(Author's Note: Wow! This has got to be a record for me! Only four days have gone by, and another update! lol. Anyway, I'm really not sure about this part. Does it seem too cheesy, melodramatic, unneccessary? Or is it okay? Let me know, please! Okay, reviews (so many this time! yay! lol):

Leopardess: Well, you don't get to see Raina and Jenny working together in this chapter, although they do seem civil. Hopefully, things will really get going in the next chapter, including more about Damian. And don't worry about not reviewing. You're obviously still reading it and liking it, so that makes me happy. *grin*

Candika: Thanks! I was hoping it would be a good twist. I didn't even know it was going to happen until my fingers typed it out. Glad you liked it!

Mandy: Sometimes I think I might not ever be finished. lol. If I told you how long I've really been working on this story, you probably wouldn't believe me (much longer than I've been a member of fanfiction.net, that's for sure). But I've got it in my mind to finish it, and soon, so it's going to get done. Don't worry. I'm really flattered that this is your favorite story, since there's so much other great fiction on ff.net. Thank you for always commenting, and for staying with me!

Baloo: Ha! Surprised you! Another two months… Have some faith. Hmph. *grin* And no, Michael isn't, how did you say it, "batting for the other team." lol. Trust me on that. As for Damian, you just keep on believing whatever makes you feel better. ;-) And I'm glad you said you can hate and admire Raina at the same time, because that's exactly how she makes me feel. lol. Well, I updated in four days… *looks at watch* I'd like to see The Resurrection beat that! *wink*

Ice: Thanks! And here you go:…

Lotrangelle: Wow, I don't think I've ever seen anyone use as many exclamation points as you did in your review. lol. But it's flattering, so thanks. And here you go, I wrote more.

The Cat: You read the whole thing in one sitting? Wow... I didn't think anyone could do that. lol. But I'm glad you liked it enough to keep going. It means I'm doing what I hoped to do. Thanks for the very ego-boosting review, even though you threatened me! lol.

Okay, that's it for reviews. Thanks you guys! It means a lot to me that you all commented in only four days!)

*Chapter 27*

During her time in prison, as she had come to think of it, Jenny hadn't had any trouble sleeping, despite the cold, hard floor. The stress of the last week – especially three days ago when Damian had turned on her – had drained her both emotionally and physically. She felt she had gained back most of her old self, but physically, her body rejoiced at the thought of sleep. Kind of ironic, since she'd spent two days in a near-coma before coming here. Sleep was an escape that Jenny welcomed in this uneventful, monotonous room. It helped pass time until she could finally do something – either escape or die trying.

Not this night.

Jenny fell asleep quickly after lying down in her corner, but dreams haunted her.

The first dream jumped her to the next morning, Halloween. Guards came to get her, and Jenny tried to fight. The guards, about a dozen of them, it seemed, all faceless and wearing black, swarmed on her and tied her hands behind her back. They prodded her down a long, dark hallway she hadn't been in before. She stumbled in the darkness twice, and the guards laughed at her helplessness.

"Some vampire hunter," they cackled. "Can't even walk."

Finally, a door appeared at the end of the hallway. It glowed a deep red and seemed to pulse with energy. Waves of evil rolled off the door, suffocating Jenny.

I don't want to go in there! her mind screamed, and she dug her heels into the dirt floor. The guards pushed her forward anyway. When the door opened, seemingly by itself, a guard untied her hands and pushed her in.

The door slammed behind her, echoing even though the room was small. She impulsively jumped back against the door so nobody could sneak up on her, then looked around.

It was a nightmare. Well, yes, this whole scene was part of Jenny's nightmare, but the room was a nightmare in itself. The pulsing red light she'd seen outside the door was even worse inside. The room almost seemed to be beating, like a heart, kept alive by the evil acts committed in this room. Something, some feeling in the room, pressed down on her like a physical thing.

Jenny drew in a breath, but the breath didn't come back out again. She couldn't breath. She was suffocating, and this room made her mind spin out of control. Her hands flew to her throat, and she sank to her knees. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the red energy.

"It's only a dream, it's only a dream," she repeated over and over again. "Wake up, Jenny, wake up."

"This is no mere dream. It's a nightmare." A deep voice rolled over her and her eyes flew open. Troy stood in front of her, wearing the same clothes she'd him in last time. She stood up to face him. "Although it doesn't have to be a nightmare for you, Jenny."

Jenny's breath exploded out of her chest, and suddenly she could breath again. Not that her situation was any better. Troy reached out a hand and placed it on her shoulder. She gasped in disgust and pushed it back off.

Troy chuckled and grinned. The grin revealed straight, white, sharp teeth. The red in his eyes seemed to pulse along with the room. "Jenny, Jenny… Always a fighter. It doesn't have to end this way, you know." He turned his back on her and stood staring thoughtfully at the other side of the room.

Confused, Jenny couldn't help but ask. "What do you mean?"

He lifted his chin and turned back to her, another smile on his face. "All you have to do is say the word. Become one of us, and you don't need to worry about Hunter's plans."

"You're crazy," she whispered.

"And it would certainly solve your little problem with Silverwind, wouldn't it?" He stared at her, drawing her into his gaze.

"I…" She suddenly felt very dizzy. He was right. If she became a vampire, then there should be no reason why she couldn't be with Damian. No theological excuse to hate him. No reason for him to be against her. No more betrayal. She stared at Troy, images of Damian flashing through her mind, him leaning over to kiss her in the moonlight, turning to look at her before he went into Troy's office the first time. His face as he closed the door of her cell and walked away, locking her away…

"No!" she cried, pushing the images violently out of her head and breaking his stare. "I'll never give in to you!"

The smile disappeared from Troy's face. "Well, then, I guess I have no choice. I offered…" He stepped toward her. "There is no escape for you."

Jenny tried to back away from him, but she was already as far back as she could be. Her back touched the door, and blind panic tore through her. "No!" she screamed as he grabbed her arms and lowered his head to her neck.

Right before he bit, she blacked out. The sound of his laughter echoed through her head as she lost consciousness…

And woke up again. She blinked against the bright white light shining down on her. After her eyes adjusted, she looked around. Bad idea. She was lying on some kind of hard table made of white marble. The light above illuminated her and the surface she was on, but nothing else. All around her, darkness pressed in.

She sat up, the fear washing over her again. "Hello?" she called weakly, hugging her arms around herself. Was she still asleep? Was this still a dream? Or had they moved her while she was asleep?

When nobody answered, she swung her legs over the edge of the table and dropped to the ground. She could see nothing outside the circle of light, but staying within the light where she could be seen frightened her more than the darkness. She took a few steps out of the light and looked back. With a gasp, she realized the table she had been lying on was actually the altar that had been in Troy's office. She shook her head in disbelief. This was not happening to her…

Turning her back on the lit-up table, she walked deeper into the darkness. Her hands waved in front of her so she wouldn't run into anything. The table grew smaller as she walked away from it, but she never came against a wall. How big was this room?

A sound off to her left stopped Jenny in her tracks. She spun in that direction, straining her eyes to see something in the dark. Nothing. She glanced back at the table, which was barely discernible at this distance. How had she walked so far from it and not come across anything? After a good 30 seconds of waiting for another sound, Jenny forced herself to start walking again.

Another sound came to her ears, this time on her right side. Footsteps, she finally realized. Like somebody walking, trying very carefully to be quiet. The blood pounded in her ears, and suddenly she felt sure that whoever was out there could see her clearly. She took off running, praying she wouldn't run smack into a wall and knock herself out.

The ground changed beneath her feet. Instead of being smooth, like a cement floor, it was filled with holes and bumps. She began going uphill. Finally, her foot slid into one of these holes and she stumbled to the ground, her ankle twisting painfully. She gasped, blinking back tears. The footsteps drew closer, from both sides now. She tried to stand, but fell again as pain flared through her ankle. Sobbing, she crawled blindly along the ground, which was now covered in grass.

I'm outside, she thought, barely registering the realization in her panic to get away.

The footsteps were right behind her, and Jenny could no longer run. Her energy had waned, as if her fear itself were sapping it from her. She collapsed on her back and curled into a ball, tears coursing down her cheeks.

And the laughter started again. It echoed all around her, pushing in on her, making her feel like she was drowning. She covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut, although that made no difference in her sight.

The laughter stopped. Her eyes flew open, and she suddenly realized she could see again, though only a little. She stared up at the sky, seeing wisps of clouds float by in the night. A quarter moon appeared behind one of them, spilling pale, cool light around her. She sat up and looked around. Trees circled around her – how she'd managed not to run into one of them, she didn't know. The ground inclined gently behind her, leading to a circle of columns at the top of a hill. Seeing nobody nearby, she stood cautiously, careful not to put too much weight on her twisted ankle. The circle at the top of the hill seemed to call to her, and she knew that was where she had to go.

Carefully, she worked her way up the hill, hobbling around trees and low scrub bushes. As she neared the top, she realized someone stood within the circle, his figure lit in the moonlight.

"Hello?" she called softly. Too softly; whoever it was couldn't hear her, she thought. But he did. His head turned in her direction. She climbed the last few feet of the hill slowly, knowing he was waiting for her.

As Jenny neared him, she realized she recognized him.

"Michael!" she cried, and ran to him as best she could. She flung her arms around his waist, so glad to see him that she forgot her fear of a few minutes before. "What are you doing here?"

He looked down at her, worry showing on his face even in the darkness. A curl of dark hair fell into one eye, and Jenny reached up to push it away. "Jenny," he whispered, and pulled her to him. His lips touched hers, and she suddenly forgot everything, her twisted ankle, the laughter, the altar… Michael had never held her like this, never kissed her. As much as she'd dreamt about this very moment, she'd never felt it would actually happen. Happiness filled her with warmth, and she closed her eyes, letting herself fall against him, trusting him to support her.

"Oh, Michael," she breathed.

And then she heard laughter again. She gasped and pulled away from Michael, spinning around without looking at him. Outside the circle, she could see Troy ascending the hill. When he saw her looking, he stopped laughing, and raised one hand in a wave.
"No," she whispered. Behind her, Michael pushed her hair to one side and gently kissed her neck, seemingly oblivious to Troy's appearance. She pushed at him absently to get him to stop. Instead of stopping, he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. "Michael!" she cried, and that was when she felt the sting of teeth in her throat.

She whipped around in Michael's arms, feeling teeth slide back out of her throat … and screamed. Michael no longer stood there. Instead, somehow, it was Hunter, with his red hair and golden hawk's eyes, who stood there in the moonlight, one arm still around her waist.

Jenny felt her eyes would pop out of her head if they opened any wider. One hand flew up to her throat and came away wet and dark. Hunter grinned, silver flashing in his eyes, and wiped his lips with the back of his hand.

"Tasty," he said.

"No," Jenny moaned, backing away from him, waves of disgust rolling over her. "No."

Strong hands grabbed her from behind, and Troy spun her around. "I told you," he growled, sharp teeth descending across his lips. "You can't escape us. It's inevitable. Join us or die."

She shook her head, tears once again blinding her. She wrenched out of Troy's grip, only to be caught again by Hunter. Above her, the moon disappeared behind the clouds, sending her into blackness again. As teeth sank into her throat again, Jenny thought she heard someone calling her name.

It's all over, she thought. I'm dead.

"Jenny," the voice called again, insistently.

Go away. It's too late.

"Jenny!"

Jenny's eyes flew open. Hunter and Troy were gone, the circle of pillars was gone. She was lying on the straw-covered floor in her cell. The light from the lamp in the wall, although dim, made her squint, and she threw up a hand to block it. Raina leaned over her, peering into her face.

"Are you okay? You were dreaming," she asked, looking almost concerned.

"Oh man," Jenny breathed. What an awful dream. She rubbed her arms, suddenly cold even though she was drenched in sweat. She'd never had a dream that real. Suddenly worried, she touched the side of her neck. Her fingers found only smooth skin. She squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again. Still in the cell. Thank God. She breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Raina. "Did I wake you up?"

Raina shrugged. "Your thrashing around and moaning did. But I wasn't really sleeping well anyway. Today's the day."

Jenny's heart sank as she glanced at her watch. It was almost 8:00 in the morning. Halloween. The big day. Today could very well be the worst – and last – day of her life. "I wonder when they'll be coming for us?" she asked, not really expecting an answer. She hoped it would be a while yet. Her dream had left her feeling achy and tired.

If it was a dream, the voice in her head whispered illogically. Jenny shook her head. No way it wasn't a dream. Real as it had felt, she had woken up from it, and she didn't have bite marks on her neck. But what if it was a warning? Was it possible for vampires to enter a human's dreams? Jenny didn't think so, but the thought still made her feel uncomfortable.

Raina didn't get the chance to answer Jenny's question if she was going to. At that moment, the lock in the door rattled, and the door swung open to reveal Saul, one of the men who had taken Jenny and Tiffany to the cemetery. He stood in the doorway, his sword hanging from his waist. He narrowed his eyes at them, his lips pressed in a thin line. Raina and Jenny stood, huddling together in the corner.

Saul nodded his head in their direction, and four figures behind him rushed into the room at them.