A/N: Hey everyone! Hope you all had a nice winter break(if you're in high school). I finished this chapter last night, and all I wanted to do in school today was keep writing. Anyway, here's the next chapter: Fallout. Hope you all enjoy!

Days passed. Cassandra rarely woke now. She rarely ate. Jake spent his days buried in books. He kept a picture of Cassandra nearby, a reminder of why he was working so hard. Just then, Eve walked into the room.

"Hey" she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Cassandra's awake. She wants to talk to you." Jake stood up from his work place and slowly walked to her room.

He entered to find her lying on the bed. A cry caught in his throat at the sight of how weak she had become. Her skin was getting pale. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, her beautiful curls no longer framing her face. He sat next to her bed and grabbed her hand. It was cold. Her eyes were closed. Maybe she had fallen back asleep while Eve was getting him.

"Hey Cassie" he whispered, rubbing his finger in circles on the back of her palm.

"Hi Jake" she smiled. Her voice was weak. He tried not to cry.

"Jake I uh…I don't know how many more times I'm gonna wake up."

"Cass" he began, his voice shaking. Cassandra shushed him.

"Jake it's okay" she said "Really it is. I had a good run, especially since I joined the Library. Listen, I wanted to talk to you because I uh…I wanted to thank you. I don't know how but you…you always got me to calm down when I needed it. Before you, my outbursts could go on for minutes. I don't know if I would've gotten as much time as I did if it weren't for you. You got me back to reality just by holding me. Not even my parents were ever able to do that" She had started crying herself. Jake tried to stop her, but she continued.

"I'm just…I'm so lucky to have had a friend like you in my life" Jake couldn't help himself anymore. Tears ran down his face as he cried uncontrollably. It didn't happen often. Back home, he was supposed to be this tough cowboy who fought in bar brawls. Tough guys like him didn't cry. At least, no one saw him cry. Back home, he never really had a reason to. The Library, Cassandra, they had awoken the real him.

"Cassie what I did for you can't even remotely compare to what you've done for me. If it weren't for you, I never would've gotten to know the real me. And I love the real me. You appreciated me like no one else ever has. I haven't even been able to tell my parents about the genius thing and you…you accept it, and you appreciate it." Both the Librarians were crying now, neither of them telling the other the real reason why.

Cassandra winced as she moved over on the bed.

"Will you lay with me?" she asked. Without answering, Jake simply moved in next to her and wrapped his arms around her. In literature, star crossed lovers were considered the greats. Now he knew the truth. Star crossed love…sucked. Here he was, a Romeo with his very own Juliet, and he was losing her.

"Jake I…I" Cassandra began. She was crying, couldn't seem to find the words that she wanted to say. Jake didn't know if he understood correctly. Maybe it was his own wild imagination. But if she was saying what he thought she was saying, he had to return the gesture.

"I know" he muttered. "Me too"

Cass smiled, and with that, fell back asleep in his arms. Jake squeezed her lightly, and tried not to cry so much. All he could think was that those could be the last words he would say to her, and the last words he would hear from her. He wanted nothing more than to lay there with her until the end of time, simply existing. But he had to get up, because those couldn't be the final words. He wouldn't let them be. After a few more minutes, Jake kissed Cassandra on the head and sneaked out of the room.


Two days later, the Librarians were sitting in Cassandra's room. They rarely left her side now. She had rarely woken up since her talk with Jake, and when she did, it was usually to throw up, or to try and fail to keep some food down. Jake had brought his research to the room, wanting to stay with Cassandra, but needing to complete his mission. Eve walked in holding a phone.

"I just contacted Cassandra's parents. They're going to try to get here, but they're in the Caribbean" she snapped. "They didn't even say they would be here. They said they would try to. God the nerve. If I had a kid and someone told me she was dying, I'd be moving heaven and earth to try and get to her." Eve's broke down in frustration. Flynn put his arm around her and gently rubbed her back.

Jake was paying no attention. He was too focused on his work. Suddenly, he awkwardly broke the silence.

"Yes Yes Yes!" he shouted. The group looked at him quizzically. "I know where the Gorgon's blood is!"

"What?" Eve questioned.

"The Serpent Brotherhood has a headquarters in Greece, underneath the Parthenon. That's where it is!"

"Stone" Eve said. "Could I see you outside?" Jake followed Eve out of the room, closing the door behind them.

"What is it?" he asked. "Can you make it quick? I really need to go"

"Stone" she urged. "You can't go searching for this Gorgon's Blood"

"Why the hell not?" Jake shouted.

"Stone " Eve spoke gently, trying to calm him down. "This is the Serpent Brotherhood were talking about. If you do this, they're going to try and kill you. Listen to me. Cassandra would want you here with her. If you try to get the blood, you could die."

"And if I don't try Cassie's definitely gonna die!" Eve placed a hand on Jake's shoulder

"Listen. I know this is hard, but sometimes you just lose" Jake shoved away from her embrace.

"No! Just shut up! Don't try to tell me that you wouldn't do the same as me! If it was Flynn in her place right now, you know you'd be going out just like I am, even if it meant you dying! And it wouldn't be because you're his guardian. You know why? Because if it was you would be coming with me right now"

"Stone!" Eve urged, but he was already gone, storming out, heading towards the back door. Eve looked down, the gravity of his words cutting through her. He was right. She would do anything to save Flynn's life. Remembering her promise to her sister, she looked back at Cassandra's room. Eve cried, lost as to what to do.


Jake frantically entered the coordinates of the headquarters into the backdoor. Grabbing the bag of supplies he had gathered, he took a deep breath and walked into what could very well be his downfall.

He found himself in a small room, a staircase before him. He opened the door that he had arrived from and saw the Parthenon, bustling with tourists. Avoiding being noticed, he quickly shut the door. Taking another deep breath, he descended the staircase.

The space was dark and mysterious. Cassie he reminded himself. This is all for Cassie. You're doing this for Cassie. To Jake's surprise, the underground area was filled with twists and turns. He didn't even know where to begin. His mind fell back to the time in the Labyrinth, and consequently, back to Cassandra.

He needed her to solve this puzzle. The Librarians were a team for a reason. Jake was good with having knowledge of the artifacts, but normally he'd need Cassandra to find them, and Ezekiel to steal them. Now he was completely on his own.

Once again he thought of the Labyrinth. He had been so mad at Cassandra that day. He felt like an idiot. It was all so stupid. If only he had known then what he'd be facing now. At the beginning, Cassandra's tumor wasn't much of a reality. Besides, he'd never want to treat her differently because of it. According to her, that's what everyone else did, and he didn't want to be everyone else.

As Jake navigated his way through the tunnels, he again thought about how alone he was. Sure he had fighting skills, but the athletics was mainly Eve's job. Again, they were a team for a reason, and he alone did not make a team.

Walking the hallways, Jake passed tons of doors. He carefully poked his head inside each one, making sure not to be seen. Finally, he came to the last room that he could find. He had searched the entire complex and found nothing. This had to be it.

Jake leaned in to have a look and there, sitting in the center of the room, were two vials sitting in a glass case. He wanted to cry. He had finally found the cure. He was going to save Cassandra.

Carefully, he tiptoed into the room. His guard was up, sure that someone was going to jump on him at any moment, but no one came. Surprised, but still remaining careful, Jake continued through the room.

Finally, he reached the case with the blood. His hand shaking, he lifted the case and reached for the vial. Just then, a warrior jumped out at him, knife in hand. Jake jumped back.

"Whoa whoa whoa" he exclaimed. "Listen just…just hear me out okay"

"You're trying to steal from us. Librarian scum" the warrior hissed.

"Well technically, we had this stuff first, so it's not really stealing" Jake was unsure of what he was doing. His backpack was filled with weapons, ready for him to use at any time. The warrior, unamused by his previous humor, lunged. Jake reached out his hands to stop the attack.

"Alright listen. My friend is dying. She's almost gone. That blood is the only thing that can save her now" Jake tried to appeal to the warriors sensitive side, if it existed.

"You lie!" The warrior shouted, lunging forward again. So clearly a negative on the sensitive side. Jake quickly reached to his waist, ready to grab the sword he had brought along. He was about to draw when a voice stopped the fight.

"Relax Vikram" it spoke, smooth and manipulative as a snake. Jake froze. "This man tells the truth." Without thinking, he drew the sword, pointing it now at the new occupant.

"Dulac" he hissed. The knight laughed, grabbing the tip of the sword and pushing it down.

"Relax Mr. Stone; I assure you you won't be needing that sword"

"Oh ya you wanna bet?"

"I know all about 's condition. How tragic" Jake wanted to ring the guy's neck for the fake sincerity. "So I thought we'd have a little wager"

"I'm listening"

"There are two vials of Gorgon's blood. You and I will each take one. You decide who takes what, but everyone keeps what they take"

Jake hesitated, knowing his backpack was full of weapons. There was no way of knowing which vial was which, but then again, if Dulac was offering him the blood without a fight….

"Deal" he said, not realizing he had said it until the words were already out of his mouth. Dulac smiled mischievously.

"Well then Mr. Stone, please make your selection."

Jake walked over to the glass case. Immediately, he wanted to go for the right one. The right sided blood cured. Still, if Dulac didn't want anyone to have it, he would've put the curing blood on the left, and the poison on the right. Then again, that may seem obvious too. Jake grunted. He had a headache. Impulsively, he closed his eyes and grabbed the first vial that he touched.

Dulac smiled and grabbed the other vial.

"Well then Mr. Stone. On your way. Do what you will, but know that you've made your final decision."

Jake stood frozen. If he took a sip of the blood and it was wrong, he would die, but he couldn't leave with the wrong blood and give it to Cassandra. He had to drink it. Maybe if he died, someone else would find another way. There could still be hope for her.

Jake looked up, took a deep breath, uncapped the vial and brought it to his lips. Then everything went dark.

A/N: Muahahaha. Ya sorry that 'bout that cliffie there, but it felt like the right place to end the chapter. I've already started chapter 5, so it shouldn't take too long. Hopefully everything will continue to run smoothly now that school's started. Bye everyone! Have a great day and thanks for your support. It means a lot.