Double or Nothing

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Live

So maybe if they say their strong,
They'll always have someone to rely on,
And maybe when the dark closes in,
You'll do anything,

Here you are now,
You're trying your best but it's not good enough,
And you could lose everything,
Fight or Flight- Riddle TM

Deeeeddddiiicaaatiiionnn- this chapter it dedicated to: jennimiley, xXcoolkat390Xx and cutietrp.
I love every single one of my beloved readers to bits! Thank you all so much T^T I don't care if I'm a broken record.

xxxXxxx

George blinked and lifted his head. Where was he? Wherever he was he was he was alone. He had been lying on his stomach and immediately sat up. He prodded his side, no pain, no broken ribs and his head wasn't burning any longer.
His immediate assumption was that he must be dead, surely that was the only explanation. As his vision came into focus he realised that his surroundings had not changed, he was still in the same forest in the same snow. His head felt…different…George frowned and lifted a hand to the left side of it promptly withdrawing it with a gasp. His ear was there! He had been without it for so long he'd forgotten was it was like to have two ears. What the hell? He was definitely dead…wasn't he?
He slowly got to his feet, one hand on the tree's trunk, slowly turning on the spot to confirm that he was alone.
He wasn't. As he completed his turn he gave a shout of surprise and almost fell backwards at the sight. Perched on a low branch, swinging their legs lazily above the snow sat...Tonks. Tonks? Seriously? George had certainly not expected that, if anyone where to show up he would expect it to be Fred. Certainly not Nymphadora in any case.

She was smiling down at him, her hair her preferred shade of bubblegum pink and looking for all the world very much alive.
"Well hi there, George, long time no see." She grinned at him.

He simply stared at her for several moments "I'm dead aren't I?" He asked after a while.

She didn't answer and instead sighed "Friendly ain't ya? I expected at least a how do you do….not that that wouldn't be a pointless question ey?"
She sighed as George continued to stare, waiting for an answer. "Geez, you really have a different personality now…sorry. Are you dead?" She paused, as if to think about it "Yes and no I suppose. By that I mean you're damn close to it."
With that the young mother jumped from her perch on the branch to land in front of George, looking him up and down.
"You've no idea why I'm here do you?"

George shook his head "Or why I'm here for that matter. Can't I just be dead?"

"You really do want to die, don't you?" Her voice was half understanding and half sarcastic. Which was the dominant was indecipherable. "It's not all it's cracked up to be."

"I don't care." George said stoically "I haven't anything to live for now, I finally realise that."

Nymphadora sighed "Bright little ray of sunshine aren't ya, George? I don't even know why I'm here alright? I haven't got a special message for you if that's what you're looking for." She sighed and her eyes, now a shade of brown, softened "But you don't want to die, George but hey…" she lifted her head as a snowflake dropped gently onto her "There are others who can talk you out of it perhaps a lot better than me."
And with that, the witch turned to walk off, making for the thicker part of the trees. She froze suddenly and turned "And, make sure my son knows his parents loved him…" she looked quite sad for a moment before hastily adding "Wotcher, George."

She had gone now, leaving George no better off than he had been before. He lifted a hand to his ear again, how could he only be close to death. He had been that before and nothing like this had ever happened.
Was it even happening now? He clenched his eyes shut for a few moments and pinched himself, it must just be a dream. But when he opened his eyes nothing had changed. He so wanted to see the real Fred again, but then, it would probably be enough to kill him, not that that would be such a bad thing.

"Hey."

That voice, that single word was enough to make George lift his resigned head. Enough to make his jaw quiver and his eyes fill with tears. He didn't care about crying anymore, there was a time when neither Fred nor George would be caught dead crying, that time died along with Fred.

But it wasn't only him crying now, as he lifted his head, the very first thing he noticed was his twin's face was shining with tears. Crystal orbs that continued to fall as the brothers stared at each other.

"You're dying, Georgie. You're dying…" Fred voice was shaky and he shook his head slightly to himself.

It was only then that George realised, Tonks had looked very much alive…well for a dead woman, while Fred was as bloody as the day he died.
He nodded "I've been told…but…you are really here, right? I mean, this is you?" Half apprehensively he stepped forward.

Fred nodded "Yeah…I'm here. God, you don't know what it's like to watch myself killing my twin…"

George lost it then, completely lost control of his emotions and finally allowed himself to break. Dropping to his knees in the snow he let himself cry, wracking sobs that shook his whole body. He felt four years old again, blubbering like a child and clenching his arms in a feeble attempt to stop himself shaking. And then Fred was beside him, his arms around his brother's shoulders and his own tears falling silently.

They stayed like that until George's sobs slowly subsided, he hiccupped slightly. Never had he felt more childish but he knew Fred's face must look the same. And it did, he saw as he looked up. Fred's eyes were as red as he was sure his were and his cheeks blotchy.

"Why won't you let me die?" He muttered "We can be twins again."

Fred smiled sadly "You know the answer to that. Because you won't let me go…and until you do, I'll do anything to keep you alive." He sighed and dropped his hands "You gotta live, George."

"You tell me honestly you'd be able to let me go if I had died. Then I'll let go." George challenged, looking Fred in the eyes.

The elder twin did not answer, had it been George, Fred knew that his own life would already have ended but he would not let that happen to George.

"You can't…and neither can I." George said "Please, Fred. Don't try to convince me to wake up. Let me stay…" He wiped his eyes with a sleeve and sniffed.

"I know I can't talk you out of anything, George. I'll never convince you to wake up. I'm just telling you…you'll die if you don't soon." Fred sounded almost resigned, and he was almost, relying on a last attempt to remind George what dying meant.

"Don't you get it, idiot! I WANT to die." George shouted, getting to his feet "I want to be your twin again."

"What about the family, George? Haven't you thought about them?" Fred pleaded, getting to his own feet, exactly the same height as his twin. "Seriously, if you died too…they already don't know what's happened to you!"

"God! You sound like Percy, I don't care Fred." It was amazing really, how quickly he could so from blubbering to being fiercely angry with his dead twin. His brother actually wanted him to leave him.

"I don't care if I sound like a prat! They'll never find your body…"It was a horrible thought really, and the elder twin couldn't imagine how it must have felt for George to see his dead body.
"You know I ain't going nowhere…"

"I'll age and you won't! I don't wanna die at eighty and you'll still be twenty…hell no!"

Fred turned away then and sighed, "Please, George. You gotta live."

George didn't speak so Fred continued "We're identical twins. We promised that we'd always be there for each other, right? Always together?"

Behind him, George nodded "But you already broke that…" he muttered quietly.

Fred turned around then and nodded too "I know I did. But I can still be here for you…just not literally. " He sighed, tucking one hand into a pocket and walked back over to George, laying a hand on his shoulder.
"Being dead ain't all it's made out to be. It's damn boring actually."

"Well I'll liven things up." George responded stubbornly.

"If you're here…I can't call you Lugless anymore…" Fred sighed dejectedly, clapping George on his newly restored ear. "You'll never see anyone again if you die now. You'll never be a godfather, and the kid's already got one dead uncle. They don't need two."

George said nothing and pulled his head away, an overwhelming sense of guilt beginning to overcome him. No. He couldn't let it. His first loyalty was to Fred and no one else.

"You gotta live, George. Live…"And with that Fred blinked away the tears in his eyes, one escaping as he embraced his twin. But this time, George couldn't return it, and by the time he did lift his arms to do so…Fred had gone.

He stood in silence for several moments but it felt like hours, George only stared at his feet. His hair hanging over his eyes, effectively hiding it completely from any passer-by, not that there would be any.

"Is that it then?" he muttered, so softly at first he could barely hear himself. His head shot up, staring into the air and the falling snow.

"IS THAT IT?" A snow flake dropped into his eye but he ignored it "YOU'RE GONNA BLOODY LEAVE ME NOW?" He shook his head, white flecks of snow flying from it and melting in the air.

"That's not keeping your promise…" he trembled his hands clenching into fists at his sides "Stop breaking your promise!"

Fred didn't come back and George stood there, shaking, but refusing to allow the fresh salty tears access to his cheeks.

He could have resembled a snowman when he finally moved to shake the snow from himself. He didn't know what to do anymore. How did he even wake up anyway? Even if he wanted to? Did he just hang around here until his body decided it had enough and finally died? How boring. Still he'd rather die.
But it was awfully lonely, he knew Fred wouldn't come back, as long as he was here, he would be alone. Would he come back if he woke? His heart leapt, would Fred talk to him again if he lived? Much as he hated to admit it, it was probably better than hanging around in between life and death completely alone.

But how did he wake up?

xxxXxxx

The stationary body twitched slightly, his bare chest only rising and falling so slightly it was unnoticeable unless you took the time to study it. The damage was obvious, almost every wound fresh with the exception of his shoulder and missing ear. He appeared quite dead at first glance, his skin pale and gaunt, as though all blood had evacuated his body and his limbs limp and lifeless.
The glow and warmth of the fire did nothing to warm the iciness of his skin. But despite all that, beneath the thin eyelids his eyes were darting around, his lips slightly parted to allow that slight wisp of life sustaining air in and out.
Then, without any kind of warning, his eyelids snapped open.

xxxXxxx

XD I'm so, so sorry! I know you all hate me now but cliffhangers keep you interested soooooo….that is my excuse :P I apologize for the slight shortness but I reeealllly wanted to get this chapter out soooo here :)