Hi. This is a long chapter so I hope you enjoy it. I started back at College on Monday and I am exhausted so I very nearly forgot to post this today but here I am. I get home at 1pm on Wednesday's so that makes posting easier. I am now about to sit down and start on Chapter 24.
This is unbeta'd.
Enjoy!
Chapter 15-
"What! By who?" Bella asks frantically.
"By Aro's men presumably. Don't worry Angel, I grew up around these roads, I know them like the back of my hand." Edward tells her speeding up and taking a sharp left turn around a bend in the road. They watch as the cars following behind them all slow to take the turn. "Like I thought, they don't." Edward laughs feeling exhilarated at the car chase.
"If a car comes the other way, we're screwed." Emmett says referencing the fact the road is only wide enough for one car to fit down.
"If we slow down we're screwed as well." Edward tells him.
He speeds up once more and takes more sharp turns and eventually, the cars fall out of sight.
"Are they gone?" Bella asks.
"No, they've just fallen behind." Edward tells her, glancing at her in the rear view mirror. "Shit!" He shouts as he sees another car coming towards them.
The sudden noise once again wakes Charlie up and she starts to scream. "Shh, it's okay baby girl, daddy was just being a bit noisy." She suddenly freezes again. "I… I mean."
"No Angel, I am her daddy. Fuck!" Edward takes a swift right down a turning just before the car coming towards them would have hit. "That must be more of Aro's men, he didn't fucking slow down!"
Edward speeds up even more, his car pushing 100 mph. They see the cars behind them and Edward slows down.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Emmett shouts at Edward.
"Trust me." Is all he says.
The siblings share a look between them as Bella is trying to calm Charlie down. They come to a stop and so do the cars behind them and then suddenly, the car takes off and reaches 90mph in 3 seconds. They see the cars behind them desperately trying to speed up and catch them but they once again lose sight of them and Edward takes a sudden left, then a right and then another left before they end up back on the highway.
Bella starts to sing to Charlie to get her back to sleep,
"Hush, little baby, don't say a word.
Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird
And if that mockingbird won't sing,
Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring
And if that diamond ring turns brass,
Mama's gonna buy you a looking glass
And if that looking glass gets broke,
Mama's gonna buy you a billy goat
And if that billy goat won't pull,
Mama's gonna buy you a cart and bull
And if that cart and bull turn over,
Mama's gonna buy you a dog named Rover
And if that dog named Rover won't bark
Mama's gonna buy you a horse and cart
And if that horse and cart fall down,
You'll still be the sweetest little baby in town."
Charlie is asleep by the time Bella finishes the song and she looks up seeing Emmett has his eyes closed and a soft smile on his face. Edward glances at her again in the mirror. "That was beautiful Angel."
"It was just a lullaby." She replies blushing.
"You made it more than that Angel, you have a beautiful voice." He tells his girlfriend.
"I've missed that." Emmett says. "I've really missed you Bella."
"I missed you too Emmett. I never thought I'd see you again." Bella starts to cry.
Edward starts to slow down, presses a button on his steering wheel, and then he turns into the driveway of a massive house made of white brick and huge windows.
"Wow. This is your house?" Bella asks Edward awe filling her voice as they come to a stop in front of the house. They see a gate close behind them, shutting the house away from the rest of the world.
"It's a secure compound. These are magnetic fences, the field connects over the top of the house and they're buried in the ground 15 feet down so no one can get in here unless they have a key. Only my family has a key."
"Jesus." Emmett says.
Edward walks over to the back of the car and gets Charlie out as Bella and Emmett climb out also. "Come on, let me show you the inside." Edward tells them both.
They walk up to the front door and walk inside, seeing Alice, Jasper, and Esme already inside and sat on the sofa.
"How's the baby?" Bella asks rushing up to her best friend.
"He's fine. Oh, and we're having a boy!" Alice screeches.
"Oh Ali, that's amazing!" Bella says wrapping her arms around her and hugging her tight.
Edward hands Charlie to Emmett and walks over to his sister. Esme stands up, walks over to Emmett, takes Charlie and walks upstairs to put her in her cot.
"Congratulations, Pip." He says to her as Bella steps back and he wraps his arms around her.
He then kneels down so his face is at her belly just as Rose, Jacob, Alec, Carlisle, and Marcus walk into the room. "Hi baby boy, I'm going to spoil you way more than mommy, daddy, and Aunty Rose."
Rose scoffs and then walks over to Ali as well. "It's a boy?" She asks her sister as Jacob runs up the stairs and into his room at his Uncle's house and Esme walks down stairs and sits on the sofa next to her daughter where she was before.
Alice nods her head and Rose hugs her. She kneels next to her brother and looks at the bump. "Uncle Eddie is lying to you. I'm going to be so much better."
Edward pushes his sister gently and she pushes him back.
"Children, behave." Carlisle says to them.
They all start laughing as they move into the room, Emmett is sat on the sofa opposite Alice, Bella next to him and Edward next to her. Bella leans back onto Edward's chest and he wraps his arms around her. Everyone else moves to sit down around the room, and then the mood turns serious.
"What can you tell us about what happened?" Alec asks Esme, Bella, and Alice.
"Well I showed Bella the entrance room of the safe room and then we went into the hallway and I managed to get the door sealed just as two men ran in and started shooting. I showed Bella a room, the nursery, and the games room before we went into the office and watched the fight. We saw Edward and Jasper in the kitchen and a man come up behind them and mouth off but Rose killed him, then they ran off to different rooms. Carlisle was in the basement and Marcus on the first floor of bedroom but then someone walked into Charlie's room. He wrote a note that said 'Hello Isabella' and then shot the camera and we lost the entire feed." Esme explains.
"He must have known where it was, we placed it in a random room for this reason. I'll compile a list of people that knows and then people that don't. We need to cover all bases." Jasper says.
"No you won't, you will stay with Alice. I'll do it." Alec argues.
"We can do it from here because I'm helping." Alice says in a no nonsense voice. "Jasper," She turns to her fiancée, "You need to get checked out because you've been with me since you ran through those doors so I know you haven't been. Don't try to lie to me Jasper Whitlock."
"Okay, babe. Calm down. I'll get your dad to check me out when we're finished here." He tells his fiancée. "I love you."
"I love you too." She replies.
"Is there anything else?" Alec asks.
"We heard bangs on the wall to the corridor so Alice blocked all of your fingerprints in case one of you was forced to open the door. For example, if a gun was held to Edward or Rose and Carlisle had to open it or they got shot. It was just more protection. I went to look out the peephole in the kitchen and Esme went to get the kids and hole up in the office. I looked out of the peephole and saw the man that was dressed just like you, Em, with Edward and Rose unconscious, tied up and gagged at his feet with Jasper propped up against the wall, tied up and gagged but conscious. I ran back and saw Alice face down on the floor so I went to get Esme and after she checked her out, left to get all of you out." Bella finishes.
Edward sits forward and looks at Emmett. "Emmett, you said that you saw Aro come out of the house?"
"Yes, he was dressed just like me-" Emmett gets cut off.
"It was on purpose! He knew that someone saw him because he looked at me ,and would come for him so he put Emmett in the firing line, probably thinking he would be killed as whoever shot would shoot to kill." Bella says.
"But why? What was his plan?" Marcus asks.
"To make me upset with you all and leave so I'm out on my own and vulnerable. He's already tried to get Charlotte once, if I'm living on the streets with her, I would have no choice but to go with him." Bella says, thinking out loud.
"He's had opportunity though; he knew where you were for the last two years." Edward says pulling his girlfriend back into his arms.
"Yes, but now I'm with you all, under your protection." Bella says.
"And he hates me." Edward growls out. "Someone might have told him how I feel about you, we acted like a couple before we were an actual couple. Alec, compile a list of anyone that may have seen us, take no chances." He grows out the last sentence.
"What's the pecking order here?" Emmett suddenly asks.
"What do you mean?" Rose asks.
"Who's in charge?" He elaborates.
"Marcus overall and officially, but I run everything and everyone answers to me." Edward tells him in confusion, wondering how this is relevant.
"How does that work?" Emmett asks confused.
"I'm too old, Son. Edward runs it all and answers to me, I only step in if needed but that is very rarely. This whole Aro thing is a time where I am needed so that's why I'm here. None of my sons wanted to take over, Alec ran it for two years after I had to step back because of my health, but he gave it to Edward once he turned eighteen." Marcus tells him.
"Okay. That makes sense, so how can I help you all?" He asks.
"Right now, help us with who you saw at the compound you were held –" Alec is cuts off.
"What do you mean Aro tried to take Charlie?" Emmett asks suddenly remembering Bella's comment from earlier.
"James tried to sell her to Aro." Bella tells her brother.
"What!" Emmett roars. "What for?"
"Laurent Kyle, who was the man scheduled for the pick-up Charlie, told us that Aro sells them for sex at whatever age the buyer wants." Rose tells him gravely.
"I'm going to be sick." Emmett gags. "Where's the bathroom?" Emmett stands up and gags again, looking around the room frantically.
Edward jumps up. "Through here." He runs through to the other room, just outside of the living room and opens the bathroom door.
Emmett runs through the open door and throws up.
"Em!" Bella shouts, standing up and running through to the bathroom to rub her little brother's back. She starts to hum the tune to the song their mother used to sing them when they were ill as children. Edward steps away and walks back into the living room.
After a few minutes, Emmett stops throwing up and walks over to the sink to wash his hands and rinse his mouth.
"Are you okay?" Bella asks him.
"Yeah. I miss that tune; I would dream about it when I was ill in the compound. It's nice to hear it again." Emmett looks at his sister with tears in his eyes. She watches as one falls and then then more follow.
"Oh, Em." Bella wraps her arms around her little brother as he cries on her shoulder.
"I've been so scared and alone for the last two years. I thought everyone had died and I was stuck in the compound, someone was always watching me, even when I went to the toilet or slept. I… I just…" Emmett starts to sob.
Bella wraps her arms tighter around her little brother and starts to cry on his shoulder. "I'm going to protect you. I'm never letting that happen again, it's now my job to look after you Emmett and I'm never letting that man get his hands on you. I missed you so much and when I get my hands on him, I'm going to rip him to shreds. I love you so much Emmett Michael Swan."
"I love you too, Belly, I love you too." He wraps his arms tighter around his sister and kisses her on the cheek.
In the other room, Rose, Esme, and Alice are all crying softly and Jasper, Marcus, Carlisle, and Edward have tears in their eyes but they aren't letting them fall. Edward and Jasper lose their battle and a few escape.
Bella and Emmett pull apart and they wash their faces and the girls, Edward, and Jasper wipe their tears away. The two siblings walk into the living room and sit back where they were before. Bella wraps her arms around Edward and buries her face in his chest as he leans down and places a kiss on the top of her head.
"I love you, Angel." He says into her hair, his voice slightly muffled.
Esme gasps and everyone else looks at the couple with smiles and looks of shock on their faces.
"Boy do you work fast." Marcus comments with a smile.
"When you know you know." Edward replies with a shrug.
"We told each other before we left your house." Bella tells Esme.
"That's so cute!" Alice says clapping her hands together.
"How long do you reckon it'll be before Esme needs to buy a new hat?" Carlisle asks his brother.
"Oh, I think it'll be a few months before he proposes yet." Alec replies.
"Who says Edward will be the one to propose. It's two thousand and sixteen, women can propose." Bella says.
"Woo, yeah Bella!" Emmett cheers. "Fight the patriarchy."
Rose and Esme laugh as Bella high fives her brother.
A crying Jacob runs down the stairs then and everyone falls silent.
"Mommy!"
Rose jumps up and runs to her son at the bottom of the stairs and sees a massive cut along the side of his arms that's bleeding all over him and his clothes. "What happened baby?"
"I fell and knocked over a glass that cut me." Jacob tells his mother through his sobs.
"Okay baby. Let's get that all cleaned up." She picks up her son and walks over to her father who had ran to get his medical bag when he first saw the cut.
"Let's check that out little man." Carlisle says as Rose sits down with Jacob on her lap.
"Shall I show you both the house?" Edward asks Bella and Emmett.
"Yeah." Bella says standing up and waiting for the boys to do the same thing.
They walk out of the room and into a hallway that leads to the kitchen with a door next to the oven that leads outside. There's another door that leads to the garage, they walk into the garage and see 15 cars with the space for more.
"Bloody hell." Emmett says.
"I know." Edward says with a smile.
They walk back into the kitchen and out into the garden. "There's a children's park in your back garden." Bella says in shock.
"Jake loves it, and when she's old enough, Charlie will as well. Along with Ali's baby boy and out future children." Edward answers his girlfriend.
"Wow." Bella replies.
They walk further down the garden, around to the other side of the house and they come across a massive swimming pool and a Jacuzzi.
"Double wow." Emmett says.
"I can't wait to get you in there in a bikini, Angel." Edward says wrapping his arms around his girlfriend from behind and kissing her neck.
"Woah! Little brother near." Emmett says with his hands over his ears.
"And I would never wear a bikini." Bella says.
"Why not? You'd look sexy." Edward says kissing up her neck and behind her ear.
He chuckles as she squirms and her head falls back and her shoulders raise in response.
"Let's move on." Emmett says to the couple in front of him.
Edward steps back from Bella and holds her hand, pulling her along to the living room doors and walking inside. They walk upstairs and into the first row of bedrooms.
"I only have two floors of bedrooms." Edward says.
"Only." Bella and Emmett say at the same time.
Edward laughs. "Well, mom and dad have three." He says in his defence. "There are sixteen rooms down here. The one right at the end is Jacob's room, the one next to that is Rose's. Across from Jake's room is mom and dad's room, next to that is a guest room. Then there's Alec's room, another guest room and then Marcus's room. Across the hall from Marcus's room is Alice and Jasper's room and next to that is a nursery for their baby, it's unfinished right now but as soon as they figure out how they want it decorated, I'll get it finished. The rest of the rooms are guest rooms. Emmett, pick whichever guest room you want."
Emmett walks to the room next to Rose's and opens the door. "I'll take this one if that's okay?"
"Of course." Edward says. "I'll get some clothes delivered, tell mom your sizes and there will be some by the end of the day."
"Thank you, do you mind if I have a nap after I do that? I'm exhausted."
"My house is your house." Edward replies.
"Thank you." Emmett says with a smile before closing the door and walking down to the living room to talk to Esme.
"Where's Charlie's room?" Bella asks Edward.
"Upstairs, let's go." He walks with Bella up to the next floor. "There are only six rooms up here. The big one at the end is mine, and yours if you want to share it." Edward pauses and is about to start when he's cut off.
"Of course I want to share it with you, we haven't slept apart for three weeks, I don't want to sleep without you ever again." Bella says to him.
He wraps his arms around her and kisses her, his hands holding her to him as hers go around his body. When they pull apart five minutes later, they're both breathing heavily but have massive smiles on their faces.
Edward brings his hand up to Bella's face and strokes it gently. "I love you, Isabella Marie Swan."
She smiles and leans into his hand, her arms still around his neck. "I love you too, Edward Anthony Masen Cullen."
He kisses her again and then pulls back, taking her hand again. "Here's Charlie's room, I knew that you'd want her near you." Edward opens the door and Bella looks in to find her daughter asleep in a room that is decorated with dark purples and lilacs.
"Oh Edward. It's beautiful." Bella breathes out looking at her boyfriend in awe. "You did this the night we arrived?"
"Yes, I told you, I knew that you'd both be a big part of my life. I called and got someone to come over and do it."
"Thank you for taking such good care of my baby girl." Bella says looking up at Edward.
He leans down and gives her a quick kiss on the lips. "You don't need to thank me, but you're welcome, Angel."
Bella smiles up at him and then pulls him towards their room. "Show me our room."
He chuckles at her excitement and follows her down the hallway before she stops at the closed door. "Aren't you going to open the door?" He asks.
"It's your room." She answers.
"No, it's our room. You said it yourself a few seconds ago."
"Stop being pedantic and open the door Edward."
"Not even one full day into our relationship and you're already bossing me around." He says looking at her and shaking his head in mock disappointment.
She hits his chest and purses her lips, trying to hide her smile.
Edward drops Bella's hand and holds them above his head in surrender. "Okay, okay. I'll open it, but only because you have a gun to my head."
"You arse, I do not have a gun to your head. Ugh!" She laughs and opens the door himself.
"Aw, I was just about to do that." Edward whines as she walks through the door and into the bedroom.
"Shut up and come in here." Bella laughs out.
Edward runs in, and picks Bella up.
"Edward! Put me down!" She shouts. "I'm too heavy."
"Angel, I love you. But shut up." He says walking towards the bed and laying her down before climbing up next to her and propping himself on one elbow looking down at her. "You're not too heavy. You're perfect. If you want to lose weight, then great! If you don't want to lose weight, then great!" He pauses to brush the hair away from her face. "I. Love. You."
"Thank you." Bella says softly.
Rose runs into the room. "Bella, your mom's downstairs."
They both sit up suddenly. "What?"
"Your mom's downstairs."
Bella stands up and runs out of the room.
"She has a gun to her head! Bella! Wait!" Rose shouts, running after her.
Edward runs after her and reaches her just as they get to the living room. He wraps his arms around her waist. "Wait. It's dangerous." He whispers into her ear.
Carlisle walks into the room and over to Bella as Rose carries on past them all and walks out of the front door. "Bella, Emmett's asleep in his room. Please keep it down, we don't want this man to know he's still alive. Your mother is outside but the man won't release her until he sees you." Carlisle tells her.
"Okay." Bella starts to walk forward but is stopped by Edward's arms around her. "Edward, you need to let me go. Walk with me but I need to get my mum back."
He unwraps his arms from around her waist and lets her walk forward, following close behind with his gun raised. Bella walks outside and sees Rose, Esme, Marcus, Alec, and Jasper fanned out around the front gate with their guns trained on their target and she walks closer. Esme and Marcus separate as Bella gets closer and her eyes fall on the man standing in front of them all who is holding a gun to her mother who is on her knees and crying.
"Bella!" Her mother shouts to her, burn scares littering her body. "I love you baby!"
"Shut up, bitch." The man says kicking her.
"Ah!" She screams falling on her front, her screams increasing as she's pulled back up by her hair.
"Get your hands off of her!" Marcus shouts as Bella watches on in horror.
The man ignores him and smirks at Bella. "Hello Isabella." He then pulls the trigger, shooting Bella's mother in the back of the head, and Bella's mother flops to the floor, blood fanning out all around her.
"Mum!" Bella screams falling to her knees and sobbing as the man is shot by all of the Cullen's apart from Alice who is stood in the doorway of Edward's house, her hand over her mouth in shock with tears running down her face.
Edward falls to his feet and wraps his arms around his girlfriend as she screams out her sobs. "Angel, I need to get you inside. They need to move them both."
This makes her sob even harder as she clings onto him so he picks her up and carries her inside and up the stairs to their bedroom before closing the door and placing her on her feet at the foot of their bed. She wraps her arms around his neck and he wraps his around her waist and they stand there like that until she calms down and her tears start to slow. When they completely stop, he sits her down on the chest that he has at the end of his bed. "Let's have a nap." He then walks to the top of the bed and pulls down the covers.
Bella hasn't moved an inch from where Edward sat her and he grabs one of his shirts and a pair of sweatpants from his wardrobe before walking over to his girlfriend, placing the clothes on the bed and pulling her to her feet once more. "I'm going to change you, okay?"
She looks straight ahead feeling completely numb and nods her head slightly to his question. Edward lifts her arms up and holds them in one hand as he pulls her top off, dropping it onto the floor next to them. He then unbuttons her trousers, pulling them off, lifting her legs up one by one so she can step out of them, before he reaches around her and undoes her bra, pulling it down her arms and dropping it to the floor with the rest of her clothes. He reaches for the sweatpants that are on the bed, lifts her feet up one by one and pulls the trousers up before reaching for the top, lifting her arms up one by one and pulling the top down. He then takes her hand and pulls her over to the bed, laying her down, climbing in next to her, pulling her to him, pulling the covers over them both and wrapping his arms around her.
"Thank you." Bella whispers breaking the silence, wrapping her arms around his body and closing her eyes.
*Hides behind the sofa* Don't hate me. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review. ~Megan xxx