"Shit!" I look towards Emmett. "What do we do?"

Bella's eyes widen as she stumbles towards the back of the room, like she's trying to get as far away as possible from the sound. She knows what that sound means down here. It means she's going back to Phil. They'll call her a liar and a runaway. Nothing but trouble. She'll never get to experience the world or see the beauty in life. All the things I want for her more than anything.

I glance around, looking for another escape. The only window sits next to the front door.

"Emmett!" I say again.

"I don't know." He shakes his head. "I don't know what to do. How did they even find us?"

There's a knock on the door and we all jump. I close my eyes and pretend it's just a dream. It can't be happening. Not when we're so close, not when I promised her the world. I can't live with breaking that promise and now it's all crashing down in a matter of moments.

"Police Department. Open up, please!" They pound harder.

I look at Emmett, wondering what he's thinking. Should we open it? Explain ourselves? Show them Bella's bruises?

Before we can even debate it, a key slides in the lock and the door flies open. Four policemen barge inside, and force Emmett and I face down on the bed.

"Bella!" I scream into the fabric. I turn my head sideways and see two police officers trying to escort her out. She's kicking and screaming, fighting to get away from them. Can't they see them? Can't they see the bruises?

The cuffs slide onto my wrists and the office pulls me up as he reads me my Miranda rights and tells me that I'm under arrest for kidnapping and breaking and entering.

I barely listen to him. I just keep my eyes out for her.

As they lead me and Emmett outside, I see her slip into the back of one of the cruisers waiting outside. She pounds on the glass as soon as they close the door.

Emmett and I are pushed into another car and they take off. Just like that. It couldn't have been more than a few minutes since we heard the sirens and to be honest I'm not even that fazed that I've just been arrested. The thought doesn't even cross my mind.

"Edward," Emmett says under his breath. His eyes widen and for the first time, I see he's scared.

"We have to call Charlie," I say. "He'll help us, he'll know what to do." Charlie Swan is our only hope for salvation. I never thought I'd hear myself say that, but it's all I have to hold onto right now.

We're silent for the rest of the drive because I can't fucking think straight. I just need to talk to Charlie. He said he'd fix it. He said he'd work it out.

I look ahead every now and then to see if we've caught up to Bella's car. I never see it. For all I know, they could be turning her back over to him now. She's right. They don't care. They never will as long as he's in charge.

Once we get back to Phoenix, we're booked and led to separate interrogation rooms. I hope Bella is still here. If she's still here, we have a chance. I make myself believe that they'll listen. That they'll have to see the truth.

They look at me like I'm a hardened criminal. Like I'm trash, something that you throw out with the dinner scraps. Jury, judge, and executioner. And I start to panic, my palms slick with sweat.

They sit me in a room that's painted a dark shade of gray on all four walls, and the floor and ceiling, except for the long mirror on one wall. There's one table in the middle with two chairs. I'm handcuffed to one and left alone for endless minutes.

I tap my foot anxiously against the floor and wonder if they've called Esme and Carlisle yet. I hate to think of them, hearing that both of their sons got arrested. I tell myself that I'll take the blame, that hopefully they'll let Emmett off easy.

As the minutes pass, I start to grow frustrated. And fucking pissed off. Why did they sit me in this fucking room and leave me for all this time? And where is Emmett? And Bella? And why aren't they telling me anything?

"Hello!" I scream, staring at the mirror. I know there's someone on the other side watching me. "Can we just get on with it?!" I scrape my chair against the floor and put my head down.

The door finally opens and I sigh as I look up.

"You son of a bitch," I whisper. Phil is standing in front of me, looking smug as ever. A far cry from the drunk that was passed out on the couch. He looks refined and respectable, the last person you ever thought would turn into a monster.

"You really thought you could sneak her away? Just slip out without a trace, without a word." He sits down across from me. "You forget that I own her and I own this town. And they will never believe a word you say."

"I will kill you."

"Threatening a public official." He shakes his head. "You're just as much of a bad seed as she is."

"That's a compliment coming from you."

"Enjoy prison."

"She'll never testify against me."

"She won't have to." He smiles again and slips out of the room.

I clench my fists. "I want my phone call!" I scream, rattling my handcuffs so hard that my wrists start to bleed. I don't even feel the pain.

I sit fuming for another half hour before someone has the nerve to check on me. My eyes are closed when the door opens and I take a deep breath. "I get a phone call."

"Who else were you planning on calling?" Charlie said.

My eyes shoot open. Charlie. He comes over and unlocks my cuffs.

"What the hell is going on?" I ask.

"I told you I'd fix it."

"But..."

"Someone down here owed me a favor."

"I don't understand."

He leans against the wall and clasps his hands together. "A buddy of mine is a detective in Scottsdale. He offered to help the Phoenix PD with the case as a favor to me. Turned Phil's house upside down looking for evidence in Bella's disappearance and ended up finding a hollow floorboard filled with...pictures."

"Of Bella." The pictures. The ones Phil took. This was it. We have him.

He nodded. "Logged them into evidence, all except for one, and took it right to the DA. Offered the dirty cops deals if they testify against Phil and about what they've covered up."

"But why this whole scene? Did you really have to get me arrested?" I'm suddenly aware of the pain in my wrists.

"We wanted a solid case against Phil. We needed him to think that they were still on his side, that he was in control. We needed him on tape and we didn't want him to run."

"Is Bella alright?" I ask.

"She's being checked out by a medic because I'm paranoid."

"You're not paranoid. You're a father." I reach out to shake his hand and to my surprise he doesn't take it. Instead he pulls me into a hug. A smothering, suffocating hug.

"Thank you," he says.

"You're welcome." I nod, relieved. "By the way, how did you find us?"

"You dumbasses walked around in broad daylight when your pictures are plastered all over the news. The front desk manager called. You're lucky I had a plan, otherwise we'd be in big trouble."

He opens the door and we walk out into the lobby. Emmett is sitting in a seat next to Bella with his arm around her shoulder.

She jumps up when she sees me and starts to cry. I sniffle, trying to hold it in. Truth is I've never been so happy in my entire life. My girl is free. Free to live her life, go to college, have a family...even dump my ass if she wants to. I wouldn't mind. Okay, I would mind. A lot. But at least she's able to make her own choices.

All I can do is hold her and tell her that it's over because that's all there is. It's over. This long Hell that she's been living in is over.

A deputy comes from one of the interrogation rooms, leading Phil in handcuffs. I turn us around so Bella doesn't have to see him and she buries her face into my chest.

"Hey, asshole." I smirk as he looks up. "Enjoy prison."

A/N: Last normal chapter right here and BAM we got him :) Go on with your bad self, Charlie!

Before I started this story, I had to debate on whether I wanted the focus to be them on the run or their characters and relationships, I went with the latter which is why I didn't drag out the running. Hope I made the right decision. :)

Epilogue will be up at some point tomorrow. Any predictions? I will warn you it's a very unconventional epilogue (which I have a tendency to lead towards over the expected) and I just ask you to stick with me on it and trust that it's the perfect ending for them. I realize that sounds super scary, but its not. I promise. (EDIT: I've received some emails that this has scared people off the epi. READ THE EPI. When I say all these things, I simply mean it's not the formulatic wedding and baby because I didn't think that was appropriate for them. It's HEA, people. I wouldn't do anything but.)

Thank you again for sharing this journey with me! I don't have any immediate plans for any new FFs, so at this point I'll probably be focusing on my OF. But if the inspiration hits and the plot bunny attacks, I'll be back with a new story!

M