A/N You know how just when you say you're going to do something, everything else gets in the way? That's what happened to me. I said I would try to update once a week and the homework started breeding rabbit style. And then I got the most horrendous case of writer's block. Sorry. Also, I have no idea what is up with those stupid symbols, and apparently, I can't fix them. Sorry guys. I hope this chapter doesn't do that. Thanks to all my reviewers and subscribers.

Chapter Twenty: Damned Salvation

"I don't remember much. But I remeber knowing I wasn't going to make it. I had hoped to land in the water. I hit the rocks."

I winced and so did he.

"They must have found me just after. I was still alive when they moved me to their shelter."

"Shelter? On that island?"

"There is a cave there. It is impossible to find if you are not welcome."

I couldn't help the doubting look that came over my face.

"They are not all so young as I, nor were they all as human as I was once."

I had not been aware of other magic users in Jump. I promised myself to pay more attention the next time I meditated.

I opened my eyes to find Chase smiling at me.

"You should sleep."

His smile grew wider when I opened my mouth to reply and yawned instead.

"Sleep, Raven. You cannot control everything."

Obedient more to the call of sleep than to Chase, I relaxed into the bed and closed my eyes.

) Creatures of the Night (

When I woke, the light that struggled through the gap in my heavy curtains was warm rose. I had slept for an entire day. Chase was stretched full-length along the end of the bed. He sat up when I stretched.

"Good morning."

"Morning?"

I sat up and slid out of the bed before I realized that I was in my underwear. Chase already had his back to me. I could see his shoulders shaking.

"You might have reminded me."

"It didn't occur to me."

I pulled the blanket from my bed and wrapped it over me like a cloak before I went to rummage through my closet.

"Why in such a hurry?"

"I need to talk to this others. I shouldn't have slept this long. Robin's going to have a fit if he doesn't get some answers soon."

"You might want to clean up before you go out to talk to them. They've waited this long, they can wait another half hour."

I rembered the mud that still clung to me and nodded.

"You should stay in here. I'm not sure what they'll have decided to do with you."

"Would you have a problem if they staked me?"

He was only half-joking.

"I would never forgive myself for letting them do it."

I realized what I'd said and stopped, but it was too late to take the words back, and I suddenly realized that they were true. I would hate it if anything happened to Chase, and not just because he had rescued me from Slade. I remembered how he had tried to kiss me in the park and hurried to the bathroom before I could do anything rash.

The water didn't clear my head as I had hoped. It really only seemed to increase the trance-like feeling that hung over me. I wasn't sure whether it was exhaustion or an after-effect of whatever Slade had used to block my powers, but it induced far too much thought in areas I didn't wish to think about.

Melchior's face, an angel's face with a demon's soul, rose behind my closed eyelids as I raised my face to the water. Would Chase be the same? He had already proved that he wouldn't. Of course, Melchior would have saved me, if he could have, if something had threatened me before my usefullness had run out. But I could think of no reason for Chase to use me. Unless he thought to convert me to their side, to join those who would cloke the world in eternal darkness. But his clan too had saved a dying human for no reason that I could see, except for the sake of saving a life. I thought again of the night before.

Chase was rummaging through my bookshelves when I returned. He looked more as though he was bored and looking for something to do, than he did as if he were interested in the art of astral travel. He layed the book back in its place when I closed the door.

"Are you ready for this?"

I sighed.

"If I'm not, I never will be."

"And if they do decide to stake me?"

"I wouldn't let them, and most of them wouldn't make such a decision. Although, I might be a little worried about Aqualad."

I said the last sentence in a way that was almost joking, but serious enough to let him know it was truly a warning. I doubted the Atlantien would try to have him staked, but I was worried that he would sway the team toward a harsh judgement on Chase and all those like him. Chase caught my arm as I turned to leave the room again.

"Just in case." He whispered.

And his mouth closed over mine.