Bella jerked awake, disoriented in the unfamiliar bedroom. Even though she'd been staying in Alice's spare room for a few days, it still felt foreign, especially in the dark. Her phone vibrated and lit up on the night table beside the bed.

She squinted at her alarm clock, surprised and sickened to see that it was just before four o'clock in the morning. Something bad must have happened.

The caller ID listed the number as unknown.

"Hello?" she asked breathlessly, her voice low.

"Bella?"

"Seth?" she asked incredulously, recognizing his voice immediately.

"Don't come, Bella! Please don't come!" he said quickly.

"Where?" Bella asked, instinctively speaking quickly. Seth's voice was desperate and panicked. Her heart slammed against her ribs, her muscles suddenly rigid.

"Tell Emmett not to – " Seth's voice was abruptly cut off.

"Bella, Bella, Bella," the oily voiced drawled, stretching out her name.

Her breath caught in her throat and she felt ill. Her voice was just a whisper. "James."

"You should have just come with me," he said sadly. "You didn't, so I had to go get Seth instead. But we want you to come play with us. Maybe we can do a trade…you come with me, and I'll let the kid go."

She was already out of bed and pulling on her jeans from last night. "Don't hurt him!"

He laughed cruelly, and the sound sent shivers up her spine. "I want you here in fifteen minutes, or I will hurt him. No cops, no Emmett. Alone, or I will carve him up like a Thanksgiving turkey."

"Where are you?" She tugged on her sneakers and grabbed Emmett's hoodie. James rattled off an address that was a few streets over. He said it was a ballet studio.

"And Bella? No cars. If a car pulls up, I am going to assume it's a cop and then there will be trouble. We don't want trouble, do we?" he sang.

"No. No trouble. Don't hurt him. I'm on my way," she replied, her mind racing. He hung up without another word. Bella tucked her phone into the hoodie and crept out into the hallway. She stole Jasper's phone off the kitchen table and exited the apartment as quietly as possible.

Charlie always said that as soon as the bad guy said no cops, you had to call the cops. They had watched a million movies together and he ranted about the victims not calling the cops. The odds of successfully retrieving a hostage were significantly higher with police involvement.

"That's their job," he groaned. "Why would you not call them? Jeez!"

She wouldn't call them, not yet. Or Emmett. She needed a head start. If she told Emmett what was happening, he'd forbid her to go, and James had given her a deadline. Bella jogged through the dark, damp streets, and the night chill cut through her jeans. She waited until she was only a street over to call Emmett.

She used Jasper's phone, just in case there was a way James was actually tracking her cell.

Emmett's phone rang and rang. She cursed, and felt the first wave of real fear. She needed him to answer. She needed to know he was coming. Bella stopped and leaned against the brick wall of an apartment building. She checked the time; still eight minutes left.

With shaking hands she typed in the number to the police station. She didn't have Billy Black's number on her, but she knew the number to the main station. Just as she was about to hit the green send button, the phone intercepted another call. Emmett.

"Emmett!"

"Bella? Are you okay? Why are you – " he began.

"Listen to me. James has Seth. He's holding him at the ballet studio on Canal Street. I'm on my way there. He said no cops and no cars." The words tumbled out of her mouth. "Don't let him see your car. Make sure you call Billy – "

"Bella!" Emmett's voice was loud and furious, and she could tell he was already on the move. "Do not go in there! You abso-fucking-lutely do not go in there by yourself!"

"I'll be careful," she promised. "Call Billy Black."

"Bella!" he bellowed.

She said a quick prayer and flipped Jasper's phone shut. It was almost immediately buzzing again. It hurt her heart, but she turned it off and stuck it in her pocket.

The streets were dark and empty, but the ballet studio was relatively close to Jasper's, and easy to find. Its dark windows unnerved her, and Bella found herself hoping that James wasn't really inside.

Bella looked around nervously before she ran across the street. She listened at the door for a moment but heard nothing. Summoning all her courage, she turned the handle of the door and it silently swung open.

It was dark, but the emergency exit signs cast just enough red light to create an eerie glow. Bella stepped inside, glancing one last time behind her. The street was still deserted. She wished she could wait for Emmett, but she needed to distract James while the cavalry rode in.

"Hello?" she called, her voice too low. She sounded scared. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Seth? Are you in here?"

There was no response, and she continued across the room, almost drawn to the dark hallway. It looked forbidding, and she knew that was where James meant for her to go. The hallway abruptly ended and opened up to reveal a large, empty room. Its mirrored walls cast unnatural reflections and shadows.

Bella hesitated before stepping into the open space, hovering on the brink of bravery and stupidity. The large room would leave her vulnerable. No place to hide or escape to if James attacked.

Before she could make a decision, the harsh florescent lights flickered on. She narrowed her eyes against the blinding light, and gasped at what they revealed. The room was smaller than she originally thought. Seth was in the corner, tied to a chair. Fresh, bloodied bruises covered the ones on his face from yesterday that had only just begun to heal.

"Oh, God," she muttered. A heavy pit of dread formed in her stomach and rapidly sunk down to her feet. Seth looked miserable, and his dark eyes flashed with anger. She could practically hear him yelling at her, telling her that he warned her not to come.

She dashed across the room and immediately began pulling at his restraints. They were tightly bound, and she had nothing sharp enough to cut through them. He began struggling in his chair, his eyes pleading with her as he murmured through his gag. Bella dug her fingers underneath the tight fabric and worked it low enough to reveal his mouth.

"He's going to fucking kill us, Bella!" Seth hissed. "Did you call the police? No, no - don't answer that. He's here somewhere."

"Just shut up and help me get you out of here," Bella replied, her own panic tripling at the sight of Seth's.

"Oh, fuck me, why did you come here?" Seth moaned. "You should have just called the police and let him kill me. Fuck! Emmett's going to kill me!"

"Stop," she said sharply. It was absolutely ridiculous for Seth to worry about Emmett at a time like this. She continued working at the knots that bound him to the chair. Cursing in frustration, she looked up and glanced around to find something to help cut through the restraints.

A shiver ran down her spine. She kept her voice low and her eyes roving around the room. "Where is James, Seth?"

"I don't know," he whispered, and that was when she realized he was trembling.

"Okay, don't worry. We're going to be okay," she said soothingly. Her heart thudded in her chest. Where was Emmett? How far away were the cops?

"How do you figure?"

The cold voice sent a wave of terror through her. She had stiffened at the sound of his voice, and now Bella had to make a conscious effort to relax her rigid muscles and stand up straight. She slowly turned around and hoped the mirrors hadn't given away her terrified expression. "Hello, James."

"Hello, Bella," he mocked. He moved slowly, languidly, like a big cat. His left hand patted his hip, and she wondered what was concealed under his well worn leather jacket. "I have to admit…I'm surprised you came to play, Bella."

"Why is that?" she asked, drawing herself up to full height. She crossed her arms over her chest. She had to stick to the game plan. Keep James talking until the cops showed up. Don't anger him, don't give him a chance or reason to act.

He raised an eyebrow and let out a short laugh. "Because you're smarter than that. Do you really think I'm going to let either of you go?"

She couldn't reply because panic had paralyzed her vocal chords. She raised her chin insolently.

"I suppose you have a weakness for the boy, though. It amazes me how weak women are. There's always something…someone…that they'll sacrifice everything for." He looked at Seth and scoffed. "What do you even care about him? You'd risk your own life to let him go free? Why? He's nothing."

Bella felt the tell-tale prickle of tears, but inhaled deeply and forced them to remain at bay. "If he matters so little, then why don't you let him go?"

James sneered but his eyes turned cold and hard. "You act as though I'm stupid. Don't try to placate me, Bella. Would you prefer I kill him right now? Then we can get the tears and the pleading out of the way." His hand moved quickly to his side, almost a blur, and when her eyes focused Bella was staring at a small black handgun.

"No!" the words leapt from her throat in a desperate cry before she could stop them. She took three steps to the right and put herself squarely in front of Seth. "Don't!"

"Move, Bella," James said calmly.

"Wait!" she cried. Her mind was racing with half-formed ideas – anything – anything to delay him. "Seth doesn't matter. Let's just leave him here and we'll go. What does it matter if he knows? If we leave now, no one will find us."

James cocked his head to the side, obviously thinking about her offer. His eyes raked up and down her body, and Bella's stomach turned over.

"Did you call the cops?" he asked.

She shook her head. James growled and in two seconds had her slammed against the mirrored wall. Pain radiated from her cheekbones and sheer terror made her weak. The snout of the gun was pressed against her temple, the cold ring burning her skin. Bella thought she would be sick, and this time she couldn't even staunch the tears.

"Did you call them?" he snarled.

"No!" she screamed. "No! I didn't call them! I swear, I didn't!"

James grabbed the back of her neck and wrenched her away from the wall. Bella tripped and landed on her knees. "Get up!" He grabbed her arm and dragged her to her feet. She stumbled again but he didn't loosen his grip on her arm, just shoved her forward.

"What are we – where are we going?" she asked, panic squeezing her heart. This wasn't part of the plan. If they left the ballet studio, Emmett wouldn't be able to find her. The police wouldn't know where to look.

"We're leaving. It was your idea," James smirked. The amusement faded from his face, replaced by one of urgency. "Let's go. Now."

Bella glanced back at Seth. His battered face was grim with horror, and he looked helpless. She felt bad for leaving him tied up, but at least he was safe.

She took a deep breath and realized it was now or never. She tried to get herself in a position where she could execute one of Emmett's self defense moves.

"Stop fidgeting," James snapped. "And another thing, Bella?"

Something in his voice made everything inside of her go still. Bella swallowed hard and looked up at him.

"I don't like loose ends," he said softly, reaching up to brush her messy hair out of her face. James looked at Seth, who seemed to sense the imminent danger. He began struggling, trying to break free, and Bella immediately understood.

She grabbed the arm that held his gun, but James seemed to expect her attack. He laughed and with his free hand grabbed a handful of her hair, ripping some out as he jerked her head back.

"No!" she grunted, still struggling to get the gun away from him. His patience finally snapped and she realized too late the full extent of his strength. One blow from his fist sent her reeling back, off balance, and she fell backwards onto her butt.

James raised the gun and fired once. Seth's body jerked, and then a red stain blossomed on the chest of his dirty white t-shirt. He looked down at it, his mouth open in surprise.

"Seth!" Bella scrambled to her feet, ignoring the blinding pain in her face. She could barely see out of her left eye.

"Oh, no," James shook his head. He grabbed her arm and turned her around, dragging her from the room. She kicked and scratched at him, enraged that sweet, young Seth was suffering at the hands of this psychopath. She found her voice, finally screaming as loudly as she could. James unceremoniously slapped his hand over her mouth, tsking when she tried to bite him. "We have plans now, Bella. We need to get a move on. I don't entirely trust that you didn't call the police."

She continued to struggle until he turned her to face him. "As it stands, Seth is still alive. Keep giving me trouble and I'll put a bullet between his eyes. If you called the cops, he may survive…as long as we get out of here. If you didn't…well, I thought you were smarter than that. Now let's go."

Bella looked back at Seth one more time. Her heart broke in half as she realized the best thing she could do for him was leave. James was right. The cops would be here soon and they would find him…hopefully in time.

James gazed outside for a long moment before pushing the front door open and shoving her out. Bella looked around frantically but the street was just as deserted as when she arrived. James positioned her to his left and slightly in front of him. She felt the butt of the gun pressed firmly against her lower back.

"Just walk. Faster," he demanded.

Bella nodded and struggled to keep up with his pace. She felt dizzy and nauseous, but grateful that each step they took led James farther away from Seth. Just as she wondered how far his car was, police sirens began wailing in the distance. Her heart swelled with hope and she instinctively began to slow her pace.

James muttered a curse under his breath and pulled his out a set of keys. He used the remote to start his car, which was a nondescript black SUV parked nearly a block away. The cops were closing in on them and she could feel James's anxiety begin to mount.

"Come on, faster," he urged.

The sirens were louder and a split second later two police cars came to a screeching stop outside of the dance studio. Their lights flashed blue and red, lighting up the darkened street. Bella twisted to look back at them and James pushed the gun harder into her back.

They were far enough away that the cops didn't see them, and she realized she wasn't out of danger yet. They reached his SUV just as another car came roaring down the road, and James froze, hoping not to be seen. It was an unmarked sedan and it flew by them. He let out a sigh of relief and opened the back door.

Bella braced herself, ready to fight dirty if she had to – because she knew if she got into that car she'd never get away. A sudden screeching startled both of them, and the sedan suddenly began backing up. The smell of burnt rubber permeated the night air as it braked hard. The driver was out of the car in an instant.

"Freeze! Seattle PD! Put the gun down!"

Bella nearly sagged with relief; she had never been so happy to see anyone in her entire life. Billy Black had his gun trained on James. He gave her a quick, appraising look but quickly returned his attention to James.

They were in a completely vulnerable position. There was nothing between them and Billy, and yet James seemed far too cocky.

James looked at her and smiled. Before Bella could react, he had a hand wrapped around her throat and had pulled her in front of him. The gun was back to her temple, but Bella felt no fear this time; she was numb.

"Put the gun down," Billy commanded. "Do it or I'll shoot."

"No you won't," James countered. His breath was hot on Bella's neck and she felt sick. "You're too worried about poor Bella."

The cops from the ballet studio had realized what was happening and were making their way up the street. James tightened his grip on her and she could almost hear the wheels in his head turning. Three more police cars arrived on scene and she could hear an ambulance on its way.

And then – two blocks away – she spotted a red Jeep take a sharp turn and park haphazardly in front of the studio. Emmett! She watched him jump out of the Jeep and grab the closest officer, yelling and waving his arms. She felt the moment his eyes landed on her.

That was all she needed. The mere sight of him gave her the strength that James had drained her of. She took a deep breath, then raked her sneaker down his shin and stomped on his foot as hard as she could. He cursed and shifted just enough for her to elbow him in the stomach.

Once, when she was sixteen, Bella went to the shooting range with Charlie. He showed her how to use a gun and then he fired off a few rounds. She had taken her noise-cancelling headphones off a second too early, and the blast from his gun had nearly deafened her.

The blast from James's gun was much, much louder than that. She blinked, unable to hear anything, and felt light, like she was floating. Then everything went black.

Bella couldn't open her eyes, but she could hear a steady, loud beeping that had roused her from sleep. She tried to swallow, but her mouth was too dry. Her head throbbed and ached, and her body didn't feel much better.

"Bella? Oh my God, I think she's waking up!"

She could hear Alice's voice and tried to understand what was happening. It came back slowly, in bits and pieces.

"Bells? Can you hear me?"

"Daddy," she croaked.

"I'm right here, baby." She could hear the relief in his voice. "Can you open your eyes? How are you feeling?"

Bella's eyelids felt heavy and it was a struggle to open them. The hospital room was too bright and she had to squint. "My head hurts."

Then everything came flooding back. She jolted up, and was met with protests from Charlie and Alice.

"Calm down, Bella. You need to lay back," Charlie instructed. He looked at Alice. "Where's Emmett? He go to get the doctor?"

Alice nodded and turned big, worried eyes onto Bella. "Everything's okay, Bella."

"Where's Seth? Is he okay?" Bella asked frantically. A nurse came into the room with a clipboard and began checking her vitals. She told Bella her doctor was on his way, but Bella barely heard her. "Seth?"

Alice bit her lip and cast an anxious look at Charlie. He rubbed his face.

"He's in surgery now. He lost a lot of blood, Bella, and it doesn't look good," Charlie said frankly. He took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "They have the best doctor in there, working on him. Emmett's been going back and forth between you two all night."

She looked away from their kind faces, tears burning her gritty eyes. "My fault. I should have…I should have…"

"No, sweetheart," Charlie said softly. He placed a hand on her forehead, and the tender touch was unexpectedly comforting. Bella began to cry in earnest. "Oh, baby, it's not your fault. He'd be dead if you hadn't gone there."

"Bella?"

She looked up at the sound of Emmett's voice, which was so clearly tormented. He pushed past Alice and bent over her, his forehead against hers. "You're awake. Thank God, you're awake." He pulled back slightly and cupped her face in his hands. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay," she whispered. "I'm sorry – I'm so sorry about Seth."

"Don't," Emmett shook his head. "One thing at a time."

"How do you feel?" the nurse asked, gesturing for Emmett to wait.

"My head hurts," Bella replied, her eyes still on Emmett.

The nurse offered to get her a painkiller, and then asked her some basic questions. When Bella was able to answer them all, she launched into a description of her wounds. She had a sizable bump on her head, a nice concussion to go with it, and her right arm was bandaged where a bullet had grazed it. She was lucky.

Her doctor showed up shortly and gave her drugs that nicely numbed the pain and the harsh edges of her hospital visit. Friends and family came in and out of her room all day, but either Charlie or Emmett was by her side and kept their visits short.

She pleaded with the doctor to send her home, but he was reluctant because of her concussion. Emmett had excused himself to make a phone call, and then twenty minutes later the doctor came back to discharge her. She was surprised by his sudden change of heart.

"I called Edward," he whispered. "Dr. Cullen knows your doctor. He spoke to him and promised to look after you."

"He's in Forks," Bella replied tiredly.

"That's right," Charlie nodded. "You're going to come home with me for a few days, Bella. I'll take care of you until this mess blows over and you feel better."

That woke her right up. Bella frowned and looked at Emmett. "I want you to come."

"I can't," he said reluctantly. There were dark shadows under his eyes and he looked drained. "I need to stay here for Seth. I'll drive home and visit you every day, though. I promise." He picked up her hand and kissed it.

Charlie cleared his throat and stood up. "I'm going to talk to the doctor. I'll be back in a few."

Grateful for his tact, Bella waited until he left the room to speak. "I thought I was doing the right thing by going."

"I'm not mad at you, Bella," Emmett interrupted, knowing where she was taking the conversation. "I was angry that you put yourself in danger, yes, but it's over and done with. I want you to focus on getting better, okay?"

She didn't answer him right away. "No one will tell me what happened."

He reached up and smoothed her hair back. The doctor had insinuated that any information which would upset her should be withheld, but she deserved to know. "James is dead. He's not going to hurt you anymore."

Bella flinched at the news. She was thankful that she hadn't seen it happen, but otherwise felt oddly neutral about his death. She felt hollow.

"Billy Black was shot. He was in surgery but that was the last I heard," Emmett sighed. He paused. "I want you to go to Forks. Charlie will take good care of you. I think this scare probably took twenty years off his life… worst phone call I ever made."

Bella could feel the corners of her lips turning up. "He'll wait a couple of days and then rip into me about what I did."

Emmett laughed. "Probably."

"Okay," she whispered. "I will go with him. But as soon as you hear about Seth, I want to know."

"Promise." He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "When this is all over, I want to go away with you. Somewhere we can be alone for a little while. I've missed you so much, Bella."

She nodded her agreement and Emmett kissed her knuckles again. She felt content with him by her side.

The rest of the day passed in a hazy blur. She could have forced herself to remain awake and alert, but it was easier to avoid everyone and let Charlie deal with them. At one point she thought she heard Edward's voice, but the painkillers were too strong to resist, and she slept on.

She didn't fully relax until much later that night. Bella curled up underneath her old blanket, in her old bed in her old bedroom. It was comforting, and Charlie came in every hour to check on her. He brought her soup from the diner and moved his television into her room so she could watch a movie.

When she finally fell asleep, it was not a restful one. James haunted her, his eyes and his laughter. Seth cried for her help, and Billy Black was laid out on the pavement in a pool of blood.

When she woke up crying, Charlie was there. He stayed and stroked her hair until she drifted back off, and that time it was into a deep, dark nothing.

another fairly quick update! :D

i didn't want to kill you guys with a cliffy, either. well guys, the story is winding down. another two or three chapters, maybe. thank you for the support! sorry i suck at replying to reviews, but i read every single one of them. i looooooove you.

thank you to tracie, lauren and elyse - you ladies are the best!

LUNA