Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight
Chapter Thirty-One
*Renesmee's POV*
"Masen!" I screamed, desperately trying to find my little brother. "Masen!? Where are you? Masen!"
My mind was racing. I felt sick to my stomach. My entire body was exhausted from sobbing. My eyes stinging from the salty tears to the scratchiness of my throat from screaming. I felt as if somebody took my body, threw it in the washing machine and just left it there. My best friend was dead and my little sister and cousin were gone. I wanted to scream and cry...But the moment I saw Masen take off I knew. I somehow knew what he was going to do. He's predictable, believe it or not, just like our father. He may look the most like our mother, but he takes so much after Dad. His style of thinking, it's very Edward.
I kept running after him. My feet pounding against the earth as I followed his scent. I didn't stop until I found him standing at the edge of a cliff.
"Masen?" I called out his name.
He turned around to look at me. His hazel eyes looked dead. His body trembling as he stared at me.
"Go away, Renesmee," He told me, his voice icy.
"No," I refused, walking over to him. "You need me right now."
"I don't!" He cried out. "I just...I just want to be left alone."
"No," I stated firmly. "I'm not leaving you!"
"Don't you understand!" Masen hissed, violently grabbing me by the arms. "My mate is dead! My sister has been taken- I don't want to live anymore! I want death! Don't you understand!? I. Don't. Want. To. Live. Anymore!"
I stood my ground. Swiftly, I grabbed my brother firmly so his hold wasn't on me anymore.
"Well understand this," I growled. "I get it. She was your mate. I don't know what I'd do if I lost Jacob. But she was my best friend too. I loved her, Masen. She was my sister. I am angry! And Lizzy, she was my sister too! You didn't just loose someone tonight, Masen! I lost people too! You're not the only one who's suffering right now!"
"I don't want to keep going!" Masen cried out out like some helpless animal. "I don't want to go on! I can't even...I can't even face her family-"
"It's not your fault," I whispered harshly, cupping his face. "It's not-"
"Yes it is!" Masen sobbed, his entire form crumbling. "If we didn't...If I just-"
"It's not," I repeated, the tears rolling down my cheeks. "Brother, this is not your fault."
"I...I can't do this anymore," He said, shutting his eyes tightly. "Nessie, all I see when I close my eyes is him cutting her throat...I just...I can't!"
"You can!" I rasped out, trying to control the tears that were blurring my vision right now.
"I can't!" He snarled, gripping to his brown locks. "I feel as if my soul's been split in two. I...I just can't keep living. Please, make the pain stop! Please, make it stop! Make it stop!"
"I wish I could," I replied, keeping his face firmly in my hands now. "But you need to keep going on."
"Why!?" He bellowed. "I have nothing else to live for!"
"You have a son!" I shouted, causing him to freeze.
"My son..."
"Yes, your son," I whispered tearfully. "A son who needs his father! He just lost his mother, but you need to hang in there! Don't you understand? He needs his dad! You're the only parent he has left!"
Masen let out an ugly sob. I was crying too, but I had the strength to bring my little brother into my arms and hold him tightly. The two of us collapsed on the forest floor, our sobs audible for miles.
"I need her, Nessie," Masen cried against my shoulder. "I...My son won't know his mother."
"He will," I said, pressing my lips to Masen's crown. "Through you. Tell him all about her. Tell him how she was brave. Tell him how she was the most caring person you ever knew. Tell him how much she loved him. How she was willing to put her life on the line for him, tell him that."
"Oh god," Masen cried. "How could I be so selfish? My son..."
"It's okay," I soothed, stroking his hair as I cradled him in my arms.
"I need to go back," he said shakily. "I need to see him."
"Alright," I replied, helping him up. "Let's go."
"Yeah..." He replied, tears still coming down his face. I grabbed his hand as we silently walked back to the house.
When we got there my stomach dropped. Elaine was screaming as she gripped to Grace's body. Ava was crying while Zach held her, trying to control himself. Carolyn stood motionless in the doorway.
Masen began to tremble. I felt awful watching Elaine sob while cradling her little girl in her arms.
"My daughter!" Elaine sobbed. "My baby girl! No! Not my daughter! Damn you! Damn you!"
"You," Carolyn spoke icily, seeing Masen standing with me. "This is your fault!"
"How is this his fault!" I cried out before she could even continue. "He just watched the love of his life die before him! If you want to blame anyone, blame Aro damn it! He killed Grace for no reason! My sister went instead. My sister is gone as well and made a deal to keep her safe, but Aro didn't listen. Aro had a guard kill her! Grace was just as apart of our family as yours!"
Carolyn looked at me shocked. Masen did too, but that's when Elaine arose. She looked at me and then at Masen. Her eyes welding up in tears. I was expecting her to lash out at us. Scream and curse us for the death of her daughter, but instead she ran right at us and wrapped her arms around the two of us. Her sobbing continued. I wrapped my arms tightly around Elaine's body while Masen stayed limp.
"I know it's not your fault," Elaine whispered tearfully.
"Thank you," I replied.
"Where's the baby?" Masen asked shakily.
Elaine sighed, pulling away as she cupped Masen's face, "He's with your mother...I haven't gotten a chance to meet him yet but I hear he hasn't even met his own father yet."
"No," Masen replied quietly. "I...I'm so sorry-"
"It's okay, son," Elaine whispered, hugging him tightly. "I know. It's okay. I know how it feels. I've been in your place before."
Masen nodded, gripping tightly to his mate's mother. The two just stood there for a bit until Masen finally pulled apart.
"Let's go see him," I told my brother. He nodded his head stiffly as we then walked into the other room.
My parents were seated in the corner. My father rubbing my mother's shoulders as she cradled the small bundle.
"Mom," Masen whispered. "Dad."
"Masen," My mother stood up, placing the baby down in a moses basket. "Don't you...Don't you ever run off like that. I thought-"
"I'm sorry," Masen replied, tears falling down from his cheeks. "I just...I just didn't want to-"
"Look at me," My mother said, cupping his face. "I know your in pain, but don't ever do that again. I just lost two daughters tonight. I don't need to loose a son as well."
My stomach dropped. Lizzy. God, Lizzy. Sweet little Lizzy was gone. Not to mention Abby, Lucas, Dru...Gone.
"We'll get them back," My dad proclaimed. "I'm not sure how yet, but we'll get them."
"I hope so," I said.
My mom then brought Masen into a bone crushing hug. My dad and I also joined in as the four of us just stood there in mourning. That was until a soft cry interrupted us.
Masen looked down to see his son. A baby with a tear stained face cried, his hands reaching out for his father.
"There he is," I whispered.
Masen looked at the little boy with bewilderment. Gently, he picked up the small bundle and cradled the baby to his chest. The child soon stopped crying and starred up at his father with wide eyes.
"He has her eyes," Masen mused, his finger brushing his son's cheek. "And her hair..."
"He looks just like her," My mother confirmed. If she could be crying right now, I know she would.
"His name is Tyler," Masen told us. "She wanted to name him after our dads. So...Tyler Edward."
My dad smiled a bit as he and Masen shared a look.
"It's a beautiful name," My mother proclaimed, pressing a kiss to Masen's temple. "We'll give you two some time to bond."
Masen nodded as my parents both left. I looked at the two one last time, Masen just starring at his son intensely. The last thing he has of his mate.
"Hey, Nessie."
"Yeah?" I turn around to face my little brother again.
He looked down at the bundle and then back at me, "Thank you, for everything."
"It was nothing," I told him, a small smile on my face. "That's what sisters are for."
He weakly smiled at me before he drew his attention back to his son. I then quietly left the room and found my parents in one another's embrace. My dad holding my mother close as she dry sobbed into his chest. Lizzy.
My dad confirmed my thought, holding on even tighter to my mother. I could see how his topaz eyes showed sadness. They mourned over Grace but they haven't even had the chance to mourn over the chance they might never see Lizzy again. That had my gut twisting and turning at the very thought.
I swallowed hard before walking away. My sneakers crunched against the broken glass scattered around the house along with all sorts of debris the Volturi left in their path. I slowly started to make my way down the stairs to see the rest of the family were scattered around in the living room.
Jen and Aidan were curled up on a nearby couch. The two of them tearstained while Seth sat motionless at a broken window. Esme and Carlisle were in one another's embrace.
"Lily," Aidan whispered suddenly, his eyes widening in realization. "She's...Ethan-"
"We'll go," Esme declared. "Please don't tell me-"
"I don't know," Aidan replied, shaking his head. "But...They're with Alice, Jasper, mom, dad, Rob, Cordy...And the Lexington twins."
"They found the twins," My grandpa whispered.
"Yeah," Aidan confirmed, looking up with sad blue eyes. "And they don't know what's happened."
My stomach dropped. It felt like the world was spinning and I just wanted to break down.
That's when I saw Jacob. He was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. The moment his eyes met mine I ran right for him. He then took me into his arms and I buried my face into his chest, sobbing. Jacob whispered soothing words in my ear as he stroked my hair, letting me cry. That's how we stayed. The two of us just crying in one another's embracing, hoping for only better things.
*Lily's POV*
My head was heavy and my back was killing me. I blinked, trying to understand where I was. My hands dug into what was soft earth besides me. I slowly looked at my surroundings to see I was starring up at the starry night.
Gently, I rolled to my side. I blinked again to see the motionless body of Ethan laying on the ground. I groaned also now noticing there was a smell of burning something in the air.
"Ethan," I called out to my boyfriend. He didn't respond. My stomach started to twist in knots as I then started to crawl over towards him. My head was pounding, but I didn't care.
"Slow down there," A new voice spoke. I didn't listen as I traveled over towards my boyfriend.
His eyes were closed, but his chest was still rising and falling. I breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed against him. My head resting against his stomach while I tried to some sort of strength to wake him up. The voices still kept telling me to slow down, but I ignored them and picked my body up so I could face my boyfriend while I supported myself against him.
"Ethan," I breathed, cupping his face. "Ethan, wake up."
"You two took a major blow," a new voice said again. "Please, calm down."
Finally, I look up to see two girls. One had short brown hair and the other short red hair. My eyes suddenly widened with realization.
"The Lexington twins?" I shakily asked.
The redhead, Violet, nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, it's us Lily."
"What happened?" I groaned, touching my forehead. I wasn't even phased that these two knew my name.
"A lot," The one, Hazel, said kneeling down in front of me. "Some terrible things have happened to your family."
"What do you mean," I rasped out.
Hazel and Violet shared uneasy looks with me but turned their attention back to Ethan. "He's going to be fine, by the way. He just took a nasty blow. Go thing we arrived when we did. He was about to fried to death, but we killed Contessa."
"Contessa?" I questioned with raised eyebrows. "The crazy witch?"
"Yeah," Violet answered. "She used to know our mother. She's one of the reasons Mama was killed in the first place."
"Okay," I said, shakily before turning back to Ethan. He began to stir and I gently caressed his face again. "Ethan, love. Ethan, wake up."
"Mo ghrĂ idh?" he called out weakly
"I'm right here," I whispered soothingly, rubbing the pad of my thumb against his cheek.
"What happened?" He groaned, blinking furiously. "We...That witch."
"Yeah," I answered, brushing my fingers through his hair. "Look, we need to go now."
"Lily!" I whip around to see my mother and father rushing towards me.
"Mom! Dad!" I exclaimed as she threw her arms around me. My father soon following after.
"Baby, we're so glad you're okay," My mom whispered, pressing her lips to my forehead.
I look to see it was just them. "Where's Aunt Alice? Uncle Jasper? Robert? Cordelia?"
"They went back to the house right away," My dad explained woefully, his eyes trailing towards the ground.
"What happened?" Ethan asked, sitting up now.
My parents shared looks with one another before my mother decided to speak. "The Volturi came...And they took some of us."
"What?" I whispered, wide eyed.
"They took Lizzy, Dru, Abby..." My father trailed off, biting his lip. "And they took Lucas."
"No," Ethan wheezed out. "No!"
"That's not even the worst of it all," My mother added, her voice getting shaky.
"What else happened?" I demanded, tears welding up in my eyes. "That's horrible enough!"
"They..." My mother struggled to speak. "They...They killed Grace, baby. She's dead."
"No," I cried out, tears falling from my eyes. "Masen? The baby?"
"Fine," Hazel answered. "But he's hurting...You're his best friend, am I right?"
"Yes," I answered cooly.
"He's going to need you," She told me.
I nodded at this stranger before turning to look at my boyfriend. His eyes fixated on the ground as he gripped to the grass by him.
"Don't shut me out," I whispered. His eyes flickered up and locked with mine.
"I won't," He replied, taking a deep breath. "I just...I just-" The tears started to well up in my boyfriend's eyes. I then threw my arms around Ethan's form and the two of us sobbed. My parents and the twins stood silently as we mourned.
"Not again," He whispered against my neck, the tears hitting my skin. "But Grace...Oh god. Why? Why us?"
"I don't know," I cried, hugging him tightly. "I wish I knew."
We stayed like that for a bit until we decided to run back to the house. When we got there, it was absolute chaos. Esme rushed forward immediately to Ethan, hugging him tightly to her like any dotting mother would. I think he needed a parent right now. I looked to see my parents were embracing Aidan who was crying uncontrollably. His best friend was just taken. I look to see Jacob sat with Seth while he tried to console his younger friend.
I then turned to see Jen being held tightly by Carlisle while Renesmee sat with Aunt Bella and Uncle Edward. The twins now greeted another new face, Daniel, their little brother. I could tell they weren't sure exactly how to help us right now.
My gut twisted as I walked forward more to see Aunt Alice dry sobbing on the floor while Uncle Jasper held her tightly, dry sobbing himself. Their only child was just taken.
Then I looked towards the room. On the table was a lifeless body of Grace. Robert was cursing and sobbing as he looked at his little sister's body. Cordelia crying as she tried to console Elaine.
It didn't even feel like anything we've ever faced before. We almost lost people before. When Serena attacked us that was fear, but this...We just lost one of our own. The Volturi hurt our family in the worst way possible.
Quietly, I approached the other room. When I got in there Masen was leaning against on the wall, propped on the bed. On his chest, sprawled out was a baby. Blonde tuff of hair and eyes closed.
Masen looked up at me. His eyes solemn. I swallowed hard, slowly entering the room.
"I'm so sorry, Mase," I whispered, approaching the bed. "If I only-"
"Nothing you could've done would've saved her," Masen replied, his eyes falling on the bundle.
"I'm still sorry," I said, inching closer to him.
Masen sighed, "It's...It's okay. I have to worry about him now."
"Alright," I said softly, gently taking a seat next to him. A small smile crept on my face when I noticed the baby in Masen's embrace. His little face was sleeping peacefully.
"He's got your messy hair," I mused. "But that color, all Grace."
"He has her eyes," Masen told me proudly. "Crystal blue. The exact color too...He's just like her, Lily..."
He paused for a moment, still looking at the child. "Lily...I...I don't know if I can do this."
"Yes you can," I told him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You're strong, Masen."
He shook his head, stroking the baby's small back. "A few weeks ago we were supposed to move to Boston. We were getting ready for college and...I wasn't supposed to be a father yet he happened and I'm happy he's here...I just...She was with me, just yesterday. God, Lily...I held her hand yesterday. She smiled at me yesterday, how can she not be here right now. How can she..."
"I know," I replied, resting my head against my best friend's shoulder. "I know."
Masen sighed and looked back at his baby, "His name is Tyler. Tyler Edward. That's what she wanted to name him."
"It suits him," I mused, pressing my lips gently on the baby's sleeping head. "Welcome to the family, Ty."
Masen smiled a bit at me before the two of us just sat in silence, watching the youngest and newest member of our family sleep.
A/N: Pretty sad chapter, the Cullen's are going to be dealing with a lot, but stay tuned. Thanks for reading, reviewing, and be on the lookout for the next update! :)
