Recap of Chapter Seventeen

Reaching her home close to an hour after dropping Will off, Misao let out a small sigh of relief when she saw that the living room light was on, which indicated that Jason was at home. Having made her way upto her front door, she tried to open it and smiled to herself when she found it locked. 'At least Jason remembered to lock the door, when I'm away.' Reaching into her pants pocket, she took out her keys and after finding the one she needed, unlocked the door and made her way inside. "Jason, I'm home!"

A few moments later, Jason made his way into the small hallway. "Where have you been, Mom?"

After removing her shoes, Misao made her way up to her sons side. "I'm really sorry that I am so late, Jason, but something came up and I had to go take care of it." Placing her arm across Jason's shoulders, Misao began to lead him back towards the living room. "So, besides worrying about me, what else have you been doing all this time?"

Jason told her that one of her friends had came over, and that they had spent the time getting to know one another. Misao started to ask him what friend that was, but before she could do so a male voice said. "It's so good to find you safe and sound, Misao." Coming to a very sudden stop since she knew that voice, Misao looked towards where the voice had came from and found the Oracle standing over near her couch.

Chapter Eighteen

Feeling his mother come to a very sudden stop, Jason wondering what happened asked his mother if something was wrong? Misao didn't say anything at first, and Jason moving away from her side moved to stand in front of Misao. He then reached out his arm, and gently gripped her arm. "Mom, what's the matter?"

Feeling the touch on her arm, seemed to snap Misao out of her thoughts for she looked down at Jason, and saw the worried look upon his face. Realizing that Jason had asked her a question, she quickly told him that everything was okay. "I guess I am just tired from that long meeting after school, and spaced out there for a few moments. But I'm okay now." Jason still had a worried look on his face, but nodded. He then started to move away from his mother, but before he had gotten very far Misao caught his arm. As Jason turned to face her, Misao asked him if he had finished his homework?

Jason gave her a what do you think, kind of look before saying. "Mom, you have been gone for nearly four hours. Do you really think I would be able to concentrate on my homework, when I was worried about you!?" Misao flinched slightly at the shout, which caused Jason to quickly apologize. "I'm sorry I shouted at you Mom, but I was so worried about you."

"Jason, it's okay. You don't have to apologize, since it was my fault for causing you to worry about me. I should have called you, and let you know that I was okay."

Jason sighed and nodded to her, before stepping closer and embracing her. "Just promise me, that it won't happen again, Mom." Misao told him that it wouldn't happen again. She then softly laughed at a sudden thought she had. Jason however heard her, and letting her go stepped back from his mother. "What was the laugh for, Mom?"

"Oh I just had a funny thought that's all." said Misao. When she didn't elaborate, Jason asked her what the thought was about? "Oh nothing much, except that it should be me telling you off for being late, instead of you doing to me. After all, I am the parent."

Jason couldn't help but laugh as well. "You're right Mom, that is pretty funny. But based on how you act sometimes, you are more like a teenager yourself."

"And why do you say that, Jason?" asked Misao. Jason however seemed to become really embarrassed, and told her that it wasn't important. "If you say so." Misao then told Jason that since he hadn't done his homework, he should probably go get started on it while she talked for a bit with her friend. This caused Jason to groan, and ask her if he had too. "Yes Jason, you have too. And if my talk with my friend doesn't take to long, and you are able to get half of the homework done, we will go out for dinner."

"Is that a promise, Mom?" asked Jason. Misao told him that it was. Jason then nodded, and turned away from her to face the Oracle. "It was a pleasure meeting you sir, but I'm afraid that since my mom is now home, we have to stop our talk."

The Oracle nodded, and told Jason that he understood and that it was also a pleasure to have meet him. Neither of the two, noticed the slight frown that crossed Misao's face at those words. Jason then headed off towards a set of stairs, and as he reached them he paused and turned to look back at his Mother. "Hope you have a lot of money Mom, since I am going to hold you to that promise of going out." Misao simply smirked at him, and reminded him that he had to get half of his homework done first. "Does that include only the stuff due tomorrow, or all of the homework that I have, Mom?" Misao told him to focus on what was due tomorrow, but to also due what he could of the rest of the homework.

Jason swore under his breath at this, which earned him a glare from Misao. "I would advise you to remember Jason, that you are still in trouble due to your actions the first day of school involving Miss Vandom. I would hate to have to add more time to that punishment, due to your language." Jason quickly said he was sorry, and told her that it wouldn't happen again. Misao nodded at this, then told him to get going if he hoped to go out tonight. Not saying a word, Jason quickly headed up the stairs. Misao couldn't help but laugh to herself at Jason's antics. 'I don't know what I would do if he wasn't here with me.'

Misao's thought's were returned to the matter of the Oracle, when she heard. "Your son is a very fine young man, Misao."

Misao turning to face the Oracle, wanted so badly to blast him for all he had done to her and her mother. However, the words Nerissa had told her concerning that neither of them was strong enough to face the Oracle at the current time, managed to enter Misao's head and she was able to control herself. "You are correct Oracle, Jason really is a fine young man and I don't know what I would do without him." The Oracle nodded to her and started to speak, but Misao interrupted him. "Forgive me for the interruption Oracle, but I doubt you came here to talk to me about my son. So, why not get straight to the point, and get the lecture I know that is coming out of the way." With this said, Misao made her way over to a nearby chair and sat down.

The Oracle sighed to himself, and asked Misao if it was alright for him to sit down as well? Misao told him that she didn't mind. Giving her a nod, the Oracle sat down on the couch and turned so he was facing Misao. "Misao, though you might find it hard to believe I didn't come here to lecture you."Misao silently scoffed at this, but didn't say anything. "While you are correct that I probably should lecture you, Misao, due to the fact that you disobeyed my orders and left the temple, thus getting your self captured by Nerissa, that is not the main reason that I am here."

Misao trying very hard not to sound rude, asked him why he was there if it wasn't to lecture her? "Misao, I have come here to warn you about a new danger that will soon test the guardians."

"What kind of danger, Oracle?" asked Misao with a look of deep concern. The Oracle told her that at the current time, he wasn't sure what the new danger was or when it would occur. "If that is the case Oracle, then why tell me about it now? Wouldn't it be best to wait until you had a better understanding of who or what this danger was?"

"Normally you would be correct, Misao, that waiting would be the best choice in this matter." said The Oracle. "However, if we wait it is possible that it could be to late to do anything about this danger, once it reveals itself."

"Then what do you want me to do about it, Oracle?" asked Misao.

"As you know Misao, I can not get involved in future matters." said the Oracle. "You on the other hand, are not bound by those same rules and have more free rain then I do to try and figure out what this new danger is. So, may task for you is that while you continue to protect the guardians, I also need you to try and figure out what this new danger is as well as where it will come from." Misao nodded to this, and told him that while she wouldn't promise him any results she would at least do what he asked and try to find this new danger. "That is all that I can ask of you Misao." The Oracle then got to his feet, and motioned for Misao to join him. Once Misao had done so, he continued speaking. "The council doesn't know that I came to you concerning this matter, Misao. It is very important that no one other then you and I know about this meeting."

"I understand Oracle." said Misao. "How do I contact you, if I am able to find out anything?" The Oracle told her that he would check back with her from time to time, to see what she had found out. When Misao nodded, the Oracle told her that he needed to return to the temple, but he would come back in a few days to check on her progress. Misao silently sighed at this, but nodded just the same. The Oracle gave her a smile, which was followed by a glow of light that forced Misao to close and cover her eyes. Opening her eyes a few moments later, Misao found herself alone in the room. With another sigh, she thought to herself. 'Really hope Mom, is able to find a way to increase our powers so I don't have to listen to him any more.' With this thought running through her head, Misao headed towards the stairs so she could see if Jason needed any help with his homework, as well as how much he had gotten done.
-(1)

While all of this had been going on at Misao's house, at another house a different conversation was taking place. Will having made her way inside her home, called out to her mother letting her know that she was home. Susan returned Will's call, by letting her daughter know that she was in the kitchen. Making her way into the kitchen a few moments later, Will found her mother sitting at the table with what appeared to be a cup of coffee in front of her. As she made her way towards the icebox for a snack, Will asked. "Isn't it a bit late to be drinking coffee, Mom?"

Susan turned to look at Will, and said "Your probably right Will, but it's help me to calm down when I am worried about stuff." This caused Will to sigh, since she had a pretty good idea as to why her mother was worried. Will started to say something, but Susan spoke first. "Was you able to rescue Misao?" Will told her that they was. "And was any of you girls hurt?" Will hesitated at this, which caused Susan to frown at her. "Will, remember what I told you when we was back on Kandrakar. I wouldn't stop you from doing this, but you couldn't keep any more secrets from me involving it. Now, I'll ask again was any of you hurt?" Will nodded and told her that Irma, Hay Lin, and herself had gotten hurt.

Hearing that Will had been hurt, Susan's motherly instincts kicked in and she was quickly at er daughters side, checking her over. "Mom calm down, I am okay." Susan reminded her that she said she had been hurt, then asked what had happened. "I was knocked out for only a short few moments. Besides the small bump to the back of my head, I am fine."

Susan nodded to this, and returned to her seat at the table. "How badly hurt was Irma and Hay Lin?" Will told her about the injuries the two girls had sustained. Susan had another worried look in her eyes, once Will had finished telling her about what had happened to Hay Lin. "Is Hay Lin okay?"

"She seemed alright by the time we got to the Silver Dragon." said Will. "Yan Lin wasn't to happy when she saw what had happened, but once Hay Lin had told her that it looked a lot worse then it actually was, she seemed to calm down."When her mother didn't ask any further questions, Will continued on her way towards the icebox, so she could find the snack she had originally been going after. Reaching the icebox a few moments later, she pulled open the door and began to look around. After only a few moments of looking, she came across a rectangle box that was placed in the bottom of the icebox. Wondering what the box was, Will turned so she was facing her mother. "Hey Mom, what is in this rectangle box?" Susan was in the process of taking a drink of her coffee at that moment, suddenly choked with had Will quickly to her side, patting her on the back. "Mom, are you okay?"

A few moments later, Susan had her breathing back under control and told Will that was alright. When she was sure that her mom was okay, Will once again asked about the rectangle box. Susan sighed at this, and asked Will to sit down since they needed to talk. With a look of worry upon her face, Will did as her mother had asked and after making her way over to the chair across from her mother, she pulled it out and sat down. Looking up at her daughter, Susan let out another sigh as she tried to figure out how best to tell her daughter, what it was she needed to tell her. "Will, I have a very good feeling that what I am going to tell you is going to really upset you. All I ask is that you please let me explain everything before you start shouting at me, okay?"

Will sighed to herself, and looked away from her mother. "Guess I'm not the only one who has been keeping a secret." Looking back at her mom, Will say her nod. "While you are probably right, Mom, that I may not like what I am about to hear, I will try my best to not yell at you."

Susan nodded to this, and told Will that that was all that she could ask for. Then with another sigh, Susan began to speak. "I guess the best way to start this is at the beginning. Will, do you remember last year when I asked for your opinion, on what you thought about me dating again?"

Will frowned slightly at this, but told her mother that she remembered. "You ended up dating my history teacher, Mr. Collins." Susan nodded at this. "But Mom, you called that off saying that he was unreliable."

Susan nodded to this, then with a sad sigh said. "While you are correct Will, that I told you that Dean and I had stopped seeing one another, that is not really true. He and I have continued to see each other in secret, when we had the time." As she finished speaking, Susan looked over at Will and saw her getting to her feet with a very angry look upon her face. Knowing that she deserved what was coming, Susan waited for Will to shout at her while slightly disappointed that Will was going to break her promise to her, about letting her finish. However, Will didn't say a word. Susan hearing the sound of footsteps, looked up and found Will making her way towards the kitchen door. As Will reached the door a few moments later, she came to a very brief stop before letting out a sigh then continuing on her way. A short time later, Susan heard the sound of a slamming door. 'Can't say I didn't expect this, but I am proud that Will was able to keep her promise by not shouting at me. I'll give her some time to calm down, then see if she is willing to listen to why I did what I did.'
-

It was around lunch time the next day before Will made her way out of her room. 'I am still really angry with her, but maybe I should call mom and at least apologize to her for what happened last night.' She started to head towards the hallway phone so she could do just that, but a sudden grumbling sound caused her to pause. Slightly embarrassed, she placed her hand over her abdomen.'Hmm maybe I should eat something first.' Changing her direction, she instead headed towards the kitchen to see if her mother had left her something.

Upon entering the kitchen however, Will's thoughts of food were pushed aside when she found her mother sitting at the table. Having been alerted to the footsteps, Susan looked towards her daughter and smiled. "Good Morning, Will." said Susan as she got to her feet. "What would you like for lunch, sweetheart?"

Will getting over her brief shock at seeing her mother, asked. "Shouldn't you be at work, Mom?" Turning back to face her daughter, Susan simply told her that she had called in sick. As Susan turned away from Will, she missed the look of alarm that appeared on Will's face. Will quickly made her way across the room, and caught her mother's arm. "Mom If your sick, what are you doing up and about?" Will then attempted to drag her mother out of the room, but the sound of laughter caused her to stop. Turning to face her mother, Will found her laughing, and wondered what was going on.

Seeing the confused look upon her daughter's face, Susan got her laughter under control. "Will, it's okay. I'm not really sick, it is just an excuse I came up with so I wouldn't have to go into work today." Will wasn't fully convinced, so she asked her mother if that was really the truth. "Yes Will, that is the truth. I promise you that I am perfectly healthy, and that you have nothing to worry about."

"I'll take your word for it, Mom, but why did you tell your boss that you are sick?" asked Will. Susan sighed at this, and told Will that she wanted to talk to her some more, involving what they talked about last night. "Before we start on that Mom, I want to apologize to you for my actions last night. It was wrong of me to do what I did, by just walking away."

Susan placed her hands on top of Will's shoulders. "Will, if anyone here needs to apologize, it is me. I never should have kept it from you, that I was still seeing Dean." Will then asked her mother what she was going to do, concerning Mr. Collins? "Well, there is more to what I need to tell you involving that. However, if you don't want me seeing him any longer I will stop."

Although she had figured that her mom had tried to hide it, Will didn't miss the sadness in her mother's voice when she had said that if Will wanted it, then she would no longer see Mr. Collins. "Before I give you my answer to that, Mom, can I ask one question?" Susan nodded, and asked Will what her question was? "Mom, does being with Mr. Collins make you happy?"

Susan nodded, and told Will that she was very happy during the times that she spent with Dean, happier than she had been in quite sometime. Will nodded to this and started to speak, but Susan cut her off. "However Will, your happiness is more important then own, so again if you don't want me to see Dean, just say so and I promise you that I will stop."

Will having heard this from her mother, hated herself even more for getting angry last night when she didn't know how happy Mr. Collins made her mother feel. Looking down at the floor, Will asked her mother if there was any chance of her ever getting back together with her father? Susan sighed, and sadly told Will that she didn't ever see that happening. Will sadly nodded to this, then turned away from Susan. Will hadn't gone to far, before Susan caught her daughter's arm and asked her where she was going? "I need some time to think this over, Mom, so I was going back to my room."

"Will, you really need to eat something." said Susan. "You skipped dinner last night, and slept through breakfast."

Will shock her head, and told her mother that it was okay. "I'm not all that hungry right now, Mom." With this said, Will gently pulled her arm free from Susan's grip and continued on her way headed towards the kitchen door. As Will reached the door, Susan called out to her and told her that if she did become hungry, to let her know. "Don't worry Mom, I'll let you know when I become hungry." Will left the kitchen after that.

With a sigh, Susan made her way back to the chair she had been sitting in, and sat back down. She then sighed to herself. 'Maybe dating Dean wasn't such a good idea after all, since it seems to have made Will very upset. Maybe it's for the best, that I haven't told Will that Dean has asked me to marry him.'

End of Chapter Eighteen

Bold Number:

1. I am probably going to be going into the comics with this, but I will just have to see what I come up with.