Disclaimer: I do not own W.I.T.C.H. This is a work of fan fiction.

Season Three Episode One: "Suspicions" Chapter Five

Tom Lair looked up from the copied pages of Will's diary. "We have a problem here. Susan, do you remember a few years ago when that Ecstasy drug first started getting big and everyone was passing laws to ban it?"

"Is that what this is Tom?" Susan asked.

"No. That's not what I'm getting at. My point is this: It's not just 'drugs' that are illegal, it's specific drugs named in the law books. In the case of ecstasy, before the laws against it passed, a kid could have walked up to me on the street, told me what it was, then used it right in front of me. And even though I knew how dangerous it was, I couldn't have done a thing, because it was still legal."

"Okay, I get that," Dean said, "but what does it have to do with our current situation? Are you saying this is some new drug that's not illegal yet?"

Tom sighed. "I don't know that this is drug related. But if it is, then yes, because this doesn't match the profile of any known drug. Let me show you something." Tom motioned to the diary pages. "Looking over this, I noticed something very unusual. Will's narrative is continuous, and internally self-consistent."

"With any known drug," he continued, "each time they used it they would have a different experience. They might get this Guardian hallucination one time, but the next time it'd be pink bunnies or something. The point is, we're gonna have to take care of this ourselves. We need more information. Something is off here Susan, but my cop's gut says it's not drugs."

Susan held her head in her hands. "What are we supposed to do then? What do you suggest? Are we reduced to sneaking about spying on them?"

"Exactly. We know they hang out a lot in the Silver Dragon's basement. Now, I've been in that basement a couple times with Irma, back when she first became friends with Hay Lin. There are a bunch of small windows at ground level in the back alley. I say we use one of them to get a good look at just what's going on in there."

"Is that, um… legal?" Dean asked.

"No, it's not. But this is my daughter, and if she's in trouble with something nothing will stop me from helping her. All that leaves is, when do we do it?"

"Tomorrow." Susan answered. "Dean, I want you with us. Is there any way you can beat the kids out of school?"

"Not a problem. My classroom is empty last period anyway. I use the time to grade papers normally, but no one will say anything if I duck out fifteen minutes early."

Susan stood. "Then it's settled. Tomorrow we find out what they've been hiding."

Aljax and his queen observed the meeting. "Excellent." Neera purred, "Just excellent." She turned to her emissary. "Have word sent to Meridian about the timing of our little attack there tomorrow." The emissary bowed and went to carry out his orders. "Aljax, tell me: Can we get a look into this basement room?"

"Apologies my queen, but we have already tried and it seems not. Apparently there is some kind of barrier blocking any remote viewing into the building itself. The work of the former Air Guardian, no doubt. We will be able to view the back alleyway the parents will be observing from."

Neera let out a sound Aljax suspected was her equivalent of a sigh. "That will have to suffice then."

Meridian, twenty two hours later. Haldarn, servant of Neera checked his timepiece. It was time to begin. He looked down at the cocoons containing the still sleeping warrior larvae. He would have to do this fast. All four needed to be released, yet once he woke the first one he would have, at most, twenty seconds to live.

He gazed out the window, watching the peaceful village that would soon be in shambles. Some part of him, he now admitted, would have liked a simple peasants' life to the life he was born into. Oh well. At least he would die in service. "Hail Neera, Queen of Darkness!", he shouted as he hefted the hammer and swung down to break open the first cocoon…

In the palace, Elyon was enjoying a rare, calm day with her adoptive parents when the alert reached her ears. She ran to the upper balcony where Caleb, his father, and a contingent of guards stood looking down towards the town. Smoke rose from many burning buildings, and screams filled the air. "What's going on!"

"It just started." Caleb said. "We don't know what's going on yet."

Elyon started to rise off the balcony. "Gather everyone you can Caleb. I'm going down there."

Before Elyon could proceed, shouts drew everyone's attention from behind. "Queen Elyon! No go! No go!" Blunk exclaimed. Elyon settled to the deck and asked what was wrong. Blunk was out of breath, having ran all the way from town. "Monster bugs!" he said. "Big, big monster bugs, like maggots but huge! Huge with thick armor! Blunk see soldier torn apart in seconds! No go nice queen! No go!"

"Blunk, get the Guardians."

Behind the Silver Dragon, Susan, Tom, and Dean met up. "They should get here in a few minutes." Dean said. "Where's the best place to set up Tom?"

Irma's father led them to a window near the backmost corner, heavily in shadow. "They shouldn't see us here even if they look right at the window."

"We'll have trouble hearing all the way back here." Susan noted.

Tom held up a small electronics package. That's why I bought this, and three earphones. We'll hear as well as if we were in the room with them. Now let's settle in and wait."

Will and Matt walked down the stairs into the basement, holding hands. Cornelia followed, then Taranee, Hay Lin, and Irma. "Do you two have to do that in front of me? I never get to see my boyfriend." Cornelia complained.

"C'mon, you'll get to see Caleb when we visit Elyon this weekend." Will answered.

"And at least you have a boyfriend" Irma reminded her.

Outside, Susan whispered "See Elyon? She moved halfway across the country."

"Something to do with our mystery, I'd wager."

"We'll have an answer soon Susan. It'll be okay." Dean said, trying to cheer her up and failing miserably.

For the next half hour, the teens just hung out, laughing, joking, enjoying normal life. Outside Susan began to feel despair that she would in fact get any answers this day.

Then the strange thing happened. As she watched, a pinpoint of bright blue light appeared in the middle of the basement. In mere seconds it expanded, becoming what looked like a rip torn into the very air. Wind began to blow out of it. Then, with a high pitched scream, a small, green… …something… flew out of it, bounced off the floor, and crashed into the far wall shelves. "Blunk!" Will exclaimed.

Hay Lin and Irma ran to the creature's side and pulled it to it's feet. "Blunk are you okay?" Hay Lin asked it.

Susan, Dean and Tom looked at each other, eyes wide. They all recognized the name "Blunk" from Will's diary. Together they looked back through the window.

Blunk was disoriented from the crash. He shook his head and moaned for a moment. "Ohhhh… Blunk need to take vacation…" He looked up at the girls. "Guardians! Meridian need help! Bugs! Big Bugs! Big!"

"Back on the clock ladies." Will said. "let's do this." She walked through the fold. Matt followed, then Cornelia and Irma.

As Taranee passed through, Hay Lin said to Blunk, "Hold down the fort here, little guy. Let Granma know where we are." Then she too entered the fold.

Blunk snapped a salute. "Girls no worry. Blunk hold down fort here! Here away from monsters. Actually, maybe Blunk should just move to earth," he muttered to himself. "No monsters here." Behind him the fold closed.

In the back alley, a stunned Susan Vandom stood up and dropped her earpiece. "Oh. My. God…"