Will sighed as she walked into the bar where she was performing with to see Matt and Caleb talking with each other smiling. She walked up to Matt wondering what was going on with the two boys.

"Hey Will. This is Caleb and he is a percussionist and wants to join the band. The thing is he is kind of homeless and needs a place to stay can he come home with us? I promise to feed him and take him on walks and never to let him out without someone watching."

Will could not believe what she was hearing and shot Caleb a grateful look and then smiled at Matt realizing that he had been played.

Well it's for a good cause.

After they played a few songs Will smiled as she walked off the stage, out the door and on her way to the apartment between her two guys. Yes, it really was beginning to feel like she had a family. Maybe in the future. Maybe if things kept going this well, maybe she could know what it's like to feel safe every night, and loved.

"Hey Will! My parents are out of town with my little brother for a scout thing. I caught your show you guys were amazing. So where are you heading now? Want to come to my house? It is Friday and we don't have school tomorrow so we can have a sleepover."

Irma said as she smiled at Will.

"A sleep over with two guys? And your police man of a father won't mind that you have two guys in the house alone without his presence?"

Irma smiled at Matt, a smile that said it all. He will never know that there were two males in the house while he was away.

"Well Irma I think that Will should go with you. I can chill with Caleb here for a night. That way I know that he is not some crazy serial killer. You can have Will for the night but I want her back by Monday night promise?"

Caleb watched as Matt smiled at Will and gave her a nod telling her to go have fun and be with her friends that she wanted to be with. Will gave Matt a quick hug, Caleb a nod, and then walked over to Irma who smiled and nodded at both of them before she started walking away.

"So Will tonight we are going to have a huge meeting over at my house and tomorrow we are going to attack. We need to save some of the rebels. They are at prison camps where they are dying every day because of the horrible conditions. After this though do you think that we could really have a sleep over? I want to get to know my new leader a little more."

"You just want to include me in your plot to annoy Corny to death. I know you stay up late every night with a flash light and her schedule wondering what annoying things that you can do."

Irma smiled and locked arms with Will. She really liked this new girl. Will. This girl really could keep up with all of them. She knew that Will and Taranee spoke with each other and got along rather well, she could see that Hay Lin was in love with Will, she knew that Cornelia respected Will and respect in Cornelia's world was love. For her part, she could not see a person more fit for the job. Will always wore threadbare clothing, never ate, and always looked tired. This was making her wonder what Will's life was like.

Will for her part was surprised when Irma linked arms with her and smiled as she walked with the other girl. When they reached Irma's street Irma was dead on her feet and she could only wonder how Will was feeling after having gone to school, worked for four hours, then performed like she did. The fact that her leader was still walking really surprised her.

"So Will the adults are going to be there."

Will nodded. Susan really scared her. She never seemed to accept her and even her complements were backhanded.

"So why dose Susan hate me?"

Irma had been noticing this too. She really didn't want to be the person to tell this to Will but someone had to. Someone had to tell Will that Susan wasn't really a bad person she was just frustrated and hurt. She was missing the most important thing that she had ever been given.

"You understand that the guardians thing well it's relatively genetic. Susan had a daughter. When she was two was kidnapped by Susan's husband. Susan has spent years searching for the girl but could never find her. Her job at smith tech pays really well but after so many years no private investigator is willing to take the case. She really wanted her daughter to take over after her so seeing you really kills her."

Will nodded and sighed as she put her head in her hands.

"She's really not a bad person it's just the things that have happened in her life that have really messed with her."

Will realized that Irma was trying to tell her what she had already realized and offered a knowing smile and a nod. She could hear Irma let out a breath.

"So what are we going to do to save these rebels? What is the plan? Do you have a blue print of the prison camp? I mean there are few things that we can do without getting killed in the process."

"You are a really strategic person do you realize that? You know the offer still stands to help me get to Cornelia."

"Well this is a sleepover if you really want to get to her soak the clothing that she is going to wear tomorrow and then put it in the freezer. The look on her face would be priceless and you are the water guardian so you know there is that whole added bonus of incorporating your element into your pranks. If any one asks you could say that you were just practicing."

Irma smiled as her eyes widened at the plan. It was beautiful. It was flawless. It was perfect.

When they walked into the house all of the others were sitting around a table that was holding blueprints and other documents. Walking up Will noticed that they were the times of the guards and their patrols. She realized that there had to have been some major scouting for something like that. Sitting next to Irma she looked up and noticed Susan. Her mother had left her voluntarily. Her father had beat her senseless. She couldn't really comprehend what the older woman had gone through.

"Well if we enter at the north entrance we can free the first level of prisoners and then retreat to safety without losing any of our troops what do you think girls?"

Susan asked and all but Will nodded with a smile. Will was still staring at the board though and she realized that she could save all of them but she needed to check something first. Turning to the Hales she gave a small smile.

"How good are you ? Could you make a tunnel?"

Will smiled when they nodded and looked at Susan hoping that the older woman wouldn't hurt her.

" I think that if we snuck in form bellow we could start at the bottom. While a group started at the north and west entrances. We could all meet on the third level and then make for it. If we did this we could in theory save every prisoner. If we had Irma, Hay Lin, and Ms., Hale they could come up from the bottom. That way they could freeze the guards in their tracks. Taranee, Ms. Vandom, Cassidy and Cornelia can take the West Entrance closest to where the others will be. That way they can help it needs be. Everyone else will come in through the north entrance with me what do you guys think? If we are attacked then we can use Ms. Cook and Yan Lin's the same way that Irma and Hay Lin use theirs. The only difference would be the tornado would be full of fire."

Will said and all of them realized what was going on and smiled. Will looked up at Susan with a terrified look on her face ready for the older girl to yell at her or do something equally unpleasant. She waited but nothing happened. Opening her eyes she saw that Susan was nodding.

"That sounds like a great idea and if anything happened we could easily get out of there in no time at all by creating a tunnel."

Will realized that Susan had agreed with her and let out the breath that she had been holding she offered a small smile.

Susan realized what she was saying and then gave Will a dirty look as if she had just realized that the girl had just said that. Sighing she closed her eyes and put her head back waiting for it to be over. It seemed like they were going to execute her plan perfectly.

After a few minutes they decided that they would attack the prison at noon when the guards were at lunch."

Will walked up to Irma's room and smiled as Irma pulled her out a sleeping bag. Will was asleep within minutes along with the other girls. Yan Lin walked in and looked at the young girl that had been chosen to be the leader. The girl had been through so much and now Susan thought that she was the scum of the universe. Everything that could have gone wrong seemed to have gone wrong in the younger girls life.

"I'm so sorry Will."

Sighing she walked out of the room and went to sleep on the couch. They were all staying over because they wanted to keep the girls safe. Their girls were the most important thing to them.

"Yan Lin do you think that she is still alive? Do you think that I will ever see her again?"

Yan Lin noticed that the woman was crying and took her into a hug.

"My daughter gets taken away and we get some teenager that is obviously a run away to replace herself? I mean this girl. I bet that she would take everything that you own if you looked the other way. I really don't trust her. Where is my daughter?"

"I think that this young guardian is not a horrible person. I think that one day you may be able to find your daughter Susan. I just don't know when."

Yan Lin said thinking that no matter what happened she was going to help this woman get her daughter back. Susan had fought, saved lives. She didn't deserve to loose her daughter to some nefarious pompous slum.

"I think that you should go get some sleep. Let's get through the battle and then we can get together and try scrying for her.

Susan nodded and went to the guest room.

The next morning was spent eating breakfast going over the plan over and over again with the older guardians quizzing the new. When that was over they were crossing over to Meridan. They all darned their cloaks. They split up and Yan Lin along with Ms. Cook realized how Will was literally was jumping at every sound. A watch beeped and they were off. The first guards were taken out almost immediately.

Will went to work pulling levers and freeing all of the prisoners. While the other women kept the guards at bay with flaming tornados. They were the first group to reach the middle and Will smiled as she realized that they had cleared their hall and everyone in it was now free and out of the prison.

Irma, was flying ahead soaking the locks for Hay Lin to freeze while Ms. Hale took and broke the frozen locks. She was to busy to notice that there were three guards ahead of her and she found herself on the floor. Looking up she saw a guard with a spiked club coming at her.

Closing her eye she was ready to feel pain when she didn't feel anything. When she opened her eye she saw Will standing over her with a force field.

She could only stare in awe at her leader towering over her with a huge pink forefield saving her life.

The monster hit it once, twice, then broke through but it slowed down to the point that it only grazed Will's shoulder. Will flinched and closed her eyes for a moment as searing pain came from her shoulder but she planned on making it back to earth before she gave in to the pain.

Forcing a smile she offered Irma a hand and she saw all of the others when she came out of the hall. They had arrived in time to see everything that had happened, but to late to do anything about it.

The others just nodded and they were on their way out when Will's world went black.

Susan couldn't believe that this little child off the street was willing to jump in front of another but the fact that Will had saved Irma didn't' change the fact that Will wasn't her daughter. She watched as Irma Caught Will as she passed out and all of the Girls seemed to be flying toward her, one air guardian seemed to be breaking the sound barrier.

Hay Lin took one side of her while Irma herself took the other. Irma felt sick with guilt over what had happened to Will. It was her fault.

When they reached the exit and were finally out of there Susan opened a portal and got them back to earth. Once they were at Irma's house Will was placed on the couch and they all detransformed to show that Will's shoulder was covered in blood. Ms. Cook and Ms. Lin started to work on the girl while Cassidy and Susan worked on getting the other girls out of the room.

All of the girls except for Irma left. Irma was feeling so guilty about what had happened that she stayed with Will holding her hand as she stared at the three deep gashes from the spikes. She tried to keep from flinching but she couldn't help it.

After they finished, Yan Lin carried Will up and placed her in Irma's bed while Irma stared at the wall.

Cornelia surprised herself as she walked into the room and saw both of her rivals. She couldn't believe that she was doing this for Irma of all people but Irma was a great friend when she needed to be.

"Irma."

"Cornelia go away."

Cornelia almost lost her resolve when she heard her name. It was surprising how much she missed a nickname that she had hated to begin with.

"No Irma you need to listen to me."

"Cornelia leave me alone. It's my fault. It's all my fault. I got the one person that could actually be compatible with this group seriously injured. What can you say to that? Sorry I almost got you killed is not something that every hallmark card says. When she was standing over me all I could think was thank god. Seeing her standing over me, defending me really made me think that this could not only be the best friend that any of us could ever have, but also the best leader. And I almost got her killed."

"Irma you have known this girl less than a month alright? Susan doesn't like her. She is not compatible with everyone. But what she did today made me believe that maybe she might have what it takes to be a guardian. Look Irma it was her choice and she would probably choose this over any one's death a thousand times over. "

Cornelia made sure that Irma had her eye for what she was going to say next because she was only going to say it once.

"To be honest I would rather be bald for the rest of my life than lose any of you."

Irma smiled and they shared a moment and both sat silently in a truce. Irma and Cornelia came together for one person and this was shocking all of the adults. They were watching as Irma was sitting right next to Cornelia with out starting world war five thousand and seventy three.

The adults that had heard Cornelia's comment almost dropped everything that they had been holding. Cornelia would kill for her hair. However knowing the girl they knew that she wouldn't have said it unless it was true.

"Irma? IRMA!"

Will almost yelled sitting up and then she noticed that Irma was sitting in front of her unscathed. A second after she had sat up she felt the pain in her shoulder and flinched.

"What hit me? Susan with a rake?"

This caused both girls to laugh. Susan's distaste for Will seemed to make the others feel uneasy but at this point in time opposites seemed to be happening and this joke brought them comfort.

Will sensed the silence and guessing what was wrong with Irma knew just what to say.

"So I don't have to go back to Matt until Monday. Would you mind if I crashed here for a day you know so he doesn't ask questions?"

Will asked and Irma nodded and couldn't stand it any more. She flung herself at Will and when the hug was over Cornelia gave her a thank you nod.

"So Will what do you think about the whole guardian job now? I mean you have been kidnapped, and now raked."

Cornelia said causing both girls to stare at her with disbelief. Cornelia had just said a joke. It had to be a sigh on the apocalypse.

Ta

Da

!

So this is the new chapter. If you reviewed you rock. I love all of my reviews and i read every single one of them.

for every review i get

it makes me want to put another chapter up

like i was going to wait until Saturday to post this chapter.