Disclaimer: I do not own W.I.T.C.H. This is a work of fan fiction.
Season Three Episode Five: "Damascus Road, Part One" Chapter Two
Meridian, five years ago. Half a decade in Phobos' court had taken it's toll on Miranda. The girl had learned the hard lessons from the prince and his general, Lord Cedric: No one was good. No one was innocent. The world was nothing more than a place where the strongest survived by preying on the weak. Hope, faith, compassion, and most of all, love, were lies.
At least her fighting skills were progressing fast enough that they weren't beating her anymore. In a heart grown cold with fear, anger, and loneliness, Miranda thought to herself, "I'll never be taken in by the lies. And I'll never let myself be used by those who pretend to care. I'll be as hard and cold as Phobos. And then I'll survive…"
Earth, the Vandom residence. Present day. Susan and Dean sat watching an old movie. Something had been on Susan's mind since Dean's last visit, when Will had told them the whole story of her life for the past year. How he had answered a question Will had asked. "Dean? Can I ask you something?"
"Of course Susan, what is it?"
"The other night, when Will suggested you might be her future stepfather, you said 'It's up to your mother." How exactly did you mean that?"
Dean smiled. "I haven't bought an engagement ring yet, if that's what you mean. But that said, the only reason I haven't is because I've not been able to find just the right one yet. I do want to marry you Susan, if you feel the same way."
Before Susan could answer, there came a tapping at the window. "Now what could that be?" Susan wondered. She went to the window and looked out onto the fire escape ledge. A small green creature stood on the ledge. Susan opened the window and said, "Uh… It's Blunk, right?"
"Yes, me Blunk!" he replied. Grabbed Susan's hand and shook it as he came through the window. "Blunk honored to finally meet Guardian's mother. Is she home? Blunk have bad news. Miranda escape from prison, force Blunk to bring her here to earth."
"She's not home, but I can call her cell phone. Hang on."
Miranda stood with Martin and Alchemy in front of the shelter. Many people were coming and going, some volunteers, and other those in need of help. "So, what exactly do they do here?" Miranda asked.
"You're joking right?" Alchemy asked. "Surely they've got homeless shelters in your hometown don't they?"
"Not really. When I said I was from out of town, I also meant 'out of the country.' There are probably more people in this one city than we've got in our entire nation. I've never seen anyplace like this."
"Well, the concept is simple enough." Martin explained, "There are lots of people who, for one reason or another, can't quite support themselves. Some have lost jobs in the bad economy, others just aren't paid enough to cover expenses. Those of us who are better off donate time, money, and supplies to try and help out."
Miranda looked confused. "Why?"
"These are good people Miranda. Innocent people who didn't ask for what life has bought on them. Even the 'more fortunate' among us are usually only one or two week's pay from being in the same shoes as these people."
Miranda wanted to argue the notion that anyone was good or innocent. Wanted to say, "If you're so close to being in trouble yourself, why are you wasting your money on these people instead of hoarding it?" She held her tongue, knowing she needed these two around for protection. Instead she said, "What are we waiting for then? Let's go in."
As they entered the building, Miranda noticed a wooden box, secured with a padlock. A slot was located on the box top, and a couple people slid envelopes into it. "What's that?" she asked.
"Oh, that's the donations box. People put in money to support the shelter. It'll be picked up by the armored car service and taken to the bank tomorrow. There's a lot in there after this last week." Alchemy answered.
Will was walking through the park, hand in hand with Matt, when her cell phone rang. "Hello? Oh hi Mom. Is everything okay? Blunk! He says what? Okay, hang on a sec." She looked at Matt. "Trouble. Blunk just showed up at home. He says Miranda's escaped again."
"Great. More spidery badness."
Will chuckled. "Head for my place. I'm gonna teletransit there if I can." Will turned her attention back to the phone. "Mom? Is anyone there besides you and Blunk? Just Dean? Okay, stay clear of the kitchen, I'll be right there." she hung up. Looked around, saw no one else in sight, and vanished into thin air.
"Stay clear of the kitchen?" Susan said. "What does that mean?" Moments later, there was a sudden rush of air, and a popping sound. Will walked out of the kitchen. Susan stared at her. "Teleportation?"
"Look at it this way, I'll never again bother you for a ride somewhere. Hi Dean. Where's Blunk?"
"Living Room."
In the living room, Will found Blunk going through the storage drawers under the television. He jumped up when he saw her. "Miranda here! Made Blunk fold her to earth!"
"How did you get away from her?" Will asked.
"Strangest thing. Blunk was scared, but not as scared as normal. Miranda threaten Blunk if Blunk didn't open fold, but… somehow… Miranda heart just didn't seem in it. Even tied Blunk up with weaker thread to make sure Blunk could get away."
"Weird." Will agreed. "Okay Blunk, I need you to fold to Meridian and find Vathic. Get a pair of stasis-cuffs from him and bring them back to me here. I'll have the other Guardians assembled by then."
"Blunk be right back." He opened a fold and jumped through.
As the fold closed, Dean asked, "Stasis-cuffs?"
"They're like handcuffs, but with an enchantment on them that neutralizes whatever special powers or magical abilities the wearer has. Shapeshifting, in Miranda's case." Will explained. She then opened her mind to Taranee's telepathic link and filled in the other Guardians.
Miranda was working in a line with Martin on one side and Alchemy on the other. They were serving food to a seemingly never-ending line of people. As they worked, Martin, Alchemy and the other volunteers talked and joked. Once or twice, she even laughed at the jokes herself. This surprised her the first time, as she hadn't actually laughed in, well, she couldn't remember when. All in all, this wasn't as bad an experience as she had feared it would be. In fact, though she was loath to admit it, Miranda was actually somehow enjoying this.
Then she looked up and saw a familiar face. One of the police officers she had lied to about Elyon when she was playing the role of 'Melinda.' He was helping a shelter worker move the donations box into an office. "Probably counting it before it's taken to the bank tomorrow." she thought. Fortunately, he didn't seem to have seen her.