Disclaimer: I do not own W.I.T.C.H.
Chapter 6: The Guardians Arrive
Could this get any more complicated? Caleb thought looking at Will Vandom as she looked around his room trying to find stuff she recognized, mainly doing so to distract herself from the news about Yan Lin. She was already building walls around herself.
He rubbed his hand down his scar. Was his Will okay? Did the young guardians find her and take her in. His only hope was Blunk. Blunk was there when Will fell and during the exchange. Maybe seeing him had snapped back her senses.
If only he could have followed her. He would follow her into the pit of Hades if necessary. She should be here with me, going over strategies of defeating Phobos and his mystical army.
"Why are you acting so weird?" he looked up surprised at her question. She'd abandoned her quest, now looking at him, her eyes wide.
"I'm acting how I always act," he replied lamely.
"From what I know of you, you'd be bragging about the battle you received that scar in," she said honestly. "So far, you've been evasive and rude." She folded her arms. "Why?"
He found himself in defensive mode against a young teen almost half his size. She looked even younger wrapped in that blanket. "This is a new experience for me," he replied honestly. "I don't know exactly how to handle this situation."
"You could stop acting like you're on a spy mission," Will pointed out.
"There are certain things that you can't know about yet. It could change things that's already happened here for the worst," he replied sitting back resting his hand on the back of his head, his elbows spread wide. "I don't know what to say and what not to."
"I guess I can understand that," she reluctantly sighed. "I'm really curious about that scar though. It looks like that hurt." What am I saying? Of course it hurt, she thought silently making fun of herself.
"I got this little memento in one of the wars for Meridian," he replied. "One of the worst wars ever fought there." He left it at that. She'll be there to witness first hand him being struck down. Her anguished scream rallied all the guardians together, who were scattered on different parts of the battlefield. They all surrounded him and did a combined attack that wiped out the enemy army in one fatal swoop.
"We haven't achieved peace yet?" Will asked disheartened. Four years have passed, and yet we still fight? Will Meridian ever be free?
"Yes we have, but we must fight to keep that peace," Caleb said. "There are forces who have their own idea of a society that isn't right and is unjust. The ones who only want to enslave and terrorize our people. Our peaceful times are an abomination to them. Fighting and peace should not be in the same sentence, but until evil is wiped out completely they'll always be hand and hand."
"Where there is good, evil is always right behind it to stomp on the happy parade," Will said sarcastically. "Is there still need for the rebels?"
"The rebels split apart," Caleb explained softly. "Some of us became the royal guard, the others went back to being just regular people, who when called by the princess always stands with the royal guard as one to combat our enemies."
"I bet I can guess who the captain of the guard is," Will declared smirking.
"Who?" he asked amused.
"You, who else," she replied.
"Wrong, Aldarn holds that honor," Caleb replied. "I am only a former rebel leader who occasionally gives council to the princess." He smiled lost in his own thoughts. "I help my parents run our family business."
Caleb, she thought in shock. Did the princess not see what a great fighter and leader he was? How could she overlook him? She had no ill feelings toward Aldarn, he was a great guy, but Caleb earned the right to be the captain. He's so humble now. She was quite sure the young Caleb would be sulking, but this Caleb was proud of his friend and content with the princess's choice. Well, she intended to tell the princess exactly what she thought of her decision. If he wasn't going to, Will had no qualms about-
"Before you go all Xena on the princess you should know that I made the choice not to be captain," he said sensing her thoughts. "I'm tired Willow. Under the circumstances, Aldarn was the best choice." He was content with spending his life coming to Aldarn's aid when requested, training with the disbanded rebels on the days they found themselves able to do so, and loving Will.
"First off, if you call me Willow again . . . I'll go Super Saiyan on you," she threatened her eyes flashing dangerously. She'd beaten up a many of idiots who'd dared to call her that.
"I missed you," he said honestly.
"What?" she asked flabbergasted. What part of threat against your life didn't you understand?
"You'd been gone a year," he revealed. "We were about to reunite when everything went wrong."
"Us?" she asked incredulously . Did he mean him and her, or him, her, and the guardians?
"Yes, us," he replied. "I hate that it took a war for you to come home."
"Where was I?" she asked softly. "Why did I leave?"
"Your grandmother was ill so you went to help take care of her," Caleb replied. I understand that, he thought. What I don't understand is why you stayed there after there was no reason. Why didn't you come home? It made me believe Cornelia words. That you had run from me and run from what we had.
Cornelia had this feeling that Will used her as an excuse to run away from him. Will had said to him that she was afraid she would lose one of her best friends if she knew that Caleb loved her.
When confronted by Caleb, Cornelia calmly pointed out that she never would throw away her relationship with Will for anything in the world. She loved Lei and would never do anything to make him doubt that. She loved Will and if being with Caleb made her happy, when precious little made Will happy, than she was fine. She also threatened to bury him if he betrayed Will.
Mrs. Vandom's death had matured them all, Cornelia and Will more so than the others. That is, after Cornelia stopped acting like a possessive mother french hen and just started being Will's best friend.
"So my Mother stayed in Texas with my grandmother?" Will asked thoughtfully.
"They're together," he replied simply.
"Good," she replied.
A sound knock came from the door. Caleb stood; walking to it, he opened it cautiously. "Girls," he said in relief. At his words, Will rushed to the door, standing behind him. She leaned over and looked under his arm at her friends.
Cornelia Hale was obviously the one that knocked. The eighteen-year-old blonde was quite stunning. She stood at a surprising height of six foot tall. Her thick blonde her reached down to her lower calves. Her wide blue eyes shone knowingly as they found Will. In a blue sundress, that matched her eyes, she looked like a princess from some lost fairy tail. "Will," she said softly.
"Corni," Will said in a whisper. Her eyes went to Irma, who stood beside Cornelia.
Irma Lair's bow mouth was upturned in a smirk of a smile. The seventeen-year-old pretty prankster stood five feet, seven inches tall. Mischief and happiness, dancing in blue eyes, hidden behind a pair of classy shades. Strands of her brown curly hair, cut just a little passed her chin, curled forward to frame her face. She had own a white t-shirt and blue jeans. "You know Will, normal people grow, leave it to you to shrink," she said grinning.
"Irma," Will said rolling her eyes heavenward.
Taranee Cook stood next to Irma. Her brown eyes shook with emotion as she stared at Will, behind her frameless glasses. Her woolly brown hair was pulled back in a hasty ponytail. She was shorter than Cornelia and Irma, standing at five foot and four inches. She wore a blue jogging suit. Her thrown together appearance took nothing away from the seventeen-year-old girl's beauty. "Hello Will," Taranee said.
"Taranee," Will said in greeting.
"Will!" Last but certainly not least, Will's eyes fell on Hay Lin. The seventeen-year-old, petite girl, smiled bravely at Will. She was five feet, two inches tall. She wore pink shorts with a white tank top. Her light brown eyes that once danced with never ending energy and happiness looked lost.
Remembering what Caleb said about Yan Lin, Will ducked under his arm rushed forward and hugged her. "She'll be alright." Tears threatening, Hay Lin closed her eyes and hugged Will back. The other guardians quickly joined in.
Caleb watched them, the left side of his mouth curving into a smile. They were together again. He couldn't help thinking about the Will they'd lost. Will, please come back here safely . . . .
"I didn't know exactly how Cornelia feels about my growing relationship with Caleb," Will revealed after taking a sip of hot tea. "I still don't know."
"After all this time?" Yan Lin asked surprised.
"Yes, you see my grandmother, who lived in Texas, got ill," Will replied. "She wanted to spend the time she had left with me, I wanted that too, so I went. That's where I've been for the past year."
"I never confirmed just how Cornelia felt about Caleb and I," Will revealed. "I was kind of hoping that he'd realized in my absence, that I'm to messed up for anyone to love so I wouldn't have to have that conversation with Cornelia at all."
"Your guilt about your mother and your impending "battle" with Cornelia is what they used to bait you," Yan Lin guessed. They also seemed to have played on your doubts about love and your ability to be loved.
"Among other things," Will replied. To top off this lovely tale, I think someone human is trying to kill me. Will decided to leave that book on the shelf. Her father would take care of that. His job may have prevented him from ever being in her life as a child, but that didn't mean he did not love her. He would protect her with his own life, if it came to that. The voices tried to tell her that her father didn't care about her, but on that front they failed.
After the reunion, the girls and Caleb stood in the back room of the Silver Dragon. Will and Caleb were getting the news of the impending battle. "Phobos's army is on the move," Taranee revealed. "The princess requests audience with both you and Will."
"I should've known he would capitalize on this," Caleb muttered his hands balling into fists.
"So, I get to see the princess?" Will asked cautiously.
"Yes, I wish it was under better circumstances though," Hay Lin said sadly.
"Maybe it's better this way," Cornelia declared. "A lot of bad stuff that happened to her can now be prevented."
"Who is it?" Will asked, her anticipation written all over her face.
"Well, we all know and love her as little Elyon Brown," Irma replied smirking.
A/N: I'm sorry for the wait. Look for the intro of Lei Lin and Matt soon. They have fallen into the hands of evil and don't think the Earth and Air Guardians will take that revelation lightly. Will the two Phobos share the same fate? Can Yan Lin figure out a way to get Will back to her time before the battle call? Will Caleb allow young Will to even consider fighting in the battle? Find out in upcoming chapters . . . .