Alone.

[Jackson ''Doc'' Ellison]

(((I'm bored, so I'm starting a new thread. Not expected to go anywhere, but if anyone wants to use it as such...)))

I leaned against the tree, looking at the grave. I should spread my patrol, take out any fledglings that might be rising tonight, but...

I couldn't leave her grave for a demon or vampire to defile. I had to guard her.

"Charlotte..."

[Charlotte]

((surprise!))

It felt so strange to be back here. It had been months since I'd... well, since they all believed i had deid. Since i had meant to die.
Now, as i watched from a distance as he stood by the grave- I didnt need to see the name engraved to know whose grave it was- I was ensure of how i felt. I had come to warn them all- i had to be here. But it felt like I was stepping back into a world i thought i'd left forever. These people... they weren't my life anymore. But how my heart ached to see him standing there. He looked just the same, though a little scruffier. Would he hate me?
I shook my head, it didn't matter. That was so far from the point that it wasn't worth considering. I would do what i ahd to do and leave. Simple at that, i told myself.
So i began to walk across the soft grass, my eyes never leaving his form. When i was about two metres from him, i stepped on a twig, and it's snap cut through the silence like a hot knife through butter. He spun round...

((;D ))

[Jackson ''Doc'' Ellison]

I spun when I heard the twig snap, battle ready. However, I wasn't ready for what I saw.

"Charlotte?" I gasped in shock. That wasn't possible. She was dead, we buried her, her grave was not feet away from us. "Are you really...is it you? I..." Staggered back against the tree. "No. My God, it can't be you. You...you're dead. We buried you. We...you were dead. You are dead. I... Is it really you?"

[Charlotte]

The mixture of terror, despair and hope on his face came very close to melting the sheath of ice now encasing my heart. I managed a smile, continuing slowly towards him,
"It's me." I said simply. But he shook his head, glancing at the grave. "Elaborate glamour." I said. "She is the goddess of influence after all."
"Ate?" He gasped. "She... how? Why?"
"Its complicated..." I said. I stopped about a foot from him. I could see that he had been emotionally battered over the last few months, and my reappearance wasn't helping any.
"You... you never died?" He gasped. I shook my head. "But we couldn't... not even Maya..."
"Ate again." I said. "She saved me in the moment i hit the water. So you still saw the splash, but i never actually went in. I never died."

[Jackson ''Doc'' Ellison]

"It's really you?" I whispered. My eyes were telling me something my brain was telling me couldn't be possible.

"It's me," she said. Damn it, it was her. It was her voice her scent...

"I thought I'd lost you," I whispered, reaching a hand out. Several different emotions ran through me when she jerked away, hurt being the main. "Charlotte?"

[Charlotte]

((Just to note, i think this shud be latest in the timeline, yeah?))
I forced myself to stay strong,
"Im here on business, Doc." I said sharply. "Very important business. You should gather the gang."
"Charlie..." He gasped. The pain in his eyes was unbelievable, and yet i met his gaze, knowing that all he would see was awful darkness.
"Call the gang together." I told him stiffly.

[Jackson ''Doc'' Ellison]

I nodded, reaching for my phone. I didn't know what was going on here, but I had to stay focused. Deal with the fact that she wasn't dead... for crying out loud, how was i supposed to focus?

"Doc," Mal's voice was on the other end the second I'd hit the 'pick up'button. "Is that...?"

"Gather everyone, Mal," I said. "A...Vala included. Get them to the Dojo. Don't tell them...not yet, anyway."

"I understand," he said, severing the connection.

"Well?" I asked. Damn it all, this was hard. How was I supposed to act professional when I hadn't gotten over her. Something she had obviously succeeded in doing very well. "Shall we?"

[Jessy Jackson]

"Ok, Mal, I'm on my way." Flying would be the quickest way. I wondered wether to do a sweep first but decided against it.

[Peps]

"Peps is in da house" I whispered, zipping on a sweater and winging it to the Dojo. Literallly.

[Jessy Jackson]

"Hey peps," I screeched across the empty air. We swooped down to the Dojo together.

[Nicola Next]

((Dunno how Mal "gathers" people but I'll just skip that little detail =P))

I shrugged on my leather jacket and made my way out of the house. As I paced down the street and towards the Dojo, I grabbed the hairbands from my wrist and put my hair up into makeshift pigtails before turning the corner.

Hearing a screech or something up in the air I looked up to see shadows flying overhead. Shivering I caught a familiar smell and grinned. Darn them and their alternative travelling methods. But by then I was close to my detination and I wondered what was going on.

[Charlotte]

I nodded, and we began to walk,
"Who's Vala?" I asked after a moment of awkward silence. "New girl?"
Doc squirmed a little, clearly uncomfortable. Oh god. Shes his girlfriend. "Nevermind." I said very quickly. He frowned,
"It's a little complicated." He replied anyway. "Shes.. not exactly new..."
Now i frowned- an ex he'd gotten back with??
"She's... well, Maya is training her, shes about Jessy's age. Wicked fighter already." He grinned, "Understandable, considering..." He cut himself off. Ok, so maybe not a girlfiredn, i thought. And its not like i'd care anyway- there were much bigger things to deal with, more important things to me, and to the world. I glanced over at Doc as we walked, adn nodded slightly to myself, yes, i thought, i had loved him... but things were different now. I was different. That was then, and this is now.
We didn't speak again until we reached the dojo. He lead me round to the back, and we stopped in a room just behind the main gym.
"Mal?" He said.
"Jessy Pepper and Nicki are here. Ah, and Maya Joshua and A...Vala just arrived."
"Thats enough to be starting with." I said, starting for the door...

[vala]

We arrived at the Dojo, my mother, my father, and I. An involuntary smile came to my lips every time i thought of them as such. Nicki Jessy nad Pepper were already here, talking among themselves about what they thought this might concern.
"Hey guys." Maya said. "Whats up?"
"No clue." Nicki replied. "Mal just said that Doc was on his way."
Joshua frowned, clearly unhappy with this.
"If he's not here in ten minutes..."
"He will be." Maya cut in. Then she shrugged, "But yeh, if he's not then someone's getting pounded."

[Jackson ''Doc'' Ellison]

"Alright then," I said, leading her in. "Let's do this," we walked in to the sounds of gasps of disbelief. I wondered how Aila would react, if she even knew the sacrifice invloved in moving her to her guardians realm.

[Charlotte]

For a moment, i just stood there, allowing for my appearance to sink in. They all gaped silently until Joshua stepped forward withan expression of furious disgust,
"Who are you!?" He demanded. But Maya held him back with a hand on his chest, shaking her head in disbelief.
"i-it's her." SHe said, thought she didn't sound very sure of herself. "My goddess... Charlie... how...?"
"Your goddess is just about it." I said. "Ate saved me."
For a moment, Maya looked hurt, and i wasn't sure if it was from my tone, or the fact that Ate hadn't told her the truth, buteither way, a moment later i was hit by something i really didnt expect, namely, Maya. SHe wrapped her arms around me, hugging so tight i thought my ribs would crack,
"Charlie!" She gasped, "Oh goddess i'm so sorry!"