Disclaimer: I do not own W.I.T.C.H. This is a work of fan fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons living, dead, living dead, or un-dead is, like, totally on purpose.

Author's Note One: This is a sequel to Kieva Lynn's Season Three, and takes place after that story. For those who have not read it, you at least need to know that as a consequence of events in that story, a reformed Miranda is on probation in Heatherfield, where she lives with Cassidy. The terms of her probation forbid shapeshifting except in life or death situations. Through a portion of Elyon's Heart of Meridian power, Miranda serves as the Guardian of Hope, alongside Cassidy as the Guardian of Empathy and Alchemy as the Guardian of Faith…

Author's Note Two: I've updated my profile with thoughts and musings about possible future projects. Comments and suggestions are appreciated.

Redemption's Flame, Chapter One

"'In Hell', you said we'd meet again Blackguard. T'would seem then 'tis perdition's fire that burns around us…"

Miranda soared high in the air, enjoying the clear sky, the hot, bright sun, and the glorious view of the land far below. Her Guardian mode's ability to fly in human form (well, except for the wings) had taken some getting used to for a shapeshifter accustomed to only being able to fly as a bird or insect. It still seemed a little odd, really. No matter though, it was worth it to be able to enjoy the views of Meridian from on high, and to feel the wind in her hair, which for some reason grew into an ankle-length braid whenever she was powered up as a Guardian.

As she flew, her mind turned to thoughts of just how lucky she was. Miranda knew, of course, that she had made a huge mess of her life until recently, and though this was at least partially the result of having been raised by Phobos and Cedric, she knew she couldn't fob off all of the blame for her crimes. She had made the choice to follow them herself. "Thank God I ran into Martin and Alchemy on that last jailbreak." She thought to herself, "Otherwise, I'd probably be right back in my cell right now."

Miranda wasn't sure how long she spent in memories, only that after a time she became aware of something happening. She was flying over the outskirts of a town, and when she looked down she saw some kind of altercation, two men in a full-on knock down drag out fistfight. "I'd better see what this is about." She thought, and so she folded her wings and slowly descended, landing in between them when they had briefly separated to catch their breaths. "Okay, okay, break it up!" Miranda exclaimed. She looked back and forth between them. "What's this about anyway?" she asked.

Both of the Meridianites stared at her, undisguised anger filling their eyes. "It's about the likes of you now." The larger of the two grumbled.

"Yes." The first man's former opponent agreed. "You think you can act so big and important just because the Queen forgives you for your sins against our people. Well, we don't forget or forgive."

Miranda was taken aback, though she supposed this was inevitable. "Please, hear me out at least." She said to them. "I know what I did was wrong. And I'm truly sorry. Look, here, now, what can I do to at least make some of it right?"

As she was speaking, other townspeople had appeared and now surrounded her. They shouted curses and obscenities at the girl, refusing to accept her offer of recompense. Fearing a bit for her safety now, she decided to fly up a little, just far enough to be out of attack range. But when she tried to do so, Miranda found that somehow she had reverted to her normal human form.

"No problem," she thought as the townspeople drew closer, some now brandishing weapons, "I can change back." Miranda spread her arms wide, and said the words: "Guardian, unite!" Nothing happened. She tried to use her power to create a shield around herself, but there was no power there.

Then, from behind, the girl heard a voice saying "How does it feel? You're getting what's coming to you, and nothing can prevent it." Miranda spun around and saw a small group moving closer than the rest of the townsfolk. They were a terrible sight, dressed in tattered rags, with decaying bodies. Miranda realized these new arrivals were dead, undead. She asked who they were, and what they wanted with her. "Tsk, tsk… You don't even remember us do you?" the youngest of the revenants said. "We're your victims. The ones who died by your hand during Prince Phobos' reign."

"That's impossible!" Miranda exclaimed. "I know I hurt a lot of people, some of them really badly, but I NEVER actually killed anyone!"

"No? What about the aftermath? Those you put in jail who never survived to see the light of day again? Those whose injuries became infected? The broken family members who couldn't go on without their loved ones?"

"I…" Miranda didn't know what to say. How had this never occurred to her? As the dead drew closer, though Miranda said "I AM sorry for everything I did. And I'm going to spend my life making it right, as much as I can anyway. But I'm not just standing here and giving up my own life."

Deciding this qualified as 'life or death', Miranda started to transform into a bird, planning to fly away. But as she began to change, she realized something was wrong. She wasn't turning into a bird but, rather, the spider form she had so often fought in while working for Phobos. Miranda tried to stop, but couldn't prevent the change, or the fact that once completely transformed her body began acting against her will, attacking the people around her.

As townsfolk fell all around her, Miranda heard, from somewhere, the voices of Elyon and the other Guardians. They were singing, an earth song Miranda recognized from the repertoire of her boyfriend Gideon's band: "Ain't it funny how your new life didn't change things, You're still the same old girl you used to be…"

"Nooo!" Miranda bolted upright in her own bed, barely choking back the scream. She sat for a moment, breathing heavily, trying to calm herself. When she at last had control of her breathing, the girl held both hands up, palms towards her face. She focused on the power she had as one of Elyon's appointed Meridian Guardians, and saw the familiar warm blue light of her power, the light of hope, flicker around her hands. Breathing a sigh of relief, she released the power and flopped back onto her pillows…

WWWWWWWWW

Cassidy arose early, as she always did. Before it was even six in the morning, she was showered and dressed for work. Striding into the kitchen of her small apartment, she was shocked to find Miranda already up too. "Whoa. I thought I was the early bird around here." Cassidy teased, 'Normally I have to drag you awake."

Yawning deeply, Miranda answered "Woke up a couple hours ago, couldn't get back to sleep."

Through her new power as the Guardian of Empathy, Cassidy could sense her young charge's emotional distress. She took a guess at the cause: "Bad dream?"

"To put it mildly."

"Talking about these things usually helps." Cassidy said as she sat across from Miranda. "C'mon, tell me about it."

Miranda answered "I'd… Rather not. I'll be fine, it was just a dream after all."

"You can't be sure of that." Cassidy warned, "You're a Guardian now Miranda. Sometimes, our dreams can have real meaning. Like, they can be prophetic, or-"

Before Cassidy could finish, Miranda cut her off. "No! No. I'm not the same…" She buried her head in her hands. "There's no way that was prophetic. I refuse it."

Compassion filling her eyes, Cassidy reached across the table, put a hand on Miranda's shoulder. "That bad huh?"

"Yeah."

"Well, a dream doesn't have to be prophetic to still have meaning though. It could still have been symbolic in some way. A warning of something bad, a clue to something you need to do…"

"That's a little more palatable." Miranda replied. "Though I still hope it was just a dream."

"Sure you won't talk about it?"

"Maybe tonight. I need to think on it for awhile first. Actually, since Elyon's gotta go to Meridian after school today, I'm gonna see if she can take me along. I've got a place I used to go when I needed to think."

"Alright." Cassidy answered. "I better get to work. See you tonight."

As Cassidy turned to leave, Miranda said "Hey Cass?" Cassidy turned back. "Thanks." Miranda grinned.

"Anytime kiddo."

WWWWWWWWW

Sheffield Institute. Arriving early to look for Elyon, Miranda instead found Gideon. "Hey beautiful," he said "What are you doing here so early?"

"I could ask you the same thing." She answered as they took each other's hands.

"Nickelbocker called me in." Gideon said. "She wants to see me about something involving the band, though I can't imagine she's wanting us to play with the gym still in ruins from what happened with Uriah and his friends."

"It's a good thing next week is the last for this school year." Miranda said. "I understand they'll be able to rebuild before next year starts."

"Yeah. Three months of summer, we get to rest, some poor saps get to rebuild the place. Better them than us. But… Speaking of summer, you're not going to have to go back home when school lets out are you?"

"Nah. I'm here with Cass pretty much for good."

"Good." Gideon said. When they turned the next corner into the administration hall, the Principal was already there waiting for Gideon.

"Thank you for coming so early." Nickelbocker said as she ushered them both into her office, "I know how important sleeping in as late as possible is to most of you kids."

"It's no big deal. My dad won't usually let me sleep any later than this anyway." Gideon replied. "So, what's up?"

Nickelbocker sighed as she sat back in her chair. "The long and short of it is, that the school has a problem. Our insurance carrier is only willing to partially repay the damage to the gymnasium. They'll pay for the roof itself, but not any of the other damage which is also quite expensive. I spoke with the board, and we are in agreement that some kind of summer fundraiser will be needed to acquire the funds that are needed."

"Ahh, I see now. You're looking for a band to play during a part of it."

"Exactly. In truth, we hope to get as many students as possible involved, but frankly music is likely to be the biggest draw in the community. "

"That makes sense." Gideon said. "I'll have to check with Joel and the others, but I'm sure they'll be game. Just tell us when."

Nickelbocker smiled briefly. "Thank you young man. I'll inform you as soon as a definite date is set."

As they rose to leave, Miranda asked "So how much money does the school need to cover everything?"

"Around fifty thousand, I'm afraid." The principal answered. Miranda noticed Gideon's mouth was hanging open after hearing that number. She made a mental note to ask one of the other Guardians just how much that was. As the teens turned to leave, Nickelbocker said "Miranda, might you stay for a moment?"

After Gideon was gone, Miranda sat back in the seat she had previously used. Nickelbocker also returned to her own seat. "I hope you'll forgive me, because I don't mean to pry. But I'm curious… Have you told him?"

"Not yet." Miranda answered. "I want to. But I'm not sure of the best way to do it."

"Have you perhaps discussed it with your friends?"

"Yeah. I know Tara, Elyon and Hay Lin are planning to tell those guys the truth this summer. They're planning some kind of hiking trip, you know, get out in the wilderness away from everyone else, tell them then. I'm invited, actually, but…"

"Yes?"

Miranda sighed. "I'm not sure just how much you've been told, about me in particular, but it's a little more complicated in my case than for the other girls. See, all they've got to reveal is the Guardian thing itself. Which is big enough. Whereas I've got that, and the fact that I'm really… well, not quite actually human."

Nodding, Nickelbocker answered "Yes, Yan Lin said something about that to me, though I'm not sure I really followed all of the details. All I can really suggest is that if things are to last, he would have to know eventually. And if it's too much for him to take, wouldn't it be better to find out sooner rather than later?"

"I guess so." Miranda sat silently for a few moments, then said "If there's nothing else, I need to go find El. I've got a favor to ask her before school starts."

"Go ahead child. But think about what I've said."

"I will."