A/N: "OMG… YOU'RE HER!" (One of the best reactions I've ever gotten!) I want to dedicate this chapter to Dawah Clair. She's a super awesome fan and kick ass person to talk to. This one is for you. Sorry I wasn't able to finish before you went to camp.

Serene
Chapter Twelve

I could feel my heart pounding inside my chest. The only thing I could hear was thump thump thump. Down below, Justin hadn't stopped from choking Jason. As I watched the pair, I couldn't help but feel short of breath. No air seemed capable of processing inside my lungs.

Oh god… what if something happened to Jason? What if he got killed? No. NO! I wouldn't let that happen. The fact that his life was in danger was my fault. It was all my fault. If I hadn't even taken a second glance at him, this situation wouldn't be happening. Shit. This was bad. All Justin had to do was flex and Jason's breathing would cease. No. I would stop this.

"I could snap your neck in two right now. Just one word and I won't resist." Justin snarled below.

A cackle sounded next and I recognized it as Jason. Looking down below, I saw the muscle in Justin's hand twitch. He was itching to flex and crack Jason's fragile neck. I could tell. I could see it in his body language. This was not good.

"Do it but I know for a fact that Serene would have you're dick cut off if you followed through. So do it. You'd only have the best thing in your life kill you." Jason smiled, knowing that his words would trigger Justin into a frenzy.

Justin's eyes flickered with anger and the vein in his neck twitch with fury. "You are a rat bastard and I should just massacre you here right now, right here. Serene could chop off my dick, I wouldn't care because you're head would be mounted on a mantle where I could see it everyday. It would give me great pleasure to see your head on my wall. What a trophy that would be."

I had heard enough. As fast as my legs would possibly carry me, I ran down the stairs at a blazing speed. Opening the door on the first level, I headed to the crowd in front.

"This is pointless!" I said, rage coating my words. I hope they stung because I was about to beat both of these of their asses. Their fighting was stupid and irritating.

As I watched the men before me, I could tell that there was tension in the air. Jason's eyes zeroed in on Justin and they searched him, looking for a weakness. Soon a wide cocky smirk stretched across his smug face. "At least I had her first."

Time froze and I couldn't breathe. Oh fuck no. Jason just broke the ultimate rule. Never kiss and tell, ever, especially to a fully breed vampire who could overpower the entire world in a blink of an eye.

At first, Justin showed no reaction whatsoever, but after a few seconds, a glint of wrath sparkled in his eyes. That was never a good sign.

I didn't know what to do. What could I do? I knew something was about to happen, but I couldn't figure just quite what Justin was planning.

The still air around us crackled with hostility. It made my heart rate increase and my hands start to sweat. Suddenly, a low venomous growl sliced the silence. The deep warning was a sign… a sign that told everyone something was about to happen.

Oh god, oh god, now I was panicking.

First a click sounded and then I saw a flash of light hit my eyes. I was blinded for a couple seconds.

But that couple seconds of blindness… proved fatal.

Justin's claws elongated into deadly sharp weapons that made Freddy Kruger look like a retard from Sesame Street. His eyes… they were laced with anger. He was infuriated. Bashing Jason back into the glass, the hunter tumbled to the ground, the wind knocked out of him. Trudging over to his brother Brandon, Justin pushed him off of Blake with enough force to send him back about five feet. I heard the thump as Brandon hit a tree, knocking him out entirely.

Another growl ripped free from Justin's throat as he picked up Blake as if he weighed as much as a toothpick and held him up in front. Then with a nasty snarl, Justin pushed his hand into Blake's chest.

A gurgle of saliva and blood leaked out of the hunter's mouth, staining his teeth crimson. Justin pushed his hand inside Blake's body further and the sound of his skin cracking around his hand made my stomach nauseous. The sound of blood and fluids seeping against the foreign object was foul, making my stomach do a summersault.

I could hear Justin moving his hand around inside of Blake's chest and it nearly made me puke. After a crack and a crunch, I regained my sight, which was a horrible time.

A pool of deep crimson blood was seeping below Blake. Justin was digging for the hunter's heart. What else would he be doing? Leaving a birthday present? Doubtful.

Jumping forward, I clung to Justin's arm, trying to tug it out of Blake's chest. So what if Justin was stronger? I could at least try. Tugging with all my might, I tried to yank the hand out of the body, but it seemed useless. Justin's hand didn't budge, not even an inch.

Looking up at Blake, I stared into his nearly lifeless eyes. They were filled with fear and pain… endless pain, enriched with throbbing anguish. As I searched Blake's desperate eyes, I felt tears trickle down my cheeks. I could clearly see the grief and sorrow ridden within his eyes. The agony and torture he must be enduring… god, how was he still breathing?

"Justin… please, stop." My voice cracked as I asked him to stop. Seeing Blake in such distress and torment made me ache with misery. No one, not even a hunter should go through this kind of suffering. This kind of cruelty was unknown to someone like me and I wished I'd never seen such malice.

The tears streaked down my cheeks as I whimpered. I felt like I was sharing Blake's distress. I didn't want to feel it, but since I glanced into his eyes, I couldn't but help undergo the misfortune with him. I couldn't even imagine enduring this distress alone. I wouldn't be able to keep myself sane.

"Justin… oh god…" I sobbed his name, feeling a pang of guilt strike me through the heart. This was my entire fault. All of it. I should be the one getting my heart torn out of, not Blake. How was this fair? The blame should be on me!

With another rumble and a sinister snarl, Justin plucked Blake's heart from his body. As simple as that, Blake's life was consumed by a monster, one which I had part in creating.

Falling to my knees, I didn't stop my tears. I couldn't because I wanted to cry. Blake was dead because of me. This time, I had a reason to cry. Fuck being strong, I wanted to feel weak and feeble. I wanted to be broken just as Jason's brother had. If feeling frail and pathetic would help me cry, then I'd feel puny and pitiable.

The thump of Blake's body hitting the ground made me choke. As I tried to hold down the bile as Justin squeezed the hunter's heart until it burst, sending blood squirting in different directions, but I had no success. It was sick and revolting. The Justin I knew was gone. He had disintegrated into dust particles, no longer being able to be seen.

A rumble of a growl that came from Justin made me lift my head up. He looked menacing. From the trail of blood that oozed down from the hand which pulled out the beating heart of Blake to the sharp deadly fangs that glimmered in the sunlight. They had lengthened with his resentment, making him appear alarmingly intimidating.

Sniffling, I used what will power I had to stand and face fiend I had crafted. Gazing into Justin's black eyes, I frowned, feeling the hatred pound through my veins. Bringing my hand to his cheek, I slapped him so hard and so fast that there was no time to prevent it.

"What's wrong with you?" I barked at him as my fists clenched together. "Blake did nothing wrong and you decide to take his life?" I slapped him again, reddening Justin's other cheek. The force from my slap turned Justin's face so that he was looking in the other direction. Good. Now he had two matching hand prints and the image of that reminded me of Miroku when Sango smacked the hell out of him.

Justin slowly turned his face so that he was glaring down at me. I didn't let my guard down and I kept my anger in check. There was no way I would degrade myself to his level. What a low life. How could you just take a human life and feel no regret. It was sickening.

Jason rose behind us, catching Justin's attention. As I turned to look back, I felt a sharp blade at my throat. An arm spun around my waist, wrenching me backwards. With a sharp intake of breath, I seized the wrist that was grasping the knife at my throat. Panting with fear, I struggled to get lose, but the dagger was only pushed closer to my skin.

A drop of nervous sweat slipped down my forehead as I looked at Justin. He was rigid with terror and panic. With widened eyes, his concern was obvious, but what was the most interesting was the look in his eyes. I saw alarm and horror.

Gulping down the uneasy feeling I was experiencing, I relaxed my body, hoping to help the situation.

"Jason… what are you—"

"Shut. Up." He commanded and the words hung heavy with distrust and fury. Jason's whole body reeked with angry bitterness. He was seething out bile hatred and loathing as if it were a cake baking in the oven. The despise was visible from a hundred miles away.

"Let her go. Serene is… pregnant." Justin said, his voice calm, but close to being on the edge. If he'd spoken any angrier, then Jason probably would have taken it the wrong way.

"Since you've had… intercourse with her, there is a chance that the baby is yours, but if anything happens to her, you may never know, because you'll either be hanging by your toes getting the life sucked out of you or you'll be torn in half. Either way you're screwed if you cause her any pain. Would you want that on your conscious? Would you want people to recognize you by the "baby killer"?"

I gazed at Justin, trying to encourage him to keep talking. The more he chattered, the more time I would have time to think of how to get out of the position I was in. Would Jason really slice my throat clean open? Shit, I hope not, for his sake and mine.

"Now, if you just let her g—"

The sound of tires squealing on the pavement made all our heads turn. From the road, a lime green Mosler MT900S screeched into the parking lot. Justin's eyebrow was raised as he stared at the sports car.

When it came to a stop though, the person who stepped out… maybe shivers go down my back. Justin howled with rage as he saw Tom step out of the key lime monster. The infamous slayer took one last drag on his cigarette before flicking it to the ground and stomping it out. Raising his eyes, a wicked smirk spread across his face.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the prince of darkness himself. Nice to finally see you again, a bit pale, but isn't that just peachy keen." He chuckled darkly as he saw the vein on Justin's neck spasm, signaling that he was pissed off.

Walking closer, he took a quick sidestep, causing his long black hair to shift onto his shoulder. His gaze lowered to the bloodied corpse behind Justin and the slayer seemed shocked. At his sides, his fists were clenched, causing his knuckles to go snow white from clamping together his hands so hard.

"So, I see that my younger son no longer draws breath." Tom's eyes shifted toward Jason and I as we stood there, still as ever.

"P-please." I gasped, as I was slowly getting less and less air because of Jason's tight hold. Reaching toward Justin, I tried to grab his hand, but the instant Justin reached to touch mine, Tom unsheathed a long, sharp dagger and placed it on my arm, threatening to take harsh action if he went any closer.

Jason pulled me backwards so I was forced to walk away from Justin. Groaning, I started to struggle more. I wanted my freedom. I had to have it.

"No!" Justin yelled and started toward me, but Tom stepped in front of him, the dagger still in hand.

I saw Justin hiss, his eyes pulsing with fury and hatred. "Don't you dare hurt her, I'll fucking kill you!"

"A life for a life. You brought this upon yourself for killing my son and now you're going to wish you'd thought before acting you dirty leech. No one kills my son without some sort of punishment. No one, you son of a bitch, you hear me?" Tom bellowed. "Jason, knock the bitch out."

I panted and fought as best I could, but before I knew if, I was pulled into Tom's car. Whipping my head backwards, I hit Jason's mouth with the back of my head. Even though I was dazed, I could still make out the outline of slayer and vampire.

Crack!

I felt my world go dark, but just a pinch of light was visible. I could hear my heart beating quickly in my ears as an arm pulled me back tighter against a body. After the slam of two car doors, the purr of the engine started, and a jolt of movement caused me to jerk forward a tiny bit.

Breathing intensely, I tried to keep my eyes open and find something to break myself free, but the light disappeared.

The last thing I heard was a roar of agony which sounded like my name. My world suddenly slipped into darkness.