Midsummer Nights

by Trish

The third instalment to the Midsummer Series. Chapter Thirty Nine now up.

16. Chapter Fifteen: The Hours of Darkness

Midsummer Nights

By Trish

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon, Puck, William Shakespeare, or anything written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Mushuu belongs to Disney. Ashura the Mew belongs to Dragoness. Lucius is co-owned with Mia. Callie, Flory, Poppy, Poptart and any other unfamiliar characters belong to me as does the storyline.

Chapter Fifteen: The Hours of Darkness

If a great wave shall fall, and fall upon us all

Then I hope there's someone out there

Who can bring me back to you

Wherever You Will Go – The Calling

Jenn sighed as the howling continued unabated from her friend's room. To add to her annoyance, Pepita had suddenly burst into tears while playing with Satochu and the tiny creature would not stop despite her brother's best efforts to comfort her.

The blonde shoved her chair back from the computer, scooped up the crying Pichu and stomped towards Trish's room, Satochu at her heels. Pushing open the door with her free hand, she growled out, "Honestly T, you gotta control your Pokémon better! I don't know how you can read with that commotion going on around you and…"

She trailed off as she saw there was no oblivious Australian with her nose buried in a book as she had expected. Just a book lying open on the bed and a forlorn looking Growlithe who stopped howling when she noticed the blonde, only to whimper pathetically.

"Well, Ophie, you have my attention," Jenn sighed as she sat down on her friend's bed. Pepita immediately leapt from her arms and clung to Ophelia for comfort, whereupon Satochu took the opportunity to take over Jenn's lap. "Typical, whenever I have something dramatic to say, Trish is never around…" She patted Ophelia on the head and the Fire Pokémon snuggled against her.

A Poké Ball left on the dresser began to shake and wobble violently before bursting open and forming into Espeon. The Psychic Pokémon whimpered in distress before huddling with Ophie and Pepita.

Now Jenn was really puzzled. Why were Trish's Pokémon acting so distressed all of a sudden? And where was Trish? Jenn was positive she hadn't left her bedroom because she would have seen her.

'Could she possibly have snuck out to see Drake' Jenn pondered. 'Nah…she never would have gotten away with it. Not with yours truly, the ever observant Dragon Goddess around.'

Just then Shannon was dragged into the room at top speed by a distressed and single minded Hamlet. The Growlithe crashed into Jenn's side, causing the unobservant Dragon Goddess to tumble onto the carpeted floor.

The brunette dropped the leash and managed to gasp out a, "Hi."

Jenn stood up and dusted herself off, and raised an eyebrow. "What happened to you?"

Hamlet sat at Shannon's feet, panting. The three other Pokémon jumped off the bed and gathered around him, nuzzling each other gently.

Shannon brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. "Oh, Trish had asked me to walk Hamlet. We had only gone a block and a half, when suddenly he got all excited then just turned and bolted for home. He wouldn't stop." She glanced at Ophelia, Espeon and Pepita. "What's up with them?"

Jenn shrugged. "I dunno. All of a sudden Ophelia started howling like crazy and Pepita broke down and wouldn't stop crying. I came in to see why Trish wasn't doing anything about it, but she's not here."

"Hmm…"

"Did you see her on your way home?"

"What, you mean as I was being dragged by Sir Speedy here?" Shannon shot a mock glare at the Fire Puppy, who had the grace to look sheepish. "No, I didn't. Do you think she's out in the garden?"

"Nah, she would have come in by now to see what all the howling was about. You know how Trish is."

"True."

Jenn cocked an eyebrow. "Do you think she's with Drake?"

"Nooo," Shannon went to pick something up from the dresser. "Her keys are still here, right next to her wallet, cell phone and asthma medication. She would never leave any of these things behind."

The blonde's eyes wandered over to the bedside table and she frowned. "She left a mug here too."

Shannon picked it up to look at it and her eyes widened. "It's still half full and still hot."

"I'd say it's half empty," Jenn joked.

"How can you joke about something like this?" the younger girl scowled. "Trish would never ever leave behind a cup of hot coffee unfinished. Plus all her Pokémon are upset, her stuff is still here and she's nowhere to be found!"

"You're right," Jenn said sombrely. "I think we should call the others." All jokes aside, the blonde was starting to feel uneasy. Shannon was right, it was most out of character for the Australian to leave her favourite beverage unfinished, her personal belongings and her medication behind. A nagging feeling gnawed away at the back of her brain as if there was something about this that Jenn should remember. She couldn't.

A tremendous pounding on the front door was heard and Mia's voice floated back. "I'll get it!"

Seconds later, Drake came charging into the room with a worried-looking Mia close behind. "Where's Trish??"

Jenn felt the blood drain from her face when she saw the frantic look in the Orange Crew Leader's eyes. "You…you mean you don't know where she is either?" she managed to choke out.

His dark eyes widened. "Either? What do you mean by that?"

"What the frell is going on?" Mia demanded, looking pale. "Where is Trish and why don't either of you know where she is?"

The blonde shifted uncomfortably under their gazes, and unconsciously drew one of Trish's teddy bears to her chest. "Well…Trish was in here reading, and now we don't know where she is," she explained. "I thought she might be with you, Drake."

The dark-haired man shook his head. "No, I've been in meetings all day, and the arrangement was for me to come over here for dinner. The reason why I rushed over was because I found this on my desk." He handed a folded note to Mia.

"What does it say?" Shannon asked, a hint of nervousness in her voice.

Mia opened the note and began reading. 'To those who dare to prevent me from fulfilling my destiny, let this be a warning. For revenge I have taken, and in revenge I will now exact the ultimate price. Someone you love is about to pay with her life. Lucius.' The teenager folded the note back up with trembling fingers. "I really hope that this is only someone's idea of a sick joke..."

"I don't know about that." Drake fished something out of his pant pocket. "This was left with the note." A delicate sterling silver Celtic knot pendant on a matching chain hung from his fingertips.

Jenn gulped as she recognised the necklace as one of Trish's favourites. "Trish was wearing that this morning."

"Could it be a fake?" Mia asked. "Maybe she took it off for some reason and Lu's just teasing us."

The blonde looked in the jewellery box on the bedside table. "No, it isn't here. I…" She sat back down on the bed abruptly as a severe dizzy spell swept over her. She blinked, for quite unexpectedly she was gazing upon a desolate landscape at night. The moonlight casting eerie shadows through the huge craggy boulders that were scattered over the land. A thick bank of fog rolled over the ground, and Jenn shivered.

A long drawn out agonising moan rumbled through the air, turning the blood in her veins to ice before her eyes widened at the sight of what appeared through the fog. A huge spectral hound with eyes of fire and body outlined with the flames of Hell itself, advanced towards her menacingly.

Jenn was rooted to the spot. She couldn't move, she was that petrified, and knew she wouldn't make it without help by her side.

A smooth and silky male voice she recognised as Lu's echoed in her mind. 'Now that you are suitably petrified, know then, my dear, that this is how your best friend shall die.'

The Hound leapt straight for her and Jenn screamed.

She came to, to find her head nestled on Drake's lap and Mia and Shannon hovering over her. She blinked up at Drake and smiled slyly, "We should do this again sometime."

Drake stood up at that, letting the blonde fall onto the bed. "Be serious!"

"Sorry," Jenn said with a shrug. "When I get nervous, I joke."

"Then you need to stop being nervous," Mia shuddered. "That was too Chris-like of a joke."

Shannon sat on the bed by Jenn, "What did you see?"

Jenn sat up carefully, one hand to her head, "This totally huge dog, like a Houndoom on steroids, came out of this thick fog and…Well first there was this barren, no, empty wasteland of a place. Sort of like Mars, only at night and with fog, cause there were all these boulders and stuff and…"

Drake interrupted the blonde, "Can we get the condensed version?"

"I was shredded by some damned dog." Jenn glared at Drake. "Happy?"

"Not really," Drake sighed, then looked ill. "…Trish…"

"Oh, that too!" Jenn's eyes widened, "Lu's discombobulated voice said that, uhm, something like now that I'm scared stiff that I know how my best friend will…"

"Will what?" Shannon encouraged.

Jenn paled. "Die. I'll know how she feels when she dies."

ooo

Trish sat up on the bed and blinked groggily. "I must have fallen asleep," she muttered before becoming fully alert with a start. For she was no longer in her light and airy bedroom, rather she found herself on a large four poster bed and rich dark oak panels lined the four walls with pastoral landscapes hung in gilded frames here and there. Heavy curtains in a dark red framed the windows and a full-length mirror stood in one corner.

"Where am I?" the dark-haired girl whispered as she raised one hand to her throat, only to stop and look down in astonishment. Gone were the t-shirt and jeans that she had on earlier, instead she was attired in a burgundy evening gown from the Victorian era.

Trish quickly scrambled off the bed and stood in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection in complete shock. She had to admit the gown was beautiful, slightly off the shoulder with a fitted bodice and sleeves, the skirt falling to the floor and a small bustle at the back. A pearl choker sat snugly around her neck and her long tresses had been swept up in a becoming style from that era with a white rose fixed into place with a hair pin.

"I must be dreaming…" she pinched herself hard. But her reflection remained the same. She looked like a Victorian lady, complete with…and she winced at the tightness…the torture garment known as a corset. "What was that line from that movie again? Want to know real pain, try wearing a corset," she gave a wry smile. "No wonder women fainted easily, I can hardly breathe."

Trish wished that her best friend was with her. She was sure Jenn would be poking sly fun at anything and everything. "Then again, she would be complaining about having to wear a bustle. She'd say that her butt totally didn't need any more enhancement." The Australian girl sighed. "May as well see where I am."

She made her way down a long carpeted corridor before descending a wide staircase into a large marble foyer. Trish was pondering her next move when a smooth, male voice came from behind her.

"Welcome, my dear."

She spun around to see a tall-red haired man, dressed impeccably in a dark evening suit and matching cravat. "Who are you?!" she gasped.

"The name's Lucius or Lu," the Fae walked closer. "I'm sure you've heard a lot about me recently."

Trish's eyes widened. "What is the meaning of all this? Where are we and why are we dressed like this? I take it that we're not here to attend some fancy dress party."

"No, but you must be dressed appropriately to fit in," Lu smiled. "As for the meaning of all this…you and your friends have been a festering thorn in my side for too long. That Puck and Callie have thwarted my grand ambitions for domination from the very beginning. Then that meddlesome bitch of a blonde friend of yours escapes my clutches and tells all." His eyes flashed angrily. "They have messed with me one time too many and they shall learn their lesson when they have to bury your body."

Trish stumbled back in horror and grabbed on the wall for support. "No!" Lu smiled coldly.

"What have I ever done to you?" she whispered.

"Oh, nothing personally," the Fae shrugged. "You are merely a means to an end, my dear. By using you, I shall achieve my ultimate goal. Everything I've done to you, your illness, your relationship break-up, was designed to hurt you and therefore hurt Mia, then Puck."

"You monster!"

"Why thank you," Lu beamed then walked up to the frightened girl, and leaned over her, pinning her against the wall. He leered at her. "I must say, you are nothing like your friend, Jenn. She was most undignified and rude."

"I would expect nothing less from Jenn if she was kidnapped," Trish managed nervously as he trailed a hand along her neck. She didn't like the way he was looking her and wished that she had one of her Growlithe handy.

"Of course," Lu continued. "I might be persuaded to spare your life, if you agree to join me in the Fae world as my mistress…" He doubled over in pain as Trish kneed him viciously in the lower groin. Freed from his grasp, she ran for the door and wrenched it open and fled.

Lu managed to smile to himself despite the pain. "You can run but you can't hide my sweet. One down, many more to go."

ooo

Back in Pummelo...

A horrified silence followed Jenn's last statement and Drake looked positively ill, as did Jenn herself.

"You sure about that?" Mia breathed.

"Of course, I'm sure!" the blonde snapped. She shifted uncomfortably on the bed. "Owie...something's sticking in my back." Reaching behind her, she withdrew the book that the missing girl had been reading and glanced at the cover. Her blue-grey eyes widened.

"What is it?" Drake asked eagerly, then frowned. "The Hound of the Baskervilles? Could Trish have been reading that when she disappeared?"

"This explains everything!" Jenn held up the book. "It's about some huge dog thing that eats people!"

"No, Jenn, that's not it!" Shannon protested. "The Hound from that book roams the moors at night and attacks people."

"That's what I get for reading those Cliff's Notes," Jenn bit at her lower lip. "This must be what my vision was trying to tell me. Lu's sent her to be hunted down by the dog thing!"

The Orange Crew Leader closed his eyes. "Oh God no...and Trish doesn't have her asthma medication with her."

"So if the Hound doesn't get her first..." Shannon trailed off.

"A severe asthma attack will," he finished for her.

"I'm gonna call Puck," Mia whispered before rushing off to the phone.

"Don't forget to ask for Callie too," Jenn called after the retreating figure. "We're gonna need all the Fae power we can get!"

She sank back against the decorative pillows and hugged a teddy to her. "I can't believe Lu managed to snatch Trish right from underneath our noses. Not to sound too conceited, well, maybe just a little, but I thought for sure that he wouldn't be able to get past me."

"There was nothing any of us could have done to prevent it," Drake sighed as he ran one hand through his thick locks. "How were we to know that the book, especially that particular book, would be the key to it all?"

"But I had that vision from Lu," Jenn sat up and shook her head. "If only I could have realised that it was a hound and not a big cat, maybe I could have made the connection and stopped her from reading it."

"Yes, but how could you have known it would have come from a book?" Mia asked, coming back into the room. "You expected the threat to be..."

"It doesn't matter!" Jenn snapped, gripping the bear hard.

Drake sighed, "Jenn..."

"No, Drake, I could have stopped this from happening," she protested. "I promised myself that I wouldn't let Lu harm any of my friends and I've failed. My bestest friend is out there, about to become a meal for some demon dog!"

Shannon hugged the older girl tightly. "Jenn, you shouldn't go beating yourself up over this. How were you to know that it was a hound? You said yourself it was near cliffs and the night was so foggy you thought it was a large cat. And how were you to know that Trish would decide to read that book, out of all the other ones in her room?"

"I know but..."

"As much as we would like to, we cannot protect our family and friends from everything."

"All we can do," Drake said, sitting on the other side of the blonde, "is to hope and pray that Callie and Puck can figure out the spell in time to save Trish before it's too late."

Jenn glared down at the stuffed bear she held, a determined look in her eyes.

ooo

After storming out of the mansion, Trish continued on until she left the grounds, figuring she could hail down some passing horse and carriage or whatever they had in this dimension she was in. Anything to get away from the crazy within the house.

However, she found no such thing outside the gate. Just a stone path leading away from the house over a desolate and barren landscape, dotted here and there with cairns and boulders that cast eerie shadows in the moonlight. A thick fog lay over the terrain obscuring the path and what lay beyond.

The dark-haired girl rubbed her arms as the cool night air swept over her, raising goose bumps. At least, she told herself it was only the slight chill. But in truth she was feeling rather uneasy. She was in some god-forsaken place, taken there by some evil Fae who wanted to kill her, no idea of where she was, and how to get back home. She couldn't go back to the mansion, no telling what Lu would do to her.

"The only way is forward," she whispered to herself. Trish started walking swiftly along the path, hoping fervently for some sign of civilisation.

She soon found herself in amongst the fog, unable to see what lay ahead or behind her. The dark-haired girl couldn't shake the feeling that this whole setting seemed all-too-familiar.

A long drawn out howl reverberated in the still night air, rising in intensity before dying away in a whisper.

A terrible chill ran down her spine as she remembered the line, 'Avoid the moor in the hours of darkness when the powers of evil are exalted.'

Trish felt her mouth go dry and she licked her lips nervously. "This can't be..."

The eerie cry echoed over the moor again and confirmed her worst fears. She gathered up her skirts as best she could and ran. Dear God, this is how I'm going to die...

ooo

It seemed like an eternity to Jenn before the rest of their group assembled at the villa. Puck and Callie looked as magical as ever while Chris kept sneaking looks at the female Fae. Jaime seemed to find something under her fingernails to be very interesting. Danny was also on his way from Navel Island after being informed of the news.

'Figures it would take someone disappearing to get him off his island,' the blonde thought from her spot on the couch. She kept a stranglehold on the stuffed bear she had taken hostage earlier. Shannon sat beside her, cradling a sleeping Ophelia in her lap.

Drake sat on the couch opposite, resting his head in both hands; his brother offering silent comfort.

"So, let me get this straight," Callie began. "Trish was reading the Hound of the Baskervilles when she disappeared from the room, then you got a vision from Lu."

"Yeah," Jenn shivered. "This huge, totally petrifying dog thing comes out of the mist and attacks me. Then Lu's voice says that now I'll know how Trish feels when she dies."

"Now about this hound?"

"The novel is about this family legend about a hound from hell, who roams the moors at night and hunts down anyone who crosses its path," Shannon explained. "In the book, the Hound is revealed as a fake, but I'm not so sure about this one."

"Right," Callie frowned. "What we need to do is break the spell so that Trish is brought back from wherever she is. Are there any small clearings around here that are still accessible by road?"

"Yeah," Ben spoke up quietly. "There's one not far from the Stadium."

ooo

Back in Dartmoor

Trish leant against a large boulder and clutched her sides, chest heaving. She had no need to look behind her to see if the dreaded beast was behind her. She knew what it looked like and the blood-curdling howls seemed to grow closer with every passing minute.

Her heart was hammering wildly and she knew that if help did not come soon, she would be in terrible strife. Her breathing was already restricted by the corset and a familiar and uncomfortable tightness was beginning to form in her chest.

The dark-haired girl knew that was a sign her asthma was beginning to trouble her. Running fast and asthma never mixed well at the best of times and she did not have her medication with her. The moor stretched endlessly before her, with not a dwelling in sight.

Trish brushed away a strand of hair that had come loose in her terrified flight with an unsteady hand. She gasped as the dreadful cry echoed again over the moor, picked up her skirts again and fled, trying to shake the feeling that she was going to her doom.

ooo

Ben rubbed his arms as a chill breeze blew, raising goose bumps as they waited in the forest clearing. The Stadium rose majestically in the distance, creating a picture perfect scene for a moment that was anything but that.

The young man looked over to where his older brother was standing somewhat apart from the others, a strained look on his face and fists clenched by his side. Ben walked over to Drake and put one hand on his brother's arm. "She's going to be okay..."

"Is she?" the Pummelo Gym Leader asked in a hoarse voice. "Trish's being chased to death by a demon hound and she doesn't have her medication with her. How can she be okay?" The tall man ran a hand through his hair. "I already lost her once, I won't lose her again." Ben didn't say anything except to give his brother a gentle clap on the shoulder.

Jenn also shivered in the cool night air, as she glanced around anxiously at the clearing, hoping that there were no spiders or arachnid type Pokémon lurking about. The last thing she needed at this moment, was to walk into spider webbing.

She hoped that Callie and Puck would be able to break the spell in time to save Trish. While she knew that the female Fae was far more powerful than Lu, as was Puck; she also knew that her friend would have no hope of outrunning that demon dog she had seen. A tiny part of the blonde's mind nagged that while the Australian may be brought back, would she be brought back alive or dead? Jenn quickly pushed that thought away. We're as close as sisters, even more so. I would know if she wasn't alive…wouldn't I?

ooo

Trish dashed around the side of a large cairn and sagged against its mossy, worn surface, chest heaving with every breath and wheezing like mad. Her heart was beating furiously to compensate, and she fought desperately to quell her ever escalating panic. Her mind was shouting at her to run, but her body was screaming for her to stop, being in the midst of a severe asthma attack. Her asthma was making her panic, and her panic was making her asthma worse. It was the same old vicious cycle. What she needed, and needed desperately, was her asthma medication and for this ordeal to end. For she did not know if she could last very much longer. I'm gonna die, I'm soo gonna die….Then the howl came from a few metres behind her.

ooo

Shannon felt rather helpless as she sat on a boulder in between Ben and Chris. One of the nicest friends she had ever known was in mortal danger and there was nothing that she could do about. Danny was trying to keep a terrified Mia calmed down while Puck and Callie were busy focusing all their energy into breaking the spell.

Jenn paced back and forth restlessly across the clearing, like a caged tiger. The blonde was beside herself with worry and Shannon could see that she clutched something small and blue in her hand. It was Trish's asthma inhaler.

Drake was just as worried as Jenn was, though he managed to cover it somewhat better than she did. The dark-haired Crew Leader watched as she made her umpteenth lap before him, and noticed a slight glimmer of tears in her blue-grey eyes. When she passed him on her way back, he reached out and enveloped her in a tight hug. The blonde objected a bit before laying her head on his chest as he rocked her gently in his arms.

Jaime was sitting slightly apart from the others. For one thing it was her fault that Trish was gone and they were all here in the darkness. All because she had told Lucius how much the girl loved reading that book and that she was an asthmatic.

She hugged her knees to her chest. She hadn't meant for Trish to be sent to her death, she would never wish something like that on any friend. The teen prayed rapidly that the Australian girl would be found safe and well. For if she didn't make it, Jaime would have to live with the fact that she was partly responsible for her death.

ooo

Puck felt beads of perspiration dot his forehead as he concentrated in a joint effort with his sister to break the spell. They had almost decoded the last few remnants, just a little bit more was needed. Finally he 'felt' the spell break and he opened his eyes at the same time as his sister. "We did it!"

Callie gave a small smile. "Now you remember what we have to do as soon as we see the Hound?"

Puck nodded, a grim look on his face. "We kill it."

His sister held his hand tightly. There was no need to impress on Puck the importance that he not mess up this particular spell. While he did have a tendency to fluff things, when it came to the crunch - he would always come through.

ooo

Back in Dartmoor...

Trish started in terror at the baying of the hound, and she glanced around frantically, at a loss to know in what direction to flee next. A speck of light appeared a short distance before her, and grew in size to become a large shimmering portal. Summoning what remained of her strength, she made a frantic dash for it, not really caring where it went, as long as it was away from the hellish nightmare she was in.

ooo

The small group also saw the portal open, and the demonic howl of the Hound floated through, chilling everyone to the core.

Jenn clutched tightly onto Drake's arm, as the seconds ticked by. When a dishevelled young woman in a evening dress came tearing through, Jenn's spirits lifted as she recognised her best friend but that was soon short-lived. For Trish was in a very bad way; and neither Jenn nor anyone else there was fully prepared for the sight of what came after the petrified girl.

Such a beast their eyes had never seen before. An enormous coal black hound had burst through the hole. Its entire body glowed with an unearthly flickering flame, its eyes glowed red and sharp teeth were bared in a savage snarl.

Trish was not aware that she was back in familiar surroundings, nor was she aware that her friends were there at all. She was too busy running for her life as the savage beast drew closer on her heels. What she was very much aware of – was the fact that she had come to the very end of her strength. She had no more left to give. Her heart felt like it was being crushed in a steel vice, and she just could not breathe at all. She was not going to make it, and as the darkness overwhelmed her, the last thing she heard was the Hound.

Mia screamed as her friend suddenly crumpled to the ground. Just as the Hound was about to leap onto its victim, Callie shouted out "NOW" to her brother, and the two Fae sent a huge ball of crackling energy which trapped the creature within.

It struggled wildly as the Faes intensified their magic, writhing about in agony. A few minutes later it became completely still. Only then did the two dare to lower the body to the forest floor some distance away.

Ben was on the cell phone to the ambulance as the group rushed to their fallen friend. Jenn and Drake were the first to reach Trish, and they rolled her over onto her back gently. She neither moved or opened her eyes and Jenn grabbed her hand as Drake checked for a pulse. There was none.

Drake shouted at his brother. "We have to do CPR!" Ben immediately joined his brother, performing the chest compressions as Drake breathed air into the girl's lungs.

Shannon and Jenn stood together as they watched the Thayers work on their friend. The younger girl had her arm around Jenn's shoulders and gave a gentle squeeze every now and then.

The blonde's eyes were fixated on the still form of her best friend, silently willing the girl to start breathing. C'mon Trishy, you gotta make it. You can't leave me behind, we're a team.

The wailing of sirens announced the arrival of the paramedics on the scene, just as Drake and Ben managed to get a faint pulse. Trish was loaded quickly onto a stretcher and into the ambulance. Jenn climbed in with her – the two girls had promised long ago that they would always be there for each other, and the blonde was going to keep her side of the bargain.

Danny saw his best friend weave slightly on his feet. "I'll drive you to the hospital, Bro," the lanky Navel Island Gym Leader said firmly as he snatched the keys off Drake. "You are in no condition to do so. Trish needs you there in one piece."

ooo

At PummeloMemorialHospital

Jenn paced the floor of the waiting room in the emergency ward, glancing every few minutes at the double doors behind which a team of doctors were working on her friend. A nurse came up to her with a clipboard and pen. "Excuse me, are you with the patient that was just brought in?"

The blonde blinked then nodded. "Yes."

"Are you related in any way?"

"No," Jenn shook her head. "Her family's in Sydney. I'm her best friend."

"Well if you could fill out these admission forms and leave some contact numbers for her folks in Sydney so that we can notify them for any reason."

"Sure," Jenn took the clipboard and sat down in one of the chairs and began to fill the form as best she could.

Just then the rest of the group arrived, and to their questioning looks, she indicated the operating room doors. "They're working on her right now." Mia gave a slight hiccup where she was leaning against Puck, and it was obvious she had been crying on the way over.

"Shouldn't someone ring Trish's parents?" Shannon asked quietly. "Just so they can make arrangements to fly out to be with their daughter?"

Drake unhooked his cell phone from his belt. "I'll call them now and send the League jet to collect them, so they can be here as quickly as possible." Jenn flashed him a grateful smile, he knew about her phone phobia, and understood that there was no way in the world that she could have ever made this phone call. He moved off to the side and Danny went with him to provide moral support.

Jenn turned her attention back to the paperwork, and a few minutes later she had come to the end of the forms. Her pen hesitated at the last question, which she quickly skipped and signed her name on the dotted line. For the last question asked whether or not the 'Do Not Resuscitate' clause was to be invoked. Jenn didn't want to answer such a question, let alone contemplate it. Best to leave that decision to her parents, she thought. Because I wouldn't have the courage or the authority to do it.

The blonde glanced around at her friends as the nurse returned to collect the clipboard. Shannon was sitting with her hands clasped together in a silent prayer. Ben sat next to her with one hand on his girlfriend's shoulder. Jaime looked like she wanted the earth to swallow her up whole, and Mia was being comforted by Puck and Callie.

"How are you feeling?"

Jenn looked up to see the Grand Master standing there, concern in his dark brown eyes. She smiled faintly. "I'd feel much better if you tell me that this is all one huge nightmare and that I'm gonna wake up any second and Trish will be back home safe."

"I wish I could," Ash answered honestly.

Drake and Danny walked back over and the Orange Crew Leader looked tired and pale. "That is not a phone call I'd ever like to make again," he said as he sat down next to the blonde.

"You get onto her parents?" Jenn asked

"Yeah, they're going to see if any of her siblings want to come and they'll fly straight over." He ran a hand through his dark hair. "It was one of the most difficult phone calls I've ever had to make. How do you tell someone that their daughter may be dying?"

"What did you tell them?"

"Just that she collapsed with a severe asthma attack. They wouldn't believe me if I mentioned the truth."

"That's true," Ash murmured.

Jenn swung her legs up in the seat next to her and leaned her back against Drake. "I just want this to be over," she sighed, then added hastily, "With a happy ending, of course."

Ash went to sit in the chair that Jenn had put her feet on, but the blonde flashed him a warning look that said, "Don't even think about it." He sat in the seat next to the one with her feet on it. "What now?" he asked.

"For now," Drake said, looking towards the double doors, "we wait."

ooo

For the small group of friends, the minutes passed by at an agonisingly slow pace before the double doors finally opened. A team of doctors and nurses rushed the trolley bearing the unconscious patient toward the lifts, one nurse was mechanically pushing air into the lungs through a small external bag device as they went.

A doctor in his mid-forties walked over to them and they all sat up expectantly. He gave a tired smile. "It was touch and go there for a while, but she's still with us." Sighs of relief.

"However, she's in a coma. She's suffered some massive trauma, sending her whole system into a deep shock. Add a near fatal asthma attack and you can see why we're very lucky to have her at all."

Jenn gripped Ash's hand tightly as the doctor continued. "The next twenty-four hours will be crucial. If her condition remains stable then she has a good chance of getting through this."

"You must be prepared though for the possibility that your friend may never wake up. Or that she may have suffered irreversible brain damage as a result. Keyword - may," he added hastily, seeing their faces drop. "But we won't know this until Trish comes out of the coma."

'Oh no, oh no, oh god no,' Jaime's mind kept on repeating over and over as the news sunk in. The Canadian girl had never felt so mortified in her life. A good friend was fighting for her life - and it was totally her fault.

"She'll be monitored around the clock by staff, so I would suggest you all go home and get some rest. We'll make sure to inform you if there's any change in her condition," the doctor advised.

Jenn bit her lower lip nervously. "Wait, can't one of us stay overnight?"

The doctor nodded. "We do have spare beds in the adjoining rooms upstairs. One of you can stay if you like."

"I will," the blonde jumped up quickly.

"Wouldn't it be better if you went home?" Danny asked.

"Wouldn't it be better if you ditched that gawd awful sweater?" Jenn scowled at the gym leader. "I'm not leaving Trish alone."

"But you can't do anything for her..."

"That's not the point!" Jenn insisted angrily, lifting her chin and folding her arms across her chest. "I need to be here for Trish. In case you haven't noticed, she's in a coma because of Lu. Because I screwed up Lu's plans, he took it out on her."

"Maybe Callie and Puck could set up magical wards around Trish's room." Shannon suggested.

"Sorry, Shannon, but I don't think so," Jenn gritted her teeth. "It's because of magic in the first place that Trish, or any of us, were targeted by Lu." Jenn pointed over at Puck and Callie, "As a matter of fact, it's because of those two that Trish was hurt."

"Hey, that's not fair and totally uncalled for," Mia stood up in front of Puck, "We're doing all we can and..."

"Excuse you," Jenn interrupted, "but when did you turn magical?"

Mia clenched her jaw tight, and turned back to sit next to Puck.

"I understand that you're upset," Callie said soothingly, "But we will get Lu for this."

"And again, that's not the point." Jenn said calmly, though she was still clearly angry, "Trish is in a coma because of magic, because of your war with Lu." She shrugged. "Until her parents arrive, I'm the closest thing to family that she's got! I'm not leaving and that's that."

The Navel Island Gym Leader was about to renew his protests when Drake shook his head. "Give it up, Dan. There is no way in hell that you'll get Jenn to change her mind."

"But…"

Drake placed his hand on his best friend's shoulders. "Trust me on this. And if you know what's good for you, you'll give in."

Jenn looked triumphant. "See Danny? You should always listen to Drake. Now there's a guy who knows to fear and respect the Dragon Goddess!"

The Orange Crew Leader rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Yes, I've learnt my lessons well." He paused. "But I do think the rest of us need to go home and get some rest. We're obviously all upset and on edge, resulting in everyone going for each other's throats. That is the last thing we need at the moment, and I think we all know how Trish would feel about this if she knew. She'd tell us to sit down and shut up. So I suggest we all go and get some sleep and come back here in the morning, and perhaps we can act more civilised towards one another?"

The blonde nodded. "I promise to call immediately if there's any change."

"You do that."

ooo

Jenn followed the nurse down the quiet corridors of the Intensive Care Unit until they reached the room where Trish was lying. The blonde could see another nurse checking the various machines through the glass window. "Trish's condition will be monitored around the clock," the lady explained then opened the door to a room on the left. "This is where you can sleep for the night."

"Thank you."

The nurse smiled. "You can go in and see her for a few minutes if you like."

The blonde nodded and entered the room with some unease. The nurse that was on duty in the room, nodded at her and left the room. Jenn winced as she looked at the vast array of medical equipment that surrounded Trish's bed. She hated hospitals and the sight of her best friend, lying so pale and still with tubes from various machines sticking in her, did not help.

The slow but steady beep of the heart monitor was the only sound that punctuated the silence of the room, apart from the hissing and clicking of the ventilator which forced air into the girl's lungs; in essence 'breathing' for her.

Jenn sat down in the chair next to the bed and held her friend's limp hand. "Hey T," she said softly. "Just to let you know that I'm right here and I'm not gonna be going anywhere until you leave here. Um, on your own power, I mean. Your parents are on their way over, but until then you're stuck with me." She sighed as she reflected on the unfairness of the whole situation. Trish had been through a lot in the past two months, and just when things were looking up for her, something like this had to happen. Jenn couldn't help but think that her own escape from Lu had something to do with his swift attack on Trish.

"And when you wake up, you won't be able to say that I'm a good friend to you. Cause I'm not. If only I had realised it was a dog in my vision and not a lion or whatever, I could've prevented this. That's what a really good friend would've done." The blonde glanced towards the still figure and bit her lip. "Notice I didn't say if but when you wake up. Because you're gonna get better and walk out of here. You leave us all alone and I'll have no choice but to kill Lu myself."

ooo

The early morning sunlight streamed in softly through the stained glass windows as Jaime hesitantly pushed open the wooden doors of the hospital chapel. The place was empty, but a few candles burned brightly on a side table which told of recent visitors.

The redhead wiped her eyes as she walked up to the front pew and knelt down on the padded kneeler. She had hardly slept at all during the night, too full of wild remorse for what her actions had caused, and too afraid of what news the morning might bring. Huddled in her bed, she had vowed to visit the hospital every day until her friend was discharged. If she ever makes it to that stage, a small voice whispered inside her head.

Jaime prayed earnestly that Trish would make a full recovery from this ordeal. She vowed to take it on the chin if the older girl never spoke to her again. When she had finished, she rose from her pew and made ready to leave when the flickering candles on the side altar caught the corner of her eye.

The Canadian sniffled a bit. A burning candle was both a symbol of life and hope, perhaps she could light a candle for Trish. Placing a fresh candle in one of the holders, she lit it with a match, watching as the small flame sprang to life. As it grew in size and strength she willed her comatose friend to do the same.

ooo

The sun woke Jenn up early to unfamiliar surroundings. She sat up groggily to discover she was still dressed in the same clothes from yesterday, but then she remembered everything.

Hurriedly, the blonde scrambled off the bed and into the next room. She hoped fervently that the unthinkable had not happened during the night – that is, Lu sneaking in and finishing the job. Or that Trish had no more strength left to fight on. But surely the nurses would have woken her if that had happened.

A nurse glanced up from making some notes on the clipboard. "Good morning. Her condition never altered at all during the night. Due to that, we didn't disturb to you."

"That's a good thing, right?" Jenn asked hesitantly.

"It is and it isn't. While it's good that her condition hasn't deteriorated at all, we would be much happier if it had improved. But it hasn't."

"So…it could still go either way?"

"I'm afraid so," the nurse said in a soft voice. "And the final decision is all up to the patient herself. All the best medicine and doctors in the world won't be able to save her if she doesn't have the will to fight."

She left the room, and Jenn went to sit by her friend. "Come on, Trishy," she pleaded. "You heard what the nurse said. It's all up to you now. You just gotta fight this and fight hard. If you don't, then Lu's won and we totally can't have that!"

Her brows knitted together in frustration. "You've got so much to live for, Tah! You've got great family, you've got great friends in Mia, Shannon, Chris, and even Jaime. You've got me - no smart assed remarks, thank you very much! And what's more you have something that I don't have - Drake. He's tall, dark, handsome, talented, wealthy, and great guy who's crazy about you. Plus he's got a totally sexy butt, and if you don't like me saying that, then you can just sit up and tell me that yourself." She held her breath at that, but there was no response, not even an arched eyebrow. She sighed and rested her head against the cool metal railing of the bed. "You can do this, I know you can. You just can't leave us all alone."

ooo

Half an hour later, a nurse came to give the blonde a message that her friends, along with Trish's parents and older sister, were waiting down in the cafeteria for her. Somewhat reluctant to leave her friend and yet anxious to satisfy her growling stomach, Jenn made her way downstairs.

There were hugs all round, before the Australians were met by the doctor who had taken Trish's case, and taken upstairs to discuss the girl's condition and to see her as well.

Chris waited until they were well out of sight before speaking. "Do you think...Trish is going to pull through?"

Jenn slumped in her seat, staring at the bagel and Pepsi Drake had ordered for her and sighed. "I hope so. I just feel so helpless. I just wish there was something else I could do to help her. You know, like kill some..." She broke off at the confused stares Drake's parents were giving her, and at the unspoken cries of "SHUT UP!!!" from her friends, and weakly finished with, "...time. Nothing but time."

Mr Thayer smiled at the girl, but still looked a bit confused. "You are doing something to help Trish. Just by being there for her, and that is perhaps the most important thing of all. She may be in a coma, but I'm sure she knows in some way that you stayed with her last night."

"Sometimes faith can play a big role in a person's recovery," Mrs Thayer added. "A little faith can go a long way and we often need to draw on the strength of others."

"And Trish's inner strength is a lot greater than she thinks it is," Shannon said confidently. "I wonder if we can give that a helpful push along. We can be strong for her."

"But will it be enough?" Mia whispered as she clutched tightly onto Puck's hand.

Jenn sat up straight and her blue-grey eyes flashed. "It just has to be, Mia. We're not gonna let Trish leave us without a good fight."

ooo

At Drake's suggestion, the group headed back to the girls' villa for a while. It was only the proper thing to do to give Trish's family some time alone with their daughter and sister. Not even Jenn would argue against that, and so had joined them.

The blonde freshened up with a shower and a change of clothes, before padding over to her friend's room.

Ophelia and Hamlet lifted their heads from where they were curled up in two miserable balls on the bed, and whimpered when they saw the girl.

Jenn walked over and sat beside the Growlithe, scratching them gently behind their ears. "Poor pups. I know that you were hoping I was your mistress, but I'm not."

"They've been there all night," Shannon said as she entered the room and sat down beside Jenn. "The only time they move from the bed is when they need to go outside for personal needs."

"Have any of them eaten at all?" Jenn asked as Ophie crawled onto her lap for comforting, and Hamlet burrowed into Shannon's lap.

The younger girl sighed. "They refused to last night. This morning I managed to coax them all to have a little something."

"Where's Pepita and Satochu?"

"Oh Ash offered to take the two baby mice home for Pikachu to look after," Shannon explained. Jenn nodded. It made sense for Pepita to be with her mother, as it would provide some measure of comfort to the Baby Pokémon. And little Satochu would not have wanted to be separated from his sister.

"You feeling a little refreshed now?" a male voice came from the doorway. The two girls looked up as Drake came in and sat on a chair.

"Yeah, the shower sure helped," Jenn nodded. "So how long before I can go back and resume watch over the Sleeping Tiger?"

The Orange Crew Leader gave a slight frown. "I thought I was going to sit by her for a while, Crouching Rabbit."

"First of all, it's been changed to dragon. Crouching dragon."

"Go on," Shannon teased, "do the tongue thing."

Jenn just gave a withering look, to which Shannon laughed.

"Yeah, well you can," Jenn said, looking back at Drake. "But I promised Trish I wouldn't budge until she gets all better and this is one promise that I'm not gonna break!"

"But I haven't sat with her at all. You rode in the ambulance and you spent all last night at the hospital. It's only fair we should take turns."

"Do not make me hurt you!" Jenn said. "For one thing, Trish would be pissed and for another, I just got my nails done. I mean other than her family, I know T the best."

"Well, I'm her boyfriend."

"That's not as good as best friend status," she smirked. "You are easily replaced, while best friends stick forever," she paused, frowning, "or until I do something really wrong against her. So again with the not as good as."

Drake folded his arms. "Maybe so, but I should be allowed to spend time with the girl I'm going to marry..." He trailed off to see both girls staring at him with wide eyes. The two Growlithe looked at each other with mirrored looks of confusion. "Oh...bugger."

"The hell you say!" Jenn gasped. "We really have to get that girl to wake up now!"

They were interrupted by the doorbell. Jenn gently placed Ophelia off her lap and went to answer it. She swung open the door and her eyes widened in shock. "Rudy!"

"Jenn," Rudy said snidely, running a hand through his hair. "Is Trish here?"

"No, and..." she drew her hand back and punched the Trovita Island Gym Leader in the nose. Rudy fell back, landing on his back on the front walk. The others ran into the room behind Jenn.

"What's going on?!" Drake demanded, then shoved past Jenn when he saw Rudy sprawled out on the front walk.

The blonde sighed contentedly. "Oh, that felt so good!"

"But I'm Trish's boyfriend," Drake sputtered. "I should have punched him!"

"Too late, Romeo."

Shannon blinked. "Remind me to never get Jenn mad at me." Jenn grinned.

"I thought you said you just got your nails done," Drake said dryly.

"Son of a gun," Jenn examined her nails, then sighed in relief. "They're okay! I didn't break any of 'em!"

"The world is safe once again," Shannon rolled her eyes.

"You'd better believe it." Jenn said sombrely.

"So what did he want?" the younger girl asked.

Jenn shrugged. "I dunno, all he asked was if Trish was here, then I punched the sucker."

"You're the punch first, ask questions later kinda girl," Drake sighed.

"Hey, I resemble that," the blonde folded her arms. "You would've done the same, Mister 'Aren't I so cool because I run a League'."

"True."

"What do we do with him?" Shannon gestured towards Rudy, who was slowly picking himself up off the ground.

"Nothing, it's garbage collection day. Let them get rid of the trash," Jenn shrugged as she turned to go back inside. "I heard there's a nice recycling place. Maybe he can come back with a new attitude or at least better hair."

"That's not a very nice thing to say, Jenn," the Trovita Gym Leader growled as he staggered to his feet. His eyes widened as he noticed Drake standing beside her. "Drake…what are you doing here?"

"I could ask the very same question of you," the Orange Crew Leader said, coolly.

"But I thought that you and Trish were…" Rudy trailed off, confused.

"Shows how much you know," Shannon smirked. "They're back together."

"So can I see her?"

Drake walked slowly up to his colleague, and the chestnut-haired man cringed at the menacing look in his dark eyes as he was grabbed by the collar of his shirt. "For your information, Trish is lying in a coma in hospital, thanks to your friend, Lu. If she dies, I'm gonna hurt both you and him, very very badly. And if I find out that you've taken your slimy self anywhere near her room, you are going to regret that you were ever born."

"Not that Trish would want anything to do with you after what you tried to do," Jenn sneered. "Time for you to go." She leant in the doorway and called out, "Ophie! Hamlet!"

Two Growlithe came running and sat by her feet. Jenn smiled sweetly at the Trovita Island Gym Leader. "These two sweeties are Trish's Pokémon. And I'm sure they would be only too happy to show you the way out, once they learn that you are responsible for hurting their beloved mistress."

The two Fire Pokémon snarled and bared their teeth as she said this, and advanced towards Rudy menacingly. The man broke into a cold sweat as he started to inch slowly backwards. Ophelia opened her mouth to reveal a small glowing ball of fire forming.

Rudy turned tail and ran, the two growlithes hot on his heels. The group heard him shriek in pain as Ophelia's Flame Thrower scored a direct hit on his bottom.

"Oooh Ophie's such a good widdle puppy!" Jenn clapped her hands. "Both of them are gonna get extra Pokétreats for this."

"And again, with the reminder to never get you mad at me," Shannon muttered.

"That's right, be terrified of the Dragon Goddess!" the blonde crowed.

"Oh, don't worry, we are!"

ooo

Puck found Mia out in the backyard, sitting in a miserable heap on a garden bench. "Hey there," he said carefully as he sat down beside her.

Her only response was to fling her arms around him and bury her face in his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her slender frame and they sat in silence.

After a few minutes, Mia broke it. "Tell me everything's going to be all right. Tell me that Trish is going to pull through this, because I don't think I can take much more."

Puck hugged her tightly. "What do you mean?"

She pulled back slightly and he saw a hint of tears in her emerald green eyes. "It's all myfault that this happened. Remember how Trish made that 'Six Degrees of Mia' quip? Everything bad that's happened is because of me, and because Lu is hurting me to get to you. Trish would never have been sick, would never have fought with Drake, and wouldn't be on her deathbed at the moment if she hadn't been my friend!" She sighed and rested her head against his shoulder. "There's just no other explanation for it. Why else would Lu want to kill her? If she dies, I am never gonna forgive myself…"

"She won't die," Puck tried to reassure his girlfriend, hoping that what he said would turn out to be the truth.

"Maybe I should go home…"

"What?"

"Maybe I should go home before anyone else gets hurt. I mean the longer I stay here, the more danger I'm putting everyone in!"

Puck gripped the brunette by the shoulders. "Listen to me, Mia. You are not going to go home, you are going to stay right here. Trish would get pissed at us and you if she found out you went home because of what happened to her. The first thing she is going to do after she wakes up, okay maybe second after she demands her coffee, is to know where her Mini-Mi is."

The teen sighed. "You're right. I'll stay."

ooo

Two days passed and to everyone's dismay, Trish's condition slowly deteriorated. The doctors had managed to stabilise her and not let it go any further, but things were looking grim.

Trish's parents had rung Jenn that night to tell her that the doctors had advised them that the longer the girl remained in a coma, the longer she went without showing any signs of improvement; the less likely she would make a full recovery.

In that case, the question of when to turn off the life support needed to be considered. The blonde felt sick to her stomach. They couldn't do that to Trish! Jenn stepped out into the backyard and looked up at the night sky. She had told the others the news and wanted to have a few minutes alone. She had never felt so frustrated and so helpless before. Trish was her best friend and the one person who knew her best apart from her own family. The dark-haired girl was always there when Jenn needed her. Now when the situations were reversed, there was nothing Jenn could do to help except sit there.

The back door opened and footsteps sounded behind her. She turned to see the Orange Crew Leader approaching her and she guessed he was feeling as crappy as she was.

"How're you feeling?" he asked gently.

"Sick, scared, frustrated, helpless," she sighed. "I just don't want think about turning the machines off."

"Yeah, I feel the same way," Drake looked down and dug his hands deep in his pockets. "Nothing we can do about it though. It's not our decision to make."

"I know that! It's just that why is T getting worse and not better? Doesn't she know how much we need her here? Doesn't she realise how lost we'd all be without her?"

He looked up at her with a sad smile. "I think she does, but maybe…maybe it's her time to go."

"No," Jenn turned away from Drake and crossed her arms across her stomach. She frowned at the night sky. "No, maybe it's your time to go."

"Excuse me?" Drake sounded shocked. "For your information, I..."

"...Haven't been there enough."

"What?" He was confused. "What are you saying?"

The blonde spun around, her eyes bright with unshed tears. "You're right. I've been there too much. I think that...you have to be there."

"Jenn, I..."

The tears vanished and the blonde shook her head. "Don't argue with me, okay? Just for once, listen to me." Drake fell silent.

"You're her Prince Charming, you know. Even when she was pissed at you, you were always in her thoughts," Jenn grinned. "Even when those thoughts were of torturing and maiming you, keep in mind that it was thought of with love."

The Orange Crew Leader chuckled at that, "But..."

Jenn walked by him towards the open patio doors. "Nuh uh, you just get down there ASAP. Even if you have to get her Espeon to teleport you in." She sighed. "True love always conquers over evil." She slapped him on his bare arm before going back indoors. "Remember that, Romeo."

The door shut behind her and Drake leaned against the cool wall of the villa. "Maybe she's right," the Orange Crew Leader mused as he turned to go inside. He shrugged and grasped the door knob. "Maybe she's..." He frowned and tried the knob again. "...locked me out." He pounded on the door. "JENN!!!"

He heard her voice float back. "Just get your butt to where it belongs – at Trish's bedside!"

The dark-haired man sighed, and unhooked a Poké Ball from his belt. It contained Espeon whom he had offered to look after while her mistress was in hospital. "We'd better do as she says."

ooo

Jaime arrived at the hospital bright and early, she had found out when the visiting hours for non family members were with the ICU, and she was determined to see Trish. Clutching a small teddy bear and a small posy of flowers, the girl asked the reception the directions to the room.

"I'm not sure if she already has family there at the moment, I'll just ring the nurses desk and see first," the nurse advised her as she picked up the phone.

Jaime hoped desperately that no one was there with Trish. She really didn't think she could face the girl's family when she had been partly responsible for the crisis. "Hi, I kinda helped to put your daughter in a coma," was not the best way to introduce yourself to people.

"Her family have gone for a late breakfast with her boyfriend," the nurse told her. "I can take you up for twenty minutes maximum."

The redhead nodded gratefully and followed the older woman to the elevator. Once there, she felt a little nervous about entering the room. Hospitals gave her the creeps at the best of times, but especially so when she saw all the machines that her friend was hooked up to. She approached the bed slowly, cautiously, half-expecting Trish to suddenly sit up and bite her head off. Jaime shook her head and reproached herself. 'Don't be such an ass Jaime. She's in a coma, she's not about to move anywhere!' That was immediately followed by a fresh wave of guilt as she remembered the reason why Trish was in a coma.

The girl sat down in the chair beside the bed and looked around. Flowers and soft toys dotted the shelf behind the bed. A medium size bear sat on the table beside the bed, with a small heart shaped helium balloon on a stick attached. 'Love You Always,' was written in cursive script across the balloon and Jaime guessed that it had come from Drake.

She summoned up her courage and faced the still figure in the bed. "Hi…Trish. It's me, Jaime. I brought you this teddy cuz I know you like them and a small posy. I really hope you get better soon and that you can forgive me. I never wanted this to happen, honest."

Jaime sighed and rose to place her little gifts amongst the others. At the door to the room she paused and looked back. "If I could turn back time, I would never have agreed to help them in the first place."

ooo

On an island north of Pummelo, someone else was playing the waiting game. Lucius had returned there as soon as his victim had left him in Dartmoor; and it took all of his self-control to restrain himself from immediately going to see the results of his 'handiwork.' For it wouldn't do for him to walk into a trap laid by Callie and Puck. Oh no, he intended to see this thing through to the end, and he intended to win at all costs.

He sat down in his recliner and felt out with his magic. If things had gone to plan, then there would be no life force to be found. His smile faded after a minute, for he still felt it. Faint but still there. The red-haired Fae gritted his teeth. "How can this be?! How could she have survived such an ordeal? How can she still be living!!" He would have to wait until the night came to finish the job.

ooo

Joanne watched her blue Mew as he ate. The little Pokémon had been coming and going at all hours and slept on and off throughout the day ever since he had told her that strange things were afoot. "Can I ask you just where you go every night?"

Ashura blinked. 'Sure. I've been keeping watch at the hospital over Trish through the night. Just in case the Evil One tries to do something.'

Joanne nodded. She had heard all about it from Jenn. "But isn't there always someone there overnight? Surely you don't need to be there."

Her Pokémon waved a little paw. 'I do need to be there. The Evil One is magic remember? At least I have some powers to counteract any attacks he might try. The night hours will be when Trish is most vulnerable, especially since she can't defend herself.

"I see." She hesitated before asking the next question. "Do you think he's going to hurt someone else?"

ooo

The hospital room was silent save for the constant beeping and hissing of the life support equipment as they kept the patient alive. The curtains were shut against the moonlight and rustled slightly as a pinprick of light appeared in the room, and grew until it formed into a tall red-haired man.

Lucius glowered at the still figure in the bed. "You should have been dead by now. In fact you should have died that night on the moors. Never mind, you soon will be once I have finished here."

He walked to the window and parted the curtains with magic, the moonlight turning everything to silver. A red orb of fiery energy formed and hovered above his right palm. "I may not be on the side of good, but the moon does empower my magick." The orb flared with renewed strength and crackled intensely.

"It would have been much better for you if your little blonde friend had just stayed put. If she had just let me deal with her, you wouldn't be the one to appease my wrath. Nothing like a sacrificial offering I always say." The Fae smiled coldly. "You did say you would do anything for your best friend, and so you shall die." His smile grew even more sinister. "And if you think your death might save your friend, you are very much mistaken. For I have plans for her, and you will not be able to stop me."

The orb seemed to fling itself from his palm, streaking towards the vulnerable figure. Lucius's eyes glowed with glee, but his joy was short-lived as the orb crashed into an invisible barrier surrounding the comatose girl, shattering into a million pieces, all of which disintegrated before they hit the ground.

"WHAT?!" Lucius growled out. He stalked over and hovered his hand around the girl, "Puck!" The name was spat out with pure venom and the Fae glanced around quickly. "I don't have time to unravel this now, I'll have to come back later or else choose a new target. But rest assured that you will not live for long, not when you know too much." With that, he vanished.

A small stuffed blue bear sitting on Trish's pillow suddenly moved and shimmered until it had resumed its natural form. Mew gave a frightened squeak before vanishing.

Ashura reappeared in the next room, where the Orange Crew Leader was sleeping for the night. He poked the sleeping man incessantly with one paw. 'Wake up!!!!'

Drake mumbled a bit before opening his eyes to find two large blue ones staring into his.

"Mew?"

He yelped in alarm, and nearly fell out of the bed. "Don't wake me like that!"

Mew looked sombre. 'This was an emergency.'

The dark-haired man sat up, and rubbed his eyes. "There's only one blue Mew that I've heard about, so you must be Ashura. What's wrong?"

Frightened blue eyes gazed at him. 'You must go to your mate. The Evil One just tried to kill her but I managed to stop him.'

Drake's eyes widened in horror before he leapt out of bed and ran into the next room, with Mew flying close behind. The Orange Crew Leader sighed with relief when he saw the jagged lines on the heart monitor still going steadily across the screen, as the respirator clicked away.

He sat down beside the bed and held Trish's hand tightly. "What did he try to do?"

'He tried to kill her with an orb of magical energy, but I managed to erect a psychic barrier around her in time,' Ashura informed him, before the little Pokémon found himself wrapped in a tight hug.

"Thank you so much for saving Trish," Drake said softly before letting go. "If you hadn't been here...by the time I'd have found out, it would have been too late. I don't know how I can ever repay you."

Ashura giggled. 'Oh I was glad to help. There is no way we can let the Evil One win. Besides, I like your mate, she's nice.'

"My...mate?" the Orange Crew Leader blushed.

The little Mew giggled again. 'I am a Psychic Pokémon, so I know these things.'

"Do you think Lu will try again tonight?"

'I don't know.'

"Just to be on the safe side, maybe I'd better stay here and we both keep watch the rest of the night."

'Gotcha.'

ooo

Meanwhile, back at the villa...

Jenn placed a small portable CD player on the floor near the door of her friend's room, and glanced around the room. A small stuffed toy caught her eye and she picked it up.

The cream and brown dog was missing half of its fur and the paint on its eyes was half faded. This was Trish's favourite and oldest toy, having received it for her first birthday. Jenn decided to take it to the hospital, so that when the girl awoke, she would see something familiar.

When Shannon walked in a few minutes later, Jenn was rummaging through Trish's CD collection. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for music to wake Trishy by," came the answer. The older girl pulled some discs out and handed them to Shannon to hold.

"Do you think it will work?"

Jenn sighed deeply. "I really hope so, Shan. I really do."

ooo

She arrived at the hospital room with Shannon, Ben, Mia, Puck, Chris and Callie in tow. The Orange Crew Leader was sitting beside the bed, holding Trish's limp hand in his. Chris noted that his friend looked tired and careworn; Ben had told him earlier that his brother had hardly slept one wink since the "accident."

Jenn was in not much better shape either. The Scot knew from Shannon that the blonde girl hardly slept, and paced the floors at night. She held the old toy dog in one hand as she sat down on the side opposite Drake.

"Heard the latest?" the Orange Crew Leader asked in a husky voice.

"No," Jenn unconsciously gripped the toy dog tighter.

"Lu tried to finish her off last night with magic. Luckily, Joanne's little Ashura was here to stop him."

"Did he manage to hurt her at all?" Mia was pale.

Drake shook his head. "No, however it seems that Trish's condition is still deteriorating. If she continues to go downhill, the doctors don't hold much hope of bringing her back."

Jenn groaned in frustration. "Why the hell can't something go right for once? Why can't things be easy like in the stories we used to read as kids?"

"What do you mean?" Ben was puzzled.

"What does it take to get Trish to wake up? Sleeping Beauty only needed a kiss from her Prince Charming and voilá, she was awake and everyone lived happily ever after. Drake is her Prince Charming, so why won't she wake up and cure us of our misery?"

"Sleeping Beauty is a fairy tale, Jenn," Shannon said with a wry smile. "They're not based on real life events."

"Gee thanks, Shan," Jenn replied sourly. "Just go and shatter all my childhood illusions." A chuckle from Puck caught her attention, and she brightened. "Wait a sec, Puck is a fairy!"

"That's Fae," the guy in question corrected. "Not fairy. Fairy sounds so gay." Before he could say another word, he found himself grabbed by both arms.

"You're a fairy," the blonde shook him before gesturing towards Trish and Drake. "There's your tale, so make like a good Fae and give us our happy ending!!!"

Puck shrugged helplessly. "Sorry, no can do."

Much like everyone else, Shannon could sense the growing tension and she quickly set up the CD player.

"What's that for?" Chris asked with some confusion.

"We brought some music for Trish to listen to," Shannon said. "Sometimes hearing something familiar, like favourite music, or a loved one's' voice," she glanced towards Drake and then back down, "can bring people out of comas. We thought it would be worth a try."

Ben picked up the cd case and arched an eyebrow at the cover. "Savage Garden?"

"Yes, Savage Garden," Jenn snapped the case out of Ben's hand. "Don't knock it if you haven't tried it."

Ben's lips twitched, "I'm sorry, really, it's just that I heard something that Trish had said you said. Something about how you wouldn't mind one of these guys savaging..."

"Okay and that's enough," Jenn covered Ben's mouth with her hand. "Shut up or pull up a bed."

Chris choked on the drink he was sipping and Mia snickered at the Scot's reaction.

Drake patted Trish's hand. "I can't believe you're missing this."

Jenn ignored them and sat in a chair by Trish's bed. She tried to sound more cheerful than she obviously was. "Hey Sis, I brought you some of your favourite music to hear." She glared over at Ben, who was snickering again, "And if that doesn't work, then I've got Achy Breaky Heart to play and I know that you, much like 99 of the world's population, hate that horrible song with a passion!"

"Amen," Shannon said.

"Achy breaky heart?" Puck looked confused. "I thought she was in a coma!"

Mia groaned. "It's a song title, Puck. A really, really bad song."

"But why would you want to play a bad song?" Puck's eyebrows knitted together. "Wouldn't that just scare her into a deeper coma?"

"No it won't," Jenn said confidently. "T hates that song so much, I'm hoping she'll wake up just to tell me to turn it off!" She looked over at Shannon, who was staring at the cd in her hands. "What's wrong?"

"Yeah, Shan, afraid they might savage your garden?" Ben laughed out, then stared at the mix of confused and amused faces. "Okay so it isn't as funny when you're talking about your girlfriend, but...it..." he sighed and shook his head. "Forget about it."

"Gladly!" Mia rolled her eyes. "That was too disturbing."

"Um, no, guys...It's just that this isn't the right cd," Shannon held up the disc in question and it wasn't the orange labelled cd that it should have been.

"A blue mystery cd?" Ben scratched at his chin. "Could it be Lu's doing?"

"What?" Jenn snapped, "Destroying our sanity by switching cds from their proper cases?" She took the cd from Shannon and studied it. "Hmm," she said, raising an eyebrow. "This could work in our favour."

"More than her achy breaky heart?" Puck asked, still looking quite confused.

Mia went over to Puck and sat down beside him. "Later, honey baby sweetie pie poop cakes! Momma Mia will explain everything."

"Poop cakes?" Chris asked, "I think I'd rather see people pulling up beds, as that would lead to people getting into them, drawing the sheets around us..."

"You're drooling into your drink," Ben said wryly.

Jenn peeked at said beverage. "Do they even serve that sort of stuff at a hospital?"

"What?" Chris snapped out of his reverie. "Nah, there's a pub down the street."

"Somehow it disturbs me that a statement like that doesn't disturb me." Jenn nodded. "Yup, quite disturbing." The blonde addressed her unconscious friend again. "Okay, so the original intention was for you to listen to your favourite music, but it's the wrong disc so we gotta make do. So this group will never compare with a dark-haired Darren Hayes but I know you like this song anyway. And if you can hear us, you can take heed of these words, cuz they're true." She inserted the cd into the player and pressed the button. Shannon leaned back against Ben and prepared to listen. A lump grew in her throat as she recognised the words.

How will I start

Tomorrow without you here

Whose heart will guide me

Will all the answers disappear?

Is it too late?

Are you too far gone to stay

Best friends forever

Should never have to go away

What will I do?

You know I'm only half without you

How will I make it through?

If only tears could bring you back to me

If only love could find a way

Drake's eyes were moist as he smoothed back Trish's hair before dropping a gentle kiss on her forehead.

What I would do, what I would give if you

Returned to me

Someday, somehow, someway

If my tears could bring you back to me.

Shannon closed her eyes and prayed that wherever Trish was, that she could hear them, and to see how badly her loss would affect those around her.

ooo

Meanwhile, the girl in question was sitting on a smooth boulder in a grassy meadow, deep in thought. When she had regained consciousness here, she was informed by a bodiless voice that this was the place between life and death. She was brought here to make possibly the most important decision of her life. Continue living or to die. To be or not to be.

To her surprise she was really torn. Before she would have laughed at the notion that death was preferable to life, but now she was not so sure. The past few days in this limbo had given her a glimpse into what it would be like if she chose not to be. No asthma, everything that she had felt imperfect about herself was perfect. The best thing of all was how completely at peace she felt, a welcome change after the emotional turmoil of the last few months. So what do I do?

"What you do girl, is to get yourself back down there in your body and resume living! You don't belong here," came a male voice from beside her.

Trish started slightly and glanced down to see a tiny red dragon sitting on the boulder next to her. "It's a talking lizard?"

The dragon pouted and folded his arms. "Hey I thought you saw this movie! I'm no lizard. I'm a dragon. Drag-on."

"Okay, I must be hallucinating, Mushuu is a Disney character and this is so not Disneyland" the dark-haired girl muttered to herself. "So who are you?"

The mini dragon puffed out his chest proudly and put one claw over his heart. "I am your guardian spirit. I…"

But he got no further for he was suddenly grabbed and shaken violently. "Guardian spirit, huh? So WHERE were you a few days ago??!! I nearly got torn into Trishy strips by some demon dog and you only turn up NOW when I'm almost dead? Some guardian you are!"

"Whoa there!!!" the dragon said with his claws in a submissive gesture. "I thought you were the non-violent one."

"You try nearly meeting a violent death and being all calm about it," the Australian girl huffed. "Besides you should have read my profile more thoroughly!"

"I'm sorry," the dragon drooped. "But it's not the easiest job in the world being a guardian spirit ya know! Especially when your assigned human does the exact opposite of what you want them to do."

"Kind of like in the Sims," Trish nodded. Her eyes widened momentarily at the thought that life as she knew it might only be one huge simulation game for the Big Guy. She dismissed it with a shake of her head. Not only was the thought unsettling but she'd rather not live with the feeling that someone else was controlling her every movement. She made a mental note to be more lenient towards her virtual people if she ever went back.

"Exactly! While I may have been slightly lax in my guardian duties lately…" the critter trailed off at the Look he received. "Okay, terribly lax, only because you're very easy to watch over. You don't do anything reckless or crazy."

"I'm very boring," the dark-haired girl sighed.

The mini dragon wagged a claw at her. "Hey, I'm not complaining! My job of getting you back to where you belong should be easy."

"Wait a second, who said that I wanted to go back, Mr…"

"Eddie. My name's Eddie." As he spoke he morphed into a Pikachu.

Trish's eyes widened. "How did you do that?!"

Eddie grinned. "I can be whoever or whatever you want me to be." He again changed form to become Queer Eye's Kyan Douglas.

"Are you gay?"

"No. Why?"

She shook her head. "If you want me to go back, then don't present me with a straight version of a cute gay guy!"

"Oh. I knew that," and he turned back into Mushuu. "Drag-on right along…"

"Oy."

"Anyhow the point is, that you have to go back. This ain't your time to go, girl."

"Didn't you hear me? What if I don't wanna go back?"

"Whaddya mean?"

"What I said. I'm not sure that I want to go back," Trish sighed.

Eddie blinked and made a sweeping motion with one claw. "But nothing happens here!"

"It makes a very nice change from what I've been through the past few months," the girl folded her arms across her chest. "It's peaceful, it's quiet, no crazy and evil Faes trying to kill me. Just how I like it."

"You do realise that once you make the choice, it's irreversible."

"I know that! I like reading about these life after death experiences! Think of all the interesting historical figures I could talk to," a gleam came into the Australian's eyes.

Eddie shook his head. "A true dyed in the wool history buff. Even when almost dead." The guardian spirit tried another tack. "You would never see your family again."

"But I'd have my grandparents."

The mini dragon blew out a puff of smoke. "Must you always argue with me?"

"Yeah."

"You girl, are coming with me. And I'm gonna show you why you're not meant to be pushing up daisies at your age!"

Their surroundings blurred and reformed to reveal the girls' villa. Eddie lifted up a small claw in warning. "Now we will be able to see and hear everything but your friends won't be able to see or hear us."

"Cool!"

The guardian spirit gave her a dry look. "Methinks you are enjoying this a tad too much."

Jenn was sitting on her bed, with one of Trish's hapless teddies in a stranglehold. The tall blonde was writing in her journal and muttering away to herself. "I just don't get why you won't come out of that coma, T. You promised me that we were going to travel to all these places."

"See how this is affecting her?" Eddie gestured. "And if you go, you won't be there to prevent Lu from hurting your best friend."

Trish gasped. "He wouldn't…would he?"

"Look what he did to you."

"Do you know what he has planned for her?"

"I know all these things," the mini dragon stated, and made a grand gesture with one claw. "Take a look."

The surroundings blurred and reformed to reveal a ballroom scene with people dressed in elegant evening clothes. Waiters were circulating with trays of champagne glasses and an small string quartet was playing in one corner.

"You sure this is it?" Trish looked around dubiously. "I mean, this doesn't look so bad. I got chased over the moors in a corset and dress by some demon dog. This is civilised. What's Lu going to do? Humiliate Jenn to death because she can't dance?"

"Patience," Eddie counselled.

Suddenly the room shuddered violently, catapulting people and furniture forward as a huge wrenching noise was heard. Trish grabbed onto a column with one hand and the mini dragon with the other before she lost her balance. "Okay, what was that? Was that an earthquake or something?"

Slowly people began to pick themselves up off the floor and check on those that were injured. From outside the room, shouts and screams began to be heard and Trish noted the floor began a subtle list to the right. Before she could mention it to her guardian spirit, their surroundings blurred and reformed back into Jenn's room.

"Now why did you do that?" Trish turned on Eddie. "I didn't find out what he was going to do to her!"

The mini dragon shrugged helplessly. "It wasn't me! Some things are out of our control."

"But Lu is going to try to KILL Jenn like he tried to kill me!" the dark-haired Australian gritted her teeth. "And I won't let him do that to my best friend in the whole world. How can I warn her if I don't know what the danger is?"

Eddie allowed himself a private grin. Finally his charge was beginning to come round to the decision that the Big Guy wanted her to make. It was a known fact that Trish would do almost anything to help her friends and family. He hoped that the person they would visit next would do the trick.

Next stop on the Magical Mystery Tour," the guardian spirit announced in a cheery voice as the surroundings blurred yet again. The two found themselves in the hospital room, where Drake was sitting beside the bed, holding Trish's limp hand.

Trish took an involuntary step back at the sight of herself lying so still in the hospital bed. "Can I just say that this is really freaky? I'm here and my body is over there."

"That's a very normal reaction. Most people freak out when we show them their bodies," Eddie soothed before waving a claw towards Drake. "I don't mean that in a buried sort of way as you still have a choice. We're not here to freak you out, we're here to look at him."

Trish noted that her boyfriend looked very tired and pale, his clothes and hair rather rumpled as if he had slept in them.

"He's been there almost every single day," the mini dragon whispered in her ear. "The last few days, he's hardly left your side."

"Aww that's so sweet," Trish sighed. "He is just the greatest guy."

"And you're seriously thinking of leaving him behind?!" Eddie waved his claws so wildly that he tumbled off her shoulder. Trish knelt down and picked up the little critter off the floor and dusted him off.

"For a guardian spirit, you are rather clumsy."

"Hey, I resemble that," he pouted as he clambered back onto her shoulder. "Anyway, you know what Jenn would say about this."

"I know, I know," Trish rolled her eyes. "She'd say 'Are you TOTALLY out of your mind?!"

"Well you are!!"

"Gee, thanks," she said with a sour smile. "Some supportive guardian you are."

"I try."

ooo

Drake shifted uncomfortably in the hard plastic chair as he kept watch over the silent form of his girlfriend. This seemed to be the pattern of his life at the moment, alternating with Jenn every second day for a little break.

He sighed and squeezed Trish's limp hand. "Oh why won't you come back to me? Don't you realise how much everyone misses you, how much I miss you? If you die, I don't know what I'll do. I've always dreamt about us spending the rest of our lives together, that I don't think I could ever love someone else."

The Orange Crew Leader fished a small black velvet box out of his pocket. "I was planning to give you this, as well as ask you a certain question after a nice romantic dinner. But that may never happen now."

ooo

Eddie glanced sideways at Trish. The dark-haired girl was speechless over what she had just heard, and her eyes glistened. "Soooo, do you still want to go on?" the guardian spirit said slyly.

Trish shook her head. "No, no. I want to go back."

"And that's just what I wanna hear!" Eddie cheered. "So get back in your body, girl and put that poor man out of his misery."

"Wait a sec. Just how do I do that?" Trish questioned. "I don't know how I even got out of it in the first place!!!"

"Easy," the mini dragon smirked before he gave her one almighty shove which sent her tumbling onto the bed and back into her body.

Trish struggled up through the black depths to open her eyes. She was going to give that guardian spirit of hers a thing or two. "Hey, watch it!!! Guardian spirit or not, I'm gonna shake you so bad…" She trailed off when she saw Drake staring at her with wide eyes. She smiled weakly. "Uh…hello."

ooo

Jenn was having a nice dream about herself living in some grand mansion with a few pool boys when her cell phone rang beside her bed.

Groggily she felt around with one hand until she found it and placed it against her ear. "Hullo? This better be good waking me up at this time," she growled.

"You told me to call you as soon as something happened," Drake told her calmly. "And something just happened. Trish's awake."

Yeah sure," Jenn yawned once before it registered. "She's awake??"

"Yes, she woke up a few minutes ago. The doctors have been in and out ever since."

"How is she?"

"Tired, groggy and rather pissed off at someone."

ooo

Jenn broke the good news to their group of friends the next morning and they headed over to the hospital straight after breakfast.

When they arrived, the patient was awake and supported in a more upright position by the top half of the bed. Drake was sitting beside the bed as usual, holding her hand tightly.

"You are awake!!!" Jenn laughed before rushing over and grabbing her best friend in a hug.

"I soon won't be if you keep on hugging me too tight," a startled Trish managed to wheeze out.

The blonde let go with a sheepish grin. "Sorry."

Her lungs heaving to get the right amount of air, the dark-haired girl sank back against her pillows. When she was able to speak properly, she flashed Jenn a weak grin. "S'okay. The state I'm currently in, a kid could kill me with a popsicle stick."

"How do you feel?" Mia asked eagerly.

"Like I've been run over by a semi-trailer," she said wearily. "I'm sore all over, I have no energy, and am completely buggered."

"What do the doctors say?" Shannon piped up.

"She won't be going anywhere for a while," Drake spoke up, squeezing Trish's hand. "She's extremely weak and she needs to build up her strength again. Plus they need to make sure that her lungs are functioning as normal, as well as checking that no psychological damage was caused by the coma."

Jenn held up three fingers. "How many fingers am I holding up, Trishy?"

Trish stared at her. "Three. I'm not brain damaged, Sis."

"Just checking. After all we did play Achy Breaky Heart quite a few times to you while you were asleep."

Her friend's eyes widened in horror. "Achy Breaky Heart??? Were you NUTS??? That could have killed me! I HATE that song!!!"

"Plus Drake and I did the wild thing," Jenn added mischievously.

"You WHAT?!" Trish nearly had a fit before she saw the twinkle in her friend's eyes. "You are so mean."

"I know," the blonde grinned, especially at the scowl she got from the Orange Crew Leader.

"Have pity on the sick Tiger," Trish pouted before a sly look came into her eyes. "Or else I won't introduce to you this super cute doctor that I have."

"Now look who's being mean," Jenn retorted.

"I know," the Australian smirked as she tossed her words right back at her.

"Do you remember anything about what happened?" Callie asked, deciding that they'd better get back to the business at hand. "Or would you rather not talk about it at the moment?"

Trish's eyes darkened. "No…I do remember what happened. While it's something that I would rather forget…it needs to be discussed now."

"You sure?" Drake asked, concerned.

"I'm positive," she took a deep breath before continuing. "Since Lu's already chosen his next victim."

To be continued…

ooo

Author's Notes: The Hound of the Baskervilles by SirArthurConanDoyle is the main basis for this chapter. I have inserted a few quotes from the novel in here. The other corset quote comes from the movie – Pirates of the Caribbean

Sorry for the delay in posting. I had completed this chapter about two months ago, but decided to sit on it. Plus for the past 6 months of this year and the last 6 weeks, I have been heavily involved in a federal election campaign with my job. But it's over and we've won and my job is safe. I can relax and get back into the writing.

Let me say again to those who go "But it doesn't follow the anime/magna!!" Hey, this is fanfiction. You write what you want to see. Deal with it.