(LA Day)Consequences

[Joshua]

It was one week, well actually a little more, 9 days, after the whole mess with Tpot's family being killed and even Tpot himself along with Tucker as the 'would be bad guy'. Until I changed history.

I opened a portal to the past, with no return window, and without consulting the timeline or any of the so called "Powers That Be", I went into the past and saved Tpot's family so they could be moved into the Witness Protection program, where he and his sister were currently, for the time being, staying with his parents before he came back.

I woke up, almost half an hour before noon, a "little" later than normally (:sarcasm:), and feeling as if I had only gone to bed two minutes ago.

When I finally forced myself to sit up, I felt weaker than a newborn, blind kitten. But I forced myself to get up and get dressed. I had agreed to meet Maya and a few of the others at the Training Center Library today. And I knew my girlfriend wouldn't accept the excuse of me being sick for not showing up.

After a brief shower, which hurt more than it soothed or woke me up, I got dressed and was standing before the mirror, adjusting my hair when it happened.

Before I was aware of it, being preoccupied with overwhelming pain welling up in my entire body, I collapsed before the mirror to my knees, an inarticulate moan of pain leaving my lips that I never heard.

My hands started to shake so bad that the shaking alone hurt more than the rest of my body. I held them up to see what was happening to me. Before my eyes, and in the mirror, ghost 'after-images' blurred my entire body, like parts of me were being stretched away by something incredibly painful, but my real body never moved.

The pain became even more intense as my hands, with their strange after-images, began to vibrate back and forth so fast that it looked like parts of my own molecules were falling off in the air.

Then, just as suddenly, it all stopped. Except the pain. The overwhelming, full body pain that made even breathing pure torture, that didn't stop. But my body, other than a grimace of pain on my face, showed no outward sign of what was happening to me.

I just stood up, finished fixing my hair, and then grabbed my jacket and left my dorm.

One cannot change history without consequences.

[Joshua]

I mostly stumbled back into my room after unlocking the door. Since my episode in the bathroom at the Training Center, I'd had three more smaller, hand episodes, and two more full body episodes, and I feared I was on the verge of another one.

It had taken me almost the whole half hour I'd given myself to get back here. I'd tried freezing time, but the moment I even attempted to tap into my magicks, the pain increased tenfold beyond what the full body episodes felt like. And the pain very rarely ever diminished below that point after the third one.

I changed clothes, into something at least a little bit more comfortable than slacks and me polo outfit, which I'd worn to the Training Center. Then, as I was pulling out the Book, the Book, the one that helped me to become a Time Wizard in the first place, the "Book of Shadows" that went with the medallion even now still around my neck, I noticed that I had less than five minutes before Doc and Maya would be here on the dot, if not a little early.

Damning the consequences, and the pain, I focused for several precious seconds, and then pulled myself out of time, in order to complete all I needed to before my friends got here. It was worse than I'd first described it, but I finished everything I needed to. Almost everything at any rate.

Unfortunately, recalling that damning the consequences was what had gotten me in this circumstance in the first place, I paid the price for my magic use, because by the time Doc and Maya arrived, kicking down my door to get in, all I could do was writhe in pure agony on my bed as they stared on, helpless.

(((PS: I do have, sort of, a plan for what's going on, and this is not to get sympathy or pity reviews for my character. Oh, and Maya, if your character, or Doc's tries to "psychically" ease "Joshua's" pain, there will be severe psychic backlash, not to mention they'd temporarily undergo the same pain torture he's going through. No one is *doing* this to him, it's happening as a result of changing time. Like the consequences of jumping off a building.)))

[Maya]

(lol)

"Joshua..." I gasped, re-fitting the door with a flick of my wrist. I looked to Doc, "What's doing this?" I asked desperately.

[Joshua]

Even as I convulsed and thrashed all over my bed, and not in the ways every college guy almost literally dreams of doing in his college days, but in more pain and I can almost guarantee any other human has been in. Even Luke Skywalker on the 2nd Deathstar never came close to what I'm feeling.

I heard Mai and Doc as they entered, couldn't exactly miss them as for some reason all my senses had been enhanced so that everything I felt, saw, tasted, smelt and heard was painful in the worst way.

<I'm dying Mai> I told them both, Doc being able to hear me through the Soul Sabre, and through that being partially telepathic himself.

Mai rushed forward to my bed as my body cried out in everlasting pain, arching and writhing there before my friends, and all I could do about it was feel it.

<NO!> I stopped her <Don't try to help! It will only make things worse, and you would end up feeling exactly half of my pain for twice the amount of time you tried to help me.>

"No, I won't leave you to suffer like this!" Mai screamed at me, hurting my ears, not that she could tell a difference. "I'm going to stop whatever's hurting you and then I'm going to heal you."

<Mai . . . In the Library, when you felt my pain before . . . that was HALF of what I was feeling then, and I could control my actions. Now I can't do anything more than . . .>

The blurring, stretching/splitting thing happened again, a thousand times worse than before, my screams filling the room.

I finished where I left off. < . . . than react and feel what's happening to my body. I won't subject you to this kind of pain. Ever.>

"Joshua," Doc said softly, coming up silently behind Mai, "what's happening to you?"

<I'm dying Doc> I said with some mental laughter, the phrase just striking me funny at that moment. <It was the whole deal with saving Tucker. I changed history. There have to be consequences. There are always consequences when magic of any kind is involved.>

"So because you saved a friend's family and two other friends lives, you have to undergo torture!!" Mai screamed. "Whatever god or goddess is doing this to you, I'll kill them and then give them exactly what they're doing to you!!"

<No god or goddess or anything else is doing this to me Mai> I told them. <What are the consequences of jumping off a building? What about sticking your hand or other body part into a fire? Space and Time itself is doing this to me because I was the focal point for the portal that ripped a hole in time and changed space. Five people were supposed to die, but now they're not dead. When changing history, Death can't chase people.>

"OK, so then we contact some gods and goddesses, and other things, and get them to heal you," Doc decided.

I let out a mental sigh. This was turning out harder than I had originally thought. No speaking of the pain.

<Nothing can save me.>

"Then why the hell did you cast that damn portal spell in the first place if you knew this was gonna happen?" Mai demanded to know, I could hear the tears in her voice, because I had my eyes tightly shut from the pain.

<Because I originally crafted that portal for only one person changing things> I answered her. <Instead . . . two people went back, and like I said Mai, I would never subject you to this kind of pain.>

I could feel her stunned look as she stared at my still writhing body. "What are you saying?" she whispered.

<Whoever goes through a portal like that, becomes the focal point of the changes, and therefore all the little nasty side effects and consequences of changing time are only put on that person instead of the whole world. One person, normally, the way such a spell is designed, only experiences a week of sickness, like the flu or something, just with major hangover headaches. But two people went through that portal Mai. And I won't let you suffer like I am.>

"Joshua . . . what are you saying?" Doc asked, his voice sounding broken.

<Mai would be suffering just as much as I am right now, maybe a little bit more because she's not as protected against temporal magicks . . . if I hadn't performed a ritual that transferred her 'consequences' onto me. What I'm going through is the consequences of two people, instead of just one, changing time. I'm dying.>

[Maya]

"Well screw that." I said through my tears, "You dont get to chose whether i suffer or not, Josh! You think you're sparing me pain? You truly believe that seeing you this way doesnt hurt me just as much!? You are NOT gonna die for me, Joshua!" I shook my head furiously, flinging tears every which way. "If i had my share of the pain, it wouldn't kill you, would it?" i said, and though he refused to answer, i could feel the truth for myself. "Then it's simple." I said steadily.
"NO!" He wailed. But i caught both his hands in my own, using my own magics to join us, and forcably taking back what Joshua's ritual had removed from me. Pain like no other filled my body, but i knew that Joshua's pain had been halfed. Holding screams down inside me, i lay beside him and held on tight- together, we would survive.

[Joshua]

If only it were that simple Mai, I thought even as Ate transported into the room, and left in the blink of an eye.

Mai suddenly sat up, without pain wondering why it hadn't worked. "Wha..."

<The ritual was a deal made, signed and sealed Mai, not something with candles or whatever> I told her and Doc. <It was a Deal with the Powers That Be. And they *were* gonna kill us both. Nature may be the one doing this, but the Powers That Be can influence nature's targets. The Intensity *would* have killed us both. Now it'll only kill me. Hey, it only proves I'm human when I have a death wish.> I tried to make her laugh.

[Maya]

((dude, i had already said she had the pain! Or did Ate stop it, or what...?))
"You are NOT gonna die!" I cried angrily, still gripping his hands. I shook my head, "I wont let you!" I croaked. "I cant!"

[Joshua]

(((She reversed what you did and prevented anybody from trying it again)))

<As much as I wish with all my heart that it could be another way Mai . . . this is the only way,> I told them. Suddenly, the pain was increasing, they could tell from the way my body became even more violent.

<There... in my . . . desk! My book, my grimoire! I've . . . spelled it so that only you and Doc can open it, except for me . . . if I ever could again... But I can't... I won't!!> The pain hit a whole new intensity and both Doc and Mai had to restrain me from breaking several of my bones in my thrashing.

<IT. . . will explain . . . IT! AHHHH! It'll explain what I can't. I'm sorry Mai . . . so sor-REEE!!! AHHH!!> I cut off our connection, too afraid to let them hear my screams of pain, because that's all that was left of me now.

[Jackson ''Doc'' Ellison]

"Why this?" I whispered. "Master Raiden, why? Why couldn't you stop this?"

"I am a Guardian, not a Power. This is out of my control."

"And Joshua's good deeds mean nothing at all?" There was silence as Joshua's screams ripped through my mind. I walked over to Mai, hand on her shoulder. I held my own tears in, letting her know I was there. I had to be there. She needed me.

I had to be strong.

[Maya]

((erm... does it work for this to be after mid-patrol nights dream?? I know it started before, but would it really matter? I'll change this if it does...))

"No!" I gasped, tears flowing as i held his shaking form. "No!"
Suddenly, i let go, and knocked Doc away as i stumbled away from the bed. He looked at me with wide and worried eyes as i fell to my knees, arms held out, and face turned to the ceiling... I barely heard Doc warning yell as energy crackled through my body.
"Hecate, mother of all, Aradia, protector, Isis, Anubis... (list of gods/goddess's names *grins*) I call thee. Be in me, flow through me. I command thee, help him! Harm no other, save my love, and take what you must from me. I CALL THEE! I COMMAND THEE! COME!" A roaring sound filling my ears, and i knew that Doc, watching saw my hair turn blood red, and as i lowered my head, my eyes were jet black, even as the rivers of tears continued to run. As he watched, the tears turned to blood, and i vaguely remember seeing his eyes widen further in shock. I stood, feeling light as air, and walked to Joshua, placing a hand on either side of his head. "Save him." I said.

[Joshua]

(((Most definitely AFTER the whole Love potion deal. And after meeting the new redheaded girl too. In fact, until someone writes a thread including mention of Joshua's funeral, this is *the* "latest" thread there is. Don't worry, I gotta plan. You'll LOVE it!!)))

(3rd Person Narative from this point on for me)

Suddenly, out of Joshua's desk, there was an explosion of energy, and a small vortex froze everything where it was, until slowly things began to go in reverse, until the moment just before Maya started to cast her spell. And the moment when she would have done it all over again, a voice stopped her. Joshua's voice.

"Somehow," the voice froze her and Doc better than stopping time would have, "I had a feeling you would try something like that."

As one, stunned, Doc and Maya slowly turned in the direction of the voice, even as Joshua's body was still screaming.

There, lying on the table, glowing with the same energy his amulet always did, was the grimoire Joshua had mentioned, and above it, also glowing with the same energy, was a 1 foot tall, R2-D2 hologram of Joshua, smiling at the two of them.

"And if you try to kill yourself again Mai," the hologram said, "I'll have to stop you again. There's more going on right now than either of you are aware of."

[Jessy Jackson]

(((I'm taking it that Joshua dies, since you mentioned a funeral. I'll start the thread.)))

[Maya]

"Dont talk like that!" I snapped, "Please... I cant lose you! Not you! This is why i didnt want to love you!" I yelled at him, "Everyone i love dies! You cant leave me!" I sobbed, "Please, please!! There has to be another way! Please!"
The hologram looked at me, as i looked back at Joshua's shaking body. I held him as if i could pull him back, as if never letting go could save his life. "Please dont leave me!" I wailed.

[Joshua]

"It is not, nor has it ever been my intention to 'leave' you Mai," the hologram of Joshua told her even as she held the pain-wracked body.

Slowly, both conscious occupants of the room turned to look at the glowing book.

"What? You think I would have pretended like nothing was wrong for almost two weeks, ask you both to come here and my last conscious words being to get the book in my desk, my MAGIC book which contains all the secrets of my powers as a Time Wizard by the way, and you think that I'd just let myself slip away from you when my whole intention is to protect you?" the hologram asked them in an ever increasingly sarcastic voice.

"Then . . . then wh-what-what is the plan?" she asked through her tears.

"If you'd maybe do what I asked and open the book, maybe you could find out," the hologram answered her question.

"But . . . how?" Doc asked. "If you... he won't let us heal him . . ."

"Doc, dude, you're name does not automatically give you a Ph.D!" the hologram shouted. "There is nothing *WRONG* with him! The problem is that he does not belong in this time line. And the time line he DOES belong in, no longer exists because he erased it. It's like a Fresh water fish trying to live at the very bottom of the Marianna Trench in the Pacific Ocean! The deal with the Powers, which is mentioned in the last chapter by the way, states that he gives up whatever claim of protection having Slayer powers gave him if Maya is given FULL protection and is made *of* this time line, instead of the one she was originally from. Is this making any sense to you people, because if not, OPEN THE DAMN BOOK!"

The hologram, and glowing light, then disappeared, leaving the book to lie flat on Joshua's desk top.

[Maya]

I scrambled across the room to grab the book, and flicked to the last pages. I frowned, and looked up at Doc,
"But... he still dies to this time line, doesnt he?" I said dryly...