Waking Dreams

by Zadien

"Almost kissed. We almost kissed." The almost was extremely important. The almost was the line she didn't cross. The almost meant that she hadn't completely betrayed Cornelia.

14. Game Over

Disclaimer: I don't own Witch. Nor do I own the supernatural themes explored in this story. Nor do I own Final Fantasy. I do however own this plot, any faeries you come across, oh, and the dreamscape.

A.N. So you can thank Dunne Stores for their stocking of WITCH DVD's that allowed me to get the first two volumes which helped so much. I wasn't too far out with the girls characters but it's nice that I know how pictures and DVD's I can consult whenever I feel interest in this story lagging. Also if I hadn't found Lacuna Coil, the last scene of this chapter probably wouldn't have come to me as easily as it did.

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Chapter Fourteen- GAME OVER

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"What?!"

Both girls jumped guiltily to look at Taranee who stared at them. "What what?" They asked innocently.

"You said they almost shared a kiss! Who?"

Irma stared blankly at Taranee while Hay Lin blinked and Malachi frowned. Oh god, Taranee knew. But, she hadn't said anything. And neither had Hay Lin.

But they thought it.

The large airy kitchen was almost suffocating with thick tension. Malachi glanced warily between the girls. Hay Lin looked as though she wanted to throw up; her eyes were wide and large, her skin pasty with a green tint and her mouth agape as her gaze darted frantically from Irma to Taranee and back again. Irma, on the other hand, looked adorably confused, her mouth twisted into a grimace and her eyes narrowed. And Taranee just looked angry, almost betrayed.

He didn't know the girls incredibly well, not as they knew each other but he knew enough of the group dynamics to know that Taranee hated being kept out of the loop. Considering she was the one who felt as though she didn't belong as much as the others, this probably played on her insecurities. The girls had a secret that she, and only she, wasn't privy to. He didn't count. He wasn't a girl and he wasn't one of them. Whatever the heck they were with their short skirts and wings, oh not to mention the elemental powers. He felt as though he'd been plucked up and dumped into the middle of a girls' manga.

"We didn't say anything, Tar."

"Yes you did." Taranee claimed matter-of-factly. "I was standing right there," She pointed to the kitchen counter where the toaster was cheerfully humming as it warmed the bread she'd placed in there for Will. "My eye sight maybe faulty but my hearing isn't. In fact, it's probably better than yours."

"I've heard that happens." Hay Lin mused earning a dark look from the other two who were facing off.

"Look, I don't know what you heard, but you didn't hear us say anything about a kiss."

"Are you calling me a liar, Irma Lair?"

"Liar, Lair; Lair, Liar." The Chinese girl chimed in before blushing hotly under the fierce glares. "Sorry, I'll shut up now. But we didn't say anything."

"I distinctly heard you. You said that someone was avoiding another person because of a kiss!"

"Look Taranee, I was sitting right beside Irma, she and Hay Lin didn't say anything." Malachi offered up. At least he hadn't heard anything, unless one of them had suddenly developed telepathy right there at the kitchen table. Then again, they had kept the whole turning into flying pixies a secret from him, who knew what else they were hiding.

"But I heard-"

"Well nothing came from our mouths." Irma shot back, causing Malachi to narrow his gaze on her. That was an odd way of phrasing it. It might not have come from her mouth but maybe it came from her thoughts? No, now he really was being stupid.

"Taranee, she's telling the truth. We didn't say anything."

"And who could have kissed?" Malachi asked. "Apart from me and Irma that is but we're not avoiding each other. Unless..." He looked carefully at the three girls and his gaze landed squarely on Irma. "...one of you is a lesbian."

"What?! Just because I slapped Taranee's ass doesn't make me a lesbian." She snapped, folding her arms and tossing her head in imitation of their lost friend. "I'll have you know that I'm completely and utterly..." She paused dramatically. "Bisexual!"

Hay Lin palmed her forehead while Malachi rolled his eyes with a sigh. Taranee however remained unimpressed by the brunette's cavalier attitude. "I heard something. And... Will. Will was in the room and she asked about Caleb, and when I told her he was gone, you said-"

"I said nothing! There was nothing said. And are you suggesting what I think you are? You think our Will and Caleb almost kissed?"

Malachi's brow furrowed as he tried to comprehend what was being said. "Wait rebel boy with an attitude kissed Will? I thought he was interested in Blondie."

"The band?" Another mixture of bewildered and dark looks was aimed at Hay Lin and the air guardian sighed. "Ok, I'm definitely shutting up now."

"I never said he kissed her!" Irma snapped. "I said almost!" Her eyes went wide and her hand automatically slapped over her mouth but the damage was already done. "Oh crap."

"Ah-ha! I knew it!" Taranee exclaimed, pointing her finger in accusation while Hay Lin began to hit her head off the table. Taranee's jubilant smile suddenly dropped off her face. "Oh wait... they almost kissed? As in... Will? And Caleb? But I thought... I didn't... Oh no. That's... not good."

"Oh, Will's going to kill me." Irma whimpered sinking down into her chair.

Malachi reached over to rub her shoulder comfortingly but his hand froze midair. "But you didn't say anything. I mean, I never heard you. You never opened your mouth."

"But I thought it!" Irma snapped, covering her face with her hands. "Oh Will really is going to kill me. I'm a bad friend."

"What do you mean she never opened her mouth?"

"I'm a bad, bad friend. Oh she's going to static shock me to death. I'll be fried like the hair irons."

"Irma cut it out! Taranee..." Hay Lin sighed loudly. "This is really bad. I think I should go contact Grandma."

"Why? Because Irma told Taranee or because Will almost kissed Caleb?" Malachi lifted a hand to his head. "Wait a minute, will someone please tell me what's going on?"

Irma looked up at him, eyes burning fiercely as she reached over and clenched his collar in her fists. "I'll tell you what's going on! Will's going to kill me! That's what's going on! Will is going to kill me because I can't keep a secret. Granted," she mused. "I'm not quite sure it was a secret. And I only told Taranee, -well and you-, but you don't count, and we would've told Taranee anyway, just not in front of you. So I didn't really break her trust and, yay, she can't kill me. Oh yeah, I rock."

"Irma!"

"What?!"

Hay Lin sucked in a breath before releasing it slowly, as if gathering her patience. Not that Malachi had ever seen her lose it, he mused, as he pried his girlfriend/friend-with-benefits' hands from his shirt.

"Taranee heard your thoughts, Irma. I think that's a little more important right now than whether Will'll kill you."

"Heard my... oh yeah. Yeah, that is kind of strange." Irma lifted her head to gaze at the dark skinned girl and quirked a brow inquisitively. "You hearing any other thoughts? Do you hear thoughts much? Is that how you pass all those exams? Because that's technically cheating, you cheater."

"No!" Taranee shook her head slowly, her face pale under the dark pigment. "I-I don't really know. I thought, I mean I heard what you... thought, as clearly as if you spoke it. I did think you said it out loud but..." She sank into an empty chair and pressed her lips together.

"Ok, that's weird." Hay Lin piped up, pulling a piece of hair into her mouth to chew on it.

"Maybe your powers are increasing or mutating or something." Malachi added, his fingers running loosely over the keys of the laptop. Maybe he could look up telepathy to see if he could find anything helpful.

"From throwing fireballs to hearing thoughts? That's quite a mutation." Irma drawled, folding her arms and leaning back in her chair.

"Not really. I mean, your mental capacity is bound to be expanding as you use your powers and change into your guardian form. It wouldn't surprise me too much if it unlocked parts of your mind that normal humans wouldn't use."

"I resent the term normal humans. There's no such thing. I mean, I get wings sure, but can anyone say that Martin is normal? Or Uriah? Or that guy who picks his nose at the back of the class? I don't think so."

"Irma, solve the PC problems later."

"Maybe I should talk to Will. She deserves to know." Taranee muttered, getting up and heading back to the stove. She took her pot off the stove and turning off the rings, she placed the pot on a safe spot and rounded the counter.

"Hey Taranee," Hay Lin called as the short haired girl made her way to the door, "we were going to tell you. Really."

Taranee studied her for a long moment; then she nodded with a smile. "Yeah, I know you were."

The other two girls watched her leave before exchanging a long look; then Hay Lin sighed and pushed herself out of her chair. "I guess I'll go phone Gran."

"Why?" Malachi found himself wondering. What could a grandmother know?

"She was originally the guardian of air. She should know if there are other powers. At least I think she should, I hope she does because otherwise, we're lost."

Irma waved to Hay Lin as she left before she rounded on Malachi, her eyes gleaming suspiciously.

"So Mal, what'cha doing?"

Mal raised his eyes to the ceiling. It didn't matter how big a drama unfolded with this girl, she never seemed phased in the least.

---

Elyon stood within the silent confines of her parlor; protected on all sides by large, burly soldiers armed with swords and shields. She suppressed a shiver, her eyes drifting over their backs to the small pockets of space where she could see the delicately embroidered fabric of her overturned furniture. She had been sitting calmly drinking her tea as she waited for Caleb when Vathek had charged inside, slamming the doors back on their hinges so hard she had visibly flinched in sympathy for the walls behind them. As she rounded to question him and as Aldarn had opened his mouth to reprimand him, they'd heard the horns sounding out the alarm and her heart had leapt to her throat. Her castle was under attack! Then Vathek had mentioned that someone, yes one person, had breached the castle walls and, now she was huddled away into the corner to be guarded by her men.

Her fingers tingled with power and light swam around their profiles as she dropped her gaze to the floor, her ears alert for any sound of fighting. Her guards shifted uneasily while Vathek clenched his fists together. While they were tense and anxious, she felt nothing but embarrassed. Here she was, the light of Meridian, being hidden from sight by large burly soldiers instead of being out protecting what was rightfully hers. What kind of Queen was she planning on being? She had taken down Phobos, hadn't she? She scowled sulkily; then flinched. What was she? Five? What kind of Queen pouted? No, she had to trust in her guards. They knew what they were doing.

She hoped.

"Has any-" She broke off, her eyes widening when one man physically jumped at the sound of her voice. "Oh, sorry."

"My apologies, your highness. I'm just tense."

"We all are. This is a very stressful moment." She bit back the urge to point out that it was stressful because they weren't doing anything. She didn't like this idea of sitting quietly while she waited for the bad guys to come to her. But this would give her ample opportunity to practice exercising patience for her encounter with the Queen of faerie. The butterflies in her stomach flopped nervously like a fish out of whatever. "But I was going to ask, Vathek, has anyone contacted the guardians?"

"No milady, we did not see any reason to involve them with this intrusion. It is just one minor breach, my Princess; we can take care of this ourselves."

Oh. Was this a hint of things to come? Would her guards resent the guardians protecting her? They were famous around the realms, according to Quinn. They were known as her elite guard. She could understand that her soldiers may be a little jealous of the prestige the guardians had won for themselves. However, the simple fact of the situation was that they would have to work together. They were her protectors one and all; she could not be seen to have any weakness or dissention among her people. Not in the Faerie court. Nevertheless, to reprimand Vathek now in front of his men would not help matters in the slightest.

She smiled wryly. Maybe she could actually be good at this ruling malarkey.

"Where do you think it is, sir?" A soldier asked; his voice cracking over the words as he nervously ran a finger along his collar.

"It's probably already been stopped, more than likely it is simply a petty threat against the princess before the coronation; a scare tactic by some of Phobos' loyal supporters." Aldarn spat out Phobos' name as though it were a curse word, vile and loathsome, which she supposed he was. Her brother was nothing but a manipulative coward. "A messenger will probably appear soon to tell us the threat is contained."

A clang of swords echoed outside and Elyon raised a brow at Aldarn, causing the green skinned man to flush lightly. A yell was heard amongst the fray, but quickly died off with a bleat.

"Good god, they're being killed." A soldier whispered, causing Vathek to snarl at him.

"Manage your fear men."

A creak from behind them made them jump, -even Elyon herself- as the small door behind the fireplace opened and Aldarn instantly charged; his sword raised high over his head. She watched it glint in the light streaming through the small window as it swung down in a graceful arc towards the intruder only to shudder and release a metallic ring as it met with another sword and a blond haired man ducked out from behind the door.

"Aldarn! It's me Drake!"

"And Caleb." A voice snapped from behind the door.

"Caleb!" With a rush of relief, Elyon broke through her soldiers and rushed to the man crawling out of the fireplace and kicking the door firmly shut behind him. He ran a hand through his hair, brushing out cobwebs and dust from his thick brown hair.

"Ugh, I hate that passage." He muttered with a wrinkle of his nose; clambering to his feet and dusting down his pants and trench coat. His eyes swept over the people before him before locking onto Elyon; immediately he swept into a low bow. "Princess." He intoned reverently causing her to scowl at him.

"Oh, stop that nonsense. You, who are one of my oldest friends, should never have to refer to me as that. The same goes for you Drake, please do not stand on ceremony. Not now."

This spurred both men into action, Caleb taking over command as he regarded Aldarn and Vathek. "What's the situation? Where is he?"

"We have no method of communication. We have just been waiting here."

Caleb growled and ran a hand over his face before slipping a hand under the back of his jacket and emerging with two black boxes. His walkie-talkies, Elyon recognized with a sense of amusement. "Take this and go investigate." He snapped the order to a young soldier who flushed to the roots of his hair at being singled out.

"I will go with the lad." Vathek decided and Caleb nodded.

"Good. Check on my father and Tynar." Both men nodded and saluted their captain before crossing to the door, unlocking it slowly before Vathek poked his head out to look around.

"Looks clear so far. Right, let's go lad."

Both stepped out swiftly into the corridor, swords at the ready as the shut the door tightly and another officer rushed forward to lock it.

Caleb turned away from the door and fixed his gaze on Elyon who shifted nervously. Oh she knew that face. That was his 'you didn't do as I told you' face.

"Why isn't she in the secret passages on her way to safety?" He demanded; his mouth suddenly thinning with temper as his furious eyes landed on Aldarn.

Aldarn simply rolled his eyes and waved a hand in Elyon's direction as if to say 'ask her'. Elyon paid him no heed, suddenly furious by the way her friend had just completely ignored her. Couldn't he have asked her? Boys! "She isn't on her way to safety because she did not want to leave her home. She can make her own decisions because guess what? She is going to be Queen. That makes her in charge! And I would prefer if you did not refer to me as she. I am Elyon! And if you wish to ask something, you will ask me directly and not Aldarn."

"Your snit is duly noted, milady-" Caleb returned quietly.

"Snit?!"

"Get into formation men; I will not have her dead because we didn't do our jobs."

Her, she! What was she, the cats' mother?! And she didn't like what he was hinting at with that phrase but she acquiesced to their command, allowing them to crowd around her once again but only because Aldarn had given her that pleading look she could never resist.

"Caleb, you saw the being? What does it look like?"

She eagerly listened to their conversation, but gave off the impression of being lost in her own world. No doubt, according to them, this kind of news was not fit for her delicate little princess ears. In fact, they would probably fall off if she heard about such a danger to her poor, fragile health. She bit back the urge to snort derisively. And they wondered why she wanted the guardians with her?! Honestly, didn't she deserve a little bit of respect? And she would have expected so much more from Caleb. He was more than her captain; he was her friend, her right hand man. He had never treated her thus before. Was he angry with her because she left him in Heatherfield?

Her eyes slid up to him from under her bangs and they narrowed. Well it wasn't as if she could send any of her other guards. None of them had ever lived on earth for any length of time and the guardians were comfortable with Caleb. Weren't they friends? Something was wrong, she decided and, once this stupid nonsense with her intruder was done with, she would pull him aside and find out what it was. She would not have him take out his frustrations on her.

"A dark, cloaked figure on a horse." Caleb answered. "I couldn't see its face and the horse; it was like a demon horse. Red fiery eyes and smoke coming from its nostrils. "

It sounded like something out Lord of the Rings; then again, wasn't that based on mythology to an extent? Elves, faeries; they were pretty much the same thing in her book, but she doubted her guards would enjoy her telling them that their creature was a wraith looking for the One Ring. Idly she played with her signet ring on her right hand, watching it glint in the sunlight. Maybe if she offered her intruder this ring, he'd leave her alone. Yeah, if it were a magpie.

Squawk! "Caleb…" hiss! "…we've got a situation…The lower level guard…" fizzle! "…unconscious."

"What? Vathek, repeat that again."

"All guards…"hiss! "…lower level…" fizz! "…out cold."

"That doesn't sound good." Elyon murmured. Why leave her guards unconscious and all of them? It had to be her intruder -unless her guards had all decided to have a group nap.

The doors slammed open and the group stiffened, swords raised while Elyon held her hands aloft just in case, only to drop them with a sigh as Aisling strode in, small and petite in a white dress gilded with gold etching and a shining white and gold breast plate to match the arm cuffs and boots. She clutched her sword loosely as she swept the room with her gaze. Elyon felt quite plain in front of her, dressed only in a plain blue summer dress lacking any accessories. She hadn't even remembered to put her crown on that morning. She tugged at the frayed cuff of her sleeve feeling dejected. Why shouldn't she have a nice battle costume made for her? She would, she decided, before she went to the realm of faerie; even if she had to conjure it, she would have one.

Suddenly Aisling's glittering eyes landed on Caleb and she lifted her sword, pointing the sharp tip at him.

"Oi! Why is Elyon still here?! You have a goddamn faerie in your castle taking out your men and you're just sitting here? Morrigan above, I can see why the faeries despise of humans. Do you need us to tell you everything? I'll make it simple. Get the fuck out of here!" She snapped, golden eyes flashing furiously. "If you value your lives that is."

"Who are you-"

Elyon placed her hand onto her captain's arm and squeezed tightly. 'Let me deal with this', her eyes said. "Your advice is greatly appreciated, your highness. However, I do not intend to leave my castle unprotected. This is my home and I will protect my people."

"By standing here with the doors locked? Fat lot of good it will do you." Aisling growled.

"Where is Quinn?"

"Hunting down your elusive intruder. He's probably the only one who can stop him or her or whoever it is."

"Then you believe it to be a faerie?"

"A rider on a horse breathing fire? Aye, I'd say it's definitely faerie. Sounds like one of the Dark Court; which means your plan to rescue your friend has really pissed someone off. For that, I might actually like you." The girl flashed Elyon a grin that lacked any discernable warmth.

"I'm so pleased."

Aldarn and Drake muffled their chuckles while Caleb smirked at her acerbic tone. Elyon's tight smile warmed a little because of it, before she schooled her features to appear vaguely disinterested.

"Fine." The princess of faerie sighed. "Look, I'm just here on Quinn's orders. He says you should get out while you can. More than likely, this is an assassin and you don't underestimate them. They're dangerous creatures, believe me."

"Ah, and well y' would know, mo ban phrionsa, Aisling Ní hAllain."

The princess froze suddenly, eyes wide as the air behind her shimmered. Elyon gasped sharply, as her men braced themselves, moving into their defensive stances, holding their weapons aloft. Elyon could only watch as the air behind Aisling solidified revealing a tall, lean man with brown hair, dressed in possibly the most bizarre costume Elyon had ever seen on a man; never mind an assassin. He wore a tight fitting navy blue, silk shirt with a darker shade of leather cuffs and a similar leather waist band that wrapped tightly around his lower torso. His v-neck collar was trimmed with thick white fur making his tanned skin seem browner. He seemed to be wearing long navy board shorts only in a much thicker material over dark navy, almost black matt rubber leggings. At least that's what they looked like and leather ankle boots with a curved tip. The most disturbing part was that he had a deformed sword aligned neatly over the faerie princess's neck and it would only take one careless swipe for her to be lying dead on the floor. Elyon's stomach churned.

"Release the princess." Drake growled.

"Now, now. No need t' get testy, boyo. I merely have a job t' do and a message t' deliver. I'm sure, y' can understand. Can't y'?"

"Oh and what message may that be?" Aisling ground out,

The man grinned brightly. "Ah, now, wouldn't y' be wantin' to know? Seems y' all 'ave ruffled a few feathers now, and ah, well can't be allowin' that."

"Excuse me; would you at least do us the courtesy of introducing yourself?"

"Oh aye," Aisling snarled. "An' invite 'im t' tea while you're at it."

"Well now, that would be quite a pleasure. Sure I've no problem wit' you, Princess Elyon, Light of Meridian."

"Who are you? What do you want?"

"I think it's quite obvious what he wants? Isn't that right?"

The man considered Aisling's words as he scratched his jaw. "Well, since y' put it like that. I guess it could be obvious enough."

Elyon didn't like where this conversation was going. She didn't like it at all. "And what's that?"

"To stop you from going to Faerie," Aisling answered; her tone harsh and unforgiving as she stood stiff against the dark faerie assassin. "If I were you, Captain, I'd take Elyon and go!"

"Ah, now don' be doin' stupid t'ings. I ain't runnin' the length and breadth o' da castle again."

"You're right, you won't. You'll fight me instead." Came the grim reply as Aisling's very skin began to glow with an ethereal light. Stunned Elyon watched the swimming light coat the girls' body and in two quick movements, she grabbed hold off the assassins arm with one hand and thrust her free elbow into the man's gut. Not pausing for a second, she used his surprise to wrench his hands from her and ducking under them, she kept hold of one and twisted to his side, delivering a fierce kick to his face. There was a shout of agonized pain as the dark assassin stumbled back, covering his face before slowly, he lifted his hands from his face, panting heavily as his dark eyes glittered manically.

"Go now!" Aisling ordered, not even hesitating, as she threw her right hand out to the side and flexed it. A splinter of light shot along her palm and solidified into a long sword, as she swung and charged at the assassin.

"This would be a good time to leave." Caleb muttered over the clang of clashing blades and before Elyon could even formulate a reply, she was swept up into Caleb's arms and he was ducking into the secret passage, the door of which had been opened by Drake. Through the din of noise, she was vaguely aware of her soldiers following her and the call of the assassin for her 'not to go too far'. Somehow, Elyon didn't think her coronation was going to go off as peacefully as she wished.

---

Completely unaware of the plight of the Meridian Queen-to-be, Will Vandom sat on the floor of her bedroom contemplating on whether '30 seconds to Mars' deserved to go to the front of her CD collection or to the back. If she went by her iTunes alphabetizing, it would go to the back but Windows put it to the front. So that left her with a conundrum, did numbers come before letters or did letters come before numbers? And really, did any of it matter in the grand scheme of things? Here she was worrying about her CD collection when Cornelia was lost somewhere in the realm of faerie.

She huffed out a sigh and rubbed her hands over her face. She might as well admit it, she sucked as a guardian. She couldn't even do the guarding part right. It wasn't as though she could blame Cornelia's disappearance on not being aware of what was going on. Elyon had appraised her, she'd given them the bad guy and all they had to do was defeat the bad guy and as a leader, she failed! She failed with a big, fat capital F with a red circle!

She couldn't defeat one faerie, how was she supposed to defeat an army of them?

It all seemed so possible when she'd been younger. They swept in and they saved the day; the guardians to the rescue. Now the guardians were missing a key member and Caleb had gone walk about. And it was all her fault. Maybe she was being melodramatic blaming herself for the faerie situation, a part of her admitted, because realistically, she had tried her best. She'd thrown a big pink glowing ball at Kerrigan –though out loud, that didn't sound very threatening, a Barbie pink ball of energy- but she had done her very best considering she had no powers for herself. But the Caleb situation, now that was definitely her fault. What had she been thinking?

'Oh, there are Caleb's lips, I wonder if he'll mind if I fasten myself to them?' Of course he minded! There he was trying to comfort her, being so nice about the fact that she'd lost his girlfriend, and she tried to kiss him. She was a scarlet woman! She now had the attitude to match her hair. Just great.

She tossed the CD she was clutching to the side and groaned aloud. She was an idiot. A hormonal, teenage idiot. If Cornelia were here –and not involved with Caleb- she would laugh at Will's utter stupidity.

She looked down as Toad dropped his head onto her lap. "Toad, what can I do?" She asked the dog, idly running her fingers through the thick, coarse black hair. She didn't even know where Caleb was but at a guess, she figured he'd have gone to Meridian. Where else could he go? It wasn't as though he had any friends on earth apart from them –ha, some friend she'd turned out to be. At least Blunk was with him, that was some comfort. At least he wasn't wandering Meridian looking for a portal because Blunk could sniff one out for him.

A slight tapping on the door caught her attention. "Come in." She called out, picking up her CD again and contemplating its cover art. Maybe alphabetizing her CD collection didn't matter in the grand scheme of things but at least it helped her keep her mind of things for a little while.

The door opened and Taranee slipped in, armed with a plate of toast and a mug of coffee, the steam rising in soft curls that made Will's mouth water. "I brought you breakfast."

She smiled up at her fire guardian gratefully. "Thank you so much Taranee. I didn't exactly want to break the toaster as well."

Taranee set the mug and plate down upon the chair by the vanity table before taking a seat on the bed, her eyes sweeping over the room before falling on a small pile in the corner. "What happened here?"

"Those are the appliances I've managed to break just by touching them… Just call me Will the freak girl." She blew out a breath, ruffling the strands of red hair that obscured her vision. Pulling her knees to her chest, she rested her chin on them.

Taranee picked up the hair irons and studied them. "This isn't natural Will; maybe you should go see Elyon."

Will's eyes leapt up to take in Taranee's expression before quickly lowering. "Ah, no I don't think we should go to Meridian until Elyon summons us."

"Is this because of Caleb?"

The red head froze; her eyes fixed firmly on a spot in front of her as she quickly went ran through what Taranee could possibly know about her and Caleb. She didn't think Irma would say anything and yet, it would only be fair for them to tell Taranee. Still, what if they hadn't told her and she was just assuming? Wouldn't it be better just to feign innocence? "I don't know what you're talking about."

"And that right there is a blatant lie. If you're going to deny something, Will Vandom, at least make the effort to sound honest." When Will continued to say nothing, Taranee sighed and raised her eyes to the ceiling. "Look, I heard it from Irma that you and Caleb kissed-"

"Almost kissed. We almost kissed." The almost was extremely important. The almost was the line she didn't cross. The almost meant that she hadn't completely betrayed Cornelia.

"Almost then." Taranee conceded, easing down onto the floor and settling herself beside her leader. "Do you like Caleb?" At Will's horrified look, she quickly raised her hands defensively. "I'm not judging you, Will, I'm just trying to understand what happened. Things have been…abnormal to say the least recently and I just want a clear picture."

Will covered her mouth as her eyes searched the wall in front of her as if she expected the words to be written there. "I don't know, I really don't know. I… I care about him. He's one of us. He's always been one of us since the beginning but he's Cornelia's. He loves her and she loves him. I won't do anything to jeopardize that. I won't do that to her, not that I could." She quickly added. After all, compared to Cornelia, she was just the dull friend.

"I care about Caleb too but I've never almost kissed him. Are you sure you just feel friendship for him?"

"Taranee…" She trailed off with a shake of her head. She knew that Taranee was just trying to understand and she appreciated it, appreciated the way the quiet member of their group would listen without casting any judgment upon her, which was a blessing she definitely didn't deserved. "Can we talk about something else? I don't want to think about what happened. It didn't mean anything anyway, it was just a heat of the moment situation and… let's change the topic, ok?"

"Ok then." Taranee murmured, biting her lip. "How about we talk about how I read Irma's mind?"

"Sure we can talk… you what?"

"Read Irma's mind." The fire guardian repeated quietly.

Will blinked. Taranee read Irma's mind? "Why?" She quickly shook her head, a bark of laughter bursting from her lips. "Um, I'm sorry. That was a stupid question, I meant how?"

She watched as her companion shifted in her spot, a small furrow appearing between her eyes. "That's just it. I don't know how I did it. I wasn't actively thinking about Irma, I was actually thinking about making your toast and then… it was like Irma had this bullhorn that spoke directly in my head. I clearly heard her say that you kissed Caleb. However, Malachi claims to have heard nothing, Irma swear she didn't say anything like that out loud and Hay Lin backs her up and well... you know, Hay Lin, she's worse than you at telling lies. So all I'm left with is the theory that… I heard Irma's thoughts in my mind.

"Which is ridiculous! I deal with clear, logical facts. If I can't see it, I won't believe it. And yet… I distinctly heard Irma's voice in my head. Irma, of all people. I mean, it's bad enough I'm hearing voices but for it to be Irma's voice?! I don't think I can handle having her thoughts in my head. I'll go insane from the disorder and- and-"

"I think the word you're looking for is perversion."

"That too." Taranee muttered, her cheeks burning furiously while Will studied her.

"It's funny, what you're saying is very disturbing and something we should definitely be worried about but… I can't seem to find the energy to worry. In fact, I'm very mellow. Can you hear my thoughts?"

"I told you, I only heard Irma's." Taranee grumbled, throwing her head back against the mattress. "Great, I'm officially a bigger freak than I was thirty minutes ago."

"Heh, well you're in the right room. I think I'll name it, FA."

"Eff Eh?"

"Freaks Anonymous. I can be Spark Girl and you can be… Mental Girl."

"I should be offended by that. It's quite an offensive term but I think I'm more worried by the fact that at any moment, something Irma thinks could pop into my head. Did you know she's dating Malachi?"

"Did you get that from her thoughts?"

"No, I knew that already but I was thinking that I don't want any of her Malachi thoughts in my head."

"Or my Caleb thoughts... aw crud, just forget you heard that."

Taranee raised a brow before snagging a slice of toast from Wills abandoned plate and sinking her teeth into it. "I think we're broken."

"Well I've broken everything else in sight; I don't see why I couldn't break you guys."

"No, I mean, maybe we're... Oh I don't know. This supernatural stuff just isn't my forte. I read the websites and think... 'Miss, your milk soured because you left it out on your window in the midday sun, it had nothing to do with Tinkerbell and her friends.' And take Kerrigan for example, I saw him in all his badness and all I could think, was that he had to have a sock down his pants."

Will gaped at her before throwing her head back and laughing. "Oh he really did, didn't he? I think Cornelia mentioned something like that..." She suddenly sobered with a scowl. "I hate him. He's such a creep."

"Worse than Phobos?"

"So much worse. If I used that pink ball of light on Phobos, he'd run crying to his giant snake."

Taranee shuddered. "Maybe we shouldn't use terms like 'giant snake' after our sock comment."

Will nodded in agreement for a moment and then a grin began to furl her lips as the fire guardian's eyes widened and she gasped.

"Oh! See that was an Irma thought! I told you, she's infecting my brain. I'm probably losing brain cells as we speak and then I won't be able to go to college and I'll have to work in a fastfood place with all that grease and I'll get acne and-" She grabbed her leader by the upper arms, her eyes fierce behind her glasses. "We have to do something Will. This can't go on. I'm applying to Ivy League colleges and I can't afford to be linked up like this to Irma."

Will chuckled. "You're not linked up to her; she's just rubbed off on you. We've all rubbed off on each other; that's a natural psychological thing. I think. Hey, thanks to you we all use bigger vocabularies."

Taranee smiled weakly and sucked in a breath. "We need to find out what's going on."

"I agree. I thought Elyon would contact us soon but all this waiting around is making me sick to my stomach. I can barely eat anymore." She gestured with her half eaten slice of toast, as if to emphasize her point. "Come on; let's go see if we can talk to Elyon."

Both girls got to their feet, Will making a conscious effort not to touch her friend, before they headed for the door. She'd just set her hand on the handle, absorbing the jolt that kicked against her palm when she heard the cry and the earth-shattering clank of the plumbing pipes. A curse forced its way past her lips as she yanked open the door and sped towards the noise.

---

Cornelia couldn't believe her luck. She'd found the portal and all it had taken had been a few hops, skips and jumps over a sea of floating rocks to get there. Granted the wolf had been a little help but what had it done really? She would have figured out the way to the portal all on her own even if it hadn't shown up. She did a quick energetic happy dance before skipping forward to the portal with every intention of escaping.

The wolf behind her growled and she sighed, sending it a dark look over her shoulder. "Look, nothing's coming through. We've waited for ten minutes now and nothing's happened. It's just a portal and it'll be fine. We'll go through and see where we end up, hopefully it'll be the real world... just don't eat me. Trust me, I'm just skin and bones but I can find you something. How do you feel about passling meat? It's kind of stinky but, hey, sprinkle it with soy sauce and you'll have a new delicacy." She stepped forward again, hand outstretched to touch the filmy surface. It looked like water so did it feel like water? Was it wet? Was it cold?

The wolf barked sharply and she scowled. "What now? I told you, you can eat the passling, no one will miss it... well Hay Lin might. Ok, well my friend has a big scary snake man, you can choose what form you want to eat or, there's this little girl that can turn into a really disgusting spider. You'd have to pluck her but she'd make a great appetizer. Trust me, no one would miss her. Snake man's pretty for an evil guy though so Elyon might like to keep him for eye candy."

She was pretty sure it would feel cold but she wasn't sure if it would feel wet. After all, it wasn't really water, was it? She tried to remember what travelling through the veil had felt like, cold and misty with that electric charge to it. This one would probably feel like something similar but without the electric charge.

Should she just walk through it or stick her head through it to see what was on the other side. Did it really matter? She obviously couldn't stay here in this barren labyrinth. It was too empty and there was nothing to eat but her lupine companion and seriously, she did not want to try eating it. All that fur... She shuddered. She might think fur was a great fashion statement but she would never wear it. Too much time with Hay Lin, she lamented. It had given her such a hippy outlook on life.

"Are you coming?" She asked, shooting the wolf a quick look. It wasn't as if she wanted it to come with her, after all, who wanted a wolf as a companion? But she couldn't just leave it there. It would starve and she didn't want the wolf's death on her conscience if she could help it.

The wolf barked –if that's what you could call the sharp noise the animal emitted. Was barking reserved to dogs only, she wondered. "Well if you are coming, you better get over here. There's no way I'm making a return trip if you get left behind and I can't stay here, you know. I have friends waiting for me, they need my help. I have to make sure Will's ok, can you understand that?"

The wolf whined but stayed its respectable distance from the archway; its butt firmly on the ground with its head held high, golden eyes locked on her face. She shifted uncomfortably under its scrutiny. There was just something so human about its gaze that made her feel as if it understood everything she said. It helped her stay sane, she supposed, and prevented her from feeling like an idiot talking to it.

However, she couldn't force it to come if it didn't want to. So she sucked in a breath and took a step forward, her right hand reaching forward as if to part the veil like a curtain. Suddenly something seized her hand and she screamed, immediately digging in her feet and using her power, she pulled the earth up to seal her feet within it. Tugging with all her might, she pulled back her hand and stared at the object clamped around her wrist... a hand? What the hell?

She tried to pull her hand away but the hand wouldn't release its grip. The wolf whined and howled in anger as the pale hand tightened around her wrist, burning into her skin. "What is this? Let go of me!"

The wolf snarled, leaping to its feet, hackles rising in fury. Cornelia tugged at the hand clamped tightly around her own. She had to get away, she realized. She needed to back away from the veil; she was too close to it. If she got away, the person holding her on the other side would have to let go. But if she released her feet, would she lose her only anchor and be pulled behind the veil? What would be for the best? Dealing with the creature behind the veil or staying here and eating wolf meat?

Maybe there was another option. She swung her gaze from side to side, scouring her surroundings. There had to be something here, she was surrounded by stones and earth so she should be able to create some kind of weapon to get the hand removed from her and then she'd face whatever's on the other side.

She flung out her free hand, keeping her body taut to prevent the hand from knocking her off balance and stretching her free hand, she cast out her power. She needed to find a weapon, any kind of weapon. Something sharp and something light. She closed to her eyes to focus, her energy aware of every rock in the strange world. Too big, too heavy, she rejected everything that would only damage her and sorted through the next batch of rocks closest to her. Not light enough, not good enough, none of them seemed to suit. And then she felt it, it called to her from the other side of the world, like a lone star twinkling in the darkness. She zeroed in on it and urged the strands of her power to wrap around the stake like object. It had been eroded from the side of the rock and remained attached like a small ledge. Yes, that would do it.

"Come on Cornelia, you can do this." She murmured, a fine film of sweat breaking out over her skin as the grip around her wrist began to crush her very bones. It was too far away for her to get a good grip on it. She needed just a little more. "Come here!" she snapped, giving the rock one last wrench. It jerked free with a crumble of scree and dust and flew through the air towards her. As it came closer, she took full control over it. Now it was hers to do with as she pleased. She navigated it around the rocks that threatened to get in its way and her eyes opened and locked onto the arm in front of her. With a snap of her hand, her fingers jerked to the offending limb and she watched, fascinated, as the slice of rock stabbed into the hand, the spike at the end tearing into the flesh. Blood spattered against the ground and her face, her guardian outfit soaking up the spots of crimson as soon as they landed.

She swallowed and turned away, the sound of rending flesh and squelch of blood turned her stomach. There was an agonized scream from behind the veil and the hand was ripped from her wrist, leaving ugly welts and bruises upon her flesh. She watched the hand whip back behind the veil and she immediately scrambled back, forgetting the anchor she'd formed around her feet so that she fell to the ground. Her hands caught her body and stung from the impact but she no longer cared. She tried to turn around as she shakily un-wove the earthen tomb from around her feet. She crawled back away from the veil, eyes wide as they locked upon its slippery surface.

What had she done? She had just harmed someone. She had just ripped a hole in a man's arm. It wasn't like the old days or how it appeared on the TV shows. That hand wasn't mutated nor did it belong to a lurden. That hand had looked just like her father's hand, a man's hand, calloused palm and rough, warm finger tips with dark wiry hair covering the top part of the forearm. Oh god, what had she done? She'd just reacted without thinking. She hadn't checked to make sure the person was friend or foe, she had felt threatened and retaliated and she'd just hurt someone, stabbed someone.

She moaned softly and crawled towards the edge of the platform. She was going to be sick. The wolf padded to her side and nudged her gently but she could only bat it away. It didn't understand; how could it? It killed to eat; it felt no remorse, no guilt. She'd just, quite possibly, destroyed someone's hand. But she had to, didn't she? It had to be the enemy, right? So she did the right thing. She couldn't just let the person seize her. She had to be smart about this. But her stomach rebelled against everything her brain was telling her. It was one thing using her powers for the greater good but she'd never seen the damage they could do.

Suddenly, the wolf began to growl louder and fiercer than before. Cornelia turned to it, a 'shut up' jumping to the tip of her tongue only for it to fizzle and melt away as the portal rippled and birthed a new player into the surroundings. Her breath seized in her throat and ice cold fingers of fear began to trickle down her spine. Kerrigan.

"Well, I certainly wasn't expecting that." The faerie was as beautiful as ever, Cornelia thought numbly, as she watched him lick his thumb before rubbing away the coppery stains on his pristine flesh. When he was quite satisfied that he was as clean as he could get, he tugged down his white shirt sleeve, complete with a lacy cuff. "That, my dear," He sighed, looking down at her with amused blue eyes, "is the second time you've made me bleed and I must admit that I don't particularly care for the feeling. Not to mention that it takes quite a bit of energy to fix these little abrasions you feel the need to brand me with."

"You bastard." She choked out, pushing herself to her feet. She'd just about beat herself bloody, metaphorically, because she'd injured him?! "You bastard!" A metaphysical wind began to gather, ripping through the strands of her hair like urgent, greedy fingers, and ruffling her skirt. Almost mechanically, -as if she wasn't really in charge of her body-, her hands stretched out, two fingers pointed to the ground. Beneath her, the clumps of rock began to dart around frantically with her steadily growing rage.

"Why are you so angry Cornelia, surely you weren't worried about me."

"Ugh! I didn't even know it was you, if I did, I would have crushed your arm. God, what do you want from me?!"

"How interesting," He mused, stepping away from the arch way and perusing her at his leisure. "You're in full guardian uniform and," his brow furrowed with annoyance as he batted away a small rock that came at him from the side as though it were nothing more than a gnat, "you have full control of your powers. Hmm, very interesting."

"I'm a guardian of the veil. The costume and powers come with the territory." She bit out, as she began to raise the rocks.

He sighed softly. "Yes, yes, that's all very interesting but haven't you learnt your lesson before. You can't beat me, beloved. I'm a faerie, an ancient one and you're a teenager with a cute trick."

She snarled, eyes sparking with fury. A teenager with a cute trick? He had no idea who he was messing with. She wouldn't be scared off by his fancy words and she wouldn't be soothed by his placating tone. "If you were so good," She seethed, a wall of rocks coming up to flank her. "then you wouldn't have manipulated us to win!" With that, the rocks hurtled towards him at a blinding speed.

Kerrigan rolled his eyes and slid his hands into his pockets, watching as the rain of rocks battered against his shield. "Are we quite finished now? I have come here for a reason, beloved."

"I am not your beloved!" She shouted. "I'm not your anything."

"Alas, that's true. You no longer belong to me, but to the King of the Dark Throng," He smiled cruelly, "And believe me, beloved, you would rather be mine than his. Pity. You really do have such beautiful skin."

Cornelia swallowed the revulsion and just managed to stifle a shudder. "What are you talking about?"

"Why don't you come with me and find out?" His eyes lit up with a smile as they wandered to the left. "Ah, Saoirse, befriending another guardian?" The wolf growled at him and he laughed delighted. "Oh, you wasted too much energy before. This is priceless. You're here and there's nothing you can do."

Cornelia watched as the wolf snarled and lunged at the faerie only to collide with the force-field. "Don't! You'll only hurt yourself. Leave him to me."

"Cornelia, please don't embarrass yourself. There's nothing you can do. You're stuck here unless you come with me."

Another barrage of rocks battered against his shield which didn't even ripple at the force. "I can force you to do my bidding." He told her firmly. "I don't want to and it won't nearly have the same effect but I will do it if you continue to try my patience. I don't understand why you won't accept it. You lost. I won. You belong to the Dark King now and he will do with you as he pleases. There's nothing you can do, beloved. Not you and certainly not your guardian friends."

"Don't talk about my friends." She hissed, eyes frantically searching for some kind of weapon. How could she possibly fight him without a suitable weapon? She had nothing but rocks to work with and they didn't seem to do anything.

"Teenagers." The faerie groaned. "Always so hard-headed, always so unwilling to listen to reason. You, my dear, dear child, have lost. You cannot possibly conceive a victory so why do you continue on with this nonsense?" His temper rose at the final word as he sent out a rippling wave of air that collided with Cornelia's stomach with the force of one of her rocks. She expelled her breath with a cough and doubled over, wheezing from the pain. She dropped to the ground, crumbling in upon herself. Oh she hurt. That really, really hurt. Her hand clutched her stomach as she tried to get to her feet. She suddenly felt so weak.

"If only you would listen to me. You're in Ireland and there's nothing you can do. Your precious guardian friends cannot help you because there is no way for them to defeat the Sidhe. It would be suicide. This is over, I won. Accept it for if you don't, you will suffer the consequences."

The wolf leapt between them as he advanced, its lips vibrating over its teeth as it growled deep in its throat. Kerrigan simply shook his head. "I grow weary of these pointless interruptions." He swept out his foot and catching the beast in the chest, sent it spinning through the air. "You never listened to me, Saoirse and for once I wish you would. The King of the Dark Throng is gaining power, tell your lover to forfeit himself and maybe he and your sister will live to see another morn."

Cornelia sucked in a shuddering breath through her clenched teeth. Her ribs stung and ached viciously and red pain flashed like fire along her veins. He must have cracked a rib. Dark spots danced before her eyes as she tried to get to her feet. She needed to do something, fight, anything. She couldn't allow him to take her again.

"Cornelia," Kerrigan sighed, kneeling before her. She reached out to try to summon some last vestige of energy but she felt too weak. "Why can't you just surrender yourself to me? Would it really be so bad?"

"Yes." She hissed, panting shallowly.

"You have no idea of your importance in this plan. You will be worshipped."

She snorted. Funny enough, being worshipped didn't seem that tantalizing anymore. "I'd rather die."

"Melodrama has always been one of your most unattractive traits, Cornelia." Kerrigan stated as he crouch beside her. She wanted to shift away, she wanted to push him back but she was too busy trying to breathe and stay conscious. Her arms ached from the strain of trying to hold herself up because she knew that if she collapsed, that would be it. Her body wouldn't be able to hang on anymore and the wave of tiredness would swamp over her and that would be it. It would be over and he would win. She couldn't fight him if she was unconscious.

"Your force of will is admirable, Cornelia but surely even you, as hard headed as you can be, can see the fruitlessness of your plight. Just give in to me and all will be over."

"I won't give up." She bit out through chattering teeth. It was cold, it was so cold. Her body was becoming numb except for the fire in her arms and chest. Dizziness swept through her and her head felt so light yet so unbelievably heavy, she could barely hold it up. "I won't give in. They'll find me, they always do."

"Against lesser villains, true." He lifted a hand to caress her hair but she couldn't even find the energy to bat it away. "But we are immortals; we are the descendents of gods." His voice was so soothing, lulling her into his trap. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the struggling figure of the wolf, desperately trying to rise to its feet to come to her aid. The silent, stifled air was filled with the low echo of its growl but Kerrigan paid it no mind. It couldn't hurt him, nothing could.

"Why me?"

His cool fingers slid along her jaw and tilted her face to look at him. For the first time since she had met him, there wasn't a trace of arrogance in his expression; instead it was filled with tenderness and warmth. "Because you're the one. Only you can lead our people to greatness."

"I'll lead... your people to hell first." She couldn't bite back a whimper as a streak of hot molten fire seized her chest. Her vision swam and she trembled but she clung to the solid energy of the earth beneath her. She wouldn't falter. She couldn't.

"So beautiful, so fierce. You are like a goddess."

"Flattery will... get you... nowhere." It was such a chore to speak. Her vision was graying around the sides and the stone was spinning or she was... something like that. She could taste the coppery flavor of blood and figured she must have bitten her tongue sometime. It didn't hurt, maybe it should have. It was getting harder to breathe, harder to think, harder to live.

"Give in," Kerrigan whispered in her ear, his lips touching the strands of her hair as one hand stroked up and down her back. It should have been comforting, if he hadn't been her enemy. "You have been so strong but it is time for you to wake up and face your destiny." He breathed.

She wanted to sneer at him, to call him sick for becoming so ecstatic with her lessening strength. "I don't want... to wake up... I don't... want...to see...you. Just...leave me...alone!"

"I cannot," He murmured, pressing a kiss to her neck and she squeezed her eyes shut. It burned against her ice cold skin like a white hot poker. "I wish you could understand. But it is time, give yourself to the King and you will suffer no pain. You will be worshipped and idolized."

Corny! We're coming! I swear we're coming, don't give up. Don't you ever give up! We're coming!

Cornelia turned her head and gave Kerrigan a bitter smile as he frowned. "See, our bond... it's bigger than anything you can imagine. You can be... immortal but our bond is forever. We're... we're W.I.T.C.H. and they..." She paused to catch her breath, "won't forget me. So bring on your King... and your immortal whatevers; we'll kick their asses." Breathless, she spat out a mouthful of blood as she fought to remain conscious. She couldn't get enough oxygen into her lungs and her eyelids felt so very heavy.

"You and your friends are truly remarkable but, I'm afraid, there is nothing they can do, my sweet. It is already over and for them to come here would be suicide. I don't tell you think to frighten you, my pet, but because it is the truth. I am a faerie and we cannot lie. Now come," He murmured, shifting his grip on her so he could scoop her up in his arms. She offered him little resistance, she didn't have the strength to push him away from her and it felt so good to let him carry the burden. She was too far gone to care, all she wanted to do was to sink into the darkness and be free. She could hear his heart pounding methodically under her ear, a reassuring sound because if he had a heart, surely he could be killed. Even vampires could be killed if you destroyed their hearts, right? Something soft and ghostly yet warm brushed her lips and they tingled in response. Did he kiss her? Or was that something else? "So beautiful." His words sounded so far away, was he still carrying her?

"Kerrigan!"

They weren't moving anymore; at least she didn't think they were. She tried to pry her eyelids apart but it was just so hard. Slowly they parted and through her blurred vision she spied a column of blue topped with yellow at the edge of the platform.

"Kerrigan, release her. She is nothing but an innocent child; do not turn her over to that blackguard. You know what he's doing is wrong."

"Saoirse," Sear-sha? What was Sear-sha? The wolf? Was he talking to the wolf? And why did he sound so tired? "He is my liege; I am his sworn protector and servant."

"Do not do this. He is not the true king."

"Ha! You expect me to follow Quinn? And you call my King a blackguard. Quinn is nothing but a fool, a weak pathetic child who follows humans around like a worthless puppy and you expect me, a descendent of the gods, to bow down to him? He plays at something he's not and he mindlessly kowtows to the Shining Throng. If he was a true Darkling, why would he do that? For you, for his pretty princess? He will destroy us all and what we stand for. I will not stand by and watch my people lose what we are."

"What you are? Your king is a murderer, a pedophile."

"Human words. I thought you understood. We are above them. They are vermin, sowing their seed recklessly to spawn more and more of their decrepit young."

"And that's why you're cradling that human girl in your arms so tenderly? Because you think they're disgusting and useless? You are being used, Kerrigan and that is not like the Kerrigan I once knew. He would not stand by and be any King's lackey. What has happened to you?"

"If you do not know that, then you never knew me at all." Kerrigan growled and something in Cornelia wanted to soothe the awful pain in his voice. He sounded so torn, so... angry and confused. Was he capable of feeling those emotions? "I beg your pardon, Banphrionsa d'Oiche but I must take my leave. The Dark King is waiting for our fair prisoner to awaken from her sleep."

"Give her more time, Kerrigan. She is just a child," Cornelia frowned. Who was that woman calling her a child? She didn't sound that much older, even if she spoke like she'd just emerged from a Regency romance novel. "You know what will happen to her, she will be used and then she will die."

"She will give her life for the King's most wonderful gift to us all."

"You don't believe any of that and what of Aisling, do you care naught for her? She trusted you."

"She is a princess of the Shining Throng, she needs nothing from me. She has your Quinn."

"You utter... imbecile. Is that what this comes down? Your hurt pride? You are willing to sacrifice such a beautiful child who shows such promise for the human race because your ego is wounded? Kerrigan... then if you will not think of Aisling and you will not consider Cornelia or her friends, then will you please consider Darcy, she's your cousin."

She felt his arms tighten around her, pulling her more firmly against his warmth but her mind was spinning. Who were all these people? Aisling, Darcy, Quinn? What had they to do with anything? "Darcy has nothing to worry about, if she gives up her foolish pursuits, she will be welcomed back into the throng."

"As what? A chambermaid? A harlot for them to use as they wish? Can you stand by and watch that happen to her?"

"She made her choice, just as you made yours. Now, please, Saoirse, save us both the agony of these reminiscences and let me be. I don't know why you worry so, there's naught you can do and should a war break out, it won't affect you anyway. You're dead, my dear and nothing, short of possessing your sister, will bring you back."

If there was anything said after that, Cornelia never heard as she could no longer hold onto her consciousness by her fingernails and she finally let go, sinking down in to the depths of the darkness.

---

Kerrigan awoke slowly from his travels, his eyes burning as though they had been open for days rather than closed for hours. He felt exhausted and his limbs were heavy with the weight of fatigue. Slowly he sat up and turned his head to study the slumbering figure on the cot beside him. He sighed heavily, lifting a finger and trailing it over her features. Such a beautiful child, yet cursed with so many flaws, he mused. So vain and arrogant and yet, so focused and determined. She was a cacophony of contradictions all merged into one very luscious body, it was no wonder she attracted such attention from the humans and faeries alike. He'd already caught a few of the younger males in the fort spying upon her and he counted himself fortunate that he had been clever enough to place a few extra seals upon the door to bar their entrance otherwise the King's wrath would have fallen upon his head. He was responsible for the Earth Guardian and nothing was to soil her before she came to the King.

It was her own fault. If she hadn't been so powerful and so desperate to show that power, the King wouldn't have seen the need to possess her. Unfortunately her affinity for the element of earth made her a worthy acquisition and the King always liked to own the most valuable of objects.

He cast his magic like a cloak over her and swept her body with a quick check up. She was suffering from nothing but a lack of energy, all the wounds received in the dreamscape were moot and void in the real world. The only things the dreamscape could cause were exhaustion; for the victim to go into a coma through a loss of self, or even death through a lack of energy to keep the body functioning properly. Even Kerrigan could suffer the effects of remaining too long in the Dreamscape. He snorted with amusement; had she put up any more of a struggle, he would have failed in his mission to extract her and that would have angered the King terribly. Kerrigan hated to anger the King.

Slowly he rose to his feet, his gaze remaining on the slumbering girl as he retracted his power from her body. She looked so soft and vulnerable lying there, it would be so easy just to sink his hand into her chest and squelch her heart. It would be the merciful thing to do but his King would have him killed for such treachery. He could have him killed for such treacherous thoughts but alas, it was hard not to pity the young impressionable human. She could not be completely held accountable for her faults, it was the world in which she had been brought up in, it catered to her vanity and her belief of self importance, making her believe she was better than others. At least now she would finally serve a greater purpose.

He leaned down and brushed a soft, tender kiss upon her chilled lips and a frown flickered over his impassive features. The room was too cold for her, he would have to see that she got warmer bedclothes; the outfit she was clad in was certainly unsuitable for her stay in the dungeons, no matter how becoming the lace concoction was on her comely body.

With a sigh, he turned on his heel and stepped quickly to the cell door, his hand resting over the seal on the door to open his personal locks. As they clicked open like tumblers in his mind, He threw the bolt across and pried open the heavy metal door, cringing at the stench of iron that had been mixed into the bronze gate. Stepping out, rubbing his fingers against the fabric of his pants, he inhaled deeply before grimacing. The dungeon was always prone to damp and rot but over the years, it had gotten steadily worse, mixed with the scents of fear and blood. Personally fear had always served as a great aphrodisiac for him but recently, the scent held little appeal. He was becoming jaded in his old age.

"Lord Kerrigan."

Kerrigan turned his attention to the two large men standing before him. "It's done; she'll awake in two hours."

"Milord, the King-"

"Give her two hours to recover her strength; then the King can do with her as he wishes. I wash my hands of this."

"Very well, the King will be most pleased with your result."

Kerrigan felt disgust and anger well up inside him but he kept his mask of impassiveness fixed firmly over his features but it didn't quite hide the way his eyes turned hard and glacial. Part of him wanted them to see his loathing for his predicament but he was too good at court politics to make any costly mistakes. They could take what they want from his tone, from his attitude but he wouldn't betray himself. Not with his life at stake. Not even he was that careless.

He turned back to the door and inscribed the ruins and charms he felt were necessary to keep the girl safe from harm and without another comment, he strode down the corridor towards the dark shadows that lingered just out of the lanterns reach.

---

Will wasn't ready for the scene that confronted her when she and Taranee burst into the den. Part of her had been expecting Kerrigan, nothing else could have caused as much of a ruckus unless Phobos had escaped and had come to earth with the intention of ambushing them when they were at their weakest but he had never had cause to leave Meridian before. But it wasn't Phobos or Kerrigan. Instead, she was confronted with Irma thrashing on the couch against Malachi's restraining grip as she screamed hoarse and incoherent words while Hay Lin lay comatose on the floor.

"Malachi? What are you doing?" She shouted, racing over to pry his hands off her water guardian.

"She just freaked out!" He shouted back. His face strained with the challenge of holding down the spry girl. "I don't know what's wrong! I can't let her go, Will, she tried to punch her fist through the coffee table!"

"Hay Lin?!" Taranee yelled, throwing herself to her knees beside the prone air guardian. The Chinese girl was lying on her side, her knees pulled to her chest, her face twisted in agony as she breathed in raggedy breaths, cringing against the shudders that wracked her body.

"What's going on?"

Will shook her head at Taranee. She didn't know. She didn't know why her guardians were acting like this. The pipes were clanking loudly making it hard to think as it combined with cacophony of screaming and whimpering. Her eyes flicked to the glass topped coffee table where water lay in a puddle, dripping slow and methodically to the wooden floor. On the TV screen the words 'GAME OVER' stood out in stark contrast against the black background.

"Hay Lin, wake up! Come on, Hay Lin, you have to wake up. This isn't the time to sleep." Taranee coaxed, her wild eyes darting to Will with a sense of hopelessness. "I can't wake her."

"CORNY!"

"Irma, please, stop this. Corny's not here. You can't-" He broke off with a gasp as Irma's knee grazed him a little too close for comfort.

Will stared in shock, her mind in a whirl. What was she supposed to do? Cornelia would have known what to do. Cornelia would have already fixed the problem. What was she supposed to do? Her hair stood on end and she thrust her hand into the opening of her top, pulling out the pink glowing orb dangling from the fine silver chain.

"GUARDIANS UNITE!"

---

Hay Lin really wasn't sure what had happened to leave her lying on the floor gasping for breath, her lungs feeling constricted by an iron band squeezing and squeezing as if it could turn her lungs to mush. She was cold, her teeth chattering adding another layer of hysteria to her wheezing breaths.

It was strange though. She didn't remember anything attacking her and she was very sure she wasn't bleeding but she was oh so scared and she hurt all over. It was like she was dying and her vision was graying and in the distance, as if from far away, she could hear someone screaming. She wasn't sure who though, but it sounded like Irma. Had Kerrigan attacked again? Somehow she didn't think so and yet... she felt as if he had.

She moaned pitifully and brought her knees to her chest, as if by curling up she could escape the pain; hide from the darkness threatening to consume her. Where were the others? Were they ok? What about Malachi? He'd been sitting with Irma on his lap in the den as they watched her battle Seymour –an easier bad guy in her opinion. Then something had happened, she couldn't remember what though.

Had Irma screamed?

There was a loud clanging and banging sound coming from somewhere, as if someone was hitting the pipes with a spanner. Maybe someone was. Great sounds could be made out of the most unlikely things. She liked to take a wooden spoon to a pot; it made music so much more exciting. But this didn't sound like music and it didn't lift her spirit, no it hurt her head and crushed her chest. Oh but it hurt.

She could hear screaming... no not screaming, shouting but panicked shouting. As though the person was trying not to scream and instead was shouting themselves hoarse. She wished they wouldn't.

Was Irma ok? She felt as though she shouldn't worry about Irma but there was something cold and acrid at the back of her tongue, she could taste it and she didn't like it. It didn't taste like home cooking, but mixed in with the horrible taste, was a flavor that seemed uniquely Irma-ish. If Irma had a taste that is. She'd never actually licked Irma, why would she? But this tasted of Irma... like pear flavored water?

"GUARDIANS UNITE!"

The words echoed through the dark fog surrounding her and then, with wide eyes, she watched a swirling blue orb penetrate the darkness, like a really large firefly, zipping and swooping through the black backdrop before it found her, hovering over her face as if it were making sure it had the right person. She smiled at it, it was so cute. Like a little puppy only not puppy shaped or solid, it was after all just a blue orb of light. Then it flew up, arched and then plunged into her chest causing her to arch her back and throw her head back.

"Ooh." She moaned, her head becoming dizzy from the euphoria spreading out in comforting waves from her chest. She suddenly felt lighter than air and yet, as energized as a sea breeze and strong, so strong. The caressing fingers of air began to brush past her, twirling her in its grasp as it lifted her out of the darkness and into the embracing blue light. She closed her eyes, soaking in the power buzzing through her veins. She suddenly felt so good. The darkness was banished and the coldness that had chilled her veins had been swept away by the summer zephyr.

Joy lifted her heart as she threw her arms wide to embrace the energy flowing through her and with it sanity returned as it blew out the emotions she knew weren't hers. A sense of security and peace seeped into her. She felt her lips curve as the transformation finished off, leaving her dressed in her usual purple flowing skirt, her teal green top, striped socks and long hair –she never had short hair when she transformed.

"THE HEART!"

"WATER!"

"FIRE!"

...

"AIR!" She frowned, turning to the other girls. It wasn't the same transforming without Corny. Her timing was off too, she mused with a pout.

"Do you always call out that stuff when you transform and pose?" Malachi asked dryly as he slowly got to his feet, his left hand reaching behind him to rub his back as though it ached. It was on the tip of Hay Lin's tongue to say something about old age when her memories came rushing back.

"Oh!"

"Thank god you're ok!" Taranee blurted out, flying over to seize the youngest guardian in a hard hug before pulling back just as quickly, hot color blossoming in her cheeks. "Oh sorry."

"Yeah, good to see you guys back and sane," Will smiled; then she folded her arms and tapped her foot. "But, do you mind explaining what just happened? We left you for fifteen minutes tops and when we come back, we find the plumping about to break, you," She pointed to Irma who was quietly hugging herself but the crazed look had left her eyes, "are being held down by Malachi and screaming like a crazy woman and you," She turned to look at Hay Lin who sheepishly flushed, "are on the ground curled up in a ball and whimpering. If you were a guy I would have guessed you'd been kneed in the nuts but you're female Hay Lin –unless you have something you've been hiding. So please, enlighten us... so I can give Michael a reasonably good excuse as to why the bathrooms are flooded."

"Flooded?" Hay Lin squeaked, head snapping to Irma. "Wow."

Irma groaned and flopped dramatically onto the couch behind her. "Great, I've turned your whole house into an indoor pool." Despite the words, there was something decidedly flat about the tone.

"Yeah, mind explaining why you did that?"

"I... have no idea. One minute I'm talking to him and the next..."

"I spilt water." Hay Lin blurted out, the image playing back in her mind. "I was fighting Seymour and man is he a toughie if you don't use the right tactics and there I am, using my Reflect spell and trying to shield off his Flare attacks which do mucho damage and Tidus is trying to Haste everyone and Yunie keeps dying, which I didn't understand because she had Reflect too. And every time she died, I had to recast Haste before I could cast Reflect... oh that's probably why she died. Seymour's such a git-"

"Hay Lin!" Will called. "I know you're the air guardian, but please, breathe and focus."

"Yeah, maybe you could, you know, try to stay on topic?" Taranee suggested with a shrug as she tugged the hem of her top suspiciously. "Hey do you think this has shrunk? I really don't remember it being so tight. You don't think it could crush my ribs, do you?"

Malachi simply stared at her before inching closer to Irma. The girl might have just scratched him up as well as punching him and giving him a few well aimed kicks, but at least he felt more comfortable with her odd topics of conversation. And at least being close to her gave him a chance to look her over. "You scared me," He whispered softly, stroking a hand through her hair. Instead of pushing him away with a dry, witty quip, she turned into him and gripped his t-shirt tightly in her fist.

"On topic, Taranee." Will advised mildly, waving her hand when the girl flushed and began to apologize. Seemingly the crisis was averted but she was still curious as to why she'd just walked in on her cousin restraining the screaming water guardian while her air guardian wept on the floor. "Hay Lin, you said you spilt water? Is that what caused this?"

"I'm still not sure what this is but... I remember spilling the water because I was reaching for something... um the Pringles. They were there-" She pointed to a spot on the coffee table –though the Pringle tub was now lying on its side on the floor where it must have rolled during the situation. "-and..." She shook her head. "I don't remember. I just felt cold and it was so dark and-" her hands jumped to her chest. "my ribs, they hurt. It was like having my lungs squeezed by a really big iron hand. Like, like Collosus, you know from Xmen, the metal guy, squeezing my chest."

"And boy does that sound perverted." Will mused before shaking her head. That was such an Irma comment she was surprised the brunette hadn't said it... her eyes latched onto her water guardian and her red brows quirked in surprise at the way Irma curved under Malachi's arm, as if seeking comfort from him. That just wasn't like her Irma. Had something else happened? Keeping her eyes on Irma, she addressed her next question to Hay Lin. "How do you feel now?"

"Uh, great. Kinda... I feel warm again and my ribs don't hurt...but they do. That doesn't make sense."

"Phantom pains," Taranee offered. "When you feel something intense, your mind remembers the pain even when your body has full recuperated. It's pretty normal."

"Oh, good. I think." The air guardian nodded cheerfully though her eyes weren't as bright and an aura of confusion seemed to surround her as her eyes flickered to Irma and back to the others.

"Ok, what about you Mal, what do you remember?"

Malachi stretched his neck and wasn't quite satisfied until he heard it pop much to the disgust of Taranee who grimaced at the display. He had a vague urge to grin at her but feeling Irma's shaking body under his arm seemed to drain all the humor out of situation. He admired the girls and their ability to stay strong after facing so much danger but each of them had to have a breaking point and he was afraid that Irma might have reached hers.

"Well, we were talking and Hay Lin was playing until she knocked over the glass."

"What were you talking about?"

Malachi looked down at Irma's head as if expecting her to say something but she remained lost in her thoughts, staring down at her fingers. "About Taranee hearing her thoughts. She was trying to figure out if Taranee could read minds or could she project her thoughts..." He trailed off with a shrug. "Then Hay Lin spilt the water and Irma leaned forward to clean up the mess with her powers and she just stared for a moment before she... freaked out." Again he looked to his girlfriend, wondering if she was going to protest his comment. "She kept screaming for Cornelia and when she started to try to punch through the glass top I..." he trailed off with a shrug. "I had to stop her."

Will nodded agreeing, but her eyes were wide on her friend. Strong and witty Irma, the first to jump into danger and the one who always tried to see the lighter side to the big evil, was now cowering on the couch. "Irma," she whispered, crouching down, needing to see Irma's face. There were dried tracks of tears down her face and her eyes were blood shot but she was quiet and reserved now as she sat close to Malachi. It broke her heart to see her friend like that. She wanted to touch her but the way her body was acting recently, that might not be such a good idea. Especially since Irma was the air guardian.

"I don't know what happened Will, but I do know that Corny's in trouble."

"Uh, no offense Irms, but we already knew that."

"No! Like right now she's in trouble. I saw it… I don't know how but it wasn't a dream."

"You weren't sleeping." Malachi murmured. "You looked into the glass and started screaming-"

"Yeah, well you would have too if you saw Cornelia battling Kerrigan in some kind of strange world of darkness."

"The dreamscape."

Irma blinked and looked at Will. "I wasn't dreaming." She reaffirmed sharply.

"A world of darkness with nothing but starlight and rocks, right? Like ancient buildings-"

"No there were no buildings, just tons of floating rocks and darkness and an archway."

"That's the dreamscape." Will sighed. "That's where Kerrigan put me before Aisling saved me. The archway is where Kerrigan enters but that's the only way he can enter."

"Yeah… that sounds right. And there was a wolf, a white one."

"Oh! Like White Fang?" Hay Lin chirped.

Will frowned. "Saoirse."

"Yeah but she was actually a woman and-"

"Saoirse?" Malachi gasped. "But she's dead."

"A ghost." Will explained. "Ok, so Cornelia was in the dreamscape and you saw in it in the water? What happened then?"

"She fainted. He took her through the arch and then… I can't remember much else."

The girls and boy fell into silence as they tried to work out everything in their heads. Cornelia was in more danger than they had believed. If Kerrigan was fighting her, how could she stand against him. She was strong but even she had her limits and Kerrigan was so strong.

"Oh, of course. Water!" Taranee blurted out.

"What?"

"I read it on one of those sites. People can use water to scry, uh I mean, see things. It's like a supernatural TV where you can see someone or something happening right then and there or something that's going to happen."

"So you scryed? Isn't that a real witch thing?" Hay Lin queried, peering closely at Irma who rolled her eyes as she shifted away from Malachi and pulled her knees to her chest, not minding the way her short skirt inching up, the tights hid everything anyway.

"Our powers are changing." Will mused, tapping her lower lip as she took a seat on the nearest chair. "Taranee can read the minds of… well Irma so far. Irma saw something in water. Hay Lin… you must have been feeling what Irma was feeling or channeling Cornelia. You've done it before."

"Yeah but only in dreams- oh last night. I wasn't sleeping then."

"No you're beginning to do it awake too." The red head leader sighed.

"Oh." Hay Lin whispered, rubbing her chest uneasily. She didn't think she liked that power much. It hurt. At least this power wasn't nearly as destructive as her air powers- another thought occurred to her. "And Will's acting like we did when we first got our powers." She added.

"What?" Will gasped.

"Think about it. Whenever we first got our elemental powers, we caused all sorts of chaos. Irma squirted anyone every time she was near water. I sneezed once and destroyed my room. Every plant around Cornelia found a new lease of life and Taranee was a regular fire starter. You're acting the same way only with lightning. I think it might be time for you to embrace it."

"Lightning's not an element." Taranee told Hay Lin pointedly.

"Well in the Chinese elements, air isn't an element."

"Is lightning?"

"That's not the point. Will's obviously got some kind of power trying to get out anyway it can. If she doesn't use it the way we do then she's going to hurt herself."

"Hay Lin, it's not like that. It's just a side effect of my time in the dreamscape. I used Lightning to kill… to destroy a giant spider."

"Ha, see you used Lightning. You used it because it's your element!"

"If it was her element," Irma mumbled, "then why didn't your grandmother tell her to use it when we first transformed? We could have had a better advantage against Phobos." Her eyes were closed so she didn't see the way her friend flinched at the callous mention of her weakness during their battles in Meridian.

"But what if she wasn't ready to use it then."

"Hay Lin. I don't have the power of lightning. If I did, wouldn't I have been able to use it when I transformed?" The red head tugged at her skirt, indicating her change from normal girl to magical winged warrior.

Hay Lin pouted and sighed. "I guess…"

"Get my iPod, Hay Lin."

Hay Lin opened her mouth to say something but relented and nodded, scrambling to her feet and scurrying over to the mantelpiece where the small black apparatus lay harmlessly. The other three watched warily as Irma took it from her friend and with deft fingers, she accessed what she wanted, plugging the earbuds into her ears and then the loud buzz of music drowned out everything else. Irma closed her eyes and slumped back into the couch, the music running along her frayed nerves and soothing each coarse strand. So Kerrigan thought he had beaten them, did he? Well they'd show him. They weren't the guardians for nothing. Hadn't they defeated Phobos? And that was without any practice. They were stronger now, they were gaining strength each and every day. They could and would destroy Kerrigan and they'd take Cornelia back.

"We can't stay here." She finally said, opening her eyes as the vocalists from Jimmy Eat World shouted in her ear. "We're not getting anything done and with every hour Cornelia grows weaker."

Will nodded. "She's right. We tried playing by their rules but that's achieved nothing."

"But-" Taranee opened her mouth to protest only to close it. "You're right. Cornelia's in danger. Playing by the rules is just going to get her killed."

"And a dead Corny is bad. We can't be WITH! That's a stupid name."

"If you're going, I'm going with you." Despite the fact that he pitched his voice loud enough to be heard by the others, it was obvious to all of them that his words were directed at Irma.

"Uh, no you're not. You don't have any powers and we can't-"

Malachi fixed his dark eyes on the girls before him. "I know my way around Ireland and I'm not incapable of protecting myself."

"If we can't fight one faerie together, then you're in really big trouble." Will pointed out.

"I'm still going. I'm older than you will so don't dare try to pull rank. Even if by some feat of accomplishment, you manage to get me to stay here; I'll follow you as soon as I can. And I know where the gateway to Faerie is, something you four don't."

"Ugh, you just know he's going to follow anyway."

Will sighed at Irma's words, silently agreeing but before she could say anything more, her hair stood on air and suddenly the room was filled with a highly charged atmosphere. A slight wind picked up and the girls glared accusingly at the air guardian who shook her head. It wasn't her and the light that had suddenly begun to glow out of the corner of their eyes didn't belong to her either. Will whipped round and gasped, stumbling back as Elyon formed before them. She wasn't solid though, they could easily see the couch behind her.

"Elyon!"

"Hey Elyon!" Hay Lin greeted cheerfully, waving manically as if she was unsure the princess of Meridian could really see her.

"Guys, I need you to come to Meridian immediately. We have a problem!"

"'Bout time." Irma grunted, jumping to her feet and flexing her fists. She was ready and willing to kick ass. Just point her in the right direction.

"How do we get there?" Will asked.

"I've opened the network. You're free to come through anywhere, anytime. Just please, hurry. I need you guys." The plea in the girls' voice, the imploring look in her soft blue eyes pulled at their heartstrings.

"We'll be there."

"You can count on us Elyon."

"Thanks Hay Lin. See you all very soon."

She disappeared faster than she arrived and with less dramatic effect; one minute she was there, the next minute she winked out.

Will turned to the girls. "You ready for this? Then let's do it."

"Hold on, my potions and stuff." Taranee yelped.

"TARANEE!"

"Hurry and go get them. Then we're going to Meridian and then we'll go save Cornelia." And with that Will held out the Heart and opened a portal to Meridian. It was time to finally do something.

---

To be continued

---

A.N. Well I hope you all enjoyed that chapter. Really writing this story can be so complex because I have so many points of view to touch on in this story and all of them can be so exciting. Again if you have any questions feel free to PM me or review and ask and I'll reply to them as best as I can.

Oh and I'm looking for a BETA, someone who'll proof read my work and help me with the plot whenever I'm struggling for inspiration. If you'd like the job PM me or even email me –both can be accessed on my profile.

I'm going to be starting uni next week so hopefully I'll be able to find some time in between assignments to write but no promises I'm afraid.

And please review. It's so disheartening seeing 20,000 hits for the story and then only get 8 reviews for a chapter. I work hard on the story; it'd be nice if some of you lurkers would review occasionally instead of just adding the story to your favorites list.