***Heh, you all wanna kill me yet? Are you sure you don't want to?

Just warning ya...

Also, I'm not checking notifications for this book until it's done, so that exists.

And there's a weird time gap between the two POVs. You'll figure it out.***

***(Nya's POV)***

Oh my gosh. What has he done?

I turn on my headset. "Lloyd, where are you? Jay's in Borg Power Corps alone! He's going to die!"

"What?" I hear Lloyd say over the intercom.

I desperately try to get the side entrance of the building to open, but it doesn't budge. "Jay sabotaged Pythor's machine wrong, and now it's set to explode! And I can't...get...in!" I cry out in anger, fear, lament.

"Get away from there!" Lloyd yells. "I'll come pick you up, and we'll find a way in together. Is there a set time the machine is supposed to explode?"

"Less than a minute from now!" I run from the door, searching for any other way inside the building. Could I climb a tree and use it to leap over to the top of Borg Power Corps?

No. There's not enough time.

I see the building flash with light from my place in the parking lot, and my heart skips a beat. "Jay!" I shout, my tone hysterical.

Suddenly, the humming and whining of Pythor's machine ceases.

All I can hear is the sound of the breeze.

"Oh my gosh," I wail. "No!"

"Nya?" Lloyd says over the intercom. "Nya, what happened?!"

"Jay stopped it," I swallow, running for the nearest tree so I can scale it. "He must've stopped the explosion by absorbing it. I..." I shake my head, seeing a tree by a nearby house.

That's what I'm using to get inside.

I run for the tree. As soon as I reach it, I grab an overhanging limb, hoisting myself onto it. My rubber boots lend me traction as I plant my feet on the limb, then rise and take the next branch in hand.

Once I've climbed the tree to the height of the adjacent one-story house, I take the few feet leap from my current branch to the rooftop. I stretch out my arms to steady myself, then allow my training to kick in and race across the roof, heading for the next building.

"Nya," Lloyd says, "I just got in the parking lot. Where are you?"

"I'm on my way inside," I inform him, approaching Borg Power Corps quickly.

"You will not go in there," he orders. "There could be an electrical fire or power cord damage. Stay where you are, and I'll call for emergency help."

"Sorry, green leader," I huff, "but I'm going to have to disobey that command." I make the final jump to Borg Power Corps, barely latching on the top of the building before I topple onto the ground.

I heave myself up over the side, rolling carefully onto the roof to ensure I don't touch something I'll regret. A nearby power cord buzzes and sparks.

I swallow hard when I see the metal of the ladder leaning down inside. However, I readjust my rubber gloves and boots and push through, trying to avoid touching the rungs with any part of my body. Once I see I can safely jump to the ground, I do so, relinquishing my hold on the ladder.

Everything is disturbingly silent, except for...

***Music Cue***

The muted sobs I hear nearby.

"Jay?" I yell, hoping with all my life that I'm not just hearing things. "Jay!"

Despite a lack of response, I flip on my battery-powered flashlight and run toward the noise, still calling out his name like a fool. Lloyd tries to contact me multiple times over the headset, but I don't respond.

"Jay!" I yell. "Jay, if you can hear me, please – "

I see someone in a heap up ahead of me, and I sigh with relief, running for them. That must be him.

"Jay," I breathe, finally getting a good view of his trembling form. I flop down beside him, examining him for any outward injuries. He must've taken off his shirt, but I can't see any serious damage there. His right side looks fine, but his upper left arm is blackened, and the skin looks dry and warped. The rest of that arm is various shades of red, and his left cheek is also reddened.

He was burned.

"Jay, can you hear me?" I ask, forcing my tone to remain even.

He doesn't respond, only inhaling shakily and releasing small wails on occasion.

I place my hand on his chest right over his heart. The beat is a wild staccato.

"Jay, answer me," I beg him. "Can you hear me?" I annunciate each word.

He gives a sharp inhale. "W-water."

I release a huge breath.

He's responsive.

At the same time, I pale. Water – that was what my dad kept begging for as he lost consciousness after the car accident that killed him.

I clutch my father's hand. "Daddy, don't leave me! I need you!"

The hospital room around me is utterly quiet but for the sound of my father's cries.

"Water, Nya. I need water. Where's your mother? She can give me water."

"Daddy...she can't give you any." She's dead. "One of the nurses can get you some."

"Where's your mother?" He shakes his head. "You and Kai have to stick together, Nya. You can make it, just as long as you're together. You may have lost your mom and me, but not Kai." He closes his eyes, grunting in pain. "Your mother. Where is she?"

I swallow. I can do for Jay what my mom couldn't do for my dad.

I gather droplets from the air. "I got you water, honey," I soothe him. I lift his head onto my lap with one hand. Then, I gently part his lips and guide the water into his mouth.

He manages to swallow, then tries to open his eyes. They're unfocused, hollow.

"I c-can't see you," he mumbles. "You're b-blurry."

I nod solemnly, stroking his good cheek with my hand. "You took a pretty big shock. Even an elemental master of lightning isn't supposed to experience that much electricity."

He sniffles. "D-don't look at me. I'm a m-monster."

"No, you're not," I calm him.

"B-but...my arm..."

"I already saw it, Jay. Lloyd called for emergency help, and we'll have you taken care of in no time." I swallow. "You...you saved a lot of people today, Jay. You were amazing."

"I s-stopped Pythor," he says quietly.

"Yes, you did." I cringe when I get another view of his blackened wound on his upper arm. "Does your arm hurt?"

"N-not really. Is that bad?"

Yes. "I'm not sure, but we'll make things better, okay?"

He whimpers. "It was so much p-power...at once...and I was h-holding it...and..." He breaks down again.

"I know, honey," I murmur. "Just lie here until the paramedics come."

He tears up. "The p-paramedics...my m-mom..."

"Shh," I whisper. "I'll be right there with you."

He sniffles. "I w-wanna g-get up, but everything f-feels weird."

"I know. Here, I'll lie down next to you. That puts us at the same level, right?" I curl up next to him, resting my hand over his heart.

He continues to cry, and I assume it's probably due to the trauma of what he's just experienced. He said he couldn't feel part of his arm – I'd assume that's the blackened part. His other burns, however, will be throbbing soon enough.

I have a feeling the next few weeks – and months – are going to be long.

"Nya?" Jay whimpers.

I turn my face toward him. "Yeah?"

"I n-need you. I need you to s-stay with me r-right now."

I squeeze his fingertips. "I'm right here. No one and nothing's taking us away from each other, okay?"

He nods, biting his lip. "I'm s-scared to death," he says quietly.

"Of what?"

"Of myself. I'm the m-m-master of lightning. The p-power I ex-experienced...I don't want to h-hurt you or anyone else. And w-whenever my element surges within me...I'm just really fr-frightened." He clenches his eyes shut.

"Shh, Jay. It's okay. You're not going to hurt me, or yourself, or an innocent person."

"How d-do you know?" he chokes out.

I take a deep breath and try to be as good with words as he is. "Because we balance each other, Jay. You and me – I'm the intense, proud, impulsive, spit-firey one, and you're the sweet, laid-back, funny, nurturing one. And that means we annoy the heck out of each other, but it also means we protect each other from the worst parts of ourselves. It's the same way with our elements – water and lightning. So you're not going to hurt me." Did that make any sense?

"Isn't th-the opposite of w-water, fire?" he gulps.

"Yeah, but water cancels fire out to form steam. I'm thinking complementary elements, Jay, not cancellation. Think about it – I calm you down, and you spark me to action. And when you put water and lightning together...no one can touch us."

"You're s-still losing me."

"Sorry, I'm not good with gushy stuff," I smile. "It made sense in my head."

He weakly reaches out his right hand for mine. "Th-thank you. It...it s-still means a lot."

"You want more?" I ask, taking his fingers in mine and resting my chin on his chest.

"P-please."

I listen to the beating of his heart. It's calmed a lot since I found him.

"When we're not together," I whisper, "I miss you so much, it feels like part of me is missing." Oh, the reasons a girl will be cheesy.

"M-me, too," he sniffs.

"And now we never have to be apart again," I comfort him, blushing at my sappy words. "We're together now."

"You're r-right. We're m-married. But...I look u-ugly right now," he cries.

"No, you don't. Shh." I hear sirens not far off.

"You p-probably r-regret marrying m-me," he moans.

"No, Jay. No. Of course not." I readjust my head on his chest. "Help is almost here, Jay. We'll get your burns taken care of and make sure you aren't hurting so bad."

"I'm s-sorry," he mutters.

"For what?" I ask him, running my thumb over the back of his hand.

"I'm sorry I r-ruined our h-honeymoon," he swallows. "S-someone like you d-deserves better than th-that."

"It's okay," I reassure him, touched by his sweetness. "We would've just gone back to the monastery. As soon as you're healed, though, we'll plan a trip – a really special one to wherever in the world you'd like."

***(Jay's POV)***

I don't know how long I was in the hospital for, but it was at least days. Maybe a week? Maybe two? I didn't keep track of time.

The first memory I have there after coming in – I was drugged up on anxiety meds for a long while – is of Nya sitting next to me. She was watching Wheel of Fortune on the television and shouting out the answers, just like I would've. She apparently thought it'd make me more comfortable if someone were making enough noise to reassure me that I wasn't alone.

As soon as she saw I was alert that afternoon, she smiled and said, "My legal guardians really need to stop getting themselves into so much trouble."

It turns out, my upper arm had received third-degree burns from where my clothing caught on fire after the incident. But I don't like thinking about what happened, so enough about that.

I know I had a few surgeries for my arm around then, but I've honestly lost track. Even after I left the hospital, I didn't bother looking at a calendar. Days kind of seemed the same to me – I would wake up next to Nya in her room, she'd bring me breakfast, she'd go to training, she'd come back, and then we'd watch movies or go to the park or go to physical therapy. I had frequent hospital trips at first, but those eventually stopped. Nya began to care for my wounds and administer my medication.

Then came the day that she started making me do those things. She said I was getting depressed and that I hadn't cracked a joke in too long, so I needed to take initiative for my life again.

I did so begrudgingly, but I eventually saw her point. I started getting myself breakfast and looking up stupid jokes on the Internet to tell her when she got back from training and missions. She was delighted the first time I did so, and that was enough encouragement for me to begin emotionally healing.

Soon after, she started training with me at night when none of the guys were around. I was more than a little uncomfortable with showing off my scarring arm to the team. I was really uncomfortable with her seeing it, but as soon as she figured that out, she started making me sleep shirtless. I was mad at first, but Nya was persistent enough to help heal some of my insecurities.

I feel a lot better now than I did when I first came back to the monastery, that's for sure. I really was depressed, but she's helping me. And at least my face and forearm have healed up nicely. I got second degree burns in both places, but you can hardly tell anymore. The skin on my left cheek is a little paler in places, but I think I look pretty normal.

I finally looked at the calendar yesterday and blanched to see that it was September 15th.

I didn't know I'd been disconnected from reality that long.

And today is the day Nya and I got the call – the call from Skylor in which she eagerly told us that Kai was sober again.

We just now parked outside the mental hospital. Nya, who's been the voice of calm and reason in my life for months, is already up and running out of the car.

I'm hot on her heels.

It's been a while since Kai has been awake – three and a half months now – and I guess it's best that he finally learns that Nya and I are married. Not that we've indulged in any marital acts – I've been too depressed, I guess – but we're still legally and lovingly married.

We enter the building's front doors. Nya doesn't even bother to sign herself in as a visitor before rushing up the stairs. One security official yells at her, but she runs that much faster.

I blush. "Sorry! She – her brother – gotta go!" I'm right back after her.

She runs up a flight of stairs, then freezes when she hits upstairs security. One of the officials here has to buzz us through.

"Name, please?" the smiling voice of a secretary asks over the intercom.

"Nya Smith," she snaps. "Can you let me go in now?"

I rub her shoulder. "It's actually Nya Walker. Nya and Jay Walker."

"Give me one moment," the secretary says just as the enraged security guard from earlier catches up to us.

"You didn't wait for a weapons check," he growls, patting me down. He does the same with Nya, who complains loudly.

"I don't have time for this! My brother is starting to come off his insanity high, and I'm not there for him!"

"Calm down," I tell her softly, feeling that I have a use for the first time in three months. "He has Skylor. It's better that we wait a few minutes than that we're kicked out."

She huffs out a breath. "My brother needs me, and these bozos are – "

I grin sheepishly at the security guard, squeezing Nya's arm. "Don't listen to her. Life has been pretty stressful for us recently. See, we got married three – "

"I don't want your life story," the guard says, rolling his eyes. "May I please have your car keys? I'll put them in the cubby downstairs."

Nya mutters something under her breath and hands the key ring over.

He nods to us as he leaves. "Keep the moodiness to a minimum, please. It's not good for our patients."

"You know what else isn't good for your patients?" Nya challenges. "I'll tell you what. It's a – "

I speak over her. "She means well," I laugh nervously. "Have a nice day!"

The secretary buzzes us through, and Nya wrenches out of my grasp, crossing her arms.

"What was that for?" she demands.

"You were about to get us kicked out," I defend myself. "You know it's true."

"Whatever," she blushes, heading toward Kai's room. I catch up with her, then place a hand at her back as we walk.

She almost forgets to knock on Kai's door before entering, but I tap her shoulder. She shoots me a scowl as she knocks for entrance.

I bend down and peck her nose. "You should be happy I'm actually using my brain for once and not just sitting in front of a TV screen."

"True. I swear that if I find another infomercial-advertised product laying around my room, I'm going to go nuts." She pushes her way inside Kai's quarters.

A smiling Skylor is sitting next to Kai. He's curled up on his bed, and he looks like he has a splitting headache as he sits up to greet us.

Skylor beams up at us. "Hey, sis. He's – he's awake."

Nya runs to him and holds him tight, laughter bubbling out of her. She's done so well the past three months – she's been strong for me, Skylor, and Kai. And now she finally gets to see each of us heal.

"Nya?" Kai asks, blinking. "Nya, I – "

His expression morphs to confusion.

"Mom and dad. They – they aren't really here."

I frown. His mom and dad...he's been mentioning them a lot since he went nuts. It's like he can see them – like they're real.

Not anymore, I guess.

"No, Kai," Nya says softly. "They're not here. But I am."

Anguish flashes across his features. "I saw them, Nya. I – I saw it all. I...remembered."

She pulls back from their embrace, her face troubled. "What?"

"The night they died." He swallows back some bitter thought. "The argument – with you and dad. That really happened?"

She looks at me with panic. "I...yes, Kai. I – " She turns back to him. "It...Dad and I did fight that night in the car."

I gulp nervously. Nya never told Kai about what happened the evening her parents died.

This...could go badly.

Anger lights his face. "You fought with dad...and that's what caused the accident?"

Skylor squeezes his hand. "Easy, Kai. Your head's still messed up from that tea you drank. You should wait to have this conversation until you're a little more collected."

He looks up at his fiancée, his face contorted in anguish. "You knew what happened, and you didn't tell me. You read my mind, then kept it all to yourself?!"

Skylor sighs. "It was Nya's story to tell, not mine. I didn't want to divulge her privacy like that."

"Yeah, that part makes sense," Kai exclaims. He points an accusing finger at Nya. "But I can't believe you didn't tell me that my sister is a murderer!"

"She's not a murderer," I argue, annoyed that he just insulted the light in my life. "Kai, just shut up for once. You're not in your right mind, and Nya doesn't deserve to deal with the fallout."

Nya looks at a loss for words as she stares at her brother, fury radiating from her in waves.

"She's not a murderer, Kai," Skylor reiterates calmly. "She doesn't have any blame in what happened."

Kai takes a sharp breath, almost in tears. "But she does have blame. She killed mom and dad!"

"Your mind is still jumbled," Skylor reminds him, her tone more adamant. "Now's not the time to – "

He slides off his bed, standing upright shakily. "I remember, though! Nya, explain yourself. Tell me there's some other way!" His voice is pleading.

She steps away from him, feeling threatened. "I didn't mean to," she argues. "It – it was an accident! I'm not a killer!"

Kai releases a strangled noise and looks at me, his eyes slightly wild from the Insani-tea's aftereffects. "You knew about this, didn't you?"

"Well...yeah," I reply, swallowing. "But it's not Nya's fault, and we can talk this out later." I look down at Nya. "I think it's time for us to leave."

"No," she argues, her voice heated and hurt. "Not until I resolve this with Kai. He needs to know that it's not my – "

Kai shoves between me and Nya, grabbing her by the shoulders. "How could you do this to me?" he chokes out.

"I didn't mean to! It's not my fault that it was raining that night, or that there was a semi-truck coming!" She looks to me for reassurance.

"It's not your fault," I say firmly. Nya gives me a nod and pulls out of Kai's grasp, her confidence boosted.

"I loved you, Nya!" Kai sobs. "I trusted you! How could you let all that go to waste? For four years, I – I gave up everything so we could be together, and...and you killed mom and dad!"

"I didn't," she cries. "I'm not a waste! I was twelve years old, and I thought I knew everything, and I said stupid stuff that night our parents died. I take blame for that. B-but I'm done blaming myself for their deaths." She dodges him as he steps toward her.

"You killed them," he wails. "I can't believe you killed them!" He finally catches Nya, shaking her violently by the shoulders. "Why did you do this to me?"

"Easy, Kai!" I reprimand him, trying to get him off of Nya. However, she jabs him in the gut and manages to escape by herself.

"You're still coming off the tea. Leave her alone," I say protectively. "We're leaving. Nya, it's time to go."

"You hate me," Kai continues to weep. "I gave up my whole life for you, Nya. I loved you so much. But this whole time, you've never loved me. H-how could you? Were you planning to kill me, too?"

I take Nya by the arm, but she resists me, her voice breaking as she answers her brother. "No! Kai, I love you! I always have!"

"Kai," Skylor warns. "Sit down."

He turns to her with tear-stained cheeks. "Skylor, aren't you siding with me on this? D-don't you love me?"

"Yes, Kai," she says, her tone exasperated. "I do love you! But you need to calm down. You're not yourself right now."

"But my sister is responsible for my parents' deaths!" He vociferates, coming at Nya again.

"I am not!" she says through tears, backing toward the door. Without a look behind her, she bolts.

Oh, no.

I run after her as quickly as I can. However, since she's kept up with her training recently, she's a lot faster than me. She's past the security check and to the stairwell right as I round the corner.

"Nya!" I shout, racing after her.

She doesn't respond.

My feet pound against the stairs as I run at a speed I haven't needed in a long time. Something inside tells me Nya will stop eventually, but when? When she's in the middle of the road, about to get hit by a car? When she's on the bad side of town? I know she's entirely capable, but that doesn't mean I don't worry about her!

As I exit the glass doors in front, I make a quick scan of the parking lot. She's not by the car, not on the left side of the lot, not –

I see a flash of her blue t-shirt in the tree line.

"Nya!" I yell. "Nya, wait up!" I run toward where she is, feeling myself pant for such a short sprint.

I see her figure stop just inside the forest. She freezes, turns toward me, and – after a moment of hesitation – begins walking back.

I sigh with relief.

When I finally catch up with her, I pull her into a hug, taking care for my still-recovering arm. "Nya, why did you run from me?"

"I ran from everyone," she admits, her arms crossed over her stomach. She doesn't look me in the eye.

"Please don't run from me, Nya," I beg her breathlessly. "I need you."

She stares at the ground, her expression guarded. "I know."

I hug her tighter. "You're not a murderer, Nya. Kai's still not in his right mind. He's better – I mean, he's not talking about demonic gummi worms anymore – but he didn't mean to say those things."

That old, familiar uncertainty paints itself over her face. "How do you know? You're not him."

"No, but...he loves you." I stroke her back. "He's confused, Nya."

She heaves a sigh. "I can't see him, Jay."

"Not today, you shouldn't. It's not good for you or him." I kiss her hair. "Maybe tomorrow, or the day after? He just needs to get his mind right."

She shakes her head. "I...I think...we need to take that trip we've been planning since our wedding. I need to get away from here, Jay – away from Kai, at least." She shudders against me.

"Shh." I run my hands through her dark locks.

"What if we've been lying to ourselves?" she bites out. "He's my brother, Jay. He raised me. And if he can't accept me anymore..." She chokes on a breath.

"I accept you." I nestle her head under mine. "You wanna take our vacation?"

"Yes. Yes. I'll go wherever we can on such short notice." She sighs miserably.

I think. "My birth dad – he offered us his beach house for...our, uh, honeymoon." Which we didn't have. "I'm sure he'll still let us use it."

"Could you give him a call?" she swallows. "Please?"

A wrap one arm around her waist and use my free hand to pull out my phone. "I'm on it."

***See, I would say that I'll have the epilogue posted by this afternoon or something, but I honestly don't know LOL I have work and class. We'll see.***