MAJOR ALART: The Middleman is in danger of being canceled! If anyone has any ideas on what to do, then you can post them in your reviews for me and everyone else to see. Also, just so you don't think I'm making up a rumor, then go to Livejournal, type in Middleman, and click on the site that says "middlefan." You'll see the links to the proof. Also, in the comments for the links someone has posted up the address of where to reach the president of ABC Family, in case anyone's thinking about sending any letters.

And finally, I don't own Livejournal, and I am not trying to advertise Livejournal. Thank you.

Now, on with the reviews. Oh, and in case anyone submitted two reviews since I last updated my story, they will be combined into one response from me, to make things easier. Thank you.

Nicole - I'm glad that you decided to review my stories and like the fact that I chose to respond to my readers. I hope to live up to your expectations for this story. By the way, musicnotes093 hasn't put out her story yet. Sorry, but if I see it I'll let you know.

WildCroconaw – I'm hoping to pump up a bit of the Wendy/Middleman in this story. It hasn't happened much yet, but it will. My favorite part of writing this story is those scenes (don't worry, they're not too gushy.) And comparing my work to that of the writers' of the TV series is a big honor.

Rdneckgirl25 – I'm glad you like the story, and keep watching for some MM/Wendy!

Shego129 – Yes, I was so irritated at the fact that nobody seemed to be putting up any stories for this show, so I finally said, "What the heck?" and did it myself. And thank you for taking the time to read my other stories. Is that how you found out about this one?

Elfhobbit01 – Everybody's looking forward to the MM/Wendy romance! Jeez, I hope I don't screw up or I'll have everybody after me!

Streak13 – Yeah, I'm addicted to "The Middleman" myself. I watched the pilot and that was all it took. I've watched every episode since.

Musicnotes093 – Good luck with your story and thanks for all your support for mine! I can't believe that my story is actually getting all these reviews (I didn't know this many people were so into the Middleman.)

Neo-Kira – I would love to see your stories! I've been dying for some Middleman fanfiction, and send whatever stories you want my way! Soon please! And sorry for taking your place as the first Middleman fanfic writer! P.S. I love the world "Dubman". I'll be using that later on.

Keshia – Yeah, I would love for "The Middleman" to have it's own section. But how do you get one of those? Does anyone really know or do that just pop up like magic? Anyway, thanks for that wonderful review, but the hardest part is still yet to come. I really think that this story is going to be a challenge because every character is so well-defined, so it's hard to come up with the perfect dialog to get every character right. And I will be writing more Middleman stories after this one! I've already got a few ideas!

Okay, on to the chapter. And thanks for reading the MAJOR IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE and if you haven't read it yet, then go read it!

"OW!" Wendy grabbed her arm, hissing in pain. She looked up into the dissatisfied face of Sensei Ping.

"You are not focusing, Young One!" He roared, kicking a leg out again, this time smacking into Wendy's face. Her neck snapped back and she landed onto the hard mat below.

"What do you think I'm doing?! I'm trying!" She tried to scramble up again without hurting her arm anymore, but just fell down in pain again. The Sensei kept lashing out, kicking and punching, so that she had to toss and turn on the floor to avoid his blows.

"Concentrate Young One! You need to keep a cool and steady head instead of being overwhelmed! Like the hippo and the lion!"

"What does a hippo and a lion have to do with anything?!" She had had it by now. After blacking out Friday night, she had barely been able to get any sleep. Every time she tried, she back on the floor, bound, gagged and being washed away in a flood of pain. Thinking that she was sick, Lacey had been so desperate to get her to stay home today that she had actually barricaded herself and most of the apartment against the door, forcing Wendy to climb out the fire escape.

She was only lucky that the Middleman didn't have any big end of the world crisis to have her deal with over the past couple of days. But she had come to work to avoid thinking about her dreams, forgetting that today was a secession with Sensei Ping. Normally she enjoyed the adrenaline rush, the sensation of barely missing death, but today it just added to the frustration and confusion about her dreams. She had never had ones like those before. Every detail was crystal and perfect, her dream apartment looked exactly the same as the real one… It was just too much to deal with.

Finally, Sensei Ping stopped and looked down at her. She stared back up at him, panting heavily. Her hair had come out of its ponytail and was everywhere, she had her arm in a death clutch and every bit of her was covered with sweat and bruises. Her body was trembling like mad.

"Out." Sensei Ping's voice was barely a whisper, but it was more dangerous than anything else in the world right now. She finally got to her feet and limped out of the room.

"How'd it go?" The Middleman was upon her while she still had one foot in the door. Ida flanked him, looking Wendy up and down. She noticed the danger signs before the Middleman did and casually moved out of Wendy's way.

"Why not ask your sensei? You're his favorite apprentice again." She pushed past him, ignoring the confused and slightly hurt look on his face as she limped down the hallway.

"Who drugged her beer?" Ida turned to the Middleman, who was still staring after Wendy. Just as the Middleman was about to respond, Sensei Ping came out of the training room, looked around to make sure only the Middleman and Ida were there, and then beckoned to the Middleman.

"Apprentice, come."

"Apprentice, Sensei Ping is worried about the young one." The Sensei was pacing, unable to stay still. "Sensei Ping admits, he had doubts when she first came into Sensei Ping's sight, but after showing her phenomenal skills in rescue and practice, I cast them aside."

Outside of the room, Wendy was slowly creeping up to the door, her ears strained. She sat down and leaned her head against the door, trying to hear the words of the two men.

"What are doing?" Wendy looked up to find Ida's head over hers and jumped. Motioning to Ida, Wendy placed her hand across her throat, frantically drawing it across.

"Does the Middleman know you're listening in on his personal conversations? Sensei Ping's going to kill you if he sees you, you know." She said delightedly. But she stopped as she heard voices coming out of the door.

"She was distracted, harried, unfocused!" Both women leaned in even closer to the door, although they didn't need to strain to hear Sensei Ping's loud voice.

"Sensei, it was one lesson." Wendy recognized the Middleman's calm voice, and she felt relief seep through her when she recognized that he was defending her.

"It was a disgrace!" The sensei's voice rang out, his harsh tones horribly the opposite with the warm ones of the Middleman. "One practice can ruin everything! No Middleman can survive with the skills she showed today! And any Middleman distracted enough to let themselves perform that badly in my judgment should become not be allowed to become a true Middleman. Sensei Ping seriously doubts whether or not she should be allowed to continue!"

Wendy felt ice seep through her blood, and her body began to tremble as she heard the sensei's next words. "If she has not improved by her next lesson, she shall, by Sensei Ping's hand, not be allowed to continue her training as a Middleman!" Suddenly Wendy wasn't standing next to Ida, but flying, flying as fast and far away from the Jolly Wehawkin's Temp Agency as she could.

Not be allowed to continue as a Middleman? What if the dreams continued? They hadn't stopped for three nights, so why stop now?

"Sensei Ping, see reason." The Middleman started towards him, but the Sensei fixed him with a deathly glare and he stopped in his tracks.

"Sensei Ping knows what the young one means to you. Sensei Ping has seen your bond, the way you work. You are too kind and form deep connections with the people closest to you. I haven't forgotten…" The Middleman's head turned down as the sensei failed to continue. He knew what was being implied. The sensei saw that he understood and continued. "But nevertheless, Sensei Ping helps bring a Middleman, a valuable, wise warrior into this world, and can just as easily take them out. Do not force Sensei Ping's hand."

He walked out of the room, forcing the Middleman to picture a world without Wendy. Strangely, the only thing he could think of was how she would have remarked that the sensei's threats were so cliché.

Wendy didn't know where she was running to, but she knew where she was running from. Sensei Ping and his stupid irrational rules, Ida and her numbskull comments, Lacey and her worries…

And suddenly she stopped, falling to the ground, her entire body trembling like mad. She was blinded by pain. It was all over, she couldn't escape no matter what she did. She twisted and turned on the ground. Her body felt like a thousand little needles were being poked at it, and parts of her body were being stabbed with thick knives. Her mouth… Her hands… Her body shaking so hard she couldn't even stand up…She curled up into a ball, rocking back and forth to try and ease the pain, when suddenly, it was over…

She stood up and began walking, trying to marvel on the mysterious pain. It had gone away as soon as it had come. She shook her head, her hair waving in the brief wind. She padded down the alley, noticing that something was…not quite wrong, but off. Something was different. She glanced around. It felt like the whole world had been put in some high-def TV. The smells, sounds, sights, everything was brighter and closer. She stopped, sitting down, lowering her head to her hands. She had such a headache. She opened her eyes and saw her…

Paws. There were dog paws were her hands should be. She jumped up, looking for the dog below her, that she had been sitting on. She couldn't find it, but as she turned, she caught a flash of a brown tail. She tried to call out for the dog, but it was drowned in a yelp. The dog must be close. She trailed even farther down the alley, looking everywhere until she came upon a broken mirror, chipped and hanging out of a trash can. She gave a scream, which came out as a long howl.

Where she should have been standing, a large, brown wolf was. She turned to her side. So did the wolf. She raised her hand. The wolf raised its paw. She put down her hand, and felt the vibrations as the wolf's claws came down apon the pavement. That finally proved it.

Wendy's howls of shock rocketed through the city, reaching the ears of a man who was currently perched on a rooftop, his ice blue eyes looking down at the Jolly Fats Wehawkin Temp Agency.