The climax is here folks!

Whew I think I sweated a good bit with this chapter.

Also, only one more chapter to go!

Reviewers:

M - Bet you didn't see that coming heh ;)

Varsini C P - All is answered in this chapter!

GraceEllingson - I know you've been here since the beginning and I absolutely love you for it! Thank you so much! I'm thinking this will be the last installment of Touch in the Worlds series!

A gentle hum came from her general direction of movement and I sunk back, the damp ground sending a slight chill through my sweaty clothes.

Stephanie Meyer was in here with me…

My mind had started to go into overdrive, tons of thoughts going through it in a speed that would've made Edward proud.

"You're…"

"Tulika," I answered numbly, followed by another thoughtful hum from her.

There was no going back now. There was no path forward either. We were trapped, until someone came to get us out.

"How long have you been here?" I asked.

"A while…I wouldn't know, days have blurred together by now." She mumbled.

"And…me," I asked.

"A few hours ago; I felt the air change and then suddenly you were here." She said.

"Suddenly, I was here? That makes zero sense."

"No not really, falling through a barrier in space-time in actually very easy. Most people do it by accident." She said.

I frowned.

"Since when did you become an expert on this?" I asked, my voice coming out harsher than I probably intended for it to.

There was no response after that. I waited for a while wondering whether I must've offended her. I internally winced. Pissing off probably my only ally in this place wouldn't do.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean it like that." I whispered.

The only response I got in return was her customary hum.

Leaning my body back, I closed my eyes.

It was no use, trying to make polite conversation with Meyer. She was most likely exhausted and I didn't have much to say to her anymore anyway. She wasn't the one who had tried to ruin my life and at this point, it would be stupid to waste my own energy.

I drew back far enough to lean on a wall and wrapped my arms around my knees.

Emily must have messed with the passages. She would've found it easy to fix around a spot with Sorenson's money, found out where the breaks in space were and worked around them. It had been dumb on my part to not think this far.

As usual, the bitch was one step ahead of me.

Not for long though…

My huddled up position soon proved to be fruitful as I could hear the slightest of movement from the way I had my ears pricked.

Stephanie's breathing had become like white noise and some of the earlier panic that kept bubbling up inside me had worn off.

I had been in worse situations after all, but I had to get out of here soon.

Shaking my head to clear it of unnecessary thoughts, I deployed the second stage of my plan.

Closing my eyes, I focused on my surroundings, trying to incorporate it into my future. I imagined myself moving in the darkness.

I knew it wasn't much, but I was counting on Alice to figure out where I was. I just needed to get out of the room to see where I was so Alice could see.

"You know…not that it matters anymore, but I am sorry for…what she did to you and the boy." Stephanie said finally.

I raised my head from my arms to peer into the darkness from where her voice came.

"You knew?" I asked.

"Well, yes, she made it very clear…how she was better than me at…at this, whatever it was. I wrote Twilight based on a dream I had. Did it derive heavily from what she told me…? Yes, but I never thought that she would take it as such a personal betrayal. I suppose…the switching between two realms somehow tampered with her stability. She was always of a fragile disposition." She said.

"What…what can you tell me about her?" I asked slowly.

"Emily is my youngest sister. She was always brilliant, a science buff. When she turned her research toward crossing 'worlds', we began to worry. It wasn't until she began to have episodes. There were times where she would fall asleep and not wake for long periods of time. She was comatose for six months before waking up with these fantasy stories. I wrote my book based on what she said and when she…woke again, she wasn't happy about it. Her health steadied for a bit, no long sleeping or stuff but her bitterness increased."

There was a pause.

"I think this is when she brought you and the boy into Forks. It was a way to interfere with my story, to create breaks that would disturb the normal continuance, make a better story."

"What kind of a psycho does that?" I swore heavily, uncaring of the woman in the dark.

Stephanie didn't reply after that.

Hours must have passed after my last conversation with Stephanie.

My eyes had adjusted to the dark by now, small slivers of light glinting in my periphery sometimes but it was still not enough for me to be able to tell the time. I also doubted Stephanie cared too much.

Of course, I was about to be proven wrong.

"She'll be here soon enough." Stephanie said.

"Here…wait, what, you mean she visits you?" I asked.

"She has to give me food and water. She also lets me out a couple times to use the washroom." She said.

I quickly pushed myself to my knees.

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" I asked.

"Does it matter?"

"Yes! We need to get out of here! Have you tried to get past her?" I asked.

"…No,"

"Well then, I am going to! I need you to help me."

There was silence.

"Stephanie! Please, I need to get back. You have to get back! We need to go!" I whisper shouted at her.

Even as I took a step towards where I thought she was, I heard it.

Footsteps…

"That'll be her." There came a bland retort from Meyer.

"Stephanie, please," I whispered one last time before the door was getting unlocked.

I drew back as the woman entered, a hand pushed into the pocket of her long navy blue coat.

She looked completely different from the picture I'd seen of hers at Lizzie's.

Her hair had darkened in color, face pallid and drawn. She looked severely malnourished but she didn't seem to have much trouble in moving her body as she looked up, meeting my eyes with her dark gaze.

You'd think coming face to face with your arch-nemesis would give you some satisfaction, a sense of acknowledgement. Instead I felt nothing but questionable curiosity as I met her lifeless stare shamelessly.

Her arrival had brought a ray of light into the room where we were kept.

Turns out it wasn't a dungeon, but a basement, similar to the sort we had in my house, only lined with stone instead of concrete. I could see a huddled figure in one corner, knowing it was Stephanie, I avoided looking at her.

Her eyes flickered to her as she stepped a foot in, stopping at the very edge of the threshold.

"Dearest sister, have you been talking to my protagonist?" she asked.

Stephanie turned her head to look at her sister, then me before averting her gaze.

"I'm not your protagonist." I said firmly.

Emily ignored me completely, a smile pulling at her lips as she watched her cowering sister.

"Stephanie, I'm talking to you. Isn't she better than Bella?"

She took a few more steps in, bypassing me and I watched her approach Stephanie.

What was happening? Why wasn't she more focused on me? Wasn't I the one she wanted? It seemed like after our whole ordeal, she was only concerned with Stephanie.

It took me a minute to hit. That was exactly it. I was never her target…it was always Stephanie Meyer. Stephen and I had only been caught in the crossfire.

On her part, the author had stopped flinching, instead looking at her sister advance on her before her eyes shifted to mine. I watched as a clear message beamed through them.

Run now.

My body moved on its own accord, seeking freedom more than anything as I kept a steady eye on Emily and the distance she was creating between herself and my escape route.

It was with my foot right near the door when I stopped, turning to look at the scene in front of me.

Stephanie was backed into a corner, too weak physically or in will to stand up to her psychotic sister. If I left now, there was a chance that Emily would never find justice for what she did to Stephen and my lives. I couldn't let that happen.

She wanted Stephanie to suffer? Then that is what I would deprive her of.

Knowing the risk and stupidity of my action, I doubled back and with as much speed and force I could muster, I charged.

My hands hit Emily right in the mid-back, right where her actions had led Edward to be shot.

Maybe she was weaker than what she looked because she launched forward, her head knocking on the stone wall with a resounding thwack! She fell to the floor in a graceless heap, a small groan escaping her and I turned to Stephanie, seeing her gaping at the fallen figure of her menacing relative.

"Come on!" I yelled, gripping her arm and pulling her up in one sharp motion.

She stumbled into me before turning her head again to look back as I maneuvered ourselves out the door, my mind hoping against hope that Alice was paying attention because I was about to show her where the hell I was.

Never again, I thought furiously as I tried to haul my abused body through the dark hallways.

This was going to be my last stint. Nothing was worth always getting beat up at the hands of psychopaths of the highest order. Not even the love I had for a bunch of fictional but not so fictional characters…those days had to be put in my past.

Not for the first time, the thought that this might literally be my last stint ran through my head as I grimly pursed my lips.

No, I couldn't give up when I was this close, especially not when I had the life of another person in my hands.

The woman trudged after me at a slower pace, being older and more battered. I took care to stop to let her catch up to me, not wanting her to get lost but also to take in a deep breath.

Damn, I wished I had Stephen here, but that would risk his life too. Besides, he would get help…I had to hold on to the hope.

That was literally all I had to hold on to at that moment, unless you count the small nooks of wall lighting in my path.

"I…I can't…" I heard coming from behind me and turned to see her sitting down on the floor, shaking.

"No, hey, you can't give up now, please. My friends are going to help us."

"You mean the characters from Twilight…"

I froze, my eyes widening…

How did she know that? I had told her nothing about that.

"What…how do you…?"

"Because I told her,"

My body screamed at me in protest as I turned around again, bringing myself face to face with a gun.

The hand holding the pistol didn't shake a centimeter.

Lifeless eyes remained glassy as they stared at the pair of us, her head cocked intriguingly.

"I must say I'm surprised you stayed behind for her. I would've thought you'd run. You were supposed to run." She said.

"Well, I guess I'm a disappointment then." I retorted.

Emily's lips twitched.

"You've never been disappointing, dear. Frustrating and infuriating but never disappointing…"

I slowly stepped back, trying to pull Stephanie with me while Emily followed, her gun still trained on us.

"Listen; just let her go, ok? We can talk." Stephanie said suddenly.

"Talk…? About what, you never wanted to talk before…why now, is it because I'm a threat?" Emily asked.

"The Cullens will be here any second. I can feel Alice." I warned.

The vampire's presence had lit up on the edge of my consciousness again, burning like a star just out of reach. It filled me with vigor, making me stand up straighter.

"Let them, they can see me kill you." She smiled.

I froze.

"I thought you said I was fine."

Emily looked between her sister and me, raising the gun a little. "Old words mean nothing anymore."

I watched her cock the safety back and even before she could put her finger on the trigger, a different, louder bang echoed through the house.

Stephanie and I both jumped a mile into the air, Emily turning to look around, her actions jolted and I felt a push between my shoulders.

"Go, you need to run! It's you she wants! Run away, now!"

I never took off so fast, heading straight for what seemed like the landing of the stairs.

I launched myself up the stairs, stumbling when I heard a quiet scream and footsteps behind.

She would give chase, of course she would, the maniac, I thought wildly, looking up and seeing the front door broken in, curving the wooden splinters inwards.

The Cullens were inside the house.

I let out a cry of Edward's name, turning and looking up the stairs before rushing up them again to small passage. Pushing on the first door, I shut it behind me, holding onto it incase Emily tried to follow.

Turning around to see if I was alone, I stopped short.

It was an office.

A small square room with a desk and cupboards pushed to the walls leaving space for a large round table in the centre, scattered with papers.

The walls, whatever was left on it was taped with sheets upon sheets as well…and pictures.

I dropped my hold on the door, moving further in to see images of me and Stephen, both in the Twilight world and in our own world.

There were images of Stephen with Ben, with me, Jacob. Me with the Cullens…

"I wouldn't say I'm a professional, but I had to keep tabs on you, you see."

I swallowed, heart thudding loudly in my ear, blood feeling cold in my veins.

"Such a fan, I'm flattered." I said, slowly turning around to see Emily standing right behind me. I jumped away, making her giggle.

"You're so scared. It's funny; you were brave, very brave for so many things. You were brave with James, with Victoria."

"You sent them to kill me," I whispered.

Emily tutted; turning with me so that she was right between me and the door.

"James was a test, dear. You see, he was the start of the problems, wasn't he? He was supposed to come alone, set things wrong but he never did. You ruined it all. So I had to take charge. Think of it as a punishment…then you had the audacity to come back, you were going to be happy and what about me? All my hard work, down the drain…"

My eyes flickered to the door, watching the knob turn before it was swinging open, revealing a shell-shocked Stephen.

His eyes landed on Emily's back and then on me, wide and fearful.

And me…? Well, let's just say I was scared of a gun.

"I knew you had to die so I could have some solace but you both just did not die. So I brought you back. It wasn't hard, I knew there was a Break Line in your room, and I just had to wait for you to be together. Victoria was never my idea…but I wish it had been."

Emily smiled, her hand coming back out with the gun, turning her head a little, finally catching Stephen moving it quickly at the sight of the pistol.

"How sweet of you…come on then, get in line so we can get this over with." She said, her voice dripping with sugar.

"You're right." Stephen said.

I stopped, time stopped, the world stopped rotating as I turned to look at my best friend. What did he just say?

Stephen met Emily's curious eyes before my horrified ones.

"She's right, T. We were wrong. You were wrong." He said coldly.

"Stephen, what the hell are you doing?" I whispered.

"The right thing, T," he shrugged before looking at Emily. "Do it,"

Emily watched Stephen for a second before smirking. "I might just let you live, boy. Well then, My Dear, say goodbye. I'll be sure to pass on your regards to the Cullens." She simpered, forefinger wrapping around the trigger.

I sucked in a breath.

I was going to die…my best friend had betrayed me…I wasn't going to see Edward, Alice, Jacob, Charlie, and Bella…

I didn't see my family…

I closed my eyes, my body tensing in anticipation of the kill shot.

The gun never made a shot, no sound came at all and I didn't feel like I was dying.

What came instead was a muffled grunt and then Stephen's shouts.

I opened my eyes to see Stephen wrapping a large arm around Emily throat, his hand enclosed around the wrist of the hand holding the gun.

"T, go, get to the door, go, I'm right behind you!" He yelled.

I stayed where I was, watching Emily's eyes hooked on me, her mouth twisting with the struggled she put up against the much stronger boy holding her.

"Go, T, go, Alice will find you, go!"

"What about you?" I screamed, moving to the door.

"I'm right behind you!"

I swung myself around the corner of the passage, my last sight being Stephen wrestling the gun away from Emily and shove her away.

I continued running, making my way to the door.

This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. I wasn't supposed to let people sacrifice myself for me.

Thunderous footsteps came soon, giving me hope that Stephen was behind me and just when I reached the bottom of the stairs, the open door right in front of me, a raging scream echoed, following the sound of a nasty smack and then thuds.

I screeched to a halt, breathing wildly out of control and slowly turned to see what new horror had been flung at us.

Stephen stood at the top of the stairs, eyes blown open – if possible – even wider, and he stared down the stairs with his mouth gaping, softly muttering things I couldn't hear.

As if I was trapped under water, I felt my eyes slowly trail the stairs, taking the smudges on each alternate step and then the prone figure on the foot of the stairs.

It was strange, the things people notice about death.

Emily's eyes were still open, her mouth propped open in the scream she had let out in her one final attack. The fingers of her right hand were still wrapped around the pistol and her body, though broken out of shape had a sort of awkward grace in it.

She was dead.

Emily Sorenson was dead.

I looked back up at my best friend.

The best friend who had helped me and supported me so much, the one who I thought had betrayed me, the one who stayed behind so I could get to safety.

My best friend who killed the woman who took our lives…

"Stephen," I whispered.

The man took a deep breath and slowly raised his eyes up from the dead woman to me, a kind of grim resolution in it.

"It's over."

A/N: I left the chapter a little choppy so you can fill bits and pieces on your own!

I think a few people were looking for the Cullens to arrive, sorry about that!

Ok, important, like I said in the previous chapters that I will be holding a question-answer thing for this series, so if you wish you can start sending those in now and in the next chapter and Epilogue.

You can send then in as reviews, as PM here, or on any of my other social media, details for which are in my Bio. I will let you know how I will be answering them in the Epilogue!

Enjoy!