Disclaimer: This far in, I shouldn't have to bother. Is there anybody here stupid enough to think I own W.I.T.C.H? No, didn't think so.

Hay Lin let out a groan and sat up. She looked around at her surroundings and recognised where she was at once. It was the same alleyway she'd been in when Nerissa had killed her. At least Nerissa had done so in a different timeline. She looked at her watch. Yep, no doubt about it, she was at the exact time and place she had died, with one major difference, namely she hadn't died. Pulling herself to her feet, she grabbed her bag and started running to Cornelia's apartment. And as she ran, she began to wonder to herself, was any of it real?

000000000000000000000000000000000000000

The Oracle and Yan Lin watched Hay Lin with concern.

"Her fate has changed drastically. Her future has become clouded and uncertain." The Oracle murmured.

"I know my granddaughter. She will be able to handle her new role." Yan Lin replied. The Oracle smiled sadly.

"I hope so. Already we have asked so much of the guardians." The Oracle replied his voice sombre.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Will looked at her diminutive Chinese friend and wondered what was on her mind. Hay Lin had been extremely quiet all night long and everyone had noticed. She wasn't drawing in her sketchbook at all and she seemed to be distant.

"Ok Hay Lin, what's up?" Will asked, finally realising that Hay wasn't going to spit out what was bothering her.

Hay Lin shook her head. "It's nothing Will." She said.

"Hay Lin, I have known you since kindergarten. I KNOW it's not nothing." Irma pointed out.

"Weeelll" Hay Lin paused. "It's a long story and I'm halfway inclined to think it's some sort of dream or something. It sounds that crazy, but I'm almost certain it was real. It goes like this…"

And so she told them of her experiences. Their responses were not encouraging, to say the least. Cornelia thought it was probably a dream, Irma did as well. Probably one of the few things that they actually did agree on. Will was supportive, but she too was doubtful. Taranee didn't say anything. Hay Lin struggled to hold back her tears, but to be fair to her friends, her tale did sound far-fetched, even by Guardian standards.

"Maybe you're right Cornelia and Irma, maybe you're right." She said, without conviction. The rest of the night passed awkwardly and soon they decided to settle down to sleep.

000000000000000000000000000000000000

One week later.

"Tell Nerissa she's not getting the Heart, no matter how much she tries" Will screamed at Shagon, as she sent a stream of pink magic into him. Shagon merely laughed.

"How little you understand my mistress, little guardian, how little you understand her." Shagon taunted Will. In an attempt to keep the guardians on edge, Nerissa had been sending her minions to attack W.I.T.C.H at random. Up until now it had only been Ember and Tridart. Shagon was an unwelcome addition to these raids. They all knew he fed off of their anger, but they hadn't come up with a means of fighting him. Cornelia especially, had difficulty with the anger problems. She was still seething over the fact that Caleb was desperately ill from his time with Nerissa.

As Hay Lin pulled herself back to launch another attack, she noticed something strange. Out of Shagon's body, there were green threads, like those she'd seen when she fought that final battle in the afterlife. Magically reaching out, she pulled one and slowly Shagon began to fall apart, as his original human form was reasserted. As the innocent young man who Nerissa had forcibly changed lay unconscious in front of them, the rest of W.I.T.C.H turned to face Hay Lin, who was standing in front of him with an unreadable expression on her face.

"Sorry Hay, you were right." Irma said, her voice awed. Hay Lin shook her head.

"You weren't to know." Hay Lin replied.

"I suggest we go to Candracar and find out more there." Will suggested. Bringing forth the Heart, it glowed and teletransported them away. At least that was the idea. But while the other guardians vanished as planned, Hay Lin simply got thrown back and fell on her bum. As she pulled herself to her feet, a wave of realisation hit her.

"Oh damn!" was all she could say.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

The remaining four guardians arrived at Candracar without a hitch.

"Hey, what happened to Hay Lin?" Irma asked, looking round.

"She is unable to join us" the Oracle answered. "I suggest we return to Earth and discuss Hay Lin's situation."

And with a sudden flash, they returned to Heatherfield, where Hay Lin was waiting for them.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Hay Lin watched as her friends reappeared with the Oracle.

"Hay Lin, I am sorry, but your connection to the life stream binds you to this world. Candracar is forever beyond you." The Oracle said to Hay Lin. "It is not something I would wish on anyone."

"WAIT A MINUTE!" Irma bellowed, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT CANDRACAR IS FOREVER BEYOND HER!?!"

"Nice going Irma. There might have been a couple of people several miles away who didn't hear that." Cornelia commented acidly.

"Her question is valid, but her delivery could use some work." Will added.

"Indeed." The Oracle replied. "When she touched the life stream, her very essence became connected to this planet. In short, she is unable to leave this planet. There is no way of changing it, I'm sorry."

Hay Lin nodded and smiled sadly. "Then I ask of you a favour Oracle. If I cannot come to Candracar, let my Grandmother visit me here on Earth."

The Oracle let out a laugh. "I really don't think I could stop her, do you?" The Oracle paused. "Hay Lin, I do have a different role to ask you to play."

"What is it?" Hay Lin asked.

"Earth will need guidance to reach its full potential. I humbly ask that you provide that guidance. A subtle nudge in the right places to turn humans in the right direction, when they are in danger of losing their way." The Oracle answered.

"I accept, but only after we've defeated Nerissa."

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

The opportunity came much sooner than expected. Furious at losing one of her most powerful soldiers, Nerissa attacked Hay Lin and Irma as they headed home from school. A blast of pink magic smashed into Hay Lin with such ferocity that she went flying.

"Hay!" Irma screamed.

Hay Lin pulled herself to her feet. "I'm ok." Nerissa stared in disbelief.

"How did you…" She began, but Hay Lin cut her off.

"I can't die."

"You're still no match for me, little girl." Nerissa snarled and she threw another bolt of magic at Hay Lin, who took off at the same time, causing the bolt to miss.

"My turn" Hay Lin said cheerfully and she began to pull on the threads surrounding Nerissa.

Nerissa fell to the ground and her unnatural youth faded and in its place was the aged body she had when she had first broken free. Irma transformed herself and suddenly Nerissa was trapped in a cage of blue magic.

000000000000000000000000000

With Nerissa's capture, her thralls were lost. Ember and Tridart returned to the elements from which they were forged and Khor was restored to the cheerful dog he had been when he first encountered Nerissa. Neither the geologist, nor his dog, remembered anything about their time as Shagon and Khor, but when their colleagues found them, it was hailed as a modern day miracle.

0000000000000000000000000000000000

3000 years later

An old Chinese lady sat back in her chair as she watched her grandson running about like a mad thing. She didn't have to stay an old woman, at times she became a teenager, just for the thrill of being young again. But for now, she was happy just being a grandmother. To avoid getting unwanted attention from Earth's authorities, she did have to fake her death every once in a while. (Heh, she mused to herself, I lost count at the thirtieth time, sometime back in the mid twenty seventh century.) She still had her old friends as well. Irma especially visited her regularly from Candracar, although the others visited as well. Although she couldn't die, it didn't stop her from wishing she could at times, but hey that's life.

AN: This plot bunnies been a little awkward with this chapter, but I think it turned out ok. Or at least I hope it did. Please read and review.