Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/ works/639932. Rating: Explicit Archive Warning: Rape/Non-Con, Underage Category: F/M, Other Fandom: Twilight_Series_-_Stephenie_Meyer Relationship: Edward_Cullen/Bella_Swan Character: Bella_Swan, Edward_Cullen Additional Tags: Slight_Violence, Darkfic, Darkward Series: Part 1 of Stockholm_and_Outtakes Stats: Published: 2013-01-15 Updated: 2013-09-21 Chapters: 2/? Words: 10496 ****** Stockholm ****** by Strange_Hearts Summary 'It was as I was pulling out my phone that something happened. I was grabbed from behind, my mouth automatically being covered, the hand holding the scream in my throat from being heard as something cold and sharp pressed against my neck. I was pulled back into a body, obviously male by the way it felt. Hot breath hit my ear as I felt his chin rest on my shoulder, lips brushing against it as his nose pressed against my hair for a moment before his chin returned to my shoulder.' Notes Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.   This is yet another story of mine that I am putting up here, but I will warn right now that it's probably not going to be a fast updating story - the only ones that I can sat are is my CR series, the Under Your Spell Series, and my Burn For You Series. Those are, honestly, my main concerns in gettup updated in a timely fashion right now. ***** Kidnapped ***** “Come on, Bella, please come with me,” my cousin, who was older than me by three years, Alice Whitlock said. She was trying to convince me to go to a party the company she worked for was holding with her and her husband, Jasper Whitlock. She kept telling how fun it would be, but I knew that she really wanted me there because she not only thought it would open me up more, but she thought I should make some better connections with the company, believing that I would want to go work for them once I'd completed college. She was probably also hoping that I'd find someone to go out with. However, the problem was, I had no interest in fashion, waiting on someone, or doing something that didn't involve cooking or being out of a person's sight. I preferred behind the scenes over the spotlight. I had a passion for cooking, not fashion. As much as I loved my cousin, it always, always irritated me when she did things like that, trying to change me to be what she believed I should be. I shook my head at her. She knew, quite well, that it wasn't going to happen. It wasn't me. Me was someone who loved baking treats in the forms of cakes, pastries, desserts. Me was a seventeen year old college freshman, having skipped my freshman and junior years of high school due to my stellar grades. Me was the baker at the La Bella Café here in Port Angeles, which was a ten minute drive from the small apartment complex I lived at Me also was someone who'd never even gave a chance look towards men, having no desire to date. It wasn't that I wasn't attracted to men, but I was just too busy worrying about my future to really want to deal with a male in my life like that. Plus, I wasn't all that attractive, especially if compared to Alice. I had long, plain brown hair that goes down passed my waist (Alice always begged me to cut it, but I loved it at the length it was); pale, translucent skin that would easily bruise from almost no problem; and boring brown eyes. I was also painfully shy; the only time I seemed to be able to say anything to a guy was to take their order when I worked at the cash register, as I did today. “Alice, I really don't want to go, so please...just drop it?” I begged, though I knew that she wouldn't give up. She never did, unless she got what she wanted, or was told to stop by someone else, like my aunt, uncle, or father. For some reason, probably because I was younger, she seemed to believe that she could push me around, as if I was nothing more that her plaything. “But Bella!” she whined, stomping her foot on the ground in frustration. I blushed when several people looked over, disapproval on their faces from her actions. If she continued with this, I'd be lucky to keep this job. And it wouldn't be the first time, either. This was the third job I'd gotten in the last month thanks to her tantrums when I didn't immediately agree to anything she wanted. “I don't want to be alone! Plus, just think about all the connections you can make now, which will help much later when college is over. And there's a really cute guy I want you to meet. His name is Micheal Newton, and I think you two will really hit it off together.” “No,” I said, firmly. I knew Micheal already, and, to be honest, I found it to be a complete creep, one that I'd almost gotten a restraining order against because it had felt like he was stalking me when I was in high school. “Alice, I'm not telling you again, and if you get me fired again, like you've done the last two time, I will not only never speak to you again, but I will call the police on you and have you arrested for harrassment, and I will get a restraining order against you. Now, please leave,” I told her firmly, turning my back on her as I headed to the back. As she wasn't an actual customer, I didn't have to stay up front, especially since there was no one else there. Alice was gaping at me as I left; this was the first time I'd actually gone off on her like that. It felt to do so; she'd been walking over my for years, never respecting my opinions. This was just one time too many. However, I knew that, if I didn't get some backup in the form of someone who could control her, she'd go off and I would lose my job again, so I quickly found my cell, placing a call to my aunt, and explaining the situation to her. She told me she'd call Alice and have her back off, and I thanked her, hanging up. I couldn't believe that I had to call her, just to help me rid of the pest that was my cousin. This was the first time that I'd done so since moving here, as I had managed to get rid of Alice before by being so angry at her because she'd gotten me fired that I'd stormed off from her, ignoring her when she called for me. And I also couldn't believe just how much she was fighting me on this, because, while she had always been like this, it had gotten worse the last year or so. Because of that, I wasn't sure that Aunt Mary would be able to get Alice off my back, so I ended up calling Jasper next just in case Alice tried to press her luck. Since we were in Port Angeles, Alice had been doing exactly that; she seemed to believe that, now that our parents weren't around twenty-four-seven, she could force my to do things I didn't want to. Which was why I was calling Jasper. I knew that he didn't like it when she tried to force me to do something I didn't want to do – he'd even told me that, had he known of her 'I've got to be in control of everything' stance, he'd never gotten with her. Jasper came from a family where the man was in charge – not to say that the women were docile or anything. They just knew when to defer to their husbands and respect their decisions about something. Having hard- headed Alice for a wife was hard on him. However, I also knew that he wouldn't divorce her, nor would he put up with her crap. He was hoping that, soon, she'd realize that he wasn't her slave to command as she often tried to do. After the call with Jasper, I went back to the counter, seeing Alice on the phone, narrowing her eyes at me. I shrugged, actually able to hear my aunt's voice coming from the phone as she scolded Alice for repeatedly bugging me about something that I'd already given an answer to. Alice winced, closing her eyes as her mother mentioned that she might just have to come live with her for a while until she realized that she couldn't force me to do anything. While that would be funny to see, I knew it wouldn't do any good – Alice would have never started this if she had learned that lesson. Jasper came through the door then, and Alice went slightly white at the sight of his stern face. She said, “Okay, mom,” before hanging up, looking anywhere but her husband. He didn't say anything, just came up and grabbed her arm. “Don't worry, Bella,” he told me. “I'll make sure that she doesn't come and bug you anymore.” “Thank you,” I told him, while Alice looked at me as if I'd betrayed her. My face was stony when I looked at her. “Hopefully, she'll realize that I'm not her personal to soon, because I will not put up with her attitude much longer. If she tries this again, I will get a retraining order against her.” I wanted to say I'd move to a different college, but I couldn't do that to my father. Port Angeles was close to Forks, where he was, and, as he had no one other than me, I didn't want to leave him alone. It was the whole reason why I chose to do community college over going to one of the universities I'd been offered scholarships for. “Don't worry,” he said. “If she bugs you again, I guess we'll just have to move to Texas. After all, I wouldn't mind going back to the actual branch I worked at before.” Alice looked a bit horrified at that. Unlike here, where she could bully someone into doing what she wanted, she wouldn't be able to do so down there. She'd met her in-laws – a lovely couple, in my opinion – and knew that they wouldn't take her shit. “I'd be sad to not see you everyday, but I wouldn't mind if you took her with you,” I told him, completely serious. Alice looked hurt at that, but I felt no guilt. She'd brought it upon herself, and, frankly, I was tired of her shit, and tantrums, and whatever disorder I suspected she suffered from. I knew that she took pills for her ADD, but I always felt that she had more problems with her than just that. “I'd miss you as well,” he said, pulling Alice with him towards the door. “Bye, Bella.” “Bye,” I said, going back to what I was doing before Alice showed up, which was cleaning up a small mess I'd made when I realized she was there. The gentleman who'd ordered the mocha coffee had been disgruntled and disgusted towards her actions, and rather apologetic and forgiving towards me, mostly because it was obvious that I would have to deal with her. “Sorry about that, sir,” I said, giving him a new mocha coffee. “It's no problem,” he said, smiling at me as he took his coffee. At that moment, the door opened once more, and I headed over to the cash register, looking at who was coming in now. I couldn't help the smile that crossed my face as I saw who it was, though I was a bit worried as well. Esme Cullen, with both of her sons, Emmett and Edward, had just walked in. I was nervous. Esme was my boss, though this café wasn't her only source of income. Esme actually owned a successful interior decorating company, this café being more of a side project of hers. Both of her sons worked for her, though only in a small capacity. Emmett, the eldest, mostly worked at a car garage doing something he loved to do, which was fix cars. I was one of his most frequent customers, particularly of late as my truck was almost always breaking down nowadays. I'd get something new, but, even with my generous pay, I didn't have the money to do so with housing bills, food bills, and tuition. Edward, however, was the one who mostly took care of things here at the café. He was her manager, the one who'd hired me to begin with. And it was him who could keep or dismiss me. It was that which had me nervous. Had they heard about the scene that Alice had made? Were they hear to fire me? I knew I was being paranoid, though. It wasn't at all uncommon to see them coming here. Since they owned the place, it made sense for them to do so. That said, it didn't mean that I wasn't paranoid. This wasn't the only job that that I had where the owners came to the place. In some of the others, they'd visited every now and the, and I'd end up in trouble because one visit would turn out to be bad for me. “Mrs. Cul- Esme,” I said, correcting myself halfway through. She, along with both of her sons, were rather insistent that I call them by their first as warmly as I could. I think she could tell that I was worried; she gave me this reassuring type of smile as she came up to the counter. “Bella, dear,” she said. “Is something wrong?” “No,” I said quickly, not looking at her. She gave a knowing kind of smile, as if she could tell that I wasn't being truthful, but didn't press. “Okay, then,” she said, before placing an order, and paying for it. Since I was the only one there at the moment, I had to get Esme's done myself before taking Emmett's order, which had me doing it once again. Finally, it was Edward's turn. I was even more nervous than when I did Esme's order. It wasn't all because of the fact that he had just as much authority over whether I could continue to work here or not. And, while handsome to the extremes, that didn't make me all that nervous either – I wasn't really the type to get crushes, to concerned with getting through school. No, what made me really nervous was the fact that he was hitting up my creep meter, the way Micheal had when I was in school. He wasn't all that bad. He was kind, considerate, a perfect gentleman – a sign of just how well Esme had raised him. And, as mentioned before, he was extremely handsome, and his eyes were the most defining feature of his face – they were a striking emerald green, ones that almost pierced through you. ' However, for me, these very same eyes were the ones that actually caused the creepiness to me. Why? The eyes were almost always on me, with a blinding intensity that not only almost never failed to cause a blush to my cheeks, goosebumps to raise on my skin, and my heart to quicken in my chest. They literally scent shivers down my spine, an uncomfortable feeling, in all honesty. Of course, he'd also – sometimes – brush a hand against my lower back, or even across my own hand. And he was doing it now as well, his hand coming up to brush against my own. I moved it back as if I hadn't seen his actions, taking down his order and making it. “Are you alright?” he asked as I did this. I nodded. “Are you sure? We heard about the little...disruption that happened here.” I looked at him, wide eye. Please, oh, please, don't tell me... “You're not fired,” he quickly said, as if he could tell what it was that was bothering me. “We know and have been told that the woman was bothering you, and had actually been rude enough not to listen to you. I'm just wondering if you were alright.” “I am,” I said, breathing a little bit easier now that I was sure I wouldn't be losing my job. “I'm...I'm used to the way she is. Truthfully, I think there's something wrong with her mind, and that she should be in a mental hospital, but...” I stopped talking right there, realizing what I was doing. I was talking about something that had nothing to do with him. I blushed, slightly ashamed from my words. While it was true, this just wasn't something that you told to a non-family member. He nodded, seeming to understand why I had stopped. However, there was a hint of something darker in his eyes, something that actually frightened me a bit. I wanted him away from me. “So, can I take your order?” I asked. He frowned lightly, but nodded, ordering and then heading to the table with his brother and mother. I started to clean up a bit, a obsessive compulsion of mine when I had nothing to do. As I cleaned, I surreptitiously watched him and his family. Like him, they were all wearing frowns now, and I caught a few glances in my direction, which had me working hard not to blush. Luckily, it was a bit easy to do so. Though Edward had said I wasn't fired, I was afraid that what I'd just said might have changed it, which had the blood draining from my face. Still, I worked. Until I was told straight up that I was fired, I would act like nothing was wrong. It wasn't something that was hard to do, after all – I had plenty of practice, after all. Still, I couldn't help but have a bad feeling over the way they were acting, until Esme smiled at me, getting up and throwing away her empty cup. “Thank you for the tea, Bella,” she said. “And don't worry. What Edward said stands true. We won't be firing you for your cousin's tantrum. We are well aware of just how much trouble she can be – it's not just to you that she acts like this.” I blushed, but nodded, now remembering that Esme would have known this already. I had sort of forgotten that Jasper and her were related to each other, by marriage – it seemed like a distant relation, with the way they acted. From what I knew, Jasper was Esme's husband's cousin's son, or something like that. I wasn't too sure, just knew that there was a relation between them, which had become known to me after Jasper actually got me this job. Of course, this had me realizing that Alice had probably acted the way she did to me to Esme as well, since Jasper was close to her sons. “Have a nice day,” I told her, waving them out the door. I started cleaning again, looking at he clock to see just how much time I had left. While I like the job, the debacle with Alice had tired me out quite a bit. Plus, with the fact that mid-terms had been this week as well, as well as the fact that I had vacation from both school and work coming up...yeah, I was pretty sure that anyone would understand why I was eager for the day to be over. As I cleaned, I wondered what I would do for this winter break. I had thought about going to one of my parents, but Renée would probably want to monopolize my time and do an Alice – like my cousin, my mother had some problems, only she was more like a child than a dictator. Also,Renée was a bit easier to handle being around. However, I wouldn't really be able to get much peace and quiet – which was what I wanted – if I went there. Plus, the fact that she lived across the country would hinder any plans to go there that I may have. On the other, going to my father's would yield the same results, only I'd end up cramping his style with Sue, his not quite new, but not quite old girlfriend. From what I knew, they were actually planning on going somewhere else, but I didn't inquire as to where they were going. It wasn't that I wasn't curious, but I figured that they deserved their privacy. So, basically, I had no where to go in concern to my parents. I could always visit one of my aunts and uncles, but, again, I didn't want to cramp their style. So, my plans for this break were to basically stay home and do nothing except catch up on sleep, food, cleaning, and making sure I had what I needed for the next semester. ===============================================================================   Damn it I thought hours later as I groaned, getting up from my hands and knees and looking out the dark windows. That had taken a lot longer than I thought, but that was only because of the fact that I'd accidentally spilled something as I was cleaning up. Brushing off my knees, I sighed, throwing the cleaning supplies back into their place before making sure all the bowls, cookie sheets, and other utensils that had been used throughout the day were in the dish washer before turning it on. Whoever would be opening tomorrow would take care of them when they got here. As I placed what money had been in the cash register in the safe in the manager's office, locking it and then the door to said office before heading out the back entrance, to the staff parking lot, where my decrepit old truck was at. The parking lot was eerily silent, my footsteps echoing on the concrete. The parking lot, being for staff only, was completely empty, save for one other car – a black Volvo, if I was right. I frowned when I saw it – it wasn't supposed to be there. But then, I shrugged. While for staff only, the Cullens weren't actually all that uptight about who parked there, sharing it with the other business around. In fact, I could see that the bar about half a block down was still open at the moment. The closer I got, the more I found myself admiring the Volvo. It was so shiny, and obviously new, that it put my rusty, several decades old truck to shame. I sighed, feeling a bit embarrassed to actually have it next to the Volvo. I really needed a new car, but it wasn't as if I could actually afford anything else. Most of my money went to my apartment, food, and schooling, such as tuition and books. Shaking my head as I turned away from the Volvo, to my own truck. After unlocking and climbing into the cab, I tried to start it, only to hear a dead sputtering noise. I paused, turning the key again only to hear the same sound. “No,” I groaned, frustration leaking through my voice as I tried another two time, nothing happening other than the noise. Slamming my head against the steering wheel, I sighed, opening the door and getting out of my truck, my hand rooting around my pocket as I attempted to fish my cell phone from it. I heard someone nearby, but wrote it off as I heard the door to the bar opening and closing. It was as I was pulling out my phone that something happened. I was grabbed from behind, my mouth automatically being covered, the hand holding the scream in my throat from being heard as something cold and sharp pressed against my neck. I was pulled back into a body, obviously male by the way it felt. Hot breath hit my ear as I felt his chin rest on my shoulder, lips brushing against it as his nose pressed against my hair for a moment before his chin returned to my shoulder. “Slowly reach behind you, and slip the phone into my pocket,” he growled, though his voice was nothing more than a whisper, giving me a little shake to make sure that I was listening. I whimpered against his hand, scared as tears began filling my eyes and making their way down my face. I trembled as I realized that the cold and sharp thing pressed against my throat was a knife. “MmMmm.” I tried to speak, but no sound was getting through his hands. I wasn't struggling against him, though I should. However, the knife at my throat assured that I wouldn't. I wondered where he'd come from – I had only heard his footsteps for a few moments, meaning that he had to have been close near me. “I said, put the phone in my pocket, now,” he commanded again. The knife began to dig into my neck, without breaking skin. Crying harder now, I slipped my hand behind me, phone in hand as I tried to find his pocket. I did my best not to touch anything else, and, once I found where he wanted me to place it, I quickly brought my hand, without the phone, back in front of me. “Good girl,” he whispered in my ear, pressing his lips to my neck as he pulled the knife away a bit. The knife was still kept close to my neck, though. I just didn't feel it's sharp edge anymore. “Now, if I let go of your mouth, do you promise not to scream?” he asked me, his voice still a whisper. I didn't even need to think about it, nodding my head yes frantically. I knew that screaming wouldn't do me any good. It would only get me in trouble. I mean, he had a knifeat my throat for gods' sake. Not only that, but it was also doubtful that anyone would hear me, and I was paralyzed by fear at the moment as well. I doubted I could even get a scream to leave my throat. It would probably take everything I had to speak to him. He slowly removed his hand from my mouth, finger by finger, testing me. Finally, his hands was completely off, and the sobs that had been muffled were now heard more easily, the tears flowing down my cheeks as he removed the knife from my throat fulling, moving it down to around my waist as his other hands came up to fist into my hair. He pulled it back harshly, causing a small cry of pain to leave my mouth. He turned me, towards the black Volvo I'd seen, and pushed me towards it. “Please,” I whimpered, but he didn't let me finish, giving a harsh shake with the hand in my hair, pulling it once again. Another cry of pain left me, and I got the message that he was giving me. Shut up, and keep quiet. He opened the back door, pushing me against the open space, my front against the actual car, while he hit something on the side of door, before covering my mouth once again, though this time with a cloth. All at once, I smelt something sickly sweet. My eyes widened as I realized what he was doing, but, by the time I stopped breathing, I could already feel my head swimming. He removed the cloth from my face before I succumbed completely to the drug, pushing me fully into the car and closing the door behind me. Slowly, tiredly, I wrapped my arms around my knees, crying harshly as I drew them up to my chest, tucking my head against them as well. This was it. I was going to die. I wasn't even going to make it to Christmas, much less my next birthday. I was never going to meet the love of my life, have children – which I'd always wanted, but planned on waiting for – or ever do any of the little things that I wanted to do, but hadn't yet. Maybe if I hadn't fought against Alice so much, this wouldn't be happening. Maybe if I hadn't caused myself even more work to do before going home, this wouldn't be happening. As my vision began to swim, I saw the man get into the car, and, though there was a little light, I couldn't see who it was exactly. Then, as he started to drive, he moved the car so fast that I found my body hitting the back of the seat harshly. I whimpered as the inky blackness that wanted to take me over began to fill my mind. I wasn't able to fight anymore, though, and succumbed to the drug, the black abyss consuming me. ===============================================================================   When I awoke, it was to find that I had been placed upon the softest bed I'd ever had the presence to feel. My mind was still foggy, and it took me a few minutes to remember what had happened. I snapped my eyes opened once I did, but quickly realized that, though I'd opened them, everything around me remained dark. I had been blindfolded, and, when I went to move my hands, I realized that I'd been bound as well, my hand being tied behind my back, why my feet were tied together. There was also a gag around my mouth. As the terror of what had happened, as well as the way I awoke went through my mind, I let out a muffled whimper as I began to struggle, hoping to get free. “Struggling won't help,” someone said, their voice low and not recognizable. I froze, fearful of who it was. I heard the rustling of clothes and footsteps heading toward me, and felt the bed dip down. Fear ran through me as I realized just how close this person was to me. I had the feeling that it was the same person who'd grabbed me before, and I trembled. Who knew what this man was capable of. He could be a killer, or a rapist, probably both. It was obvious that he was a criminal; he's already kidnapped me. There was nothing to suggest that he hasn't or won't do anything else. And with me tied down, I could do nothing to stop him. “I'm going to take your gag out now, but you have to promise me you won't scream.” His voice was low, soothing but threatening at the same time, sending a cold shiver down his spine. I nodded silently, feeling my eyes sting with a fresh wave of tears. He reached around my head, untying the knot at the back, catching a few of my hairs in the process. “Ouch!” I cried out. Automatically, I went to move my hands to the wounded area, but they didn't follow my instructions, being stuck in their position. I sobbed quietly, almost glad for the blindfold now, which was soaking up the tears. I didn't want him to know just how freaked I was becoming, though it wasn't all that hard for him to figure out, since he'd not only already seen me crying, but could most likely hear my sobbing. “If I untie your legs, do you promise not to run?” he said, his voice a little stronger, but still too soft for me to recognize who he may or may not be. It was also husky, and I sobbed harder, more fearful now than when he'd first grabbed me. He was going to rape me, I just knew it. He was going to forcefully take what no one else had taken before. I had not answered him yet, but I think he somehow knew what it might be – after all, even though he wanted to rape me, it wasn't like I could say no to his question. I couldn't see – I wouldn't get very far if I tried to run. Because of that, I felt and heard him moving closer to me. “Please,” I whispered hoarsely. His movements stopped. “ 'Please' what, Bella? What do you want?” he asked. His voice was almost reverent as he spoke, like he was worshiping me, and his silence gave credulence to it. It was as if he was listening to me like everything I said or did was of the utmost importance to him. Then, I realized something else, horror growing in me. He knew my name. He knew it! Suddenly, I realized that this was much more than I had thought. This wasn't a random kidnapping by someone who'd just gotten lucky. This was a kidnapping by someone who knew me, knew quite a bit about me, if the way he was acting was any indication. I was afraid to know what else he knew about me, but, despite my sudden increased fear, I found myself wondering if, perhaps, I might be able to work this little revelation to my advantage. I mean, surely he would give me what I wanted after scaring me out of my mind. “I want to go home.” My voice cracked, more tears welling up in my eyes. That was all I wanted, and I didn't believe that it was too complex of a request. However, he seemed to think so, for his hands – which had begun to run up and down along my cheeks – froze upon hearing my request. “I'm sorry, Isabella” he whispered, sounding almost apologetic. “But I can't do that.” My body stiffened. “I'll do anything,” I begged, my voice laden with tears. “I'll give you money, I'll give you anything you want that I can, but please, just let me go.” I hoped that he would do so, but he just leaned forward, and I felt his lips brush against mine. I pulled back, my mouth frozen from the action, and he grabbed the back of my head to keep me still. He pecked my lips once again, then dragged his lips to my ear. “I'm sorry, Bella. But I can't let you go,” he said softly, his warm breath hitting my ear. I felt him push the hair from my face and undo the ropes around my legs . I then felt the bed move once again as his weight shifted before disappearing. There were a few footsteps towards one direction, and I felt my hope disappear as I heard a door open and close, the sound of the lock clicking echoing throughout the room, telling me that I was trapped. Sobs burst through me, overwhelming me as I slumped on the bed, curling my body as best as I could with my hands tied behind my back. Tears flowed through my eyes until they felt dried out, and my body felt drained. I slipped off to a restless slumber after my sob-fest, wishing that I was anywhere but where I was. ***** Calls and Texts ***** I did not know what the time was when I awoke. In fact, I wasn't even sure what it was that awoke me, not until I heard a familiar ring tone start playing again. My eyes snapped open, but the blindfold over them meant that doing so was essentially useless. In fact, I was in almost the same position as I had been when I fell asleep, though my legs were no longer tied together. Still, that didn't help me much. So, instead, I did my best to try and place the ring tone. I was surprised when I realized whose it was, considering what I had done earlier. Still, even if I was mad at her, right now, I was glad that she was calling, until I realized that it just might not be the best idea, something that became obvious as the ring tone became louder. The door banged open, causing me to automatically whip my head in that direction, though it did me little good. I did shrink back, though, scared since I had a feeling I already knew who it was. I heard the ring tone coming closer to me, stopping just in front of me, right before it stopped playing in general. "Why is Alice calling you?" he asked me, his voice low and rough, and I felt a tinge of recognition run though me, though I couldn't place the voice at all. Shaking, I did my best to move away, but I was stopped when his hands grabbed onto my arms. "Tell me!" he shouted, his voice edged with possession, desperation, and anger. My fear of him tripled as his grip on my arms tightened. I whimpered, kicking out automatically with my freed legs. I felt them connect with something solid, and heard a solid 'omph' from him as he let go of my arms. I fell back onto the bed, hissing slightly as my weight fell onto my arms. "Bella," he growled, and I felt the bed move a bit before I felt him straddle me, grabbing my hair. I cried out. "Don't ever do that again," he hissed. "Now, tell me what I want to know. Why is Alice calling you?" "I don't know," I cried. "I really don't know." "Can you take a guess concerning it?" he asked. "She...she wanted me to go to a company party, and told me that she'd come by my apartment to help get me ready," I said, scared of what he would do if I didn't, for this man was dangerous; a large part of me felt that he should be in the mental hospital with my cousin. "I had told her no, but she has a habit of doing what she wants, whenever she wants, regardless of what someone else may want," I added on. The phone started ringing again. "She...she usually tries calling two times before she sends a text," I finished. He finally let go of my hair and removed himself from me. "Does she expect a reply text?" he asked, seeming to calm down. I nodded, and he growled, stomping away. The door slammed shut, but I could still hear him, speaking to someone else, though the words were indecipherable. Whoever it was he was talking to answered, speaking low enough that the voice was just a low rumble, almost unhearable with my cell going off as it was. I rolled over, wanting to relieve my arms of the pressure that were on them, and curled up into a ball once again. The door opened again, and I heard him moving about after closing it. I more felt than heard him come near me. "I'm going to take your blindfold of and untie you. If you try to do anything, though..." he trailed off as I gulped, realizing that the person speaking was not the same one who'd just left, the one who had actually kidnapped me to begin with. Unlike the other one, there was nothing familiar about him. "I...I won't," I said, lying just a bit. Since I was rather assuming that this guy, as well as the other one, didn't know everything about me, I was hoping that I'd be able to at least get some warning out that not everything was right at the moment. I would have to word it carefully, but, surely, it wouldn't be that hard. I think he studied me for a moment, though I couldn't tell, but, finally, I heard the rustle of his clothes as he moved. The blindfold was removed first, and I blinked as the darkness disappeared and the light assaulted my eyes. I didn't have time to look around before my face was pressed against something – his chest, based on the feel and movement of it – and the light disappeared. I felt him remove the twine that held my wrists together, biting my lip as my arms were released from the painful position they'd spent I don't know how long in. I could feel the blood rushing back into my hands, which tingled in response. I flex them out of reflex, hoping to get the blood pumping faster and get rid of the tingling sooner rather than later. He moved back after that, and I was soon able to see who one of my kidnappers – though not the one who had actually carried out the deed. I gulped at what I saw. The guy in front of me was muscularly, like a weight lifter, and tall, much more taller than I would be standing. Of his face, I could only see his eyes and the skin around them, which was an olive color. His eyes were dark brown, almost black, and emotionless. The man held out my phone. "Here's what your going to put in to Alice," the man said, his voice just as emotionless as his eyes. "Your going to tell her that you decided to spend the next few weeks with some friends, as you have time off from the café. You will tell her that you don't plan on being back for a while, and that you have already set it up with your professors in case your not back in time for the start of the semester. You will also tell her that you don't want to speak to her, and that when you're ready to do so, you'll call or text her back. Your phone will be off at all times during this vacation, and you're not telling her where you're going, either." I bit my lip wondering how I could tell her that there was something wrong when being told that I had to do something very specific, but then felt a flash of inspiration as what I'd been told to text went through me fully. As much as she irritated me, and as much as I wished she'd be put into a mental institution, Alice knew me better than anyone else. She also knew that I was a private person, and didn't have that many friends, especially ones that would go somewhere outside of town. She also would know that, if I went somewhere, I would tell my mother or father where, in case someone needed to get a hold of me. She also knew that I made it a habit to turn on my phone during any vacation I took for at least one hour every day, at the same time every time, just in case of an emergency. Having me say that my phone would be off at all times, and that I would tell her where I was going would strike as being odd and not me to her. While the latter might not faze her a whole lot, I knew that the former would. I bit my lip, making sure to keep my face blank as I typed out my message. I went to hit send when the phone was taken from my hands. "You don't need to do that," the man said. "My bosses will make sure your message gets to her, once they check it over and make sure that there's nothing in it that springs alarm to them." He headed to the door after that, and I scrambled up, hoping to get there before he could shut and lock it. Unfortunately, he was much quicker than I thought he would be, for the click of the lock echoed throughout the room before I could get there. I bit my lip as I realized that I was locked in once again. Still, I tugged at the doorknob fruitlessly. I didn't want to stay in there. I wanted out! Finally, I had to give up. The door wasn't going to budge. I bit my lip once again, thinking. Just because the door wasn't going to budge didn't mean that everything was lost... I perked up, spinning around to study my 'cell'. I frowned at what I saw, for it was pretty basic, though everything was still elaborate as well. There a bed, a set of drawers, and two other doors on either side of the room. Walking over to one showed a rather empty walk-in closet, one of the largest I'd seen. The other door was to a bathroom with rather nice features – giant tub with jets, huge shower, and sink set into a long counter. I had to admit, for being a prisoner, the bathroom was rather...strange to see. However, I pushed that out of her mind at I looked around, her hope disappearing as I realized that there wasn't a single window in either of the rooms. I walked out of the room, over to the bed where I'd been tied down on to begin with, crawling up into it and curling into myself. I cried once again, falling asleep once I had nothing left in my to cry out. ===============================================================================   I felt crummy when I woke up, my body stiff and cold. I also felt disgusted from having slept in the same clothes I'd worked in, frowning when I realized that I didn't have anything to change into. It was then that I noticed a bundle on the dresser, which was also when I realized that the shoes that I had been wearing were missing. Frowning, I stood up, walking over to discover that someone had placed some clothes and towels down. My eyes widened as I realized that they were mine, straight from my apartment. The invasion to my privacy had anger running through me. I did not care for that little fact, not at all. Just as quickly had my anger had come, it disappeared, and I headed to the bathroom to clean up, finding even more of my things there. I sighed, looking at myself in the mirror. The circumstances that led to where I was at now were obvious in my stance and on my face. I looked downtrodden. My hair was a mess from the lack of brushing it. My eyes were bloodshot with heavy bags beneath them. I looked sallow, my normally pale skin covered in a thin layer of dirt and visible tear tracks trailed from my eyes down my cheeks. I turned from the mirror, starting the water for my shower. The improvement it had on me was obvious when I finished. My skin was back to it's regular paleness, the dirt and tear tracks gone. The bags underneath my eyes were less visible, though my eyes were still slightly bloodshot. My hair, once I ran a brush through it, was no longer a tangled mess. I felt better after the shower, though it was only a small improvement. Once finished with my shower, I left the bathroom, heading to the bed. It wasn't out of choice – there really wasn't much to do on here, after all. And, honestly, she didn't feel like just standing while waiting for something to happen. I did, before sitting, go around the room lighting any light there was in it – and here were enough to light then entire room. Now that I had the room lit up, I was able to look around a bit more, and was disturbed again when I noticed that the previously empty closet and drawers were now filled with clothes, some my own, others new to me but in my size. There were also some things that were definitely a sign of the fact that my apartment had been raided, such as books, and some of my CDs. I took a deep breath, shaking my head as I backed away from my things. There was no way I could curl up with a book and act as though there wasn't anything wrong, absolutely no way at all. However, I was way to restless to just curl up on the bed, to wired and awake to do that. I began pacing, wondering if Alice had read my text and realized that there was something wrong. After all, I hadn't typed out exactly what I'd been told to; I'd added a little bit about how I was glad that I'd be able to go and see my mother. It was that little bit that I hoped would get Alice's attention. My mother had died several years ago, after all, and, even if she hadn't, my relationship with her was anything but good. I knew that Alice would remember that, and hoped that she'd contact the police. I didn't bother to think about what reaction my kidnapper would have to having the police looking for me. If I had known, I might've not tried to do that. ===============================================================================   I had fallen asleep again, not out of desire or necessity, but because there was pretty much nothing to do – I couldn't even enjoy my books because of they just reminded me about the fact that my apartment had been broken into. Still, the fact that I had easily fallen asleep not long after my shower was a bit disconcerting What was even more disconcerting was what woke me up once again. It was the sound of a door slamming shut. Eyes wide, I jumped from the bed, looking straight over to the door to my prison, though I didn't expect to see anything or anyone, which was why I could not stop myself from gasping when I saw the person there. It was a male, not the one I'd seen earlier. No, this was a different male, and one I knew by sight and voice very well. "Mr. Cullen," I gasped out, for, in front of me, stood Edward. I think the fact that I was able to say his name startled him, for he looked surprised from a moment, realizing that I'd left the room lit and that he had no sign of hiding himself from me. However, he seemed to recover his anger quickly enough, and, within three quick steps, was in front of me as I pressed myself against the wall next to the bed, frightened of him. I just somehow knew that the guy from before was nothing more than a shield for Edward, and that Edward had been the one to actually take me. He had been the one in the room earlier, before Alice tried to call me. I did not know why he had done it though, or why I was here. I did not know why he had taken me or why he was keeping me prisoner. All I knew was that he was doing this, and that, right now, he was beyond angry with me. He gripped my shoulders, holding them firmly against the wall as he stepped forward, leaving no space between our bodies. One of his legs forced its way between my own, while one hand moved from my shoulder to grip my chin, forcing me to look up into his angry eyes. "Mr. Cullen," I started to say, my hands coming up, one to the wrist of the one holding my chin, the other to his shoulder as I tried to push him away from me. He didn't even budge, and I wasn't able to get out a single word before he tightened his grip on my chin to a bruising capacity. My fright-filled eyes stared into his furious ones, and a shiver of fear went through me as the idea of just what he was going to do to me went through my mind. "Bella, Bella, Bella," he said, his voice sounding as if he were a parent who was about to start scolding their child. I swallowed hard, my mouth dry as I croaked out, "What?" He smiled at me, a smiling that had me shuddering, for there was no warmth in it – it was like ice had been inflicted upon me from it. The only good thing that happened was that he let go of my shoulder and chin, though he immediately grabbed my wrists with his hands, holding them against the wall. "Perhaps you would be so kind as to enlighten me as to something that occurred at work today," he said, transferring both of my wrists into one hand so that he could run a finger down my cheek. The gesture seem innocent, up until he slid his hand behind my head, gripping my hair to force my head into an uncomfortable position. I flinched from the movement, disliking how it put me into such an easy position for him to stare into my eyes. Not only that, but now, his lips were only a few inches away from my own. A whimper of pain left me when he crushed his body into mine even more, cause the situation to go past uncomfortable into painful. He almost immediately stepped back a bit, so that it was less painful, though he didn't move fully away from me and let me go all together. "Now," he started, his tone pleasant, as though he was about to start talking about something mundane, like the weather, "would you care to explain why the police came by, asking questions about you?" My breath left me as I realized what it was that had him so angry, though I also felt a hint of hope. Alice had realized that something was wrong, and had been able to contact the police. There was no way I wouldn't be rescued soon. However, before I could get my hopes up all that much, his grip on my hair tightened, drawing my attention back to him as he continued talking, as if what he was saying was some juicy piece of gossip that he had heard. "At first, I was rather shocked to discover them, so shocked that I almost made a mistake – luckily, the detectives didn't notice it. I wondered why they were there, especially when mentioning that it was because they believed that something had happened to you, and then – upon asking and delivering the lie that I'd had my man instruct you to tell – they mentioned that that was what your cousin had told them as well, when she went to them. "I had to admit, I was curious as to why Alice would do that – and was unable to keep from asking about it – that I learned what was the matter." He glared at me as he said this, leaning closer to my face. "You know, when I read the text you wrote out, I thought it was pretty clever of you to mention visiting your mother while on your little road trip. So I'm sure that you can imagine my surprise when I'm told, by the police, that the reason why Alice had thought you were kidnapped is because you have no mother to visit, that she died when you were seven," he said in a slow, calm voice. He stared at me for a moment, then, rather quickly, removed his hand from my hair, bringing it across my face. A stinging pain exploded, and I yelped from the action my head turning in the direction he'd slapped. "Why did you do it?" he asked, his hand returning back to my hair, though he didn't pull on it. In fact, he seemed to calm, as if slapping me had calmed him down. The fact that he had done so seemed to chase away a bit of my own fear, and I looked at him without fear in my eyes as I took in a deep breath. "You kidnapped me," I said. "Did you honestly think that I would do what I could to get away from here and let people know what you've done? The only reason why I didn't say who it was that had done it was because I knew he'd keep me from sending it, and I didn't know who he was." He looked at me for a moment before letting out a slight laugh. "Well, I wasn't expecting that from you," he said, shaking his head. "I suppose that I shouldn't be surprised, though. Consider how well you stand up to your cousin who can and has made life difficult for you, I suppose it's only natural that you'd stand up for yourself while here." His hold was softer now, though still firm enough to keep me from moving. The look in his eyes seemed a bit resigned, as if accepting the fact that I would fight him. Then, much to my surprise, he picked me up, carrying me over to the bed. Fear began to run through me once again. "Wh-what are you doing?" I asked, my fear evident. He made a shh sound, laying me down before laying down just slightly to the side of me, though he was still partially on top me. I couldn't move much, though, even if I could, I doubted I could even convince my body to do so. He thankfully kept his hands in respectable places, not attempting touch me inappropriately. In fact, other than holding me down, there was really nothing wrong with the hold in of itself – it was more of a cuddle than anything else. "You should realize, though, that you're not going to be leaving until w...I let you leave," he said. "And I do believe that, the sooner you accept that, the better off you'll be." I wasn't listening to that last part, having noticed his quick change. There were others helping him? My mind immediately tried to think of who it was, but, the problem was, he didn't appear to be close to anyone who I could think of that would actually help him unless he was paying them to. And yet, the way he switch made me think that, whoever it was, they weren't being paid to do so. I was at a loss over what was going on. Before I could think much about it, though, I was distracted, and not in a way I wanted to be. His lips had pressed against mine, taking advantage of my preoccupied mind to slip his tongue into my mouth before I could make sure that didn't happen, while his hands began to slip under my shirt, slowly crawling upwards. My hands came up immediately, pushing at his shoulders to try and remove him from me, panicking when the action did nothing. I bit down on his tongue, which did, though, for he immediately yelped, and jumped back from me, allowing me freedom to move. I immediately rolled away from him, scrambling over the bed to the other side, planning on locking myself in the bathroom. I didn't make it two steps before his arm wrapped around my waist, spinning me back towards the bed. "That wasn't very nice," he said in my ear, pushing me down. I struggled, trying to get free, but he was much stronger than I was, and, as I soon discover, he didn't come into this room unarmed, for my hands were suddenly handcuffed together, the chain looped around one of the headboard's bars. I had to turn my head, for I was trapped laying on my stomach, and the pillows my head rested on threatened to suffocate me. Once he had me tied down, he moved away, his hands gliding over my back and bottom before he pushed up my shirt, exposing my back to him, the strap of my bra the only piece of cloth left. "Stop!" I yelled out, struggling to free my hands. Thankfully, he didn't do anything else than that, though I was sure that it had more to do with the position I was in over my wishes, for I heard him sigh as he realize that cuffing me as he did wouldn't allow him to do whatever it wast that he had been about to try and do. I felt him remove one of the cuffs, going to turn me around when a knock came from the door. He stopped, annoyance on his face as I tried to squirm away from him, his hands holding me down to prevent me from doing that. A small growl came from him as he let me go, ignoring as I immediately rolled away from him, my eyes going straight to him as he walked over to the door. I saw him pull a key out of his pocket, unlocking the door and opening it a crack, not enough for me to see who it was due to the way he blocked the small crack he'd made with his tall figure. I heard a male voice speaking to him lowly, making it so that there was no way I could hear what was said, nor could I place the voice either. When I tried to creep forward, the chain of the cuff still around my one wrist jangled just loud enough for Edward to look over at me as whoever he spoke to fell silent. The look he gave froze me, as I knew that, if I tried to find out whom he was talking to, it would not be good for me. "I'll be out in a minute," he said, turning back to the man before closing the door and turning to me once more. Once again, I backed from him as he moved forward, being trapped against the wall as he grabbed the hand with the cuff and undid it. "Looks like our time has been cut short," he said, sounding irritated at the information. He grabbed my chin then, pushing my head up to drop a quick kiss on my mouth before backing away from me. "Don't worry, I won't be gone to long," he said. "Then, we can continue what we were about to do." He opened the door and left then, the lock loud as he did so, while I shook against the wall I leaned against, frightened by his words. I knew then that I would have to find a way to get out of here, before he came back. Problem was, I didn't know how I would be able to manage it. ===============================================================================   I do not know when I fell asleep again, but I immediately became aware of my surroundings by the feeling of a dull, painful gnawing in stomach, while my throat was so dry that each swallow felt as though I was attempted to feed myself broken glass. Coughing due to the dryness, I stood, intent on heading to the bathroom for some water – which was the only thing I could do at the moment – when I took notice of a new feature to the room. My eyes immediately took in the mini-fridge, and I crossed the room over to it, opening it to discover that it was filled with bottle water, as well as some food. I immediately reached for a water bottle, carefully sipping it despite the action that I truly wished to do. I had no desire to make myself sick from drinking the water too quickly, though, and it was that thought that helped me keep my actions calm. Grabbing something from the selection I was given and eating it, I studied what everything was. I noticed that most of it was not only things that wouldn't spoil so quickly, but also that everything was easy to eat – nothing required being cooked. Not only that, but there was nothing that would require a sharp edge, either. It was clear that Edward and whoever was helping him had not only wanted to leave me without anything that could be used as a weapon, but there wasn't anything I could use to kill myself, if I became that desperate. Hell, now thinking about it and going through my bathroom things again, I realized that my razor wasn't there; instead, a bottle of hair removing lotion had been left instead. It seemed that Edward wasn't going to take any chance of me escaping him through any means I could think of. Not that I was desperate enough to kill myself to get away from him, not at the moment, anyway. Depending on how long I was locked up, that might end up changing, and I felt a moment's depression in knowing the fact that I was even thinking about possibly of having to do it. I didn't take that to be a good sign. Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!