Light Faery Wings, Dark Angel Wings

Y is for Yield

Disclaimer: I don't own W.I.T.C.H. or any characters associated with them. This is based on the cartoon, not the novels.

Summary: Will's POV from S is for Self, through Z is for Zenith, and beyond that it is AU.

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"You what?" Tinar yelled at the same times as Drake demanded,

"What do you mean, you lost on purpose?"

"Guys, guys, calm down." Will held up her hands for silence, praying that they would understand why the Guardians did what they had. "If you'll give us a chance we'll explain everything."

"You had better."

Will sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. Drake and Tinar were two of their best allies, but they tended to be a bit thick headed. Most Meridianites were for that matter. She knew how convoluted and twisted their explanation was going to sound, but the reasoning behind it was solid and still is. Looking to the Matt and the girls she saw them nod encouragingly, indicating that she was about to do the right thing.

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It all occurred to me several weeks ago. Only an heir to the Meridian throne could take Nerissa's Seal, unfortunately the only available heir was Phobos. And he was in prison. We figured that he would do anything to get out, including help us defeat Nerissa. Caleb and I approached him with our proposition that if he helped us defeat Nerissa, return the Hearts of Meridian and Zambala to their rightful owners, free everyone trapped inside the jewel and not try and take the power for himself, that we would grant him a full pardon. We knew that he would take the bait and help us for his own selfish reasons, and we were ready. He took the Seal away as we had anticipated and moved to attack Meridian as we planned.

We knew, in order for everything to happen according to plan that Phobos had to recapture Meridian for himself. We also knew that the transition had to be as quick and as painless as possible for the inhabitants of Meridian. Phobos would have suspected something if we hadn't put up a fight, but we only fought enough to make Phobos think he was winning against us.

We recruited Raythor after he had been imprisoned the second time. HayLin, invisible, paid him several visits, reasoning with him that Phobos wasn't a man worthy of Raythor's fealty. Raythor prided himself on his honor and thought Phobos was an honorable man as well, but when Phobos broke into the jail behind the Waterfall and freed all his minions, Raythor swore his loyalty to the Guardians. He's been a double agent all along.

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"Yes, but how does that explain why you left Caleb and Blunk behind?" Vathek asked in a confused tone.

"We didn't leave them behind in purpose." Cornelia raged at the general assembly. "Do you honestly think I would willingly leave my boyfriend behind like that?"

"Cornelia is right." HayLin added. "We had no way of knowing that they would get left behind."

"We'll rescue them, but it will have to wait a few days. We need to go back to Earth and our lives for appearances sake." Taranee told them.

"So how does letting Phobos win play into all of this?" Tinar asked disgruntled that his questions weren't being answered.

"The oath." Will told him. "It's all about the oath. When I freed Phobos he swore on the power of Kandracar not to take the power for himself."

"Never swear on Kandracar when you're a baddie." Irma intoned piously.

"By swearing on Kandracar and the breaking his vow the rules have changed. Even as we speak Raythor is convincing Phobos to not go after Earth, but Kandracar itself."

Murmurs of discontent spread through the crowd, growing louder by the second. How dare the Guardians condone the attack on the Fortress at the Heart of Infinity. They were no better than Phobos or Nerissa. Irma put two fingers in her mouth and whistled sharply, silencing everyone.

"Knowing Phobos, he will want to be in the thick of the action that will be taking place here, in Kandracar. The very place his oath was based upon, the very place that he went back on his word." Will continued with a grateful glance to the water Guardian who winked in reply.

"By stepping foot into Kandracar, the power of his broken vow as well as the power of Kandracar as well as Zambala and Meridian will be forfeit to him. He will lose his hold on the Seal, releasing everyone within the jewel and returning the Hearts to their rightful owners."

"I see." Luba, Auramere Guardian spoke up, whiskers and ears twitching with renewed vigor. "All the rules of Permission Magic are at play. Phobos breaks his vow and enters the world he swore not to and mystically forfeits his hold on the power."

"And with Nerissa trapped in her own Seal, she has no way to control its power, so everyone and everything taken will be reverted to normal." Taranee added.

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"Can you believe finals are tomorrow?" Taranee moaned. "And with this headache, I'll never get any last minute studying done."

"What are you talking about?" Irma asked as they had dinner in HayLin's room. "You know everything that's going to be on all the tests. Just yield to it and maybe your headache will go away."

"Great advice Miss C Average."

"Hey, I'm fine with my grades."

"Girls, we should head home and get some rest." Cornelia spoke up, surprising them all. "I need not only my beauty sleep, but I need to recharge my batteries."

Later as Will slept in her bed she heard a voice in her mind, but rolling over she ignored it until it screeched,

"WILL WAKE UP!"

"Taranee?" Will sat straight up in bed, hair flying everywhere. Why was Taranee telepathically calling her in the middle of the night? Why couldn't wait until morning when she was fully conscious? "What's wrong?"

"We need to get to Meridian now. Caleb and Blunk are in trouble."

"How do you know?" Will got out of bed and quietly pushed up her window so she could look down three stories to the African-American girl below.

"Maybe I'm psychic or something, how am I supposed to know? We need to go now."

Will, forgetting that she was in a long sleep shirt and socks transformed herself and Taranee before flying out of her window and ripping open a fold to the underground jails of Phobos Castle. Will knew Raythor would be one of the ones guarding Caleb and Blunk, and she knew he would clear the way for them to free them. Arriving at the cell holding their friends, Taranee let loose a fireball to distract Frost and the Tracker. Gargoyle and Sandpit has apparently been turned by Raythor, since after the command to scout the tunnels they remained where they were.

"Are these the only ones?" Will asked the tall man as Taranee melted the bars of the jail cell.

"Yes. I couldn't risk approaching Frost or the Tracker, neither of them have honor." Raythor motioned to the two creatures behind him. "But these two remember how they were treated under Phobos and Nerissa and don't want any part in it."

"Good, we can use all the help we can get."

"Blunk confused." The green Pasling complained. "If skinny man and monsters good, then who bad?"

"Not now Blunk, I'll explain everything later." Caleb told his unusual sidekick.

"Raythor, we found nothing." Frost's voice floated down one of the corridors, startling them.

"Make it look good Guardian." Raythor told Will, bracing himself for an impact. Gritting her teeth and hating the fact that she would have to hurt a friend, Will hauled off and punched Raythor with all her might, her impact nearly superhuman due to her transformed state.

As Frost and the Tracker entered their view Will lanced them with lightning as she opened a fold for them to retreat through. Caleb had to pick up a confused Blunk who was still demanding answers before diving through the opening and into Matt's back yard.

"Blunk demand to know truth." The Passling stomped and barely shod and hairy foot impatiently. "Blunk not like being kept in dark."

"You know what the plan to let Phobos win was need to know?" Will knelt before the green troll like creature.

"Yeah."

"Well this was needier to knowier." She then proceeded to give him the Cliffs Notes version of what she told the others in Kandracar.

"Blunk need DVR to keep up."

Beside her head Will heard Matt's window slide up and felt Huggles jump onto her shoulder. Oh man, Will thought. I didn't mean to wake him up. He needs his sleep just as badly as we do.

"A DVR huh?" Matt's sleepy voice asked with a laugh. "Didn't know you knew what those were stink bait."

"Ha ha, very funny dark angel." Somehow the two of them along with Caleb had gotten into a habit of calling each other names as a sign of solidarity in a world teeming with girls. Matt and Caleb laughed while Will opened a portal to Kandracar.

"This will express you to Kandracar where someone's Mom will be happy to see her Blunkey-poo."

Before Blunk could protest more Caleb scooped him up and jumped through the blue haze, the portal disappearing behind them. With a wave Taranee took off, leaving Will standing alone outside Matt's window.

"Sorry, Matt." Will blushed as he looked her over with sleep darkened eyes. "I didn't mean to wake you and Huggles up."

"No problem, I was just dreaming of you anyways." He grinned in a way that made her heart speed up and her ears burn. "But the way, nice outfit."

Startled Will looked down, realizing how little clothing she actually had on in civilian form. Blushing to match her hair she glared playfully at her boyfriend. Huggled chattered in a way that made it sound like he was laughing before launching himself off Will's shoulders and back into Matt's room.

"Bad Matt." Was the only comeback she could think of considering her brain was turning to mush.

"Oh, but you like me that way." His voice took on a deeper tone like it did when he was transformed, somehow knowing that the smokier sound made her nerves flare to life in a way that made her excited and uncomfortable at the same time. "Give me a kiss before you go?"

With a put upon sigh that was playful Will lifted her face to his to accept his kiss. His lips came down on hers firmly but not forcefully, making her open herself up to a true kiss. Matt tasted like peppermint as Will grabbed onto the window sill to avoid melting into a puddle of goo. Slowly, with a tortured moan Matt pulled away from Will, ending the kiss. His eyes were black from the passion that existed between the two of them and their gaze intense.

"I should go." Will brushed her hair from her eyes. "I love you."

"I love you too Will, sleep well."

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The next day the girls and Matt were relaxing in a grassy patch of shade in the quad of Sheffield after their first day of finals. Matt was propped back against the old pine tree that was providing their shade from the early December sun. Cornelia had coaxed the tree to thicken its needles and the winter grass below them to plush up before they had settled down. Will was leaning up against Matt's side, Irma's head cushioned on Will's knees.

"You were right." Taranee plopped down beside HayLin, who lay on her stomach doodling in her notebook. "I yielded to the learning and I aced my tests, I know it."

"That Trig final was harsh." Matt sighed playing with Will's hair. "But then again, it never tried to take over the universe." Will laughed, enjoying the peacefulness of the moment. Matt was safe with her as were the girls and it was a beautiful day, but Will knew it was all a façade. The battle was approaching.

"It's never tried to take over the universe as far as we know." Irma replied. "You'll never know; anything that sadistic has to be evil."

Suddenly Taranee popped up, startling them all.

"Oh my gosh, I hear you." Apparently she wasn't talking to any of them.

"What? What is it?" Cornelia asked popping up as well.

"Sshh, I can't hear them and you at the same time." Taranee was concentrating hard on whatever was going on. Will pulled herself away from Matt's embrace, ready to face Phobos and get the fight over with.

"It's Elyon. And their good, better than good, as in great." Taranee gushed. "HayLin, YanLin never went bad. Nerissa sucked her into the Seal and replaced her with an AtlerMere, but she's good too."

"Yes!" HayLin danced crazily. "I knew Grandma wouldn't betray us."

"Everyone, including Nerissa, are trapped in the Seal, but they can hear Phobos." Taranee paused. She then jumped up and faced Will. "It's time to go, Phobos is about to invade."

Will transformed them as Matt changed, muttering that he wished Huggles and Napoleon were with them. They then folded to Kandracar in time to see a portal like fold slither over part of the remaining fortress, the throne room of Phobos Castle visible on the other side. He had somehow made a dimensional gate large enough to swallow half of both structures, semi blending the two.

The battle began once the gate stopped moving, the portal fully open. Phobos' army invaded without preamble, being led by Raythor, Frost, and Miranda. Gargoyle, Sandpit and the Tracker followed close behind and were followed by lurdens and other foul creatures.

"Phobos has decided he won't dirty his hands until you and your friends are defeated." Raythor had joined the battle, mock fighting Will, but trying to make it look as real as possible.

"What?" Will was panting from exertion. "We need him to come over for the plan to work."

"I know." But as he said that the portal shimmered again and Cedric slithered through, three times bigger than he had ever been before, and he was big then.

Without saying a word Cedric turned the tide of the battle, knocking out several people in one swipe. He was plowing through the good guys with both clawed hands and a deadly tail that could swipe a person off their feet just as easily as it could crush someone. Matt was darting around him, blasting him every chance he had, trying to wound the snake man enough for the Guardians to take him out.

Will was watching as Matt dove in for a strike to Cedric's slitted eyes when a large, clawed hand knocked him from the air, ripping feathers from his black wings. Will didn't see much blood, but she knew that he had to be bleeding severely having lost to many feathers.

"MATT!" Will screamed diving to where her love had fallen, knocked flat by the blow. Her concern for him distracted her, making her an easy target. Cedric, granted a fraction of Phobos' power, blasted Will with her own power, making her convulse so badly that she could no longer fly. She fell from the sky to land roughly beside Matt, who was trying to gather himself up for another attack.

"Will!?" He reached over to help her up, but a pressure suddenly pushed her roughly down by her shoulder. Frost was standing on her while his mount Crimson had a massive foot on each of Matt's wings.

"Bow before your superior Guardian." The hunter growled. So Phobos was finally going to make an appearance. It's about time.

Cedric stood beside the main opening between both dimensions, awaiting his prince. There was silence in Kandracar as everyone held their collective breath for Phobos to step foot on the sacred fortress. Would their plan work? The theory was solid and well tested over the centuries, but would it work in this generation? Would the power be stripped from Phobos once the placed one slippered foot upon the pale pink marble at the Heart of Infinity? Only a few more steps.

The unthinkable then happened. One step away from crossing the threshold, Cedric swooped down and in one move swallowed Phobos whole.