Disclaimer: I do not own W.I.T.C.H. This is a work of fan fiction.
Season Three Episode Six: "Damascus Road, Part Two" Chapter Three
Half a mile from the place where Johnny and Frankie were captured, Will used the heart to return the Guardians to normal, while Elyon opened a fold back to Meridian. The Queen motioned to the fold and said to Miranda, "After you."
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Miranda asked. She held out her hands for the stasis-cuffs.
Will held the cuffs for a moment. Glanced at Elyon and could tell her intentions from the look in her eyes, no telepathy required. She tossed the cuffs aside. "I don't think that's necessary. They're only to keep someone from running, and if you intended to do that you would have by now." Together, they returned to Meridian.
Theresa Cook peeked into Taranee's room and saw her daughter still wasn't home. "Where in the world is she? It's almost curfew, she never used to miss it like this." Sounds from downstairs drew her attention. "Maybe that's her." she thought. But when she reached the bottom of the stairs she found, not Taranee, but Peter and Cassidy.
"Have either one of you seen Taranee?" she asked them.
"Not me." Peter answered. "Is she still not home? That's not like her."
"No it isn't." Theresa agreed. An idea came to her. Maybe she could get to the bottom of some of her concerns. "Cassidy, can I have a word with you?"
"Sure." Cassidy and Peter both moved towards Theresa's office, but she stopped her son.
"Not you. Just her."
Meridian. Miranda had thanked the Guardians for helping, and for giving her a chance to do something right, before they returned to earth. She accompanied Elyon, remaining quiet until she realized they weren't going where she expected. "This isn't the way to the prison."
"No. It's the way to the palace."
"But… Why? We both know the prison is where I belong, what I deserve."
"Yeah, well, life isn't fair. We don't always get what we deserve." Elyon said cryptically. Miranda wondered what the Queen meant by that, but said nothing.
Soon, they were standing at the door to Miranda's old room in the palace. A pair of guards flanked it. "I really don't think the guards are needed," Elyon told her, "but the regents would have a fit if they weren't here. You'll stay here tonight. Tomorrow afternoon, after school, I'll have you bought to the throne room for a hearing."
Miranda didn't know what to make of this. "Queen Elyon, I appreciate this, but there's a cell waiting for me…"
"First, it's just Elyon. I prefer it that way except in official functions. Second, why are you so fired up to go back to that cell? Do you want to be in jail?"
"Of course not. But I accept it's what I've got coming to me."
"Ah. Well even if I did intent to put you back, it's not ready yet. Whatever you did to the energy bars still isn't fixed."
"Tell them it was a Targin Crystal. They'll know how to fix it then."
"I'll let them know. Now get some sleep. Tomorrow's an important day." Elyon smiled and walked away. After the guards closed the door and bolted it, Miranda turned and looked about her room. She never thought she'd see it again, and was shocked to find all of her possessions still here, just as she had left them. She slipped into a comfortable nightgown and settled into her own bed…
Theresa motioned towards her office guest chair. Cassidy sat. "So, tell me about yourself." Theresa said.
"There's not much to tell. I'm eighteen, same as Peter. Lived my whole life in Heatherfield. I want to be a doctor, if I can find the funds for that much college."
"How did you meet Peter?"
"We met at the Silver Dragon. My Mother and Yan Lin are friends. She introduced us."
"Yan Lin. There's a connection to Taranee." Theresa thought. She said, "How well do you know my daughter and her friends?"
"Not well." Cassidy lied. She knew instantly that lying had been a mistake. Theresa was a federal judge. Lying to her was like trying to lie to a polygraph with truth serum in your system. "Now I've had it." she thought. But oddly, Theresa didn't push the issue. She let Cassidy go. The girl said goodnight to Peter and got out before Theresa could change her mind.
Alone in her office, Theresa thought to herself "Whatever is going on with Taranee, that girl knows about it."
In Meridian, Elyon had assembled the regents, who ran the kingdom in her absence and attended to issues to small to bring to her direct attention. Vathic was also present. As she had known would happen, a general storm of protest flared up when she told them her plans for Miranda. Of course, she was the Queen, and could force the issue, but she respected these people and didn't want to fight with them.
The discussion, heated at times, continued for two hours before a consensus was reached. The regents had conditions, but would go along with Elyon's plan if Miranda could convince them of what Elyon already believed. "Be in the throne room tomorrow at four in the afternoon." she said, "We'll take care of this then."
The Vandom residence. Susan was half asleep in the arms of a fully asleep Dean. They were still sitting on the living room couch. She heard a sound she recognized from earlier in the day. "Will is that you?"
Will walked in, can of soda in her hand. She plopped down in the recliner. "Hi mom. I thought you'd be asleep by now."
"Almost. Did everything go alright? Is this Miranda back in jail?"
"Not exactly back in jail, but everything went great. Miranda's back in Meridian, and we stopped a pair of robbers from ripping off the homeless shelter." Will stood back up, walked to the couch, and kissed Susan on the forehead. "I'll tell you all about it in the morning over breakfast. Right now, I'm exhausted. G'night mom."