Yeesh, If I had a cutting room floor it would be pretty flooded right now. But I don't, all I have is a little word document where I throw all little extracts that I don't publish. THIS CHAPTER, has pretty much a whole other chapters worth of little cuttings. Stuff I loved, but hated at the same time. (Shh, I know what that means, you don't have to.)
Anyways, so we've skipped forward two weeks from when we last saw Ness. I originally picked this chapter up from where we last left off, but my block made me hate everything so it was better to just cut and run. So stuff had to go, but there's little catch-up references throughout this chapter to fill you in. I'm glad we reach the point we do at the end of this chapter, because we're now heading into the final part of this story. So if you have some army style binoculars, then the end is in sight - only if theyre mega-HQ though, the ends not that close. So enjoy, (even thought in cutting I got rid of a Hot Fuzz reference I know a certain Sarah would have loved!)
x


Chapter Nineteen: Brothers, Lovers, Mothers.

"I'm so bored." Sonny groaned as he lay across the wooden floor of the living room. He rolled his eyes when none of us responded. Al and Oz were at the table, submersed in a game of chess whilst I sat on the floor beside Sonny, my third game of solitaire spread out before me. "Smee, I'm bored!" I slapped his stomach playfully when he started jabbing his finger into my side.

"Sonny, we've been back less than an hour, entertain yourself! Watch a movie or something." Like most days over the past two weeks, this morning had been spent with Al teaching us to drive. I'd pretty much mastered it early on, whereas Sonny just seemed to be on a suicide mission every time he got behind the wheel.

"No, we watch movies together and Brice isn't here." Since Cora arrived things had been … different. She'd taken us all running through the woods and shown us what she'd described as "a house." It was safe to say she was the only one who held the derelict structure in such high regard.

To the rest of us, the building had undertaken a nickname given to it by Al on his first view of the place. The Mausoleum was large, grey and unremarkable. It's only redeeming feature the steep hill it stood on and the throng of lush trees that surrounded.

Inside was way worse though.

Parts of roof and walls had fallen, but Cora had just skipped through the mass of obstacles like the place was her haven. Brice had followed politely behind, listening intently as Cora pointed things out, detailing her vision for the place.

The smell of all the rotten wood had me blanketing my nose and mouth with my hand, that at the time was covered in Al's jacket, which succeeded in replacing the Mausoleum's repugnant scent with his exquisite one.

"Then you'll just have to suck up and be quiet until he gets back. I mean there can't be that much work left to do can there?"
"If they've even got any of it done." Figuring Sonny wasn't going to fall into silence anytime soon, I pulled the cards into a pile, shoving them back in the pack. Brice and Cora had been at the Mausoleum everyday over the past two weeks, enlisting professional help for anything they couldn't do themselves from a town a few miles away.

"Ok, Sonny. What? Why wouldn't they have done anything in the a million and one hours they've been down there?"

"Oh come on, Smee. I'm sure they've had other things on their mind." I saw that Sonny had now managed to pull his brother's attention away from their game and onto him.

"Sonny, what are you talking about?" He raised himself onto his elbows and scanned me suspiciously.

"Are you being serious?" I nodded my head and he looked over to Al and Oz who were staring at him, looking just as perplexed as me. "Are you all being serious?" When Al and Oz didn't reply Sonny jumped to his feet, bending over a little as he laughed. "You don't know? You really don't know?" Oz had stood from his seat,

"Don't know what, Sonny?" Sonny laughed again, raising his arms in the air and bouncing on the spot.

"I can't believe you don't know! You super-sensed, super-strong vamps are just super-dumb!" I sighed and rose to stand beside Al and Oz who'd both walked over to Sonny. When it suited Sonny I was human. When it suited Sonny I was a vampire. Now I was being pushed in the vampire category. Beside me Oz folded his arms, his intimidating posture doing little to Sonny who continued to bounce and chuckle.

"Sonny, unless you want me to hang you from a tree by your underwear I suggest you tell us what the hell you're talking about." Al chuckled as Oz spoke, and I myself muffled a giggle at the image I got in my head. Sonny carried on bounding around the room, punching the air.

"I can't believe the human outsmarted the vamps. And it's so obvious!" When Oz spoke next it was both too fast and quiet for Sonny to hear.

"I'll get his legs. Al, you watch his landing and Smee, you do the questioning." In a flash Sonny was on the floor. Oz had pulled his legs from beneath him while Al supported his head and torso so that his landing was painless and easy. I hopped onto his chest as he laughed beneath me. I balanced most of my weight on my fists either side of him and I dug my knees in gently. Behind me Oz's legs were thrown across Sonny's, and Al had his arms pinned. Sonny was well and truly trapped.

"Sonny, tell us what you're talking about." He laughed and I glanced up to Al who grinned and nodded. With a shift of my weight I dug my knee a little harder into Sonny's chest, he just carried on laughing.

"I ca- I ca- I can't even breathe, Smee. How do expect me to talk?" I shrugged and put all my weight on my hands, relieving Sonny completely.

"There. Talk." He looked up and laughed again.

"I can't believe you don't know!"

"Sonny!" His eyes shot up to Oz, who was staring threateningly over my shoulder at him.

"Fine, I'll talk!" He chuckled again once as his eyes scoped us. "Isn't it obvious? They're crazy about each other."

"No they are not. Sonny, you're the only one round here who's crazy", Oz chuckled from beside me. Sonny wriggled out of Al's grip, propping himself up on his shoulders.

"I swear to God it's true. And you guys are complete morons for not noticing." Cora had been busy so the only times I'd really seen her was at nights when she'd come and talk to me before I went to sleep. She'd seemed blissfully happy, and she did have a small tendency to talk about Brice a lot. Sonny had stunned as all into silence as we sat and contemplated the thought that Brice and Cora could be a couple.

{--}

That night, Cora didn't come and talk to me so I couldn't ask her about it. Nightmares were still giving me hell most nights, but Al was always there when I woke upset. He'd just talk to me and make me laugh until the bad thoughts went away.

No nightmares woke me that night; the cold did. I opened my eyes to find my head buried in the crook of Al's neck, my body cradled in his arms.

"What are you doing?" I lifted my eyes; we were outside in the darkness heading towards the garage from which I could make out Sonny's steady heartbeat. Al leaned his head and whispered, his breath tickling my neck.

"I'm kidnapping you."

"Well do it quietly, I'm sleeping." He laughed, his chest vibrating against me.

I squeezed my eyes tighter together when the brilliant light of the car's headlights caught me by surprise.

"Watch her head." Oz's deep whisper reverberated through the tiny building and he brought his hand to my crown, protecting it from making contact with the measly car roof. I opened my eyes as Al lowered me in, scooting myself across the back seat to snuggle against Sonny who was sleeping, cocooned in a mass of duvet.

Al climbed into the driver's seat and Oz got in beside him. I'd never once seen Oz in a car; it was really pointless given his inclination for running everywhere.

" You're not really kidnapping us, are you?" Oz chuckled, turning in the chair that barely seemed to contain his frame.

"Yes. Now shut up and go to sleep or we'll have to tie you up and gag you." He winked before turning back around and I let my head rest on top of Sonny's, falling asleep almost instantly.

{--}

I woke in the morning with my face buried in the back of the seat. Sonny was half sitting, half lying with his head resting on my chest. The car was still and Al and Oz were gone from the front.

"Sonny, wake up" He was non-responsive, only groaning when I lifted myself onto my elbows. "Sonny, wake up." His eyes opened slightly before he squeezed them shut and groaned again.

"What, Smee?" He wriggled and pulled the duvet up over his head. A second later he snatched it back down again. "Wait. Where are we?"

"Are you kidding? You didn't get woken up last night when they brought you here?"

"Who brought me where?"

"Never mind." Sonny lifted his head and sat up, pulling his fingers through his hair as he stared out his window. All I could see out of it was trees. Reaching behind me I pulled at the latch and pushed my door open a little. Sonny shivered and groaned as a breeze blew inside.

"Ugh. This is ridiculous. Those assholes have a sick sense of humour." I smiled and let my head drop back down as Sonny pulled his duvet tighter around him and dropped back down on top of me. Another breeze came through the open door and when I breathed it in I caught something familiar.

"Sonny, I smell pancakes." He smacked my leg lazily and groaned.

"Don't tease me about food, Smee. That's not funny." I pulled myself up and jumped out of the car, gasping when I looked around at where we were.

"Oh my God." Inside Sonny's head shot up.

"What? What's Oh My God, Smee. What?"

"The Mausoleum." We were parked at the bottom of the same steep hill Cora had dragged us to a couple of weeks ago, but the view had changed somewhat. Even from the outside the Mausoleum looked dramatically altered. The windows had glass in them and the frames were painted a deep brown. The dark roof looked all in one piece and the ancient brickwork, though still pretty old, wasn't crumbled anymore. The place actually looked amazing.

Sonny scrambled out beside me, gaping at the house. He huffed and looped his arm through mine.

"I can't believe they'd bring you here! Those traitors." On our first visit Cora had told me that her plan was to fix the place up for me and her to live. This hadn't gone down at all well with Sonny who didn't like the idea of me not living in the cabin anymore. After we left he shrugged off any reasoning his brothers tried to do, not caring when Oz said he could carry him from the Cabin to the Mausoleum in less than twenty minutes anytime he wanted to visit me. He'd tried to get Al's help who'd just said, albeit moodily, that it was my decision. It was my decision, and I did think it best I move in with Cora, no matter how much I couldn't bear the thought of leaving the boys behind.

I gave Sonny's hand a squeeze and led him up the hill. We both gasped when we reached the tall, glass front door and took a look inside. Behind the glass Al jumped up from where there were two long sofas and strode over to pull open the door. He leaned against the doorframe, folding his arms and grinning.

"Well, good morning." I peered around to the left where there was an open kitchen. Oz was sat on a stool as he watched Brice positioned behind Cora, his arms around her as he covered her hands and helped her flip the pancake she was holding. Sonny's arm grew slack around mine and Al chuckled, throwing his arm around my shoulder, "No, Smee. You're not dreaming." I was pretty sure I was.

Al pulled me and Sonny through the door. The living room was open and extended the whole height of the building, as did the shiny kitchen it flowed into. All the brickwork had been left exposed; parts of it had been whitewashed whereas the rest just looked cleaner. The floor was all dark wood and no longer smelled bad at all.

Cora emptied the pancake onto the plate before skipping over to me, Brice following behind. This was the first time I'd seen them together since Sonny's little revelation, and it was now painfully obvious that they were …. Together.

"Well, Ness? Did we do well?" I just gawped. The transformation was amazing. When I couldn't find any words Al chuckled and pulled me closer. "Sonny, I made you breakfast. Oscar said you like pancakes so Brice was teaching me how to make them." Sonny scowled, first at Brice before he swung his head around to Oz who just smirked in response.

"No thanks. I've lost my appetite." I'd never heard such venom in Sonny's voice as he hissed at Cora. Brice's eyes widened and I could see he went to chastise Sonny, but Cora placed her hand on his chest to stop him.

"Sonny, I'm sure you don't like me very much." Sonny nodded and Al leaned around me to slap him over the back of the head. "I know that, like Oscar and Alvar, you don't trust me very much given my past affiliation with Victor." Sonny leaned closer to me and Cora smiled. "But then again, also like your brothers, I'm sure you just don't like me because you think I want to take away your new little sister." I tried to hide my grin. Sonny often referred to me as his little sister, and I'd always loved it. I teased him about the "little" part whenever I showed how my strength beat his whenever we play-wrestled or I trapped him in a hug. But when it had come to tell him what I'd known about Victor, I was glad I was his baby sister. He'd said it was partly the reason he'd forgiven me for it; because despite the fact what I'd done was dumb and selfish, he loved me anyway. "But for the sake of everyone, especially Ness, I hope we can put aside those differences. It will be hard living under the same roof if we can't get along." A grin spread across my lips as I felt the floor disappear from beneath me as Al lifted me up in his arms from behind.

Sonny went to reply but stopped in his tracks as I saw him replay what Cora had just said in his head.

"Wait, what?" Cora grinned and Brice pulled her tighter into his arms. Seeing them like that was weird. It was nice, they both looked beyond happy, but it was weird. Oz was stood beside us before I'd had time to register the sound of his stool being slid away from the island in the kitchen.

"Why else do you think we would drive you here? We had to load up all your stuff and bring it here. Now if you'll excuse me, this is all getting a little Brady Bunch for my liking, I need to go kill something."

After Oz ran off into the surrounding woods Al and Sonny raced up the flight of stairs behind the kitchen to where Sonny's room was. I stood, Cora and Brice both grinning at me expectantly.

"It's .. this is… wow. I mean, this is amazing. Cora, you told me you were saving for a rainy day but this is beautiful." Cora giggled and patted Brice's chest,

"Well, I had a lot of help." I took a deep breath. I felt uncomfortable and I had no idea why. The situation wasn't' awkward, it was just the way they were looking at each other! It had my insides tightening a little bit.

"So Brice, this is all okay? I mean you won't mind it here?" Brice chuckled before looking back to Cora,

"No, Smee. I really don't mind. The cabin was just a building; the people in it are what matter."

"Come on Ness, come see your room." Cora lunged at my hand and dragged me across the living room. At the back was a white-washed brick wall that stood two storeys. It bent into a square in the corner, looking like a separate building but inside. After dragging me up the spiral stairs Cora flung open the door. The room was small, and comfortably dark on account of only one small window, high on the wall. A fluffy white rug covered the dark wooden floor at the foot of the bed and matched the rest of the furniture.

"Do you like it? Sonny's room is bigger but I thought this one was better for you."

"I love it! It's like a cosy little cave or something." I ran my fingers across the dark brick of the wall and Cora giggled as she span around before dropping down on the bed.

"Oh Ness, I've never been so happy." I flopped down beside her and grinned.

"I can tell. You and Brice seem to be getting along very well." She giggled again and rolled onto her side.

"He's amazing. And Al's really nice too, especially once we told him you wouldn't be leaving. And Oz is … I think he'll just need time to adjust." I smiled and let my eyelids drift shut. I could hear Sonny in his room, from his excited tone I could tell he wouldn't need any time to adjust to this new, bigger home.

"Ness, I have a gift for you. Actually, it's yours anyway; I've just been looking after it for a while." She rolled off the side of the bed and opened the cupboard door of the side table.

My heart stopped when I saw what she pulled out of it.

"Cora, where did you get that?" In her hands she held a thick leather-bound book. I remembered it so well it hurt. It was the photo album that I'd taken to school to finish arranging the day Cora came. It was the gift I'd made for Bella's birthday.

"It was in your bag, remember?" I shook my head and rose from the bed when Cora held it in my direction. She sighed and dropped to sit on the floor, patting beside her for me to join. "They're pictures, Ness. They can't hurt you. At least let me show you my favourites." I felt a squeezing in my chest as she leafed through the first pages, each time I'd catch a glimpse of a face. I dropped down opposite her slowly; she kept her eyes on the pages, smiling as she flicked through them. "I'd forgotten how attractive your family is, Nessie!" I listened out for a second, Al was in the kitchen talking with Sonny and there was no sign that he could hear us. I looked back to Cora who smiled and winked, "Throw down that shield of yours and I'll hide you too." I did as I was told and took a deep breath in order to calm myself down, Cora had done so much for me, the least I could do was humour her with this. Like she said, pictures couldn't hurt me. I scooted closer and she giggled, "Your uncles ... wow! And that Grandfather of yours, your Grandmother is a lucky woman!" I grimaced and pulled my knees to my chest.

"You're taken now, remember?" She giggled again,

"They have nothing on Brice, of course. Oh look at you in this one!" I scooted harder against the bed and took a clump of the rug tightly in my hand when she spun the album round to me, tapping at a specific picture. It was of me, less than a year old. I was enveloped completely in a pair of large arms as I lay strewn across an equally large chest that was rolled across the floor.

"That's Emmett." I choked out the words, remembering that day with as crystal clarity as its image was printed on that paper. I'd just watched Casper for the first time and he'd chased me around the house with a white sheet over him, making ghostly noises after I told him there was no way ghosts were real. When he caught me he collapsed to the floor and rolled around with me as Rosalie ran in with a camera. Even vampires with perfect memory enjoy the nostalgia of photographs.

"You're adorable! You look so happy in all these, a very happy little child." I pulled tighter at my knees and tried to ignore the aching inside me. "You look so much like your Father, Ness." She spun the album around again to show a picture of Carlisle and Edward, sat at a table at the party that had followed Emmett and Rosalie's last wedding. They were both smiling wide and in the background I could make out Alice being spun around the dance floor by Jasper. I took a deep breath and tried to ignore the burning inside of me. Cora turned the page and on the side that she flipped open I saw a picture of Bella and Jacob, their arms around each other as they looked at each other and smiled. I leapt to my feet as I felt my whole body start to shake, Cora's head snapped up and she jumped up after me.

"I can't do this, I can't look at that."

"Nessie, its fine they're just pictures. Calm down."

"No, I can't. Please just take it away, I don't want it. You keep it." She shook her head and held the album out to me,

"It's yours, Renesmee." I felt the throbbing inside me explode as I snatched it from her and threw it against the wall.

"It's not mine, I don't want it!" Cora's expression fell blank and my chest rose and fell quickly with my rapid breath. "I have to go."

"No, Ness, wait. I'm sorry." She called after me as I ran down the stairs. As I passed the kitchen Al grabbed my hand,

"Smee, what's wrong?"

"Leave me alone." I pushed at his chest and flew out the door, racing into the woods.

The area was unfamiliar so I decided to stick to the only recognizable scent there was. When Oz ran he left a trail like no other. It was a faint scent, but not like one that's old and withered, rather it's like he was never really there.

I reached him just as he pounced on a large deer. He didn't hunt like I expected. Something about his size and disposition had me assuming he'd play with his prey. But as I watched him I found he used his astonishing speed at every point of the kill. It was possible this was just down to his love of his own pace. But to me, in hunting so swiftly, Oz never gave his prey time to suspect, the time to panic. I couldn't help but perceive how humane it seemed.

When he was done he looked up to where I was stood, his frame twisting in discomfort from my observation and his eyes narrowing; questioning my presence.

"Hey." I waved and Oz frowned before waving slowly back.

"What's up?" I could still feel my body shaking from top to toe after what had happened so I dropped to the ground, leaning back against a tree trunk. I exhaled deeply and Oz wandered to stand before me, watching me uncomfortably. I patted the ground beside me and he dropped down. "You don't like the house?"

"No, no, that's not it. I love it. Do you like it?" He shrugged his shoulders,

"I dunno. I don't really care. I like these woods though, we have lots of space. And there's a lake real close too. I don't mind about the Mausoleum so long as it's good for Sonny, I guess."

"I think he likes it. Or at least, he likes his bigger bedroom and the new flat screen in the living room." Oz chuckled and nodded.

"So what is wrong with you? You seem … upset?" He spoke the word like he wasn't sure what it meant, like it was foreign on his tongue.

"I'm fine, I'll be fine. I just got in a little hissy with Cora over something."

"Over what?" I smiled, Oz was always forthright, never holding back.

"She just reminded me of some stuff I don't like thinking about anymore." I glanced over at Oz who was still waiting, not ready to accept my indirect response. "Stuff about my family, my …. My Mom." He chuckled and dropped back against the tree.

"Your Mom, huh? Well that explains a lot. You should never underestimate a mother's ability to screw her child up." I twisted towards him,

"What? What do you mean by that?"

"Forget it, it doesn't matter. Forget I said anything." I shook my head, this was the first, and possibly the last opportunity I'd get to knowing and understanding Oz better.

"No, it does matter. What did you mean?"

"Nothing, just, it's just my Mom, mine and Sonny's, she wasn't exactly brilliant." When he went quiet I felt a tug to let it go, but instead followed by Oz's example and keep pushing.

"Why not?" He sighed and shrugged,

"She drank a lot, had these loser boyfriends. She never really took care of me. I always had to take care of myself, always. She had me really young, she was only seventeen and she didn't really get on well with her folks and my Dad was never around. So it was just me and her. Well, me, her and Mr Jack Daniels that is." He paused for a minute and just stared into the distance and then smirked, "Wanna know what I got for my nineteenth birthday?" He turned to me and smiled wider, "Sonny." I smiled back and he turned away. "Yeah, on my nineteenth birthday she told me she was pregnant. That was my present, my baby brother. And you know what? When you give a gift, you can't take it back, and the person who got it can't give it back either. I told myself that everyday until he was born. She gave him to me, so he was mine. I wasn't gonna let him get the same crap from her and her no good boyfriends that I got. He was my baby brother and I wasn't gonna let anybody or anything hurt him, ever."

"Well, I think you've done a pretty good job." He smirked and looked up at me shyly.

"Hey, dya know what me and Al thought when we first saw Cora?" I smiled and shrugged, glad Oz was calling her Cora now. For the past two weeks he's just referred to her as 'The White Witch.' "We thought she was your mom." When I laughed Oz turned to me and smiled. "Well what the hell were we supposed to think? A girl-vamp comes looking for a baby half-vamp, that's honestly what we thought."

"Yet you dragged her through the woods anyway?"

"Hey, your mother or not we still thought she was crazy." We both laughed and I dropped my head backwards, feeling myself calm again.

"Smee?"

"Yeah?"

"She isn't your Mom, is she?"

"No Oz, she's not."

{--}

That night, after spending what felt like hours assuring Sonny and Al I was fine and apologizing to a remorseful Cora, I made Sonny and I dinner and after we ate we went and sat on the hill with Al and Oz. The stars twinkled in the dark sky and I lay beside Sonny, staring at them.

"Smee, do you believe in fate?" Al and Oz groaned at Sonny and I giggled.

"No, I really don't."

"What! How can you not?"

"Because it's a stupid concept, Sonny. We're all in control of our own decisions, be they dumb, genius or both."

"But, Smee, think about it. All of us, here now, together, that's gotta be fate. You meeting Cora; fate. Al and Oz finding and rescuing you; fate. You meeting a certain human boy who just happened to be the greatest big brother you could ever wish for; fate. Then, it just so happens that your Cora and my Brice, are soul mates! Fate Smee. Fate, fate, fate."

I rolled my eyes and fell into silence. "You know what's weird."

"Oh my God, Sonny, shut up!" I laughed and Sonny just grunted, ignoring Al and carrying on anyway.

"Cora and Brice said they were "going into the woods" when really, 'cos of what Cora can do, they could be anywhere. They could be right behind us and we wouldn't see or hear them." I shot upright onto my shoulders, my eyes darting around.

"Okay, that's disturbing." Al laughed as he started crawling backwards towards the Mausoleum, looking around uncomfortably. Oz chuckled and leapt to his feet, running inside and screaming playfully. I pulled Sonny to his feet and we jogged in after them.

{--}

A week later and the Mausoleum was our home. There was a lake around half a mile away that we'd swim in when it was warm enough for Sonny and the nearest town was closer and bigger than at the cabin.

I did all the shopping myself because Cora was always off somewhere with Brice and Al always moaned when I dragged him round. I actually liked doing it by myself as being alone had become kind of unfamiliar for me.

I was bent down into one of the freezers of a huge store when a shopping cart ground to a halt directly behind me. I didn't pay it any attention, instead hunting deep for Sonny's favourite ice cream. I finally found it, but my grip on it almost slipped, when the person who'd slammed their cart to a stop spoke.

"Nessie Cullen!" That name. It sounded strange after so long, but it was mine. It was as familiar to me as the voice of the one who had just spoken it. I stood frozen, my head still buried in the piles of ice cream, causing the woman to speak again.

"Nessie, Is that you?"


A billion points for Gryffindor if you can guess who it is?