(LA Day)Rebirth or Undeath?

[Joshua]

Most people think death hurts. And they're mostly right. Mine sure as hell did. Nothing but pain.

But let me tell you, as bad as dying was, emotional, physical and mental pain included, that was a day at the beach with a sunburn compared to when I woke up after being torn from Avalon's Soul Sword by the goddess Ate. And what's worse, I was naked, sweating, and I think at some point I was covered in some kind of ecto slime.

Being born hurts. And it actually hurts worse than dying in immense pain.

Moving on past all the graphic parts, me being naked for starters in a room fool of people, more than half of them female, and one of them being my sister, I was placed in a private bed, cleaned up, and had somebody put beside said bed to watch over me, while everybody else watched over the others.

I later found out that it was Avalon, and Doc had been moved to his own room while Faith, Charlotte and Willow watched over Maya in shifts. Rogue was cared for by the other vampires in our group.

But I found out all of that after I regained consciousness from a coma-induced fever that lasted three days.

Don't remember much, mostly just fever dreams. But . . . I do remember Maya, or someone that felt like Mai, reach out to me and brush against my mind, much the same way I had when I had visited her dreams before.

A lot of other things happened before I woke up after those three days. Most importantly, all of the others almost immediately got better. Thank god, or rather thank Ate, that it worked.

[Maya]

I awoke slowly, and very stiffly- everything ached. I knew i could sense something... something incredible... but i didn't know exactly what it was... my mind was too jumbled. When i managed to force my eyes open, i was glad that the room was dimmed, for even my eyes ached. Faith's face swam into focus, and she smiled,
"Hey girl."
"what happened?" I managed.
"Ate sorted it. You're gonna be ok."
"Ate..." I frowned, "Joshua!" I sat up with a start, and cried out as my body, which had barely moved for several days, complained.
"Whoa, whoa, Mai- he's fine too. A little drowsy still, but..."
"What?"
"He's in the next room."
"Thats not possible."
She chuckled,
"Maya, hes..." But she didn't get to finish. I pushed past her, pulling off the covers, not caring that i appeared to only be dressed in a long Tshirt over my underwear. I pushed past Willow who had just entered, who gaped in astonishment. I moved as fast as i could out and into the next little apartment i knew was previously unoccupied. Avalon was sitting by a bed, and looked up when i entered. In the bed, lay Joshua.
I was vaguely aware that there were tears in my eyes. I went to his side, and tired eyes looked up at me. He smiled faintly.
"Joshua?" I gasped.
"Mai..."
I reached out a shaking hand to touch his face,
"Did i die?" I whispered. His brow creased in a frown,
"No." He said.
"But you... how is this...?"
"Ate." He said.
"But she said..."
"We were... lucky." He said.
"So you're really...?" I spluttered, "You're... You're alive, oh goddess you're alive. i sank to my knees, not movingmy eyes from his face, "You're really alive." i cried with tears of pure joy.

[Avalon]

I almost felt like I was intruding, and stood to leave, but Joshua's hand automatically reached out an pulled me back down.

"I may still be out of it," he said weakly, "but I am not about to let you keep up the lone wolf, lonely girl act anymore. Couldn't do much more than nag you before. I plan to change that . . . sis."

Mai . . . Maya was still crying in his arms, but I could not help a couple tears of my own as I smirked at him, "Sis?" I repeated.

"Yeah, what, did you think we wouldn't be related after this. We have the same freaking DNA, we're the same age, physically speaking, and as hot as you are, I see you more as family than Mai-wise right now," he explained.

Maya looked up and glared at him. He just stared right back at her and then he made a kissy face, which seemed to break the Slayer's resolve and she started giggling.

"Oh, you!" she shouted and started to pound on him.

"Ow! Hey, injured guy here!" he exclaimed.

"Shut up!" she shouted before leaning in suddenly and started kissing him. After about thirty seconds, he broke the kiss, looked at me, and said, "OK, now you can leave." Then he went right back to kissing the woman he loved. And if I knew my . . . brother, the woman he would one day soon marry.

[Maya]

For a little while at least, the rest of the world fell away- nothing else mattered, because Joshua was alive, i was ok, and he was holding me once again.
"I love you." I said, though i knew it wasn't necessary.
"Love you too." He replied, kissin me again- damn it felt good. But i pulled away, frowning at him. "What?" He asked.
"I need you to promise me something." I said. He frowned, and i said, "Promise me you'll never die on me again."
He grinned,
"Its a promise."
"Yey." I lay beside him on the bed and he wrapped his arms around me as i rested my head on his chest. "I missed you so much." I told him. he kissed the top of my head.
Willow knocked on the partially open door,
"Sorry to intrude..." She said, "But ah... Mai, are you ok?"
"I'm good." I replied, "Sorry for running out, just..."
She just nodded, understanding.
"And Josh? How ya doing?"
"Better." He answered, "Still all achey though."
"Yeah. Understandable."
"An' i guess now its all happy..." Put in Faith as she followed Willow in, "I cant follow through on that whole 'beating whatevers hurting maya to a pulp' thing. Dang." She grinned.
"He'll be fine soon enough- maybe then." Added another voice.
"Ate!" I exclaimed.
"Maya." She smiled. I mock-frowned at her. "What?" She asked.
"I told you not to risk it." I said.
"You Doc and Rogue were dying." Ate retorted, "We had to... besides- it looks like you're happy with how it turned out."
"Yeah, but..." I turned to Josh, "I didn't want to risk you." He kissed me. "Hmm... but yeah, it turned out ok." I said with a school girl grin. Ate chuckled,
"Well we'll leave you guys alone then." Willow said. Ate nodded,
"yes. Make Sure you get plenty of rest." She said to me, "I want my favourite girl looked after." She smiled widely, and i glanced at Josh, who said,
"She'll be ok?"
"Yes." Ate nodded. We both grinned widely.
"Thank you." I said to her. Faith looked between the four of us and frowned,
"I missed something, didn't I?" She commented. Willow grinned, patted her on the back, and lead her out.

[Avalon]

"So how are the love birds?" I asked as the group stepped out of the room, closing the door behind them.

Faith scowled at me, but I kept an easy, non-threatening expression on my face. "They're fine, no thanks to you," she retorted.

"Faith!" Willow snapped.

"I need to be going anyway," Ate said, and then disappeared. Faith, however, stalked up to where I was leaning against the wall, and put her finger on my chest, just beneath my collar bone, staring into my eyes.

"I don't rightly give a fuck what your story is bitch, but if you ever hurt Mai in anyway, I will make you suffer, and then I'll kill you. And you're one human death I don't think I'll ever feel any guilt over," Faith threatened me.

I stood up off of the wall and faced the dark Slayer a little more evenly, although I was two inches taller than her. She pulled her hand away and I let my face fall into a cold expression as my emotions always did, as I had trained them to do whenever I entered what Joshua had called "Warrior Mode".

"And if you ever so much as allude to harming Joshua in any way, such as how you were willing to sacrifice him to bring Mai back to full health, I will be the second person to get to you, and while Maya may show you some mercy and let you live with only a black eye and some curse on you . . ." I stepped closer, getting very much in her personal space, ". . . First I will make you suffer in ways that would drive a person insane just imagining them. Then I will kill you. Slowly. Painfully. Almost exactly like Joshua was killed. And yes, he was killed. And unlike other Slayers, of which I am, I have been trained to do exactly that Faith. To kill. Humans, demons, monsters, it does not matter. Joshua is my brother. Maya is the woman that he loves. If you get in the way of that in any way, not even God, whether Ate or some more powerful force, can save you from me."

That said, I turned and left. They did not find me, though Willow did try and follow me, I was already gone.

[Joshua]

"How you doin'?" I asked Mai as we lay together in a rather bad "Joey" voice.

She giggled.

"I'm just so overwhelmingly happy right now," she confessed, kissing me again.

"Well, that's always a good thing," I agreed.

"So, what . . ." she stopped speaking and turned her attention to the door.

"Don't worry," I told her, "Faith's just looking out for you . . . and Avalon," I added with bated breath, "is putting Faith in her place."

"What? How do you . . . ?" Mai looked confused.

"Oh, well, actually I think I only just realized it," I said as way of explanation. At her expression I decided to expand a little upon it. "The soul sabre connection, the mental communication between Avalon and I, it's still there. Not as omni-present, since the only way I could experience the world was through her body, but we can still sense each other's emotions and get the gist of what the other is thinking, as well as send . . ." I paused as Avalon's temper reached a new height in her threatening of Faith, " . . . messages to each other. She, uh, was sort of threatening Faith."

"What?!" she screamed in my ear.

I winced, and for a moment I had her blubbering apologies, but no amount of pity or sympathy would get this Slayer off-track. "What do you mean she was threatening Faith?"

"Faith came out of the room, this room, saw Avalon and went up to her and threatened her life if she ever so much as gave you a scratch ever again," I began. I took a breath and continued, "And then Avalon turned it around and threatened Faith with a death more painful and humiliating than mine after you got done with her if anything bad ever happened to me again and Faith was found responsible. The typical Slayer threatening Slayer issue as I recall."

"Oh, well, are you sure we don't need to go referee?"

"Avalon's already left, probably to sulk for a while and beat herself up for her overreaction. Fact is, if Faith had done that to you, you and I both know whatever Avalon just said to her would have been a small drop of icing on the cake of what you would do to her," I replied.

Mai grinned, accepting the compliment for what it was and then we started making out again. Before we both passed out at the same time, five minutes later.

[Jackson ''Doc'' Ellison]

"Someone get teh number of that ruck that hit me," Im uttered.

"Joshua v 2.0," my Sabre said.

"Funny," I said, getting to my feet and laying claim to my stuff. I walked out to find Charlotte with the two newcomers, one looking a tad pissed off. "Now here's a fun group. I don't think we met. I'm Doc."

"Willow," the new red head said. "That's Faith."

"At last we meet," I said. "I've heard so much about you two."

"Good, I hope," Faith said.

"So, where is Mai?"

"In there," Charlotte said. "With Joshua."

"It worked," I said with a nod. "Good."

"That's debateable," Faith growled. I rolled my eyes.

"Now I know why Maya took my threats to Joshua in stride. Sounds like you're not much better than I am."

[Maya]

Faith sighed,
"I guess the boy is ok... and i was kinda harsh with She-josh... Im just a little worked up, y'know? All that worry and no pummelling." She chuckled, "But i know it wasn't his fault..." she considered something, "Hey, you give him hassle about Mai too?"
"Yeah." Doc laughed, "She kinda like a little sister to me." He said, then shrugged, "Ate did too though... and Del i think..."
"Typical Maya." Willow grinned, "she could kick the butt of fifty demons without touching them, and she still has everyone treating her like the precious baby." She suddenly found that extremely amusing and grinned wider than Faith had seen since the red head had been in highschool.
"Reckon i can go see her?" Charlotte asked.
"Might not be the best of ideas." Faith said, "Unless you're really desperate to see those two smoochin'."
"Its not as if they're particularly private about it most of the time." Charlotte said.


((bit pointless, but hey. Erm, i'm going away again, til monday. Going to Reading music festival! Woo! Its gonna be wet. oh well. Anyway, back on Monday, see ya then.))

[Joshua]

(((But it's only Thursday!)))

The door opened.

And we were back on our date.

"Are you starting to get the feeling that this has become 'our' place?" I asked Mai, a stupid grin on my face.

"Certainly seems that way, since our dreams together always end up being right here," she replied, looking around the Japanese cliff and the red sky with the setting sun.

I looked down at the blonde woman, and my metaphorical breath caught in my throat. She was more beautiful than I had ever seen her before. And that's not a diss, that's a compliment to exactly how beautiful this woman was. She was wearing a white sundress, one of the straps kept slipping off her creamy shoulder, and it draped around the rest of her body like the light of glory around an Angel of Heaven.

Having been dead, I can actually make the comparison, and as beautiful as the glimpses of Heaven were that I caught, which sometimes brought me to tears it was so beautiful, a true Heaven's angel doesn't come close to my Mai. And that's no lie.

"You are beautiful," I whispered to her, mesmerized, not even blinking.

She blushed and giggled again. Then gasped and clutched her belly. I frowned, worried, "What's wrong?"

She beamed at me, I've never seen her so happy that she actually 'beamed' before, and grabbed one of my hands. "Feel it," she whispered with awe and held my hand to her belly.

I lay my hand still for a moment, and then gasped myself as I felt what had startled her.

"I can feel it," I whisper to her, turning to look up at her, only to find that our faces were less than a few centimeters apart.

Next thing I knew, our dream became less of a reunion of minds, to more of a, uh . . . wet dream.

To quote another TV idol, "YeyYAAAAAAAAYY!"

[Aredhel]

I'd spent the last few days sitting around a cramped apartment, trying to nurse a fellow vampire back to health. Not my idea of fun. But I had to admit, knowing that it was over, and knowing that Joshua was back, made it all worthwhile.

I had, until this point, been keeping quiet and to myself, but I had to smile when Doc woke up. It would really have sucked if he'd bitten it.

"Maya has a way of bringing about death threats," I interrupted him and Faith, smirking.

"Yea, I guess she does," Faith replied. "You know, you don't have to stick around here..."

"Actually, I kinda do," I replied. "It's day. So I'm stuck here till at least night. But everyone's waking up so that's a good sign at least..."

It was silent for a few moments. On a sudden impulse, I stepped across the floor and gave Doc an awkward sort of hug. I wasn't used to showing affection to anyone, and as a result hugging was a bit foreign to me.

"Woah, woah, what's with the hugging?" Doc questioned, sounding amused.

I took a step away, fixing him with a look. "I'm not big on the whole 'affection' thing, so you should count yourself lucky to be among the ten people in this world that I've ever hugged. But, you know, since you almost died, I figured it was appropriate."

Doc laughed shaking his head. "Well if this is the reaction I get, I should almost die more often."

I punched him on the arm. "Don't you dare," I warned. A pause. "So I think the moral of this story is don't join in on any enjoining spells."

((yes I know, kinda pointless post... just slipped it in there to assert the fact that I am, in fact, still alive. woot))

[Charlotte]

I couldn't help but chuckle at Del's comment. It felt so good to laugh even at something not particularly funny. It just felt like all the tension of the past few weeks was bubbling out of me and I too launched myself at Doc. Though my primary concern had been Maya throughout the picture of Doc and Rogue weakened was one that had burnt it's memory into omy mind far deeper than I would have liked.
"Im sorry." I murmured my face buried in his shoulder.
"What for?" Doc replied sounding genuinely surprised.
"For not knowing." I said. It was something that I hadn't been able to face whilst everyone was ill but now that they were all awake actions from weeks ago were catching up with me, and their consequences. "I should have called...or written...or...just done something then I would have known you were sick too. I just...Maya needed...I figured a clean break...I didn't think...I didn't know...I should have found out others were being hurt...I didn't even...you must have been so worried about her." I was babbling but I couldn't stop myself so I was more than glad when Doc did it for me just by gently placing a finger to my lips. The silence scared me, I needed someone to talk, either someone had to show they understood or I needed to explain better, I needed to justify what i had done and opened my mouth to do so but Doc's finger stopped me again.
"Shh" he said and I knew it was all going to be alright. He understood.

[Jackson ''Doc'' Ellison]

"You're right," my Sabre commented. "She is like us. She's taking the full weight for the enitre situation."

"It's alright, Charlie girl," I whispered. "You weren't to know. Maya did need the break, and you had other things on your mind, so don't go blaming yourself. If I'd been thinking, I would have used the mobile phone I gave Maya to check on her. So, no more balming yourself, right?"

"Okay," Charlotte said quietly.

"Good," I said. "Now, I have something's to finish back at teh Dojo. Why don't you stop by later. I might have a little something for you. Willow, Faith nice to meet you. Del, tell Joshua I owe him an ass whiping," with that little joke, i walked out, a slight spring in my step. Now that was over, I had things to do that would change the life of one girl in particular.

[Charlotte]

I was curious as hell to find out why Doc wanted me to come to the Dojo but he'd said later so I resolved it would be later. In the meantime there were plenty of things to do...I just needed to think of them...I didn't need to disturb Maya...I didn't...I could find something to do...

((sorry very very pointless just enjoying being home with easy comp access-sorry it's lame.))

[Aredhel]

((I wish I had easy comp access... most people would think that having their own computer in their room would make access easy, but NOOOOO. Did you know that it took me 16 tries to just get my computer to START tonight? SIXTEEN TRIES!!!))

I quirked my head a bit at Doc's comment - not the one about Joshua. What could he possibly need to do at the dojo while he was in recovery? It struck me that the dojo was probably the worst place to recover, but seeing as the sun was alive this morning, I couldn't really go after him. That and I decided (quite uncharacteristically) that it was none of my business. Whatever he wanted to do, it was obviously important to him.

"Charlotte?" I said, looking at the floor instead of her. I wasn't quite sure where I stood with her yet, but something had to be said.

"What?" she replied, in the same quiet and hesitant tone.

"Thanks for taking care of her."

"I didn't do anything. Didn't you just hear my mega-babble?"

"Of course. But you still took care of her. And I'm thanking you for that."

[Jessy Jackson]

(((I know the feeling Del. My computer IF I get on shows me the page with freaky dates fom the middle of may. So I use my sister's!))))

I sat down with one of those crappy self-help books. This one was called "How to remember important or trivial things in an emergency." I was halfway through the third chapter, entitled "Relaxing exercises to help remember dates"

(((Pointless and I mean Really pointless)))