(LA N)Cleveland ((Actually 'on the road' cont.))

[Aredhel]

I shook my head. "No, no she isn't. But we were enemies back then, believe me. I never thought I'd be here, worrying about her..." I trailed off. "She has to beat this. She has to."

[Maya]

"She will." Willow said. "I know she will." She was looking over at Maya with a certain expression that was more in her eyes than anything else- a look that Ate had too, but Faith couldn't quite grasp.
"She will make it." Willow insisted, "She's not about to give up now.... and i dont think Joshua is gonna risk her dying. He'll be here."

[Charlotte]

"He has to be here." I said softly. "He just has to." I had listened to the freaking out, the yelling and all the time I had just stayed sitting by Maya holding her lifeless hand. Somehow I had forgotten every feeling of jealousy I had not so long ago ben pre-occupied with, every thought of such normal things as going patrolling had flown straight out of my had the moment Maya collapsed. "'cos if he's not I'm going hunting with you Faith. He has to come." I'd...we'd all lost too many people to lose Maya because someone wouldn't show up, there was no way we'd let Maya go. I was aware of everyone's minds focussing on one wish, everyone no matter how long they'd known Maya was desperate not only on her behalf but for the others who were gradually weakening."Please." I said in whispered prayer. "Please let him come."

[Maya]

(((Argh, sorry- i'm away from now until Sunday... which shouldn't be too awkard seeing as Maya is unconscious an' all. See ya.)))

[Avalon]

Suddenly, a loud sound came from the bedroom window, everyone rushing in to see . . . a falcon flying in and landing on the floor before morphing into a young girl about 16 or 17 years old by appearance.

"Jessy, do you know where . . . ?" Charlotte started to ask, but her question was proved moot when Jessy pointed at the window behind her and the young woman that Charlotte had met weeks ago at Joshua's funeral, known to her as Avalon crawled through the window and quickly leapt to the middle of the room.

"Avalon," Charlotte identified and finished her question at the same time.

The dark-haired brunette smiled and nodded her head towards the Watcher's daughter and then politely spoke, "Good to see you again, Charlotte was it? Now, please, I must bring the others here, as I am sure you need them for whatever reason Ate sent out the summons. Please, I need you to clear the room."

"What just a sec here!" Faith shouted, stalking forward. Avalon looked her in the eye, but did not back down either.

"Yes?" she asked the dark slayer.

"You're the one that is carrying that bastard! Hand him over, right NOW!" Faith reached up and grabbed Avalon by the lapells of her jacket. Before the brunette could be grabbed though, she quickly slipped out of the jacket, onto the floor, crouched down for only a second before spining around and sweeping Faith's feet out from under her. As the Dark Slayer landed on the ground, strong hands, stronger than her own, grabbed her and then pulled her back to her feet.

"Please," Avalon repeated. "I do not want to fight. I really only want to help. I can bring the others here, now if you will please let me so we don't have to go and get a car or an ambulance?"

Tension hung in the air as everyone waited to see what would happen. Finally, Faith snorted and then backed away from Avalon, and nodded.

Once the room was clear, at the exact same moment the original was doing so at the Training Center, the doppleganger began to make seals and a ring of light began to encircle an area in the room. Once the seals were done and the two Avalons merged their energies once again, the teleport was complete and only the original Avalon, and the unconscious Doc and Rogue Slayer were in the room.

[Jackson ''Doc'' Ellison]

I let out a groan, barely managing conciousness.

"All these ladies, I don't have the strength to do anything about it," I managed.

"Does he always do that?" The brunette asked.

"Joke while he's dying?" Charlotte asked. "Not sure. But he does seem to have a smart ass comment for everything."

"You say that like its a bad thing," I commented.

Then I noticed Maya.

"How is she?"

"Worse than you, apparently," the brunette said. I began swearing in every language I knew. Del snorted a laugh, Ate's ears went red and the newest red head blanched slightly.

[Avalon]

"Cute," I replied at his language. "Not bad for a . . ." I then proceeded to curse him and his name out worse than he had just spoken, and in five of the 27 languages I knew. Including French.

Doc paused, while everyone else was looking like they were about to try and kill me, especially the ones that knew what I had said, until the man started laughing. Very loudly.

"Oh, I *like* you!" he shouted between laughs.

Smiling, I turned to Ate and immediately lost my smile. "You called?" I asked, being entirely serious.

[Jessy Jackson]

Nobody seemed to notice the book I held, so tightly my knuckles were white. I coughed quietly and somehow it managed to get their attention. I began in a shaky voice,

"He who is the Slayer shall die
She who is trained shall rise
The two shall be one and live as one
But He who was the Slayer has powers not his
So she is made of others and him and herself
And these others shall feel pain when she feels joy
And she cannot control it
They will be drained of power
And with their power their energy and thus life
So more shall die for she who is trained."


The prophesy ended and I looked around. "That's it. That's what's happening. Joshua had a part of some of us within him and now somehow he is draining you of you energy, probably because he is retaining in this world without being able to supply his own energy.Mai's being affected the most-" My voice broke and Avalon contined as it dawned upon her.

"Mai's being affected the most because she had a stronger conection with Joshua." I nodded slowly, tears falling silently.

"And if we don't stop this, those with connections will, wil, will-" Again I stopped, unable to conteplate it.

"Die," said a redhead from the doorway. "We just found the prophesy."

[Avalon]

"Fine, so let's get the boy out here and save everybody's lives," Faith shouted. "Come on Avon girl, cough him up."

"It is Avalon," I retorted, keeping my annoyance out of my voice. But I couldn't keep my worry and fear out of it as I continued, "We may have a serious problem however. Joshua is not speaking to me. I have been trying to contact him for several hours now, but I am afraid that something has happened to prevent him from communicating with me."

"That's . . . not possible," Doc groaned weakly.

I tilt my head and replied to him, "You did not even know the soul in your saber could communicate with you until only a few months ago. There may be more that can happen and is possible than any of us could possibly be aware of. But of this I can assure you, Joshua is not fully aware of what he is doing, even if he is the thing to be doing this. It strikes me as strange that this did not even begin happening until at least two weeks after he and I returned from Purgatory, which is where he spent 400 year might I add."

"I don't care what the jerk has been through, Deadboy's been through worse!" Faith shouted. "Just get him to stop or reverse whatever the hell he's doing, or I'm going to have to break that sword of yours!"

In respone, I merely drew the blade on my back and then turned it around and handed it hilt-first to the Slayer. "Feel free to go ahead and try."

[Maya]

"Would everybody please be quiet!?" Ate snapped, in a voice only describable as godly. "Avalon- we already know that Joshua is not in control of what is happening- i doubt he even knows about it. I have walked a dangerous path with the higher beings of late, trying to work a way around this... Joshua cannot reverse it himself, because it is not he that is doing anything particularly- it was the enjoining spell that set it off, and now, short of merely destrying Joshua, the only way to stop it is to extract him from that sword... and i cannot be positive of the consequences... it could destroy him- no purgatory, no heaven, no hell, just gone... or he could be totally fine, or... urgh, i dont know. but what i DO know is that the ritual can only work with his willing cooporation."
"You mean... if Avalon cant talk to him...?" Charlotte began. Ate nodded gravely.
"However, i think i may know why ahe cannot contat him. The three of you said that she dreamt last week, yes? A very peaceful sleep despite her pain?"
"She was smiling." Charlotte agreed, nodding.
"So?" Faith snapped.
"I believe that Joshua visited her mentally."
"That... thats how he knew she was ill..." Doc breathed labourisously.
Ate nodded. She held out her hand to Faith , ho reluctantly handed over the sword.
"Willow- you are a powerful telepath?"
"Uh-huh..."
"Take this with me- we must call him."
Several people seemed to want to argue, but the goddess had lost her usually slightly bumbling countenance, and not a single person in the room wanted to argue with her right now. She and the wiccan gripped the sword, and closed their eyes, calling out to Joshua, explaining that if he didn't return, Maya and the others would die, and that in fact, his trying to reach her was probably making things worse.
When they opened their eyes, Avalon knew Joshua was back. Ate handed back the sword, and said,
"I explained the situation, and gave him his choice- Tell me, Avalon, wielder of the soul sword- what is his answer?"

((sorry, i hope that wasnt stepping on toes, i didnt mean to. i just agree this needs to move!!))

[Charlotte]

It was-awesome is the only word I could think of. I had seen some magic before but the power that was in that room was incredible, it was almost painful to witness such brilliance but that pain was forgotten as the torture of waiting began.

[Maya]

The mere moments before an answer came seemed to stretch to hours.
Willow stood aside, watching in silent hope. She knew Joshua, and she had known since before he even did of his feelings for Maya. But in the end she could only hope that his nobility reached this far. She looked over at the bed where Maya lay limply. Her cheeks were burning hot, damp with sweat. Her arms hung uselessly by her side, where Charlotte held one hand. Just then, it struck Willow how vulnerable the slayer looked- usually she wore commanding sort of clothes that told anyone looking she would take no hassle. She wore dark makeup which contrasted with her blonde hair, and generally reasonably chunky boots... but now... her hair was limp and lifeless, no makeup on her face. She wore loose tracksuit bottoms and a baggy Tshirt, and her feet were covered only in socks... such a simple change, but right then, as far as Willow could see, she was not Maya the vampire slayer, she was Maya the human teenager, and she knew, instinctively, that the girl was terrified. Willow looked around the room, to Doc who sat on the floor near the bed, barely keeping his head up, but forcing himself to look at Avalon; then to Rogue, the proud vampire-slayer who was barely better off than Doc. She was propped against the wall, steading herself against the dresser, and her eyes too were nearly drooping.
The rest of the occupants of the room were watching the woman in the centre of the room, whose eyes were focussed inwards as she reached for Joshua. They were all holding their breaths, but in each mind was the same question- what if he says no?
Willow closed her eyes, sending up a quick prayer to any other Goddess she could think of-
Please

((Sorry, just a filler, lol. i felt like it. ))

[Avalon]

The moment the connection was reestablished, I felt exactly what Joshua had been doing. He had felt, or in some way discovered what had been happening, but it was not until a few hours ago, when I had lost contact with him, that he had realized how what he had discovered and this situation were linked. He had been silent in favor of focusing all of his concentration of looking for a way to reverse what had happened.

He had only just given up on it when Ate and Willow contacted him and brought him forth. After Ate asked the question though, he remained silent once more, but I could still feel him.

<Well?> I asked expectantly.

A mental snort sounded in my head. <Please, they don't even have to ask, and you know it.> he replied instantly and without any hesitation or fear.

<Then what are you worried about? Because I can tell that you are worried> I asked him.

He hesitated again, and then sighed. <I'm willing to take the risk . . . but I know that Maya and Doc aren't. Rogue doesn't care one way or the other about me, and she's probably the only one that could continue existing, being a vampire.> He sighed again, and if he had a body, I am sure he would be pacing.

<Maya, I know, because we finally settled some differences, wouldn't want me to even risk the possibility of my destruction. Even though there is a less than 30% chance of it, it's more than 1% and that's too much for Mai in regards to me. And then . . .>

<What would happen to me if your soul was destroyed?> I asked, trying to sound nonchalant about it, but some of my fear and anxiousness about it must have slipped through.

<Nothing. You are the next reincarnation of my soul, and you already exist. I'm the leftovers, I the stuff that can be thrown out. Hell, I've already been thrown out! OK, into a Soul Sabre, of sorts, but nothing would ill-effect you. Except that your Soul Sword would no longer be fully powered.> Another moment of contemplative silence, and I got the feeling that he was pausing for a moment, making a memory as the saying went, remembering what this felt like before it all changed, either for the better . . . or the worse.

One final mental sigh, and he told me, complete conviction radiating from his mental presence. <All right. Let's do this. I have a family to save.>

I nodded, tears welling up in my eyes as felt the emotions of my "past life". No matter what happens, I hope that he knows how much I truly admire him.

Tears spilling softly, I turned to the goddess and whispered, "To quote a hero; what does he have to do?"

[Maya]

((oooh, how exciting. I am a little lame, but i dont care! fun!!))
*third person*

"Ok." Ate said, breathing out steadily. "Doc, Rogue, Avalon, get over by the bed. Everyone else, you can stay, but keep back. Avalon- lay the sword beside Maya." Ate moved the bed, and placed Maya's limp hand over the sheathed sword. She nodded to Doc, and he raised his hand to touch the sword too. Rogue followed suit. "Avalon- since Joshua died, the power has been going into you, so you must be involved in this- touch the sword." She did as she was told. "Joshua, as i know you can hear me- you needn't do anything, other than not fight whatever happens..." She paused, then said, "Despite what has passed between us in the past, you have my respect."
She nodded to the three of them, and stepped back a little. She moved her arm out in a arch from her body, and a bright white line of light appeared in mid air, forming a circle around the group. From within the circle, they could not hear the Goddesses words, and outside, the others didn't understand them, but all knew they were words of great power. The circle of light grew brighter, and seemed to extend to floor and ceiling, before starting inwards like a solid entity.
"Good luck Josh." Doc murmured, just as the light reached them. At the very centre of the circle was the sword. The light closed in, and everyone felt, rather than heard, a deep rumbling sound...
and then the light was gone.

When they managed to refocus their eyes after the blinking light, everyone in the room noticed that around Maya and the bed, there were not three people, but four.
Face down on the ground, beside the bed, was a fourth...

[Joshua]

(((Fun as this is, seeing as we're all back in LA now, I've started a new thread in "LA in the Day" called "Rebirth or Undeath?" And started it almost immediately after Maya's last post here. Yell if you want, but seeing how people aren't paying attention to this one anymore, I figured we needed a new threat anyway.)))



-- Joshua