A/N: GGEUHIWFBLA!!! You guys blew me over the moon with all the love you gave me last chapter! That had to be the most reviews I've received in a single NIGHT!! You guys are more awesome than I can possibly put into words!!! I tried to respond to every review, but if I hadn't replied to yours, I'm sorry. I'm very rushed for time today, so I didn't get as much time as usual to just sit down, and read emails.

So here's the ultimate chapter you've all been waiting for! Some of you were very sweet when asking me to update soon and others were… actually kind of rude, so please try to keep it respectful. Thanks.

Keep up the EXCELLENT reviewing! On with Chapter TWENTY TWO!!!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

I looked around me. A little ways in front of me were empty seats, like you would see in a live theatre. Then I suddenly realized where I was.

I was tied to a chair, under a spotlight.

In the centre of a theatre stage, the curtains open as if a play was being performed.

And I was the main event.

Chapter 22: Hero/Heroine

EPOV

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure!" I yelled for the thousandth time, this time actually throwing my arms up in exasperation. How many times did they have to know if I was 'sure' or not?! The damn police were taking their damn time about this whole situation! Bella was missing and I knew who had taken her!

As soon as I connected the pieces together and figured out it was Phil who had kidnapped Bella, I called the police. They were here in a matter of minutes, but wouldn't stop questioning me! How many times did they want me to repeat the story? Since when were they so incompetent?!

"Edward you have to calm down. Your temper isn't solving anything," Jasper said, putting a hand on my shoulder. I shrugged it off.

"How can I be calm?! He could be hurting Bella right now! I need to find her; I could've found her by now if these idiots hadn't kept up with the questioning!" I made a move to leave, but Jasper caught my arm and pulled me back.

"Don't be stupid. You can't blindly search all across Seattle for her. She may not even be in Seattle anymore," he hissed.

"Jasper, I can't jus-"

"You can and you will. You need a lead, Edward. Just driving around looking for her will do you no good. He probably has her hidden somewhere."

I sighed. I knew he was right, but I couldn't just stand around while Bella was out there, possibly getting hurt. The investigators were in Bella's dorm room, searching for any evidence to show someone besides Bella or Rosalie had been there. I showed them the email Bella received, her account having still been open on her computer.

They agreed that this was suspicious, but they still weren't taking action!

Everyone was here, waiting with me; Jasper, Alice, Rosalie, and Emmett. We called Charlie as well as Carlisle and Esme, who were on their way. Alice and Rose were both crying softly and leaning onto their boyfriends for support. Jasper was calm, but I could see the panic bubbling under the surface of his eyes. Emmett couldn't stop swearing and would hit something every few minutes.

Me? I couldn't stop pacing and yelling. I was at wits end. I had to be restrained several times from just jumping out the door and looking for Bella.

Bella.

I couldn't even begin to think of what could have happened to her by now. The worst thing was; we weren't even sure of exactly when she was taken. It could have been anywhere from sometime last evening, to shortly before I discovered her empty room. Hours and hours were between those times! Anything could have happened to her!

I couldn't even begin to comprehend what would happen to me if Bella was not in my life. If she were to be taken from me… I wouldn't be able to, couldn't be able to live on. She was everything to me. Even before I finally realized I loved her… she was everything. Life without Bella was not life at all. It was… it was a black hole. A starless night. A dark, empty room. Nothing but blackness. No purpose, no destination.

It was nothing.

I knew that I wouldn't be able to continue living if Bella didn't make it out of this alive…

No, Cullen. You need to stop thinking like that.

You will find Bella and you will get her back.

What was worse was that I knew this was my entire fault. If I hadn't left Bella so easily, if I hadn't let her leave me so easily, I could've protected her from this. I could've prevented Phil from touching a single hair on her perfect head. I should've known that Phil was going to come for her after that email.

I should've stayed near to her. I should have slept outside her door for God's sake; anything to have kept her safe.

But I failed. I said I would never let anything hurt her, and I failed.

The guilt was eating me up from the inside out. How could I have let this happen? How could I have been so careless? I didn't know the answers to these questions, and it didn't even matter. All that mattered was getting Bella back. Safe and sound. I swear that if Phil had hurt Bella in any way, even if it was only a little bruise, I would rip him limb from limb. He was a monster, even more than I was, and I would make sure he wouldn't escape this time.

I hated him. I hated him such blind fury that it was staggering. He would pay for taking Bella.

An investigator exited Bella's room and I said desperately, "Have you found anything?!"

She shook her head helplessly. "Nothing yet, but we're still searching. So none of you knew this Phil Dwyer?"

We all shook our heads. I said, "No, but Bella once told me that he was the one who killed her mother, Renee Swan."

"And why didn't she tell the authorities this?"

"He threatened her. Said he would hurt her and the people she cared about if she said anything to anyone."

"Why did she tell you, then?"

"I sort of figured it out on my own."

"Please clarify that, Mr. Cullen."

"I heard a message on her phone from the police I wasn't supposed to hear. I guessed the truth about Phil and she confirmed it."

"And now Phil is the one who kidnapped her? You're absolutely sure of this?"

"Yes!" How many times did I have to repeat myself?!

"Aright then. We still don't have any leads though. Did Bella tell you anything about Phil that may be a clue to where he might've taken her?"

I thought. No, she didn't really tell me anything about him other than he was abusive. I didn't even know his career. I shook my head. "Bella didn't tell me anything about Phil other than he dated her mother for about five months and was both physically and verbally abusive towards Bella."

"Did she say why he killed her mother?" the investigator asked.

I started pacing again. "It was because Renee cut if off with him when she walked in on him beating Bella. How does this help us find Bella?"

"It doesn't really, but we're trying to dig into Phil's character some more. So far it's obvious that he has a violent nature and an uneven disposition. This is very unstable for Bella, I'm afraid."

"Then why are you just standing there! Find her!"

"We need a lead."

"Fine one!"

"Calm down, sir. Your panicking is not helping the situation. We're doing everything we can to find your friend. I assure you, we will find her, but we need you to remain as calm as possible."

I groaned in frustration and punched the nearest wall. Anything to vent out my anger.

Please Bella. Hold on, I will find you.

BPOV

My heart picked up double time when I realized where I was. I wasn't in some dark cellar or the trunk of a car as you'd think I'd be, once being kidnapped.

No, I was in a live theatre, on stage, the spotlights shining down on me. A shiver ran down my spine as I registered why Phil brought me here.

He was psychotic. He was evil and cruel. Phil wanted me dead, and he was going to do it in the most dramatic way possible. Right here, as if my death was a grand play, the finest performance ever staged in theatre. Imagine the surprise of the owners, if there were any, when they opened up the next morning to find my dead, bloodied body on the stage.

My breath started coming out in near gasps as it suddenly dawned on me that this was it. Phil was going to win and I was going to die. I would never see Emmett or Jasper or Rosalie or Alice or Charlie ever again. Never again. And Edward…

Oh God, Edward.

My only comfort was knowing that he and all the others were safe, but for how long? Hopefully forever, but I wasn't so sure. I had done everything I could to make sure they would be safe. I made stupid mistakes, but I had done everything I could given those mistakes. Now that I would be gone, maybe Phil would leave them alone.

I kept my head down, waiting for Phil to come out. I knew he was probably watching me, taking relish in my despair, waiting patiently for my tears. He took enjoyment in other people's misery. He probably wanted me to cry and beg before killing him, but I wouldn't give him the satisfaction. I would show him that I was stronger.

I would look in the face of death, and not utter a single sound.

I heard clapping from somewhere behind me and my head involuntarily snapped up and around to look at the man I knew would be there.

Phil Dwyer.

My mother's killer and soon-to-be mine.

He had a sadistic smile on his face, as he slowly approached me, still clapping. I fought hard to keep a straight face, devoid of emotion and feeling. I needed to be emotionless. I couldn't let him show he was affecting me so much. I wouldn't give him the pleasure of my horror. In the end, he would win, but I would give myself this small triumph.

Phil stopped his stupid clapping once he stepped in front of me, about a foot away. He leaned down so that his face was right in mine. I stared right back into the cold gray eyes I hated so much. On the outside, I may have looked brave, but on the inside I was scared out of my wits. It had been months and months since I had last seen Phil. Remembering the last time we had been face to face just brought back a slew full of memories that I had been trying so hard to push away.

But it also brought back all the hate and anger I felt for him.

And I let that take over me and fuel my fire.

"Bella, Bella, Bella," he said, reaching out to tuck a lock of hair behind my ear. I flinched away from him, putting a scowl on my face. He just chuckled.

"How's my girl doing?" he said, looking smug.

"I'm not your girl," I spat. His eyes flashed.

"Still just as disobedient as I remember. You never learn, do you Bella?"

I stayed silent, making no response whatsoever. He was only angry and jealous over the fact that I never accepted him as a father.

"You know Bella," he said conversationally as he stood up and started walking slowly around the chair I was tied to, like they do in horror films. "You have no one to blame for this but yourself. If you'd only accepted the fact that I was your new father back in Phoenix, we wouldn't be having this problem now, would we? We'd be in Arizona, a happy family. Renee would still be alive and you wouldn't have to die. Both you and Renee were really idiots."

"Don't you dare talk about Renee that way!" I yelled. "You killed her you jackass!"

Quicker than I would have thought possible, Phil's hand was at my throat, gripping tightly. His face was once again right up to mine so close that I could smell his aftershave. It was nauseating. His eyes were blazing with rage.

But then, as quickly as it began, his anger died out, replaced with a cool indifference. He let go of my throat and straightened up.

"True, I did kill Renee. But that was only because she deserved it. I don't do things without a good reason, Bella. You should know that. Renee should have known better than to have left me, especially over something as miniscule as hitting you. I was only disciplining you. Don't go thinking that I'm a robot though. I did feel bad after killing Renee. It was a pity really, she was good in bed."

"You bastard!" I yelled, trying in vain to break free from the rope tying me to the chair. It angered me to no end to hear him speak of Renee in such a degrading way. I had never wanted anyone dead before, but I wanted it now.

I found it incredibly hard to believe Phil felt bad after killing Renee. In fact, I didn't believe it at all. Phil was one of those psychopaths you would hear about on TV, having those states of minds of serial killers. He was one of those people who felt nothing. He may have felt anger or rage, but nothing else. He felt no regret, no remorse, no love. For people like him, killing didn't mean ending a life; it was nothing but a simple action. It held no meaning or significance.

And that's what scared me.

"Ah, ah , ah, Bella. Try not to struggle so much. It makes it harder for me to be able to do a clean job," he said calmly.

"Clean job?" I mocked. "You call slaughtering a person who had done you no wrong a clean job?"

"And you call not respecting me doing me no wrong? It's only karma, Bella. I already told you; you have no one to blame for this buy yourself."

"But why are you doing this?" I asked. "I haven't told anyone," I lied.

"Whether that's true or not, I cannot take the risk anymore. It's too dangerous."

I resisted the urge to let out a breath of relief that he didn't know about Edward. Good. That meant he wouldn't hurt him.

"So if you're trying to lay low and be inconspicuous, then why try to kill me here, in a theatre? Isn't this kind of dramatic?"

"Oh, Bella. That's part of the fun. But enough of these questions, they bore me." Phil walked over to a table off to the side I had never realized was there. He picked up a long, sharp knife off the table and started walking back towards me. My breath hitched, stopping all together. "Frankly, I came here to do a job, and your non-stop chattering isn't helping it get done. Now it's time for you to shut up, Bella, and let me have my fun."

There was no one there to hear my screams.

EPOV

"I can't just stand here waiting anymore! I'm going out to find her!" I yelled, grabbing for my car keys, but a large muscled hand stopped me.

"Edward, don't you dare," My brother, Emmett, growled. "I want to find Bella just as much as you do, but we keep telling you over and over again that we need a lead. You going out and searching with no clue of where to go will do more damage than good."

I had never seen Emmett so serious and solemn before. He was always happy and rather goofy. This didn't help me though. Seeing Emmett so serious only stressed the urgency of this situation. Another hour had passed and I was done sitting around! Bella's life was in danger! I didn't care if I was searching blindly; as long as I was doing something to try and bring her back.

"Edward," Alice said as if reading my mind. Her face was tear-stained and anxious, but her voice was surprisingly firm. "Don't go thinking you're the only one who cares and wants Bella back. We all do, and you need to think clearly about this. Bella wouldn't appreciate you losing your head and making a whole mess of this situation by going out and blindly looking for her. She'd want you to be strong, not stupid."

"I know you all want Bella back, but to me, she's more than my own life… she's… she's," I struggled to find words that would describe how much Bella meant to me, but there were none. She was beyond words and if I lost her now… there would be no future for me. There would only be nothingness.

To my horror, a tear rolled down my cheek and dripped onto the floor.

I was crying. I was panicking.

I was possibly losing the only thing that mattered to me anymore.

Bella.

"Edward, you have to believe she'll be alright. Bella will be okay, trust me," Alice said in a small voice.

"And how would you know?" I said desperately. My voice was broken and agonized. I couldn't take the torture of waiting anymore, God damn it!

"I can't explain it, Edward, but you have to trust me. I can just… feel it. I can see it. She'll be okay. You can't let yourself even consider the outcome. It won't happen. If you keep thinking it will, you'll never be calm enough to think straight."

I knew she was right, but I still couldn't listen or absorb the words. All I could think about was Bella. I wasn't going to calm down until I felt her safe and whole, inside my arms. I needed to see her with my own eyes, hear her voice with my own ears in order to feel at ease. Until then, there was only worry and panic. My mind and heart had no room for any other emotions.

I was opening my mouth, just about to tell her about all these feelings inside of me, make her understand, but all of a sudden, one of the investigators quickly came out of Bella's room. We all turned to him expectantly.

"Well?" I demanded. If they had a lead, then say something!

"We found something. A note. It was in the jacket pocket of Bella's coat. We suspect that Phil Dwyer had stuffed it in there when he kidnapped Bella."

"What does it say?!" Rosalie said.

"Well, we haven't read it-"

"Why not?!" Emmett boomed.

"Because it's addressed to Edward Cullen."

My heart stopped. Phil wrote a note… for me?! Why the hell for and how did he know my name?

But then I remembered the email. If what it said was true, it meant Phil had been watching Bella for a while now and so he must have seen Bella and I, and through further extension, our relationship. He also must have been able to find out my name in that time.

I grabbed the note from the investigator's hand and unfolded it, reading the messy handwriting.

Edward,

When the curtains fall on the final act, so will Bella's final breath.

Come alone.

I stared at the note, completely puzzled. What did it mean other than his intention to kill Bella, that of which I already knew? I couldn't understand it at all, yet since it said for me to go alone, I knew it held some kind of clue as to where he was keeping Bella.

What was it though?!

Why did he even want me to come at all?

Curtains fall… final act… what did it all mean? What had Phil written for me did he want me to decipher? This frustrated me to no end; knowing Phil had left me a clue as to Bella's whereabouts, but being unable to find it out. I needed to, damn it! Bella depended on it!

I read the note over and over again, pacing up and down the hallway. I ignored the questions of the others as I recited Phil's words repeatedly in my head trying to figure out what he meant.

Curtain falls… final act… Bella…. final breath….

Wait…

Curtain falls, final act.

"Are there any empty, unused theatres in Seattle?"

"Um, yeah. There's the Johnson Theatre. It's been abandoned for nearly two decades. Why?" the investigator said. (I made up that theatre by the way)

"I know where he's keeping Bella."

BPOV

Pain. Agony. Blood…

I bit my lip, trying to restrain the groans of pain and weakness from escaping. He already took enjoyment in my screams, I couldn't give him any more satisfaction from me.

I was cut free from my bounds of rope, but it didn't do me any good. I wouldn't have been able to run , I was in too much pain. I wished for a quick, painless death, but knowing that since luck was never on my side, of course I got just the opposite.

I was lying down on the stage of the theatre, clutching my leg that he had stabbed. He tortured me with slashes from his knife, but never cut or stabbed me anywhere vital, like my chest, knowing it would kill me. He wanted to have his fun first.

What a sick, twisted version of 'fun'.

I heard Phil chuckle and I weakly opened my eyes through the pain and waves of dizziness and nausea assaulting me from the scent of fresh blood. He was leaning over me, smiling triumphantly as he clutched my throat and slowly lifted me up. I gasped and weakly clawed at his hand. My movements were slow and sluggish. I had lost so much blood that I barely had any strength left. It was amazing I was still conscious.

"Had enough yet, Bella?" he said, laughing lightly.

Like you'd listen to me even if I did answer, I thought bitterly. I wanted this to end so badly. I didn't know how much more of this I could take.

"Well, that's too bad, isn't it? What a pity…" Phil said as if I had answered him, throwing me roughly to the side. I slid across the floor of the stage, leaving light blood streaks behind as I hit the back wall. My head painfully crashed against the hard surface. I winced.

"It's too bad Edward hasn't gotten here yet. I wouldn't want him to miss this," Phil said, walking towards me again.

My eyes widened. "W-what… do you m-mean?!" I gasped.

"Why, I invited him of course."

"Why?! Edward has nothing… to do w-with this!"

"Bella, Bella," He said, shaking his head. "I'm not stupid. I knew from the moment I found you that you told Edward. I only told you otherwise so you would fool yourself into thinking he was safe. It was quite amusing actually."

"L-leave Edward out of this!"

"Sorry, sweetheart. He's too much of a risk to leave alive. He needs to be taken out." Phil grinned and punched me hard in the stomach, making all the air in my lungs leave me in a great whoosh.

"Hasn't this torture been enough… of your 'fun' for… you?" I gasped out. "Why can't you j-just kill me, already?"

"I want to see Edward's dear face just before I do; I can't afford to miss that."

"D-do you want me to b-beg for… death?" I hissed, black dots clouding my vision again. I knew I was fading quickly, and I welcomed it.

"You don't need to, but that would certainly be amusing to see and hear."

He clutched my upper arm and started to raise me again, probably for another blow, when all of a sudden the theatre doors burst open and in walked… Edward!

I couldn't see clearly through my blurry, black-dotted vision, but I would have been able to recognize Edward anywhere, and that was definitely him. He was running quickly towards the stage. I couldn't make out his facial expression, but it was probably fierce.

"Edward… d-don't… get away," I gasped. Phil laughed again and let go of my arm abruptly, letting me fall full force back onto the force of the stage. I couldn't restrain the whimper that escaped my lips.

"BELLA!" I heard Edward shout. But I my mind was so hazy, it sounded muffled and far away.

"Hello Edward. About time you got here," Phil said lightly, as if greeting him to a party.

"You son of a bitch, let her go!" Edward roared. I tried to open my eyes and focus on Edward, but my body just wouldn't let me.

"Edward…" I croaked. "Go away. Leave…"

"See? She doesn't even want you here," Phil laughed. "You should have never come, Edward. It will only end badly."

"Don't touch her!"

"I'm afraid it's a little too hard for that…" Phil, as if trying to prove his point, kicked me forcefully in the chest, creating sharp pains to shoot through. I was pretty sure he had cracked or even broken a few ribs. I squeezed my eyes shut and grimaced against the pain.

"BELLA!" I heard footsteps coming closer.

"Now, now, Edward…" but before he could finish, I felt Phil being pushed away from my side. I squinted my eyes open and saw two blurry figures fighting across the stage. I couldn't tell who was winning, my consciousness was going fast.

And then I was lost once more.

EPOV

I punched Phil across the jaw again, hearing another cracking thud, much to my satisfaction. It didn't matter how many times I would punch or kick this bastard; he deserved more. The fury and rage that filled me when I saw him leaning over Bella's broken body was so overpowering, it felt as if a monster inside of me was awakening.

I let this rage blind me as I threw my fists at Phil. I was a good fighter.

But so was he.

He punched me hard across the side of my head, sending my staggering a few steps. My slight pause in action was all he needed to punch me again and again. He kicked me, throwing me off the edge of the stage. I opened my eyes, scrambling to my feet just as he made his way back over to Bella.

Now was the time.

"NOW!" I shouted.

Right on cue, a dozen policemen including the investigators, Emmett, Alice, Rose, and Jasper, ran through the doors. We had planned for me to go in first, to make him think that I was alone. When I needed for them to come in, I would shout out to them. The police and investigators all had their guns drawn out and pointed towards Phil.

Phil froze, looking around him as they surrounded him. I was going to step closer, to be closer to Bella, but Emmett put a hand on my shoulder, holding me back.

"Phil Dwyer, put Bella down and step away from her," One of the investigators called out. Phil looked shocked for only a second longer before putting on a sly grin.

"If you're going to take me out, then the girl goes down with me," he said, taking his bloody knife, stained with Bella's blood I thought sickeningly, and pointed it towards her throat.

"I will repeat myself, Mr. Dwyer. Put Bella down and step away from her with your hands up."

"Sorry, not gonna happen."

"Do it now, Mr. Dwyer."

"No!"

"You can do it the easy way or the hard way. You choose."

"Neither! I won't surrender ever. If I die here, then so does this bitch!" He poked Bella's throat with the tip of his knife and I growled. My heart was racing as I noticed Bella was unconscious. Please, please, let her be okay.

Of course my main priority on the way here was finding Bella alive, but I couldn't help but make… contingency plans in the back of my mind. I couldn't live without her, of course. That much was obvious. If she was going to the next world, then so was I.

But… she needed to die for that to happen, and oh God, please don't let her die! I needed my angel more than I needed air. She was my air.

"Mr. Dwyer-"

"No!"

"You leave me no choice…"

"No," Phil said, his eyes blazing with determination. "If you won't back down, then you leave me no choice."

Phil raised his knife, ready to plunge Bella through the throat. His arm holding the knife came down…

"NO!" I screamed.

A gunshot went off.

Phil, whose arm was in Midair, half-way to Bella's throat, collapsed to the ground with a sickening thud.

A/N: Hit or Miss?

So sorry this came out late, but I had relatives over and then I had to bake cookies with my sister. Not to mention this chapter was extremely difficult to write. You don't know how many times I had to stop and look back on what I wrote, erase it, and then rewrite it again.

Anyway, tell me what you think! Only ONE chapter left and then the epilogue!!!

The chapter title for the next chapter it "Fix You" by Coldplay. Listen to it to get a sense of what's gonna happen next!

REVIEWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!

Peace out.