I Wish

[Jackson ''Doc'' Ellison]

"Shit," I muttered as we got dressed. "Pep, find Grace and anyone else. Keep her inside de city, don't let 'er leave," if she got out, the Scoobies would know the whole deal, instead of suspicion. We had to move fast.

[Pepper]

"Right on it" I howled and leapt out the window, only to land almost ontop of......Grace.

[karen]

"I'll get my witches on it. The slayer is weak but still a wicca. We will find her." The slayer was too powerful to lose track of.

[Pepper]

"Watch it Peps" Grace said, obviously annoyed about me landing on her.
"Sorry Grace" I barked. "There's something you should know." I continued. "Your slayer escaped"

[Charlotte]

I was so surprised I stood stock still, not something you want to do when you're in the middle of L.A. and trying to hide but I did it anyway. She was there.
I had been making the short dash from my observation point to where I was due to meet Jessy when I caught site of a bedraggled blonde figure stumbling out of a building...the building in fact...the one I had been watching. She was covered in dried blood and moving stiffly, almost doubled over but there was no mistaking her. It was Maya. Abandoning any precaution I ran up to her and bundled her in a tight embrace. She shied away from me, staring blearily through eyes that were still adjusting to the light outside. I didn't stop to explain but dragged her around a corner into an alleyway.
"Mai." I said softly pushing her hair out of her eyes. "Mai it's Charlie."

[Jessy Jackson]

I crept into the alley behind Charlie. "Who've you got there Charlie? A civillian?"

[Joshua]

<Wishverse Timeline: During 'The Testing'>

"Where is she Doc?" I asked the man before me. I surprised even myself with how rock-steady my voice was.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," the man shook his head at me while tossing away the tape recorder and drawing his Soul Sabre, seemingly from no where. "Sorry mon ami, Doc ain't home no more. Only li'l ole me. Francois, at your service," he did a little mock-bow.

"Where is she?" I repeated coldly. I was surprised even more than my reaction, to feel a powerful connection suddenly form between myself and the blade I was holding. In the absense of Avalon, I was the only person alive that had a connection to the Soul Sword, and so that meant I could use it!

"With my cherie but of course," Francois teased with a wicked grin. "With Grace and my luv, Karen."

"You have ninety minutes to come to your senses Doc," I very coldly, my voice harder than steel, "before I kill you." Then I charged him, lashing out with the Soul Sword. His Soul Sabre came up, blocking, but I could tell something was off, about both of them, though what I couldn't tell yet.

"I'm serious Doc. I will kill you," I spoke again, staring into maniacal eyes.

"So am I mon ami," Francois hissed back, "So am I. And so will I."

<End Flashback>

It waited. The moment came, and was seized. It was easier than expected to get the prisoner out of the building at the proper time, the time when the Watcher girl would be reporting back to her friend. What was not so easy was to maintain possession of the Slayer and keep her going in the direction needed in order to get her into the Watcher girl's hands. Once that was done, it released her and went back to waiting. Patience was something it was good at. All things come to those who wait. It would have it's vengeance.

[grace]

"She's what?" I hissed dangerously, so scarily that Pepper backed away slightly.

"Sorry, Grace but-"

"Shut up." I said, waving her off. "I trust you have this under control?" she nodded.

"Karen and Francois are going after her."

"Good. If they don't find her, then i'll be blaming you." I warned, glaring at her. Pepper gulped, and nodded.

"Yes Grace. We'll find her. We'll get your slayer back."

"Go." I said, dismissing her.

[Maya]

Every part of my body ached. My feet screamed in pain as i tried to walk- i didnt know how i was still upright. A large amount of skin had been ripped from my hands when i wrenched them out of the shackles, and i was pretty sure one wrist was broken. Through bleary eyes, i saw Charlie- she was talking to me.
"Charlie?" I gasped.
"Oh god, maya..." She said.
"You're alive..." I said vaguely. "Gotta move... gotta get away from here... need... prepare..."
"COme with us." Charlie ordered. She nodded to someone behind her, who i heard gasp, and then... she changed... could it be Jessy? Charlie helped me onto the back of a large animal, leaping up behind me. I felt jolting movement as we moved hurriedly away...

[Charlotte]

I wasn't sure where to go but there wasn't much of a choice. We jsut had to get away for the moment...somewhere safe would have to come later. Jessy was on the same wavelength as me, bounding along with Maya on her back. She led the way into the sewers and changed back into human form. We looked worriedly at each other, not entirely sure how to act. Maya would realise that she would be being tracked but in this condition there wasn't much she could do about it.

[Maya]

"My place..." I murmured.
"Mai..." Charlie said, "Your place doesnt exist.... they burned it to the ground."
I squeezed my eyes shut in thought,
"Shit." I murmured. I still wondered what was giving me the strength to do this when so little time ago i couldnt stand. "They... track me."
"I know." Charlie said.
"So... you should leave me."
"What?" Jessy cried, "No way! Charlie- we can take her to the hideout, its s..."
"No." Both Charlie and i said at the same time
"you have a safe place? Mustnt take me there." I said, "They'll find..."
"So what can we do?" Jessy snapped, "You're half dead, Maya!"
"I know." I said. And i still have to go back... "You guys remember those stones? The healing ones? do you know what...?"
"Karen took them." Charlie replied. "She took everything of yours that she might be able to use."
"Bitch." I murmured. They were both looking intently at me, and i knew they were wondering whether i was about to keel over. "Then... i have to go back." I said.
"WHAT!?"
"Its the only way! Right now, they're all out looking for me... so i double back, get the stones, get some strength back... and then i can do what needs to be done..."

[Joshua]

(I apologize if I'm crossing a line or something, but everybody always forgets about my *good* ideas.)

As they reluctantly turned back towards Grace's high-rise, they were forced to go back above ground and had ended up in the back alleys of the city, neither fully covered or out in the open.

Suddenly, Maya stopped. A breeze was tickling her ear, and she needed to rest anyway.

"Mai . . ." the whisper came on the breeze, right into her ear.

Maya snapped upright, adrenaline flooding her limited blood supply, making her hyper alert, looking wide-eyed in every direction.

"Maya! What is it?" Jessy cried, worried, morphing into a Velociraptor, one of the most lethal animals ever to have existed on Earth.

"Joshua . . ." she whispered, not quite fully believing it.

"Mai . . ." it came again, a little stronger. "Mai . . . train . . ."

"What? I-I don't understand. What train? Where? When?" she cried out, almost shouting if it weren't for her parched throat.

"Train! Train! Train!" the breeze was a steady wind, kicking up the trash in the alley, and making the girls' hair fly wild in the wind.

"I don't understand!" Maya shouted.

Suddenly, a deep, seeping coldness that pierced the soul and froze the heart entered the alley, followed almost immediately by a pooling darkness that covered and seeped into everything. At the end of the alley, faster than any of them could react, two gleaming, angry red orbs, close together, almost like eyes if they were a part of an actual body, appeared and began flying right at them.

"What the hell!!" Charlotte screamed, holding Maya, whether to protect her or to be protected by her was irrelevant.

"MAI!! TRAIN!! TRAIN!!" the orbs, which were surrounded by shadows even deeper and darker than what was covering the rest of the alley, almost giving them a body of darkness. With the shadow figure, a hurricane force wind tore through the alley, causing the girls to fall back and try to take shelter.

The red-eyed shadow was on them before they could move though. It seemed to hesitate, or at least slow down some as it reached them, and bellowed once more.

"MY!! MAI!! TRAIN!!"

And then it, and everything else that had changed about the alley, was gone.

(((The Training Center *still* has fully powered anti-evil wards built right into it's foundations, and it has Library, Infirmary, and magic stuff. And if Francois can set foot in there, apply the Carita's anti-violence thing outside of a Training mat in a Training Gym.)))

[Jessy Jackson]

(((Joshua, we are in the sewers.)))

[Jackson ''Doc'' Ellison]

"Where is she, Willy?" I growled, throwing the Snitch against the wall.

"I don't know!" He squealed.

"Den find her," I said. "Or I burn dis place to de ground. Wit' you in it," I turned angrily and stalked out. I thought briefly about Joshua's capture earlier and smiled.

(((Flashback.)))

"You like my new Sabre, mon ami?" I said, pushing him back.

"New Sabre?"

"Oui, the old just didn't want to do the job anymore," I said, rumming my finger agains't the ebon blade in my hand. "Ma Cherie tracked dis puppy down. So much more powerful and de Soul inside... Would you like to meet 'im?" Joshua took a step back as I drew a Pentagram in the air, then drove my blade into the centre and turned it like a key. The five pointed star began to glow and grow, dark light shining from it. When it cleared, I was not alone. Behind me floated a huge black creature with bat wings and piercing red eyes.

"Still t'ink you can beat us, mon ami?" We asked as the creature charged, easily knocking him to the ground.

(((End Flashback.)))

It had been too easy after that. The dangers of holding back. I don't know why I ever bothered.

[Maya]

((Jess, he said we came out of the sewers... josh you kinda ignored some stuff, but its not major so, just... well be careful bout ur plans, k?))

My eyes were wide, my back pressed against the wall and my legs pulled up to me. My breathing as irratic... that thing that i'd seen in my dream... it was here... it was real... and... it felt of Joshua.
"Maya?" Charlie said, waving a hand before my face. I showed no reaction. What was it? What had it done to Josh... or... was it bad? i couldn't tell.... my mind and feelings were so off, so flooded with pain and exhaustion that i didn't know what to think. What did it mean?
"Maya!?" Charlie cried, shaking me. I jolted back to reality, blinking rapidly as i looked at her. "Are you ok?" She asked.
"Honestly?" I said in barely more than a whisper, "No. Goddess no." Part of me wanted to break down in tears, but they wouldn't come. They couldn't. I was far beyond that.
"Mai..." Jessy began, but i barely heard her.
"What did it mean?" I wondered outloud.
"What WAS it?" Charlie asked.
"I... i'm not sure." I said, relunctant to give my terrifying theory. "Train...? what...where..?"
"The training centre!" Charlie gasped.
"Huh?"
"Its still there! Its pretty much abandonned, but its still a demon free zone!"
"And it has weapons, and medical stuff... Mai.. is it just me, or does it seem like the big scary thing was trying to help you?" Jessy said.
"Unless its a trap." Charlie commented. But i shook my head,
"It's not." I forced myself to my feet, and began the painful walk towards the training centre.
"Maya!" Charlie cried in frustration as they followed...