Author's Note: Thanks to all who reviewed. I honestly have no idea where this story is going, but it won't leave me alone, so we'll see.
Part 2
It had been over an hour and Will hadn't woken up yet; it was the longest she had been unconscious. Caleb was getting more and more worried, and was surprised he hadn't paced a hole in the floor. With a groan of frustration he sat on the floor next to the bed, and watched her sleep for a few minutes before leaning his head against the wall behind him and looking up at the ceiling. "Wake up, Will," he pleaded.
Soon Aldarn returned and told Caleb where Blunk was waiting for him. "What are you going to do, Caleb?" he asked curiously.
"I'm going to have him find us a portal. Maybe if I can get her back to Earth and the other Guardians…" Caleb shrugged as he grabbed his coat off the ground and put it on. The truth was he wasn't entirely sure what he was going to do. All he knew was that he needed to help her somehow, and he didn't feel like he could do that here.
"Caleb…" Will called weakly from the bed.
Caleb turned and rushed to her side; he hadn't realized that she had woken up. "Will? Are you all right?"
"We can't tell the others," she whispered.
Caleb shook his head and sat next to her on the bed. She must be delirious, he thought. "What? Will, we need their help."
Will shook her head slowly. "They can't do anything. I can't transform them…or myself. They aren't strong enough in human form."
Caleb looked away from her and rubbed his eyes, realizing that she was right. They couldn't come here in their human forms…or they shouldn't anyway. They would be sitting ducks for Phobos and his goons. And they couldn't easily hide Will in her Guardian form on Earth. He turned back to her meeting her eyes, which were pleading with him not to tell the others what happened.
"All right," he finally whispered. "I'll think of something."
Will nodded and smiled weakly before closing her eyes again. Caleb watched for a few minutes until her breathing evened out and he knew she was asleep again. He found her hand in the blankets and gently squeezed it before standing back up and facing Aldarn.
"Stay with her," he ordered. "I won't be gone long." Aldarn nodded in agreement and watched as Caleb left, before settling himself on the floor where he could see the Guardian leader.
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Caleb returned two hours later, and Will was still asleep. After sending his friend off to bed he settled down on the ground next to the bed and thought about the day they had had, and what he had just done. Instead of sending Blunk to Earth to get the girls, he had sent him with a message: they were fine, but they needed to hide out for a few days, and they would need to cover for Will. He just hoped they believed that story.
He glanced over at Will and watched her sleep for a few minutes, reaching out and taking her hand again. After a while he drifted off to sleep, too. He hadn't been asleep long, when Will calling his name awakened him.
"Hey," Caleb greeted quietly as he stiffly moved to sit on the edge of the bed. Apparently, sleeping with his back against the rock wall was not the best idea, not to mention the fact that he had been thrown across a battlefield earlier.
"Hey," she replied, smiling weakly. "Did you see Blunk?"
"Yeah, I told him to find Cornelia and tell her that we had to hide out here for a few days. I didn't think Irma or the others would believe that story coming from Blunk," he explained. "Hopefully, she'll be convincing."
"Not to mention the bonus points you'll get for sending him to your girlfriend, and showing her that you're thinking about her," Will added, smiling.
"That, too." Caleb grinned and thought that he needed all the bonus points he could get. Although he didn't think that was going to make a big difference for too much longer. He took a deep breath and shook his head to clear away his thoughts. Now was not the time to think about that.
He looked back down at Will, realizing that her hand was still in his…and that it felt good. "Are you okay?" Caleb asked as she started shivering.
"Cold," Will responded, her teeth chattering. What was wrong with her? she wondered. She hadn't been cold a minute ago, but now she was freezing. Then she rearranged the blanket that was covering her in an attempt to get warm.
Caleb quickly released her hand and stood, offering to build a fire. Just as he started piling wood in the fire pit in the corner he heard her gasp, and turned to see Will surrounded by a pink aura.
"What the…" he whispered, standing up. She slowly floated off the bed, stopping about shoulder level with him. The pink light began pulsing in time with her heartbeat, which he could hear echoing through the cave. Caleb walked over, reached out to her, and received a large shock. He hastily pulled his hand back and stared in amazement as the light faded and she was gently lowered back to the bed.
When the light was completely gone he rushed to her side only to discover that she was unconscious again. Caleb checked her pulse and was pleased to see that it was stronger than it had been earlier, and she wasn't so deathly pale anymore. But the shivering had started again.
He grabbed the blanket that had fallen to the ground when she had floated off the bed and covered her again. Then he ran to the trunk in the corner that held his clothes and pulled out another blanket before returning to building a fire. Once he had a good blaze going he returned to Will's side, watching as she continued to shake, hoping that it would stop soon.
Caleb wasn't sure how long he just sat there holding her hand and watching her, thinking about how much he hated this. Then, for some unknown reason the memory of the first time they met popped into his mind. She had been so strong…so independent…and now…now she was lying unconscious and shivering uncontrollably.
This was his fault. If he hadn't insisted that they didn't need the other Guardians then this wouldn't have happened. The others would have been able to help and she wouldn't have drained her powers fighting off Cedric. He would never forgive himself if she wasn't okay, and the more she slept the more scared he became.
And what was that light that had surrounded her? It looked like it had been coming from the Heart, but was it helping her or harming her? And why was she so cold all of a sudden? Three blankets covered her and there was a fire burning, but she was still shivering. As Will continued to shake he did the only other thing he could think of to warm her up. He removed his shoes before pulling back the covers and climbing into the bed next to her; then wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close.
Caleb breathed a sigh of relief when a few minutes later Will finally stopped shivering, and shortly after that he relaxed enough to drift off to sleep as well.
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When Caleb woke up the next day it took him a minute to figure out why he couldn't move his arm. It wasn't until he opened his eyes and saw Will's red hair that it all came flooding back to him…the nightmare, the battle, Cedric, and Will… He shifted his position and realized that Will was lying on his arm. No wonder he couldn't move. He gently moved her and pulled his arm out and then sat up in the bed, thinking about the previous day's events.
Will stirred and slowly woke up feeling relaxed and refreshed. She looked around the room in confusion, unsure of where she was before she remembered everything that had happened.
Caleb felt her move and looked down at her as she tried to figure out where she was. "Morning," he greeted.
Will rolled over and smiled as she stretched. "Morning."
"How are you feeling?" Caleb asked quietly as he moved out from under the covers.
"Better," she replied as she glanced at the spot he had just vacated.
Caleb saw her glance, and blushed as he looked away from her. "Um…I…you were shivering and I didn't know how else to get you to stop. The blankets and fire didn't seem to be enough," he said, feeling the need to explain why they had been sleeping in the same bed.
Will nodded in understanding. "Thank you," she said quietly. Actually, she had liked waking up beside him. She had felt safe…and comfortable.
They spent the rest of the day resting, allowing Will to regain her strength, and talking. They discussed what had happened the day before and Caleb had repeatedly apologized for not bringing the other Guardians, and joining in on the fight. He also asked her about the pink light that had surrounded her when she had been cold. As far as either of them had been able to figure out, the Heart of Candracar had been healing her…but they weren't really sure. They had talked about anything and everything, and although they had known each other for nearly two years, both were surprised by how much they hadn't known.
At the end of the day Caleb offered to sleep on the floor, but Will wouldn't allow it; she felt bad about taking his bed. Both slept in the bed again, and neither could remember having a better night's sleep. The next morning Will decided that she felt well enough to try using her powers. So Caleb led her to a large open cavern that had once been a meeting area within the Infinite City, but was now abandoned.
Will fluttered her wings experimentally and gently floated off the floor, and soon rose as high as the ceiling. Then she flew in circles around the cavern while Caleb leaned against the wall watching her.
After a while, Will floated down and hovered above him, grinning mischievously. "You wanna fly?"
Caleb shook his head, laughing. "Not particularly." Actually, he really didn't want to fly. Even after nearly two years of flying with the girls he still didn't like it. He stepped away from the wall and stood in the center of the cavern, smiling as Will began flying in circles around him, rising higher with each loop. Was it his imagination or was she flying a lot better than she usually did?
Then without warning a voice yelled Caleb's name, echoing throughout the cave, and startling Will so much that her wings stopped and she fell from the air. Luckily, Caleb caught her with one arm wrapped around her back and the other under her knees before she hit the ground. Will's arms wrapped around his neck, and all at once she was overcome by a sense of déjà vu, and then started laughing as she remembered the first time they met. He had caught her and stopped her from falling then, too.
"Haven't we done this before?" Will asked still laughing.
"The oubliette," Caleb answered, nodding as he relived the same memory. She was the first Guardian he had met, and at the time he hadn't realized how much that was going to change his life.
Will remembered Caleb attempting to throw Blunk out of the hole, and that made her laugh harder. When throwing Blunk hadn't worked he had insisted that if she stood on his shoulders, and Blunk stood on hers they would be able to get out of the hole.
"What's so funny?" Caleb, confused by her reaction, asked. He didn't recall being trapped at the bottom of the oubliette being that funny. Shaking his head, he tightened his arms around Will, holding her closer. "Still a short read head with attitude," he muttered under his breath.
For some reason that sobered her up, and she stopped laughing. Her eyes met his and she wondered how she had never noticed how green his eyes were before. Their eyes held on each other as she gently fingered the hair at the base of his neck. Caleb's heart started to race when he felt her hand in his hair, and his mouth suddenly seemed extremely dry.
"Hey, I'm a Guardian of the Veil, buddy. You're just some guy at the bottom of a hole," she whispered, repeating her words from their first meeting.
Caleb smiled as he swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. Had it gotten hot in there? he wondered. Then, as if in slow motion they moved towards each other. Just as their lips were about to touch, they heard the same voice yelling Caleb's name again. This time he was able to identify the voice as Vathek's, another rebel, and he was close. They immediately separated, and Caleb set Will down before taking a few steps away from her. What had just happened? He had almost kissed Will!
Moments later Vathek entered the cavern, and looked at the pair suspiciously. They were standing on opposite sides of the room, very obviously avoiding looking at each other. Of course Aldarn and some of the others had told him what had happened. Caleb and Will seemed anxious, but with everything that had happened he guessed that made sense. Vathek shook his head, deciding he was imagining things, and told Caleb that Blunk had been seen in the village…alone.
Caleb shot a glance at Will, hoping that meant the girls had bought his story. After delivering the message Vathek turned and left them alone again in an awkward silence.
"Um…" Will started nervously. He was looking at her again, and for some reason she was having a hard time thinking straight. Eventually the reason they had found this cave returned to her mind. "So, flying's good. Um…what else should I try?"
Caleb shook his head to clear away the cobwebs. At that particular moment he was having difficulty with his thoughts as well. The only thought running through his mind was how good…how right she had felt in his arms…. and how that wasn't a good thing. "Um…how about that energy beam thing?" he finally suggested.
Will nodded and scanned the area for a target, spotting a large boulder in the corner. Caleb moved to stand behind her as she held her right arm straight out in front of her, concentrating and then releasing her power creating a pink bolt of energy. The beam destroyed the boulder, and then, unexpectedly, bounced off the wall behind it. Will rapidly dove out of the way, but unfortunately, Caleb didn't see it coming and was hit in the stomach.
Will stared at the shattered boulder in disbelief for a minute from her place on the ground before noticing that Caleb was doubled over in pain. "Are you okay?" she asked, hastily getting back on her feet.
"I think so," Caleb answered, groaning.
"Let me see." She pulled the bottom of his shirt up and winced at the sight of the red welt on his stomach. She gently fingered the rapidly forming bruise, causing him to hiss in pain. She glanced at the remains of the boulder, and then back at Caleb's stomach. "I'm really sorry," she apologized. That had never happened before. She had broken things apart, but she had never completely destroyed something. And the beam had certainly never ricocheted like that before…she could have really hurt him.
"Well, that's never happened before," Will stated, surprisingly calm. She looked at Caleb, who was staring at the rock. "Are you sure you're all right?"
Caleb turned back to her, meeting her eyes, and nodded. He smiled slightly to reassure her, and she released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. Suddenly, Caleb was very much aware that her hand was still resting against his stomach, and his heart started beating a little faster. What was going on? It was Will…just Will. Okay, he thought, she would never be "just Will." But why was an innocent touch making it so hard for him to breathe? And why had they almost kissed earlier?
He raised his hand and wrapped it around hers. He had intended to push her hand away, but instead he found himself intertwining his fingers with her, and lowered their joined hands to his side.
Will's eyes left his, and looked at their joined hands…they seemed to fit together so well. She reached over and took his free hand in hers before meeting Caleb's eyes again. Their hands together seemed so right to her, and that bothered her. She had a boyfriend. Sure, she wanted to break up with him, but… Caleb squeezed her hands gently, and every thought flew out of her head as he slowly leaned towards her until their lips met.