AN: Here is the next chapter. I hope you all like it. I am sorry it is taking forever to update. I am working on both my stories but my schedule is a bit overwhelming this semester with 18 credits, two clubs, and work.


Chapter 16 – Bella's POV

The wait for the flight was long and agonizing. Emmett called Rosalie and Carlisle called Esme while I sat worrying about Edward. The plane ride was worse though. We flew coach because of how late we registered for the flight and we were separated.

When we got to the Chicago airport we were met by Alice and Jasper, but no Edward. "Alice, where is Edward?" I asked not bothering to hide the panic in my voice. She was hiding her thoughts from me.

"He, uh, got away from me. Jasper was ordering him food and when I walked with him to the bathroom he escaped out of the other door. He went to a dance studio. James is on his way there. You can get there before James does anything major and we will follow. GO!" She said showing me the studio and how to get there.

I had a hard time controlling myself to not move faster than humans do. When I was in the parking garage and there were no humans that could see me I took off as fast as I could. When I got to the crowded part of the city I took to the rooftops. I was opening one of the skylights to the dance studio when I heard a large crunch and Edward scream out in pain. I jumped in knocking James away from Edward.

I didn't look at Edward, I wanted to but I knew if I did I would want to help him and forget about James which would get us both killed. James and I fought for a bit and then I managed to throw him to the other side of the room. I quickly ran to Edward and picked him up. "I am so sorry." I said as I started to jump to the balcony for the second floor seating.

James grabbed my foot and threw us both down to the ground. He then picked me up and threw me into one of the windows saying, "You are here alone because you are faster than the others, but not stronger."

When I got back to the floor I ripped him away from Edward. "But I am strong enough to kill you." I said as I pinned him to the mirror wall. I bit into his neck and took out a chunk right as my family jumped in through the skylight.

I felt Carlisle's hand on my shoulder. "Remember who you are Bella. Don't lose yourself." He said. "Emmett and Jasper can take care of him. Edward needs your help." With that said I looked at Edward who was moving around in pain while Alice was trying to stop him without hurting him worse.

"Carlisle, the blood." Alice called in a strained voice. I dropped James and ran to Edward with Carlisle at my side.

"Alice go help Emmett and Jasper." Carlisle told her. She was battling with herself wanting to stay and help but also wanting Edward's blood. Carlisle pushed her away and she did as she was told.

"Edward we are going to make it all better. I am so, so sorry." I told him.

"Bella can you start a fire please. We have a stack of wood from the floor." Jasper called to me and I did.

Alice came back to us in better control of her thirst, not breathing. "We need to stop his bleeding. Alice, tie your belt above the gash on his leg." Carlisle instructed.

"Can someone please put out the fire in my arm?" Edward almost cried.

"He bit him." Carlisle said.

"What are my options?" I asked.

"You can let the change happen or you can suck the venom out." Carlisle told me.

"I won't let him change, but I could drain him dry." I said panicking more.

"It will happen one day Bella, I saw it. Either way he will be one of us. Why not just let it happen now?" Alice stated.

"Hurry!" Carlisle said.

"I will make the pain go away." I told Edward as I looked into his pained eyes and stroked his cheek.

I picked up his arm and found where James had bit him and started to suck out the venom. Even with the taste of the venom, Edward's blood tasted better than I imagined it would. I lost control to my monster.

"Bella stop, you are going to kill him. His blood is clean." I knew that from the taste. "Find the will to stop." Carlisle said putting a hand on my shoulder.

Edward's heart slowed and I realized what I was doing. I dropped his hand and scooted away from him. Carlisle and Alice quickly bandaged him up and we left before the fire got out of control.

Carlisle and I took Edward to the hospital while Alice went and fabricated the hotel to look like Edward had fallen there. Carlisle was able to be the lead doctor on Edward's case. Alice, Jasper and Emmett ran back to Forks.

Before Carlisle called Elizabeth to tell her about Edward, Alice called him to tell him that she and Esme would fly out with her. Carlisle called Elizabeth telling her that but would not go into any detail about Edward besides for the fact that he was stable.

It was hard listening to Carlisle talking to Elizabeth when she arrived.

"Mrs. Mason, I am sorry to be seeing you on these terms. Edward is stable but we are keeping him sedated to help him heal a little faster. We'll take him off in the morning. He has a broken leg and lots of cuts from falling down the stairs of our hotel. Don't worry about the damage to the hotel, we already took care of it." Carlisle said when she, Esme, and Alice walked up to him at the nurse's station.

"What exactly happened Dr. Cullen?" She asked trying to hold back her tears.

"Bella and I came here following Edward so Bella could talk to him. She wanted to mend things with him, get him to move back to Forks. She brought him back to our hotel so we could all go out to dinner and he tripped when we were going down the stairs. He tumbled down a flight of stairs and fell into the glass wall on the landing." Carlisle told her.

"Can I see him?" She asked.

"Of course you can. Follow me." Carlisle told her. I heard all their footsteps coming closer.

When Elizabeth entered the room she gasped and rushed over to Edward. I stepped back from his bedside so she could have some time with him, though I didn't leave the room. I walked over to Esme and Alice.

"So how did he get away from you exactly?" I whispered to Alice.

"He must not have fully decided to do that until he was already in the bathroom. I couldn't run after him in the crowded airport without giving away our secret. I am so sorry Bella." She said to me in a whisper.

"Why didn't one of you go after him?" I breathed, I was hurt that neither one did.

"I was going to send Jasper but once I decided to I saw in a vision that James would kill Edward, not play around like he did." Alice whispered looking away from me towards Edward.

"Bella, please calm down, this isn't Alice's or Jasper's fault. Edward is safe now." Esme whispered while pulling me into a comforting hug. Only then did I realize that I was shaking with rage and dry sobs.

Esme pulled me over to the couch in the room and sat us down so she could comfort me. I was on hat couch whenever Elizabeth was in to visit Edward, otherwise I was in the chair right next to his bed.

True to his word Carlisle took Edward off of the sedation the morning after Elizabeth arrived but Edward still slept for three days. It was so hard sitting around waiting for him to wake up.

The day that Edward woke up Elizabeth talked to me before he did. It was a longer conversation than our normal small talk. "Bella." She said sitting next to me on the couch. "Thank you for talking Edward into coming back to Forks, I owe you."

"Mrs. Mason, I mean Elizabeth, you shouldn't thank me. It is my fault he came here. My fault he is in here. If he never met me then he would be safe and sound in Forks." I said in a dead voice.

"Don't think that way Bella. You love him, I see it, and he loves you. You make him happy. Don't beat yourself up about this." She said with a small smile. If only she knew the truth.

"Thank you Elizabeth." I said still unable to meet her eyes.

"Why don't you go to your hotel and rest. You look exhausted. I am sure Carlisle will call you if anything changes with Edward." She said.

"I am fine here. I can just take a nap on the couch like I do almost every day." I said. I was thirsty, that was why I looked exhausted but I was not leaving Edward's room.

"Alright, if you insist." She said.

She got up and sat in the chair next to Edward's bed. I pretended to fall asleep. I had been "asleep" for about an hour when Edward woke up.

"Edward, Edward are you awake sweetheart?" I heard Elizabeth ask.

"Mom? I am so sorry mom." Edward said groggily.

"Shh, don't worry about it. You are safe now and healing. It was lucky that it was Dr. Cullen with Bella, he saved your life." She said.

"What do you mean?" Edward asked.

"You don't remember what happened do you?" Edward shook his head, I saw it in Elizabeth's mind. "Bella and Dr. Cullen came out here to talk you into coming back to Forks. At their hotel you fell down a flight of stairs into a glass wall." Elizabeth explained.

"Where is Bella? Is she ok?" Edward asked starting to panic.

"She is right on your couch, sleeping. She hasn't left this room except to change. I am going to tell the nurse you are awake and then call your grandparents to let them know you area awake." Elizabeth said. She kissed his forehead and then left the room.

Once the door shut I was at Edward's side. "Thank God you are awake. I am so sorry Edward. I will protect you better than this, I promise." I said sitting in the chair.

"What about James?" He asked.

"Don't worry about him. Alice, Jasper, and Emmett killed him." I told him.

"How did you get people to believe that story that my mom told me?" He asked me.

"Oh, Alice had fun fabricating the evidence." I said dismissively. "I have been thinking about how to protect you better, there is one thing that keeps coming to mind." I said avoiding his eyes.

"What is it?" Edward whispered.

"Leaving, if it wasn't for me you wouldn't be in here. My presence in your life puts you in danger." I said holding my breath.

"NO, no you can't leave me. You just can't. Promise me you will stay. Promise me!" Edward said. His heart rate picked up and I had to calm him down before the nurse came in.

"Ok, I will stay until you don't want me anymore." I said.

"I will always want you." He said calming down.

I bent over him and kissed him. I pulled away when his heart monitor started to go nuts again. "Ok, enough of that until you are off the heart monitor. I can't wait until you are out of here, the I.V. makes your blood smell all wrong, I don't like it." I said the last part wrinkling me nose, Edward chuckled.

"Why are your eyes tinted red? And they are dark. Are you thirsty?" He asked.

"I drank some of your blood to get the venom out. And yes, I am thirsty. Now let's get the nurse in her to give you more pain medicine." I said as I hit the nurse call button, Edward scowled at me.

The nurse came in a minute later. "Oh good, you're awake. How are you feeling?" She asked walking over to the other side of his bed.

"I feel fine." Edward said. He moved a little and winced and grabbed his bruised ribs.

"Here, this will take away the pain. I'll tell Dr. Cullen that you are awake." She said while injecting some morphine into his I.V.

"Thank you nurse." I said. She nodded to me with a smile and walked out. Once she was out of the room with the door shut again I heard her sigh with relief. She never felt right around any of us Cullens. I chuckled silently to myself, Edward looked at me groggily. "Don't fight it, fall asleep. I will be here the whole time." I told him picking up his hand.

"Go hunt while I sleep." He said with a lot of effort.

"I am fine, I can manage. Don't worry about me, just focus on getting better." I told him.

Edward looked like he was going to fight me but then decided not to. He closed his eyes and shortly fell back asleep.

Carlisle made Edward stay in the hospital for another three days. The day Edward was released Elizabeth, Edward, Esme, Alice, and I flew back while Carlisle drove his car back to Forks. Esme had driven my car to the airport so we all squeezed into it. We took Edward and Elizabeth home. I went home with Esme and Alice only because Esme insisted tooth and nail that I did so I could hunt. She made me go on an overnight hunting trip with Jasper so he could keep me calm and from going to Edward. They assured me that Alice would let Edward know I was hunting so he wouldn't worry when I didn't show up in his room that night. Alice had sat with him all night because she felt that she owed me that much since he had gotten away from her.

The next day was Monday and I had to go to school with the rest of my family. It was torture without Edward and it was made worse since everyone was asking about him or thinking about him. All my siblings except Rosalie tried to get my mind off Edward and distract me. Rosalie had driven her car and I had driven mine. After school was over Alice went with me to visit Edward. The routine continued for the rest of the week. I would bring Edward his homework and Alice and I would help him with it. I got Emmett to go over every night to help Edward bathe even though Edward insisted he didn't need help. I had to threaten Emmett of wrecking his Jeep and video games consoles to keep him serious.

I was happy the following week when Edward returned to school. Carlisle got him into one of the boot casts so he could walk instead of having to use his crutches. I helped him carry all his books, he really didn't like it since he felt it should have been the other way around.

Two weeks went by and Edward was walking better with his boot, his leg wasn't hurting as much. That coming weekend was prom. Normally I didn't go to the prom and I knew Edward didn't want to go but I felt he needed that human experience.

The Thursday before the prom we talked about it in his kitchen, Edward working on his homework, I was just watching him.

"Edward." I said tentatively.

"Yeah?" He asked looking up at me.

"Prom is on Saturday and I was thinking we should go." I said.

"I don't dance, I can't dance with this boot. I don't like dances." He said.

"Dancing isn't a problem, I can take care of that. I don't want you to miss this, it is an important human experience." I told him.

"But you have been to a ton of them." He said.

"I have been to a few but I tend not to go to the dances. They aren't fun when one is alone as I have been. It will be a whole new experience with you. Please do this for me." I said with a little pout and looking up at him through my eye lashes.

"Fine, I'll go." He said in a sigh. I leaned across the table and kissed him.