Chapter 37: A Husband's Devotion

The days went on, everything was calm…too calm for Bella's liking. Police were still on the search for James, but it was as if he disappeared. Shawna, having told the police everything she knew about James's whereabouts, left Seattle and returned to her family in New York, promising to never bother Emmett or Bella ever again.

Soon, the couple fell into a comfortable routine. Emmett would go to the field and practice for the Mariners, Bella would be studying, taking care of the babies, or she would go to the practices and would watch Emmett. Except, wherever they went they had guards right on their tails just in case James would try to make his move again.

One night, Bella walked out of the bathroom wearing plaid pajama pants, a gray tank top, and her hair pulled back in a ponytail. She walked over to bed, crawling in to see Emmett's eyes staring up at the ceiling. "You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," he replied turning on his side to look at her.

He tucked his arm under the pillow while his free hand rested on her waist. The sheets were hanging low, which had gone unnoticed by them. "Just thinking Gorgeous," he said quietly.

"About?" she asked.

He moved circles into her waist. "Just this whole damn search for James," he replied. Biting her lower lip, she nodded her head slowly. He kissed her forehead gently. "Don't worry about me though babe ok? I'll be okay," he whispered.

"Okay," she answered.

They kissed before they drifted off to sleep. As soon as Emmett drifted off to sleep, his dreams began.

Emmett was three again, sitting on the hardwood floor of his bedroom with Ian standing in front of him. "Problem solved," Ian, hissed as he raised his gun.

"NO!" Alana screamed.

She jumped in front of her son, the bullet hitting her instead of him. When Emmett opened his eyes, he looked up to see not Ian…but James. He had the look of horror in his eyes, the smoking gun still in his hand. Emmett lifted his hands to see that he was no longer three, but fully-grown. Looking down at the form that used to be his mother, he turned her over to reveal Bella. "BELLA!" he shouted in horror, his hands resting over her face.

"What have you done? You killed her! You killed her like you killed your mother!" James hissed at him.

"Bella, baby wake up…baby don't leave me! BELLA!" Emmett shouted, her blood covering his hands as he tried to revive her.

Emmett shot up from bed with a gasp. "BELLA!" he shouted. Bella woke up to her husband's shouts and sat up immediately.

"Emmett, what is it? What's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

Instead of answering her, he lifted his hands, turning them from front to back rapidly to make sure the blood wasn't there. "Emmett, talk to me," she insisted, frightened by the way he was acting.

"It…was just a nightmare," he muttered.

"About what? Emmett what's wrong?" she asked.

Emmett looked over at her, letting out a shaky breath. "I was three…I was three and it was the night my mother was killed. Everything happened just like it did then, up to the point when…mom was killed. Except…everything changed," he said quietly.

"How?" she asked.

His breathing started to pick up again as the images of his nightmare flashed through his mind. "Ian turned into James…my mother…turned into you," he explained.

"Emmett…" she said quietly, wrapping her arm around his shoulders.

She rested her forehead against his shoulder as he hugged her tight. "I can't…I won't live without you Bella," he whispered. Bella pulled back.

"Emmett…listen to me," she said quietly.

She pulled back, resting her hands on his face. "You won't lose me," she whispered. She kissed his forehead. "I love you, but Emmett if something happened to me, God forbid. You can't quit living. You just can't…our children, those precious infants that are asleep in their cribs in the nursery next door, they would need you," she pointed out.

"Bella…" he started.

Bella shook her head slowly, kissing his chest. "Emmett, I love you, but if anything were to happen to me. I would want you to be happy, live on with your life. If not for me, then for our babies who would need a living parent. Someone who can tell them all about me. A parent to love them and support them through their lives," she explained.

They lied back down on the bed and Bella stroked his cheek gently. "As much as I love you Emmett, I couldn't force you to give up living for me. That's a selfish request," she whispered.

"But Bella, my life revolves around you," he answered.

She moved her hand over his chest. "Our lives could revolve each other, but they should revolve around our children. Without us, there wouldn't be them," she murmured. Sighing, he moved his hand over her waist. "I'm here, always," she whispered.

"As I am always with you," he answered.

Bella rested her forehead against his chest, taking in his scent. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," he answered.

He kissed the top of her head, holding her close. "My God do I love you," he added, hugging her close. Bella hugged him back before he lifted her chin up, kissing her deeply. She kissed him back, wrapping her arms around him. Emmett moved on top of her, deepening their kiss if it were at all possible. Unbeknownst to them, they had a spy standing out on their balcony.

James was standing out on the balcony, watching them with a glare. He wouldn't dare break in, with the fact they were smart to get ADT on their house. One hit against the window and the police would be on his tail in a heartbeat. As he stood on the balcony, watching as the two of them made love again, he couldn't help but hiss under his breath. "She should be mine…" he hissed under his breath. He wanted to gag when Bella let out a moan of pleasure. "You can't keep her forever, Cullen, Bella is rightfully mine," he hissed.