Chapter 11 - Teague

Here we are guys. The final chapter. This actually really upsetting to write, so, uh, don't kill me, okay? Please? I promise, it's necessary.

Evx : Well, that won't be necessary, once you see what happened to Edward. Hehe.

Ashka Silver : Here you go, the next chapter!

Guest : Yup, Mina is already marked. And yup, something does happen to Edward. c: The only question is...Did you see it coming?

So, without further ado, I introduce Chapter 11!

The moment Mina hits the ground, I rush over, and kneel beside her. Her breathing is faint. Either that ball is really painful, or because she was marked it was really painful. Or both. But whatever the case, she's having trouble breathing. Not good.

"Oh, Mina..." I'm crying, and I don't even bother to hide it. "Oh, Mina, what did you do?"

"I-I wasn't going...Going to let him m-mark you." She's stuttering, trying to focus on me.

I take her hand in mine, never once breaking her gaze. "But he wasn't going to. I was going to get out of the way, Mina. And now you've put yourself in danger..." Did she think about the fact that I could poof myself out of the way? I don't know. Her kind instincts kicked into gear and she was only thinking about saving me. Saving me. Saving me, the guy who ruined her life. If I had never bothered her, this never would've happened.

"Te-Teague, I think we both know, th-this is more than danger."

"No. I refuse to believe that." I shake my head. I'm being a little child, denying the truth. I know that. But I'll keep being a little child if it denies what's happening right in front of my eyes.

"Teague, I'm dying." She says it so simply, and it sends a shooting pain through my heart.

"No, I refuse to believe that."

"Teague, you have to believe that." Now she's pleading with me. "I'm dying. It tried to mark me twice. That couldn't happen. So, not only did it hurt me, but it shot right back at Edward. It hurt him too. I don't even know if he survived it..." She sounds bitter at the next line. "I hope he didn't."

"You can't by dying. I was supposed to save you..." I close my eyes for a moment, to try and blink away my tears.

"And you did. You gave me the chance to get unmarked."

"But it wasn't supposed to be like this!" I protest.

I shift her so her head is on my lap, and I'm still holding her hand. I'm her lifeline. Somehow, I just know it. Me holding onto her is what's kept her alive so far.

"T-Teague, you have to let go."

"No." I shake my head. "I'm not losing you."

"You will, sooner or later. You can't hold on to me forever."

"But I will for as long as I can." I hold on a little tighter, afraid she'll pull away. Afraid she'll die on me.

"Please, Teague...This is no way to live. You have to let go."

She's right. I know that. But I don't want to let go. I want to stay here as long as possible. I don't want to lose her.

We sit there in silence for a few minutes, and all I can hear is her faint breathing. At one point, I glance over at the collapsed body of Edward. He's not even breathing. He's definitely dead. But why did it have to take Mina's life to end his? Why?

Mina opens her mouth to speak, but I speak over her, and she shuts it. "I-I know, Mina. I know. But, let me do one thing first."

She nods, and I kiss her. But, her reaction isn't the one that would be expected. She kisses me back. That just makes it even more hard to let go. Even more painful to lose her. Does she know that? Does she understand? After that, it's going to be even harder to release her hand.

"Do you love me?" I whisper the words.

"Teague..." She's trying to spare me the pain. The pain of what? Being rejected? Or losing someone who not only loves me, but that I love back?

"Mina, I need to know. If you're dying, I deserve to know before you're gone."

She takes a deep breathe. "Yes."

"Now it's going to be even harder to let you go." I give her a sad smile.

"But you have to."

"I...I know." I close my eyes, and then look into her brown eyes again, for the last time. "Wilhelmina Grimm, I'm sorry I couldn't save you."

"You did, though." She whispers the words. "Goodbye, Teague."

I release her hand, and I can see the moment I do that she's gone. I grab it again, hoping beyond hope that the light will return. But it won't. I already know that. And it doesn't. She's gone. Truly gone. I push her eyelids closed. She looks more peaceful. Like she's asleep, and she could still wake up. Like she's not dead. I carry her bridal-style to another room, and as I walk look at her wrist. No rose. She died free of all curses. I can see that now.

I lay her down on the bed, moving some of the hair from her face. "Goodbye, Mina." I kiss her on the forehead.

Tomorrow, I'll give her a proper funeral. But not today. Not today. I can't do it right after losing her. I arrange her on the bed as if she was sleeping. It's as if I'm still refusing to believe it. Perhaps I am. But how can I? The girl I loved, who loved me, is gone. And it's my fault. At least, that's what I think. I walk out, and after looking at her one more time, shut the door, and go across the hallway to another room, kicking Edward's body out of the way.

Mina's gone. It's a faint whisper in my head.

Now I'm all alone.

No. I'm here.

But that's just it, Jared. You aren't here. You don't exist. You never did. You were always part of me, half of me that I didn't want to accept. That I couldn't accept.

So you finally are accepting that I am a part of you?

Yes.

Then our two parts are made whole...

"No!" I shout the words. "Don't leave me! You're the only thing I have left!"

I have always been you, Teague. My thoughts are always there. You just have to think of them... And then Jared is gone too.

Everyone is gone. Everyone. I never thought I'd be this upset over never hearing Jared's voice again. I sink onto the bed in the room I've entered, and let the tears fall.

I'm all alone.

I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm tearing up as I wrote this! Oh gosh, I'm crying, this isn't good. My poor babies! My poor, poor babies! Oh goodness, I need to stop crying. ;;

I'm sorry. I wrote a sad ending to a stand-alone. I know. I know. I shouldn't have. It was mean. I could've made it happy. But I didn't. I know. I know. I'm sorry.

However, I feel it was necessary. A much better story. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it made someone besides me cry.

Now, I'm going to drop something on those of you who now hate me and will never read another fanfiction by me again. This isn't the end, so to speak. So, here's your choices.

a) Five people review this fanfiction, and I'll post an epilogue, which just might make those of you who were upset by this chapter happier.

b) A total of five peope don't review this fanfiction, and we only get this ending. You guys will never know what happened next.

Make your choice!

~ Dagger