A/N: So this chapter and the next are semi-serious. Kinda sad too. I was like an inch away form killing off David too when writing, but Tori kinda got angry when I mentioned it so I had to rule it out. Oh and the convo between the emotional Tori & David are some of the lyrics for "Simple and Clean" by Hikaru Utada. (Known from Kingdom Hearts) Anyhoo.
Read, review, and enjoy!

Chapter 19: One Return and One Leave

(Tori POV)

She couldn't see. Literally. Something was covering her eyes and she had no clue where she was. The car drove off after they shoved her in the back and locked her hands behind her back. The car stopped and someone pushed her out of the car. Tori fell to the ground and landed on, what felt like, gravel. Somebody grabbed a hold of her arm and pulled her up, and they sure weren't being gentle. "Where am I?" she whined.

Someone made a grunt and said, "Shut up!" Tori felt someone push her and lead her by her arm. They made her turn a corner and they shoved her. She heard a door shut and the click of a lock. Another click and she felt her arms be released from the cuffs. She clawed at the blindfold and pulled it off. Her eyes tried to adjust when she heard a voice.

"Hello Tori," the voice boomed. It sounded as if someone was talking through a speaker to her.

Her eyes finally adjusted and she noticed the room she was in had no windows and was all a dull grey color. "Who the hell is this? Bill Cosby or voice of God?"

She heard a sigh and the voice said, "Neither." A whirring noise began by the far right wall and a window appeared, showing a black man with white hair. "We've met before. I'm Roland if you remember."

Tori shuddered. "Right… Roland. What do you want?"

"We want your friends. Tell us where they are and we'll let you go," he told her as he spoke into the microphone.

Crossing her arms, Tori shook her head. "I don't even know where they are to tell you the truth."

She saw Roland fume at this. "Fine. Will you bring them to us?"

Tori shook her head. "No I won't."

Roland frowned. "I'm disappointed in you, Tori. You could be a great Paladin with your senses." He smirked at her and pushed a button, causing the window to close and go back to grey. She pouted and sat down in the center of the room.

---

(Griffin POV)

Griffin pressed the buttons on the controller in rhythm, making his character to use unique combos. He glanced over at Ashley, who was watching the television with glazed eyes and her chin resting on her hand. "Ash, don't yeh wanna play?" he asked her as he paused his game. She shook her head and emitted a small sigh. Ashley brought her legs on the couch and curled up. Griffin put the controller down and turned to her. "Stop this," he demanded, "Stop blamin' yourself for something that wasn't your fault."

Ashley's eyes moved to him and she sat up. "I'm not," she said quietly. "I just…" She groaned. "I feel like it's my fault they got her. I'm the one who wanted to go find a damn Paladin," Ashley said as she brought a closed hand to her forehead.

Griffin watched as she pounded her fist lightly against her forehead. He pulled her hand down and said, "Stop. Like I said, it's not your fault. The Paladins are the ones to blame," he practically growled the word "Paladin" as he spoke.

Ashley gave him a weak smile. "I like when you're like this Griffin," she said softly as she crawled to his side. "You should let your nice side show more often."

Griffin put an arm around her back and said, "Maybe."

Ashley moved her head and rested it on his lap. "Is this all you plan on doing the rest of the night?" she asked, looking up at him and searching him for an answer.

He shrugged. "I plan on sleepin' sometime. Maybe eat some food and do some stuff with yeh."

She smiled at him a little more. "In that order?" Ashley laughed.

He smirked. "Not exactly."

Running a hand down his chest, Ashley said, "Why don't you get some food. I wanna go get my stuff at David's and ask him about something."

Griffin leaned down and kissed her forehead, the spot where she was hitting herself moments ago. "Right." Ashley stood up and jumped, leaving Griffin sitting alone on the couch. He smirked and jumped.

---

(Ashley POV)

She jumped back to David's living room and found the place was eerily quiet. "David?" she called. No response. "David!" she shouted as she walked down the hallway and opened his room door slowly. The room was tidy and David wasn't in the room. She caught sight of a fading jumpscar. Ashley stared at it curiously and it disappeared. "Damn it," she said as she kicked his nightstand. Ashley turned and walked back out in the living room and picked her bag up from the floor. She eyed a piece of paper on the kitchen counter from the corner of her eye. 'David's always clean. Maybe he forgot something.' Ashley swung her bag onto her shoulder and walked over to it. She saw it had writing on it. 'Ooh. It's addressed to me too.' Ashley read the note.

Ashley, I went to my mother. I'm gunna try to bargain to get Tori back. Don't tell Griffin, he'll just get pissed and go on about me having a "hero complex". There's money hidden in my closet behind a fake wall. Take whatever you need and stay as long as you want. If I don't see you again, you're a good friend. Don't take Griffin's shit and be strong. You two… I think you two are good together. –David.

Ashley's jaw dropped. 'David went to get Tori?' "Wonderful," she scoffed as she stuffed the note into her pocket. She rushed back into David's room and opened the closet door. Nothing looked weird at first. 'Wait… That part of the wall's a different color. Obvious David, obvious…' She tried to open it, but couldn't. Minutes later, she was kicking the fake wall down. It cracked and she crumbled enough of it away to crawl into the hidden room. Once she stood up, she noticed there was plenty of cash in the room. "He had some extra cash? There's enough for like half of Africa here!" Ashley squealed. She poked her head out the hole she made in the wall and looked around the bottom of the closet for something to put the money in. She set eyes on a black backpack with small white lettering. Ashley shrugged and pulled it in the little room. She began shoving money in. It didn't matter where it was from either, she threw it in regardless.

---

(Tori POV)

Tori was now laying on her back in the middle of the same grey room. She had her arm up and she was investigating the bracelets on her wrist. They were some sort of contraption that turned into handcuffs. 'Weird…'

The whirring noise happened again and she heard Roland say, "We've had reports of your friend jumping near here."

Tori bolted up and looked over at the window nervously. 'Was it Ashley? Maybe David? Could even be Griffin…' "Who?"

"David Rice. He seems intent on trying to talk to one of us, but mostly his mother."

Tori felt her eyes grow wide. "His mother?"

"Yes," Roland said, "his mother is a Paladin."

Her head spun. "Okay… That's weird. Will you talk to him?"

She saw Roland nod his head from side to side. "We might. Although, if he becomes hostile we will not hesitate to capture and kill him."

Tori shuddered at the thought. An image ran through her mind of David getting angry with a Paladin and punching them. That same Paladin pulls out a knife and stabs him square in the chest. She felt a tear creep down her cheek. "Please," she begged. "Don't kill him. He's done nothing to you." Her voice was quiet as she spoke and more tears brimmed in her eyes.

Roland sent her a glare. "Like I said, it depends on his actions." He pushed a button and the window shut once more.

Tori fell back onto the hard floor. "Ouch. Damn it…" 'Please be okay David…'

---

(David POV)

He approached the gate and pushed the button and said, "Hello?"

Two Paladins walked out from the building. "Come with us Jumper," the one spat.

David nodded suspiciously. "Can you take me to Mary? I need to speak with her."

One Paladin waved a shock stick in the air. "No can do. Orders are orders."

David scoffed and followed the two reluctantly. 'Where are they taking me?' They led him to a room that looked like it was meant for meetings. "Um what are-?" They slammed the door once he was in. He heard a click and sighed. 'Damn them.' He sat in one of the chairs with hesitation and he heard the door click again. He looked over his shoulder and saw Roland walk in with his mother, Mary. "Mom?" he uttered, a little shocked. "Roland…" David grumbled his name as he walked past him.

Roland sat at the opposite end of the table and Mary sat to his left. Roland opened a file he laid on the table. "David Rice. So, you've come for your friend?"

David nodded. "You better not have done anything to her," he said darkly.

"She's perfectly fine David," Mary said in a stern tone. "She's sitting in a room on her own. We check on her once in a while."

He let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, what do you want?"

Roland leaned back in his chair a bit and laced his hands together. "We would like you to give up yourself. Either that or your friend, Griffin. Either one of you will do quite nicely."

David chewed on his lower lip in thought. 'I don't want Griffin to suffer, nor Ashley…' "I'll give you myself. Just let me drop off Tori before," he asked.

Roland looked at Mary, who nodded. "Since you're being so compliant, we'll give you five minutes with her." David swallowed hard and nodded. Roland turned to Mary and said, "Take him to her. Start a count once he's in."

Mary nodded and stood up. David followed suite and also stood up. He followed his mother out the door and around a corner. She pointed to a door and said, "You would really give your life for hers?"

David had a smug look. "Yes I would." Mary let out a small scoff and she opened the door for him. David walked in and she shut the door behind him.

Tori was sitting up in the middle of the room, a stunned expression across her face. "David!" she shouted. "You came!" Tori jumped up and leaped at him, hugging him.

David smiled and pulled her off him a little. "We have five minutes. I have to get you home, okay?"

She looked at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

"I'm giving myself up…for you," he said. "Now hold on." David kept a hold of her and jumped them back to his apartment.

Tori collapsed in his arms and he fell down to the floor. She was burying her face in his shirt and crying hysterically. "Please, don't go David," she sobbed.

David pried her off of him and he said, "Look at me." Tori sniffled and was hyperventilating slightly. "I know it's hard to let go, but don't cry."

"B-But," Tori stammered. "What if they," she trailed off, obviously unable to say the words. She broke into tears again.

"No matter what, I love you. And because of that, the future doesn't scare me," he said getting her to look up at him. "So don't cry. Please?"

Tori's sobs slowed down and she caught her breath. "Isn't there anything else you can do?"

"Either give up myself or Griffin, those were the options," he said as he began to stand up.

Tori clung to him tightly. "Then let me go with you," she pleaded. David shook his head. "Please," Tori asked in a whisper as she looked up at him.

David smiled weakly and kissed her. "They won't have a reason to keep you. I'll be okay, promise." Tears came down her face again and he brushed her hair away. "I'll try to see you soon." Tori pressed her lips into a thin line and gave him a nod. David gave her a quick kiss and jumped away, leaving Tori in the lonely apartment.