your car sitting out there again, and I wondered how you were doing. When I got closer and saw you were asleep, I had to do something."

"I get it, Isabella. I appreciate the concern. Now, please go to bed. I'm going to try and get some rest myself."

Before I knew what she was doing, she leaned in to kiss my cheek. "Goodnight, Edward."

Isabella got up and vanished into her bedroom, leaving me with more questions than answers. Aro needed to get back soon, because I needed Jimmy handled so Isabella and I could move forward with whatever we were dancing around at the moment.