A/N: I love the reviews! They are incredibly motivating for me, and I love them. I love this chapter, so I hope you like it, too!

Recap. Previously on Kidnapped: After following Bella's kidnapping from Edward, Alice took her to the Cullen home so she and her family could protect Bella from Edward. She and Carlisle communicated with Charlie, who believes she and Edward are both sick. Bella and Edward are sitting on opposite sides of the glass wall at the back of the Cullen home.

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Communicating

The words came in staticky and displaced through a tiny speaker. I looked around in surprise - and discovered a fancy cell phone lying beside my foot.

Edward caught my eye through the glass. I hiccoughed.

"I'm so very apologetic, Isabella," he apologized again.

I glanced around the room in surprise, only now realizing we were alone. I looked at him - his open palm mirrored mine, pressed flatly on the glass that separated us.

I withdrew.

"I don't need your apologies, Edward."

"Be that as it may, I am apologetic nonetheless."

I took a shuddering breath. Be strong, Bella. Don't make the same mistakes. Don't trust him. I steeled my gaze.

"And what exactly are you apologizing for?"

My heart thrummed like a hummingbird, and I clenched my fist against my chest. I didn't wait for his response. "Why are you here?"

He frowned at me. "I'm trying to save you, Bella."

I snorted at the unpleasant rush of deja vu. I've heard that one before.

"I'm no hero, Bella." He withdrew his hand and looked down at it. "I'm trying to save you from myself."

I looked, too. His hand looked so soft, so slender, you'd never guess it capable of murder.

Yet here we were.

Something in the innocent arch of his fingers begged me for forgiveness. I could not consent. I turned my head forcefully.

"I thought I wasn't worth saving," I spat.

He looked at me in shock and groaned, muttering something about context.

I arched my eyebrow. "Don't try to tell me I misheard you."

He mirrored me. "Believe me, Bella, if you weren't worth saving, I wouldn't be on this side of the glass."

I shuddered again, staring blankly at the trees. "Which brings me back to my original question, Edward. Why are you here?"

"Technically, Bella, you're the one inside my house."

I blanched. "At least I was invited here. You just let yourself in to mine, or don't you remember?"

"You didn't seem to mind," he grinned.

What is that supposed to mean? "I thought I was dreaming!"

His smirk grew. "Ah, so you were dreaming about me?"

I blushed and I was sure it was a tomato red. I swiveled my head and blushed deeper, my breath hitching again.

"I'm sorry-"

"I'm sorry-"

We spoke concurrently.

I couldn't breathe, the air leaving and entering with such a high velocity. Was I hyperventilating?

"Truly." He placed his hand on the glass again. "You have no crime for which to apologize. I'm the one to blame."

I rubbed my sleeve against my eyes once more and then slowly lifted my hand back to the glass.

For a moment we just sat and looked at one another, soaking in the moment. My frantic heart slowly settled down; I couldn't tell if Edward's eerie stillness made things better for worse.

As if in response, his eyes slowly fell shut, and he sat still as a statue. I suddenly felt drained with fatigue. I leaned my forehead on the glass.

"Hiss," I heard his sharp intake of breath through the wiry speaker.

I tensed. What was that? He didn't explain; I didn't ask. I didn't think I would want to know.

Instead, I asked a different question. "Am I really going to go home to Charlie today, Edward?"

"I'm sorry, Isabella, I can't tell… We can't know… I -" he sighed. "I don't know."

"You can't just keep me here forever! I have a life to live!"

"Exactly! And I'm trying to keep it that way! It's just so hard."

I shrank away as Edward's voice turned more into the roar of a lion than the roar of a man.

"And you're already so terrified, it's killing me!" he roared again. Then he was gone, but I could see trees flying at the end of the clearing.

This is it, I thought.

And he was back. He looked at me with age-old eyes and took a prolonged deep breath. He didn't say anything but he slowly lowered himself to the ground, placing his hand on the glass once more.

I glanced away. I wondered seriously if he had some sort of personality disorder. "Let me go home. Please."

He nodded slowly and smiled sadly. "Who am I to stop you?"

He looked so sad; I felt an aching longing to brush his cheek for it's unshed tears. I felt a rush of relief for the thick glass pane between us. I felt a rush of shame and embarrassment - I refused to be swayed by him.

So instead, I laughed shakily. "Just don't kill me, okay?"

We both winced.

"No promises," I thought I heard him whisper.

I shuddered.

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A/N: I love where this is going! I have to tell you I'm so excited about this interpretation of the Twilight universe. I promise that there's still a lot left to come - and that we (Bella) won't be stuck here forever.