Guardians 1

Author Note: This is the sequel of sorts to my story "Together Forever and Ever, But Only for Now". I hope you all enjoy, because this is centered around the Cepan. :)

"Caleb, clean up that mess this instant!" Hessu frowned sternly to her sheepish son, making him squeak briefly and scramble to obey.

"Damn, Hessu," her close friend Jazz frowned himself, raising an eyebrow at the older woman. "I realize you're a strict mistress and stuff, but there isn't any reason to be such a sore ass to the boy."

"He spilled his cereal," she replied simply, "he's going to clean it up."

"But you don't have to snap his head off," Jazz replied just as simply as he sipped his mild wine.

The fifty two year old merely rolled her eyes. It was a million wonders she still put up the fool of a best friend that she'd let into her home- he was too relaxed for her taste. That was one of the reasons they barely survived one date and remained friends, leaving her to find a husband whom was spending the day with his Garde and left her home alone in the meantime to look after their three year old son. She was too old to have a son that young, (at least to Jazz,) but since Loric lived late into their one hundreds on average and were built much differently than humans as it was, Hessu's line of thinking was that of a thirty year old human. Jazz's constant critique on how she was raising Caleb was tiresome, of course, but it was at least appreciated by the little boy having somebody on his side.

"Mr. Jazz..." he spoke quietly, "can me go with you?"

"Caleb," Hessu frowned, feeling a light sting at the end of her son's request.

"Only if your mother says it's alright," Jazz replied simply while finishing off his glass. Both of them looked expectantly to the elder, whom was frowning deeply and shaking her a bit.

"Perhaps for a little bit," she mused, "but not after dark."

"Yay!" the boy crowed, jumping to his feet eagerly.

Jazz shot her his best innocent grin, scooping up the child in his well-toned arms. "Wanna go for a skyline tour?" he inquired, both of knowing very well what the boy's answer would be.

Seconds later Hessu watching her friend fly away with her son in his arms securely. He was a Garde after all, something Caleb wished he would be. Now the Cepan mother sighed, running her hands through her slightly graying hair. She found herself longing for her nine year old Garde to fill the quiet air she would aspire for any other time, but she knew the girl was playing with her little friends on this day and would not want to spend the day with her strict, solemn Cepan.

The phone buzzed, making the woman jump briefly. "Hello?"

"Hessu!" a familiar voice chirped, making her stifle an already tired groan.

"Yes, Ami?" Hessu inquired in a slightly monotone toward her energetic, problem-bound younger sister. She was constantly having to clean up her messes and help her out; This time would certainly be no different.

"I'm supposed to start training my Garde today, but I have no idea how to start!" the forty five year old explained in a rush. "You're really good at that stuff...I was hoping you'd give me a hand. I promise I'll pay you back someway!"

Knowing very well she wouldn't, the older sighed. "Don't worry about that. I'll be right over."

Before she could reluctantly go outside, though, a sharp buzzing sound filled her eardrums and her back pocket vibrated violently. Pure dread cast over her mind as she snatched the module out of her back, only put a smidge at ease when there weren't angry read dots lighting up the screen. Tonight was the night of the Quartermoon Festivities, but she wasn't looking forward to it like she would any other year. She'd been informed with eight other Cepan that there was an attack that was coming soon; It unnerved her terribly to think she was to be one of the ones to flee Lorien if that became needed. They had a meeting spot and were assigned their Garde, and by the module's tracking, her own was still at her home.

There was no attack yet.

Yet.

She was running faster than she'd ever before.

She could feel Ami's alarmed, confused stare through the dusk as she bolted from her and her young Garde the second the module started beeping and vibrating. The tinged red on the set grid pattern across it could only mean one thing, and that one thing meant certain death. The aging woman's feet pounded against the still-well kept grounded, lungs burning severely as she finally made to her Garde's home. Before she could knock, though, a terrible tremble ripped through the Loric ground.

Hessu nearly screamed right there.

The door jerked open to reveal the teary-eyed grandmother of her Garde, said Garde clutched tightly to her side. She could see the two friends' of the nine year old clinging to each other in the background, but there was no time for empathy. The woman took the girl's hand firmly, looking into the eyes of the grandmother solemnly.

"We have to go now," she said quietly but firmly.

"Be brave, Bell..." The girl's caretaker was in tears as she let go of the girl, allowing the slightly younger to peel her away for the final time.

"Where are we going?" Bellene snapped, not amused at having her game's ended with her best friends.

"Somewhere safe." And with that, Hessu took off for the meeting hideout.

When they got there, the woman was rather dismayed to find nobody else there. She yanked back out the module and found it to be pulsing with energy and the red spots everywhere, showing that Lorien was indeed under attack. It took her a few minutes to realize that Bellene was staring at her, her eyes confused with fear tinged the outer edges.

"Why are you shaking? What's going on?!" Her tone was demanding, but it was also soft and trembling.

"We're going to a new place. Somewhere where you'll be safe," the woman replied simply.

It was silently mutual between the two, however, that neither of them ever truly would be again.

"I hate being sick," Bellene, whom everyone had started to address as 'One', sniffed.

Hessu nodded solemnly as she sat by the young Garde in the Autodoc, the room equipped for all the medicine anyone who got sick would need. It was worrying despite the machine assuring the nine year old would be fine, but it was even more unnerving to think of what worse fates would await them on Earth. Not only had they been the first to be blessed because they arrived so rapidly, but she didn't have a charm. She was as good as not being blessed at all; She was powerless, especially now.

It was not fair at all. Ever since that horrible night, she had truly given up for everything.

A face appeared at the edge of 'door', one that surprised her even more than Sandor's earlier that day. It was Brandon, one of the most leader-like of all the Cepan despite his being considerably younger than at least half the others. She raised her eyebrow at him as he slowly entered, his small Garde nowhere to be seen. This only confused her- surely he wouldn't come in unless he or Number Four were under the weather. By the looks of it, he was still perfectly healthy aside from the obvious concern on his face.

"Sandor mentioned you had a small breakdown earlier," he stated steadily.

"It's fine," she snipped.

"No, it's not," he corrected easily, not fazed by her shortness as he sat across from her. "It will be, though. That's the important thing to remember."

"Damn suicide mission..." she muttered under breath and looked at One, who was half paying attention with her eyes halfway shut. The older woman brushed a hand across the young one's face, closing her eyes fully and putting her under almost instantly.

"At least they have a chance," the younger Cepan countered lightly.

She stared at him, silently refusing to admit he had a point. Brandon merely offered a half smile that was not returned. Instead, she spat out, "We lost everything and we have to live with it. I lost my three year old son and we never even got to have closure. He was with my best friend and I never went after them."

"I lost my wife and my two little girls. It's not any easier having to go with they're begging you otherwise," he replied easily, his voice solemn and blunt. "We have our Garde and for now we have each other. We just have to do the best we can, because not facing problems isn't any good."

Again she stared at him. "...Where did you get that wise knowledge?"

He gave her another small smile and stood. "Good luck, Hessu. I believe we're all going to need it."

Brandon was pretty much the only Cepan that she actually ended up ending on a good note with.

"Clean this mess up!"

One glared at her, turning around sharply and taking off to the attic where her bedroom was. The now fifty four year old sighed heavilly, sitting at the table and finding herself clutching a bottle of wine within no time. She really wasn't the best at taking care of a child, much less a rebelling eleven year old. She longed for Lorien every day recently, thinking constantly of her sister, her best friend, her husband, and constantly of her little Caleb. She regretted all of her decisions as of late as well, and she was justified in doing so, at least in her mind.

Her self loathe had never been so high or so powerful.

That night she sat alone at the table, polishing off the bottle of wine. The world was fuzzy, so she only numbly acknowledged her blonde Garde coming back down the stairs and climbing into her lap like she did when she saw younger. She stared at her unfocused eyes, and if Hessu wasn't so buzzed, she wouldn't have believed One looked actually sorry.

"I..." the girl began.

"Shush," the woman ordered softly and buried her face in the preteen's shoulder.

That night, it truly occurred to Hessu that One was the only reason her inner fight was semi worth it. Like Brandon said, at least the young Garde still a chance.