Hi,

this chapter is a little different, in the sense that it's not written from May's POV, like the others are. I hope this isn't confusing, I just thought it was time someone else got some lovin'.

In the groups final moments together, when the guards stormed the house and dragged them from Dawn's room, she'd clung to Paul. She'd been too distraught to wonder if he minded the physical contact and had cried as he clutched her to his chest. Even as the guards began to peel him from her, he'd held onto her. Even now, hours later, it was still being away from Paul that was the worst part. Dawn began to wonder when exactly she'd fallen in love with her polar opposite.

She knew that was what it was. She'd known she had feelings for him for a while, but as they tugged her away from him, and as she realised she was so scared because he would no longer be beside her like he'd always been, it was as though it clicked into place. Suddenly, she understood everything she felt, right as it was all torn away from her.

She peeled open her eyes, which were puffy and stung from crying. She could feel cold concrete beneath her, and once her eyes adjusted she noticed the thick, impenetrable metal bars sealing her from the outside world. These weren't the cells underground at the old arena, or she would have recognised them. She pushed herself up with her arms to look around.

There was nothing in her cell but herself. She at least thought they'd give her a bed. After all, she could be here for a long time. They'd be building new arenas, since the old one was trashed, and that would take time despite the extensive number of people involved in the project. When Dawn could hear over her own sobbing, she'd taken in every bit of Cynthia's conversation with Giovanni that she could. They were to be kept here, in these holding cells, until new arenas were ready. There would be one in every region, and all of her friends would be sent to a different one. She'd never see him again.

The worst she could do was shock the person being held on the other side of the corridor that she couldn't see. The guards travelled in groups, and rifles at hand too. The steel bars of the cage were too sturdy to break with abilities. At first, she'd hoped May would be able to find a way out and would save her, or Ash. Guns wouldn't stop them. She hated depending on them, but right now she would take any way out.

"Hey!" She called, pushing herself up. She wobbled and clutched the cold bars. It was freezing wherever they were, and her dress was less than appropriate. "Hey!"

The person on the other side didn't move. She could only see a slight outline of them in the dark cell. She didn't want to have to shout any louder, or she'd attract the attention of someone. Grunting from the effort, she held a hand out of the bars and forced a slight current from her hand. The spark flew through the air, shocking him. Even from the grunt, she recognised him.

It was almost cruel, giving her these last few days with him when they knew they'd be their last together. Perhaps it would have been better if she didn't get to see him now. As he stood, she knew she had to tell him how she felt. It would be her last chance, and it would haunt her forever if she didn't. There was no way Paul was the type of guy to get feelings for someone, especially someone as bubbly as her, but she didn't care if he reciprocated them. She just had to let him know.

"Dawn?" He rubbed his head groggily. Dawn watched the realisation cross his face. It was painful to watch. "Oh shit. Oh shit."

"Paul, there's something I have to tell you."

She waited for his response, but he'd backed up a little, his hands on his head suddenly. Dawn had never seen Paul stress this way before. He'd always been calm and collected in every situation they'd ever found themselves in. She debated saying it anyway, but the expression on his face stopped her. He was panicking.

"Paul?"

He came to the bars suddenly and grabbed them, a fierceness in his eyes that she'd never seen before. She'd seen him try hard at things, like battling, but she'd never really seen passion. His eyes burned with it now. "There's no way I'm letting them take you back there."

A warmth filled her heart at his words, but she pushed it away. "There's no way out, Paul. Our only hope is May or Ash, and they've probably got them in a high security unit or something."

Paul was shaking his head, his temper obviously flaring. "How much of their conversation did you hear? Do you know what's going to happen to us?"

He was angry, and it was understandable. It almost frightened Dawn. She knew she couldn't lie, but her next words might break him. His eyes bore into her, never leaving her face. She turned away. "They're placing us all in different arenas."

There was only a second of silence until Paul roared. She turned to calm him down in any way she could, but a strange feeling consumed her, and she barely had time to feel it before she collapsed on the floor.

She woke again to a pounding in her head. When she opened her eyes, she saw she'd fallen against the wall when she collapsed. Still, it wasn't too bad, she could still stand. Her first thought was to make sure Paul was okay, though her memory was a little fuzzy. At the sound of her moving, Paul jumped up to the bars.

"I'm so sorry, Dawn, I didn't mean to do that." He rambled. She'd never heard him apologise before. Dawn blinked hard, trying to clear her headache.

"What?"

Paul was looking at his own hands. "That was me," he said quietly. "I sent you to sleep."

Dawn's eyes widened. Paul had been the one struggling to use his powers, but perhaps he was exactly the same as May. He'd needed an intense emotion to draw it out. Dawn knew Paul wasn't really an emotional person, so what was it that had dragged it out of him now? Then, a thought clicked into her head, and she grabbed the bars suddenly, pressing her face to them.

"Paul, how confident are you that you could do that again?"

"It's weird. I can feel it inside me now, so I'm pretty sure I could use it again. I don't know." He gave her a sceptical look. "Why?"

"I have a plan, but you have to listen to me really carefully." He nodded. He'd never taken her this seriously before. "And you have to know that this is our only chance, but if this goes wrong, we could die."

Dawn was pressed against the back of her cell. Anyone from outside wouldn't be able to see her watching from the corner, but she could see Paul and the dimly lit corridor. He approached the bars and held them.

"Hey!" He called out for a guard. "Hey!"

A group of four guards came moments later, clearly irritated that Paul had bothered them. They had their rifles in their hands ready. Paul would have to be quick- so quick they didn't have time to react. Dawn could hear the blood rushing in her ears as she tried to stay calm. The guards were still too far away from his cell bars.

"I think I have a wound on my shoulder, I'm just worried it'll get infected in here."

One guard sighed and stepped closer, motioning for Paul to step forward too. The rest of the guards seemed more alert with the other being closer to Paul. Now that Paul could easily reach out and grab the guard if he wanted, it was the perfect time. Dawn's heart hammered against her chest as she prepared to move.

Paul took his step forward, and the resulting wave of energy rippled around her. As they'd expected, the wave didn't travel far enough to send her to sleep at the back of her cell. As they fell, one of the guards reached for his gun, but his hand flopped before he reached it. They collapsed in a pile on the floor. Dawn ran to the bars, hands trembling as she watched Paul reach out and grab the guard's keys. He unlocked his cell, simultaneously telling the others in our corridor to keep it down to avoid detection.

Dawn could have cried as he swung open the door of her cell. Without even thinking, she threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his neck. To her surprise, he rested his hands on her back. It was more than she'd expected from him, and she loved it, but they had to move. They couldn't risk releasing everyone in the corridor- that'd attract too much attention. Instead they ran down, looking out for anyone they recognised and promising everyone they'd come back for them. Most people recognised them from their attack on the arena and trusted their word.

Once they reached a corner, they paused. Paul held his arm out to keep Dawn back and peered around. After a nod to her, he turned and sent out another dark void in their direction. Another group of guards sprinted around the corner. It was too soon for Paul to use the same ability again. Dawn charged herself up and braced herself for the gunfire, but the guards had stopped. One by one they dropped their guns and turned to run. Gathering herself, Dawn sent a bolt of electricity to them, engulfing them all. They all fell.

"What was that?" Dawn turned to Paul, eyes wide. Paul's own eyes were wide.

"I think I sent the thought of your shockwave striking them into their mind."

Dawn faltered. All this time, Paul had believed he was the weak one. He'd never managed to conjure any abilities up. Now they knew it was because his abilities lay elsewhere. He was able to manipulate people's minds. He grabbed her hand and dragged her onwards. Even when she started moving, he didn't let go.

The end of the corridor branched off. Paul turned right, as if he knew where he was going, and they repeated their attack on the group of guards watching the area. Paul was the dark, and Dawn was the light. They were polar opposites, yet they worked so well together. Even amongst the commotion, Dawn's heart swelled with love for him and his wanting to protect her.

"Dawn! Is that you?" someone called from the furthest end of the corridor. Serena.

They ran to her cell. Paul's hands shook a little as they unlocked it. Dawn threw her arms around her friend. Serena began to cry.

"Come on, we have to go find the others," Dawn spoke quietly to calm her. Serena nodded but kept crying nonetheless. She raised a shaking hand and pointed to the way they'd just came.

"I-I saw them drag Drew down there when they'd put me in here."

Dawn looked to Paul, who had already started moving towards Drew's cell. The rest of the guards would be alerted soon, and they'd need May and Ash for that. There was only so much Dawn could handle on her own. Ahead of her, Paul found Drew, and was speaking to him through the cell bars while he unlocked the door. Dawn ran to catch up, holding Serena's hand tight. The girl's hand was clammy, and Dawn could feel she was shaking.

"We need to find May," Dawn panted as she caught up. The group paused. "Drew, do you remember seeing anything? Anything at all?"

Drew rubbed the back of his head. "They took them further down this corridor, but I have no idea where after that."

It was enough to get them moving again. Paul led the group, ready to fire a dark void if another group of guards appeared. At any moment, a group too large could find them and end all hopes they had of escape. They only had hope because of Paul. Of course, they wouldn't think of considering Paul's abilities. He'd never shown them any.

They turned another corner, but the next corridor contained no cells. It was shorter, with closed doors to other rooms replacing the cells. At the end, one door stood out in particular. It was a little bigger than the others, and a key card scanner was the only way to unlock it. Paul rushed down, even as Dawn paused for a moment. The doors made her nervous.

"Can you unlock this, Dawn?" He asked, pointing at the scanner. She shook her head, forcing herself to move despite her shaking legs. She'd let go of Serena, and the girl took Drew's hand instead. He didn't seem to mind. They all watched as the focused on the key card scanner. She lay her palm flat on it, then pulled away. It glowed red.

"Shit." Paul turned away, looking as though he might punch the wall. "Shit."

Dawn blinked at the scanner. Was she unable to control security measures? She'd disabled the electric fence for Ash to climb, so why couldn't she do this? She couldn't give up. They'd come this far and if they didn't move forward they'd die. It was a miracle they'd even been allowed to live for this long. She sucked in a breath and placed her hand against it again, pushing her energy out towards it this time. She felt a small zap in her hand and pulled it away. The scanner glowed green, but her joy was short-lived. Now they had to open the door before it locked again. They hadn't thought this far ahead.

Before she could stop herself, Dawn grabbed the handle and forced the door open. It swung open and she prepared to drop to the ground. Behind her, Paul had begun to push forward to protect her, but there were no guards. Instead, in the centre of the room was a giant concrete structure. This room was taller than the rest had been- almost as tall as the arena itself had been, and the concrete room in the centre of it was almost intimidating. Dawn had never seen anything like it.

"She's in there!" Drew pointed.

Dawn relaxed as the door closed behind her. If anyone was coming, they'd have warning. As they began to approach the room, she turned to Paul who'd fallen into step beside her. She was still so afraid they wouldn't make it out. "What do we do once we get May out?"

Paul's eyes met hers, and she turned away to hide her heated cheeks. "I don't know," he admitted. "But we'll find a way out. May will know what to do." Dawn believed him. May always seemed to know what to do, but Dawn's heart missed a beat as she remembered her friend was missing her powers.

"She's still a water type." Paul paused at her words. He must have forgotten too. He ran a hand through his hair. "If anything, at least we tried," she kept speaking to prevent him from panicking again. They'd stopped, and Serena and Drew had almost reached the room ahead of them.

"We can't find the door!" Drew shouted. The concrete room was big- as big as two of any of the rooms in May's home. It would take a few minutes to look, even with all of them. Dawn had just turned to join them when she heard the shouting from outside. They were coming.

"The lock, Dawn!" Paul called from beside her, bringing her back to reality. Her arm shot up without thought and she focused on the lock. The scanner glowed red as she focused on it. She could keep it locked, but for how long? And once they got May out, what then? Would she even be able to fight with them?

"Keep looking!" Paul called to Serena and Drew, who disappeared around the side of the room. Dawn felt the sweat gathering on her brow, and her arm began to ache. Still, the lock glowed red. Paul moved to face her, checking she was okay.

"We're going to make it out of here, right?" She asked, her voice strained. He seemed surprised she'd even asked. His face had never looked so soft. It was a side of him he kept hidden, but she found herself liking it, even if she liked his hard side too. She wondered if he'd always been this way, and why he'd chosen to show her his true colours now.

"Of course we are."

He was as calm and collected as ever, and it made Dawn want to cry. He'd always been her rock, and it mattered now more than ever. Without him, she'd never have made it this far. If she hadn't already loved him, she would have fallen in that moment. Her face crumpled as she fought her tears. Her arm wobbled as a lone tear slipped down her cheek. She closed her eyes, focusing entirely on keeping the door locked, until she felt a warmth on her cheek. Paul had reached down to rub the tear from her cheek with his thumb, his palm cupping her cheek gently. That wasn't Paul. Paul didn't do things like that. Yet, here he was. For a moment, she stood in shock, her eyes opening wide. Without thinking, she reached up with her free hand and pulled his face towards hers. Even she didn't realise they were kissing until his mouth parted slightly to meet hers. The world around her seemed to melt- or perhaps she was melting into him. For a moment, nothing else mattered. Remembering she needed to tell him, she pulled away suddenly.

"I hope we are, because I love you."

She didn't expect him to say it back. The fact that he kissed her back was enough for her. She knew he was reserved and would make his mind up in his own time, if he even had any feelings for her at all.

"I love you too, Dawn."

The words struck her like her own lightning. She wasn't sure she'd heard right, or that she was even still breathing. Surely she hadn't heard him right.

She didn't have time to process his words before she heard running behind her, and Serena appeared before them. "We have a problem. You have to come."

Paul placed his hands on her shoulders, and she found that she was nervous after the kiss. "Can you break the lock?"

She hadn't even considered that in all the chaos. Perhaps if she poured the last of her power into it, she could destroy the lock. Of course, they'd then have to find another way out, and they'd still only have a matter of time until the guards found a way in. Still, it was their only option now. She took a few steps towards the lock and held up her other arm, throwing all of her power towards it. She grunted as she felt its own electricity fight back, but she pushed. The lock smashed from the wall, skidding across the floor and smoking her. She coughed and fell back, but Paul caught her. He lifted her up into his arms and sprinted to follow Serena. Dawn wanted to curl up against him and never move.

The door to the room was around the back. When they'd opened it, the light had filtered in to reveal the inside. It was completely bare, just like their cells, aside from May at the back. She was shackled to the wall, and suddenly the size made sense. They wanted to be able to check on her but be as far from her as possible. If Dawn hadn't been so exhausted, she would have run to her friend. Instead, Paul ran for her.

He set her down and began trying all of the keys on the chain he'd stolen.

"How?" May asked, tears welling up in her eyes. Dawn leaned beside her and took her hands in her own.

"Paul sent the guards to sleep and stole their keys." She smiled up at Paul and wondered for a moment what they were now. "Turns out he's really strong after all."

"Ash," May choked out, tears falling freely now. "He was in here just before."

Paul turned to face her. They both looked as clueless as one another. "In here? Do you know where they took him?"

"No." She sniffed. She'd always been strong. It was her turn to lean on Dawn. "He was knocked out and didn't wake up until they came for him. I kept shouting at him, but he didn't respond. I was so afraid…" She took a shaky breath. "I think they're questioning him."

Paul finally found the key they were looking for, and May's hands fell to her lap. She stretched them. "May," Dawn spoke. "They're here. The guards. They're trying to get in right now, but I broke the lock. It's only a matter of time before they break it down. We'll all fight for as long as we can. Can you do anything with your water power? Anything at all?"

Dawn was taken aback as May smirked, even through the tears. She held up her hand, and, in the darkness of the room, her flame seemed brighter than ever. Dawn smiled back. May would unleash hell upon them if it meant she could have Ash back, and Dawn would be right there beside her.

I hope the chapter with Dawn rather than May was alright and not a disappointment. Also, sorry about the shortness. I felt like I wrote everything I needed to write here.

If you liked the other POV and think I should do another, leave a review or PM. I'm considering writing one for Drew but I'm not sure. Thanks!