This was my second entry for the Mobward contest. It didn't win anything but I loved writing it

My thanks to SarcasticBimbo for her beta skills

Summary: He's the 'family' doctor going through the motions. One night they bring a kidnapped rival mob boss' daughter in for treatment because she got injured fighting off the guys who nabbed her...

Pairing: Edward/Bella

Rating: M

Word count: 9803

Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong solely to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended

Love or Duty

The ringing of that phone jolted me awake. I looked around, disoriented, until I realized I had fallen asleep in the on-call room for the fifth night in a row. I spent so much time at the hospital I was beginning to forget where I lived.

The phone rang again, more insistent this time, and for one second I contemplated throwing it away instead of answering it. I sighed, knowing that was not an option, ever!

I hit answer and listened to the short conversation with the gruff voice at the other end of the line, recognizing Billy 'Breaker' Black immediately. "There's no room at the hospital," I grunted out, which elicited the correct answer of, "No problem, sharing is fine." These were the words that let me know the call was on the up and up.

"The usual; fifteen minutes," Were the only other words spoken by either of us and I cut the call without a goodbye.

I yawned widely and stretched, feeling as tired now as I had been two hours ago when I let myself into the empty room. Heading to the sink in the corner of the room, I splashed cold water on my face and then unlocked the door, making my way down to the morgue and the back entrance to the hospital.

With an empty mind, I carefully opened the door, knowing that there were no live cameras in that area; I had disabled them long ago. Waiting on the other side, as promised was Billy Black, standing in front of James Hunter. Slung over his shoulder was a small person, unconscious from the look of it and I stood back to allow them entrance to the corridor.

Walking ahead of them I snagged a stretcher from the few I always had waiting down here just in case they were needed, and watched as Hunter dumped the body he was carrying heavily down on the surface. I knew better than to show any emotion, but my heart jumped in my chest as I realised who she was. Marie Swansoni; the only daughter of Charlie 'The Chief' Swansoni. Taking her was not only bound to cause uproar throughout the city; it was likely to mean war.

I had no idea what that would mean for me, but it definitely wouldn't be good. Aro, I refused to call him Dad or Father; he had forced my life to be what he wanted it to be.

Short as usual, Billy muttered, "Stupid bitch fell and hit her head; been like this for about ten minutes."

I said nothing, noting the lacerations to her face and the split lip, giving me enough information to say that they had not been careful with her. I laughed in my head, keeping it from my face; Aro would not be pleased. I lifted each eyelid in turn to shine my penlight, checking her eyes for their reactions. Staring back at me were the most beautiful chocolate brown eyes I had ever seen, and I found myself longing to see their gaze directed at me. Of course, in this situation they were bound to be angry, but even then I wanted her to look at me.

Her pupils reacted normally, though with her being unconscious for ten minutes I couldn't rule out everything, but it was a good sign that there was nothing serious wrong. The fact that she had been kidnapped could also have caused emotional trauma, which can extend a period of unconsciousness, but unless it lasted a lot longer, for the moment, I wasn't worried.

I could see a lump on her forehead, which no doubt was the cause of her current condition. Checking over the rest of her body, I noted the grazes along her arms and legs, which would undoubtedly be painful when she woke, but again they were not life-threatening. Her wrist was at an odd angle, letting me know that it might be broken, but I needed to know if there was anything more serious than that before we headed up to x-ray for confirmation.

"How did this happen?" I questioned Billy.

After a few minutes silence I raised my eyebrows letting him know I was waiting for an answer, when he finally spoke. "She managed to get the car door open; jumped out when we stopped at the traffic lights."

I waited for the rest without speaking, "We were only travelling at about fifteen miles an hour," his face showed chagrin; he knew Aro would be furious. "She hit the pavement and then rolled down the embankment."

I turned back to the girl, and lifted her top, glaring at Hunter when he stepped forward to ogle her bare skin. Smirking enough to make me want to hit him, he did, however, step back; he knew his place and mine. Palpating her stomach, I found the rebound was good and soft under the pressure I placed on her body. Nodding to myself, I was pleased; it was another good sign that the fall was not life-threatening.

Part of my mind noted how soft her skin was, and randomly I wondered what it would feel like for her to actively want the touch of my hands. This was no time to question my thoughts, so I told Billy that I would take her to x-ray myself to see how much damage there was to her wrist.

"Wait here," I ordered them both, "Don't touch anything," I warned. "It will take about hour and half to take her through and make sure there isn't anything else happening I've missed. I'll see to putting a cast on her wrist if necessary and I'll need to keep checking to make sure she recovers consciousness."

Covering her with a blanket and without another word, I turned and left them where they stood. Pushing the stretcher in front of me, I pressed the call button for the elevator and entered it when it arrived. The doors closed with my glare reaching down the hall to the two idiots leaning against the wall on either side.

A quick x-ray later I knew there were no other broken bones and no skull fracture either, which might have been another cause of her lack of conscious. Moving her to a side room in the ER, I dropped her chart into the slot at the end of the bed and set about casting her wrist. Fortunately, it wasn't displaced and a simple one would work.

Dismissing the assistance of the nurse who had followed me into the room, I held her arm in the correct position, sliding the stockinette over her hand and up to her elbow, before wrapping it in the padding, ensuring that it was not too tight. A short gasp from the bed startled me from my thoughts, and looking up, those beautiful brown eyes glared at me; mesmerizing me.

"Where am I?" the hissed question was directed at me with an appropriate amount of venom. "Who are you? Where ..." I knew she was about to ask about the two idiots I had left downstairs, stopping herself before she could say too much.

"You're in the ER at the hospital and I'm your doctor." I didn't want to give her my name just yet, and I had to admit to myself that once she heard it, any chance I might have had to get to know her would be over, before it even started. My inner voice snorted, 'Like that's gonna happen, idiot'.

"It's nice to see you awake," I continued to wrap her arm in the padding and applied the wet cast material over that, holding it in place while it began to harden.

"How long was I out?"

"About twenty minutes from what I can gather. There's nothing else wrong, in case you were wondering."

I looked up at her as I finished off the edges of the cast and reached behind me for a sling. Helping her to sit up, I fitted it around her arm and leaned over her to fasten it around her neck. The most delicious scent wafted up to my face, warm skin, strawberry and something floral and sweet, tickled my senses and I had a hard time stopping myself from inhaling. Her hot breath hit the uncovered skin at the top of my scrubs, and to my chagrin, my cock hardened inappropriately. Stepping back, I allowed my body to calm for a few minutes, while I completed the chart at the end of the bed.

"Dr ... what did you say your name was?"

"I didn't ..." I stopped writing and took a deep breath before giving her the answer that would give her the worst view of who I actually was, "It's Dr Edward Volturi."

At the sharp intake of breath, I knew she knew exactly who I was, and my heart sank.

"Please don't take me back to them," she begged in a low voice, "Just let me go, please."

Sitting back on the stool beside the bed, I took her uninjured hand in mine, "I'm so sorry, I have to, you know that. They're waiting downstairs and if I don't appear in about thirty minutes, there will be hell to pay. Just because Aro is my father ..." I scowled at that acknowledgement, "It doesn't mean I can do whatever I want, and if you disappear, that will cause too much trouble; we'd never get away with it."

I hesitated before continuing, somehow drawn to the sad expression on her face, and decided that I would have to trust that she would say nothing, "And then ... I wouldn't be in a position to help you later."

Her head shot up from where her gaze had fallen to resting on the bedclothes; her eyes wide and hopeful. Warming to the thoughts in my head, I moved forward so I could speak more quietly. "Look, Marie ... I feel very protective of you and I want to help you, I do. But I have to take you back for now, so they won't be suspicious. I'll tell them that you need monitoring because of the bang on your head, and I'll make arrangements to call at the house every day to check on you."

I looked at her anxiously, "Believe me, I want to help you but we can't do this without a plan, and some thought. Are you okay with that?"

She didn't look surprised that I knew who she was and was silent for a few minutes, searching my face, no doubt trying to decide if she could trust me.

"Okay," she acquiesced, "Don't let me down, I'm trusting you here."

I breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank you. I'll take you back now and warn them to be careful."

She looked doubtful. "Don't worry," I added, "They will listen to me, they're too afraid of what will happen if they don't. I have no doubt that if something happens to you, while you're in their care, other than what Aro has planned, their lives will be forfeit." I smirked, "As it is, they are in for punishment already for letting you get out of the car."

She leaned back, her face pale. Teardrops quivered on her lower lashes and I wanted nothing more than to hug her in sympathy, and keep her safe. I had ceased, for the moment, to question my feelings for this girl. In the matter of a couple of hours she had become important to me and I vowed then and there I would do my utmost to see that she was safe.

Bringing a wheelchair to the side of the bed, I helped her into it and took her back toward the elevator, grabbing her 'chart' on the way past. That would be destroyed as usual, leaving no evidence behind. There was enough going on in the ER that no one noticed me as I returned her to the idiots, virtually ordering them to take her to Aro's house, and informing them that I would be calling him shortly to confirm that everything was in order.

Billy just shrugged and agreed with me, while Hunter glared. He was going to be trouble; nothing I couldn't handle because he wasn't big on brains, but I had a feeling I would have to do something drastic to stop him from doing what it was so obvious he wanted to do. And that was to take something from Marie that was not his to take.

She was mine.

And for once I didn't argue and wasn't surprised by the inner voice. I agreed with it one hundred percent.

I drifted through the remainder of my shift and found myself on my way home, with no idea what I had done for the last few hours. My mind was centred on Marie now and how I could get her out of this situation. I had no idea what she wanted or where she wanted to be but I was prepared to do whatever I had to in order to give it to her.

My mind went back to the talk I'd had earlier with Aro.

"Aro," my conversations, such as they were, were always short and not-so-sweet.

"Edward, my boy," on the surface he behaved like a beloved father, but there was no love lost between us, "Tell me what happened to our precious cargo."

His very words about her made me sick to my stomach. She was nothing but a pawn to him; he would have no compunction about killing her if the situation warranted it, or worse.

"Those idiots, Breaker Billy and Hunter, allowed their charge to jump from a moving car. Against my better judgement I discharged her from the hospital, but I have to insist that I come and see her at least twice a day. The head injury she received may cause serious complications, if not monitored correctly."

"I understand, and I trust that you will be here regularly to do so," his voice hardened, reminding me that it was not my choice. Little did he know it was my choice, but there was no way I would be allowing him to know that little gem.

"I'll be there." And with that I hung up.

Walking into my condo, I was a little lost as to what to do now. I wanted to see Marie but I knew that if I showed too much interest, it would raise awkward questions, and I had no desire to give Aro ammunition of any kind to use against me. Instead, I wandered around, picking up clothes from the last time I had been home and loading the washer. I tidied up a little though there wasn't much to do there as I was rarely home for any length of time, and made little to no mess when I was there.

The condo had been bought by Aro, when it became clear that I didn't wish to be involved in the family business in any way. The building was owned by him and the penthouse was his choice for me, but to me it was just a place to stay. And for him, another way for him to keep up his domination over me; putting me where he thought I belonged.

Just once in my life, I had managed to break free, when I insisted on the career I wanted. For a short time, I believed I had found a way out of the family responsibilities, but unfortunately, he had other plans. My decision to be a doctor merely played right into his hands, and from the moment I had qualified, I had been forced to work as the 'family' doctor. That meant that any member of the Volturi needing treatment off the record was brought to me to patch up. It didn't matter to Aro what lies I told, or how it affected me, it was just expected.

It was nothing I could do anything about, so I was a good boy and did as I was told, going through the motions of living. I did my job to the best of my abilities, helping the patients that came through the doors of the ER and treating members of the 'family', forgetting the illegal side of my actions.

Shaking the shitty thoughts from my head, I headed towards the shower, grabbing a couple of towels from the hall closet on the way. The hot water cascaded over my head, beating the showers in the hospital hands down, and as I scrubbed at my skin to remove the smell of the place, a germ of an idea wound its way into my head; an idea that would give us both our freedom, from this life and our families.

Leaving the bathroom, I tied one towel around my waist while using the other to rub my hair relatively dry. Without bothering to find anything to wear, I fell across the bed and directly into sleep, where my dreams were full of Marie, her face alternating between furious and interspersed with occasional glimpses of happiness.

The following day found me driving towards Aro's house, the one I had grown up in, which no longer felt like a home. Not bothering to knock I strode in, heading straight to the kitchen. Gretchen still worked for the family and I knew that she would know all the house gossip.

"Good morning, Mr. Edward. You're here to see young Miss Swansoni, aren't you? Such a pretty girl, she is." I never had to actually ask anything; she was a font of information and always ready to share.

"Good morning, Gretchen," I greeted her with a smile. She had always been one my favorite people and that had not changed in the ten years I had been away. "Yes, I'm here to check on her. How has her night been?"

"She's been absolutely fine; I looked in on her not thirty minutes ago when I took up some coffee and a little breakfast. She said she wasn't hungry but these young girls, they don't realize that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I told her that, too; not that I expect her to listen to me any more than you did, Mr. Edward. Always so headstrong," she fussed.

I knew that if I didn't stop her she would go on for hours, so I quickly interrupted. "Which room is she in, Gretchen?"

"She's in the Gold Room, Mr. Edward. Can I bring you some coffee, shortly?"

"That would be lovely, Gretchen. Can you do that in about an hour, please?"

Telling me that would be fine, I managed to escape from the kitchen before she could start another conversation. Taking the stairs two at a time, not that I was eager or anything, I headed along the left side of the galleried landing to the Gold Room at the front of the house. Knocking lightly on the door, I waited for the faint 'come in' before opening it to find Marie seated on the chaise lounge in front of the window.

She wore a light silk robe in deep blue, which contrasted beautifully with her dark mahogany hair and creamy skin. I was definitely attracted to her but it was more than that; I was drawn to the sadness I saw in her brown eyes and the air of melancholy that surrounded her. She looked like I felt and I wondered for a minute what had caused her to feel like that. No doubt it was something I wasn't likely to learn.

"Good morning, Miss Swansoni. How are you feeling today?"

She turned and a small smile graced her face, chasing away the sadness for the moment. "I'm well Dr. Volturi. I have only a small headache left, although the grazes are still a little sore."

I walked across the room, placing my medical bag on the floor beside her seat and took her hand in greeting. A shot of some sort of electrical charge ran from my fingers into my body, leaving it tingling. I cocked my head at her, wondering if she felt it to, and saw her brow crease in confusion as she pulled her hand from its place in mine. She said nothing but I could see the question in her eyes, showing me that she did indeed feel something.

"Please," I reciprocated her smile, "Call me Edward."

"Edward, it is. Where do you want me?"

For a second my mind fell in the gutter though I quickly realized that she meant; where would I like her to sit for me to carry out my check up? The images that went through my mind were x-rated!

I cleared my throat and then shook my head free of the inappropriate images, telling her she was fine right where she was, while I reached for my bag. Taking her blood pressure I noted that it was a little elevated, though that was likely to be due to the stress of being virtually a prisoner in the house. Her pulse was also a little quick for probably the same reason. Shining a light in her eyes, I could see that her pupils were the same as the previous evening indicating that there was no damage to her brain or nervous functions.

Her legs were already stretched out on the seat in front of her, and despite the fact that my heart was beating a little faster, I ignored it and looked over the grazes on her legs with a professional eye. They looked to be clean and healing over so I dismissed them as nothing really important. Checking her head, I could feel that the lump caused by leaping from the car, was slowly shrinking and shouldn't give her any problems.

"What's the verdict, Dr. Edward? Will I live?" she smirked at me.

"Well, it seems that you are none the worse for wear, despite a fall from a moving vehicle. Whatever possessed you to try that?" My voice was incredulous. "You could have been killed."

She shrugged, "It seemed like a good idea at the time, and honestly I didn't think of the repercussions; I just wanted out." Her face drew into a scowl as she continued," Why, what would you have done if two goons had grabbed you on your way home?"

I grinned a little, though I could tell she was mostly serious, "When you put it like that, I suppose I would have likely done the same."

I checked over the cast on her wrist to make sure that the swelling was going down and it was not becoming uncomfortable. She assured me that it, too, was fine.

At that moment, a light knock on the door and a glance at my watch told me that Gretchen had arrived with my coffee. I called out for her to come in, allowing her to place a fresh pot and two clean cups on the table beside the seat.

"That will be all thanks, Gretchen." She smiled and left the room.

Asking Marie if she would like another cup of coffee, I poured one for each of us and handing one to her, pulled up another seat to drink mine. For a few minutes neither of us spoke, just watched as the sun rose higher in the sky over the gardens outside. I could see Mark, the gardener, going about the daily business of taking care of the carefully landscaped area.

"Can you ..."

"Would you like ..."

We both spoke at the same time and I gestured for her to continue.

She bit her lip, causing a tightening of my pants, "Can you ... help me? I don't want to be here." She spoke so quietly, I had to strain to hear her voice.

Shaking my head, I whispered, "Not here, eyes and ears." I raised my eyes to the ceiling and I could see her fall in at once. "Would you like to walk around the garden? It's far too nice to be inside right now and you need to make sure that you don't stiffen up too much. Falling from the car, would no doubt have caused a few bruises, though nothing bad came up on the x-ray at the hospital."

I finished my coffee, placing the cup back on the tray and told her I would be waiting outside the door when she was ready.

I knew Aro. It might look like she was free to leave, and she was; to walk around the grounds or use the house facilities. But there were guards; they would be watching and making sure that she could go nowhere near the cars, the phone or the gates. She was a prisoner and would stay that way until Aro decided what purpose she would have in his schemes.

He was a greedy, acquisitive man and wouldn't think twice about taking what he wanted. He and Hunter were not so different, except he held all the power.

I moved away from the door to give her the illusion of privacy. and hoped that she had the sense to move to the bathroom to dress. The Gold Room was always used for individuals Aro wanted to keep an eye on and listen in on, and I wouldn't put it past his perverted mind to be watching her now.

Surprisingly enough, the door opened not fifteen minutes later, with Marie dressed in a simple t-shirt and jeans and a light-weight hoodie. She seemed more hesitant than before so I smiled at her encouragingly, offering her my arm for the walk downstairs.

Reaching the entrance hall on the ground floor, Aro stepped out of his study. As I thought, he had been watching us, and judging by his narrowed eyes, he was suspicious.

"Edward," he acknowledged me with a nod of his head.

"Miss Swansoni," He took her hand with false gentlemanly behavior. "You're looking beautiful this morning. I trust you will enjoy your walk around the gardens, they are particularly nice at this time of the year."

If looks could kill, he would have dropped stone dead at our feet, and judging by the look on Marie's face at the non-subtle reminder that he could both see and hear her, that was her wish. I had to stifle a laugh, covering it with a cough. Aro shot a look my way, "I'll see you in my office on your return, Edward."

I simply nodded, not wishing to verbally answer him. Marie and I walked past him and left the house by the front door, leaving Aro to scowl after us!

The guards kept a reasonable distance away and I was sure that they would be unable to hear anything we spoke about. Giving her space to recover from the shock of Aro admitting to bugging the room, verbally and visually, I waited patiently for her to start the conversation. We settled on a seat close to the fountain, our backs to the house, where any possible overhearing of our talk would be covered by the noise of the water.

"Can you help me, please?" Her voice was quiet.

"I don't know; what is it you want me to do?" My answer was equally quiet, neither of us looking at the other. To anyone watching us, it would seem as if we were just sitting in the sun, admiring the gardens.

"Help me get out of here? Please?" I watched as a tear slid down her cheek.

"Marie ..."

"I'd like it if you called me Bella, if that's okay? It's what my friends call me. I never liked the name Marie; it was my father's choice and I needed to be someone who wasn't owned." Her tone became bitter and I turned slightly to face her, cocking my head; encouraging her to elaborate.

"He's never really loved me, especially since my mother died. He wanted a son to take over the business and when he didn't get what he wanted, he decided to auction me off to the highest bidder. And that just happens to be Maximiliano Newtoni's son, Marco. He's been after me ever since I turned him down over and over again; we were at school together." She explained.

I murmured in sympathy, knowing what it was like to be used by a member of the family.

"I wanted to go to the School of Culinary Arts in California!" She burst out, trying to keep her voice low. "I have the grades and I'm good enough; they offered me a place. But no, he had to put the kibosh on that, didn't he?" It was a rhetorical question and she continued, "He's set the wedding for three months time, throwing money at it to make it the biggest and the best wedding money can buy. It doesn't matter to him what I want, or if I'm happy. "

"I hate him; I hate him!" She dissolved into tears and I wanted more than anything to hug her to me and dry them, but instead, I began to talk to her quietly.

"You have to calm down, Bella. I can help you but it's going to take time to arrange and you're going to have to be patient. First, we have to make sure Aro doesn't get wind of anything, or any plans are dead in the water. And I mean dead in the strictest sense of the word."

Bella was silent and waited for me to go on, her tears drying on her face. I wanted to kiss them away. I didn't have everything sorted in my head, but I knew that she was listening closely.

"I'll be able to come to see you a couple of times a day, and because I am who I am ..." For the first time, I was actually glad Aro was my father, "... I won't be searched or questioned. We need to get you a weapon so that if we get separated you can protect yourself; you can fire a gun can't you?"

"Of course I can," she scoffed. "My father wanted a boy."

"Okay, I'm pretty sure that Aro wants to use you to force your father's hand in getting control of the drug-running the Chief operates from the warehouses. It's the best position for deliveries both in and out of the city. I think, that for now you will be safe, unless your father refuses to play ball."

"Why would you do this for me? What will you get out of it?" Suspicion colored her gaze.

I was silent while I sorted through my thoughts, "Truthfully, part of me wants to hit back at Aro in some way; to ruin him, but even more ... I want out. Out of this false life I have; it's put so much pressure on me that I don't even want to be a doctor anymore. Or at least not the sort of doctor I am now. I never had anything to get away for before, but somehow your courage has inspired me, and now I want to do this for both of us."

She was silent, waiting for me to continue.

"No one should be forced to do something simply because someone else wants them to do it, and I believe people should be able to marry for love, not as part of a business arrangement. I know Aro plans to use you to get what he wants from the Chief, but I also know that it's not likely he'll let you go after he's succeeded."

Bella looked out over the fountain and the gardens. "So, whatever else happens, it looks like I don't have a future ... unless I can get away from here." I could see her mulling it over in her head and waited for her to process what I had just admitted to. "I said before I trusted you, Edward, and I believe in you. I'm in, one hundred percent; just tell me what you need me to do."

"For now, do everything Aro says. Play for time and I'll make arrangements. Can you do that?"

She nodded yes and we stood to make our way back to the house, leaving a gap between us that I wanted to bridge. I resisted, not wanting to give anything away to the eyes that I was certain were watching our every move.

Aro was determined to speak to me before I left and appeared in the entrance hall as Bella and I stepped through the front door. She murmured her goodbye and headed straight upstairs to her room, while I followed him through the house to his study.

I had hated that room all of my life; everything awful in my life had always happened there, though Aro had never raised a hand to me. It was the last place I saw my mother, who sat on the sofa, while he told me that she would be leaving for Italy later that day. I was four years old and she had been absent for as long as I could remember. Whether it was a mental illness or not, it made no difference to me; after all I couldn't miss what I had never had.

I was brought out of my musing as Aro offered me a drink, indicating I should sit in the chair in front of his desk. It didn't escape my notice that the seat was one any subordinate would be asked to sit in, and I was once again reminded where he believed my position to be – one of his subordinates.

"Miss Swansoni is the key to negotiations with the Chief, so I am counting on you to ensure that she is in tip-top condition," he spoke as if she was a prize racehorse, "I have a meeting arranged for next Tuesday, so you have six days to help hide or heal her bruises and grazes."

Despite his manner, I bit my tongue assuring him that they would be healed in time, and then reminded him that her arm would take a little longer.

Giving me a hard look, he leaned forward and put me in my place, "Then you will remove the cast and replace it with a lightweight brace. Miss Swansoni can wear clothes that cover her arms,

And don't think I didn't see the look you gave her. You can get rid of those feelings; I have my own plans for her, whatever the outcome of my little meeting with her father."

He sat back, beaming, delighted at the thought that he had that sort of control over me. I narrowed my eyes at him, but managed to trap the words I wanted to say inside my mouth. He disgusted me; I was sickened by his behavior.

As I pushed up out of the chair, ready to leave before I could say something that both Bella and I would regret, he sent a parting shot my way. "Oh, and Edward, it's time you settled down, don't you think." He didn't wait for me to answer, "I have the perfect girl in mind for you; Tanya Denali. You remember her, don't you?" His voice was mocking, "I have invited her to stay for a month, so you two can get to know each other again. She'll make an appropriate wife for you. Of course, you'll need to arrange leave of absence from the hospital."

Gritting my teeth, I murmured my thanks, though the sarcasm went over his head. As I headed for the front door, I was followed by his sadistic laughter. I nodded goodbye to Gretchen as I passed her taking a tray up stairs; lunch for Bella I surmised, but didn't stop to speak to her. I seethed for the forty minute drive back to the penthouse, my conviction solidifying with every mile; that it was time for his domination of my life to be over.

Despite the fact that I had no wish to have any further contact with Aro, I knew that I would have to play along with him for the time being. Returning to the house later that evening, I checked in with Bella, who was feeling much better. I didn't stay very long, telling her that she needed to rest and promised to be back in the morning.

True to my word, I returned the following day, in time for us to have breakfast together. Aro was not in evidence and his car was gone from the garage, so I assumed he was setting up his takeover plans. Gretchen beamed at the empty plates on the breakfast tray, and encouraged us to take a walk in the gardens.

We headed towards the fountain again, much more comfortable in the absence of Aro. We might very well still be under surveillance but it was likely to be lighter and not intrusive, nonetheless I was careful to make sure that my actions were hidden.

"Bella," I pulled her attention back to me, "Take this," I shoved a small hand-gun I had hidden in my belt, confident that none of the guards would go so far as to search me.

She gasped lightly but very quickly, wound her hand around it and pushed down the front of the jeans she wore, pulling her baggy t-shirt over the top of them to hide it. Her eyes said thank you, but she said nothing, trusting me to get her out of there.

She walked me to my car, which prompted the guards to appear from the back of the house, telling us both that she was still watched. She turned her back on Felix, who acknowledged me with a nod of his head and stayed out of hearing. He and I, if not friends, respected each other.

"How are things going, Edward?" her troubled gaze caught mine, "I don't know how long I can do this, she admitted. "Aro gave me no choice for this evening, I have to be at dinner and to be honest I'm dreading it. He frightens me," She had to be feeling vulnerable, tears filling her eyes but she refused to allow them to fall.

I wanted so much to hold her and kiss them away, but that would have to wait.

My words to her were quiet, almost under my breath, "Don't worry, Bella, I promise you, I will get you out of this, on my life."

Reluctantly I got in my car and drove away watching her figure recede in my rear view mirror, willing her to go inside and find a hiding place for that gum. If Aro found it, we would both be in trouble, and I had no doubt that he would punish me more severely than one of his men. That would leave her vulnerable to his deviant ways, and that wasn't an option.

Not wanting to go home, I stopped at the next gas station and made a call from a payphone to an old friend from college; I couldn't risk using my mobile or house phone, just in case Aro was paranoid enough to have a tap on either of them. Jasper and I had been close friends all through college, with him being aware of who I was right from the beginning. He was never on Aro's radar, deliberately; I had to have someone in my corner that wasn't linked to him in any way.

We had not spoken much since those college days, but on the few occasions we got together we always had a good time. Without hesitation, he encouraged me to come over to his apartment to meet his wife; not that I had known he was married, so I wasted no time in leaving my car in the parking lot of a motel and taking a taxi to their place. Was I paranoid? Yes, and with good reason.

Opening the door, he grabbed me in a man-hug, "It's great to see you, Edward. How have you been?" He pulled me into the apartment and proudly pulled his wife in front of him, "This here is my Alice, and we've been married for a year now."

"It's lovely to meet you, Alice. I've heard absolutely nothing about you?" I laughed.

"What happened to my invitation, dick-head?"

"Lost in the post, I guess," Jasper sniggered and then turned serious, "Honestly, Edward, I know what your situation is, and I thought you would want me to stay under your father's radar. And by the fact you are here, it feels like you are in need of our help. Am I right?"

"You always did know how to read me, Jazz. And yes, I really need your help. You know I would never ask unless it was really important."

Alice, who had been hopping up and down behind him, pushed him out of the way, "Jazz, let him come in. Edward, I've heard so much about you, I've been dying to meet you. I was just about to start on dinner; you will stay for something to eat, won't you?"

All of this was said with barely a breath taken. I grinned at her, "Thanks, Alice, I'd love that."

"Sit down, sit down, would you like a beer, or a glass of wine? I have juice as well if you don't want alcohol."

I thanked her, asking for a beer, and followed Jazz into the living room, while she flitted into the kitchen to get our drinks.

"She's a bit of a live-wire, Jazz."

Jazz laughed, "That she is, Edward, but she's the best thing that ever happened to me."

"And don't you forget it, Jasper Whitlock." Alice handed each of us a beer and headed back into the kitchen, leaving us to talk.

Jazz turned serious, "What can I help you with, Edward?"

"I met someone, and for me at least, it's serious. She's in trouble; Aro has plans to use her to push the business forward."

I didn't have to say more than that and knew that Jasper wouldn't want to know any more, either. I didn't wait for him to answer and continued, "I need to get her out of there, and it's time ... for me to do the same. I can't live that life for another second, and oddly enough, it's meeting her that's pushed me into this decision. I feel something for her and have since the moment my eyes met hers. I have no idea if she feels the same but it doesn't matter; I have to do this for her, no matter what I want."

Jazz was silent for a moment and then just like that, he was on board. "What do you need me to do?"

"I need a car, untraceable if possible. I can't use mine because I know it has a tracker; that's why I came by taxi tonight. I'm hoping that Aro will think I'm shacked up with someone in a motel; that's where I left my car."

"Not a problem, we have two cars and you can use one of them. I assume ..." He looked at me quizzically, "Bella ..." I supplied, "Bella is at your father's house?"

At my nod, he continued, "I know where Aro's house is, in fact, I know a fair bit about his business, you might say. I assume you have a plan to get her out of the house and grounds?"

I nodded at him, "Yes, I've worked that out and I'll be seeing her tomorrow morning to fill her in. This has to happen in the next few days, before Aro puts his plan into action. Bella is pretty safe until then.

"Okay, if you can get her as far as the highway, I can pick her up from there and then meet you later. You have a plan beyond that?

"I do, we'll be heading south; you don't need to know exactly where. I've already been to the bank and withdrawn all the cash in my savings account, liquidated as much as I've been able to in the short time I've had and emptied my safe deposit box of anything with any value. He can keep my trust fund, and anything else linked to the business." I finished bitterly, "I want nothing from him, ever."

"What car are you using to get her out? Yours?"

"I hadn't decided and I'm not sure it matters; they'll all have trackers."

"I suggest you take yours. Bella should hide in the rear foot-well; cover her with a blanket. That'll give you a little more time, because the guards would only see you leaving as normal. She can swap into my car at the gas station on the highway, where I'll be filling up and getting a bite to eat. I'll make sure I'm parked out of sight of any cameras and if you get as close to mine as possible, she can slip from one to the other without being seen. Later, you can take a taxi from your house to that same motel, and I'll pick you up there. You can then take Alice's car and head off. When you get to where you're going, call me from any payphone to this number ..." he hands me a piece of paper, "... and I'll arrange for it to be collected."

"Wow, you've worked this out already?"

"It's my job, Edward," he paused, "I work for the FBI, and you don't need to be a genius to work out what case I'm working on right now."

I gaped at him, not having known, "I don't think I want to know so I'm not even going to ask," was the only answer I had to give.

"What are you going to do once you get to wherever you're going?"

"I hadn't thought that far ahead, Jazz."

"Okay, how does this sound? I can get you paperwork to change both your name and hers. I'm assuming that you have enough money to rent an apartment and for living expenses until you decide what you're going to do, but this will be a safeguard."

Alice interrupted us at that moment, calling us to the table for dinner. Alice has already heard everything we had discussed and by mutual agreement the subject was put aside until we finished eating. The meal was enjoyable and we spent the time chatting about what we had each been up to since College.

After, Jazz and I cleaned up the kitchen, while Alice poured wine and settled in the living room, chatting to her mother.

Jasper and I, joined by Alice later, spent the evening going over the plans from both sides to make sure that nothing could go wrong. I decided that I would take nothing with me, when I left for work the next day, except my normal backpack and doctor's bag. That would give me enough room for the few things of sentimental value I wanted to keep, and all the money I had managed to extract from the bank and my investments. It was a few hundred thousand and enough for us to hide out for a while until Aro stopped looking, although realistically, I knew him well enough to know that he would be angry enough to never truly stop.

That was a bridge I would cross later.

"You'll need some clothes at least, Edward. I'll take a trip out tomorrow and pick up a few things for both of you and leave a couple of bags in the boot of the car. Jazz, it would be better if you brought Bella back here and then took my car to the motel. Yours has a tracker, too, so it would be safer if they had mine. I can do without it for a few weeks or months if necessary, and besides, your boss might ask questions if yours is gone for a long time."

"That's why I married you, darlin', keeps my head on straight."

We talked into the early morning and Alice insisted I stay over. "You can take a taxi back to the motel and leave in the morning. It looks credible since you're supposed to be with someone."

"Who's with the FBI, Jazz?" I questioned laughingly.

"Supposed to be me, but she keeps me on my toes."

A few hours later, not having been able to sleep, I grabbed a coffee from the automatic machine in the kitchen and let myself out of the apartment just before the taxi was due. There was nothing else I needed to discuss with Jazz and I had to get home, change into my scrubs and move the money from my safe to the bottom of the backpack. I had yet to tell Bella everything and then a full days' work before putting the plan into action.

Everything went to plan and I pulled up outside the house just as Aro was leaving. I raised a hand to him, hoping he would be away for the whole day; it would make the plan so much easier to carry out.

Passing through the kitchen, I kissed Gretchen on the cheek and grabbed the breakfast tray she had ready for Bella, leaving her smiling. I was sorry that I would be unable to say goodbye to Gretchen but it has to be this way and I was sure she would understand.

I knocked lightly on Bella's door, opening it after hearing her light voice telling me to come in. Aro would have just barged straight in, so she knew it would be either Gretchen or me. I couldn't show her any affection, though whatever Aro could glean from the cameras would no longer be my concern after today. Still, it was a hard habit to break so I decided to do nothing out of the ordinary; it would hopefully stop him from working out the truth until we were long gone.

"How are you today, Bella?" I could at least smile at her and try to impart a sense of hope with my eyes.

"Feeling a lot better, Edward. My wrist aches a little, but a couple of Tylenol takes care of that and most of the grazes are healed." Her smile made everything worthwhile and I realized I was half in love with her already. Shaking the thoughts from my head, we drank our coffee and made small talk for a while, until I asked her to take the usual walk in the gardens. Aro would see nothing different.

Out in the warm early summer air, we settled on the usual bench beside the fountain. There were no guards in sight, which I was happy about; they were all used to our twice a day walks.

Taking a deep breath, I ran through the plan with Bella, making sure she knew what would be happening. "Okay, tonight I will come to see you as usual. I hope Aro will be gone, though even if he isn't, we're still getting out of here. I know that you go to the kitchen to spend time with Gretchen so I want you to take nothing but the gun and wait for me. I'll be spending some time with Felix and the guys out back. I'll come back into the house after an hour or so, and grab a bottle of whiskey from the cabinet in Aro's study to take outside. Once they've all had a few, I'll come back through ..."

"What if Gretchen wants to leave?"

"Just make up an excuse; tell her you don't want to go back to your room and that you want another cup of tea and that she should just go on back to her place. She'll be fine, trust me."

"Okay, what do you want me to do then?"

When I come back through, if everything is working as it should, I'll wave you to come to me and together we'll leave through the passage in the study ..."

"What passage?"

"Just a second and I'll explain. While I'm getting the whiskey, I'll switch off the camera feed so that when I come and get you, he won't see where we go. He has a secret door in his study that leads directly to the garage and on our way through, I'll switch the cameras back on. And with any luck it'll be a while until he notices any gaps. His study is the only place in the house with no camera feed, so once we're in there we're safe; or as safe as we can be for the moment."

I took her hand, careful to make sure that no one was around to see us. "Try not to worry, Bella. I have a friend; Aro doesn't know him, and he and his wife are happy to help us. I trust him completely, so you can, too. His name is Jasper Whitlock and he's with the FBI. We have arranged to meet at a gas station, where he will take care of you until I can meet up with you."

Bella looked a little afraid but straightened her back and sat up, nodding her head. "I'm okay, Edward. I'll do everything you say but you'd better go now or you'll be late for work. I'll be fine until later."

Reluctantly I tore myself away, leaving her sitting in the sunshine and prayed that everything would work out as planned. All day, I worried about her and what would be happening later, but nothing untoward occurred, and thankfully the ER was fairly quiet.

I changed into jeans, a t-shirt and a hoodie before leaving the hospital, remembering to grab my bag and the backpack. Part of me was sorry that I wouldn't be returning but the rewards would be greater than the loss, whatever the future brought.

Heading to the house for what, I hoped, would be the last time, I tried to stay calm. This wasn't normal for me and I did wonder if I would be able to see it through. When my mind shifted to Bella, as it did a hundred times a day, my nerves calmed and I knew I was capable of anything and everything for her.

I met Bella in her room and did my normal check over, leaving the room with her and separating at the kitchen. I wandered outside to the patio at the back of the house, where the guys were well into their second game of poker.

"Come join us, Eddie," Felix shouted, "I need to win some money."

I smiled and agreed; I was never any good at the game and he always took me to the cleaners. They'd all had a couple of beers, telling me that Aro wouldn't be back for a while; it was the only time they relaxed at the house. After another four rounds, of which I won only one, they were all getting a little raucous and I suggested, acting like I'd had a few more beers than I'd actually imbibed, getting a bottle of Aro's finest. They all cheered me on and I happily left the table, heading to the study.

I passed the kitchen seeing that Gretchen and Bella were still sitting and chatting. They had formed quite a friendship in the short time she had been at the house, but we couldn't risk anything getting back to Aro no matter how much I trusted Gretchen. I indicated that Bella should stay where she was for the moment and switched off the camera feed in the study as I grabbed the bottle of whiskey.

Taking it back outside, I poured generous measures for each of the guys and set to playing one more hand, which I lost spectacularly. Throwing my cards down in disgust, while Felix and Demetri laughed at my misfortune, I said, "Well that's me cleaned out for tonight, guys. I'm going home!"

"You're a sore loser, Eddie. We'll play again next week; give you a chance to win it back." Felix winked at me, "Maybe ..."

I slipped back inside the house, raising my hand goodbye.

Walking past the kitchen, this time it was empty apart from Bella sipping tea. I waved to her and she quickly rinsed the cup, placing it on the draining board. I was a little confused by that but she whispered in my ear that it was what she would normally have done. Taking her hand, we quietly slipped down the hall and into the study, without any of the guys being aware.

Feeling along the edge of the panel under the screens, I found the edge of the latch, pressing it hard until I heard a click. The panel slid to one side; and I let out a breath, knowing that Aro had not discovered I knew about the passage. If he had, it would have been sealed. Opening a panel behind his desk, I turned the cameras back on and then, taking Bella's hand, led her into the darkness.

From then on everything worked like a dream, exactly as we planned. Bella hid in the back of my car underneath a blanket as I headed towards the highway and the gas station. Jasper was parked just where he said he would be and Bella was able to slip easily from my car to his. Leaving her there was hard, as I worried about her every minute she was out of my sight, but she had the gun I had given her and knew how to use it.

As planned I returned home and got ready for my 'date' at the motel, arriving there with no difficulty or suspicious cars following me. I left my car in the parking lot and slid into the back seat of Alice's car under the cover of darkness, where Bella waited for me.

Thirty minutes later, we stopped at another gas station, where Jasper passed across the new documents he had promised, identifying Bella and me as Mr. and Mrs. Cullen from Florida. Passports, social security numbers and driver's licenses; all perfect and giving us a chance at a new life.

The last we saw of the city was Jasper and Alice arm in arm, waving us on to a new future as we headed toward the rising sun. A lot of our future was up in the air, and while I knew how I felt about Bella, I still had no idea how she felt about me. Aro wouldn't stop looking for us; both because I had betrayed and outwitted him and more importantly, his plans would now be in ruins.

I hoped that one day we would see Jasper and Alice again; we owed them everything.

To be continued ...