I had to fight with this chapter. I still didn't get to everything I wanted, but I felt like I was jumping to far if I headed straight into the undercover thing. Hopefully, it's not dragging too much! Next chapter will have a lot of excitement I promise! I may be a bit slow in updating for the next month. I have two huge final projects due plus some Secret Santa fan fiction writing. I'll still update once a week though! Thanatopsis will probably be put on hold. On the plus side, in December you'll get a massive amount of fan fiction from me! Heh.

Thanks again to everyone who's been reviewing! I still have a few reviews to respond to from last chapter, but I have a presentation at school today and I wanted to post this before leaving! Hope y'all enjoy! Thanks to: WILD DAISIES, ELODIE WOLFE, SHOPPINGLUVA, TROMANA, PENELOPE, JADESTAR, NELLIE, CHARLIE BLUE, RINA, and PATRICK. I appreciate the time you take!

Chapter Ten

Wide eyed, Lisbon watched in horror as Cayt unexpectedly slumped to the ground. His face was frozen in a mask of pain and his breathing was shallow and labored. She wordlessly exchanged a look with Jane and he produced a handkerchief from his bag while she opened her canteen. She kneeled next to the vampire and softly brushed the sweat dampened hair from his brow in a motherly gesture- a gesture that did not go unnoticed by the others. Soaking the rag, she gently wiped his face before resting the cool cloth on his forehead.

Turning her head, she took in the appearance of the young vampiress who had suddenly gone very pale. The girl's gaze was erratic and she was starting to tremble from the adrenaline of the situation. Within moments, Sam was at her side pulling the vampiress to her feet a small ways down the trail. Lisbon turned back to Cayt who seemed to have regulated his breathing while she was distracted. She glanced back at the grim faces surrounding her, while Cayt mumbled a few jumbled words with a frown. Turning her attention back to the vampire, she carefully watched as he began to move.

Cayt softly groaned as he rolled onto his side, his body protesting every movement. Keeping his eyes closed he took several deep breaths and tried to ignore the tingling pain lingering throughout every nerve. He could feel the cold, hard ground beneath him and he focused on the concreteness of his surroundings to stabilize his mind. His head was pounding and he felt someone's hand on his back as he tried to sit up. He buried his head into his hands and slowly opened his eyes only to be greeted by the concerned faces of the rest of the team.

"How are you feeling?" a soft voice asked. Turning his head, he realized the voice and the hand that was still steady on his back both belonged to Lisbon. Her brow was furrowed in concern as she studies him. He rubbed his temple once more before looking up with a tight smile.

"I've been better."

"What exactly just happened?" Jack asked once the vampire looked a little more like himself. Cayt swallowed and mulled over his thoughts as he debated just how to explain everything.

"Vampires can establish mental bonds-everyone in a clan is linked which aides in survival and during the hunt, but in rare circumstances two vampires can form a more powerful link," Cayt said.

"Whoa! You mean like telepathy? Rigsby piped up from the back of the group. Van Pelt elbowed him in the side and the waited for the vampire to continue.

"Div and I have a more empathetic bond, although we can have short conversations. Anything more than a few words is often quite draining."

"That's absolutely amazing!" Daniel broke in. "What's it like?"

"Calm down, Space Monkey. Give the poor guy a break," Jack said with a glare towards the archaeologist. Daniel had the decency to look suitably chastised, but Cayt waved him off.

It's very comforting," Cayt began with a small smile. "I can sense her moods or if she's in danger. There are precautions we take. Both of us have build up strong mental shields to prevent the link from being used against us. A reaction to this extent has never happened before. It's killing her," his voice trailed off and he looked at the ground. He felt Lisbon squeeze his arm reassuringly and he continued his explanation.

"Buyers are arriving later today-after high sun. The area is very heavily guarded and they have the most recent weapons upgrade. She's not sure how many other vampires are there, but she hasn't been left unguarded for even a second. The leader's name is Maldonado, and the head guard's name is Aeric," he added with a sigh.

Divinia groaned softly as her eyes flickered open. The world snapped into focus with vicious validity with a reality too horrible to accept. The first thing she consciously realized was that this horrible ache, this pulsing under her skin, was not one big thing, but something comprised of many smaller aches. But there were so many of them that it felt like her entire body was covered by one, big bruise. The cool stone felt wonderful against her swollen cheek and she had a feeling she had a few fractures to go along with the concussion.

The second thing she realized was that she was cold. Although the effort of raising her head was nearly beyond her at this point in time, she did it anyway. She could literally feel the tendons in her neck creak with the effort, but she had to know. Her ribs protested as she tried to sit up, and a wave of dizziness clouded her vision. The movement sent a scream of agony through her and for the briefest of moments she considered giving into it by screaming her head off. She forced her to remain silent.

Instead, she settled her now aching head back down on the hard surface beneath her and struggled to regain the breath the pain had stolen. Maybe sitting up was a bit ambitious at the moment. Slowly, the reality of her situation resurfaced from her previously drugged mind. She had been captured. She was no longer chained, but she could feel the metal collar digging into her throat. Images flashed back towards her in Technicolor- Aeric, the collar, the cold shower, Maldonado.

She could feel Cayt reaching for her in her mind, and she tried to block out the extent of her injuries. Sending him as much useful information as she could think of, she knew what she must do next. He hadn't been able to block her completely, but she had always been the stronger of the two of them. Whatever the collar was doing to her was affecting him also. She'd have to completely block him out. Without warning, she raised every shield she could and pushed him out of her mind. With a strangled cry, she drew in a shaky breath feeling very much alone for the first time in years.

"Absolutely not."

"Lisbon, it's the best choice we have."

"Jane, I'm not letting you walk in to an overpowered vampire slave camp where people will only try to kill you. You have no training for this kind of thing. Besides, what are you going to do? Hypnotize them into letting her go?" Lisbon's eyes flashed angrily as she glared at the man in front of her. She groaned when her accusations were greeted with silence. "Oh my god, you are planning to hypnotize them."

"Jack, Teal'c, and Rigsby will be with me playing guard. Cayt and Tracie can't get near the camp and they're probably a male dominated society which leaves you , Sam, and Van Pelt out. And Jack thinks Daniel might get distracted. And Cho can decide if he wants to go or not. Four guards might be a little bit much. .. It's our only choice," Jane protested softly. He knew she was worried. Heck, he was worried- not that he'd tell anyone else that. He may not have the undercover experience, but the others had the size to pull off a guard's persona.

Lisbon sighed in defeat. The situation was almost comical if she thought about it, but she had a strong feeling this could only end in disaster. Jane was right about one thing-this was their only chance. With a huff, she scowled and shot Jane one last glare for forcing her hand. Crossing her arms, she shivered as a cold chill blew through. Giving him a small nod, she was surprised when he grabbed her hand and gave it a small squeeze.

"We'll be alright," he said softly.

"You better be," she scoffed. "I don't want to deal with the paperwork if you get yourself killed."