A/N: In my haste to get this up, it's unedited. (I'm sending a draft to my beta as I type this)

I'm actually surprised too that I updated. My only excuse this time is that things have happened in the past few months that nobody could have ever imagined, and I'm not just talking about faulty computers or busy schedules.

Thank you to Padfootly for being my beta and even sticking with the story (and me). And also a big thank you to everyone who added this as to their alerts or even reviewed when it hadn't been updated in a while. You guys are what keeps me glued to my computer screen, yelling at pages of work to flow better or get longer.

Now to end this a/n and start the beginning of the end.

'When our time is up,

When our lives are done,

Will we say we've had our fun?

Will we make our mark, this time?'

'Rooftops' by Lostprophets

Bella Swan

There are many times now when I feel like nobody listens to me. Strangely this isn't one of them.

In what seemed like a blur, Edward ran me downstairs, made me sit down while he went over details with Charlie and tried to convince Alice to stay here with Emmett.

Emmett was ready for a fight, his nostrils flaring while he clenched his fists repeatedly, but he had no idea just how serious this could be. He sat awkwardly in the small chair beside me while pouting like a child when he was told he wouldn't be coming with us. Alice tried calming him down a bit by talking to him rationally.

"Going with them will only make the situation worse," she said, coaxing him into a more relaxed state of mind.

Edward and Charlie stood opposite us, both of them had identical expressions.

"I think this may be a bad idea," Charlie muttered, leaning against the wall opposite me, observing my somewhat relaxed face with a look of confusion.

Edward nodded discreetly. "But it's the only logical one we have right now. We don't exactly have enough time to come up with something safer."

Looking between the two of them, I felt a lump rise in my throat. Edward was driving me to the airport but was also putting himself in danger. Charlie was going to be monitoring everything while he tailed us to a safe point. If anything happened to either of them I would hold myself personally responsible for the rest of my life.

I looked down on the pretence of checking my bag while taking deep breaths to slow my speeding heart rate. Getting upset now would only stall Edward from leaving and I had a flight to catch. I lifted my head in time to see Charlie shaking Edward's hand with a small smile in place.

"Take care of my little girl," he whispered, his eyes watering.

Edward nodded solemnly. "With my life, sir."

Charlie walked towards me, keeping his eyes on the floor. I quickly rose to my feet to throw my arms around him.

"Come on, Bells. Everything will work out okay in the end," he told me, his voice muffled by my hair.

Patting my back as any father would when confronted with an overemotional, teenage daughter, he backed away slightly from my embrace.

Reaching down to grab my bag, I looked over to see if Edward was ready to leave. He searched my face intently, looking for anything that could keep me here safe than send me off as bait. I held strong, meeting his gaze and nodding. Shifting from where he was standing, he pushed off the wall and walked towards the door, grabbing my hand in the process.

"I'll tail you when I get the all clear from the station up in Seattle," Charlie said in, what I used to call, his 'chief' voice.

"Seattle?" I asked, confused. I thought that he was using the local Forks' station.

"Bella, we dealing with a criminal here. A small town police force of barely ten isn't going to help in any way," Charlie responded gruffly, opening the door slightly and searching the immediate area quickly. "They have sent messages to all airports and points of entry or exit. If he tries to leave the state or even the country, he'll be caught."

I glanced back into the sitting room before leaving. Alice and Emmett stayed in their seats not moving to the door or window, after we warned them that Phil could be watching the house. Alice gave me a small smile while Emmett continued to pout.

Sucking in a deep breath, I followed Edward towards the car. I knew all too well that we were no longer safe.

The air had grown crisp, surprisingly dry for Forks. We marched out towards the Volvo, the sun that had broken through the thick streams of cloud glinted off it as it began to lower in the sky.

Charlie walked with us and opened my door while Edward loaded my bag into the back.

"I'll see you soon, Bella," he whispered. His eyes started to fill with tears. Giving him a reassuring smile, I climbed into the passenger seat.

"Don't worry too much, Dad. I'll be back in time to cook you your dinner tomorrow," I told him, trying to make light of a difficult situation.

"Let's hope so. Last thing I need is to burn down the kitchen trying to toast some bread," he laughed.

Edward had gotten into his seat and turned on the engine during our exchange. I closed my door, giving one last wave to Charlie. The car sprang forward and we were on our way.

We made our way out of the town and onto the main road. Every person that we passed made me anxious and every car that came anywhere near us made me glance over my shoulder to see who was in the driver's seat. I hadn't been this… afraid in a while.

Edward dug into his pockets at a red light and chucked me his cell.

"If it rings, check the number and tell me. Don't answer straight away, okay?" he instructed, turning to face me for the first time since we began the drive.

I met his gaze and was surprised at the anxiety in his eyes. He usually tried to keep a brave face.

The light turned green and we continued on with our journey.

Reaching the highway, I relaxed. We travelled at a quicker pace than before and didn't have any obstacles like traffic lights to slow us down.

Leaning further back into my seat, I brought my legs up to my chest and settled in for the drive ahead. It wouldn't be a long one but we weren't planning on stopping until we reached the airport.

Trees, cars and trucks zoomed by just like the seconds that ticked. The analogue clock on the dash seemed to operate in bursts, the minutes speeding by every time I checked.

We were approaching the turn when we noticed something that we hadn't planned on.

Our turn had a queue backed up about a mile due to road improvements ahead.

"This is all we need," Edward muttered.

"My flights not for another hour and a half," I said, trying to calm him down. His hand continuously clenched the steering wheel and he kept pinching his nose every time we stopped.

We eventually pulled off the main road and entered a road improvement zone. Traffic cones and detour warnings covered the sides of the road, forcing what should be a substantial two lane off-ramp into a fairly narrow one-lane road.

After ten minutes of waiting, we finally passed through the airport entrance and were greeted by numerous signs and turns for terminals, car parks and hotels. Unfortunately most of them were blocked off cones and barricades, forcing all traffic through the one road and onto diverted routes.

Cars were slowly trickling through the diversions and were being directed manually by one of the site workers ahead.

As we reached the top of the queue, Edward rolled his window down.

"Where are you heading?" the man asked, his rough image complimented by his accent.

"Drop-off," Edward replied curtly.

The man shook his head. "The drop-off zones are being improved, all traffic to that area has to use the old short-term car park and get a shuttle over. Second right ahead."

Following the other cars, we drove down the wide road. Most of the cars turned at either the first right or took the left turn.

Casting a worried glance over to Edward, he pointed out some of the cars turning in front of us.

"All of the have suitcases so their probably going to long-term or dropping off rentals," he reassured me.

The second right lead off onto a temporary, uneven road. We drove along, moving away from the main terminal and around the back of the site, towards the hangars. The road finally smoothed out onto tarmac and we came upon a large concrete multi-storey.

The ticket machine seemed out of order and the barriers were up. Edward quickly pulled into a spot.

The Volvo was the only car in the car park. I handed Edward his cell as we climbed out. He grabbed my bag while doing something with his cell. Snapping it shut, he reached for my hand and led us forward. A sign up ahead told us that the shuttle stop was at the other side of the car park.

We walked quickly from the car towards the exit. The prickling feeling of eyes following me crept up my neck. Edward refused to slacken his hold on my hand, pulling me along beside him swiftly. His eyes darted around us, examining all of the alcoves and crevices in the car park.

"I don't understand why it's so empty…" Edward murmured.

My breathing quickened. I felt like I was watching a bad horror movie where you know the bad guy is about to come out and kill the main character but no matter how much you yell at the screen, the person still opens the door out of curiosity.

The vast space was void of any signs of life. Half filled cement buckets were pushed against the walls and lights flickered above us. The exit sign pointed to a door that wasn't even bolted into place.

We walked out onto the deserted sidewalk. Realisation dawned on us that we were nowhere near the airport.

The area we walked into was bordered by industrial-strengthen steel fencing. A narrow pathway led around the cement pillars supporting the upper levels of the car park, out of sight. Sounds of planes taking off and landing was distant and it was clear we were currently in a trap. I clutched Edward's hand tighter.

"Come on," Edward hissed, pulling me back towards the car park. We spun around only to be greeted by a tall, blonde man.

"Leaving so soon?" a voice snarled behind us.

We slowly turned around. Edward drew me backwards slightly so I was shielded by his body. The action did nothing to hide the two figures in front of us though.

Phil stood in the middle of the dusty area, flanked by a fiery, red-headed woman.

To somebody who glanced at two photos; one of Phil a year ago and one of him now, they would think they were looking at two different people. But for me, having stared at those manic eyes and flinched away from his horrid face, he looked almost identical except for his hair and a minor change in his cheek area, obviously caused by surgery.

He stepped forward, the woman mimicking his pose.

"I would have thought you would at least acknowledge me, Isabella. After all the good times we've spent together."

Edward pulled me sideways, walking away from the man behind us but keeping his distance from Phil.

They countered our movements, until we were slowly moving in a circle.

"But I'm afraid, as they say, that good things do come to an end," he sang softly, reaching into his pocket at a leisurely pace.

The man who was at the car park door had moved beside us in a flash. The woman sprang quickly to our other side. Both stared at us like we were some act, forced to entertain them.

Phil's hand drew out of his pocket, revealing something I had never thought I'd see again.

The setting sun seemed to illuminate the gun as if this has been planned. Images of what had happened on the night of my Renée's death flashed through my mind. The small bullet speeding through the air like a rapid dot. The echo of the shot reverberating off all surfaces in the room.

My sight began to fade and I became unsteady. Reaching my other hand out to hold onto Edward, I stumbled slightly.

Like lightening, the woman gripped my arms and pulled me sharply away from Edward. Without having any support, I fell to the ground. The woman adjusted herself to hold onto me while crouching slightly.

Turning to search for Edward, I seen that he had been caught by the man. Struggling against his grip, he twisted furiously in the hope of breaking free. The man chuckled and tightened his hold.

Phil stalked towards me, smirking as he twirled the gun in his hands like it was a baton.

"No!" Edward roared.

Phil stopped and turned to him, looking curiously at his attack against the man.

"You seem very determined to safe her, don't you?" He asked as he walked a step towards Edward. "Tell me, what would you do for Isabella, here?"

Edward pulled against the man's arm, freeing his chest enough to speak. "Anything," he spat out.

Phil cocked his head to the side. "Anything?… Would you die for her?"

"Don't!" I cried. Edward could not die. A world without Edward was unimaginable.

"I would if it meant saving her," Edward spoke strongly.

"Interesting…" Phil contemplated. He held up his hand to the man holding Edward. The man released Edward, causing him to fall forward.

"Victoria, keep the girl still. James, stand behind me. I've got a feeling you'll like this," Phil shouted, a laugh lilting his voice.

Edward stood up, facing Phil. James walked quickly behind Phil, eager to see what would happen.

My heart was beating at a pace unfamiliar to me. I could feel it pounding furiously against my ribcage but I couldn't hear it. I couldn't hear anything. All of my senses had disappeared in order for me to focus entirely on what was before me.

Phil twitched his hand. The light glinted off the gun. Edward was frozen where he stood but he looked at peace. I was able to understand that face.

It was the face that told me he was happy it was him standing in front of the gun and not me. It was the expression that screamed at me that he was sacrificing himself to keep me alive just that little bit longer.

I silently thanked whatever force was looking over us for the fact that Emmett and Alice had not come with us. The last thing I needed was to worry about two more people.

Victoria tightened her hold around my neck. She was almost hissing in pleasure. James stood about ten feet behind Phil, watching Edward with morbid fascination.

"You may think you're the hero here, boy. But you're not," Phil hissed. "You're just another victim in her life."

Phil jerked his head towards me while Edward tensed further, his eyes narrowing to slits.

"All she has ever done in her life is drag other people back from their potential, ruin people's relationships and get in the way. She's a waste of space, a piece of useless-"

A crackling noise came from behind him. He quickly spun around while keeping the gun trained on Edward. James and Victoria also looked towards the source of the noise.

Everything seemed to happen at once. The police ran forward, Victoria and Phil stayed where they were. James turned quickly to face Charlie and the others.

"Bella!"

Everybody was talking at once, I couldn't place the voice or where it was coming from. Victoria still held onto my neck, threatening to suffocate me. Phil unconsciously backed away from Edward, his eyes trained on the police.

Then everything happened in slow motion.

The police fired two shots, the echoes were almost painfully loud in the quiet area. One shot expertly hit Victoria. I felt her hold on me tighten before slacking. I crawled away from her quickly. The other appeared to have found it's target, James.

He cringed and doubled over, holding his stomach with one hand and raising the gun with the other.

He shot once.

I looked quickly over to where the Charlie and the others were standing. None of them were hit. He must have missed.

I had forgotten that everything had slowed down though. It felt like minutes before I heard it.

"Oh!"

The faint response came from the middle of the police group. They all parted to check who had been hit.

I was screaming before my mind registered the face.

"No!" I shrieked.

Emmett and Charlie looked horrified as they looked at the victim.

The eyes looked down at the blood splattered hands and the pulsing wound. The face raised up once and smiled sadly.

Then Alice Cullen fell forward.

A/N: You all thought it was Edward… I'm not that evil.

I should be a bit better at getting the next one up but keep in mind it hasn't been written and it's either going to be short and fast or longer and slower. I could probably bang up about 1,000 or more words in a good night or 3,000 in a few days.

I got a few reviews recently from three people and wondered, how are they able to find this? Then I decided to sweep off the cobwebs on my FF account and log in. I was actually dumbfounded when I clicked on the stats and traffic pages.

That got me thinking that somehow in the past three or four months, this story has rocketed from barely pushing 30 hits a day after a chapter post, to hitting up to 100 even without a chapter in a while. I was just wondering how some of you came across this story or if somebody recommended it to you, tell me the site etc so I can go over and thank them!