Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.


23. THE ANGEL

As I waded through the darkness, I slipped in and out of visions of my potential future.

With the sound of the most attractive furious, roaring, snarling as a soundtrack, I saw my funeral being held in different locations, depending on people's choices; Forks, Seattle, Florida, hell even at La Push. Man, I'd be a popular corpse. Then there were the strange visions of Carlisle, Jasper, and I looking through papers and books of varying thickness in different locations I didn't recognize. What was that about?

I was brought back, almost to the surface, by a sharp pain slashing my shoulder, but I still couldn't quite manage to lift heavy lids.

And then I heard it.

The sound of my god of war, my angel of death desperately calling my name.

"Madeleine, no!" his voice cried in horror.

After that achingly familiar sound was another noise - an eldritch commotion that my mind shied away from. A vicious bass growling, a satisfying snapping sound, and a high keening, suddenly cut off...

"Maddy, darlin'! Maddy, please listen to me, dove!" He begged.

Of course I would, Jazz. Always, I thought but unable to voice them.

"Carlisle!" my angel roared, anger and agony mixed in his perfect voice. "Maddy, come on darlin', don't quit on me now!" He demanded.

I wanted to laugh at his dramatics (justified as they were) and reassure him I wasn't going anywhere, but I couldn't breath properly.

There was a point of pressure against my head. Pain. It opened the floodgates to the rest of it, washing away the darkness in an agonizing torrent. I cried out, gasping, forced out of the numb oblivion.

"Maddy!" my angel cried.

"She's lost some blood, but the head wound isn't deep," a calm voice informed him. "Watch out for her leg, it's broken."

A guttural snarl of rage escaped my angel's curled lips.

A sharp stab to my side, brought that pain to the forefront, resigning myself to more prodding and pain before I was allowed blissful unconsciousness.

"Some ribs, too, I think," the methodical voice continued.

You think? I retorted mentally before all of my attention was drawn to a new scalding pain in my shoulder that was overshadowing everything else.

I was burning alive.

"Jazz," I rasped, heavy and slow, barely able to understand myself.

"Madeleine, you're gonna be fine. Ya hear me, Maddy? Yer gonna be fine."

"Jasper," I tried again, my voice a bit clearer this time. Morbidly, I wondered if the venom was already healing me a bit as it turned me.

"I'm here, darlin'."

"Hurts," I croaked.

"I know, darlin', it's gotta" - then he turned to someone - "don't ya got somethin' ta help?"

"My bag, please... Hold your breath, Rosalie, it will help," Carlisle promised.

"Rose?" I huffed in surprise.

"She's here, we all are. You led us on a merry chase."

"My shoulder," I gasped.

"Your shoulder, little dove?" Jasper asked softly, already suspecting something wrong. Good.

"It's burning!" I shouted, voice hoarse, my eyes finally shuttering open completely but blood was clouding my sight.

"Carlisle," Jasper started urgently.

"My shoulder! Fuck, it hurts!" I cried as it continued to burn.

"Carlisle! Her shoulder!"

"He bit her." Carlisle's voice was no longer calm, it was appalled, angry almost.

I heard Jasper snarl again in outrage.

"You've got this, Jasper." It was Rosalie's voice, close by my head. Cool fingers brushed at the wetness in my eyes.

"It's too soon!"

"It...there may be a chance," Carlisle said.

"Anything," Jasper breathed.

"See if you...can suck the venom back out. The wound is fairly clean." As Carlisle spoke, I could feel more pressure on my head, something poking and pulling at my scalp. The pain of it was lost in face of the burning venom.

"Will that work?" Rosalie's voice was strained.

"I don't know," Carlisle said. "But we have to hurry."

"I..." It wasn't like Jasper to hesitate. Seems I still needed to work on his self confidence regarding his control. Carlisle noticed his hesitation as well.

"Jasper, it's your decision, either way. I can't help you. I have to get this bleeding stopped here if you're going to be taking blood from her shoulder."

I convulsed in the grip of the fiery torture, the movement flaring up the sickening pain in my leg.

"Jasper!" I cried, my blurred gaze locked on his expression, twisted in agony and despair. "Trust," was the most I could rasp out under the pain. And I did. Trust him. If I could feel anything besides the acid in my veins, it was the absolute love and trust I had for Jasper and his iron will.

"Rosalie, get something to brace her leg!" Carlisle was shocked when Jasper shouted the command as the doctor worked on my head, his pained gaze suddenly replaced by a steely determination. He hovered over me, my shoulder, for only a fraction of a second before his cool lips met my burning skin.

And suddenly the pain was worse. I brokenly shrieked and convulsed against the cool hands that held me down. I heard Rosalie's voice, trying to sooth me. Something heavy held my leg to the floor, and Carlisle had my head locked in the vise of his stone arms.

Then, slowly, my convulsions died as my shoulder grew more and more numb. The acid was dulling, focusing into an ever smaller point.

I felt my consciousness slipping as the fire subsided, feeling the tired muscles of my cheeks pulling as I smiled wanly in relief.

"Jasper," I whispered breathlessly, little to no volume in it, but they heard.

"I'm here, darlin'," he croaked, voice barely recognizable as human.

"Gold star," I shuddered.

"Thank ya, darlin'," Jasper huffed disbelievingly at my remark, though a smile reluctantly tugged at his lips.

"So proud - knew you could - love you," I mumbled, exhaustion finally seeping through my abused body.

"Is it all out?" Carlisle asked from somewhere far away.

"Her blood tastes clean," Jasper replied quietly. "I can taste the morphine."

"Trust him," I pouted in Carlisle's general direction, getting a chuckle from him.

"My apologies."

"Jazz," I called through the strengthening haze.

"Yes?"

"Next time you're looming over me, sucking on my shoulder and making me scream," I huffed, "it better be - because you're giving me the best sex of my life."

Muffled, I could hear Carlisle's chuckles and clearly, hear Rosalie's snort of disbelief and amusement. Jasper himself chuckled as well, brushing his thumb feather-light over a bruised cheek.

"Agreed," he murmured. "I love you, darlin'."

"I know," I sighed with as much cheek as I could infuse under the circumstances, succeeding in making him chuckle weakly again. Score.

"Maddy?" Carlisle asked.

"Mmmn?" I hummed lazily, ready for some well earned nap time.

"Where is your mother?"

"In Florida," I yawned. "It was a trap. Won't like the video he made. I'm sorry, Jasper. James was a dick." My nose twitched. "I smell gasoline."

"It's time to move her," Carlisle said.

"Nooo~! Sleepy time," I whined.

Jasper chuckled again, adoringly. "I got ya, darlin'," he soothed.

And I was in his arms, cradled protectively against his chest - floating, all the pain gone.

"Sleep, darlin', I got ya" were the last words I heard.


AN: As promised, a short ch 23, barely 1k, complete! Seriously not much to this one. The real chapter in the book was like five pages(technically six, but two were both only about half writing so I count it as one) so mine's hardly going to be any longer. I promise the next is longer, at least 4k, maybe a bit longer, and I only posted this because I'm close to done with it so it shouldn't take me long to update again, don't worry!

As always, thanks for the reads, please review, and I hope you like this chapter and the next!,(=v=)/