So sorry about the lateness, everything has been so hectic lately and I have four essays in for the next week and a half, so yeah...

Chapter 21

He was wearing gloves and Jacob was bound and barely conscious.

"I'm sorry," Maddie whispered to me, her face telling me that she would have to pick Jacob over us. As much as I wanted to blame her, I couldn't, because I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I would do exactly the same thing in her position.

And it scared me.

It scared me that I could make that decision, the decision to save one person over possibly an entire race, because that wasn't, no shouldn't, be right. It was one life over the lives of three hundred Aces. And once they were all under his control, controlling the humans would be easy, what with the massive amount of abilities that would be available to him. So, in reality, it was many, many lives that I was failing to save.

"Please," I whispered. I had nothing left. I had no idea who I was pleading to; Luc, to not die; Maddie, to change her decision; their grandfather, to appeal to his human side? Did he have one of them any more?

"I am sorry," he said calmly, without a trace of emotion. "But it is the only way. Know that I take no pleasure in seeing my own flesh and blood die, but it is necessary to make that sacrifice. One must die for all to be saved."
Saved?!

Suddenly, I lost it. "WHY?!" I screamed, definitely at the man standing calmly in front of me, holding Jacob's limp body. "Why? How can you possibly think that you're saving anyone?"

"I am saving everyone," he replied, still completely and utterly composed. "I will remove the pain of the world. And under my control, the world will know peace, as will the clans, who will be in their rightful position as co-rulers of the humans."

I gaped at him, but there wasn't time to question his sanity any longer, because I could feel Luc dying. The link was still barely intact, but with every moment that passed, I could feel it becoming weaker and weaker and receding and going.

"Please. You've stopped us, just let him live," I whimpered.

"No," he replied simply. "And Maddie, you are forbidden to help Luc or he will die," he added, switching back to French.

I turned back to Luc. I heard a groan from behind me, presumably Jacob's, but paid it no attention, because Luc was dying.

"You. Will. Not. Die," I whispered fiercely, trying in vain to stop the blood flow.

"Je t'aime... mon âme sœur… mon amour…" he couldn't keep his eyes open.

"No..." I whispered. The link was so faint. "Luc, please don't leave me... I'm scared."

"Anna... you will always have me..." he breathed, his eyes sliding shut.

It was gone. He was gone. The link that bound us together, that channel that had become part of who I was, that led to the man who had shaken up my life and made me see things so differently, was gone. And this time it was real, there would be no second chance.

"Luc?" There was no heartbeat. He was gone. The tears that had been sliding down my cheeks constantly before, now fell in a stream, a waterfall. It felt like they would leave me dry, that I would end up drowning in them, choking on them. My body was numb, all the aches of withdrawal gone, but in its place a hole gaped, a hole that could never be filled.

He had won, and Luc's grandpère, whose name I had never even known, would take over everywhere, everyone. Luc's family, my family now, would once again be put under his spell and be forced to do everything this evil man said.

Suddenly, I was more than angry. Angry didn't even begin to cover the mix of anguish, rage, and absolute hatred that coursed through me. My mind was suddenly crystal clear, and I felt a thread in the air. A silver string of thought, of something, was connected to me, flowing in or out of me, I wasn't exactly sure. It was so tangible that my hand lifted up to touch it, but of course, it wasn't really there.

Am I going mad?

The thought briefly flashed through my head. But there was no-one who could ever hear it now, it was just my head. But I didn't care if I was going mad or not. Because only one thought consumed me.

Revenge.

Was it right? No, of course not, but I couldn't have resisted it even if I tried; it was like my body needed this with every fibre of its being and nothing my mind could say would ever stop it.

I followed the thread. My hand, once again, lifted of its own accord. In front of the string was... him. My mind followed my hand and it seemed as if I was falling, but not falling along the stream of thought. And I saw him. Not Luc, but his grandpère.

"Yvette, come down; you'll fall!"

"Oh stop worrying, I'll be fine," she called, her face alive with joy as her hair whipped around her face and her cheeks flushed in the wind.

"You might be fine, but that won't stop me worrying," he called back up to her. She merely laughed in reply, swinging on the harness at the top of the mast and tipping her head back.

"Let me have my fun, Jean," she laughed.

"You can have your fun any time," he grumbled under his breath, knowing she would hear him anyway.

"Oh come on, just because I'm pregnant, doesn't mean I'm suddenly made of glass," she replied, but still began to loosen the winch and descend the mast. When she had got to the bottom and released herself from the harness, she came over and gently kissed him on the lips. "But just for you and your overprotective self, I think I'll let you have a go," she whispered, and the love in her eyes was as clear as day.

"What... what are you doing?" for the first time, he sounded scared. But I didn't stop. I couldn't stop; it was as if now I was here I was going to go all the way. Another memory.

"Can you believe it? We're gonna be grandparents! We're too young for that..." Yvette shook her curls in amazement.

"Ah yes dear, you seem to be perpetually in your twenties," he smiled at her.

"Well, maybe I am, but my body doesn't seem to know how old I really am," she joked.

Arnaud, their son, burst through the doors. "It's a girl!" he said breathlessly, before running back in the room. Yvette turned back to him, her eyes shining. "New life," she smiled, hearing the unmistakable bawl of a baby come from the other room.

"Stop it. Just... what are you doing? Get out of my head!" he shouted, his eye panicked.

"Jean..."

"Hmm?" he didn't turn around from the mirror which he was fixing.

"I need to talk to you about something... important."

"Yes dear?" he turned around to see her looking sad. It was such an alien expression on her that he immediately rushed to her side. "What is it, what's wrong? Tell me!" he exclaimed, holding her close as her eyes filled with tears.

"Jean... I..." she was lost for words, also a completely alien phenomenon for the joyful and feisty woman he had fallen in love with and created even more happiness. "There's something wrong."

"No!" he gasped, dropping Jacob, who crumpled to the floor, unable to support his own weight, despite being mostly conscious by now. But I didn't listen, I just carried on, down the silver thread that showed me who the man in front of me was.

He stared at his face in the mirror, fingers clenching the ceramic edge of the sink. Before him was an old man with a blank face. He touched the wrinkling cheek but found it completely dry. No tears. Why were there no tears?

It's my fault, he thought.

He heard her in his head, almost like she was speaking, but of course it was only what he knew she would say.

Don't you dare, Jean-Pierre Renou. Don't you dare blame yourself for this.

She had said it enough throughout the agonising process. The knock came at the door; "Grandpère?" It was Lucas. His fingers slowly loosened on the bowl and he looked at his cold face one more time before opening the door and walking past his grandson, the boy whose eyes looked so much like those of his grandmother it was physically painful to look at him. So he didn't. He made a promise to himself.

I will not hurt any more.

"No!" he cried, and I saw his face twist in pain. "Stop it!"

"Jean-Pierre." That was his name. "I see you. I can see who you are, everything. I can see all your memories, how you felt, what made you do all you did."

He gave a gasp and clutched his head. "What are you doing?" he gasped as I found the silver thread and began to pull.

"You became bitter and because of that, you lost all your emotion. I'm giving it back."

"No!" he screamed. It sounded like he was in agony and I didn't care.

"Yes. Your reign of terror and manipulation is over. You can't make people be happy by force. And without happiness, how can you have peace?"

As I spoke, I found each memory he had. They were like the silver thread, but rather than thin and long, they were little bubbles. One by one, I began to gather them up and pulled them towards me. Those feelings, those memories that were who he was, the evil thoughts he had persuaded himself were right. I started at the end, making my way back, back in time, pulling them from him.

"What are you doing?" Maddie cried from where she was on the floor, holding Jacob on her lap. I didn't look away from the terrified eyes of the man before me as I replied. "I'm taking away his memories. Giving him a second chance."

"No!" she cried, eyes wide.

"What?" I asked with gritted teeth. Was she not happy I was taking away the man who had tried to kill her Significant and who had terrorised her year after year?

"Anna, stop!"

"Why should I? I'm not killing him," I replied, my body battling my mind to ignore her voice, her reason.

"No; you're doing worse," she said quietly.

"I'm giving him a second chance!" I said again, shaking my head and concentrating.

"No..." Maddie whispered, but I was no longer listening. I was back to the time when Yvette was dead and Maddie and Luc were the only people not under his spell. I saw every time he physically or emotionally abused them and my jaw set as the tears continued. I was doing this for Luc, and for all the others who would be saved.

"Anna..." the voice was different.

"Luc, I have to do this," I replied, realising I really was going mad.

"No, Anna, you don't." His reply was soft, but firm. "You need to stop."

"I'm doing this for you!"

"I know. But just think; you destroy his memories, you destroy who he is, and that is murder just the same. I cannot let you become a murderer."

"But he deserves to die!" I protested, my hands shaking in front of me.

"Maybe. But it's not up to us to say who lives and dies. You've done enough." He whispered the last part.

And I realised. "What have I done?" I gasped, staring at the man I had so nearly wiped out of existence. The thread pinged back, dissolving into nothingness. I collapsed to the floor, shaking, as I realised what I had been about to do.

"No. It's what you didn't do that matters." Hands came around me, holding me, hands that I recognised.

"Luc?" I gasped again, staring at him. He was pale, but alive. Maddie knelt next to where he had been lying, looking tired and pale. Of course; she had brought him back.

"Thank you," I whispered, hoping she understood. She didn't reply, just smiled and nodded, before dragging herself upright and making her way unsteadily back to where Jacob was still lying.

Jean-Pierre had gradually pulled himself into a sitting position. "Quoi... que s'est-il passé?" he was looking around confused, and I felt my gut wrench. What had I done? How far had I really gone? Had I actually erased all his memories?

"Jean-Pierre?" I asked tentatively, staring at the man who had caused so much misery and pain.

"Oui, c'est moi," he answered slowly. At least he still knew his name. "Où suis-je?" he looked around in confusion, before his eyes saw Maddie and Luc, who were staring at him with strange expressions.

"Maddie?" he asked tentatively. "Lucas?" His face paled and his eyes focussed on something in the distance. His hands began to shake, the shaking travelling up his arms and to the rest of his body. He looked so fragile. "Qu'ai-je fait?" The exact same words I had said just a few moments ago, those words of realisation. What exactly had I done to him?

"Anna..." he realised, frowning at me, "...et Jacob." He recognised all of us, but I was now sure I hadn't taken away any of his memories. So what had happened to make him seem so... so what exactly? Then he spoke, and the words seemed to resonate for far longer than they should have done.

"Qu'ai-je fait?" What have I done?

Whoo, chapter 21! Can you believe it? This story is over 60,000 words long, that's crazy! I wish I could write this much for essays...

Ookay, so yeah, I wanna thank you guys for not shouting at me. I've read so many stories where the readers have been so rude because the author didn't update, and you guys are awesome, so thatnks for being so patient (or at least not vocalising your impatience in rude ways!) about the fact that I do have a (very busy) life outside writing.

I promise you guys I will not give up on this story. It may take me a long time, but I hate it when stories don't get finished because authors forget/lose interest, so I promise I will not do that to you! There will still be 4ish chapters left, so don't worry, this isn't the end.

Until next time! :)