A/N Hiya fella's! I'm sorry this one took a bit longer than usual, and I'm not gonna lie but there no excuse for it being late. I did write bits throughout the week but I always wrote at night so I'd get tired and give up! Well I hope you all enjoy this chapter, because in this one we make a big breakthrough!

Thanks for reviewing!

Wolfie96

Happy2BeeMe

PiperMcLean351

Elephantluv

Brandibuckeye

Pretty Monster Princess

Chanalamas

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Disclaimer: I wish I owned Twilight and its characters, but sadly I DO NOT! :P

A Dragon and A Stranger.

For as long as I've lived, there has always been a piece of me that fought against the darkness and another piece that created it. I was constantly wearing myself out to fight against the anger, the hatred that burnt in the very pit of my soul. Much like a knight slaying the dragon, but only I had to slay my dragon over and over and over again.

I'd always dreamt of what it would be like, to hold the dragons head in my hands and present it to my heart as a sacrifice. A sacrifice that would end all my burdens and give me the life I had always wanted, the life that I had lost. But nothing seemed to change all my life, the dragon was undefeatable.

I would never have its head as my sacrifice to my impure heart.

And as I sat on the hospital bed, my eyes wide and rimmed with tears, that part of me that fought the darkness, disappeared. Like ashes in the wind, it flew away.

And all that was left, was a chipped heart and a darkened soul.

"Please leave." I heard myself whisper, at least I thought it was me.

For so long I hadn't ever heard my voice, to the point I had forgotten what it sounded like. The voice sounded like ice, cold and dark like a winters night. A voice that sounded like mine, and the lips it came from were indeed mine. But the voice itself was another's, someone I thought I had trapped inside myself with my bloody chains.

Dr Cullen looked at me, pity and sadness etched onto his insanely gorgeous face. But I didn't want his pity, I didn't need someone feeling sorrow for my sake. He was a fool, all men were.

He stood there, a pride that covered every man glowing gently around his soul. Oh how I wanted to destroy it, make him feel how I feel. And the girl, the nurse standing next to me. How dare her eyes fill with tears, she wasn't allowed to cry for Gran.

Gran doesn't want her tears.

"Leave!" This time I shouted it, my face becoming red in my anger as I glared harshly at the doctor. Dr Cullen nodded, the pity in his eyes never leaving as he grasped the nurses shoulder and walked out the door.

At the click of the door shutting closed, I suddenly felt fearfully cold.

He must be lying, Gran can't possibly be dead, it was just impossible to believe. I'd know if she were dead, I'd feel it in my heart if she had gone. But that's the thing, even though I fought against the strengthening ache in my heart, I knew she was dead. My head dropped, hanging on my shoulders as I stared down and my wet fists. I watched as the tear drops landed on my fist, some rolling down my knuckles slowly. There was no way he could be telling the truth.

I fought against my common sense, my heart refusing the thought of something so idiotic like my grandma being dead. It was impossible, this must be some sort of a sham to test me.

Clearly the test had won.

My mouth opened, a loud screeching thunder of a cry echoing in the once silent hospital room. There was no pause for breath, my mouth wide open as my screams filled the room.

I had never felt so much pain in all my life, it was as simple as that.

My chest felt like it was on fire. The flames bloody lips touching my impure heart, grinding against it as it chuckled at my inferiority. I felt so small, so unneeded and undesired. My hands grabbed hold of my hair, pulling and tugging at the small strands. My head connected against the wall behind me, over and over again as I fought against the insanity. It gripped at the edges of my mind, waiting in excitement for me to completely crack. To let all my emotions run wild in the world.

And become the impure entity that I truly am.

A hand grabbed my shoulder, the intense heat nothing compared to the fire burning inside of me. I clawed at the hand, my mind much like an animals as my sharp nails pierced the hand. The person let out a small hiss, and I looked up at the face with eyes blinded with tears. Quil stood before me, his cut-off jeans hanging loosely around his waist and a saddened look on his face.

I felt so small sitting next to him, his big tall body standing over me much like a skyscraper, made me feel so… safe. I didn't know what possessed me in that very moment, but my whole demeanour changed from a wild beast to a lonely little mouse. I let out a small cry of agony, as I grabbed a hold of his shoulders. The heat of his skin reminded me so much of Embry's and at that thought I let out another pained cry.

Grandma….Embry.

I hadn't realised until now how much those two people truly meant to me, how much the pain hurt at knowing something terrible had happened to them. I had lost one… I wasn't going to lose the other. "Where is he?" I heard my voice whisper, sounding much calmer than my first words in so long. Quil stiffened, looking down at me in shock at having heard me speak. But I didn't find myself feeling any shock or joy at having my lips and words unlocked, because at this very moment all I could think about was what I had lost and what I may be losing.

"You're…talking now?" Quil whispered quietly, as if he thought speaking to loud would awaken my silence and force me back into my taciturnity. I nodded my head, tears still falling from my eyes silently. Quil smiled lightly, his once saddened expression wiped away and his usual glow grew once more. But then he frowned slightly in distaste, remembering my previous question.

"Don't worry about Embry, you need to think about yourself right now." He said quietly, rubbing my shoulders gently in comfort. I looked over to his hand, finding myself feeling somewhat ok with having his hands there. Quil seemed to be one of the men I could accept to touch me, even though I barely knew him. I frowned, looking back at Quil with a determined glare.

"Don't make me laugh." I say quietly, being the only level of volume I could produce after the loud shouting and screaming before. Quil took his hand off of my shoulder, scratching the back of his neck. "As you wish." Quil said, bowing slightly as if I were a queen that he served. He turned his back to me, walking over to the only chair in the room that had a pair of clothes folded neatly on top of it. He grabbed the clothing and looked at my legs, discomfort in his eyes.

I followed his gaze to my legs, frowning in distaste as I looked at the imposter legs.

Not mine.

"It's ok, I can just wear what I'm wearing now." I said quietly, looking up at Quil with a forced smile. Quil shook his head, scrunching up his forehead into wrinkles as he spoke. "No, your clothes are revealing at the back. Embry would kill me if I let you out like that, even if he's in a coma" Quil chuckled lightly, only to realise his mistake when I gasped. Quil looked up at me, immediately regretting what he had said. "Sorry" He whispered quietly, placing the folded pair of clothing onto the bed. I shook my head, my eyes yet again rimming with tears.

I wanted nothing more than to take Embry's place.

Both of us had been a victim to the accident, yet Embry was the one in the coma and I

I looked down at my legs, a frown reaching my lips. I got these legs that couldn't walk, these legs that couldn't take me to Embry. I pushed back my tears, refusing to be weak in front of another person. If I was weak, I was the perfect victim.

"How about I go get one of the female nurses to help?" Quil said, pointing his thumb towards the now opened door. At his words, my eyes widened slightly, realising what he had just said. "Female?" I said, my voice cracking. Quil nodded, scratching the back of his head.

"Yeah, Sam told us after the accident." He said quietly, looking away almost as if he were the one embarrassed. I lowered my head, heat rising to my cheeks at him knowing the truth. So that meant everyone I lied to now knew I was really a girl? I shook my head, truly realising how stupid I was. Quil patted my head awkwardly, walking in the direction of the door. "Wait!" I shouted only to cough at the croaky cry. I still wasn't used to talking, and so far I had spoken quite a bit and now it was having an effect on me. After not having spoken for so long, of course my throat would ache.

Quil looked over to me, smiling.

"Its ok Riley, I'm not mad that you didn't tell me you were a girl." He said. I let out a relieved sigh, my hands loosening from its clench. "But…" Quil added and I looked at him nervously. "Promise me, when Embry wakes up, you'll tell him you're really a girl." He said, his usual mischievous fading slightly at his serious look. I nodded lightly and at my nod Quil smiled and walked out to door to collect a female nurse.

A few moments he returned, with the same female nurse that was here earlier with Dr Cullen. She smiled at me sadly, yet she seemed uneasy around me now. She helped me undress from my hospital gown into a pair of tight jeans and a too small shirt, which made me feel embarrassed about my size. "I can get you one size larger if you want?" The nurse asked me as I tried to pull the shirt down more. The hem of the red shirt rested just above my belly button, revealing my pasty white skin. I shook my head, not wanting to trouble her.

The nurse nodded her head.

"I hear you want to go visit the boy that was in the accident with you?" The nurse questioned politely, curiosity in her eyes. I nodded my head slightly at her question, and then I asked a questions that had been bothering me ever since I gained some form of consciousness. "What happened to the person that hit our car?" I asked quietly, gnawing on my bottom lip nervously. The nurse sighed, placing my folded hospital gown onto her lap as she looked outside the window. "He turned out ok, luckily he was wearing a seatbelt unlike you and that boy." She commented, not meaning to judge me for the irresponsible act. I hadn't even realised that neither of us were wearing a seatbelt at the time, too caught up the panic of the whole situation. I heard myself release a small breath I hadn't realised I was holding in. I looked back up at the nurse, conflicted eyes meeting saddened ones.

"Who was at fault?" I asked, my voice being even lower than it has been throughout the whole conversation, almost a whisper. It still felt unbelievably strange to be talking, and for the life of me I couldn't understand what caused my lips to unseal. Whether it was my anger or….because of Gran.

"The other driver went through a red light, his alcohol levels were high and he'll have a hearing at court. Which you and your friend will be present at of course." The woman added and I felt myself stiffen at her sentence.

If he wakes up.

My fists clenched tightly around the bed blanket, and I shook my head, trying to erase the painful thought from my mind. "Can I see him now?" I asked as quietly as I had before, my words slipping through my lips ever so slightly. The nurse nodded her head slightly, strands of red hair falling out of her messy bun. She left the room for a few moments, only to return with an object that was now the very object I now despised.

A wheelchair.

I glared at the misfortune, anger at the imposter legs that were now attached to my heating my glare. Being stubborn I pushed the wheelchair away from me, watching it roll back towards the nurse who had only been standing a small distance away from it. She frowned at me but her eyes widened as she watched my rise to my feet.

I pushed my hands against the edge of my bed, pulling myself up into standing. And for one short second I stood balanced on my feet, but the moment I took a step in the doors direction, I tumbled to the floor, my legs giving out under me. I hit the floor hard, my head connecting with the edge of the bed. I hissed as pain shot up my ribs and the nurse rushed to my aid, pulling the wheelchair with her. "Don't be stubborn, dear. In time you'll learn to move your legs properly again." She whispered to me, hushing me silently as tears rimmed my eyes. I fought against the clench in my heart, and weakly I let the woman help me to my feet and place me gently into the chair.

The nurse pushed me down the hospital hall and I couldn't help but wonder where Quil had ran off to after leaving me with the nurse. I looked into each room as we passed it by, scrunching up my nose as I was met with the sight of a room full of children. I remember what it's like to be in the hospital at such a young age, especially when there was nothing better to do but wallow in your misery. We reached the end of the hallway and the nurse pushed me into the elevator and I watched her as she leant over the wheelchair to press the 6th floor button.

"You really should be resting, you only woke up just a few hours ago." She casually commented as she drummed her manicured nails against the handles of the wheelchair. I heard myself snort, and despite my stressed mood I rolled my eyes. "Then why did you let me out?" I commented, looking over my shoulder at the freckled nurse. She smiled down at me, her blue eyes glittering slightly.

"While I was taking care of you, you actually spoke in your sleep." She told me, and I felt myself blush at her words. "What does that have to do with anything." I mumbled, looking down at my hands as I clasped them together. I heard her laugh at me quietly, which only made my cheeks flush even more.

"I was actually shocked, being how your friend told me you were mute." She continued talking, ignoring my earlier questions. I assumed this so called friend she spoke of was Quil, being how he was the only person I really knew in town so to speak. It was weird though, since before the…accident I had probably only spoken, well more like written, four sentences to the boy. And I couldn't help but think the same of Embry. Not even one week ago had I met him, yet in such a short time of knowing each other, I already feared the thought of losing him.

Which was stupid, being how I knew absolutely nothing about the guy.

"And you know what you said?" I felt myself flinch slightly at the unexpected voice that filled my ears. I looked over my shoulder, forgetting about the nurses presence in the elevator. She smiled at me as I met her eyes, such a gentle look from a complete stranger made me feel slightly uncomfortable. "You kept saying Embry, over and over again to the point where I thought that was all you knew to say." She laughed as my usual pale face turned into a glowing stop light. I quickly turned away from the nurse, and toward the elevator doors as they chimed. The doors opened to the 6th floor and I sighed in relief at being out of the confined space. The nurse rolled me out of the trapping box and down the hallway, still laughing at my obvious embarrassment.

"But you know, that wasn't all you said!" She exclaimed loudly, the noise catching the attention of doctors and patients in the hallway. I really wished at this very moment that I had long hair, because then I could hide behind the thick curtain. Suddenly the nurse stopped pushing my chair, and I looked up at her, arching my eyebrow in question. She looked down at me, a slight serious look in her eyes replacing her once playful one.

"You know what, I think you should figure that out for yourself." She whispered quietly. My cheeks glowed an even darker red, but this time it wasn't in embarrassment. "What's that supposed to mean!" I shouted, only to cough at the loud sound emitting from my throat. The nurse rubbed my shoulders gently as I breathed harshly, my throat becoming sore. "Try not to shout, your throat isn't used to speaking things verbally at the moment. Which is another thing we're going to have you work on in the hospital." She added and I looked at her in confusion, forgetting my anger for the moment. "Well since you haven't spoken since you were eight years old, speaking proper words will be difficult for you. That's why we request you to see a speaking therapist, and not only to control your speaking level but also your actually wording." She told me.

"But I know how to talk." I added dumbly, and she smiled down at me. "Of course you do, but being how you've only heard words for so long, you may need to properly learn how to speak the words." I looked at her in confusion, only slightly understanding what she meant. None the less I nodded my head, only to have my previous anger re-enter my mind.

"So, what else had I said?" I said this casually, hoping the answer might slip out of her mouth without even thinking it. But the nurse only smiled at me, continuing with pushing me down the now empty hallway. I frowned at her.

What the hell did she mean with 'I think you should figure that out for yourself?'

I looked ahead of me, choosing to ignore my restless questions for now, instead of what rested behind the door we now stopped in front of. My eyes were gazing heavily at the door, expecting for my eyes to suddenly get x-ray vision to see what rested behind the door. My chest felt tight, and my breath seemed to come out in short restless pants. I felt a warm hand rest on my shoulder and I flinched at the contact. "I've come up here once or twice and I should warn you that he doesn't look in the best of shape." The nurse said quietly, and her words seemed to slice through my heart, piercing my very soul. I swallowed heavily, my breath sounding more ragged at her words.

Before the nurse could reach the door, I leant toward the door slightly, my hand pausing a few moments before I turned the doorknob. At first I didn't see anything, the door having opened on the right side of where I assumed the bathroom to be. Half of a window could be seen through the door way, and ignoring the hands that rested on the chairs handle, I turned the wheels of my chair down the short passage. And what my eyes met was a sight I wished to be erased.

Embry's tanned russet body lied hidden underneath a white blanket, his raven hair sticking to his head. It was clear he had had been sweating, his hair was soaked and wet trails rested on his jaw. His eyes were shut tight, but the rest of his face seemed almost peaceful. But I couldn't just let myself think her was sleeping, not with the bunch of tubes trailing out of his arms or the several machines that were surrounding him. A large quickly healing gash scarred his forehead and a part of me knew that there must be a scar on his back from the fall of the tree. I ignored the sound of footsteps entering the room, instead I wheeled myself toward his bed, cussing whatever god existed for not giving me legs to run to him. Eventually I reached the bed, and despite my growing desire to touch him, I was afraid that if I did I would hurt him. It felt strange seeing him like this.

In the short time I had known him, he had always seemed so strong so indestructible that it was hard to believe that at this very moment he was vulnerable. "I've never seen somebody heal so quickly before." I heard a quiet whisper, but I found I was unable to look away from Embry's face. He looked like the sleeping man from when I had woken up in the hospital, only to find him sleeping next to me.

"He had several scars all over his body, whether from the crash or just from the fall of the tree we don't know. And it's a miracle that he even survived from the fall of the tree." The nurse added, her voice sounded awed, like all of this really was a phenomenon. I felt anger boil inside of me, and a part of me wanted to claw at the girl for even thinking that what's happening to Embry was a miracle. I felt the claws of insanity edging closer the more I stared at Embry's blank face.

And suddenly I just snapped.

"Well then if this is all such a miracle, then why hasn't he woken up!" I shouted loudly, ignoring the painful need to cough at my loud shout. From the corner of my eyes, I could see the nurse staring at me in shock. "Riddle me that." I spat.

I knew I shouldn't be taking my anger out on her but my anger was out of my control. I wanted to shout and scream at somebody, make somebody suffer as much as I was at that very moment.

"Well" I heard the nurse start, and I slowly tore my eyes away from Embry's face to her slightly sad one. I immediately felt bad for my words, but I couldn't find it in myself to apologise. "Us, I mean nurses and doctors, are supposed to look at things from the logical and medical point of things." She said slowly, only looking up at me when she was finished. "But there is no medical answer to this, even though his injuries were severe his body recovered unlike anything I've ever seen before!" She exclaimed loudly, looking at me as I were the one that could answer the puzzle.

Then she looked back down, her hands clasping together much like mine had before when I was getting played with by her. "There's no real reason for him to be in a coma, the gash to his head would have only caused a slightly concussion and its already healing at a rapid pace." She told me, watching her hands clasp and unclasp together.

"Medically, there is no real answer to his coma." She said to me, and at her answer I looked down. My eyes watched Embry's chest as it rose and fell, slowly and calmly as if he were really just sleeping. Then why? I thought silently to myself, my hands clenching into fists.

"But I think…." The nurse trailed off, and I looked back up at her, unwanted hope in my eyes as I waited for an answer. I couldn't help but want to know what was wrong with him, because if I knew what was wrong, maybe I could help in my own way. The freckled nurse looked up at me, her blue eyes expecting me to judge her from her answer.

"I think he's too scared to wake up.

I arched an eyebrow at her, not getting what she meant. The nurse sighed quietly, running her pale hands through her long red hair. When she didn't answer me, I frowned asking her aloud.

"Of what?

She looked over at Embry, her eyes sad as she watched him much like I had before. I wondered if she personally knew Embry, but from what I learnt of the woman, I supposed her to just be a very compassionate nurse. "Of waking up, and not finding you with him.

Her answer sounded so simple, yet so complicated. My eyes widened at her answer, my heart clenching in the way it always did when it came to Embry. "You mean…" I trailed off, my words filling my thoughts instead. You mean finding out I'm dead? The nurse nodded her head, seeming to understand what I was saying. I shook my head, denying her thoughts. It couldn't be possible, I barely knew him and I was certain he barely knew me. One week had pasted of us knowing each other, but I don't think we've ever had one proper conversation. "How would you know?" I questioned, my words sounding more harsher than I intended. The nurse smiled at me, suddenly becoming some much more wise than I ever could. "Sometimes it takes a stranger to see things you yourself cannot.

And with that she walked over to the window, opening the once closed curtain, filling the room with light. "Ill leave you two alone, but I'll back for you in an hour." She told me, smiling at me as I sat frozen watching her as if she were some strange alien. She left the room after that, and silence filled the room, the only sound being the monitor of Embry's still beating heart.

I shut my eyes as I felt tears build up in my eyes for the thousand time today.

Only to open them again when I suddenly grew afraid.

Afraid that Embry wouldn't be there when I opened my eyes. And then I understood the truth.

I smiled despite myself, my hand reaching for Embry's warm one.

Don't worry, I'll be here….Always.

That's when I let one silent tear escape my eyes, falling silently down my cheek only to fall from my chin onto my useless legs.

Just wake up…Please Embry.

A/N YAY! I hope you enjoyed this one guys, I made it a bit longer this time! :D

I love my reviews, so please do if you can!

ImWatchingYouBurn.