Here is the new chapter. There was some confusion after the last chapter. I put some of the chapters together to make them longer and to help the story flow better. Chapter 6 would have been chapter 9. Here is chapter 7, I haven't started chapter 8 yet but I will do within the next few days. I have to apologise because I said I would have this chapter up either Saturday or Sunday but on Saturday I went out without sun cream on at midday (stupid I know but I didn't think it would be that bad) and I was out for 2 hours. Came back home and my sunburn started to develop. By 7pm I was really red and hot to touch but was shivering and hiding under 3 duvets and a couple of blankets so my mum took me to the hospital. I was there over night, awake the whole time and was told I have sunstroke. When we got back from the hospital, I slept until this morning. I finished this chapter, read it through once and am now posting it. Enjoy! xx
Chapter 7-
"Oh shit! I am so sorry." Bella stutters out and bends over to grab her towel that had fallen down to cover her naked, bruise ridden body. She doesn't even stop to grab her clothes, she just runs out of the room crying.
"Fuck!" Edward screams. He just seems to mess up. Twice in one day this has happened and he's at a loss as to what to do. Edward is about to walk towards Bella's room to help sort this problem out when Jasper knocks on his door.
"Hey man, Alice and I spent last night in the basement looking over Bella's fathers work records and there's something you need to see."
Edward takes a long look at Bella's closed door and can hear her cries behind it. "Can this wait?" He asks looking at his lifelong best friend.
"In theory but this is pretty big. I wanted to let you know before I tell the family. I'll give you 30 minutes because Ali has a doctor's appointment at 2 and we need to leave in an hour."
"Okay, I'll be there. I just need to speak to Bella."
Jasper smirks. "You seem to be getting quite close to Bella."
Edward looks at him and points his finger at his future brother- in –law. "Don't. Don't. I'm not good for her. I keep fucking up. And she's so fragile, I'm going to help her get back on her feet and- and I'm going to walk away." He looks pained.
"Edward, I have known you for 34 years, I know you better than anyone, even yourself, so don't hit me for this but I have never seen you act this way before. When everybody else our age was worrying about girls, including me, you focused on your studies and always have done, and after college it was this. This family. This business. You fiercely love your family but never once has a girl entered into the equation, and not from fear of trying. Jesus, Tanya was a fucking head case after you slept with her but still, you just pushed her away and got on with your job.
"Then Bella comes along and in the space of a day, you have changed completely, and it's lovely. When you came up here earlier hand in hand with Bella, Esme nearly cried with happiness and it's because you dropped everything to be with her. You fucked James up, more than normal, because of Bella and that's amazing. Just because there is a 16 year age difference between the two of you doesn't mean that what you have shouldn't happen. Fuck, me and Ali were born 10 years apart and got together when she's 16 and I was 26 but that didn't stop us. Do you think we aren't good for each other? No. You encouraged us, you still do, every day. Stop being an idiot Edward, help her and when she's ready. Get your girl. Now I'm going to make sure Ali is ready for the appointment and meet you in the basement. Good luck man." Jasper says. He pats Edward on the back and walks down the hallway and then down the stairs to find his fiancée.
Edward is left standing there in shock until Bella's sobs register in his brain again and he runs towards her door. He taps his knuckles against Bella's door and her sobs stop.
"I'll be out in a minute. I'm just getting dressed." She says trying to hide the fact she's crying, thinking Edward sent Esme or Rose or someone up to her room to check on her.
"It's me." He calls through the closed door.
"Go away Edward. I don't want to sound ungrateful but I can't see you right now."
"Bella, Angel. Please open the door I need to talk to you."
He hears a shuffle, like someone getting off of the bed and footsteps walking across the room towards the door, then it opens, and the look on Bella's face breaks Edward's heart.
"Oh Angel." Edward says. He holds his arms out and Bella falls into his chest, sobbing as he holds her tight. "Come on baby, let's go to the bed." He pulls Bella over to the bed again and lays down beside her, she's still in her towel from earlier. "What happened Angel?"
"I'm fat and disgusting and you saw me naked. With all my rolls and bruises and-"
"No baby. You're not disgusting, you're beautiful."
Bella scoffs.
"No Angel, you are. I'm going to say something here and I need you to listen. I like you. I like you and I'm going to make sure you get better both physically and mentally. I like you as more than a friend and I act differently around you. I have no idea why, I just know that you're different and I like it. I thought that I wasn't good enough for you, I still do, but Jasper told me to pull my head out of my ass and so that's what I'm doing. He also told me that the 14 year age gap is a bullshit reason not to do what makes you happy, and you make me happy. I'm not going to do anything about it today, or even tomorrow because you aren't ready for it yet and you don't even need to be with me or want to be with me when you are ready, but I'm putting it out there so you know that you are liked and you are gorgeous.
I need to go and talk to Jas and Ali about something right now and I'm really sorry to run out after telling you this but it's really important and she has to leave for an appointment soon. Charlie is downstairs with my mom and you can ask her any questions about me or just to talk. When I get back, you can ask me any questions you want. Oh and just so you know, I'm going to treat you affectionately so I will hug you and kiss your head and hold your hand and cuddle you because I'm going to make sure you know your worth. You are in no way obliged to respond and if you don't like it then tell me and I will stop because you are your own person and only you can tell you what happens in your life. Now I'm sorry, but I have to go." He leans over, kisses her head and runs out of the room leaving a bewildered Bella on the bed trying to process what she's just been told.
Edward closes Bella's door, leans his back against it and lets out a huge sigh. He didn't expect to say that but it just came out when he saw how fragile she looked. He shakes his head to get it into work mode and walks down towards the basement. Opening the door to the computer office, he sees Jasper and Alice sat in front of the main screen flicking through different documents before stopping on one. Edward steps closer and sees a man that is obviously Bella's father next to the document; his FBI file.
"What's so important that I had to race down here?" Edward asks.
"Read his last mission." Jasper replies gravely.
Edward looks down at Jasper and then Alice who wear matching expressions. Sadness and pain. Confused, Edward looks back at the document on the screen and his heart drops.
"Oh… Bella." Edward falls into the nearest chair and puts his head in his hands. He then looks up and makes eye contact with his sister.
"What do you want us to do?" Jasper asks him.
Edward looks from Alice to Jasper. "Let me tell her first, I want her to know from me before we tell the family. I'm going to go and tell her now, arrange a family meeting for when you get back. Only the necessary people. Mom, Bella, and Jacob will be attending this one as well. We will arrange another meeting in the next few days when we know what we're dealing with. Thank you for telling me first and good luck at your appointment." Edward then turns around and runs out of the room.
Edward runs up the stairs to the living room and sees Bella sat there on the sofa watching Jacob play and talk to Charlie. He walks closer and Bella looks up at him before Jacob jumps up and runs right into his uncles arms.
"Hey buddy, can I talk to Bella in the other room for a minute?"
Bella stands up, "Can you watch Charlie for me Jake?"
"Yeah!" He shouts excited.
Bella and Edward laughs at his enthusiasm. "Hey Jake, you might want to keep it down unless you want her to cry."
Jacob looks contrite, "Oh, sorry." He whispers.
Edward places his hand on top of Jacob's head and ruffles his hair, "You don't need to whisper either."
"Okay." Jacob says with a big smile before taking his place back on the floor with the baby.
Edward hold his hand out for Bella, she takes it before they walk into the kitchen together. Bella takes a deep breath, readying herself for Edward to tell her that he regrets what he said to her in the bedroom.
"Take a seat, Angel" Edward says.
"No. If you regret what you told me upstairs, just tell me. Don't try to spare my feelings."
Edward walks over to her and wraps his arms around Bella. "Woah, Angel, I do not regret what I said because it is one hundred percent true. I am going to tell you something Jasper found out about your father's last assignment and it's not going to be easy to hear so you will need to sit down."
Bella walks out of Edward's embrace and sits down at the kitchen table. "What is it?" She asks him, her face and voice completely devoid of emotion and expression.
Edward walks over to the chair next to Bella and he turns towards her with his hands clasped together on the top of the light brown wood.
"Bella… Angel… Jasper and Alice's job is to look into everyone that comes into contact with our family. Now I want you to know that this family trusts you but as a cautionary measure we need to look at everyone and everything."
He stops to gauge Bella's reaction. She just nods her head, giving nothing away, and so Edward continues.
"They looked into you and from that, your family. They found something out about your father, and that was the reason why I had to leave so soon earlier, they needed to tell me something. They hacked into the FBI database last night, retrieved your fathers file and spent all of last night and this morning looking it over. Reading about assignments, and partners, and a full breakdown of his career; anything that may be of importance to us. In that file was his last mission, the mission that took him to England which lead him to meet your mother and eventually have you and your brother. I want you to remember that, the good times, when I tell you what I'm going to say next."
He waits for her to nod or acknowledge his request.
"We, this family, have a long standing relationship with the man he was trying to catch. Calm down, it's not a good one, believe me." He tells her when her face fills with panic.
"He's our biggest rival, always trying to steal what we have, our turf, our goods, everything. He doesn't stop at anything to get what he wants, he will kill anyone. In this business, we are supposed to have a code of conduct, it's odd in this business but there is really only two rules. One is that we don't bring children into the cross fire for no reason, for example, if that child has been taught to hold a gun or will kill us then we will do. It's rare but it does happen. It's never happened to me but my grandfather had a child, the age of 12 who he had to shoot because he was going to kill him. I'm telling you this so you understand more, not to scare you, I want you to know that you and Charlotte are both safe in this house and are considered members of this family.
The second rule is that we don't go after the women, they are untouchable. This is out dated now as it was made when women had no place in this business other than to be wives and mothers. Now, women are just as big a part as men, well in this family they are, this isn't always the case but, as you can see, Rose and Alice stand alongside Jasper and I. Anyway, the man your father was trying to catch doesn't honour these rules, he's tried to kill Jake on many different occasions, and mom. She's not a part of the violence side of the family, preferring to be the wife and mother but she will step in if she has to. She's the reason Jake didn't die when we all took him to the park when he was 3, she saw a man hiding in the bushes with a gun pointed right at him, jumped up without saying anything to anyone and pulled Jake out of the way. She got shot in the process but nothing life threatening.
This man is called Aro Volturi."
Bella faints, falling off of the chair and onto the floor.
"Shit! Bella!" Edward shouts, shaking her body. "Mum!" Edward screams towards the other room.
Esme comes running into the kitchen recognising the worry in her son's voice, only having heard it once before when Rose went into labour. "What's wrong? Oh my!" Having just seen Bella on the floor. "What's happened?" She asks Edward speaking calmly, slipping into nurse mode.
"I told her Aro Volturi killed her father." Edward answers her, not thinking clearly so forgetting that his mother doesn't know what he's talking about.
"What?" She asks kneeling on the floor next to Bella and leaning down to check her breathing.
"That's what the meeting is about later, Jasper and Alice found it out last night. I told her and she fainted."
"Okay, well don't worry, she will wake up soon. She's breathing. Did she hit her head when she fell?"
"Um, yes. I don't know how hard though."
Before Esme can answer, Bella moans. "Bella dear, you fell. Does anything hurt?" She asks.
"Uh, no." She moves slightly and winces.
"Yeah, my head and shoulders hurt. My ribs ache as well."
"Okay, I'm just going to check you out." Esme tells her.
"I'll just step out." Edward says.
"No!" Bella shouts. "Please stay. I don't want to be alone again." She whispers the last sentence.
Edward sits by her side and holds her hand. "Okay Angel, I'll never leave you." He brings her hand up to his face, watching her face for any signs of discomfort at the action, either pain or not wanting the advance, and gives it a gentle kiss.
Esme watches the exchange between her son and Bella with a soft smile on her face. "Okay, I'm just going to check your head for any bumps or marks." She feels around her head and finds a bump on the back where her head must have made the first contact with the floor. Bella whimpers. "You have a slight bump on the back of your head, Edward, can you go and get her some ice to place on it please?"
Edward places Bella's hand on her front and jumps up to the freezer, grabbing an icepack they keep on the top shelf. He runs back to Bella, wrapping it in a towel as he goes before placing behind her head. He picks her hand back up again. While he's doing this, Esme checks Bella's neck and shoulders, noting the bruises from James that she must have hit as she fell, causing the discomfort.
"I'm going to need remove your top to check your ribs, is that okay?"
Bella nods her head. She removes it and sees the big purple bruise from the kicks James gave her. Edward sees this also and growls, he falls quiet at Esme's glare.
"I know I'm horrible. I'm sorry." Bella starts to cry.
"No. You. Are. Not. You're gorgeous and I'm going to tell you every day." He tells her with conviction.
"Bella, I'm going to need to get Carlisle. I want him to check your ribs to make sure no further damage has come to them."
Bella nods her head again, still crying and Edward wipes away her tears. Esme stands up, walks out of the room and comes back with Carlisle following behind.
"Hi Bella, can I listen to your chest, please? I need to see if you caused any damage to healing wounds when you fell." Carlisle tells her, being the confident doctor he is.
"Isn't this a bit much? I mean, I just fainted. I feel fine." Bella says.
"You were pretty badly damaged when you got here, I just want to make sure no further damage has occurred." He places his stethoscope to her chest. "Breathe in for me, please?"
Bella takes a deep breath.
He moves the stethoscope to the other side. "And again."
This happens another 3 times before he moves his gloved hands around her chest, feeling her ribs. "You're okay. No other damage was caused other than making them feel slightly more painful. Take some painkillers if you need to." He smiles at her.
"Okay, thank you." Bella puts her top back on and Edward helps her to her feet. She looks up at him. "Can we take a walk around outside, please?"
"Of course. In an hour Alice will be home with a new ultrasound picture. Her and Jasper have an appointment today." He reaches across to take Bella's hand and then looks up at his parents. "Meet in the living room in 2 hours." They both nod at him.
Edward and Bella then walk into the garden for some downtime before meeting of that will change both of their lives forever.
This was unbeta'd so I'm sorry for any mistakes that were in this chapter. Please review if you loved it. Please review if you hated it. Thank you for reading. ~Megan xxx