Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight

Chapter 29 – A Cabin in the Woods

Our destination is two hours away. At first we drive in silence, holding hands as always. Lynn's features are drawn, tense. I mirror her mood until I remember something. The foreboding cloud ahead of us today does have one silver lining; if we succeed there won't be any other immediate threats to worry about and we will have a chance to continue exploring our new-found intimacy. I try to remain impassive but my face betrays me and I end up smiling a little. She notices. A tiny v-shaped frown nestles between her eyebrows. She'll never get accustomed to not being able to read my mind.

"What are you thinking?"

"I was thinking of what we'll be doing tonight, if I survive all in one piece." I try a crooked smile. She laughs and shakes her head.

"Oh Brandon… You always know what to say."

"No, usually I really don't. But with you I'm…. I know I can be myself. And it's not my fault my woman is so hot... It makes a guy fantasize…."

"Flatterer." But she beams at me.

We chat about light topics like books or movies the rest of the way, trying not to think too much about our confrontation with Victoria. Anything heavy we already discussed last night or this morning. Eventually we park near a trailhead but Lynn carries me up an old, overgrown logging road.

We will meet the protectors in the spot Alice helped us select yesterday, an old log cabin, in the woods north of Forks, that belongs to the Cullens. Rebecca, Sam, and Seth, all in human form, are already there, waiting for us. The Cullens are all at home. If they come anywhere near us Victoria will stay away. They think she was keeping an eye on the house and that she will be aware of Lynn's scent, knowing she wouldn't let me out of her sight, and mine.

The cabin is a small, one-story structure. Built out of rough logs probably harvested near here, it blends in perfectly with the scenery. It's fronted by a large open area. A dirt path crosses a sea of grass and leads to the door. We exchange greetings with our protectors and talk about the day ahead.

"I know you guys can phase quickly," I tell them. "But aren't you more vulnerable in your human form? Lynn should be able to give you a warning but…"

They laugh.

"Actually, Brandon," Rebecca says with a smirk, "even if we don't phase we are stronger and much more durable than normal humans. To defeat them we definitely have to shift to our wolf shape, but we can hold our own even in this form. We don't want to let our enemies know we are werewolves, yet. Lynn will let us know as soon as she approaches. It will be enough."

"For now, I don't sense her presence. I'll warn you when I do." My girl confirms.

We are not going to use the cabin. Jasper explained it wouldn't be a wise plan for a variety of reasons. We'll wait for them out here instead.

"When will they show up, any idea?" Sam's voice is husky.

"Alice thinks she will get here within a couple of hours. She'll want to strike quick and get out before the rest of the family can enter the fray or cut off her avenues of retreat."

We chat for a bit about Victoria's strengths and weaknesses. Lynn shares as much as she can about her. Valerian instructed her on what he learned during our only encounter. She's fast and strong, obviously, as well as an experienced hunter and tracker, and she won't be alone. At least we are reasonably sure she doesn't know anything about the protectors.

We settle in for a long, stressful wait. Lynn and Rebecca sit next to me, keeping me sandwiched in the middle. Seth and Sam patrol the edge of the clearing and the area behind the cabin, restless.

"So, Lynn…. Are you still sure you're the right woman for Brandon?" Rebecca remarks casually, but I don't like this.

"Yes. I am…..As long as he wants me to be."

Rebecca peers at me, crinkles her forehead, scrutinizes Lynn.

"Despite the danger, Brandon's natural fear and obvious nerves... you both look different today, maybe happier. You almost glow. Now, why would that be?" She tilts her head. Her lips pull into a naughty smile. Needless to say, I blush, but I grin too. Lynn's eyes narrow.

"So you are closer." She leers and then pretends to look disgusted. "Interesting. And you survived, Brandon, not bad." If Rebecca was going for a light tone she's not succeeding.

"I don't see what business it is of yours…." Lynn's voice is rather frosty.

"I still wonder what he sees in you, that's all."

Looks like my guardians have forgotten I'm here. I decide to stay out of this conversation and just enjoy the show.

"You should ask him, then."

Hey, wait a minute, no, she shouldn't.

"Yes, Brandon, what do you see in her?"

Oh, darn. At least I know what to say.

"I see a beautiful woman who loves me as much as I love her." Lynn hugs me wordlessly.

"You really never felt more than friendship for me?" Rebecca can make her eyes smolder too. How do they do it? What's their secret? Is it another inborn talent?

Lynn just glowers at her like there is no tomorrow. Wisely, she won't start a fight. Not when we could be attacked any moment.

I hold on to Lynn's hand and give it a gentle squeeze.

"You don't understand, Rebecca. You say you want me, and I believe you, but you don't need me. You don't need anybody, not yet. You will, when you imprint, but for the time being you don't. Lynn and I can't live without each other. We are only whole when we are together. I hope you can live with that, without resenting it, because your friendship is very important to me."

I don't know where those words even came from, but as soon as I utter them they ring true. Lynn gently turns my head toward her and kisses me. My reward, as usual, takes my breath away. Rebecca sighs, maybe admitting defeat. Her tone changes afterward, and becomes friendlier. She thanks Lynn again for her help when Jacob got hurt.

"Maybe Brandon is right," she adds later on, staring at Lynn and me. "Maybe it was your destiny to be together. I have to admit that you two really have something special going…. When I try to be objective, it's easy to see." She seems a little sad when she says that.

"You will also find your mate, Rebecca, and then you will understand how we feel." I tell her gently.

"You're probably right… but for now I do envy you. The odds were all against you, big time, and yet here you are…." She shakes her head, amused but still a little blue.

Lynn rests a hand on her arm, sympathetic.

"Thank you for helping us, today. Without you and the other protectors we wouldn't stand a chance and we wouldn't be able to do this."

"It's okay. Really, I should thank you. Billy told me what this Victoria woman will do if we don't stop her today. You are putting yourself in danger, not to mention Brandon's life, to protect other humans….."

"We are Cullens. We are not perfect, but we try to do the right thing. I just wanted to run away with him, but we couldn't let school children pay the price of our cowardice… Neither of us could have lived with that." Rebecca nods, her eyes filled with respect.

We while away another hour talking about Victoria, and the potential allies Valerian and Alice saw in their visions. It's hard to make plans when we don't know the exact number we'll face, but generally my companions will try to protect me at all times since I'm the most vulnerable among us. Today, as a mere human, I can only be the bait. It's a real bummer.

Suddenly, Lynn tenses up and scans the trees around us.

"She's not far," she hisses. Sam and Seth, still in the vicinity, quickly close rank. The three natives start removing their clothes.

Three figures stride out of the woods. Victoria is in the center, flanked by a man and a woman. The man is Laurent. The bastard didn't leave as he promised he would. Valerian was right; we should have killed him when we had the chance.

"We thought you were heading for Denali." Lynn snaps at him. He doesn't reply.

"I made him a better offer. It was easy to change his mind." Victoria intones. "But what do we have here? Did you hire some strippers for our little party?"

My friends are already phasing now, wrapped in a cocoon of swirling colors and soon three tall wolves stand in their place. Rebecca's fur is russet, a darker hue than Jacob's. Seth and Sam come in different shades of gray.

Victoria and her companions back off a step but she growls and sneers at the wolves.

"These oversized mutts won't save your boy, Lynn. You killed my mate and you will pay for that. After we turn your friends to winter coats I'll tear him to strips in front of your eyes and make you watch."

What a lovely woman, I think to myself, and what a sunny disposition. But humor can't hide the fact that I'm starting to shake a little. These vampires want me dead. It's one thing to plan and scheme, another to stand right in front of them, looking at my wannabe executioners and knowing how fragile I am to these creatures.

"We'll see." Lynn hisses. "Your man was asking for trouble. He threatened innocent children, my family, and my partner. He was a sick, disgusting being and he got what he deserved. In fact, the world is now a better place because of his passing."

Victoria roars and snarls.

"We are outnumbered." The other female vampire shrieks, apparently unhappy about the sudden appearance of the wolves.

"We are three against one vampire, Helena. The curs will just make things more fun. As we discussed…."

Laurent and Helena run straight at me, so fast they become a blur. The man is intercepted by Lynn, who had read his intentions well. Seth and Sam pounce on the girl and they become all tangled up as they roll on the ground.

But in the meantime Victoria has come in, slightly behind them, another streak of color. Rebecca is on her right away, shielding me and trying to get to her neck, her teeth snapping short of her target. The vampire manages to fend her off with one hand and grab my collar with the other. Despite the fangs now scouring her limbs, she swings me toward the edge of the clearing before my furry friend can truly hurt her.

The battlefield zooms away from me as I fly over twenty feet. I feel branches bend and snap as I hit them, softening the impact with the actual trunk, which only knocks my breath away. I'm still feet from the valley floor, though, and I'm too stunned to find something I can hold on to. The momentum unceremoniously dumps me off the tree and after a short fall my body slams against a carpet of ferns and mulch.

I look up and see Victoria and Rebecca are scuffling. Something in the vampire's movements bugs me and I instinctively roll away to the left. My body is in pain but I barely feel it; adrenaline must be flowing freely through my veins. I hear a thwack and a knife's handle appears in the tree trunk behind me.

Understanding I've become a target, I start another evasive maneuver but this time something hits me in the thigh and throws me to the ground. The pain in my leg is unbearable and the reason is soon clear... A knife has gone through my left thigh, its hilt now protruding from my torn pants. Blood is flowing copiously out of the wound, drenching my clothes. I scream, and find myself on the edge of panic, but despite the terror making me tremble like a leaf I grit my teeth and improvise a tourniquet with the bandanna I always carry, resisting the temptation to pull the blade out. I remember reading that it would only make me bleed faster.

I turn toward the battlefield, worried about Lynn, and I see Victoria barreling toward me; Rebecca is hanging from her back, fangs sank into her shoulder, but she's only slowing her down. Victoria's mouth opens in a cruel smile and once again, like two months ago in the school's parking lot, I only have time to think that I'm staring at my own death. At the last second, Lynn intercepts her with a crunching football-style side-tackle and they all go down in a messy jumble.

Seth and Sam are still wrestling with Helena, somewhere behind them. Rebecca joins Lynn and they team up to fight Victoria. Growls and grunts fill the air, but Laurent is not out for the count and he's about to pounce on Lynn from behind. I shout a warning a human wouldn't hear. Maybe she does, or maybe she was reading his mind. Either way, she dodges his charge and he bumps into Victoria, who just pushes him back, surprised, dumping him to the ground. Before he can get up Lynn is at his throat, her teeth sinking and tearing, her hands grabbing and twisting. His neck snaps with a loud crunch and Lynn spitefully throws his head away. A bundle of fur and fangs plows into Victoria before she can resume her attack on me or come to his aid.

I fight the shadows crawling across my field of visions. They alternate with bright spots. I feel woozy. I remember I'm still bleeding so I try to tighten up my makeshift tourniquet. I barely manage to re-cinch it as tight as I can around my thigh before the sight of the crimson blood spilling out of the large gash in my flesh and pooling under my body deals me the final blow. Everything goes dark and I lose consciousness.

A jet black slate eventually fades into a gloomy twilight forest. There are no suns and no moons, only an endless gray mist and the gnarled, twisted limbs of skeletal trees reaching for the grimy sky. I wonder among their ghastly corpses until I find a murky lake. In its surface I see a flickering reflection of Lynn's face. She's screaming. I feel my body quake; I'm filled with fear. A wild woman is fighting with her, to the death. I hear a distant rumble. Is it in the dream or part of reality? I cannot tell. I can only shout Lynn's name until I have no voice left and the darkness returns.