Two in a week? Am I crazy ...well after this, pretty much actually. But fear not for my mind, this is the penultimate chapter of WS. *tear*?
And for those who wondered about the burning sensation Nessie felt at the end of the last chapter, no, she was not bitten. It's just how I figured her anatomy works. She's more like Jake in that she can break and heal, but she is half-vamp and I figured what ever strain of venom pumps through her veins is venom none the less and would give a similar effect to that of a changing vampire.

Anyway, enjoy.


Chapter Twenty-Nine: Burned.

No dreams made it through the darkness, they could not survive the fire.

It was just me, alone in the abyss, clawing for lost light.

I was swimming in it but I was exhausted. Exhausted and so lost. With no up, no down, no left or right and only the pain to keep me company, I was incomprehensibly lost.

I just wanted a hand, someone to reach in and pull me out.

It was all too much now. This wasn't what I'd wanted. This was never what I'd wanted.

But I just sunk further and deeper, drowning in the pit of my own creation and burning in the fire of my own doing.

No hand came to seize me, because none was left.

All had been cast out, or pushed away or run from.

So I just crept deeper and deeper into the dark.

There was a jolt which stirred my body and I woke to complete dizziness.

The world was spinning around me and I didn't know why.

The world was shaking beneath me, sending deep trembles through my frame which still so ached with the embers of the fire. My fingers had wound themselves through something soft. With fear in my heart I twitched each fingertip, and felt liquid relief seep from within me when they responded.

Cold droplets of rain pattered against the ground and bounced against my skin before sliding down in their various directions against my raw, aching flesh.

Still the earth moved. It moved so sickeningly fast the stillness inside me churned. I had to stop it.

My fingers wound tighter, searched for some stability, some calm.

None came.

Still the trees and the earth and the sky whipped by me. Still the bouncing beneath me punched at my tender stomach. My fingers dug again, the palms moving slowly with them this time. Pushing.

It happened quickly, with the push my body slid. The fall tugged at the insides of my stomach as I dropped with a speed and came crashing against the damp, mossy ground.

I rolled, the momentum of my exit sending me over twice until I came to a final stop in one pathetic heap.

I didn't open my eyes.

Nothing existed within me to give me want to. So I just lay there and allowed myself to be swallowed by the rhythmic lullaby of the throb of my body.

I groaned when there was a poke at my ribs. No energy remained but to allow it to happen again.

When it did it was followed by a sound of such animalistic despair; a series of high-pitched whimpers.

"Jake?" I mumbled, my jaw throbbed with the movement and I groaned again. The rain continued to clap against my skin, each collision like a sharp stab that broke through my burning skin like ice.

There was another whimper, and another prod at my ribs.

I buried my head deeper into the earth. The world was still now, so my mind was able to run around against it.

I remembered what I'd seen. The sight that had played out before my eyes as Jake had lifted my body onto his was before them again.

I should never have looked back.

"Jake." There was warmth at my lips when I spoke again; warm, salty tears that seemed to lubricate the movement and make it easier than the last time.

I heard him move around me, heard him drop to the floor, and sobbed when his scent surrounded me.

The whimper was closer now and with each coming of it I felt the warm air of Jake's breath against my face.

The rain thrashed against the leafy canopy above us with more ferocity and as the warmth of Jake's breath relaxed me I could have been safe in my bed with it only tapping against my window. I could not feel the cold of the droplets that reached us with Jacob's body lying so close to mine, it provided such a radiation of comfort that the pain inside me was numbed.

I opened my eyes.

His looked back at me. The deep brown seemed even deeper as they were shaped in such sadness. Jacob's eyes seemed the centre-point of his whole existence. As he lay beside me now, his whole body changed as I'd seen it do a thousand times before, only his eyes remained the same. Exactly the same.

I tilted my head so that it met the side of his. He whimpered again.

Those deep orbs travelled the length of me, and sunk deeper into despair.

I tried to lift my arm. It felt like a million weights and ached and burned in its entirety with the attempt. It got half way to Jacob's face when I could move it no more and dropped it to the ground. I needed to touch him, I just couldn't.

Jake lifted his head and shook it gently, telling me not to strain myself.

"I - I.." a cough spluttered from my heavy chest and Jake cried again. "I need to talk."

He stared at me, then rose to his feet. He disappeared from sight as I rolled slowly onto my back, my breath coming more rapidly with the exhaustion of movement.

My eyes fell closed again, unable to fight the forces that would have them shut. My breathing steadied and I heard Jake return to sit beside me on two feet.

His hands came beneath me and I was lifted slowly into his lap.

One arm wound around my waist as my body closed up against him, the other sweeping hair away from my face before cradling my head.

My eyes still would not open as I buried my face against his chest.

"I'm so sorry, Nessie." As he spoke his lips were against my forehead. I curled up further, the exhaustion setting in deep and making everything heavier, slower.

"What now?" The words rolled slowly from my lips, low and quiet. It was a lost question, searching for some specific to stick to. I wasn't sure what I meant. Everything, I suppose.

What would happen to me now, would my body ever fix itself, would the pain ever go away?

What more could happen, what other catastrophe could I bring forward, what more could I inflict on the people I loved?

What about Victor?

What about Al?

I rolled further into Jake at the thought, as the vision played before me again. I pushed my face into Jake's bare chest until it was all the existed, all I could register.

"We're not far… we're not far from the house, Ness. I could take you back." I tried to shake my head, it felt like it moved, but I couldn't be sure. Jake's fingers stroked my cheek. "Okay, we'll stay here. You rest here." I heard his voice break as he drew in staggered breaths. "I could go and get them. Let me get them, Nessie. They could help you."

"No. No, Jake, don't go." I begged, "Please, don't leave me."

His lips pressed harder against my forehead.

"Never. Not ever, I swear. Never." I could feel the darkness again, I could feel the heat of the fire swallowing me into unconsciousness once again as my head lay against the thrum of Jacob's heart. "Sleep, Nessie. Everything will be okay, I promise."

{--}

Cold slid across my forehead when I woke.

One trickle after another seeped across my skin in drips. The rain still fell above, heavier than before. I stretched my body. It was stiff and there was an ache that seemed to swirl through the centre of every bone but the improvement that sleep had brought was extensive.

With the movement I felt the earth beneath me and the free space around me.

Another drop made its way across my head.

Jacob was gone.

I grimaced, twisted my body slightly to try and alleviate the stiffness brought on by sleep.

Cold worked its way across my brow once again, but it felt different.

I squirmed,

"Rise and shine, Renesmee."

My eyes bolted open, and before I could register the ache inside me my body shot up into a low crouch as they met a pair of piercing red eyes.

My heart pounded inside my chest as Victor rose from his crouch. He was smiling again.

My breath fell fast and heavy through my lips and heat begin to build at my eyes.

I hated him. With every morsel of my existence I hated him. With every replay of what I had seen as Jake dragged my broken body into the woods …. with every fibre I despised him.

Raindrops bounced against his pallid skin, emphasising the slight shine it gave off in the blanketed afternoon light.

The tears rolled from my eyes as he continued to smile and I rose to my feet opposite him.

This close I could smell the smoke on his clothes. The scent of destruction seemed to linger on his very skin, floating through the rips and tears in the fabric he wore.

"Aww," he raised one hand and ran the fingers through a lock of hair that hung over my shoulder. "Lost for words are we?" I smacked the hand away quickly, hissing,

"Don't touch me." He smirked, dropped the hand to his side but held his stance only inches from me. I ground my hands into fists. Where was Jacob? I stared intently into Victor's eyes. Surely if anything had happened ….surely it would have woken me up. Or was I too deep in the pit of pain to have been stirred by mere noise?

"Oh, don't look at me like that. Let us not end with you sulking. Come, it will be no fun if you just stand there and let me kill you." He leaned forward and grinned. "And we must get on, there's still a chance your wolf will return for you…" he laughed, "though I very much doubt that. Not now he's seen what becomes of your protectors."

I took a step back, needing to be further from him but he held my shoulders and moved with me, shaking them. "Come, little Cullen. Get angry. I find it so thrilling. Come on," he leaned closer, "I still have the ash from young Alvar's bones clinging to me." I threw his hands from my shoulders as a cry popped from my lips.

"He didn't deserve it! He did nothing to deserve it." He hushed me, and brought his hand to my cheek. I squirmed but he did not let go.

"Don't fret, child. It is done." My bottom lip crumbled, and my face quivered in a suffocated sob. "Perhaps …in a way, you are right. The boy led a harmless enough existence in this world. He was merely …unfortunate in the company that surrounded him." His eyes travelled me, teasing me. "He suffered for you, Renesmee. All for you. One of many who can hold claim to that honour, I'm sure."

"You're a monster." I shook my head as heavy breaths raged through my gritted teeth.

"Yes." Victor nodded.

"An evil, despicable, empty creature." He nodded again, his eyes darkening as his grin widened.

My lungs grew colder as the air was sucked from them more rapidly, my still-aching chest fighting to keep my thumping heart contained. "You'll pay for what you've done." His head rolled back as he laughed, before falling forward and nodding again.

"Yes. Good."

"Yes, it is. You talk of me being a stain but you …you have nobody. You have nothing. You are nothing." The smile dropped from his lips, his eyes burning into mine as he snarled,

"And I fully intend to leave you in the same predicament, Renesmee. Even if it means visiting the Cullens, or perhaps that aging Grandfather of yours back in Washington."

I hissed as I threw what energy I possessed against him. When my palms collided with my chest he staggered back a few steps, throwing his arms in the air and exclaiming.
"Yes! Finally, we have a game!"

Suddenly Victor vanished in a dash of colour I struggled to register.

The air popped from my chest when a grip came around me and pulled me back. I stared forward, waiting for the dash of colour to form into something more than movement as it rolled to the floor.

Oscar.

He'd collided with Victor and they rolled now, thrashing at each other. The arms around me pulled me safely from them as their tussle was joined by a russet blur; Jacob.

I twisted; it was Cora's arms I was caged in, her eyes were fixed intently on the furious pile as she barked,

"Stay there."

I froze for a second then felt my body leap when something wound through my hand. My head twisted quickly to find Sonny twisting his fingers through mine.

His eyes were wide and coated in moisture, his hair pressed into a wild mass.

Leah stood at his front in her wolf form, growling ferociously and protectively at the fight before her.

I searched for breath. They had all arrived so quickly. They must have been waiting; Cora had kept them hidden until they could strike, until Victor was further from me than he had been for our entire conversation.

Sonny squeezed my hand tighter when Cora shot forward, throwing herself against Victor's torso as he rolled atop Oscar. Brice stood before them all. His legs planted apart, his hands spread at his side. I could barely recognise him as he stared down on them. The hatred across his face was unfathomable. Oscar pushed at Cora, took her position on top of Victor and she snarled in response. She went ignored by the unrecognisable Oscar though who just unleashed blow after blow to Victor's face with his fists. Sonny flinched, and I moved in front of him.

They knew. They all knew.

One of us was missing, and they all knew why.

Cora pulled at Oscar and the two of them wrestled Victor to his feet. Jake's entire frame shook as he roared, backing from where he'd been stood over Victor's body as he was pulled to a stand. Brice took a step forward behind Jacob, his black stare empty as he stared upon Victor who hung in the grasps of Cora and Oz.

Still Victor smiled.

"Hello, Old Friend." Oz snarled, the look on his face twisted my heart inside its cage. He looked broken. So completely broken that there would be no drawing him back from this loss. Not ever. Brice took another step forward, his face contorting when Victor spoke. As my eyes travelled them, Jacob included, I struggled to figure which hated him more. Which deserved to tear him to shreds most. Perhaps that was the plan, perhaps that's why restraint had been shown upto now. Maybe they were going to take it in turns. I gave Sonny's hand another squeeze and sneaked a slow look over my shoulder. He watched Victor too; his expression one of fear, and confusion, and hatred and complete and utter devastation. He looked everything I would have died for him never to be.

Still the rain beat down violently around us.

Brice remained silent, only his black stare spoke of what must have been stirring beneath the surface of his icy exterior. Victor chuckled,

"Oh come, Brice, after all these years, all the anticipation for this, this moment, and you have nothing to say?"

Brice's hand moved almost too quickly for me to see. But the snap as his fist met the side of Victor's face couldn't be missed.

Behind me Sonny gasped and I moved further in front of him to stand beside Leah, leaving my arm outstretched behind me so that I still held his hand.

Oz and Cora still held Victor who lifted his head lazily,

"Ahh, Brice. You still hit like a girl. I'm disappointed, perhaps the real fight won't be with you then …but with your newly acquired mate." Brice snarled as Victor turned his head to meet Cora's stare, inches from him. "Then again, Cora's bark is far worse than her bite. She never was one for hitting back, were you my scared little doll?"

As a quiver set in at Cora's lip another crack rang through the woods. This one so loud it had me flinching, squeezing my eyes shut for a moment.

When they opened I saw Oscar had abandoned his post, his shoulders rose and fell violently as he loomed at Victor's side having unleashed another explosive blow to his face. Victor's head rolled on his shoulders before that sickening chuckle fell from his lips again. His onyx black gaze met Oscar and he growled,

"Silly boy."

With a snarl he threw himself free from Cora's grip, lunging in Oscar's direction. Brice and Jacob leapt after him and Leah, who'd been so close beside me leapt too. He cleared them all, breaking his direction inches from colliding with Oz's frame and leaping into the air again.

It was too late by the time we realised what he was doing.

I pulled Sonny's arm forward, he fell towards me but before I could grab him Victor fell between us, caging Sonny in his arms and rolling to the floor.

When he leapt to his feet he faced us, and dragged Sonny backwards in his arms, one hand wrapped dangerously around his neck.

I blinked once before he disappeared from sight.

The wall that had formed before me hid them from view.

The three frames of Cora, Oscar and Brice loomed protectively before me, each of them static and stiff. Leah and Jacob growled before them, violent sounds ripping from either chests across the distance to Victor.

I could hear Sonny's panicked breaths from where I stood. I squeezed my eyes shut as they seemed to batter against my eardrums.

My knees bent and I sunk to the ground; terrified.

"You should take better care of your boys, Brice." I heard the hisses rise from within the chests of Cora and Oz. Brice stayed silent.

I daren't peak out, I daren't look at Sonny, caged in the arms of such a monster. I couldn't do it. "What a delightful way to start proceedings, do you not agree Sonny? Ripping your throat out and having all you hold dear here to witness."

Leah roared violently, through the gaps of Oz's legs I could make out her frame quaking violently. "Well, I say all those you hold dear. That's not quite accurate is it?"

Sonny sobbed and Oscar twitched, his knuckles were white with the force that ground them together. His entire body was shaking to keep still. "There was your Mother, wasn't there? But I killed her." I felt the tears spill across my hand as I held it tightly across my mouth. "And Alvar …ohh, precious Alvar. He died much the same way, you know. He burned too."

"Stop it!" Cora screeched above me.

My mind raced, searched for some way we could get out of this. All of us.

For what felt like an eternity I cowered there with no hope. I had only my mind as company as it blocked out the exchanges between the two fronts until Cora's voice echoed trough my mind.

"He's a child, Victor. He has no part in this. You have what you wanted, you have us here now just let him go and we can end this. No more running. No more hiding."

Hiding; Cora was wonderful at that.

I had an idea.

Slowly; like the very movement of my limbs would give me away I reached up and brushed my fingers against Cora's, and told her of my plan, pleaded with her to trust me, told her it was our only chance.

She didn't move, not at all.

There was only one way to find out if she had agreed with me.

I threw myself to my feet quickly. Oscar, whose frame loomed closest to me, didn't flinch. I gulped down a staggered breath and turned to peer at Cora, her narrow glare gave nothing away. Slowly I turned. Slowly I saw them.

Seeing Sonny, seeing Victor's pasty claws around his neck was enough. I stepped out from behind Oscar.

I crept around them, heard the earth react to the pressure of my movement, but it seemed nobody else did.

Jake didn't notice as I passed him. I was completely invisible.

A drew in a deep breath and moved forward. Sonny's expression was almost blank, as Victor's hand grasped his neck he kept still. I followed his eyes to Oscar's, who stared just as intensely across the distance between them. It was like the two brothers were silently communicating, clinging to each other for calm.

I rounded the back of Victor and examined his hold over Sonny. His left hand was clamped across his torso, while his right was the one that floated so dangerously around his neck.

I took a deep, quiet breath; still not confident that it could go unheard.

And then I jumped. I seized the hand that caged Sonny's neck first and pulled it back. It came easily, not expecting anything. I threw my body onto his back, smashing my legs around him and squeezing the hand I held in mine.

Victor's head bent back and he growled furiously. Before us I saw the others spring into action as I threw my spare arm around Victor's neck and let it tighten.

I sprung one of my legs free, and threw my knee into his spine.

Victor fell to his knees and I leaned in and whispered my parting message,

"You are nothing."

He was covered then. Jacob's teeth met his chest and pulled him away from me.

I let go, staying on my knees as Oscar grabbed him too. And then Brice.

Cora hovered over the chaos spinning a lighter, almost identical to the one Victor had had through her fingers and snarling furiously.

I just stayed on the ground as they began to tear him apart.

They seemed to move so slowly, my whole world became drenched in silence as I knelt and watched them, the snarling and hissing and ripping fading to nothing as I watched.

A low howl broke the silence.

I turned my head quickly, and saw Leah running into the woods.

I stared down at my hands. Where was Sonny? Quickly I scanned them, as though he should be there. As though I should be holding him.

I wasn't.

My eyes darted up to the ruckus where shards of flame were beginning to take hold of various severed parts of Victor. I scanned the ground around me.

He was nowhere to be seen.

Leah howled again, and I leapt to my feet and went after her.

She hadn't gone far; only disappearing behind a fallen tree a handful of yards away.

I jumped onto the mossy, crumbling trunk and stared down.

She whimpered and howled, her head poking down into the ground.

I dropped from the tree, and felt the air escape my lungs when I saw. My eyes travelled back over my shoulder as I took in the distance, as I took in the expanse.

Victor had thrown Sonny.

At some point when I'd wrestled him to the ground and the others had pounced, Victor had forced Sonny into the air.

And now he lay crumpled against the floor at the foot of a tree.

I raced forward, dropped to my knees beside Leah and threw myself over him and seized his shoulders.

"Sonny!" A sob wretched through my chest as I rolled him over. Blood seeped from a deep gash above his eye and trailed the length of his young face.

His eyes didn't open as I shook him. "Sonny, Sonny, wake up!" I could hear the sounds of despair ripping from Leah beside me.

My own cries mixed with hers as we leaned over his still body, twisted on the ground.

I shook him once more,

"Please, Sonny. Please wake up."