(Author's Note: It's gonna be just a little longer before I get to the next chapter. Don't give up on me. It's Finals week, that's all, and I have lots of studying and packing to go home to do. Soon as I get the time, I'm gonna work on the next chapter. Maybe even on the plane home. Who knows. But I promise, it will be done, and I'm not quitting. )

*Chapter 21*

Jenny awoke slowly and lazily. Sunlight once again filtered through the windows, filling the room with golden light. She leaned back against her pillow and closed her eyes again, stretching lazily. Not a twinge of pain from anywhere in her body.

She stepped – no, jumped – out of bed, suddenly aware of how strong she felt. She hadn't felt this good in … well, she'd never felt this good.

"It worked," she breathed. She pushed up her sleeve and gazed wonderingly at the place where a gaping gash had been the night before. "I've got vampire blood in me."

She walked over to the window and pushed aside the curtain, squinting against the sunlight. The window looked out on a quiet tree-lined street. She must be in an apartment building, because the window seemed to be about five stories up. Smiling, she closed her eyes and turned her face up to the sun, letting the warmth soak into her skin. For the moment, it seemed like all of her troubles had disappeared. She wasn't hurt, her friends weren't missing, and people weren't trying to kill her and Damian.

Her eyes flew open. Damian. She had to thank him! She took a sweater and jeans out of her bag next to the bed and pulled them on quickly. As she stepped out of the bedroom into the kitchen, she raised her hand in a wave. Her greeting died, however, when she realized he wasn't in the room.

"Damian?" she called. No answer.

She turned and went down the small hallway on her right. It opened on a large living area, which had been decorated tastefully in antiques. Aislinn sat on the couch reading a book, her legs curled up beneath her. She was alone.

She looked up as Jenny entered. "Hi Jenny. How are you feeling?"

"I feel fantastic, actually," she answered, wondering if Aislinn knew about the activities of the night before.

Aislinn smiled knowingly. "Yes, I suppose you do. Are you hungry? Would you like some breakfast?" She started to stand before Jenny even answered.

Jenny stopped her. "No, that's okay. Not right now. And you don't have to make me anything. I'll find something myself if it's alright with you."

Aislinn nodded. "Suit yourself." She turned back to her book.

Jenny turned toward the kitchen, then paused. "Aislinn, where's Damian?"

Without looking up from her book, Aislinn shrugged. "Oh, he said he had some errands to run. He'll be back later."

"Okay."

Feeling somewhat let down at not being able to talk to Damian, Jenny went back to the bedroom. She sat on the bed, gazing at the dust motes dancing in the stream of sunlight coming through the window. She hated just sitting here. She should be out doing something, now that she was cured. She should be putting her new strength to good use before it wore off. Every day counted now, with Halloween only six days away. They needed to find out what was going on and where before it was too late.

She sighed and stood, crossing over to the table on the other side of the room. Her hand absently brushed over the dried herbs lying on the table. She hoped Damian would be back soon so they could make plans.

Suddenly her hand touched something that wasn't a plant. She looked down and saw a folded piece of paper half covered with the herbs she'd been pushing around the table. How had she missed it before?

She picked it up and unfolded it, her body growing cold as she read it. It was from Damian, to her.

"Jenny, you know now why I can't risk your life," she read softly out loud. "I want you to go home and wait for me there. I'll get to the bottom of this, and then I'll be back for you. Please listen to me. I can't afford to lose you too. Just remember, no matter what happens, you will always be in my heart. I love you. Damian."

Jenny's breath caught in her throat and her knees suddenly felt weak. "No," she moaned. He couldn't be doing this. Risking everything by himself, just so she wouldn't be hurt. Didn't he know that was stupid? He could be killed without her help!

Killed. The word echoed in her head. Damian, dead. Her heart felt about to burst. The thought of Damian dying affected her in a way she thought it never could. She had been trying to kill him when she met him, and now… Now, she felt if Damian died, a part of her – an important part – would die along with him. A wave of fear washed through her, leaving her cold and aching in its wake. Suddenly, the principle of soulmates held a new meaning for her. It weighed down on her, threatening to flatten her. Without Damian, she would be like a puzzle bought at a garage sale with one edge piece missing. Just enough to ensure the puzzle would never be complete, never meet its potential.

"No!" she cried, and stood up, crumpling the note in her hand and shoving it in her pocket. She couldn't let him do it. There was only one place he had to be going, and she had to go after him.

She grabbed her backpack and shoved it on the table, pawing through it for things she might need. Her knife. Her wrist sheath. Her jacket. At the bottom of the bag, she found a picture that must have been in there before she packed for going to Michael's. The picture had been taken earlier that school year after one of the Executioners' meetings. That day, she had insulted Michael and he had promptly begun tickling her as revenge. Mari had taken the picture and later given Jenny a copy. In the picture, Jenny was laughing, her eyes closed and tears in her eyelashes. Michael had grabbed her arm and turned to the camera, giving his most brilliant grin, his eyes shining with amusement. It was Jenny's favorite picture of him. She had kept it in a folder, but it must have fallen out and made its way to the bottom of her bag without her knowing.

Now, she stared at it for a minute. She suddenly felt so confused. She had just realized how important Damian was to her, but Michael's picture still tore at her heart. Unexpectedly, tears rose to her eyes, and she swiped at them angrily. "Quit it, Jenny," she scolded herself. "Now is not the time."

She began to put the picture back in her bag, then stopped. She looked at it a moment longer, then tucked it into her back pants pocket.

She pushed the bag under the bed and went down the hall to the living room.

"I'm … going to take a walk, Aislinn," she told the other girl, barely slowing on her way to the front door. "I need the fresh air."

"Okay, but be careful." Jenny almost missed Aislinn's response before she closed the front door. She found her way to the main door of the building and paused on the front steps. Where was she, anyway? She'd better find out or she wouldn't be able to find Damian. She thought she could remember how to get to the club, if she could just get her bearings. The rotating sign of a gas station down the street caught her attention and she headed off down the sidewalk for it.

"Jenny!" someone called.

Jenny froze for a second, then spun around. Tiffany was running up the block toward her. Jenny gaped at her. "How do you do that? Just appear like that wherever I am?" she asked as the girl caught up with her.

Tiffany grinned. "I'm beginning to like this whole covert operations thing. At least, it impresses you." She laughed, and Jenny couldn't help but smile back at her.

"So what are you doing then?" she asked, beginning to walk toward the gas station again. Tiffany strolled along beside her.

"Well, I was told to keep an eye on you, so I did. What are you doing? Aren't you supposed to be resting?"

Jenny walked in silence for a minute, then decided to go ahead and tell Tiffany. She could use her help. "I'm going to find Damian. He got this crazy notion that he could go fight the bad guys by himself."

Tiffany shook her head. "So then you got this crazy notion that you could go after him by yourself. Real smart, Jenny."

Jenny stopped and stared at Tiffany defiantly. "What did you want me to do? Let him go off and get himself killed while I sit helplessly at home? I don't think so."

Tiffany narrowed her eyes at Jenny. "Damian's a big boy. He can handle himself. The question is why are you so concerned about him. Is there something going on that I should know about?" She grabbed Jenny's shoulder as Jenny tried to walk away from her. "Jenny?" Her voice softened. "Tell me."

Jenny stared straight ahead, her jaw set, breathing deeply. "You wouldn't believe me."

A soft chuckle. "Jenny, I've been working with Circle Daybreak. I've seen enough crazy stuff to make any normal person go mad. I'll believe anything anymore."

Jenny sighed, then turned around and faced Tiffany. She swallowed. "Damian's… my soulmate." She stared at the ground as she felt her face flushing. When Tiffany didn't say anything, she looked up.

Tiffany stared at her, eyes widening slightly, but not in disbelief. "Well," she said softly. "That happens."

Jenny blinked. "That happens? What are you talking about?"

Tiffany placed an arm around Jenny's shoulders and hugged her tight. "I've seen quite a few soulmates in Daybreak. It's something very real. I know this must be tough for you, but you're not the only one who's had to deal with it."

Surprise flooded Jenny's face. Tiffany must have seen it because she nodded. "Oh yes. Take for example, your idol."

"My…" Jenny stopped in mid-sentence, her eyes widening. "You mean The Cat?"

Tiffany nodded again. "Yes. Her real name's Rashel. She just found out last week that she has a soulmate, a vampire name John Quinn. Same as you."

Jenny's jaw dropped in disbelief. "Wow, I never would have thought… So what did this Rashel do about it?"

"Do? She didn't do anything. Jenny, being soulmates isn't something you can just get rid of. Once you've met your soulmate, that's it. In fact, I would say you're one of the lucky few. Most people go their whole lives and never meet their soulmate, never know what they're missing."

"Do you think… Does everybody have a soulmate?" Jenny asked.

"I don't know." Tiffany shook her head. "It would be nice to think so. Kind of gives us all something to hope for, don't you think?"

"Have you found yours?"

"No. And I don't suppose I ever will." Tiffany grabbed Jenny's hand and squeezed it, looking at her intently. "That's why you can't fight it, Jenny. It would be wrong for you, out of all of us who'll never find our soulmate, to meet that one person who's meant for you and want to throw it away, to escape from it. Believe me. It's not something you want to throw away."

Jenny pursed her lips. "Is it possible… to have two soulmates?"

Unexpectedly, Tiffany laughed. When Jenny looked at her, confused, she explained. "Jenny, don't tell me you're getting greedy now. That's not how soulmates work. One. Only one."

Jenny nodded. "Alright." She stared at a crack in the sidewalk, deep in thought. If there could only be one, why was she having so much trouble forgetting about Michael? What was he then, if not her soulmate too? Shouldn't Damian have swept all thoughts of Michael out of her head at his first touch? What if… What if Damian wasn't really her soulmate. What if he was just… really close to being it. She would never know unless she found Damian and they rescued Michael. She sighed in frustration.

"Jenny?"

She looked up, her body filling with resolve. "Do you know where Troy's club is?"

Tiffany blinked. "Do you think that's where Damian went?"

"Where else would he have gone?"

The color drained from Tiffany's face. "He wouldn't have. He would have gone to Troy's."

"Then I guess we're going to Troy's," Jenny said. "Let's go." She started walking, despite not knowing where to go, and Tiffany stopped her.

"Do you realize what we're getting into? We might not make it back out of there if we go in."

Jenny lifted her chin. "If what you say is true, then I don't want to make it out of there if we don't get Damian back."

Tiffany nodded, her face still ashen. "Well, I hope you're all healed up then. Because we're going to need all the strength we've got."

***********

Tiffany stopped Jenny in the alley outside the entrance to the club. "Listen, we need to be as discreet about this as possible. If Troy finds out we're here, the game's over. We need to get in, find out if Damian's here, and get out again as quick as we can."

Jenny nodded. "Alright. Let's just do it." Her whole body felt charged with energy. She just wanted to start doing something. She was tired of waiting for things to happen.

They stepped up to the door, and Tiffany gave the password. Jenny didn't understand the password; it seemed to be in a different language. But it didn't matter, because the door was opening to let them in. Loud, pulsing music poured into the alley. They stepped inside.

Jenny's eyes took a minute to adjust to the darkness. The club wasn't nearly as full as it had been a few nights ago, probably because it was the middle of the day. Jenny noticed it did seem brighter, however. Funny, there weren't any more lights than before. Then she realized it must be an effect of Damian's blood. Was this how vampires really saw the room? If that was the case, then she hadn't been as hidden in the dark corner as she'd thought she'd been.

"Come on." Tiffany grabbed her arm and began dragging her to the other side of the room.

"What do we do now?" Jenny called to her over the music.

Tiffany stopped in the middle of the dance floor. "Dance."

"Dance?!"

Tiffany stopped dancing and looked at her. "Look around while you dance. See if you find anything. If we don't dance, then what are we doing here?"

Embarrassed, Jenny nodded. "Right," she muttered. She began dancing, scanning the room for any sign of Damian. She didn't see him, but she did see someone else. A blond, staring at her from the edge of the dance floor. When he noticed her looking at him, he grinned and began pushing through the crowd toward her.

"Uh, Tiffany. I think we've got company."

"What?" Tiffany followed the line of Jenny's pointing finger. "Oh great. Well, play along for now."

"Play along? I don't know how to play along!"

The blond reached her then, grinning down at her. Jenny tried to smile at him but found it difficult. She never had been a very good flirt, especially with strangers – fanged strangers.

"Hey baby," he cooed, wrapping an arm smoothly around her shoulders. "I couldn't help but notice you checking me out over there."

"Checking you out… Oh, is that what you thought was happening?" Jenny looked up at him innocently. Tiffany stopped dancing and gave her a warning look. Jenny couldn't help it. Was she supposed to go along with this jerk?

He leaned closer to her, apparently not hearing a word she said. "I mean, I can understand why you'd be checking me out. I just thought I'd come over and make things easier for you."

"Oh, you're right, I was checking you out." She smiled sweetly at him. "In fact, I was just thinking to myself, 'Look at that moron over there who thinks he can dance. I wonder how he got out of his cage today.'"

The boy's face flushed red and a hint of silver flashed in his eyes. "Hey, what's your problem?"

"My problem is people like you hitting on me when they obviously have no skills whatsoever in that area!"

"You want to say that to my face?"

Jenny couldn't help but grin. "I think I just did."

The boy sputtered, then spun on his heel and stomped off, throwing a glare over his shoulder at her.

"Hey, good work. I've never been that good at getting that jerk to leave me alone!" a tall, dark-haired girl nearby said, patting Jenny's shoulder. "Maybe he'll get a hint that he's totally clueless." She danced off with a laugh.

Tiffany came up next to her and sighed. "Smooth, Jenny. Real smooth. Way to blend in."

Jenny just stared at her helplessly, still smiling from the other girl's compliment.

"But it was pretty good," Tiffany laughed.

"Thanks." Jenny stopped dancing and sighed. "I don't see him. Do you?"

"No. How about this? Let's go…" Tiffany stopped.

Jenny turned to her. "Let's go where?"

Tiffany was staring across the room.

"What?" Jenny asked.

"We… better get out of here. Fast." She pointed.

Jenny looked in the direction Tiffany was pointing and her eyes widened. An enormous, muscular man was heading straight toward them. "Who is he?" she asked.

"He's Troy's right-hand man. And he's heading right for us." She turned to Jenny and grabbed her arm. "Run for the door! Now!"

They took off sprinting toward the door, pushing people out of the way as they went. Almost there, Jenny thought frantically. Almost. She risked a look behind her. The man was gaining on them. He didn't have to fight through the crowd; it parted in front of him like the Red Sea. He glared at her with an intensity that made Jenny's breath catch.

She turned around again just in time to see someone fall at her feet. "No!" she cried as she tripped over the person, who had apparently been pushed by someone else. She fell to her hands and knees. "Tiffany!" She saw Tiffany reach the door and turn around. Her eyes widened, and she started toward Jenny.

Jenny scrambled back up to her feet just as a hand shot out and grabbed the back of her shirt, pulling her back. She screamed involuntarily.

The man spun her around, and she kicked out at him. Although she made contact with his shin, he apparently didn't feel it. He grabbed her arm with his other hand, his grip cutting off the circulation in her hand. "Get her," he yelled, jerking his head toward the Tiffany.

Jenny watched as Tiffany's eyes widened and she pushed on the door to open it. The bouncer appeared at her side and knocked her to the ground. He pulled her back up and locked his arm around her neck.

Jenny fought against her captor's grip. He looked down at her, his expression almost amused.

"You're not going anywhere," he said in a deep, rolling voice. "Troy seeks an audience with you." He smiled at her, filling her heart with fear. "Let's go."