Finally, Endymion gets to make his appearance. Once again, this chapter is a revised and merged version of two other chapter. Much like the others before it, I found upon rereading it that there was no point for the separation.

Enjoy.

Of all the things Jake had ever heard, from his father's drunken yelling, to the roar of the minotaur, nothing sent a chill down his spine like the sound of Cassandra's scream.

He came running around the corner just in time to see Jones be thrown like a ragdoll straight at him.

The enhanced reflexes of being in so many bar brawls was the only thing that allowed Jake to dive to the side and dodge the Australian missile.

Recovering quickly, Jake turned to face the direction of the attack. If the scream horrified him, what he saw was on a whole different level.

Cassandra was pinned to the wall, her face contorted in pure agony. In front of her was a shadowy entity, a seemingly shapeless cloud of black smoke. Jake could only see it because it was darker than all the shadows around it. It reminded Jake a lot of the keeper of the House of Refuge when Katie Bender was in control of it. Only this one was smaller.

A smoky tendril held Cassandra's wrist in a vice like grip keeping her pinned to the wall high enough so that her boots couldn't even touch the ground.

Her hand had already taken on an appearance of blackened and charred flesh. Jake just knew that if he could see under her sleeves, the skin of her arm would look the same.

Exactly like the recent murder victims.

Baird had once told Jake to fight smarter, not harder. He did take that lesson to heart after the Labyrinth debacle. But right now, he developed tunnel vision. All he could see was that Cassandra was in danger and something was trying to kill her before his very eyes. So, he did the only thing his brain could think up at the moment.

He charged.

When Baird had told him the story of the haunted house, the part he was out of commission for, one of the things she mentioned was that when she attacked their ghostly attacker, she had actually body slammed the thing away from Katie and Cassandra.

Jake's hope was that the same tactic would work here. He just needed to get the thing away from Cassandra. Then he could figure out how to get them away or a way to drive it off.

The second his body made contact with the creature, Jake felt like he touched a boiling hot cloud of steam. If it meant getting Cassandra away from the thing, he would have run through said cloud. But the instant his body touched the monster, another tendril lashed out like a whip and knocked him away.

He realized upon impact that this was what happened to Jones a moment before his arrival.

Rolling across the ground, Jake recovered as fast as he could to make another attack. He had to do something, anything.

Before Jake could even get back to his feet, another attack came.

This one from behind him.

A pair of jeweled daggers sailed over his head. Both struck the middle of the cloud less than a few inches apart. The two weapons stuck into the shapeless monster as if they hit flesh instead of smoke.

The exact instant the blades made contact, the entity let out an inhuman screech. Dropping Cassandra in the process. Jake was already rushing ahead to her but he was too far to catch her before she hit the pavement.

After the monster recoiled away from the redhead, it tore the two weapons free.

Then it lunged for Cassandra again.

"Cassie!" Jake screamed. The redhead was still too far away for him to get to her in time.

The ghostlike creature never got close.

Jake blinked once, and when his eyes reopened, there was a man in a long black coat standing before Cassandra directly in the path of the entity.

It tried to rush past him, or to just consume him like it tried to do to Cassandra, but the man drew something from his back beneath the coat. Jake could not tell because of the dark but they appeared to be a pair of revolver pistols.

The stranger leveled the two weapons and opened fire with bolts of green light. The shots tore into the specter and shoved it back with a feral hiss. Each shot blew off portions of the smoke cloud, but they just as quickly reattached. The only real effect was that the creature was forced back.

By the time Jake was able to reach Cassandra, the shadowy monster was gone. The man was pointing the two guns in all directions as if searching for the smoky attacker.

Ignoring the man, Jake's entire focus was on Cassandra. The redhead sat still on the ground, but was at least still conscious.

When Jake dropped to his knees beside her, he saw just how bad of shape she was in. Her skin was deathly pale, her hair seemed to have lost a lot of its normal shine, and her eyes were glazed over. Her blackened arm clutched tightly to her chest. Her breathing was so irregular, Jake couldn't tell if she was simply hyperventilating, or having one of her episodes. There couldn't possibly be a worst time for one.

"Cassie?" Jake put an arm around her shoulder's and when he did he felt how badly she was shaking. "Come on Darlin', talk to me here."

There was no response. Cassandra just continued staring off into nothingness, obviously in shock.

By now the stranger and dropped down to one knee in front of her. "Miss, I need you to look at me."

He got no answer either.

Jake had no idea who this guy was but if he could get through to Cassandra he didn't care. He was about ready to try anything.

He had just happened to glance over at the newcomer, when Jake happened to notice his silver eyes. He definitely was no ordinary human like them. But that issue was going to have to wait.

"Miss?" The silver-eyed man tried again but still nothing.

Jake was starting to panic, they needed to get Cassandra to calm down and fast. And where the hell was Jones! He might be able to do something.

Remembering their thief friend was hurled through the air, Jake should go check on him. The idea of leaving Cassandra alone with a stranger, especially with her condition, did not sit well with the Jake however.

"Miss!" This time the stranger spoke with a far deeper voice that sounded almost demonic, Jake felt it in his chest more than he heard it.

Cassandra's eyes suddenly snapped up to meet the stranger's gaze.

"Good, now I need you to take some deep breaths, in" the man sucked in a deep breath, "out" then released it. He repeated the words and actions several times.

Slowly, Cassandra started following along with the man, taking deep breaths. Soon her breathing was back under control but she still looked in very rough shape.

Then she promptly went limp in Jake's arms.

"Cassie!" Jake's panic was back as held onto the petite redhead. He would have snapped completely if it wasn't for the fact that he could see the slow rise and fall of her chest with each breath. She was breathing, breathing was a good start.

The silver-eyed man gently grabbed Cassandra's unblemished arm and pressed two fingers to the skin of her wrist. Jake thought about confronting the man but he knew the gesture as checking for a pulse. Right now, Jake didn't care who this person was as long as he could help Cassandra.

"Her heart still beats but it's weak, we need to get her somewhere safe right now." The stranger for the first time turned his unnatural gaze on Jake. "That thing will be back any moment."

"The Annex, through there." Jake motioned with his head to the doors leading to their sanctuary. It occurred to him that he should be more careful with a stranger but it didn't matter right now. Far as he was concerned, Cassandra's well-being came first.

"Go, I'll cover you." The silver-eyed man was back on his feet, at some point he had retrieved the two daggers he threw at the spectral creature. Jake never even saw him do it.

Just as Jake moved his arms beneath Cassandra's back and legs, he noticed Jones had been right beside him the entire time. His jaw was bruised and he had a small cut on his cheek but he otherwise was unharmed. The younger librarian looked every bit of the worry Jake was feeling, the fact he hadn't said a word said as much.

With Cassandra in his arms, Jake hurried to the back door. Jones opening the door the moment they were before it.

The two men and Cassandra went through first, with the stranger following right behind. He backed through the door slowly, his eyes never leaving the alley they just came from. Once through the door, he slammed it shut behind him with a kick of his foot.

Jake glanced over at their visitor just in time to see him place a palm against the door. When he did, several glowing orange lines flowed from his hand all over the door forming a net over the surface before vanishing.

"There, it won't be able to follow us through here." The silver-eyed man spoke before Jake had a chance to ask what he was doing.

"What did you just do?" Jones spoke for the first time.

"I set up some protective wards on your door here so that thing doesn't sneak in and kill you all." The stranger looked at Jones as he spoke then turned his eyes back to Jake and Cassandra. "Lay her down somewhere to rest. After a little while she'll be back to normal, her arm too, hopefully before she wakes."

Jake had already laid the unconscious Cassandra down on one of their couches in the Annex. Now that she was safe and sound he turned his attention back to the other matter at hand.

"Okay, what the hell was that thing, who the hell are you, and what did it do to Cassie?" Jake almost yelled at the stranger. If he was affected by the outburst, he didn't show it.

Subconsciously, Jake winced slightly. He should be at least a little bit grateful, if the silver-eyed man hadn't of shown up when he did... Cassandra would probably be a burnt husk like the other victims.

The idea was scarier than anything Jake could have imagined.

"Firstly, that was a nasty case of a death specter."

"Ghost?" Jones rubbed his undoubtedly sore jaw.

"Pretty much, as for you redheaded friend, as I said, she will be fine. She was caught in a life draining hold. Kind of a favorite among death specters. That ghost was literally trying to suck the life out of her. But we got it away from her in time. She'll recover fairly quickly."

"The other victims in Salem..." Jake began.

"Same fate." The silver-eyed man finished. "It's absorbing life energy from people but for what purpose I'm unsure."

"Wait, wait, wait. Who are you anyway?" Jake questioned before remembering both what he did to their door and how he seemed to appear between Cassandra and that monster. "What are you?"

The man flashed a smile to the two men. "Pardon my manners." He gave a small bow as he spoke his next words. "Most just call me The Traveler, but you can call me Endymion."

"Endymion? Wait... the Endymion from Greek mythology?" Jake questioned as he really looked at the man for the first time. Apart from the eyes, he didn't look all that unique. There was something under his coat though, Jake could not be sure but it looked suspiciously like armor. Wait… there were symbols on his skin, around his neck but they appeared to form a pattern. If it did, the markings extended further down his body beneath his clothing. At first they looked like tattoos, but Jake quickly realized it wasn't ink in his skin, those were brands.

Endymion rolled his eyes slightly. "Same name, different person. I'm not from around here actually."

"Hold up, what's with all the glowy stuff?" Jones spoke as he motioned to the door leading back to Salem.

"Magic." Endymion brought his hand up, just in time for Jake to see a small spark of electricity twirl around the silver-eyed man's fingers.

Jake had opened his mouth to repeat his question of what their mysterious savior was when he, before his mind could register the words coming from his mouth, instead asked the other question nagging badly at him. "You said Cassie was going to be fine?"

Jake was really hoping Jones and Endymion did not catch the worry infecting his voice. His face was the perfect picture of calm but inside he was definitely having a near freak out. Cassandra being hurt or in trouble tended to do that despite his attempts to feel otherwise.

"Yes, she appears to be in good health and was pulled away quite swiftly. As I said, she will recover soon." Endymion explained as he glanced at the redhead. "She was lucky we arrived when we did, a few more minutes and the damage could have been permanent."

If Jake thought he could feel even sicker to his stomach, he now discovered he certainly could. That feeling was quickly magnified when Jake remembered Cassandra was not in 'good health' like Endymion had said. Having the ever present "brain grape", as Jones so eloquently put it, in her head surly was not a mark of being healthy.

He was pondering saying something about it to Endymion. He seemed to have an understanding of what was happening that Jake and Jones both lacked.

"I'm going to go get the first aid kit." Jones grumbled as he rubbed at his jaw. His cut did not seem serious but it should be tended to regardless.

This left Jake alone with their mysterious 'guest'.

Jake took a moment to really look at him. There was something off about him, he was practically a stranger but there was this overwhelming sense of calm that practically radiated off the silver-eyed man. It was like he knew he could trust him completely despite barely knowing him. It had to be magic somehow, some kind of aura. Jake felt that he should consider this man to at least be somewhat of a threat, being an unknown and a magic user both.

Just then, another thought came to Jake's mind. Endymion was carrying several weapons. From what he remembered from the alley, there was at least two daggers and those revolvers. All four of which were completely concealed beneath that long leather coat he wore. If you just looked at Endymion, there was no way to tell he was carrying anything. Which begged another question, what else was under that coat?

Not that the weapons mattered. If what Jake saw of his magic was any indication, he didn't need those knives or guns. If Endymion had any magic at all, it was almost guaranteed that he had at least some offensive ability with it.

All of this led Jake to the ultimate realization- if Endymion wanted to hurt them, kill them even, he could do so easily. There would be nothing he, nor Jones, nor Cassandra could do to stop him.

Thus far, Endymion did not seem to have any such intentions. He had saved them from that spirit creature and reassured them that Cassandra was going to be fine. Jake doubted Endymion would do such a thing if he had any malicious intentions.

Endymion had also saved Cassandra, that alone earned him the benefit of the doubt as far as Jake was concerned.

Out of nowhere, a weak voice from the couch croaked out. "Jake?"

Jake was at the redhead's side in less than a second, all other thoughts forgotten.

Cassandra's eyes were open, but barely. Her skin regained a little color but was still far too pale for his liking. Her normally bright and cheerful eyes were clouded over. She looked like she was laying on her deathbed already. It took a lot of willpower for Jake to force away the image of Cassandra one day looking like this.

"Jake is that you?" Cassandra's voice was raspy like it hadn't been used in a while. "I can't see very well..."

"I'm here darlin'." Jake whispered softly as he took her unblemished hand in his and squeezed softly. He wondered if she would at least be comforted a little by the gesture. "You're safe."

The tiny smile the redhead gave him coupled with the weak returning squeeze of the hand was all the answer Jake needed.

The man was so distracted by the feel of Cassandra's hand in his, and the relief that she was still there, that he didn't notice Endymion approach until the sorcerer was beside him.

Before Jake could ask what he was doing, Endymion's hand lit up with purple colored flames. The cowboy watched curiously as he ran the flaming hand slowly over the redhead's body, the flames not quite touching her.

"She is recovering even quicker than I thought, her arm will soon be back to normal." Endymion explained as he continued whatever it was that he was doing. "She may be able to stand on her own before long as well. But the most important thing was that she needs rest, preferably sleep."

The knowledge brought great comfort to Jake. Endymion's next words instantly caught him off guard though.

"Even with her tumor."

Jake's gaze snapped to Endymion so fast his next almost had whiplash. How the hell could he possibly know that?

"Magic." Endymion answered without even looking at Jake, instead holding up the flaming hand.

Jake could only sigh, at this point he really didn't care.

"What are you doing here?" Cassandra whispered as she turned her now slightly clearer eyes on Endymion.

"I warned you the streets were unsafe after dark miss." Endymion answered as the flames on his hand vanished in the blink of an eye. "You're lucky I tracked that thing down when I did."

Wait... Cassandra knew this guy? How?

Before Jake could ask, Cassandra suddenly went limp again. Jake had no chance of stopping the instant swell of panic that rose in his chest. "Cassie!"

"Peace my friend," Endymion's hand latched onto Jake's shoulder is a firm but painless grip. "She is merely sleeping." Endymion stood back to his feet and made his way back to their main table.

Jake squeezed Cassandra's limp hand one last time before letting go, very hesitantly. She was here at the Annex, the Library, there was no safer place on all of earth for her to be. Not only that, she was going to be okay.

At least that was what Jake repeated within his mind. It was the only thing that allowed him the ability to stand and leave her there on that couch fast asleep.

I'm finally getting my spark back for the Librarians fandom. I mean seriously, And the Nightmare Trap is getting more reviews than anything I've done in a while! Good thing too, I was getting worried. Please review and let me know what you all think.