Robert was sitting on the couch with Georgie. She sighed and relaxed against his chest as he held her in his arms. He rested his cheek on her silky hair, enjoying the first quiet moments with her in his home, his heart swelling with joy.

He could smell the shampoo she'd used earlier that morning, but underneath it there was a more familiar scent. He couldn't quite place it other than it smelled like her, a smell he realized had always been there underneath the clean, almost spicy smelling shampoo she'd used in the flat. He moved his head a little so he could smell her better and kissed the top of her head.

She lifted her head and slipped her fingers in his hair so she could pull him down to kiss him, her lips soft as they caressed his. She breathed more deeply as she deepened the kiss. Her lips were open and inviting, and she tasted wonderful as always. When she let go, her face was glowing as she looked at him, her eyes soft.

"Happy?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, Robert. Very happy," she replied quietly.

"Me too," he said. "Hey, y'know what I'm thinking?" he asked, suddenly smiling.

"No."

"I'm thinking that it's morning." He kissed her lightly. "And the sun is up." He kissed her again. "And I'm kissing you." He tried to finish with another kiss, but she started laughing. Then she suddenly stopped and looked at him with wide eyes. She knew what he was talking about.

"Do you know what I'm thinking?" she asked, grinning.

"What?"

"I'm thinking that it's morning." She kissed him, even though he was already laughing. "And I'm kissing you." They were both laughing, but they struggled to manage a kiss. "And I can kiss you all day if I want to."

They were laughing too hard for the final kiss but it was alright. They could kiss all day if they wanted since they no longer had to worry about hiding their relationship from the bastard. He held her a little tighter, and she snuggled against him with a contented sigh. Then she began running her fingers through his hair and he closed his eyes, enjoying the quiet moment with her.

"Your family calls you Robbie," she said quietly.

"Yeah, they've called me that my whole life," he said, opening his eyes so he could look at her.

"I should call you that too, if that's what everyone else calls you," she said, looking a little sad. Robert was surprised how he felt when he considered what she'd said.

"Nah, I want you to call me Robert, yeah? It's more special if you're the only one who calls me that. And besides," he said, giving her a little squeeze. "I think it sounds cute when you say it with your American accent."

She grinned at him, saying, "I'm not the one with the cute accent. You are," and pulled him down for another kiss even though he was laughing too hard.

Robert jerked awake still feeling her fingers in his hair. He looked at the clock even though he could tell by how dark it was in his room it was far too early to get ready for work. It was just after four. Shit. He sighed deeply as he put the crook of his arm over his eyes, trying to ignore the pain in his chest.

It had been over five weeks since she'd left him and he wondered if he was he ever going to get to the point where the pain wouldn't come out of nowhere to overwhelm him. He rolled over, pulling his blankets over his head and tried turn off his mind so he could fall back asleep, fighting the desolation the dream had brought on. After several minutes, he couldn't take it anymore. He should just get up and do something to distract himself until it was time to get ready for work, he decided. It was better than lying there feeling like shit.

He picked up his laptop and went down the stairs as quietly as he could, not wanting to wake his parents. Once he had his mug of tea, he sat down at the kitchen table and logged onto the internet. He let go of the breath he was holding with relief there wasn't another e-mail from her.

He opened up his bookmark for Google Maps for the first time in several days and sipped his tea while he slowly scrolled down the coast along the Pacific Ocean. He'd nearly reached the southern border of the state of Washington, and couldn't believe he still hadn't found it. From the very beginning he'd been almost certain that was the state he'd been held prisoner.

He wasn't at it for very long when he crossed over the border into the next state, Oregon. A short while later, he noticed the sandy beaches were changing into rocky cliffs and felt a thrill of nervous energy run through him. He slowed the scrolling even further, checking each building carefully before he looked at the next one, wanting to be certain he didn't miss it.

And then he saw it – a building that from above could almost be mistaken for a castle with a thick forest that wrapped around the north and east sides. It was right on the edge of a cliff and he could clearly see waves breaking over what looked like boulders at its base.

He leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath, filling his lungs, not realizing he'd stopped breathing. This had to be it. He leaned forward and looked at the building carefully. He was almost certain he could see a balcony but it was hard to tell. The picture was grainy, making it difficult to see fine details. But then he noticed how the northwest corner of the building was bigger than the part that ran east of it. It was the music room, the room that was the size of a small ballroom, bigger than the next two rooms, Georgie's bedroom and the kitchen.

He could barely believe it. He'd found the fucking bastard.

He pulled the zoom out slightly so he could see the area around the building and was shocked. He zoomed in again and could clearly see tennis courts, and a fucking pool. There was another building nearby, long and rectangular. It had a large square area of slightly different colored grass that ran alongside it, almost as if it was fenced. He was trying to figure out what it might be and then it hit him, it was a fucking stable.

Robert sat back in his chair again, feeling an intense murderous rage for the bastard boil through him, and then a profound sadness for Georgie. That sick twisted bastard had lived like a fucking king while Georgie had been locked away, suffering through a life of hell.

He suddenly had the urge to pick up the phone and ring the authorities. He'd tell them everything and make sure that sick bastard paid for all the evil things he'd done to her. He couldn't let him get away with it, especially now that he knew right where to find him.

Then he imagined the detective assigned to his disappearance and the look on his face when he heard the truth. It would seem like an incredibly ridiculous story. Being kidnapped and held prisoner for no apparent reason thousands of miles from his home in the States. Then returned to England two months later, completely unharmed and with the girl he'd fallen in love with. He'd already lied about what happened and so much time had elapsed, his credibility was ruined. No one would believe him.

But if he could convince them, what about Georgie? She was in the States, completely vulnerable and the bastard's number one target. How likely was it he already knew where she was, ready to swoop down and snatch her at the first hint of trouble? Probably quite likely, Robert mused grimly. Even if it wasn't a certainty, he couldn't take that chance with her life.

But even if the bastard was caught and by some miracle nothing disastrous occurred, she'd have to face him at trial and everything that would come out. There was no way the story wouldn't go worldwide, it was too sensational. And she was an adult now, the media would never stop hounding her. There'd be nowhere she could hide. She was far too fragile to deal with something of that magnitude. She would never survive it and he couldn't do that to her.

His dad walked into the kitchen carrying his rucksack and jacket.

"Oh – Robbie," he said, surprised to see him. "Couldn't you sleep?"

"No," Robert muttered, closing the laptop with finality.

"I'm sorry," he replied quietly.

He went to make his thermos of tea and Robert sat at the table, struggling with his feelings of frustration, sadness and anger. His dad surprised him by sitting at the table with a mug of tea. Robert kept his eyes on his own mug.

"Have you heard from any of the universities yet?" his dad asked quietly.

"Not yet," he said to his mug.

"Are you still planning on attending?" Robert could detect a note of worry in his voice.

"Yeah."

"Have you decided what you're planning to study?"

"Uh, not really."

Robert had been researching different careers for as long as he'd been working on his university applications. He'd been determined to provide Georgie with as much stability in her life as possible so his first priorities had been a good wage and job security. But that had left him with a lot of career options that didn't really appeal to him, either striking him as dead dull, like finance, or were something he had no aptitude for, like anything involving science or math.

He'd really only ever been passionate about music, but most of the career choices he'd looked into either didn't pay very well or were inherently unstable and he'd ruled them out. It suddenly occurred to him that maybe he should reconsider. Now that she was gone, it didn't really matter what he chose to do as long as he could support himself. As he considered working at a job that would allow him to immerse himself in music, he could feel a spark of excitement inside him he hadn't felt in a long time.

"Well, you don't have to make a decision right away, y'know," his dad said. "You have some time to make up your mind. The first courses are just the basics everyone takes, yeah?"

"Yeah, I know," he said quietly as his dad stood up.

"Well, I should be off," he said.

Robert got up to give him a hug good bye, and waited for him to leave. When he was alone he opened his laptop and before he closed his web browser, he deleted his bookmark for Google Maps. Then he went up to take a shower, trying not to think about what he'd just found.

A few days later, he was at work eating his lunch near the radio so no one could talk to him. His mobile started vibrating and he stood up so he could pull it out of his pocket. He looked at the display as he walked away from the radio but he didn't recognize the number. As soon as he was outside, he answered it.

"Hello."

"Hi, Robert. It's me, Georgie."

Fuck.

It was the first time he was hearing her familiar soft voice in nearly a month and he suddenly slumped against the side of the house, squeezing his eyes shut against the pain in his chest.

How the hell did he not know it was her? And then he remembered. Wasn't there something about buying a new mobile in one of the last e-mails she'd sent? Why didn't he put that fucking number in his phone so he'd know when she was ringing him? How could he have been so stupid?

"Are you still there?" she asked, sounding worried.

"Uh, yeah," he said quietly, his eyes still closed from the pain.

"How are you doing?" she asked softly.

"Alright, I guess."

"Oh, that's good. How's your mom?"

"Alright," he said, then sighed and added, "She's doing well."

"That's good. I'm glad. How's your dad?"

"Alright."

"That's good. How's Bets –?" He couldn't fucking take it.

"Alright, Georgie! They're all –!" He stopped himself and took a deep breath, trying to get his emotions under control. He knew he was angry because she'd surprised him. It wasn't fair to take it out on her. But he couldn't do this, not here.

"Look, I'm at work right now and I'm not really supposed to be taking calls," he said, making an effort to sound calm.

"Uh, you're – working?" she asked hesitantly, sounding surprised, as if she couldn't believe he'd moved on without her.

"Yeah, I'm working!" He was barely able to keep it under a shout, as the anger rose up again.

"Oh," she said quietly, almost to herself. "Where are you working?" she asked more loudly. Her voice was suddenly a little higher pitched and he could swear it sounded shaky.

He sighed deeply before he muttered dispiritedly, "It's my old job. Painting houses," knowing there couldn't be any better proof his life had become completely pathetic since she'd left him.

"Oh," she said quietly again, as if she was speaking to herself instead of him. "With Joey," she said more loudly as she remembered. "How's Joe –?"

"He's well! I gotta go, Georgie," he said firmly.

"Oh – okay. Well, I – I guess I should let you – go then," she said hesitantly. Her voice was definitely shaky.

"Good bye."

"Good bye, Robert," she said shakily. "I mi –," was the last thing he heard as he pulled the mobile away from his ear and ended the call.

He immediately added the number to her name and went back in the house, fighting the desolation that was threatening to overwhelm him. He sat down, and after a hesitation he picked up his sandwich and forced himself to start eating, trying to ignore the terrible ache in his chest.

When Joey drove him home from work, Robert made the effort to chat with him, willing himself not to let the call from her get to him. When he got home, he went on an extra long run, pushing himself hard so that he wouldn't feel anything. As soon as dinner was over, he went to his bed and climbed under his bedcovers, grateful he was tired already.

He turned off his mind and promptly fell asleep, finally able to escape the pain hearing her voice had caused.

****

So Robert has finally found out he was held prisoner in Oregon. The picture in the multimedia is an actual place in Oregon, Cape Meares, a state park near the northern border of the state.

Just like with everything else in Stolen Hearts, I imagined what Robert's prison looked like rather than basing it on a real place. Then as I was writing, I realized the food had to come from somewhere and Robert would figure out where he was when he saw it. That's when I started doing Google image searches of different countries coastlines. Why? Because I'm crazy! I was lucky I found a place that matched exactly what was in my head, and it worked well for the story because it was so unexpected he'd be taken that far from his home.

The dream is the last bit from the first day they were home.  I couldnt resist putting it in because it explains why Georgie continues to call Robert by his given name, and why he still notices her smell.

Were you surprised Robert decided not to do anything once he knew the location of his prison? And why do you think Georgie called him?

I love hearing your thoughts so please let me know what you're thinking with a comment, and a vote is always appreciated!