[A/N] After issue 128 came out, I was happy. Will and Matt finally broke up! Then I read it and I found I hated it. Why? Because the characters felt out of character, the drawings were sloppy, the things used (Titanic reference for example) were too cheesy and the ending with Cornelia being so obvious that even Hay Lin would get the hint, made me hate it. Or dislike it a lot. And I'm not the only one. NotQuiteNorm too, was not happy with the issue. We talked and decided we could do this better.

So, here's my version of issue 128 "Just one word".

Issue 128 "Just one word"

Part 1

"Hearts will always be able to love."

It was a cold Friday afternoon, two o'clock to be precise, which meant the usual bustle was happening in Heatherfield. Yet there was one house where things were standing upside down. The house of one Will Vandom was usually rather tidy, with exception of the room of said girl, but today every bedroom held at least two suitcases, which were open, with multiple articles of clothing laying aimlessly through the room.
It was because they would leave for a weekend. A short trip to leave their troubles behind and have some fun on their own. Something they'd planned for quite some time and it was the thing Will had been looking forward to since the moment it was decided. In fact, she'd always loved vacations, even when she was little. She would pester her mother for hours about where they would be going, usually the ocean or another place where they could swim, whilst asking her mother to take her frog along, or something else.

Like clothing.

"Come on. They're not that many swimsuits!" Will argued.

Her mother had come in to check on her packing and had been astounded to find that her daughter had packed more swimsuits than other clothing items, which of course raised the argument they were having now. Will had pouted and crossed her arms, stubbornly looking at her mother, who desperately tried to talk them out of her daughter's mind.

"I already told you Will!" she said. "It will be too cold!"

Will rolled her eyes and turned her back to her mother like she usually did when arguing. She placed her arms behind her head and looked slightly sideways.

"But we're going on a cruise!" She argued in return, hoping to explain her mother why it was necessary to have ten swimsuits.

"A short cruise," her mother replied. "In November."

Her shoulders slumped and she trudged to her bed, not wanting to give up the fight. So fine, the cruise wouldn't stop at a fancy island. She could handle that. She let herself fall on her bed, facing her mother, who was already smirking victoriously.

"I'm sure there'll be an indoor pool!" she argued again.

Her mother sighed and rolled her eyes, causing Will to hide a small smirk. How many years had they argued? She'd learnt from the past and was glad to see her mother show signs of defeat.

"Fine," she said. "Bring one swimsuit!"

She finished with a warning, but Will had already jumped off her bed and grinned happily at her mother, who sighed and smiled at her daughter in return as the latter removed eight of her ten swimsuits. She saw her mother looking pointedly at her suitcase, with her replying with a rebellious look, her lip pushed out and a frown to challenge her mother a little more.

"Don't bring any sweaters either!"

Will jumped when her stepfather suddenly appeared behind her. She'd been too busy challenging her mother to notice and when she turned around, she saw Dean Collins holding an ugly red sweater with a reindeer on it while grinning madly at her.

"Why?" she asked, dreading the answer.

"I bought you two!" He said, holding up the sweater against her, causing Will to internally groan and give her mother a look that called for help.

Her mother, who looked at the sweater with the same look of disgust as she had, nodded and walked to her husband. Will took a step back as Susan bent over to get a better look at the sweater, her brow crinkling with furrows as the ugliness appalled her, yet she seemed to struggle to hide her obvious idea about her husband's choice of clothing.

"Urgh," she said, before restoring herself behind a cough. "Uhm, where did those come from?"

She asked it carefully, but Will could read the disdain in her voice. Dean smiled proudly at her, obviously not hearing it and patted the sweater.

"Well, from a shop," he answered vaguely.

Will rolled her eyes. Of course Dean would just walk into the first best shop with sweaters. It was a sad reminder that not all men had a taste for clothing. She walked away from her parents, hoping to fill her suitcase now that her mother was distracted.

"They can go back to whatever dark dimension you got them from." she said, shivering at the idea of wearing such a sweater.

She quickly dumped a pair of pants over the swimsuits, while her mother looked at Dean with an almost ashamed smile when a new voice rang through her room.

"Don't worry professor! I'll lend her a sweater..."

Will's head turned so quickly she nearly sprained her neck and smiled broadly when she saw the blonde Earth Guardian stand in her doorway with her arms crossed while she looked with great disgust at the sweater. Will shot at her, glad to see her friend and someone who could save her from the torture her parents were putting her through.

"Cornelia! I'm so glad you're here!" she said, hugging her closely.

"Like I could have you wear something that hideous," Cornelia muttered at her before they broke up, getting an embarrassed smile from her friend. She then cleared her throat and looked at the two adults, of whom the male still not seemed to get the hint that the clothing he chose was ugly beyond measure. "And right on time. As you can see, I'm ready to leave."

She motioned to two suitcases which stood near her, still grinning over Will's gratitude for saving her from a disaster. She then turned to Susan, placing her hands politely in her lap and looking slightly down, just like her grandmother had taught her over the years.

"Thank you for inviting me, Mrs. Collins," she said.

Susan nodded with a smile.
"Don't mention it, Cornelia!" she said as she grabbed her daughter's shoulders. "At least you can take care of Will and her Matt."

Will blushed a new deep crimson and glared at her mother, who grinned and winked at her.

"Mom," she muttered annoyed, causing Susan to snicker a bit.

"I do hope I won't get seasick," Dean said, causing Cornelia to snicker, knowing her professor wasn't afraid of getting sick of the sea, but about the lovey-dovey behaviour of his step-daughter.

Will, too, noticed it and redirected her glare at him, while Susan went to stand behind him with an innocent smile. She pointed threateningly at him, her brow raised and her eyes reduced to slits as her finger moved from him to her mother and back.

"You two better not ruin my weekend," she told them.

Susan rolled her eyes and just grinned at her daughter. Cornelia rolled her eyes, believing she'd seen enough of the family quarrel and took her friend's shoulders, steering her back to her bed.

"Come on. Let's prepare your luggage and give your parents some privacy," she said, a snicker still audible in her voice.

Will rolled her eyes as the blonde expertly steered her through the mess in her bedroom. Will walked out of her hands and let herself fall upon her bed, a happy sigh escaping her lips as her thoughts started to drift away to the weekend in front of her. Cornelia saw her smile and rolled her eyes a bit, but she still grinned understandingly. After all, she and Matt hadn't seen each other a lot and even among the girls they'd started to wonder if their relationship would last. So a cruise where they would see each other for a full weekend should be enough to repair any breaks in their relationship.

Or, that was what the others thought. Cornelia had held herself on the background, for her expert eyes had noticed something else. Yet, as it seemed to be one-sided, she decided it was nothing and shook it from her mind as her friend had once again an obvious thought bubble about her weekend.

"Can you believe it Corny?" Will asked, blissfully unaware of Cornelia's eye twitching to the nickname. "Lately, Matt and I haven't had the chance to be together. And now... Finally..."

"You will ride on the wave of love," Cornelia finished with a grin, finding it hard to imagine that she'd once been so wavy and vague when it came to love. "You're happy, aren't you?"

A happy sigh left her friend's lips, bringing a smile to her own face. Will seldom smiled as of late, mostly due Matt and it was nice to see her red haired friend still knew how to do it.

"Very," Will sighed contently, staring dreamily at her ceiling.

Cornelia grinned, realizing Will would no longer lift a finger to pack her suitcase and decided to do it for her. Though she did enjoy seeing her friend fly into a panic when she realized she had little to no time to pack, but she just didn't want to pop the bubble. So she rummaged through the clothing littering the room.

"I'm also excited," she said, trying to keep the conversation up. "I mean, thanks to your mom, I'll have two days of sauna and beauty treatments for free!"

A giggle came from the bed and Cornelia shook her head with a grin, unsure if Will had laughed at what she'd said or at her fantasy. She proceeded to pack, but as she was almost finished she found an ugly blue dress in the contents of the suitcase and pulled it out, before throwing it on the ground. That thing shouldn't be packed but burnt, she thought in disdain. Perhaps another of Collins's purchases.

"All done!" she said, closing the suitcase with a bang, which caused Will to sit up straight, her eyes still twinkling with happiness. "Oh, shouldn't Matt be here already? We're leaving in an hour."

It was because of Will's dreaming and the lack of the young man that Cornelia thought of it. Matt was never late, a trait she sometimes found to be very annoying when he would lecture them.

"You're right!"

Will had jumped up, the twinkle disappearing for a wave of concern as she sought for her phone. Once she found it, Cornelia glanced over her shoulder and saw she'd already messaged him multiple times, without a reply. Will bit her lip as she stared at the screen, her right thumb moving swiftly over the touch screen as yet another message appeared.

"I just wish he replied," she said.

...

The penetrating scent of old fat, chemical meat and the overall odour of a typical fast-food restaurant hang around and made Matt Olsen a bit sick. He'd been here ever since eight o'clock and he now wished he hadn't eaten his breakfast. Yet he shouldn't complain. He knew what he was getting himself into when he applied for a job at the Heatherburger.

The sound of the fat that sometimes splashed up and the shouts of his colleagues while mindless music droned on from the speakers above him had dulled his senses, yet his eyes were always focussed on the small black device at the rim of the table. His phone had been going off nonstop and it only increased his feeling of guilt, knowing it could only be one person who would text him so much today.

A new sigh escaped him when he read the last text. Will had texted him to ask where he was, because he was running late. The worst thing of all was that he knew he was. It was seldom Matthew Olsen regretted something, but now he truly regretted that he had forgotten he was supposed to go on a cruise with his girlfriend. Or better said, he'd forgotten about it when he planned the trail-day at the Heatherburger. And then he'd forgotten about the trial-day until this very morning, when his alarm went off at an ungodly hour.
He sighed as he looked at his phone's screen. He could almost read Will's concern in it and slumped. He had no money left to text her back, which would make her more frantic. She sometimes looked like nothing could phase her, but Matt knew Will was easily put on edge and he disliked doing that to his girlfriend.

"Olsen, it's not break time yet!"

A gruff voice roared over the usual chatter and noise of the kitchen and Matt looked up to see the 'chef' and boss of the Heatherburger approach him. The man's large belly wobbled behind his big apron as his beady eyes looked accusingly at his phone. His large black moustache rustled in slight annoyance as Matt quickly packed the phone away. The man proceeded to smile good-heartedly at him, while his large, meat like hands rested on his hips.

"Our burgers are the best in Heatherfield because...," he rumbled.

"We care for them ever moment, boss!" Matt replied hastily as he returned to the burgers.

It was the motto of the restaurant and if it weren't for the fact that it hang up throughout the restaurant or that his boss kept repeating the sentence like it was the only thing he could say, Matt wouldn't have known it.
The boss smiled at him and nodded, gesturing him back to his burgers.

"Good!" he grumbled satisfied. "Now... Eight vegan burgers, seven triple cheese burgers and eleven bacon burgers! If you want this job, work hard boy!"

Matt sighed, only reminding himself he really, really needed the money or else he would have told his boss otherwise. He really wished he could be with Will instead of in this smelly, slimy and probably unhealthy building they called a restaurant.

He flipped another burger when his phone started to ring. His right hand moved to his pocket, ready to take it out when his boss once again grumbled at him.

"No distractions Olsen! Making burgers is an art!" he rumbled proudly.

Matt sighed, leaving his phone ring while he rushed to finish the order. He was a mess, something Will had pointed out to him a few days earlier. He could remember how excited she'd been when the cruise was closing in and now this. Yet he steeled himself, focussing completely on the task at hand. He was sure Will would wait for him and his shift was almost at an end. He would make it. He would.

With that conviction did he wrestle himself through the orders, some even ridiculous for the time of the day. He kept reminding himself that his shift would be over in an hour. Just a measly hour but as the burgers seemed to pile up, even he started to wonder how long an hour really was. All the while his phone kept ringing and vibrating.

The amount of work was amazing and as his shift was almost at an end, Matt started to feel drowsy. He hadn't worked that hard in a long time and if it weren't for his phone ringing once again, he would have fallen asleep where he stood. Yet now he reached for it, believing to be done with his work, when his boss reappeared.

"Not yet, Olsen," he grumbled with a small smirk. "You've still got 2 minutes on the clock and those thirty triple cucumber burgers aren't making themselves!"

A sigh of defeat escaped his lips as he did as he was told. Only instead of the 2 minutes he had left, he worked for a full nine minutes to finish them, silently glad his colleagues helped him out. As he left he had to run back twice, due to him forgetting both his pay as well as his apron. He then rushed home, praying he would still be in time. Only when he was home, he cursed himself that he hadn't packed it already and as he rushed to pack it all, he tried to call Will, telling her he wouldn't leave her. But the only reply he got was a female robotic voice who told him he didn't have the money to make a call.

So he decided he should just hope for the best and rushed, with his suitcase only half closed, to the bus stop in time to catch his bus. But he couldn't sit back, believing he would make it. He just knew he wouldn't and even pushed the driver to go faster, who only replied angrily at him that he should shut up. He was in a bus and not a taxi.

But as the bus finally arrived at his stop, he jumped off, taking a sprint to Will's house. He would make it, he told himself. He could make it! He stood in front of the large building and he took a breath, muttering that he was there when his phone rang. Almost relieved he answered, knowing it to be Will, and started his apology.

"Will! Finally!" he breathed. "I'm so, so sorry! I forgot I had a trial-day for that part time job today! But I'm in front of your house, with my luggage!"

"Don't bother Matt, it's too late."

His heart fell and his eyes widened. Will sounded so distraught and he grimaced. He disliked making her sad and he looked around, believing to see her somewhere.

"What? Have we missed the ship?"

The words that followed made him slam his hand into the wall of the building, cursing his luck.

"No. You missed it. You've ruined everything."

"Damn it!"

...

Once the cruise ship took off, Cornelia couldn't hold her excitement. It was true that she would have preferred a resort on the main land, but she was glad she had gone along with Will's family. This cruise had everything she could wish for and she could definitely use the time away. So when they left the land behind them, Cornelia had been the one to check them in and find their room. Her suitcases were still closed and laying on her bed and when she entered the main bedroom of Will's parents, she found professor Collins already sleeping soundly with William in his arms. She shook her head with a small grin, enjoying to see that father and son resembled each other so much. Her eyes then proceeded to wander, hoping to see Will finally dropping her phone and unpacking, but she was met with a very excited Susan Collins, who held a brochure in her hands and a smile on her face.

"Cornelia, look at this!" she crowed in delight sitting down on a chair and gesturing for Cornelia to sit with her.

Cornelia did as she was asked and almost squealed in delight when she realized that the brochure was a map of the ship.

"This is simply fantastic," Susan exclaimed. "There's a sauna on the third deck!"

"And an ice rink on the sixth!" Cornelia exclaimed with the same enthusiasm.

"Oh, look here, Cornelia," Susan said, pointing at a different place on the map. "On the first deck..."

Cornelia followed the woman's finger and gasped in surprise.

"No way! A famous boutique with half the original prices? I can't believe it!" she said before looking at Susan.

There were times she couldn't really understand how Will was related to this woman. Susan Collins obviously didn't share Will's interests, or at least not many of them. She was a woman who worked with her agenda besides her and would always know who should be where at what time. Whereas it would be a miracle to find Will on time for anything. However, Cornelia did see a striking resemblance in them when they were taking control of the situation. Both remained calm and collected, while you could see a chaos erupting behind their eyes. But now, as Susan was cooing over the clothing shops Will wouldn't be that interested in, Cornelia could only smile in wonder. That mother and child could be so similar and different at the same time.

"This is the best weekend of the year, Mrs Collins!" she said with a big grin.

"Don't mention it," Susan replied kindly. "I'll get the credit card."

Cornelia got up, already getting excited by the prospect of losing herself for the rest of the day between the racks of the boutique while Susan sought her purse.

"Wake up, Dean and I'll get you a real sweater!" Susan semi-yelled, waking the slumbering history professor.

William woke as well and immediately seemed to be energized, a nasty trait he seemed to have picked up from Will, Cornelia thought as she watched the young boy bounce in his father's arms.

"I want ice cream!" he cooed and Cornelia grinned, silently amazed that the young child could already express himself so well.

She saw Susan grin and pinch the young boy's cheeks as Dean Collins finally started to progress what was happening.

"I...I... – Uwaaaaa – I don't need any sw-sw-sweaaaters," he yawned loudly as he got up. "I have the neeeeew oonneees... In my luggage."

Susan smiled at him before winking at Cornelia, who tried her best to hide her smirk. It just so happened that Susan had smuggled the sweaters out of the luggage and had asked Cornelia to throw them with the rags, something Cornelia gladly did. The two women grinned at each other before Susan turned to her husband.

"Ah, a few more wouldn't hurt," she said with a wink as Cornelia snorted.

With that the two left, but as the door closed Cornelia could swear she heard Dean mutter about women and clothing. She almost regretted not staying long enough to see the look on his face when he found that his sweaters – if one was allowed to call those things that – weren't in his suitcase. She smiled at the thought of it as she walked in silence with Susan to the main deck.

"Do you think Will is coming with us?"

Cornelia looked from the corners of her eyes to Susan, who looked somewhat distraught. Cornelia couldn't look at her and looked straight ahead, thinking about her redheaded friend. The moment they boarded, Will had been talking with Matt over the phone. She'd been distraught when they arrived and was close to tears the moment Matt answered his phone. Even from the small snippets that Cornelia had heard she had figured that Matt had shown his none-existing skill in planning and he'd chosen the worst possible moment to show it off.

Cornelia had tried to guide Will into her room, but as the redhead was too absorbed in her conversation to notice anyone else, Cornelia had hoped she would calm down and appear on her own. No such luck.

"I don't think so, Mrs. Collins," Cornelia finally replied a bit concerned. "She's been fighting with Matt over the phone ever since we left."

As to prove her statement, the voice of one angry teenager was carried over the noise of the clashing waves. They arrived on deck, immediately feeling a sharp, cold wind and their eyes were quickly drawn to a frail body of girl who was yelling loud enough to entertain half of the ship with her teenage drama. She jumped up and down in her place, yelling into the phone and Cornelia had to hide her slight embarrassment as several bystanders looked at Will. Her eyes quickly went to Susan and she could see her think. Was it wise to interrupt Will now or would that only worsen the situation?

"Stay with her, Cornelia, okay? I'll talk to her after the storm," Susan finally said and Cornelia sighed inwardly. She knew this was perhaps the best idea, because Will would probably turn her anger on her mother if she were to stop the conversation and Cornelia knew she would be safer. This did mean that the boutique had to wait, but she nodded.

"I can be here for her," She said, getting a grateful smile from Susan. Cornelia turned to Will, who was now glaring at her phone. "But cheering her up will be a problem."

...

Will couldn't believe it. They'd planned this for months and Matt just had to go and ruin it. Just like he'd been ruining everything they'd planned as of late. She'd thought he had wanted to do this with her, but now she was honestly wondering if he even still liked her.

"We've been like this for months, Matt!" she growled through the phone.

"Like what?"

She huffed angrily, only shortly noticing her hair sparking. She looked away and clenched her phone before taking another deep breath. He couldn't mean this. He knew just like she did that they barely saw each other.

"You always have something more important to do!" she yelled accusingly at him.

"Look who's talking, miss great Kandrakarian Guardian!"

Will fumed. Like she ever wanted to become a Guardian! He knew she would become one and he had his orders not to associate with her, so it's not her fault that her duty called her away. He knew what he was getting himself into, unlike her. Matt always disappeared and only sometimes gave her a flimsy excuse.

"With missions and magic school, you never have a minute left for me!"

Oh, that was rich! He was a great supporter of that magic school! And, seeing as lately there hadn't been any real missions, the Kami-ladies didn't count seeing as they weren't more than a one-day threat, it hadn't been her fault. She had the time, but he didn't want to.

"There's no magic involved this time!" she hissed angrily as she leant over the rim of the ship, hoping no one would hear her.

No one did except for a surprised seagull, who flapped away quickly as Will bit her lip. There had been a few thoughts haunting her lately and slowly, these hidden fears started to form words on her lips.

"I feel like I'm not being loved enough!" she yelled out. She wanted to whisper them, but her anger with him missing the boat and accusing her of being the reason they were so seldom together made her yell the forbidden words.

"Me neither actually!"

For a moment Will's heart stopped as tears started to form. She hadn't expected to hear that from him. Surely they had some bad times, but she'd always showed him love. Why was he being so cruel? It was his fault to begin with.

"Oh really?" she hissed at him. "But you should be here! It's cold and you should be next to me and..."

She was interrupted by the persisting tooting of her phone, indicating that the conversation had ended. Had Matt ended the call to stop hearing her? Did her money run out? She wiped her tears away and looked at her phone, only to have panic settle in her heart.

"It can't be..." she muttered as she looked blankly at her phone.

There, in the upper right corner, the symbol of connectivity flashed. Instead of the regular bars, it showed a circle with a diagonal bar in it, indicating that she no longer had any signal to continue her feud with Matt. The meaning slowly seeped into her brain, her phone silently whispering its apologies.

"NOOOOOOO!" she yelled out, shaking her phone wildly.

"No. No. No. No. No. No. No," she chanted again, this time sparking her powers and trying to force some extra range.

But the symbol remained the same and she cursed loudly when suddenly a warmth of a hand took place upon her shoulder. She immediately pulled them to her ears, only now remembering she wasn't the only one on the ship. She turned her head, finding a concerned looking Cornelia. Her shoulders unclenched and she gave her an awkward smile, before motioning to her phone.

"I don't think you've got signal?" she asked.

Cornelia shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips.

"We're in the middle of the ocean. What do you think?" she returned and Will grumbled.

"What's the use of being the Guardian of Energy when you can't use it anyway?" she grumbled.

"Hey, at least you can calm down now, right?"

Will shot her friend a glare. She didn't need to calm down. She only needed to make it clear to Matt that he was in the wrong and that he would need to feel sorry. But to do that she needed signal. And now that her powers were out of the question, Will contemplated to transform and fly back. The idea was quickly shaken from her mind as she reminded herself that there were too many people on board who could see her. But how else could she get back?

Lights flickered around her and she could see Cornelia's brow furrow, but Will couldn't be bothered by her wayward powers. She had an idea and immediately she turned around, sprinting towards where she knew would be the captain's quarters.

"Will wait! Where are you going?" Cornelia yelled after her and Will just knew she was following her.

"Just one final attempt to get my signal back," she muttered.

As the captain's quarters came into view, Will found her passage blocked by the plants that decorated the ship. She halted and immediately turned to Cornelia, who halted as well as she took a few deep breaths.

"What are you doing?" she hissed.

Cornelia, who had regained her breath and composure, folded her arms and looked critically at Will. Will felt her grip on the phone increase and she pushed her lower lip out, while sending the blonde a glare.

"Other than stopping you from making a fool out of yourself?" Cornelia replied. "Will, think! You can't ask the captain to turn around just so you can argue with your boyfriend!"

"First of all, you don't know that!" Will bellowed. "And secondly, what made you think you could use your powers to make that clear?"

Cornelia swept her hair behind her ear and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, you're one to talk. Your hair has been sparking for some time now and I don't believe these clouds are a coincidence."

Will shifted her eyes to the heavens. The sky had been clear when they left, but now ominous clouds had started to form and the wind had picked up as well. Will huffed and looked away. Those clouds weren't necessarily her fault. They were at sea and these things tended to happen there. Besides, Cornelia didn't seem to get the problem.

"Cornelia, you should know I need to settle this with Matt. Now," she said, taking a new step to the captain's quarters.

"I didn't join you on a cruise to hear you argue with him for the full weekend," Cornelia countered as she too took a step forward.

"That's why you need to help me turn the ship around!" she said, grabbing Cornelia's shoulders and shaking her slightly.

Cornelia freed herself and as she dusted herself off, she raised an eyebrow at Will.

"Are you serious?" she asked disdainfully. "What shall I tell them? Man overboard?"

Will perked up and looked with big eyes at Cornelia.

"Yes! Will that work?" she asked.

Her shoulders fell when Cornelia rolled her eyes and clacked her tongue.
"I'm not going to lie to them to make them turn around and they certainly won't turn around for your phone call."

Will glared at Cornelia for a few seconds before she threw her arms over her chest in a sardonic huff.

"It won't be a lie if I push you off the boat," she muttered.

"Excuse me?" Cornelia asked, her eyes wide.

Will looked at her friend for a few more seconds, her stubbornness shining proudly in her composure. Cornelia just didn't realize how important this was for her and she sparked ominously when Cornelia did an attempt to take her along. Unfortunately for Will, the clouds above her had finally become heavy enough to start the downpour the dark grey clouds had promised and with a lot of reluctance did she follow Cornelia back to their room as heavy rain pellets shot at the deck.

...

His stormy grey eyes followed the mob of red hair as she fled from the deck into the hallways that lead to the passenger rooms. He couldn't believe his luck. He'd never dreamt of meeting her here. He'd only chosen this job as an opportunity to receive a little more money, something Earthlings seemed to value a lot. To think he had a chance to talk to her without her complete band of bodyguards was indeed a chance in a lifetime. Only the blonde Earth Guardian accompanied her, for all he'd seen and as he focussed on the elemental energies on board, he was quite sure only the Guardian Leader and the Earth Guardian were here. This could perhaps be his chance to finally convince them he was not the evil they held him to be.

"Nash! Boy, you aren't paid to stand around dreaming! Continue with setting the table for tonight's welcoming dinner!"

Nashter turned around, facing his superior.

"Yes sir!" he said, refraining himself just in time from saluting.

The man continued and Nashter looked outside one more time, only seeing how heavy rain was pouring down. A storm called here by her. A small grin formed on his face, feeling an eagerness to tame this storm.

...

"Oracle, her energies are overflowing again."

Kandor frowned as he looked down the Viewing Pool, seeing how the Guardian Leader and the Earth Guardian retreated to their room, while Nashter was busy setting the tables and a storm was raging on. Yet his gaze was turned upwards as he heard the Oracle chuckle. He frowned as a playful glimmer shined in her eyes and an amused smile played on her lips.

"Don't worry Kandor. Those capable of handling her are there as well."

This made Kandor look at the young Runic who claimed to be a fugitive. The Oracle gave him a second chance, a dangerous one Kandor believed. The only reason the Oracle had even allowed it was because she'd sensed a light within him. A chance to return to the path of righteousness. And only because he seemed to be attracted to the Guardian Leader. It was something that worried Kandor more than he wanted to. He'd grown to like the child. She was young, but possessed a wisdom far beyond her age and he would be honoured to fight alongside her if time would come. But he'd heard rumours from the Water Guardian that she had dreamt of the Runic. Dreaming about people was a recurrent occurrence on Earth, but people usually forgot about them. For Will to remember it worried him. Could it be that Nashter had used his magic to enter her dreams? Because, for all he knew the Runic was still an enemy. What were his true intentions. Was it power, or was the Oracle right and did he indeed fall in love with the Guardian Leader?

"Even so. People could get hurt," he grumbled in his beard.

He knew Yan Lin knew about his dislike of the Runic and he heard her chuckle again when her hand rested on his arm. He looked at her as she smiled reassuringly at him. Her aura was different than that of Himerish. Whereas Himerish's aura made you calm, Yan Lin's aura reassured you. And so he felt himself calm down and naturally trust the woman.

"Trust me. Things will work out in the end."

...

Once Will was inside her room did the realization of no longer being able to contact Matt sink in and a depression kicked in. She sat on her bed, glaring at the small black device that now lay lifelessly on her bed in front of her feet. It wasn't the fault of the phone, but it didn't mean it wouldn't be a target for her frustration. One of her fingers was pointed at her phone and a spark shot at it, shooting the helpless phone across the room.

"It's not the fault of your phone."

"Do you want to replace it?" Will huffed darkly as she buried her face again in her arms.

Cornelia didn't reply and Will could feel her sit down on her bed. The energy around Cornelia felt a bit heavy, as if she felt a little uncomfortable as well as concerned and it made Will's heart sink even further. She was not only miserable, but she was stealing her friend's fun weekend as well with her sorrow. As if the weather outside wasn't enough to dampen the mood, with the heavy raindrops thumping against the glass.

"Come on. Let's try out that big pool with the slide on the fourth deck," Cornelia pushed on.

Will didn't want to. She didn't need to go. For all she cared, her weekend could be spent here. In the confines of the room and her self-pitying. And so the silence continued, with only the sombre thumping of the rain and the soft creaking of the ship when a few waves clashed against it.

"You asked for it."

Will looked up at Cornelia, her sight shortly blinded by the lights of the room. When she adjusted she saw her with her eyes closed and heard her voice ring through her head, asking the aid of their fellow Guardians. Will grumbled softly over Cornelia's interference as the blonde explained the situation.

"You'll see, everything will be back to normal when you return. It's just a bad moment!" Taranee's voice rang in return.

Will nodded unconsciously. It wasn't like she and Matt never had an argument before. But then again, they'd never argued like this and then refrained to see each other for some time.

"Yeah! You should enjoy your holiday! You needed the time-out anyway. Besides, it's only two days. He won't die in the mean time."

Will snorted at Hay Lin's remark, but had to admit she was right. She had been stressed the last few days and though she'd wanted to relax with Matt, she could probably do it without him as well, right?

"And you're not going to leave all the fun to Corny, right?"

Will shot a shy grin at Cornelia, who was now fuming and arguing telepathically with Irma about the use of the nickname. But Irma was right, she couldn't let her weekend be taken away by just one argument with Matt. And she also couldn't deny Cornelia her fun by having her try and cheer her up.
Cornelia, who'd just ended her argument with Irma, smiled at her. Her eyes shone with concern and Will smiled in return, hoping to dispel any worries that lingered within her.

"Did you hear that?" Cornelia said.

"Your argument with Irma? Who didn't?" Will replied.

Cornelia rolled her eyes and Will snickered when she saw a soft shade of red appear on Cornelia's delicate cheeks.

"I meant the other thing," Cornelia said through gritted teeth.

Will looked away, a hand finding a stray lock of hair and twirling it.

"Yes."

Cornelia cupped her face in her hands and forced Will to look at her. Will huffed a bit to see Cornelia look so serious at her, but in the end she smiled.

"That's what I wanted to see," Cornelia said. "Let's have some fun."

"I'll try," Was Will's reply, while also sending a thank you to the others for their help.

But try was miles away from succeeding and Will found no joy in the activities Cornelia pulled her into. When her mother and Cornelia finally managed to get into the boutique, Will had been leaning against the wall. Her eyes were constantly roaming back to her phone, which had survived her initial attack. She couldn't help but hope that some miracle happened that gave her enough signal to call Matt. Because with every passing minute, she felt worse and worse. Her last words to him weren't meant, or were they?
She mulled over her words as she looked aimlessly over the pool. Cornelia had noticed shopping wasn't working and Will didn't have the heart to tell her that the pool wasn't working either. Normally the chlorinated body of water could wash her worries away, but now she could only stare at it, wondering if she'd truly meant her words she'd yelled at Matt. When she'd said it, she was sure of herself. It had been what she'd been feeling the past months and she'd hoped it was wrong. But Matt hadn't denied it, he even confirmed her thoughts. Perhaps it was better to just not be together anymore?

Will sighed loudly, now watching how her mother attempted to knock down the bowling pins of the bowling alley on deck two. Mini golfing had been their first option, if it weren't for the storm outside, but Will felt like she could use the heavy rain right now. She didn't expect an answer to fall from the skies, but at least there she wouldn't dampen anyone's mood. She'd seen Cornelia look and even felt her pry into her mind a few times. Will had blocked her out and tried to go along with the activity, but it felt more like torture to her. Everything started to remind her of Matt and her heart kept beating painfully by the idea of breaking up. Yet there were moments she truly thought it would be for the best. Those times were accompanied by tears and her biting her lip. Why did it have to end like this? She'd just hoped for a calm weekend with Matt and now she only had troubles and stress because of him.

It was Matt's fault she couldn't enjoy her weekend. He just had to go and ruin something they'd planned for so long.

Those thoughts sometimes took place among her frights and self-pitying. When they came, thunder roared outside and her phone sparked unnecessarily. If it weren't for Cornelia, who then came to her with a calming smile or a reassuring hug, worse things would have happened, Will was sure of it. It brought a wry smile to her lips, believing it would be Matt's fault if the cruise ship would sink due to the storm. She would almost think the ship was cursed, first by Matt missing the boat and now by the storm.

Will looked back, seeing her family and Cornelia preparing for the welcoming dinner. She'd been ready for the past few hours, having left the bowling fun early to mull a little longer. Now she wore her blue evening dress her mother had bought at the boutique, with a small black choker necklace and, because it was too cold for just the dress, she wore stockings underneath it.
She saw her mother trying to dress her little brother, who 'magically' managed to get out of his clothing every time their mother wasn't watching. Dean was still in the bathroom and by the sound of it, he'd probably cut himself by shaving. Cornelia was in their room and Will knew it would take some time for the blonde to find the correct outfit. But no one would notice her leave.

Her hand enclosed over the cold metal of the door handle and with a quick movement, she grabbed her raincoat and opened and closed the door, leaving her family for the cold outdoors. The wind blew strongly and the rain even made it into the corridors, mixing with the sea water that had managed to spill the hallways. Somewhere in the distance thunder rumbled and the ship shook as a new wave crashed into it. But, amidst the elemental chaos, Will found a strange tranquillity. As she walked to the front of the ship, the merciless rain tackling her, she became calmer. As if her inner turmoil was displayed before her and while she leaned against the railing of the ship, her eyes wandered the vast endlessness of the ocean. Lightning crashed into the waters some miles away, but Will could still feel the power coming from the impact and watched how a wave grew and rushed to their ship. As it crashed, she held herself steady and muttered angrily as sea water found its way into her mouth.

Deciding to turn her back to the rowdy sea, she took out her phone. Once again the lack of bars showed up and Will blew her wet hair angrily out of her face. Not even now, with a storm that amplified her powers, did she have a signal. Her eyes flew up to the large mast of the cruise, only temporarily wondering if she should climb it and try to use it as an antenna. She shook her head and almost laughed at how ridiculous that idea sounded in her mind. Even if it worked, chances were she would destroy the ship. And she was fairly sure Cornelia would not be happy if she did. Her humour vanished once again as she looked back at her phone. Was Matt trying to call her right now, or did he think she just ended the call? Would he be angry with her? He didn't have the right to be so.

She pushed her lip out and sourly looked at the slowly dying screen of her phone. A shiver ran over her spine and she clamped her arms in an attempt to warm. Matt was supposed to do that, he should be here, warming her. He shouldn't have missed the stupid boat...

"Why the long face Vandom?"

Her eyes widened once the voice was registered in her mind. She looked up, lightning sparking in her hair and her posture already going into a defensive stance as her dark brown eyes fell upon the speaker. His blonde hair was standing every way but the good one as it swept upon the strong wind and it dripped from the rain that was still harassing them. He wore a stark blue raincoat, the ones they handed out the moment the storm began, and his stormy grey eyes lit up as her own made contact with his.

She frowned and looked away, crossing her arms with a dark huff while still keeping one eye on him, in case he tried something funny.

"You know, it's custom on many planets to reply when spoken to."

Her lips pursed and her brow furrowed, as her depression slowly made place for annoyance and suspicion. What was the Runic doing here anyway? Or was it a clever trap of him to attack her while she was walloping in her teenage drama? If he thought it would be that easy, he would be nastily surprised and she secretly hoped he would attack her instead of speaking so lightly with her.

"I don't believe it's a custom on many planets for enemies to speak to one another," she grumbled, finally pointing her face away.

"... Suit yourself."

Will bit her lip as she felt how his energy shifted besides her. She was sure he was now also leaning against the bar and she was wondering if walking away would give him the idea she didn't want to see him, or if it would make her look weak and scared. Because she'd learnt to never turn her back to her enemy.

"And here I thought you were the diplomatic one."

"I am the-!"

Will whirled around, furious to hear him even utter his doubts about her. It was only when she stared into his daring grey eyes that she realized it had been a ruse to get her to talk to him. Her eyes, now squinted together into a foul glare, focussed on his and she saw a small grin play on his lips. She huffed and crossed her arms, not planning to show him he got to her.

"So I suppose you want to hear me compliment you on such a clever trap, huh?"

She watched as his eyes widened, but she didn't read surprise in them. Confusion clouded his features and Will rose a delicate eyebrow, not believing his acting. Wasn't it him who had used her words before leaving them the first time? To beat your enemy, you need to know him. And he was doing a good job at it, infiltrating her school and now her vacation as well.

An annoyed sigh left his lips as a hand scratched the back of his head, the water seeping into his raincoat.

"I gave up on that life, remember?"

"Of course."

He read her sarcasm but he didn't seem to be eager to take the bait and start an argument with her. It annoyed her a bit and a new spark came from her hair. Only this time Nashter reacted unexpectedly. He reached out for her and Will took a step back, her arms already up for a possible defence and counter. But it all fell when she noticed how he caught the spark that had leapt from her hair. His eyes were completely focussed on it and Will thought she saw an amazed sparkle in his eyes as a smile played on his lips. Her own eyes slowly went to the spark, which she hadn't paid any attention to beforehand. The spark glowed brightly in his hands and as he flicked it out towards the open sea, Will felt her gaze follow it until it died out. Slowly her eyes turned back on him and her scowl deepened. Why was he looking so content and reassured? What scheme did he have up his sleeve?

...

Cornelia cursed softly as she gathered her raincoat and umbrella again. She had been careless. She should have been more attending. Will had been down and she needed cheering up, but Cornelia knew she had pulled Will along to activities she wanted to do, aside from the pool, which had been indeed an attempt to cheer Will up. And now she'd let her out of her sight. She should've asked her to help her with her outfit, which was now getting ruined by the unforgiving rain she noted dully.
But it was her own fault, she supposed. If she'd kept an eye on Will, the redhead would still be with them and making her way to the dining room instead of roaming around on the ship. Now Cornelia could go and find her, but she honestly had no idea where to start. She'd been at the pool with a faint hope of finding her friend there, but was disappointed to find the waters empty. The other places they'd been earlier today were also void of Will's presence and Cornelia was actually starting to fear that she'd jumped into the ocean to swim back to get some signal. If the last thing indeed happened, Will had better drowned, because Cornelia would kill her if she returned.

She shook her head, trying to stay positive. Will might have been distraught, but she was not that desperate, right?

With a dark sigh did she take another turn, the plants faintly whispering her that they'd indeed seen her depressed friend today and Cornelia hoped they'd seen her recently. Her grip fastened around the umbrella when a new gale of wind tried to knock it out of her hands. She grimaced and wished Hay Lin were here to calm the storm, but now she had to steady herself and press on. A shiver ran over her spine as the cold seawater seeped into her new shoes and she muttered to herself that, even though it was for Will's sake, Will should be damned happy with her.

A flash of lightning, too close for her taste, shot down. It was not more than ten feet away from the rim of the ship and Cornelia felt how her heart jumped into her throat. Her hands shivered and she stared incredulously at the flash, before realizing it was illuminating two individuals standing at the rim. She frowned, forgetting her umbrella was now close to being a conductor and started to approach the two. Who in their right minds would be outside in this weather?

"What are you really doing here, Runic?"

Cornelia's grip tightened, knowing the voice who spoke so spiteful. The rain was still pretty much a curtain for her, but she could make out the frail frame of a girl and a bigger frame of a boy. It didn't take her long to realize it was Will, but what surprised her was the fact Nashter was there as well. Was this a trap for the Guardians? If it were, it wasn't a good one, seeing as he only had two of the five, unless it was his intention to split them up.
She saw Nashter shrug and Cornelia took a few steps forward, hoping to hear more of their conversation, which was dampened by the howling wind and the crackling thunder.

"I'm just working here, Guardian. I have to find a way to make money, seeing that magic is 'apparently' out of the question."

Cornelia frowned at the way he spoke. He was calm and smug. He pointed at the storm above them when he spoke of his lack of using magic and Cornelia wondered. Was he innocent? And was this storm perhaps not just a natural disaster? For a moment it occurred to Cornelia that the storm had only begun the moment Will had fallen into a depression, but she frowned at the idea. They were indeed strong, but for Will to call upon a storm with just her emotions seemed a bit overkill to her. They were better trained than that.

She saw Will huff and Cornelia found her gaze following a spark that leapt off her hair. Nashter moved quickly to catch it, without Will reacting. Did she know he would do that or was she too stunned by his speed?

"Stop that!" Will growled and Cornelia watched how she slapped the hand, which held the spark, away.

The moment the spark died out, a new flash of lightning appeared. Cornelia shrunk away and held her umbrella closely, sincerely hoping it would not hit her. But, as the light faded away and the loud and dark rumble of the thunder shook her very core, she heard a laughter coming from Nashter. Slowly did she pry her eyes open and found him placing a hand on Will's shoulder, which she shook off.

"A scowl fits you better than the long face you've been wearing all day," he told her.

"Well, with you here, I don't know what else to do, Runic," she scowled in return.

"Ain't it a bit sad for you to either scowl or mope while on vacation?" he then asked.

Cornelia raised an eyebrow, unsure what to make of it. His voice was different than before. First he'd been teasing and perhaps even antagonizing, but now he sounded a lot more tender. She watched as he rubbed through his hair, which was soaked by the water, and how a hand clasped around the iron bar of the railing.

"That's my decision, don't you think?" Will hissed at him.

She saw him nod and he let go of the railing as he stretched out.

"Fair enough," he told her. "Though I wonder if you can smile. Maybe we'll find out tomorrow."

With that he took off. Though, even before he'd taken more than three paces he halted and turned his head back to Will, who stood confused behind him.

"Also, while you're here. I recommend you to try the chicken. It's surprisingly edible."

Cornelia snorted, but took a few steps back as he approached her. She didn't want him to know she'd been listening in. A scowl formed on her face as he passed her, but she was surprised when his cloudy eyes found hers.

"Earth Guardian," he greeted with a nod, before walking on as if nothing had happened.

Cornelia watched him go and she was sure she saw him peek over his shoulder one more time, a satisfied grin on his face. Cornelia blinked a couple of times, for she was sure she knew that look on a man's visage. She'd seen it on both Caleb's and Peter's face when they saw her after a long time. She frowned. She already had a feeling Nashter saw something in Will, seeing how he always confronted her and argued with her whenever the two were together. It was as if they were magnets, attracting each other, but Cornelia also wondered if it hadn't just been her imagination. Will had never openly showed any interest in Nashter, just hostility while as she'd caught Nashter looking at her frequently in classes or just at school in general. Was he perhaps trying to get to Will personally as a mission to crush the Guardians... Or was it something more?

"You can come out Cornelia."

Cornelia blinked her daze away and saw Will approach her, her gaze set on murder and her hands in the pockets of her raincoat. Her dark brown eyes met hers and for just a short moment, the urge to look away befell her. But Cornelia frowned at the idea and looked stubbornly back. Will's eyes momentarily flashed before she pushed a pluck of hair out of her face.

"Nashter is here."

"I noticed."

"You heard him?"

"Yes."

"I don't like it."

Cornelia rolled her eyes.
"Is there anything you liked the moment you set foot on this ship?"

A foul glare was turned her way, but it didn't scare her. Will was angry that Matt wasn't here and Nashter was. And that it had been Nashter who'd turned her attention away from Matt. An eyebrow rose as she watched Will mutter dark curses about Nashter and Cornelia realized that the alien boy might indeed be a way for Will to enjoy her weekend, or at least forget about her Matt troubles. It aggravated her slightly that the boy who barely knew her friend, could so easily occupy her mind but, she begrudgingly realized, he could be a way to save the weekend. That didn't take away that she wouldn't keep an eye out, but it was at least worth a try.

"Shall we go inside? Your parents are waiting and I'm getting hungry," she said, deciding to steer away from the current subject.

A single nod was enough for her to grasp Will's arm and pull her under the umbrella. Together they hurried out of the storm. They first returned to their cabin, where Will dried her hair and exchanged her shoes, before they made their way to the dining room. Susan and Dean had been concerned about them and were relieved when they finally arrived.

"I'd almost gone myself," Dean said as Will apologized. "If Cornelia hadn't been so adamant on finding you and if you hadn't returned in five minutes, I would have been calling for you through the speakers."

Cornelia smiled at the man, as Will blushed a slight shade of red. It was interesting to see her reaction on the fatherly behaviour of Collins, seeing as her friend didn't have much of a father figure throughout her years.

"I just needed to clear my head," she muttered.

Cornelia saw Susan smile, with a sad look in her eyes and she had a feeling the mother knew what was going on in her daughter's mind. Except for the fact that one of their enemies was apparently working on the boat.

The moment she thought it, she spotted him. He was wearing a purple waiter's tuxedo, just like the other men who waited the tables. She saw him look around and grin when he noticed them. A quick look at Will told her she'd seen him too, as she huffed and crossed her arms.

"Do you know him?"

Cornelia looked back at Susan, who was now eyeing Nashter critically. She saw the woman's eyebrows knit together as she studied the boy, who was now busy waiting a different table.

"Not necessarily," Will muttered.

"Oh, that's Nash. He's an exchange student," Dean informed. "He plays in the football team Will and Cornelia recently left."

"It was just a onetime occurrence, professor," Cornelia said with a smile. "To help Irma's dad build a team."

"Oh yes! Wasn't that the boy you hugged when you won the finals?"

Will tinted red and quickly grabbed for the menu. Cornelia held a hand in front of her mouth, where a smile was being formed by her lips. She saw Susan grin at her daughter, while Dean only raised an eyebrow, unsure if he should be concerned or not.

"Excuse me, but what would you like to order?"

Cornelia looked up, seeing that another waiter had appeared to take their order. She quickly glanced past the boy to see Nashter's reaction, but he had his back turned to them and thus made it impossible for her to gauge his reaction.

"I'd like the garlic shrimps, please," Susan said with a smile. "And some garlic bread beforehand."

"For me the Greek souflaki," Dean answered. "And a kiddie menu for the big boy here."

Cornelia grinned as William laughed loudly as his father ran his hand through his hair. Cornelia shook her head before turning to the waiter.

"I would like some calamari, if you please. Oh, and a coke," she said with a pleasant smile while handing the man her menu.

"I'd like a coke as well," Will added, while still staring at the menu.

The man nodded and scribbled down the orders, but remained as he watched Will search for a dish.

"Madam, and what would you like for dinner?" he asked carefully after a few minutes had passed.

Will took one more glance at the menu before a dark sigh left her lips. She closed it and handed it to the man.

"The chicken, please," she mumbled.

The man jotted the order down, collected the other menus and left. Cornelia looked with a raised eyebrow at Will, who saw her look and glared in return.

"Not. One. Word," she muttered under her breath.

Cornelia chuckled and shook her head. Will was really bad when it came to challenges and it seemed that Nashter knew it. She leaned a bit back in her chair as she watched Dean entertain William while Susan tried to strike up a conversation with Will, most likely about the events of today. She noticed how Will's gaze sometimes wandered to Nashter and from her spare looks into the room, she noticed him looking at their table a couple of times as well. Somehow she had the feeling this was going to be a very interesting weekend.

[A/N] End of part 1. Also, apologies for everyone who wanted to see a new chapter for "Howling for fortune". School was more than I thought it would be and this story was already finished and just laying around. A new chapter will come with the full moon.

Review and happy Halloween!