Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns everything in here except my imagination and some of the characters. I have also made some slight changes to her world.

I make no apologies for being British, but it does mean that sometimes my spelling/grammar or the words I use may be unfamiliar.

I have used my imagination to create some of the characters and their backgrounds. They are fictional and do not represent anyone living or dead from this reality. Although I can't speak for other realities….

A thousand thanks to my pre-readers Andrea and hubby Harry – I can't do this without you both!

Bella's POV

Experimentation

My eyes flew open at the voices I heard through the door, but I wished I had kept them closed. Two pairs of bright red eyes pierced the darkness as the two figures walked towards me.

"Hello, little girl," the male said. He had dirty, blonde hair and ragged clothes. He was covered in filth from his head down to his disgusting, bare feet.

I opened my mouth to scream and I managed to get some air out of my lungs before a grimy hand was slapped over my mouth, pushing my head hard into the bed.

"Shut up," hissed the female. "I'll drain you dry, silly little girl!" She wasn't dressed any better; bare feet and ragged clothes were obviously the 'in thing' with these two.

The male pushed her away. "Not without letting me have a taste, Victoria," he growled in her ear.

She fluttered her eyelids at him. "I might leave you a drop. Mmm, she smells delicious."

I think I was going to be sick.

"Let me have a taste."

Now I know I was going to be sick. The male slowly leant over me and licked my neck. I shuddered. If I threw up I wonder if that will put them off?

"Jaaames," Victoria whined as she pulled at his shoulder. "I can't wait any longer. I'm going to…"

She was interrupted by Edric calling along the corridor.

"Bella? Are you okay?"

I couldn't answer. My throat was as dry as the Sahara and I was too afraid of the two creatures in front of me. Before anyone could react, he shouted again, though this time he was closer.

"Bella? I bet you only screamed 'cos you saw a rat! What the…."

Edric had reached my door by now and obviously noticed it was open. He also noticed the two people in front of me… a moment too late. James grabbed Edric by the neck and pushed him back against the wall. Edric retaliated, grabbed James by the neck too and attempted to push back. Neither was gaining any ground. I hadn't realised lycanthropes were that strong. Victoria pulled me towards her, away from the struggling men in front of us, but the chain wouldn't let me go far. As the chain became taught I cried out. Victoria noticed the chain and snapped the piece around my ankle, effectively freeing me. My freedom was extremely short lived as I was grabbed around the waist once again by Victoria and pulled close to her. My bucket of waste went flying, covering James and Edric in my pee! It made me smile, but James turned to me and winked, wiping the smile clean off my face.

I screamed again. "Please, just leave me alone!"

Of course, no one paid any attention to me.

Victoria suddenly went very still. "James!" Victoria hissed. "Other vampires are here. Come on!"

James, still battling with Edric, glanced around the room. Victoria rushed at Edric with me still under one of her arms. She shoved Edric in the face with her free arm and as he went down, she flung me into the opposite corner. I heard a loud crash as my head hit the wall. The last thing I thought was: I hope it wasn't my head that made that noise.

Then… everything went black.

…

I think I woke up briefly, but I could've been dreaming. I think I was laid down, but at the same time I was moving. I could feel the wind on my body, but I felt safe, comfortable and loved. I passed out again.

…

I slowly came to my senses, but decided to keep my eyes shut tight. I didn't want anyone to know I was awake yet. Was I still in the warehouse? Had I just fell asleep on the mattress? I could smell coffee and hear distant voices.

"And I told you I need to be here for her." Was that Jacob?

"Like you were here for her last week?" Alice?

"She is my girlfriend and she'll need me!" That ship sailed long ago, Jake.

"SHE HAS US! You made it QUITE clear that you didn't want to be her boyfriend anymore!" You tell him, Alice.

"Guys! This isn't the time or the place." This voice was very close to me, right at my head. Mum! "Jacob, if you can't be quiet I will have to insist you leave. This is MY house and you will show respect."

"Mum?" My voice was barely a whisper, but the vampires heard me.

"I'm here, dear. So is your dad. Can you open your eyes for me, Bella?"

As soon as I attempted to open my eyes the pain increased tenfold. I moaned and shut my eyes tight again.

"Can you tell me where it hurts, Bella?" Carlisle asked.

I lifted my left arm and touched the back of my head. "ARRRRGH!" I screamed in agony.

"Okay Bella. I'm going to give you a mild sedative. We need to get the swelling down and the best way to do that is to allow your body to do it itself.

"No," I started, but it was no good. I drifted back to sleep and as I did, I was sure I could feel a cold hand in mine.

…

"Bella, Bella," the voice whispered. Was it an angel? "Can you hear me? I want to see your beautiful eyes, Bella." I wanted to open my eyes, but I was scared of the pain. I could still feel the cold hand in mine so I gave it a squeeze.

"Dad, she just squeezed my hand," said the angel.

"Bella, sweetheart, squeeze Edward's hand again for me." It was Carlisle speaking that time. Edward was holding my hand? I squeezed again.

"That's great Bella. Now can you open your eyes?" Carlisle asked.

I didn't want to. I wanted to stay here, holding Edward's hand and listening to his voice. Here, I was safe.

"Bella, come on love, please open your eyes… for me?" Edward whispered in my ear.

How could I refuse…

"DON'T YOU DARE TALK TO MY GIRLFRIEND LIKE THAT!" Jake roared. I jumped and then winced; the yelling made my head spin.

"Shut it!" Emmett hissed. "Upset my sister and it'll be the last thing you do!"

"Bring it on and she is not your sister you…"

"STOP IT!" I yelled and then promptly passed out… again.

…

This time when I came around there was silence. I felt a little weak, but no headache. I decided to test out my movements, starting with my toes. I wiggled them and still felt no pain, so I tentatively moved my feet... still no pain. I slowly wiggled my fingers and then my wrists…great, still pain free.

"Are you seeing if everything still works?"

I jumped and squealed at the same time! My eyes flew open as I turned my head to my left. Edward was laid next to me, laid on his right side with his right arm propping his head up.

"Hi," he whispered, staring at me intently. "How are you feeling?"

"Great, I think," I answered, frowning. Memories were flying through my head, but I didn't know what was real and what was a dream.

"You're frowning. What are you thinking about?" Edward asked.

"Wait a minute; I thought you could read minds? Alice told me…"

"I can read everyone's mind… apart from yours. I can't hear you at all – it's heaven." His smile lit up his whole face. He was definitely an angel!

I sighed. "I'm thinking about everything, but I don't know what's real and what isn't," I replied. I realised my left arm was now brushing up against Edward's chest. When did that happen? He noticed me glance at his chest.

"Is this okay?" Edward asked nervously.

"Yeah," I answered, turning bright red.

He chuckled. "So, what do you remember?"

"Well… I remember Victoria keeping hold of me while Edric and James fought. She pulled me towards Edric and she hit him, then I remember hitting the wall head first. I think I recall Alice and Jasper arguing, Jake shouting, Emmett shouting, then my head exploding. Were you with me the whole time?"

"Yes I was, Bella and I'm afraid it all happened. Your dad had taken Jacob home, but he's not happy, Bella…. Is he your boyfriend?"

"Was." I frowned. "What happened, Edward? What happened that day?"

I could tell he knew what I was referring to.

"It seems that although the gene that allows you to shift is damaged, your imprint gene isn't. It was activated when you… er…. looked at… me."

I felt myself blushing and I turned away. Instantly his thumb and forefinger took hold of my chin and gently turned me back to him.

"Don't hide from me, Bella and please don't be embarrassed. It seems that the same thing happened to me."

He gave me a minute to process this. "You mean vampires imprint too? And with humans?"

"Not exactly. When vampires find their mate, their partner, they go through an immediate change and I suppose you could say its love at first sight."

"And that happened to you?" Could he possibly feel the same way I did?

"I think so. I've never felt it before. It was… powerful."

"What do we do? Where do we go from here?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, Bella. Even Carlisle has never heard of it happening between a vampire and a human… well, a Quileute shifter. I do know one thing though, you must be hungry!" He smiled as he sat up, pulling me with him.

I grinned back just as my stomach made itself known. "Yeah, I am!"

"Do you want something brought up, or do you want to go downstairs?"

I needed a change of scenery. "I think I'd like to go down. Can you help me to the bathroom first?"

"Of course. Dad will want to check you over," he explained as he helped me walk on wobbly legs. I groaned as he chuckled.

Once I was ready to go downstairs he lifted me up, swept my legs from under me and turned to the door.

"Before we go down, there's something I need to tell you." He looked right into my eyes and I felt my heartbeat increase. "I need to be close to you, Bella. If we're away from each other, it hurts. You will probably feel it too. I felt it when you were kidnapped. Here." He rubbed his chest where his heart was.

I blinked. "I remember feeling… something," I tried to explain while I rubbed my chest too. "It was… uncomfortable, not exactly painful, but… ah! I can't explain it!" I began to panic as questions began to form in my head. What did this mean for us?

"Don't worry," he soothed. "It will work out. We are going to talk about it later with your dad and Carlisle. Now, let's get you some food!"

I snuggled into his hard, unyielding chest and felt comfortable. I felt like this is where I belonged… but for how long? He carried me downstairs to a very anxious group of people. I was bombarded with questions all at once, making my head spin! I tried to speak, but every time I attempted to answer a question, someone else would fire another at me. As Edward laid me on the sofa, everyone crowded around, making me wish I'd stayed upstairs. A growl erupted from Edward's chest, silencing everyone immediately.

"I will tell you what happened, but only when my dad has come back. I don't really want to go over everything more than once," I announced, hoping I didn't upset anyone.

Esme broke the silence. "Would you like something to eat, dear?"

"Oh yes please, mum. I'm starving!" At this, everyone laughed and the atmosphere relaxed. Alice and Jasper went to sit on the window seat while Emmett sat in the chair nearest to the sofa I was on. Rosalie sat on the arm and Edward lifted my legs, sat down, gently lowering my legs onto his lap. Carlisle was the only one who remained standing near my head.

"Do you mind if I take your blood pressure, Isabella? I'll be as quick as I can. I also want to feel your head."

"Go for it, doc," I smiled. He grabbed his bag and pulled out his stethoscope. "Carlisle… how long was I out?" I asked. I couldn't for the life of me work out what day it was or how long it had been since I'd been rescued. Hell, I didn't even know how long I'd been missing.

"Well, it's now Wednesday morning, exactly two days since you were taken. We actually rescued you the early hours of Tuesday morning." He removed the cuff from my arm. "Your blood pressure and temperature are fine. Any headaches?"

"No," I replied. "I feel great actually."

"No over doing it Isabella," he warned. "The headaches could return at anytime." He felt behind my head where the huge egg – dinosaur egg at least – had been. I winced a little when he pressed it, but altogether Carlisle said he was happy.

"Your dad is coming over shortly," Carlisle said as he put his medical things away. "He's been down at the station for a while. Isabella…" Carlisle paused. "Bella… you may want to… er… think about where you want to… live. I think you and Edward will find it hard to be separated."

I blushed. Were we really going to have to stay together, forever, or for however long 'forever' was.

"I don't need an answer now," Carlisle continued. "But it's something you will need to discuss with your dad and Edward."

"I know!" Emmett bellowed. "Why don't we see what happens when they're not together!"

"But we've already been apart," I stated.

"That was before you had any physical contact," Carlisle explained. "You had only seen each other from a distance. Ever since Edward rescued you, he has never left your side. You have no doubt strengthened your bond, so the effects may be worse from now on."

He had a point; we didn't know how it would affect us. "That's a good idea, Emmett."

He grinned, but Edward wasn't sure. "I don't know, Bella…. It could be…."

"You go, Edward and I'll stay here." I settled myself into the sofa while Esme brought me some toast with two soft boiled eggs in egg cups.

Edward stood up and slowly backed away from me, watching my facial expressions for any signs of distress.

"We're not joined at the hip, Edward. Go…hunt!" I ordered. "Just make sure you have a mobile phone with you?" It came out as a question – I didn't want to boss him around. He held up his phone and smiled.

"You coming, Emmett?"

"Of course, bro!"

The two of them shot through the back door as Esme brought me a steaming mug of hot chocolate.

"Mmm," I said, closing my eyes. "This is great, mum. Did you make it yourself?" I opened my eyes to see everyone looking at me. "What?" I asked. Was it something I said? Did I drip food down my top? I glanced down…no, it wasn't that.

"Your heartbeat has just picked up, Bella. How do you feel?" Carlisle asked, frowning.

"Fine," I stated, feeling a little embarrassed. I needed to go to the toilet so I carefully stood up and began to shuffle towards the bathroom. I noticed Jasper was missing. Where did he go?

"Let me help you, Bella," said Alice as she was suddenly at my side. "I don't want you to fall."

"I'm fine, just a little light headed. It's probably because I haven't eaten much."

I only shuffled two more steps when I grabbed Alice's arm. "I can't breathe! I need to sit down!" I said, panting. I was finding it hard to catch my breath. An ache began in my chest, making it feel like my heart was slowly being squeezed.

"HELP ME!" I gasped to anyone, everyone.

What was happening to me?

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Rec: Thief of Hearts by pattyrose – 7415720 - FBI Agent Edward Cullen knows the assignment: Go undercover & infiltrate the ring. . Bring them down. He doesn't bargain on the mysterious thief who turns the case upside down, or on the mortal danger protecting her will put them both in. E&B OOC - Its complete and Bella is amazing in this!