Author's Note: I do not own W.I.T.C.H., etc.
Epilogue – The Power of Friendship
Inside the bookstore basement, the portal opened and the five girls stepped through. Will wiped a few tears aside, she felt several hands on her shoulders. Knowing her friends were supporting her, Will cracked a small smile.
"Thanks, girls."
"I know it must be hard, but we have to know. We thought she was no more when we left Veluria and when we saw you both there...how?" Cornelia asked.
"She wiped away another tear, "I promise...to tell you, but can we go to the Golden or something? I really want to go someplace that has soda and something cooked on a grill that doesn't require a spit."
"Okay, Will. We can go there right..." Cornelia looked at her watch, "now? Is that the time? Sorry, Will, we'll have to do that tomorrow, it's two in the morning and other parents will be furious. We need to get home now."
"You guys go ahead, I'll lock up." Will said half-heartedly.
"Are you sure, Will? I mean after all you've been through, we don't want you to be alone."
Will put up a tough front and smiled, "Seriously, guys. I'm fine. Besides, home is not far away."
The girls looked at each other, "Okay, Will. We'll see you tomorrow."
Hay Lin ran over to Will, giving her the keys, "Be safe, Will."
After a few seconds, Will was left alone. She sighed, looking around she saw the beanbag chairs and books that made their headquarters, but right now, it was the home of a memory turned painful.
From those same memories, she remembered how cold the night wind felt when you're sad. Except there was no Matt to find comfort in or to kiss...
Opening the door to their apartment, Will closed it behind her. The lights turned on, there stood Susan and Dean.
"Do you know what time it is, young lady?"
"Please, Mom, not now."
"Then when, Will? You've been coming home late recently, yesterday not at all and with no reasons, only excuses. Don't you know how worried you made us? Don't expect to get away with this, the punishment for this will be one for a lifetime."
Will turned to them, "I don't care, Mom! I've been going through a difficult time right now, more than you can imagine. Look, I'm sorry about putting you through that, but you don't try to understand what I'm being put through. I'll accept whatever punishment you want, but right now...just leave me alone!" She ran past them into her room, slamming the door behind her.
Susan stretched out her hand, Dean squeezed her shoulder, shaking his head. She could do nothing but look sad and held herself close to him.
Will collapsed on her bed, tears staining her pillow. Soon enough, she cried herself to sleep.
It wasn't just her mother's confrontation why Will cried, she was in the same room she first met her. Only a day ago, Will awoke from her conversation with Haritus and the Shade. Taking a moment to remember where she was and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Will?"
She looked to see herself looking back at her. Glancing around, she swore this was reality and yet there stood another Will.
"Will, don't be frightened. I've come to help you."
"Um...okay, but how...I mean, what are you?"
"When you disappeared, your friends used their magic to create me. However their spell had a price, they had to keep you on their minds to sustain me. When they left for Veluria, they hoped to find you and so forgot about me."
"But how can you be here if that's true?"
"Because you came back. Though the spell was broken and I was gone, the magic still lingered as you should know. My essence and yours are the same, so your presence on this world is enough to sustain me. However we have little time to talk, we have to get to Veluria."
"We can't, I've already tried everything."
"Will, you know better. When your mind gets put to the task, nothing will stop you. I followed you from the bookstore for it is there we can help our friends."
"Our friends?"
"Have you forgot why we fight? They are in danger and it is only we who can help them." She extended her hand, "Trust me, Will. We will face them and we will save our friends."
Will brought out the Heart of Kandrakar and held it toward her, growing even brighter.
"Let's go."
"That sounds like who you truly are."
Will asked, "By the way, what do I call you?"
She smiled, "You can call me Wilma."
Will awoke from her dream. Looking through her heavy eyes, her alarm clock read 4:23 AM. She got out of bed for she didn't want to go back to sleep. She had to follow the rest of her dream. Teletransporting to the alley next to their apartment building, she walked down the street heading to the bookstore. As she continued her sojourn, the scene replayed before her.
"So to prevent anyone from finding out about your absence, they made me, a magical clone of Will Vandom."
"We covered that, but how did they do it?"
"All is possible with friendship. One of your first lessons as a Guardian I believe."
"Then how do we get to Veluria with the Shades' spell in place?"
Wilma answered, "You are not the only one who talked to the Shade. He told me what to do and we haven't much time."
They walked into the bookstore just as Will in real time arrived there.
"So, what exactly did the Shade say?"
"To bring the real Will and the Heart of Kandrakar to the portal. Once there, he said we'd know what to do next."
"I usually like the Shade, but he can be cryptic at times."
"We're here." Wilma pointed to the portal.
"Now to figure out what to do..." Will scratched her chin, "It would be nice if Taranee was here, she's good at these kinds of puzzles."
"Yeah, she could piece things together real easy."
Then it hit her, "Wait...that's it, together." She presented the Heart to Wilma, "Like you said, we have the same essence. So, both of us can use the Heart of Kandrakar."
A brilliant smile appeared on Wilma as she figured the rest, taking the Heart in hand, "But I'm not bound by any spell, so I can open the portal. If we hold hands and step through together, you should be able to come through and I won't disappear."
"Worth a shot, right? When you're ready."
Wilma nodded, using the Heart. Before their very eyes, the portal responded and Veluria became clear to them. Side-by-side, they stood in front of the portal, joining hands, taking a moment to look into each other's eyes and nodding together. They faced the portal, closed their eyes, and jumped through.
As they landed, a cold draft greeted them. Opening their eyes, they stood in the shadow of the mountain. Will and Wilma took a brief moment to hug each other and cheer in their success before they heard a sound.
"Hey!" The two girls turned to the speaker.
"Hey." Will awoke from her reverie to see she was no longer alone in their basement headquarters. Haritus and the Shade sat on two beanbag chairs.
"Guys..." she softly shook her head, "What are you doing here?"
"We both decided to shadow project ourselves to thank you all for sacrificing a day to clear our names. We would have done so earlier, but we were just released. Yet I feel it is not the only reason we've come to see you, who do you look so sad?" Haritus asked.
"It's just...just..." She stopped, avoiding to cry.
The Shade nodded, "I see, it's Wilma. Yes, we didn't realize she had planned that from the beginning."
Will's voice started to crack, "When we...got to Veluria...we were met by...Del and the Shade Clones...we planned...we planned..."
"I know, Will. You were the one who first faced the Great Shadow and Wilma hid behind the Slayer Stone, such pure shadow would hide anyone from any sensing ability, this made sure he knew it would be the real you and he wouldn't have to check again. After Delthion's sun arrow exploded, you switched places and she went on the attack."
"But why? She was...only supposed to...distract him long...enough for me to...hit him with the Heart." Will took a breath, "But she went full on attacking him...she said...she..."
"She lied at the meeting saying she had as much power as you when she had only a small fraction of it. She planned on dying, she said so herself, lying in your arms."
Will cried, "But I could have done something more. If I was stronger, I could have saved her. Why did it come to that?"
No, Will." Haritus spoke, "If anyone is to blame, it is me. I should've prevented him from possessing me in the first place and none of this would've happened. Blame me for the loss of your friend."
"She was more than a friend! She was...was a piece of me. How...how can I live with knowing that."
The Shade sighed, taking a moment before speaking, "No one said it was going to be easy, Will. Every time I made a clone, I gave up a piece of myself, too. Each time one was destroyed, I felt devastated." Will's face couldn't get more dour, "But, that sadness faded with both time and friends." Haritus smiled, "It was only with those two did I move forward. I'm not promising it will be overnight, but you will get through this, Will. Your heart is special and strong, there is nothing you can't do."
She cried, but this time with tears of joy. Wiping them aside, she smiled, "You're right. She wouldn't want me to be sad..." She laughed a little, "Well, she's me."
The other two smiled, Haritus waved a hand, "Here, Will."
One of the blankets wrapped over Will's shoulders and she embraced it warmly, "Thank you both, I feel a little better now." Wiping aside more tears.
"Get some sleep, Will. Your friends will greet you in the morning."
"But, mom and Dean..."
"We'll take care of it. You need your rest."
"Thanks, you two."
The Shade smiled, "You're welcome. Anytime you should ever need us, we'll always be here, listening from the shadow." The Shade walked into a dark corner and vanished.
"Good night, Will."
"Good night, Haritus. Um..."
"Yes, Will?"
"You don't have to go through the trouble with my...my parents."
"It is the least we can do. Besides..." His smile widened, "it is we who should be thanking you." He walked into the same dark corner, following his friend into darkness.
Will smiled, bringing the blanket over her shoulder. Her tears drying as she fell asleep. This time, only wondrous dreams met her with no nightmares in sight.
Will awoke to her friends looking at her. Greeting them warmly, they soon went to the Golden where Will retold her adventure on Veluria. At the end of it, she asked if they had any questions, Irma was the only one to raise her hand.
"So, explain to me why we had to stay an extra day on Veluria?"
"The wizards of Kep'Mordos needed time to gather the diplomats from all the kingdoms. They gathered some of their most powerful to cast their ritual to prove Haritus's innocence."
Irma asked, "Which was what? We were all scurried to the Library when we teletransported to their city's gate."
"Their ritual scanned my mind for all memories about my adventure on Veluria. They discovered the dream with Haritus and the Shade. I was thankful the cave echoed otherwise I wouldn't have heard the Great Shadow's monologue. Then, they needed to deliberate and that took several hours."
"Which was fine by me." Taranee interrupted, "Did you know they had a history of Veluria tome...oh, and they had a compendium of all the different kinds of fire they've discovered. When can we go back?"
After Taranee received several blank stares from her friends, Will answered, "Sorry, Taranee. They usually don't have visitors. If you want to peruse their books, you'll have to join their order."
"Darn."
"So, what now, Will?" Hay Lin asked.
At that moment, Dean and Susan walked in the door and quickly spotted Will. She, however, just relaxed.
"I've got a punishment of a lifetime waiting for me at home. But regardless of what it is, I know I have my friends to help me through it."
Hearing that, Susan smiled and she left without another word.
"Wait, Susan!" Dean caught up with her, "What about the letter we found on her pillow this morning?"
"She was telling the truth, Dean. Besides, I have to face the truth that my little girl is growing up and I have to let her make her own choices. I've known this for a long time, Dean, I just couldn't face it until now."
"How about the other truth we have to face? The wonderful, wonderful truth."
"We'll face it together and we both will be there to tell Will, but not today." She looked at her daughter through the window, "Today, she's with her friends."
Dean threw her arm across her shoulders as she rested her head on his shoulder.
Will enjoyed this day with her friends as they talked and ate lunch together. As they left, Will's cell phone rung. She picked it out of her pocket and answered it.
"Hi, Matt, what do you need?" The four others huddled close to her, smiling, "Um, yeah, I'd be happy to go with you to dinner. Listen, I got to go, bye."
She began to get heckled with Taranee making snide observations, Cornelia giving her advice on wedding dresses, and the infamous duo of Irma and Hay Lin making kissy faces at her.
"Oh, shut up." She smiled, making them all laugh.
Friends she could count on when she truly needed it. Today was a perfect day and Will knew in her heart when she smiled, Wilma smiled back.
That's the end of this story and thanks to you all for hanging in there. I'm sorry I didn't finish this story a lot sooner, but I finally learned a new way to write stories that's more interesting to myself.
For those who are interested in my other story, "No Dark Future to a Stranger". I will be updating regularly on Sundays starting mid-December. I'm taking a week or two off from writing to relax and enjoy my other projects.
No matter where you are in this wonderful if not misguided world of ours, I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving and hope you enjoy yourselves. Be safe and this is the Dark Future signing off for now.