So here's chapter 2. A large part of this chapter was actually written by Lexvan, and that part is appropriately noted. This chapter also contains a lot of references to TTigerz's Hay Lin Mafia series, and to Lexvan's story "Warriors Unite", but hopefully most readers are already familiar with those stories. So on with the next chapter!

It had been three days since they had arrived back on Earth, and Irma and Cornelia were on edge. Will had at least been right about one thing: it would get worse before it would get better. In the infinite city, they only had nightmares. But now that they were back on Earth, they could hardly turn a corner without seeing something that triggered a flashback. It also didn't help that they were on their way to the Silver Dragon, to fulfill their duty to watch over Hay Lin.

Another memory came to mind as they turned the corner to face the distinctive façade of the Chinese Restaurant. Cornelia saw her outstretched hand holding a gun, pointed at Will's head.

"You see? I've got more control over them then you ever had."

*Will didn't need to control us. She had our loyalty and our trust!* Cornelia thought, with a frustrated look on her face. Speaking of which, they would both admit that they were doing this out of loyalty to Will rather than any desire to help Hay Lin. Her behavior at the trial, even after the revelations about her grandmother, had buried any sympathy she might have gained, at least for now. But they trusted Will, and would treat their task like the final command from their leader. They stood outside the front door for a few minutes, looking inside, then looked back to each other.

"Okay." Said Irma, taking a deep breath. "We can do this. Right?"

"Yeah." Cornelia replied. "We just walk in, order something, check up on Hay Lin, and walk out."

"Simple." Irma tried to reassure herself and her friend. They both looked at the door.

"Uh…you can go first." Cornelia said.

"Okay…" Irma answered, hesitantly opening the door and walking in. Cornelia followed close behind.

They were greeted by Alchemy. Hugging both of them, she whispered "Hey, how's it been for you two?"

"Could be better…" Irma answered.

"And how's she been?" Cornelia asked.

"Well, she hasn't said much since she got back…" She answered hesitantly. "Orube brought her in a few hours ago to make sure she got settled. She's on her first shift right now. I'll bring her out when you're ready."

They sat at the corner booth where the five of them used to sit. It was private enough, separate from most of the restaurant, that's why it made such a good place for them to talk about their missions. And Yan Lin would always be able to help them, or so they thought at the time. The memories of all the advice and information she gave them, and how helpful it all was, sent chills down their spines. The two girls were already tense when they arrived, and the memories of Yan Lin definitely did not help them to relax. "Okay, she can't hurt us anymore…" Irma said as they tried to mentally prepare themselves.

"Right." Cornelia answered. They both wondered what this would be like. The last time they saw her was in battle. She couldn't use any of her powers now, so why were they so scared? They didn't need to wait long to find out. A minute later, the kitchen door opened and they saw Hay Lin walking out.

Her dark battledress and elaborate hair were gone, now replaced with a sweater, jeans, and two long pigtails, and an apron. She avoided eye contact as she walked towards the booth.

They lightly gasped as they saw her, and almost shrunk as she approached them. "Hey, Hay Hey…" Irma said, trying to greet her.

"What do you want?" Was all Hay Lin asked, her voice full of resentment towards her former friends…her former slaves.

"Uh…I think I'll have the chicken soup…" Cornelia said unsure.

"Yeah…make that two chicken soups." Irma added, the tension in her voice was obvious.

"Right. Two. Chicken. Soups." She repeated, roughly scribbling the order down.

"So, how's...things?" Irma tried to ask, but Hay Lin had immediately turned around and walked away after taking their order, with a light grunt.

Irma and Cornelia both let out a deep breath. "Well, that wasn't so bad." Irma spoke up. What they didn't see was the smile creeping across Hay Lin's face while her back was turned. She didn't need telepathy to sense fear. She was very good at sensing that all on her own. It made her feel good…powerful. She was going to have fun today after all.

A few minutes later, Hay Lin walked back out with two hot bowls of chicken soup. She put on a hurt-looking face for her watchers. She could see how they immediately tensed up as soon as they saw her. She put the bowls down in front of each. They looked nervous and suspicious. "Don't worry, I didn't spit in them." They didn't say anything about that, but looked a bit less nervous. Hay Lin then sat down at one end of the table, making them nervous again. She kept her hurt looking face and said "Guys…" she took a deep breath "…I really miss the old days…" she said in a sad voice, one they hadn't heard in years.

They gasped. She couldn't possibly change so quickly, could she? "Huh?" Irma asked as her jaw dropped, both staring wide-eyed in confusion.

Hay Lin saw they hadn't picked up their spoons yet, and her voice turned cold again. "You may eat."

They both snapped out of their bewilderment and remembered their soup. They started eating, when suddenly Cornelia remembered the way she said that. "Wait…" She said with the spoon in her hand.

Hay Lin started laughing softly. It wasn't her laugh from the "old days." At least not the old days they were thinking of. It was that annoying, chilling laugh. "You were sooo obedient…I'm glad you haven't lost that…" she said, continuing her laugh with an evil smile.

They gasped again and dropped their spoons. Irma started to give Hay Lin the Lair Glare "Alright, knock it off!"

"Knock what off?" She asked snickering. "I just thought you wanted to reminisce about the old times. Really, we were awesome as a team. Nothing could stop us, and we got rid of anyone and everyone that got in our way. I really couldn't have built my empire without you two. So why'd you have to ruin it all?"

"Shut. Up." Cornelia said gritting her teeth, not moving her jaw.

"What's the matter, Corny? You miss the good old days too much?" Then she started speaking in her 'cute' voice. "Or did your precious Angelo vanish again?"

"STOP IT!" She yelled, standing up.

"Oh you should have seen the look on his face when I shot him…" she said nonchalantly. "…actually…it was the same face Courtney made when you stabbed her through the heart! Great job on that, by the way, quick and ruthless!"

Cornelia covered her face. Irma got up and yelled "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"You should ask yourself that, old friend. After all, what kind of friend betrays her best friend twice?" She asked as she moved closer, putting her hand in front of Irma's face. Irma flinched and pulled back at the sight of her hand. Hay Lin paused, smiling again. "Oh, you remember this?" she asked as she wiggled her fingers. Then she forcefully pushed her right index finger into Irma's forehead.

Irma's eyes went wide and she screamed so loud that everyone in the restaurant stopped and looked at the commotion. Cornelia reached across the table and pushed Hay Lin out of the way. "Get off of her!" As soon as Hay Lin was out of the way Irma stopped screaming and looked around, seeing everyone looking at them. Then she quickly grabbed her coat and ran out. Cornelia was right behind her. Hay Lin just laughed at their humiliation, until Martin ended her shift early.

They didn't stop when they got out the front door. They ran until they were around the corner and the Silver Dragon was out of sight. Then they caught their breath and held each other, both crying. "She can't hurt us anymore!" Cornelia sobbed. "She can't make us hurt anyone else."

Watching through a viewing pool in Kandrakar was Will, looking with concern and some sadness. She knew this task would be difficult for them, but also knew they could do it. "Stay strong, my friends."

…..

That night, Irma decided she was ready to try the hypnosis. She and Andrew had managed to convince Edeline to join Ehren for a sleepover at the Hale's apartment. Actually, she didn't need that much convincing. But Irma made sure that Edeline understood what was going on, because she didn't want anyone in this new family to start keeping secrets. They waved her off as Lilian picked her up. "Okay, bye Andrew, er, Dad…" she said.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Eddie." He answered.

"Now remember, don't annoy Lilian…too much…" Irma cracked.

"I won't…Mom…" Edeline replied as she got into the car.

"That's always gonna feel weird." Irma said. But now they had plenty of privacy. Anna had already gone to sleep, still tired from the battle. Tom was at City Hall for a police review. And Chris was out. They went into Irma's room, where she sat in a comfortable chair, and Andrew sat on the bed facing her. They moved the chair close to the bed, close enough for them to kiss.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

Irma sighed. "Yeah, sometimes I feel like she's still in my head." She paused. "I'd rather have you in my head…"

Andrew held her hands. "Alright…now I haven't done this before. So just take a deep breath and relax…" Irma leaned back in her chair, loosening her shoulders. "Now I think you just watch my eyes…" Irma did, simple enough, and why wouldn't she want to look into his eyes anyway? Then he concentrated, and his eyes flashed.

Irma felt the effects instantly. It felt like falling, falling into a pool of warm water. It was like all of her tension had been released at once. Every muscle in her body completely relaxed. All the stress, the worrying, the internal arguments seemed to stop and go away. She wasn't thinking, wasn't trying to think. Her mind was completely open and receptive, only thinking about what was right in front of her – that beautiful face, the face of the man she loved.

Andrew wasn't sure what to do next. Irma's eyes had changed, her irises had shrunk to pinpricks as her eyes glazed over. It was a familiar look that he didn't like, to say the least. The rest of her face, however, showed deep, blissful relaxation. She seemed to be looking at him, but also right through him at the same time. "Can you hear me, Irma?"

Her face didn't change, but she let out a peaceful sigh "Yes…"

He didn't really understand how this worked, so he said the first thing that came to mind. "I love you, Irma."

Now those words had an effect on her. Irma found that in this state, Andrew's voice was just as strong and compelling as Hay Lin's was when she was enthralled. Except that this wasn't a cold, heartless command to be obeyed. These were the words she could never hear too many times, and now they felt more true than ever. She seemed to melt, her head tilting as she slumped, but still looking at him. Then words that she once had to force out now flowed freely without any thought: "I love you Andrew…I love you…ssso much…"

Andrew brushed her hair to the side, and took her hand. "That's right, and everything's gonna be okay…our best years have just begun…" His words swirled through her mind like the only truth in existence, finding their way into every nook and cranny. It felt like the first gentle cool rain at the end of a dry season. He could see that Irma was enjoying this, so he decided to bring up some fun, happy memories. "Remember the time we ran into each other on Halloween, you know, way before you told me about the whole Guardian thing?"

Irma's face reddened at the memory. How embarrassed she was to see him, and how he looked at her in her 'costume.' "Well shiver me timbers…" she answered with a big smile.

Andrew smiled at that. "And do you remember your 18th birthday?"

She giggled. "Not much…after Corny gave me a big bottle of something fruity…"

"I carried you to your bed that night. Your dad was so pissed." He said, laughing at the memory. "Now…do you remember the day I asked you to marry me?"

Her face lit up. She now had the same expression Andrew remembered so well. "Yes! Yes yes yesyesyes!" Then she actually got up from the chair and kissed him. Irma was reliving these memories in her mind, and Andrew was more than happy to return the kiss. After that, he got her settled back in the chair, feeling no need to bring up what happened a week later…

He gently stroked her cheek as she leaned back in her chair, peacefully slumping. He thought about all the good times they had together, before the war, and then in the rebellion after she came back. "Our best days are ahead of us, Irma. You, me, and now Edeline…our best years have just begun…"

Irma stared blissfully into Andrew's eyes as he told her those words, going deep into her mind. After a few seconds, she peacefully repeated "…just…begun…"

"That's right…now close those eyes, and let me tell you about Erutan…"

The evening was wonderful, the night was even better. Andrew made sure that Irma dreamed about floating down a wide jungle river on Erutan, on the back of a giant turtle, with him by her side.

A/N: This part was written by Lexvan

"Why can't I stay and watch?", Ehren questioned as she put her jacket on.

"Because this is the first time we're doing this.", Angelo said to his adoptive daughter. "And she wants as much privacy as she can get. Plus, we don't know what's going to happen when we do this. Which is why, you'll be spending the night with Lillian. Just like Edeline is."

"Really?", Ehren questioned.

"Yep.", Cornelia said waiting at the door. "Irma and Andrew are going to be doing this too."

"And like you, Irma wants her privacy.", Ehren figured.

"Yeah.", Cornelia said softly. "Don't take it the wrong way, Ehren. It's just that this is new for me and I don't know what's going to happen."

"I guess that makes sense.", Ehren said. "I mean if it was me, I don't know what I'd do."

"Thanks.", Cornelia said as they shared a hug.

Suddenly, a car horn was heard. Angelo looked out of the window to see that it was Lillian's car.

"Lilian's here.", Angelo said as he walked up to Ehren and handed her her backpack that had the things she needed for her sleep over. "Have fun and behave."

"Don't you trust me?", Ehren questioned while giving Angelo an innocent look.

"Oh, I trust you.", Angelo said. "I trust you to do what you do best.", he said with a smirk. "Get in trouble."

"Oh, father! That hurts! That truly hurts!", Ehren said pretending her feelings were hurt.

"Riiiiiiight.", Angelo said before giving he a hug and kissing her on the forehead. "Now get going."

"See yall later!", Ehren said as she hugged Cornelia who returned the hug and kissed her on the forehead as well.

"See ya.", Cornelia said as Ehren ran towards Lillian's car and saw that Edeline was already in there.

Lillian, Edeline, Ehren waved to Cornelia and Angelo as Lillian drove off. Angelo and Cornelia waved back watching the car drive off. Once the car was out of sight, they closed and locked the front door and headed to their bedroom. They then changed into their sleeping clothes which was a silk, thin strap night gown for Cornelia and a pair of blue sleeping pants for Angelo.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?", Angelo asked as they sat on the bed in the lotus position facing each other.

"I think I need to do this now before I drive myself crazy.", Cornelia said.

"Was it that bad of a visit to the Silver Dragon?", Angelo asked.

"You have no idea.", Cornelia said with a tiring sigh.

"Well, let's see what we can do.", Angelo said. "Now from what Cassidy told me, this hypnosis stuff works a little like the thing she could do when she was the Water Guardian. Which means that I need to make eye contact with you and go from there."

"Let's do it.", Cornelia said as they looked into each others' eyes.

"Here goes nothing.", Angelo said as he began to focus on the hypnosis power Will gave him.

As Cornelia looked into his eyes, she began to smile a little being glad that it was Angelo who was doing this for her. If it was one of her other friends, her would be okay with it, but having it being Angelo, it felt special. But as those thoughts were running through her mind, she saw a flash in Angelo's eyes. Once that happened she felt the effects of the hypnosis kick in instantly. She suddenly felt like she laying in a field of flowers with a warm Summer breeze gently hitting her face putting her at ease. She felt all of the tension she had being released. Every muscle in her body was relaxed a bit. All of her stress, her worrying, not to mention the internal arguments she had within herself seemed to stop and go away. At that moment, her mind was completely open. All she was thinking about was what was right in front of her. And what was in front of her was the man she loved with all of her heart.

At first Angelo didn't know what to do as he looked at Cornelia. Her eyes had a familiar look that he didn't like one bit. Cornelia looked like she was enthralled, and that scared him! But as he got a better look at her, Angelo saw that Cornelia was in a sort of deep, blissful relaxed state. Seeing this put Angelo at ease, but part of him wanted to make sure that the woman he loved was okay.

"Are you okay, Cornelia?", he asked hoping she was alright.

"Yes.", she answered in a peaceful tone.

Angelo breathed a sigh of relief glad that things were going good so far.

"Okay.", Angelo said ready to get started with helping Cornelia. "We're going to start with something small. But if you want to stop at anytime, we will. I love you too much to hurt you in any way."

Hearing those words had an effect on her. Angelo's voice was just as strong and compelling as Hay Lin's was when she was enthralled by her, only Angelo's voice wasn't the cold and heartless demanding voice her once good friend used when she wanted to be obeyed. These were the words she could never hear too many times, and now she felt that they were more true than ever. Hearing Angelo say he loved her made her heart melt as her head tilted a bit to the side as well as slump a little while still looking at him.

"I love you too, Angelo.", she said with a kind smile.

With a smile of his own, Angelo reached out and held Cornelia's hands making her feel safe, for he somehow knew that she was going to need it.

"Remember, Baby.", Angelo said in a calm and soothing voice. "I'm right here with you. In all of this."

"Okay.", she replied with a smile.

"Now, let's start with something small.", Angelo said. "Let's go to the first time you saw me, after you were enthralled."

At first, Cornelia said nothing as she was going through the memories she could remember during her enthrallment. Then after a few seconds the memory came to her.

"I remember Irma and I being alongside Hay Lin as she was talking with someone, who had their own bodyguards, at the Heatherfield Park.", Cornelia began to explain. "As Hay Lin was talking to this person, I was looking around the area for any signs of rebels or assassins. It was then I saw you and Caleb hiding behind a car."

"I remember that day.", Angelo said. "Go on."

"There was a part of me that was glad to see you.", Cornelia said. "But there was another part of me that was afraid that Hay Lin would have spotted you and send me and Irma after you and Caleb."

"Thankfully she didn't spot me.", Angelo said. "Cause that was the day that I discovered you and Irma were enthralled by Hay Lin. I remember you looking at me mouthing the words "Help me." hoping Hay Lin did see you do it. Me and Caleb were about to plant a tracer on the car of the guy Hay Lin was talking to when we heard some of his other bodyguards coming. We had to leave before we got caught."

"I remember you leaving.", Cornelia said. "I wanted to call out to you, but couldn't due to the enthrallment. Part of me felt what little hope I had left fade."

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you then.", Angelo said as he kept holding her hands. "But once I found a way to break the enthrallment you and Irma were under, me, Andrew, Joel, Cassidy, and Mandy mounted a rescue attempt. Too bad it failed."

Suddenly, Angelo saw that Cornelia was crying. Tears were beginning to run down her face as she too began to remember that night.

"Cornelia?", Angelo questioned wondering what was wrong with her.

"I'm sorry.", Cornelia cried. "I'm so sorry, Angelo. Please forgive me."

"Forgive you?", Angelo questioned. "For what?"

"For throwing you through the fold.", Cornelia said as the tears were still flowing. "I didn't want to but the enthrallment was so strong."

"I'm not mad at you, Cornelia.", Angelo said as he still held her hands gently. "For it wasn't your fault. Heck. It wasn't Hay Lin's fault either. The blame lies with Yan Lin. She's the true cause of all the pain and suffering we've all been through. What happened has happened. The best we can do is move on."

"You forgive me?", Cornelia questioned as the tears stopped flowing.

"There's nothing to forgive.", Angelo said making Cornelia smile. "Besides. If that didn't happen, then me and the others wouldn't have became the Warriors. So, maybe it was meant to happen. Either way, we're together now. And I couldn't be more happy."

Cornelia let out a happy sigh as she smiled at Angelo.

"I love you, Cornelia Hale.", Angelo said with a smile.

"I love you, Angelo Vanders.", Cornelia said with a smile.

"Now, I'm going to release you from the hypnosis.", Angelo said. "When I do, you will go to sleep thinking of the great times we had back when we were younger. Like when Irma and Cassidy tried to eat those super hot wings and ended up drinking down a lot of water.", he said putting a smile on Cornelia's face. "Okay, Cornelia. Sleep.", he said as he gently touched Cornelia's face with his right hand and closed her eyes.

Once he did that, Cornelia was out of the hypnosis and was fast asleep. Angelo then placed her in the bed and laid down next to her and pulled the covers over them. Once she felt Angelo laying next to her, Cornelia turned and wrapped her arms around Angelo while resting her head on his chest. Angelo looked down at Cornelia and saw a smile on her face. Angelo wrapped his arms around the woman he loved and kissed her on the forehead.

"I love you Cornelia Hale.", he said as they both laid in their bed. "And I pray to the Lord that you and Irma will be able to get through this."

He then drifted off to sleep hoping and praying that Cornelia and Irma would be okay in the end after all was said and done. The next morning, around four in the morning, Cornelia woke up to see that she was in bed with Angelo who had his left arm wrapped around her waist, holding her close but in a comfortable way. A smile grew on her face as she was enjoying the feeling.

'Whatever he did worked.', she thought to herself. 'Last night was the best sleep I had in a long time.'

She remembered everything from last night, especially what a wonderful dream she had. And all the loving things Angelo said to her ran through her head as she smiled. At that moment, Cornelia knew that no matter how things got during her recovery, she'd have Angelo there to help her get through it.

"I love you, Angelo.", Cornelia said softly before kissing him on his cheek.

She then wrapped her arms around Angelo and laid with him as he had his left arm around her. She then laid her head back on his chest enjoying the comfort he was giving her even in his sleep.

'Dear Lord. Please help me and Irma get through all of this.', Cornelia prayed before letting sleep come over her again.

A/N: End Lexvan's portion

The next morning, Irma slowly opened her eyes after what felt like the best night's sleep in years. The spell had worn off, but everything he told her remained deep in her mind. She remembered everything from last night, especially what a wonderful dream she had. She felt Andrew's chest against her back, and his arm draped over her. Then she saw the ring around her finger, and more importantly the bracelet around her wrist, and knew today would be a good day.

I want to thank Lexvan for writing his portion of this chapter, with his OC and Cornelia. I wanted to show an intimate moment after a very lousy day, and there is no more intimate part of a human being than the mind.

Also, while Hay Lin technically belongs to Disney, I have to say Evil Hay Lin belongs to TTigerz. She's such a good villain, and so deliciously evil, and that makes her so much fun to write about.

And don't forget to review!