(Author's Note: I just want to thank everybody who's commented so far. I really appreciate it. I was surprised that I got so many so fast, considering my other stories haven't. *grin* Anyway, I'm really unsure of this chapter, so what I want to know is if it's way too cheesy, especially the first few sections. I hate when I get cheesy. I know that the whole soulmate principle has some innate cheesiness, but did I handle it okay, or should I try to rework it? Thanks!!)

Damian followed Jenny back into the room, one hand pressed protectively against the small of her back. He guided her to the bed and sat down beside her.

Jenny took a deep breath and met his gaze. He stared at her intently.

Quick, change the subject! her mind screamed as panic welled up inside of her. Do anything! Just don't let him bite you!

Oh God, I don't want to do this, she thought. I'm so scared. Outwardly, she composed herself and said calmly, "So what happened to Raina?" It was the first time Raina had come to mind, and now she wondered. Raina had been gone when Jenny left the apartment. Was she out there now, wandering around, wondering where they were?

A shadow crossed Damian's face. "She went home. She decided it was all too much for her."

So much for wondering where they were. Quiet rage filled Jenny. "Damn her. All she thinks about is herself."

Damian gently touched Jenny's cheek. "But not you. You're completely unselfish." He leaned toward her and panic overrode her senses again. She jumped back.

"I … What about Tiffany?" she stammered.

Damian sighed, then took her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it softly. "She's around." With his other hand, he reached up and turned Jenny's head so she was looking at him. "Jenny, we don't have to do this. Just say the word."

She stared into his eyes, noticing that a little bit of blue had come back into them. They made his eyes seem gentler somehow, less wild despite their difference from normal eyes. His tousled dark hair seemed to absorb the dim candlelight, like a black hole sucking the light in and not letting it back out. Her eyes traced the strong line of his jaw, down to his lips and lingered there. His mouth looked just like anyone else's, yet she knew that behind those lips were razor sharp instruments of death. At the same time, she had felt the sheer electricity those lips could offer her just at the slightest touch. How could something so cold and dangerous be so passionate and warm at the same time?

Her thoughts drifted to the Executioners. Mari, her best friend in the whole world. Carl, who would be perfect with Tiffany. Gunther, so big and hulking, yet so kind and gentle at the same time. And Michael, dear sweet Michael. She'd always sworn her love for him. Although he'd never offered it back, she'd never given up on him.

Raina had given up on them, had packed her bags and gone home to live like nothing had happened. The empty void left by the disappearance of the four Executioners didn't matter to Raina. After all, she herself was still alive, and that was all that mattered, right?

Well, they all mattered to Jenny. She was willing to put her life on the line to get them back, because without them, she was nothing. If there was still a chance that they were alive, she would try to get them back, no matter what sacrifices had to be made.

Filled with a new resolve, she set her jaw and looked at Damian. "I said I would do it, and I'm going to do it. We have to get them back."

A small smile flickered across his lips, and Jenny could see respect filling his gaze. He scooted closer to her. "Okay, then let's do it."

***********

As like before, the only pain was a short sting as Damian, with his arms wrapped around her, bit into her throat. With a flash, her vision filled with a golden light. She floated, awash in the light.

Damian? She reached out with her mind toward a blue presence in the golden light.

I'm here, Jenny. Come closer.

Although she no longer had a physical body, Jenny somehow moved toward Damian's presence, reaching out with smoky tendrils toward him.

Jenny, I have no walls this time. His tone sounded almost sad. Please, I want you to understand me. A dark spot suddenly appeared in the blue light, growing larger until it almost cancelled out the blue. She drifted toward the darkness, the window to Damian's soul, if he had one. Fear prickled throughout her.

I don't want to see, she thought. I don't know what it will be, but I don't want to see.

She kept going anyway, until at last she passed into the darkness, and all the light vanished.

Damian's words echoed around her. Please… Understand…

***********

For a few minutes, Jenny floated in the darkness, waiting for something to happen. Then it did. She was suddenly thrown into a grassy area. Trees clustered in groups in her field of vision, and tall grass grew at their feet. What happened? she wondered.

"Damian!" someone called, the voice distant and echoey. Her view shifted to the left, revealing a small girl with chestnut hair grinning in Jenny's direction. With a shock, she realized she was seeing through Damian's eyes. The girl looked about 7 or 8. "Damian, you'll always be my friend, right?" the girl asked.

The girl reached out and grabbed Damian's hand. He looked down at their clasped hands, then wrenched his back.

"Not if you keep touching me with your disgusting girl hands, Elizabeth!" Damian's voice was small and high-pitched, and Jenny guessed he was probably the same age as the girl.

The girl gasped as Damian stuck out his tongue at her and grinned. He took off running as the girl tried to hit him, laughing at her inability to keep up with him.

Without warning, the scene suddenly shifted. This time Damian stood on a patio high above the lights of a city – Las Vegas, it looked like. Behind him, a sliding door swished open. He turned, revealing Ashton leaning out the door and smiling at him. She looked a few years younger than she did now.

"Damian, Elizabeth's here," she said, then stepped aside to allow the tall girl through. Ashton slipped Damian a wink as she retreated back inside.

The girl, Elizabeth, smiled at Damian and slid her arms around his waist. Damian buried his face in her hair.

"I love you, Lizzy," he whispered. He could feel her smile against his chest.

"You know I'll always love you," she returned.

A scream ripped through the air, and suddenly Jenny was running through tall grass. A field, it looked like, full of dark shadows where the moon gleaming down from overhead couldn't penetrate.

"Elizabeth!" Damian screamed, his voice full of sheer panic. Jenny had never heard him sound so frightened. He sprinted toward four figures in the distance. Elizabeth stood in the middle, and Jenny realized the other three were humans, armed with stakes and wooden weapons. One, a girl, held a stake to Elizabeth's chest. Vampire hunters, Jenny thought. Just like me.

Elizabeth stared at Damian, her blue eyes wide and full of tears. Fear had drained the color from her face.

"Stay back, vampire, or she gets it!" one human yelled.

Damian froze. "Elizabeth," he whispered shakily. Another vampire hunter suddenly materialized behind Damian, bringing a knife to his heart and laughing. Damian never took his eyes from Elizabeth.

"I love you, Damian. Always," she whispered.

The girl laughed. "Isn't that so sweet. It disgusts me! Well, you can spend forever together in Hell!"

Damian shook his head wildly. "No!" he tried to yell, but nothing came out.

The girl shrieked and brought down the stake into Elizabeth's chest. Elizabeth gasped in pain. She met Damian's eyes. "I'm sorry," she choked.

"Elizabeth!" he roared, throwing the boy next to him to the ground. It was too late. Elizabeth collapsed to the ground. Damian knew she was dead even though nothing changed physically. He could feel her gone.

"Die, evil bloodsucker!" the girl screamed and rushed at Damian.

A cloud of red fell over Damian's vision. Hatred boiled within him. Elizabeth was gone. These vermin would have to die. He'd always respected humans, worked with them in Daybreak, but now… He suddenly understood why the Night World hated them so much, wanted them dead. Something innocent had been burned from him.

The next few minutes were wild, frenzied, a blur of motion and screams of agony. Jenny couldn't really tell what was going on until at last Damian collapsed to his knees next to Elizabeth's still form, drenched in blood. The vampire hunters – or what was left of them – lie spread around Damian.

He lifted Elizabeth's head and nestled it against his chest. Hot tears slid down his cheeks, glistening in the moonlight.

"I love you, Lizzy. It should have been me."

The image faded and Jenny found herself thrust back into the golden light.

Damian. I'm so sorry. I had no idea.

Silence, then he spoke. I vowed after that I would have nothing to with humans, other than to feed on them. I wanted to kill them all, but I knew better than that. His voice was heavy with emotion. They killed her, for no reason! They ripped my life to shreds. We were helping humans in Daybreak! She was the kindest, most gentle person I've ever known, and they killed her. He fell silent.

Jenny didn't know what to say. She was as bad as them. She'd killed and killed, and for no other reason than that she hated them all. How many vampires like Elizabeth had she killed? She would never know. How… can you stand me? she found herself asking.

His voice grew tender. Jenny, none of that matters with you. We're meant for each other. And you're not like them. I mean… I know you're a hunter, but… in a way, you're like me. Avenging the deaths of your loved ones. Maybe together, our wrongs are supposed to make a right.

Jenny froze. How did you know about my family?

She could sense Damian smiling. You haven't exactly tried to hide yourself from me. I've seen inside you. I know you're a good person.

Oh. If she had been aware of her physical body just then, she probably would have been blushing.

Damian, I… she started, but she was suddenly wrenched away from him. She was sitting on her bed again, leaning against Damian.

"What happened?" She sat up and the room spun crazily. "Oh…" She grabbed the side of her head.

Damian pulled her back to him, cradling her in his arms. She felt weak, like her muscles consisted of Jello. "I've taken a lot of your blood, that's what's happened," he said. He rested his chin on her head. "We need to replenish it now."

Her heart seemed to stop and her breath caught in her throat. "You mean…"

He nodded. "Don't be scared. It's not as bad as you think."

She stared at him, wide-eyed. "What do I have to do?"

Damian lifted his wrist to his mouth and slid it sideways across his teeth, opening a cut. Blood quickly welled up to fill the wound. He held it out to her.

She closed her eyes. "Think ketchup," she told herself. "Tomato juice." She opened her eyes again, staring at the blood glistening on his wrist.

She took a deep breath. "Here goes." She lifted his wrist to her mouth.

He was right. It wasn't as bad as she'd imagined. As long as she didn't focus on the fact that it was blood, she found it almost… pleasant, dare she admit. It had a tart, coppery taste which she recognized from her own blood when she bit her lip. But beneath that, there was something else, something more exotic, like a forbidden fruit. She felt intoxicated by it. Was it because it was vampire blood? Or was all blood like this? Jenny could almost see how vampires could live on the stuff. She could feel life energy pouring into her, Damian's strength building up in her muscles.

She lost track of time, basking in the warmth the blood filled her with. Then it was gone.

"Hey," she protested automatically, looking up at Damian. He smiled down at her, then ran a finger delicately across her lips.

"That's enough. How do you feel?"

She yawned, still warm inside. "Very sleepy." She sagged against Damian, fighting to keep her eyelids open. He wrapped his arms securely around her.

"Yes," he said softly. "That's what's supposed to happen. Your body needs to recuperate now." He pushed her hair away from her face, gazing down at her. "Rest now."

She nodded, her vision blurring from trying to keep her eyes open. She leaned her head against his shoulder and let her eyes close.

"Yes, rest," she mumbled as a deep sleep overcame her.