Alec's POV

Six weeks later…

I woke up to the sound of pots banging around in the kitchen. I smiled turning over in the bed to see Bella fast asleep curled up in a little ball, resting her head on my chest. It still amazed me that we could fall asleep at all, and to fall asleep together was more than I could have ever asked for. It was such a normal thing to do and yet I have been deprived of the privilege for a thousand years, but not anymore, not with Bella at my side.

She mumbled something in her sleep and turned over facing the brightly sunlit window. I kissed her cheek before pulling back the covers and getting out of bed. I slid into the fuzzy (man) slippers Natalia got for me a couple weeks ago and threw on the matching robe.

I followed the smell of bacon and eggs and freshly squeezed oranges. I found Natalia in the kitchen cooking up a storm, her bed head tied up in a knot at the top of her head. She had on her pink and orange fleece pajamas and her orange tank top under a 'You know you want a kiss from this cook' apron.

"Hey baby girl." I said coming up behind her and placing a small kiss on her cheek. She screamed and dropped the plate she was holding. I caught it before it shattered on the floor.

"Sorry." I said as I handed it back to her.

She giggled and held on to her sides.

"You scared the crap out of me. I never hear you coming." She took a deep breath before turning her attention back to the stove preparing a meal that only she would eat.

"I'll try to remember to make more noise next time." I said kissing her warm cheek again.

I sat on the stool leaning my elbow on the kitchen island counter watching her, completely fascinated by her humanness. Over the past month and a half of being with her, it was almost like she was a daughter to me. Never mind that she looked like she could be my sister. This young girl in front of me has stolen my heart in ways no other human ever has. I would lay my life on the line for her, just to make sure she was safe. When I realized this and explained it all to Bella, she confessed that she felt the same way. Although Natalia hasn't told either of us anything, we knew that she loved us back just the same.

I watched as she took the bacon out of the pan, laying it on a paper toweled plate. She took another plate from the cupboard and stacked it with French toast, scrambled eggs and hash browns.

She brought it all to the island and sat down next to me. She laid her head on my shoulder for a second just enjoying my company. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and kissed her hair.

"How did you sleep?"

She was silent for a second longer than what was considered a normal response time.

"It wasn't as bad as most nights."

I kissed her again and stood up walking over to the fridge taking out the pitcher of freshly squeezed orange juice, filled up a glass and placed it in front of her. She took it and drank half the glass in one gulp and set it back down. I filled it to the brim again before putting the pitcher back into the fridge.

"I'm sorry, Nattie, I wish I could take the bad dreams away."

She shrugged her shoulders and stuffed her mouth with French toast.

Ever since the day Edward had attacked her she had not been the same. The first two weeks she was jumpy all the time and paranoid that Edward would find us and sneak into her room to kill her. She would scream in the middle of the night and Bella and I would come to her and try to calm her. Several times she cried herself to sleep in our arms. My baby girl was suffering and there was nothing I could do, not unless I killed that son of a bitch who had her so messed up. I couldn't though. I couldn't risk looking for him yet. I needed to take care of my adopted daughter and my fiancé who were the only things in the world that I cared about. As long as I could keep them safe then I was ok. Seeing Nattie like this though, it was agonizing. I felt inadequate, like I wasn't doing enough to protect them. I didn't have any choice. I did what I had to do for my family.

Bella walked in then, yawning and stretching. She was absolutely beautiful…and very tempting the way her little white shirt raised showing her belly button as she stretched, the way the tight cotton fabric shaped around her stunning breasts. Her gray sweat short shorts came just below her perfectly shaped bottom and I just wanted to throw her over my shoulder and take her back to the room…but I resisted, just as I did every day. I refused to touch her that way, no matter how much I wanted to. Edward scared my princess too. Every time I trailed my fingers across her skin she froze…and then cried…and then apologized and tried to make it up to me. I stopped her every time. I did not want to force her.

Edward really was fucking everything up. The important thing though, they were safe… for now.

Bella strolled on over to my side placing a passionate kiss on my lips as she sat on my lap and slid her hands around my neck. I slid my hands along her waist and on her thigh feeling her soft skin under my hands and held her close to me. Hey, I never said she didn't want me, I just said that Edward was always in the way…in the back of her mind.

Natalia cleared her throat.

"Excuse me, but I'm trying to eat here. That's just gross. "

Bella chuckled and leaned over placing a kiss on her cheek in the exact same spot I had earlier.

"Love you, Nattie."

Natalia rolled her eyes in mock embarrassment but smiled just the same loading another mouthful of breakfast into her mouth.

"Yeah, yeah – get a room you two." She said with her mouth full.

"OK." I said and I followed through with my earlier thought and picked up Bella throwing her over my shoulder taking her into our room. I couldn't take the temptation. I may be a vampire, but I still feel the same things I did as a human only now it was amplified which was not helping my self-restraint.

I laid her down on the bed and she smiled up at me the way that always made my dead heart skip a beat.

"Have I ever told you how stunning you look with messy hair, that white baby doll shirt and those oh so short shorts?" I said as I placed myself strategically above her, hovering so that I was just barely a breath away from my body touching hers.

"You might have mentioned it once or twice." She said winking at me. I lowered my head, still supporting my weight and kissed her softly, slowly, my lips putting the slightest pressure on hers. She let out a little moan wanting more…it made my ready for her.

I slid my hand under the small of her back arching her body to meet mine. Her head fell back exposing the soft skin of her neck to me. I trailed my lips along her jaw line, up her neck, behind her ear and back down, down, down from her neck to the very rim on her low cut t-shirt. Her hands made their way into my hair and she pulled my face up to hers, kissing me harder.

"Closer." She whispered against my lips. I shook my head slightly.

"Please?" she begged seductively. Oh she was making this…hard…on me.

I released her lips and kissed her shoulder as I let her body fall back onto the bed sheets. I reached down grabbing the ankle of her bare foot and slowly trailed a single finger all the way up to her calf, past her knee, up her thigh, sliding up her rib cage. I kept my eyes on her face the entire time and watched as she smiled with her eyes closed, pleasure written across her face. She licked her lips and opened her eyes slowly moving my hands from her side down to her waist. I held on to her hip tightly and I bent down to kiss her, crushing my lips to hers.

"I love you." I whispered into her ear. She shivered and grabbed onto my shoulders bringing me down so that my body was pressed against hers. A single breath escaped my lips as I stilled. I didn't know how being this close to her would affect her.

She froze.

I knew I shouldn't have taken it this far. I knew I was making a mistake. God, how could I be so stupid? I knew that this brought back memories of what Edward threatened of her. I began to apologize when she shushed me.

"Wait, Alec." She whispered fiercely. "Do you hear that?" the tone of her voice made me stiffen. She didn't stop because she was afraid of what might happen; she stopped because she heard something. I strained my ears and sure enough there was a muffled cry. I stood up off of her and sprinted toward the kitchen – to Natalia. Bella followed suit.

It took me exactly four seconds to get from the bedroom to the kitchen.

It is amazing how many horrible scenarios can go through your head when you think someone you love is in danger. A million different horrible things played like a movie stream in my mind, so needless to say it was an utter relief to see her in the kitchen facing Ulric and the rest of the Cullen's, minus Carlisle and Edward.

The seer, or as Bella called her, Alice, looked over at Bella as a blonde man, who from the picture Bella showed me was named Jasper, did at the same time. They both said, "Sorry for the interruption." in unison.

I looked over at Bella and I knew that if she could blush she would be now. I put my arm around her shoulder and faced the crowd of vampires and the one warlock that now filled the room. Natalia, who had never met these people, and only had bad experiences with vampires, rushed over to my side. I put my other arm around her as she buried her face in my shoulder. I held her tighter.

"It's okay, baby girl. They won't hurt you." She didn't take her face away from my shoulder.

"You're a very hard man to find, Alec." Said Ulric in his ancient language.

"Can you please speak English…for Natalia's sake? You're scaring her."

"We've searched all over for you. It took a lot of effort on Alice's part to be able to find you. You had us all worried."

"Well, we're fine."

"For now." He interjected.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Bella furiously.

He reached into his tiny pocket. His answer came in the form of a necklace with a sapphire stone hanging from it. We knew what it was instantly. I pulled both of my girls back until we hit the wall. How dare he bring that thing into our house?

"Relax, my friends. No harm will come to you."

"Why have you come here? Don't you know you've endangered my family's lives by being here? He could have followed you. After all the effort Bella and I have done to keep Natalia and ourselves safe you come here and ruin it all."

"You cannot be happy here in…where are we, Alice?" he said facing the pixie vamp.

"Amboy, Illinois. 642 E. Main Street to be exact." She trilled.

"This brick house was built in 1862. Did you know that? There is powerful magic here."

"What's your point, Ulric?" I asked cutting him off.

"We need to leave. I need to get you all out of this realm."

"No offence old friend, but this is our home now."

"This is not up for discussion." He spat, and with that final statement he snapped his stubby little fingers. The room went dark and Natalia screamed into my shoulder as she held on tighter. Just as fast as the darkness came – it went – and we were surrounded by stone walls. We were in a castle…a castle I was all too familiar with.

***************

To see 642 E. Main Street, Amboy, IL Historic House type this in your address bar. Remember to replace the (dot) with actual dots: http://www(dot)cityofamboy(dot)org/hometour(dot)htm

Scroll over the little stars until you see the address. It's a brick house