The Wyatt Quest

[mcharmed21]

Author: RedPhoenix

hi everyone, its me again, RedPhoenix. im posting my second fanfic, hope you'll like it

It was a clear crisp morning and Piper Halliwell decided to cook up one of her famous breakfasts for the Halliwell household. With baby monitor in one hand and her most treasured recipe book in the other, she went over to the pantry to grab the ingredients that she would need.

“Okay, cinnamon, sage, rosemary…now where’s that garlic…oh here it is!” said Piper as she glanced another time at her recipe book. “ Eggs, ba…”

Suddenly, “Waahh waaahh!!!” the baby monitor screamed, echoing Wyatt’s displeasure.

“Wyatt!!!!” shouted Piper as she rushed to her son’s room.

----Wyatt’s room----

A green, reptile-like demon is hovering above Wyatt’s bed. Wyatt’s force-field protects him from any harm, but the demon is not concerned. It is concentrating on a spell, its eyes closed tight, muttering something in Latin…after the spell, it sprinkles a black-green powder which makes the force-field and Wyatt’s face glow an orange light.

“You son-of-a-@#%$! Get away from my baby!” Piper gestures toward the demon and BOOM! The demon goes up in flames.

Piper goes to her baby and cradles Wyatt in her arms.

-----Opening Credits-----

Chapter 1

Everyone is in the Halliwell attic; and everyone includes Piper Halliwell, the eldest sister and mother of Wyatt Halliwell, Phoebe Halliwell, the middle sister, Paige Matthews, the youngest, and Chris Perry, the Charmed Ones’ current Whitelighter from the future, Leo Wyatt, an Elder and Wyatt’s father, and lastly, baby Wyatt Halliwell, playing in his crib.

“Another demon tried to get to Wyatt?!?” Phoebe Halliwell asked, looking at baby Wyatt lovingly. “He’s still a child, an innocent child!”<br>
“Yes, an innocent child that holds the power that can rule the world.” Paige Matthews said, eyes rolling. “Found him yet, Piper?”

“No! It’s so frustrating! I’ve checked the book a million times over and still no demon!” Piper said, rage creeping into her voice.

“Calm down, Piper, can you describe what the demon looks like? I might still be able to ID him from the demons that I’ve learned from the future.” Chris Perry said hopefully.

“Yeah, Chris is right. Do you remember what it looked like before you blew it up?”

“Well, hhmm..” Piper said, eyebrows furrowed in deep concentration. “It had green, scaly skin, a tail, yes it definitely had a tail, and it was hovering above Wyatt, chanting in some weird…”

“…Latin language and sprinkled powder on Wyatt.” Chris finished Piper’s answer. “Am I right?”<br>
“Yes! That was it!” Piper said, relief washing over her. “Now tell me what he just did to little Wyatt.”<br>
“Wait, you know about this demon, Chris?” Leo asked, concern obvious from his tone.

“Yes, I do. And I think that this is the most dangerous one as of late,” answered Chris.

“Most dangerous? Why? What did he do to my nephew?” asked Phoebe.

“Remember the spell he used? It was the ‘Daemonus Virii’ spell, translated in English as the ‘Demon Virus.’ In the future, powerful beings were captured by demons and warlocks by using this spell.”

“The ‘Daemonus Virii, wait! It’s real? I thought that it was just a myth used to scare young Witches!” cried Leo.

“Well, it’s real, and as far as Wyatt is concerned, we need to cure him fast,” replied Chris.

“Ok, so back to the topic- Demon Virus? So you mean he attacked little Wyatt with some little bacteria? What’s the big deal in that?” asked Paige, stifling a laugh.

“Well, it’s not just ‘bacteria,’ Paige,” Chris replied, “the Daemonus Virii works by slowly eating at the magickal creature’s magical defenses, in this case Wyatt’s force-shield. After that, it begins to eat away at the creature’s magick.”<br>
“And according to the myth, after it’s done, the virus quickly takes form and absorbs the essence of the magickal creature. The demon then returns to collect the magickal energy stolen by the virus and sells it the demonic market,” added Leo.

“WHAT?!? How fast does this virus spread, Chris? How much time do we have before this virus eats off of my baby???” asked Piper, eyes in disbelief.

“It depends on the strength of the creature. If Wyatt were a young fairy or leprechaun, I would give him half-an-hour to two hours. But since he’s the most powerful creature in the magickal community, I’m estimating 12-15 hours tops. And there’s no telling if there’s gonna be side-effects or not.”<br>
“Can’t Piper just whip up one of her potions to counter this little infection?” asked Paige.

“No, we can’t. Well, at least until we have all the required ingredients. And I don’t think that Piper has any of the ingredients, at all…” Chris said, his head nodding in dissatisfaction.

“What? I’ll have you know that the Halliwell Pantry contains all the herbs there ever is! There’s no potion that I cannot whip up!” said Piper, taking pride in her herb collection.

“Yeah, you tell ‘im, Sis!” Phoebe said, echoing her elder sister’s enthusiasm.

“Uhh, sorry to burst your bubble, but this potion requires ingredients that even you cannot fully acquire for the moment.”

“Why, Chris? What are the ingredients that we’ll need?” asked Leo.

Before Chris can answer, little Wyatt begins to cry.

“Wahhh, waaahh!!!”<br>
Piper goes over to the attic’s crib and lifts her baby slowly, cradling her in her arms.

[mcharmed21]

“Shh, my baby, everything’s going to be alright…I promise mommy’s going to find the cure to treat this nasty li’l bug,” Piper said to Wyatt reassuringly. Piper kisses Wyatt’s forehead when suddenly, “Oh my Goddess! He’s burning up! Wyatt’s burning up!!!”<br>
Phoebe and Paige quickly get up from the attic couch and rush to their sister’s side and touch the baby.

“You’re right! Oh Great Goddess, give us strength,” Phoebe said, praying silently.

“Leo, can’t you do anything? Can you, like, heal him or something?” Paige asks, despair in her tone.

Leo rushes to Wyatt and places his hands over little Wyatt. Leo’s hands suddenly glow with a golden color and he holds his hands steadily over his son’s head.

“It’s not going to work, trust me.” Chris said, shaking his head.

“He’s right. Damn it, my healing powers aren’t working!” Leo kicks at a near-by chair.

“So what are we going to do now?” Phoebe asks.

All heads turn to Chris.

Chapter 2

“We need to brew that potion as soon as possible,” said Chris, as he paced around in the Halliwell living room.

“We get that, Chris, but tell us again how we can possibly get them?” asked Piper with one eyebrow raised.

“Don’t look at me! I didn’t write these magickal cures! Anyway, I’ll be up in the attic. I’ll see if there’s a lead I might be able to follow up on. Just call if you need me, “replied Chris as he took the steps that led to the attic.

“How can we possibly acquire a Phoenix feather, a Manticore egg, a lock of Nymph’s hair, Fairy dust, Mermaid’s Auger Shell, and what was it again?” said Phoebe in frustration.

“Hair from a Centaur’s tail. And don’t forget about Dream Dust from a Sandman, and a Harpy’s claw. And yes, what was that last ingredient again? Ah! A vampire’s fang! Now, why didn’t you just take my fangs off when I became a vampire? Could’ve made our load a lot easier, huh!” said Paige, a smirk crossing over her red lips.

“Cute,” Piper smiled in spite of herself and threw a throw pillow at her sister.

“Pillow!” cried Paige and directed the pillow at Phoebe.

“Hey! No fair!” cried Phoebe as she threw another pillow at Paige. After a few seconds later, the three sisters were in a full-fledged pillow fight, laughing and releasing their tensions.

As soon as Leo orbs in though, all the smiles and laughter fades and is quickly replaced by grim determination.

[mcharmed21]

“So what did the Elders say? Can they hinder the progress of the virus before we can brew the potion?” asked Piper without hesitation.

“They’re…they’re doing everything they can. They’ve got all the best healers up there working their magick on our son, but…I’m…we’re not promising anything, Piper. I’m sorry, but you still need to find the ingredients, and fast.” replied Leo.

“…” Piper, silent, and without reaction.

Silence fills the living room. Phoebe rushes to her sister and gives her a hug. Paige follows.

Paige squeezes Piper’s hand reassuringly, “We’ll get those ingredients, Piper, and we’ll save our little nephew. I, we, promise you, Piper…”

“Yeah. We promise.” Phoebe echoed.

Piper, fighting back tears, “I know we can do this, but, how can we get almost a dozen magickal items in a short span of time?”<br>
“Well, we can start by getting off our asses and…” Phoebe began.

“…by working on a plan.” Paige finished.

With that, the three sisters link hands and set off to the attic to form a plan.

Chapter 3

“Okay, here’s the battle plan. We’ll call this ‘Operation: Magic Cure’!” exclaimed Paige.

“Hold your horses, little missie. Let’s get over the plan one more time and check for flaws before you start hopping.” Phoebe said, holding her little sister’s hand.

“Yeah, let’s hear your plan again, especially the part about splitting up. You’re crazy, there’s gotta be another way than splitting up!” said Chris, anger and disbelief evident in his tone.

“Well, Mr.-Know-It-All, there’s no other way that we can get all of these ingredients in a short span of time, and splitting up seems to be the most fastest way to make sure that we can get all of them and still have time to brew the potion,” replied Piper, “so, shush up now. Phoebe, go on with the final planning of Operation: Magic Heal.”

“Uhh, that’s Operation: Magic Cure, Piper,” said Paige.

“Oh yeah, sorry, so Pheebs? The plan?”<br>
“Okay, since there are nine items in the list, we each get three items as fast as we can, and we meet up here in the manor. Since Piper has the most firepower and can probably vanquish any demon within sight…<br>
“…I will be the one responsible for the acquisition of the Manticore egg, Harpy’s claw, and Vampire’s fangs. Gotcha,” replied Piper.

“Right, and Paige, since you’ve been a Nymph yourself, you’re responsible for the Nymph hair, and since you can orb, you can probably find a Phoenix, orb one of its feathers without alerting it to your presence and avoid getting burned. That also goes for the Centaur’s tail hair.”

“Right!” nodded Paige enthusiastically.

“And finally for me, since I’ve been a Mermaid myself, I’ll be the one to get the Auger Shell, and since I’ve had experience with Faeries in the past, I’ll be the one to get them Fairy dust. And I can write a spell that’ll conjure up a Sand Man, since one of them came to me through my dreams,” Phoebe said, panting and gasping for breath.

“Okay my turn. These here are our magickal ammunition- our potions. These are for back-up in case we encounter not so pleasant creatures in our quests. These green ones are acidic, they are capable of burning through any armor or thick hides, or any other defenses. This purple one replicates my powers and can cause any evil creature to explode in a poof. Finally, these red ones can cause a Wall of Flames to shoot from the ground and rise to the skies; just toss these and run away from the danger, these little babies’ll protect you from any harm,” said Piper as she pointed to the vials that contained the potions she made herself.

[mcharmed21]

“And these are the spells that Pheebs and I wrote in case the potions are not enough. There’re 5 offensive spells here and 5 defensive, and 2 that are both offensive and defensive.” Paige said as she distributed sheets of paper that contained the spells to her sisters.

“Are you sure about this, Piper? This could be dangerous,” Leo said, concern for his ex-wife evident.

“It IS dangerous, Leo, but the life of my…of OUR son is in the line, and you know that I will do everything to save him…I will give my life for him…”

“I know, Piper…please take care, okay?”<br>
“I will, thank you. Please make sure that your fellow Elders are doing what they can, cause if we fail, I will find ways to go over there and blow their asses off!” promised Piper.

With that, Leo orbs off Up There.

“Chris, you stay here to listen in case we need healing, okay? You’re also responsible for protecting the manor. There are crystals charged with our Charmed energy already, so all you’ve gotta do is to place them all over the house,” said Phoebe.

“How many hours do we have left, Paige?” asked Piper.

“12 hours left.” Paige said.

“We can’t lose any more time, we have to go NOW,” Piper said, fierce determination in her voice.

“Let’s get this show on the road.” Phoebe said as she snatched her vials from the table.

The sisters all leave simultaneously and cast their teleporting spells.

*time left 11 hours*

*Paige

“In this tween time and hour,
I call upon our ancient power.
Hear my magick, hear my spell,
Take me to where Nymphs dwell.”<br>
After Paige Matthews recites the spell, she is brought to a huge forest.

“Now, if I were a Nymph, where will I be?” Paige asked to herself. She began wondering about the forest, acting on pure instinct, listening to the voices of the forest. After a few minutes of walking, she stops, takes a left turn, and calls,

“Beings of flower and tree,
Show yourself now to me,
Your light which shines upon our face,
Let our vision now embrace.”<br>
After reciting her spell, three Wood Nymphs suddenly come into Paige’s view.

“Paige? Paige, is that you?” one of the Nymphs ask her.

“Yeah, it’s me! Miranda? Oh Goddess! It is you! Wow, you’ve grown much since I’ve last seen you!” exclaimed Paige.

“You too! Oh how we’ve missed you! By the way, this is two of my other sisters, Flora and Astarte. Flora, Astarte, I want you to meet Paige, one of the Charmed Ones.”

Flora and Astarte both bow their heads, “It is an honor.”

Paige blushes, “ Aww. *pshaw* you’re making me blush! I’m just an ordinary gal underneath this all.”

Flora and Astarte start blowing flowers around Miranda and Paige, encasing them in leaves and flowers.

Miranda takes Paige’s hands and asks, “What brings you here to our Enchanted Forest? Have you come to join us again in the Wild?”<br>
“Would that I could, gosh, I’ve missed you all, but no, I’m actually here…on a mission.”

“Mission? What kind of mission? Is the Enchanted Fountain in danger again? Flora, Astarte, warn…”

Before the Nymph can finish, Paige calms her down, “No, no, I haven’t sensed evil here, Miranda, as far as I’m concerned, the Fountain’s safe.”<br>
“Whew, that is good to hear. I’ll have you know that we’ve added more protective magicks around it, just like you and your sisters have told us.” Miranda replied with a smile.

“That’s good, that’s good!”

“Now, what mission are we talking about? Is there anything we can do to help?”

[mcharmed21]

“W-ell, now that you’ve mentioned it, Wyatt was attacked by a demon. The ‘Daemonus Virii was cast upon him and we were told that one of the ingredients for the counter-potion is a lock of Nymph hair, so I was wondering…” Paige trailed off, embarrassed.

“Say no more…” Miranda takes a lock of hair from her head, which surprisingly comes off easily, “our hair is the grass and gift of the Earth, it grows as the land grows…here…” She hands the lock of her hair to Paige, “take it.”

“Thank you, thank you so much, Miranda.” Paige gives the Nymph a big hug.

“Think nothing of it. What are friends for? Now go, your nephew needs that for the antitoxin. Send little Wyatt and your sisters our blessing…Blessed Be.”

With one last embrace, the Nymphs go to the Enchanted Forest again, blending with the trees, making them invisible to the naked eye. Paige orbs out to her next destination, lock of Nymph-hair carefully into her pocket.

Chapter 5

*Piper*

“Let magick and fate coincide,
Bring me to where vampires reside!”<br>
Through her spell, Piper is brought to a dark cave. “Uh-oh, what have I gotten myself into?”<br>
Piper carelessly walks about, feeling her way through the caves, trying her very best not to make a noise, remembering her previous encounter with these ferocious bloodsuckers. She waits until her eyes adapt themselves to the darkness before she makes her plans.

“Man, is it dark in here or what? Okay, now how do I find those nasty bloodsuckers?” She gingerly fingers her pockets and pulls out a potion, making sure that it was the Wall-of-Flames potion. She was planning to make a noise and once the Vampire Bats awaken, throwing the potion to cause the Bats to burn.

“Here goes nothing,” she thrusts her hands out and blows a chunk of the cave off.

BOOM!

A few seconds later, thousands upon thousands of screeching bats fly above her, threatening to bite and consume her. She makes a run for it and when she backs up against a wall, throws the potion. The cave instantly lights up in a fiery blaze. A Wall of Flames suddenly shoots out of the ground and burns the bats. As they screech in the vanquish, Piper laughs with a quick “Hah! How do you like that!” She makes sure that every single Vampire Bat in the cave burn down, save for one.

“Save one and get his fangs!” Piper reminded herself.

As soon as she’s sure that only a couple of Vampire Bats remain, she thrusts her hands yet again and freezes the entire cave. The Wall of Flames freezes, the Vampire Bats freeze. “Now, to get over this Wall.”<br>
“Wall of Flames, you’ve served me well,
I send you to the World of Fire with this spell.”<br>
As soon as the Flames go out, the cave is enveloped in total darkness again. “Shoot,” Piper casts yet another spell.

“Light, Shine Bright!”<br>
Bright lights, like that of Leo’s “Orb-balls,” surround Piper and the remaining Vampire Bats. She blows off the couple of the remaining enemy and stands before the last one. She stands in front of the last Bat, and remembering her magickal training with Prue, unfreezes only the head of the Bat.

“Listen, demon scum, I know you can hear and understand me. Now, unless you want to turn into demon-kebab, you will turn into your human form once I unfreeze you. No dirty tricks, or ELSE,” threatened Piper.

The demon did as it was told, and once it turned into its human form, it opened its fangs and went straight for Piper’s neck!

“Perfect!” Piper smiles as she freezes the fully human-formed Vampire. She takes her pliers from her back-pocket, and imitating a dentist, removes the fangs off of the vampire. Trying her best not to breathe, Piper mutters, “Ouch, this must hurt…serves you right for not brushing your teeth. What will your dentist say? Tsk.”

Piper, unable to control herself, unfroze the demon. The demon then howled in pain and suddenly erupted in a burst of flames. “Sorry I had to do that, no, scratch that, I’m not sorry.”

She walks out when suddenly she is thrown telekinetically toward a wall. “Uh-oh” is all she can say when a scantily-clad woman appears from the shadows. The “Orb” lights manage to sting the woman’s eyes for a moment, and then she adapts to the bright lights.

“Witch! How dare you enter my domain…you will pay for your mistake in blood!” In a rage, the Vampire Queen telekinetically hurls Piper to yet another wall. Piper was hurled over and over again by the Vampire Queen. “Who sent you, Witch? WHO!”<br>
Piper ignored the Queen, instead she focused on getting the potion. She didn’t care what potion she could grab, as long as she can grab one. “Oww..this is so not good. I’m running out of time…must end this…for Wyatt,” was all Piper could think about. “Ignore the pain, grab and throw potion.”

[mcharmed21]

Finally, the Queen pinned her to the wall. “Answer me, Witch!”<br>
“Sorry, no time for chitchat,” and mustering all her strength, Piper broke through the telekinetic hold of the Queen long enough for her to throw the Acid-burning potion. The Acid quickly corroded over the pale Vampire’s skin, leaving only dust upon where she had once been standing. Piper fell to the floor with a loud thud. “OWWWW.”<br>
Chapter 6

*Phoebe*

“This Witch stands alone
Command the unseen to be shown
In innocence I search the skies
Enchanted are my new found eyes.”<br>
Phoebe is standing in the backyard of Halliwell Manor, for almost half-an-hour desperately searching for Faeries.

“Come on, come on. This is the spell that Prue and I cast to help us see the Fae. Why’s it not working now?” Phoebe asked, scratching her head.

“This Witch stands alone
Command the unseen to be shown
In innocence I search the skies
Enchanted are my new found eyes.”<br>
Zilch. Nothing. Nada.

Phoebe blinks, forcing her “new enchanted eyes” to see the Faes, but try as she might, she still can’t see them. “Oh no, it has already been forty-five minutes, and I still have two more items on my list.”

“Hhmm…” suddenly an idea comes to Phoebe’s mind. “The Spell worked because the Prue, Piper, and I had cast it together…what if I re-worded the spell so that I can draw upon the Power of Three and cast it? It’s worth a shot…here goes…”

Crossing her fingers and closing her eyes…<br>
“I call upon the Power of Three,
reveal now the Fae to me,
In innocence I search the skies
Enchanted are my new found eyes.”<br>
Reluctantly, Phoebe Halliwell opens her eyes. Before her, stands a Faery, hovering about inches away from her face.

“Merry Meet.” Phoebe greeted the Fae with reverence. “Can you still remember me? I’m Phoebe Halliwell, one of the Charmed Ones.”<br>
The Faery nods in recognition and gives Phoebe a smile.

“I have come to call upon you for I have a request. My nephew, little Wyatt, has been cursed with the Daemonus Virii. And one of the ingredients of the antidote is Fairy dust. Mayhap, I can ask for some, please, my sisters and I really really need it.”<br>
The Faery nods again and flies toward the rose bushes. Abruptly, Phoebe follows. The Faery stops in front of the rosebush and gestures toward it. Phoebe parts the bushes, and inside, hundreds of Faeries fly about, tending to the other plants- one Faery touches a bud and it opens up to reveal a very beautiful rose, another touches a dried leaf and it springs back to its green color.

The first Faery that Phoebe saw flew into the bush and murmured something to another Faery. Pretty soon, everyone was flying about gathering leaves and flowers, bud and petals. After a couple of minutes, a wreath of flowers was formed. The Faeries lifted it up and they flew about Phoebe’s face, giving her warm smiles and glances. They placed the wreath on her head, and after that, disappeared back into the bushes.

“Thanks for the wreath, but where’s my Fairy dust?” Phoebe asked…<br>
Phoebe peered into the rosebushes again, expecting to see the Fae working their magicks, but she was disappointed to see only grass and petals lying on the ground.

“Guess the spell wore off,” Phoebe said, while removing the wreath from her head.

In the center of the wreath was a pouch…and when Phoebe opened it, it contained the prettiest pink powder that she has ever seen. She wore the wreath again, peeked under the rosebush, and mouthed a “thank you.”

Chapter 7

Chris Perry is in the Manor, looking through the Book of Shadows for what seems like the hundredth time. “Damn it, nothing’s in here!!” He slams the Book shut, left it in the couch, and went to the windows.

Leo suddenly orbs in and sees Chris, “Found anything in the book, Chris?”<br>
“No, nothing. Piper’s right, there’s nothing in there. How’s everything Up There? How’s Wyatt?”

“The Healers are doing everything they can. Wyatt has fallen asleep, thank the Goddess. Have you placed the crystals around yet?” asked Leo.

“Yep, all around the Manor, just like the sisters had said.”<br>
“And what about the ingredients? Have they completed them yet?”<br>

[mcharmed21]

“I have no idea,” Chris replies in frustration. “Phoebe’s down by the backyard trying to communicate with the Fae and trying to get some Fairy dust. And that’s all I know! Damn, I want to help. I can’t just sit around and do nothing! I’m their Whitlelighter!”<br>
“How do you think this situation makes me feel, Chris? I’m an Elder and Wyatt’s father, but I’m completely powerless to help them. *sigh* The best we can do is sit tight and trust that the girls can complete their mission.”

After a tense moment, Phoebe emerges from the stairway. She looks at the two Whitelighters’ faces and smirks, “Now, what are you two so happy about?”<br>
“Heh,” Leo manages to smile at Phoebe’s remark. “Did you get the Fairy dust?”<br>
“Yep!” Phoebe said, returning Leo’s smile. She walked to the table that contained the potions and carefully placed the Fairy pouch on the table. “That and this beautiful wreath of flowers.”<br>
“So what’s the next item on your list, Phoebe?” asked Chris impatiently.

“Whoa, hold your pants, Mr. Hot Shot. I just need to write a spell that will turn me into a mermaid, once I do, I’ll be able to swim and collect that Mermaid Auger Shell. So who’s up for helping write that spell?” not waiting for a reply, Phoebe grabs her notebook and begins jotting down verses.

After a few minutes or so… “Ok, I’m done with the spell. Here goes…<br>
“I cast this spell,
please don’t fail,
give this Halliwell,
a Mermaid’s tail!”<br>
Phoebe suddenly drops to the ground, her mermaid-tail flapping about. “Glad that spell worked,” Phoebe said, remembering her frustration when her Faery-seeing Spell failed to work the first time around. “Any one of you boys mind giving this Mermaid a ride to the ocean?”

“I’ll do it,” volunteered Leo, “but Phoebe, keep in mind you are to get an Auger Shell, okay? Try not to let being a Mermaid make you forget about the mission.” Leo said, recalling the incident when Phoebe once decided to turn Mermaid forever than being a Witch.

“Yeah, yeah! Now, hurry, orb, orb!” cried MerPhoebe.

“Watch over the manor, Chris,” Leo said curtly, and then lifted MerPhoebe off of the floor and orbed.

Chapter 8

*time left 9 hours and 05 minutes*

*Phoebe*

“Remember why you’re here, Phoebe. I know that the Call of the Sea is strong, but so are you. Try to resist it, okay?” Leo cried after Phoebe, crossing his fingers.

MerPhoebe had already entered the ocean. As she swam about, she felt something different under the sea- it felt dangerous and dark, very different from the serene and liberating freedom that she had once felt when she became a Mermaid the first time. She swam about, investigating, wiggling her tail to propel her to the left, and then to the right. She tried to use her Mermaid-senses to bring her to her fellow Mermaids.

She closed her eyes, for a few moments calming her self, grounding and centering. Her eyes sprang open and she hurriedly swam to her right. “A Mermaid has been hurt! I must save her.” MerPhoebe used all her fin’s might and strength to bring her to the wounded creature. As she approached her destination, MerPhoebe noticed that the water had suddenly turned darker…and it was heavy too. She was having a hard time breathing, even with her enhanced gills. As she pushed through, she suddenly realized what had made the water murky…it was Mermaid blood. She swam as fast as she can, praying to the Goddess that everything will be all right.

MerPhoebe spotted a figure floating three feet ahead of her. “Oh no,” she whispered as she propelled herself to the seemingly unconscious figure. It was no other than a Mermaid, critically wounded, its tail broken in two, its heart bleeding. MerPhoebe grabbed hold of the fallen Mermaid hands when, suddenly, a premonition came without warning. MerPhoebe was engulfed in a series of visions.

Scales. Fangs. Trident with a skull on top.

A group of Mermaids, swimming happily.

Demon appears, shooting lightning from its weapon.

Demon grabs Mermaid, harpoons its trident at Mermaid.

Demon sucks the Lifeforce of Mermaid through her chest.

Mermaid screams.

The premonition ended as soon as it came. MerPhoebe reeled from the shock of the vision and quickly formed a plan. She would first bring herself to the remaining Mermaids and investigate about the demon, then she would vanquish him.

“Guiding spirits I ask your charity
lend me your focus and clarity,
Lead me to where the Mermaids hide,
Restore that and my peace of mind.”<br>
MerPhoebe vanishes in a swirl of lights along with the dead Mermaid. She reappears in what seems to be an alcove, where a Mermaid hurriedly greets her. “Quickly, come here before the demon attacks again.” The Mermaid pushes a gigantic starfish that glows from the edge of the alcove and pulls MerPhoebe out of the water.

“Whoa, thanks, ummm…”trailed Phoebe.

“I’m Dinah, one of the few remaining Mermaids…wait a minute, you’re a Charmed One! We’ve heard so much about you and your sisters! You…you vanquished the Water-Demon and helped one of us vanquish the Sea Hag and Necron…” Dinah finished with a smile that was quickly replaced by a confused stare. “But, you’re a Mermaid again..is there a reason that you have become one with us again?”<br>

[mcharmed21]

“Actually, I have come here to ask for your help, but it seems like…it seems like you need my help more.” Phoebe pointed out to the dead Mermaid and reached out and held Dinah’s hand, giving her a reassuring smile and finally looking at the dozen or so Mermaids that have gathered around her.

“Thank you…” Dinah said, the others echoed.

“Here’s..here’s your fallen sister, I’m so sorry…” MerPhoebe said as she pointed to the fallen Mermaid on the rocky alcove.

“Oh, Marina…” cried one of the Mermaids.

“That’s Alexia…and the fallen Mermaid is her sister, Marina…” said Dinah, pain in her voice.

The remaining Mermaids gather around Marina, and after kissing the dead Mermaid, form a circle around her. They speak in Mermaid language, and MerPhoebe, still in her naïve Mermaid-form, cannot fully understand them.

“Mesha..lum…our sister back, oh great Ocean Spirit…mejal, ohmne, Renew.” That was all she could understand when suddenly, the body of Marina became a crystal, one of the most precious that Phoebe has ever seen.

Looking at MerPhoebe’s astonished look, Dinah explains, “We asked the Ocean Spirit to renew Marina’s life…she awaits in that crystal form for reincarnation…”

“Wow…that’s beautiful…”

“It is, but if we don’t stop the demon soon, all of us are pretty much going to end up in that crystal form for all eternity…please help us…” pleaded Dinah.

“I will…but before I can do that, I’ll change into my human form first.”<br>
“Great Seas, blessed be,
to my human form, return me.”<br>
In a flash of white and green lights, Phoebe returns to her human form- a blue halter top, black jeans, and a pair of stilettos covering her once–naked body. “Now, tell me about this demon.”<br>
“I’ll try my best to remember…okay…I remember we were in an island in the Pacific Ocean…we were singing, attracting different kinds of fish- there were clownfish, catfish- and we were having fun…suddenly without warning, lightning struck the island and from the lightning appeared the demon. ‘I am Galtag, and I am your doom, Mermaids,’ it screamed. We were…we were trying to escape…and, and I was stunned to see a demon…it was so fast…it hurled…it hurled its trident at me…but Marina, oh brave Marina, pushed me out of the way. We managed to escape, and the last thing I heard were her screams…oh Blessed Waters…her screams still haunt me…” Dinah sobbed uncontrollably, tears welling up in her eyes.

Phoebe held her close, not minding that her new blue halter is getting wet…”Hush, Dinah, we will avenge her death…Hush now…” Phoebe then looked at the others, “Does anybody need healing?” Four Mermaids raised their hands, revealing deep wounds and big bruises. “Okay then, I’m going to call for a Whitelighter…” and with that, “LEO! LEO! Get your butt down here this instance!”<br>
Leo appears in a dazzling blue and white light, massaging his eardrums. “Hey, Phoebe, no need to shout…Woah…what happened here?”

“Heal first, ask later. Get to it, chop chop.”

Leo goes over to the four wounded Mermaids and begins to heal them, one by one. After healing them, Leo goes over to Phoebe, “Okay, so what happened here?” concern sweeping over his serene face.

“Well, after swimming in the ocean for a couple of minutes, I sensed darkness and danger, so naturally, I followed my instincts and went to investigate. I stumbled upon a dead Mermaid, then I cast a spell to bring me here,” Phoebe said, matter-of-factly, “Upon further investigation, my friend Dinah here said that a demon named… uh what was his name again?” Phoebe asked, turning to Dinah.

“Galtag,” replied Dinah curtly.

“…right, Galtag, and he began attacking these Mermaids while they were singing somewhere in the Pacific,” Phoebe finished.

“Wait, go back a few sentences…did you just say ‘Galtag’?” asked Leo, eyes wide in shock.

“Yes, why, know something about him, Leo?” asked Phoebe.

“Well, according to the Elders, Galtag is a very powerful Undead Upper-level Demon, second only to Necron in power. Demons are afraid to cross paths with this demon and he’s known to suck the Life-force out of magickal creatures,” said Leo, his eyes deep in concentration.

“That explains the hole in Marina’s chest, Galtag must have sucked her Life-force from there. So how do I vanquish him?” queried Phoebe.

“Well, as to what I can remember from Whitelighter Academy, Galtag can only be vanquished by either a coven of thirteen Witches, or a group of magickal creatures.”<br>
“We don’t have a coven, Leo,” Phoebe, stating the obvious, “but we do have about a dozen Mermaids here, a Witch, and an Elder, I think we have more that enough magick to vanquish this slimy son-of-a-@#%$.”<br>
“Do you need our help, Phoebe?” asked Dinah, determination and power coursing through her.
“Yes, Dinah, we need you to gather all of your Mermaid sisters and draw together your magick. I’m going to write a spell and we can send this bastard off to hell,” exclaimed Phoebe, mirroring Dinah’s fortitude.

“You heard Phoebe, guys, dfep fhioilis, [translation: gather your strength] we’re helping Phoebe cast her vanquishing spell,” called Dinah to her sisters.

“But, will this work? Galtag is very powerful, and there are just a handful of us Mermaids here…” said a Mermaid, the youngest in the group.

“Don’t worry, Masha, trust in Phoebe…we will defeat this demon,” reassured Dinah, “Okay, hurry, form a circle and balance your magicks.” Dinah calls out.

The Mermaids do as they are told. Dinah joins the circle and the Mermaids begin to chant in Mermaid-tongue again; this time, though, Phoebe cannot understand a single word. “heufgh kilimhon, ghardies, omneh…”

[mcharmed21]

“Okay, as for me, I’m gonna come up with a spell…” said Phoebe, as she sat cross-legged in the damp alcove…concentrating on the spell.

“Right, we need one to summon Galtag, and one for a vanquish…” continued Leo.

“Just give me a couple of minutes, Leo…I just got an idea, can you orb over to the manor and grab me a couple of those Wall of Flames potions and those Acidic potions?” requested Phoebe.

“Okay,” with that Leo orbs out. After a few seconds later, Leo orbs back in, hands full of red and green colored vials.

“Thanks, sweetie, now just put those down, I’m done with the summoning spell, and I’m almost done with the vanquish.”

After a couple of minutes later, Phoebe calls out, “Dinah, are you ready? I’ve finished the spells.”<br>
“We’re ready, let’s vanquish Galtag’s sorry ass.” Dinah said, an enthusiastic smile tugging at the sides of her mouth.

“Here’s the plan, then. I’ll cast the spell to summon Galtag, and the moment he comes, see these potions over here? These red potions create a Wall of Flames, while these green ones are acidic. Once Galtag appears, I want you to throw these potions at him, it’d be better if you use the red ones to protect us. Just keep tossing potions at him, and when he’s weakened, we cast the vanquishing spell,” said Phoebe as she distributed the potions to the group of Mermaids and to Leo. “Ready?”<br>
“Ready,” answered all the Mermaids in unison, clutching the potions firmly.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.” Leo said.

“Okay…everyone, get back, make sure you’re in a safe distance, and don’t forget to throw the potions once Galtag appears…”

“Magic forces black and white,
reaching out through space and light,
be he far or be he near,
we summon the demon Galtag here!”<br>
After casting the spell, Phoebe felt a little pang at her heart, remembering that it was this very spell that she, Prue, and Piper had cast to summon Cole Turner, a.k.a. Belthazor, Phoebe’s ex-boyfriend/ ex-husband, in a very first attempt to vanquish him. “What’s past is past, and I can’t cry over him now…” Phoebe thought with a sad note…<br>
“Okay, everyone stand back and get ready!” cried Leo.

As soon as Leo had warned the others, Galtag appeared in a vortex of light, “WHO DARES?!?” Upon seeing the Mermaids, “Mermaids, foolish creatures, I will kill you all!” Galtag spotted Phoebe, who was still deep in thought, thinking about Cole, and threw her telekinetically.

“PHOEBE!!!” cried Dinah.

Then one by one, with fierce determination, the Mermaids hurled the potions at him, causing the alcove to erupt in flames- there were Walls of Flames that separated Galtag from Phoebe, Leo, and the Mermaids.

“AHHHH!!!” Galtag screamed in agony, “You cannot stop me…RRRaaahrr!!!”<br>
Phoebe got up on her feet and limped to where the Mermaids had stationed themselves, her leg bleeding. “Everyone, link hands and follow after me!” cried Phoebe through the pain, sound of licking flames, and the deafening cries of Galtag. She can feel the heat of the flames, even with the cool effects of the Seas. She was sweating but she concentrated on remembering the vanquishing spell.

The Mermaids linked hands with one another, Dinah’s right hand was linked with Phoebe’s, her left with Alexia’s, Phoebe’s left hand with Dinah and her right with Leo’s. As soon as they had linked hands, Phoebe began,

“Undead creature in our midst,
The Mermaids and Leo echoed, “Undead creature in our midst,”<br>
“We vanquish you from our sight,

“We vanquish you from our sight,” Dinah’s and Alexia’s voice booming strong.

“Bright magick and creeping mists,”<br>
“Bright magick and creeping mists,”<br>
“We banish thee into forever’s night!!!”<br>
“We vanquish thee into forever’s night!!!” shouted the other Mermaids.

Suddenly, Galtag’s bent over in time, “NOO!!” and after a second, he exploded in a fiery show of light. Phoebe collapsed under her knees, her right leg now covered in blood. “Leo,” was all she can say before she totally went unconscious.

[mcharmed21]

Chapter 9

*Paige*

Paige has been wondering around in a mountain top for two hours now. She finally slumped down on a boulder, scratching her sore legs which had been attacked by hungry mosquitoes.

She scratched her head, thinking out loud. “What went wrong? I’ve cast the spell perfectly, it had brought me here, obviously where Centaur’s live, but where are those Centaurs?!?”

“Beast of legend, myth, and lore,
Hear my words to the skies soar,
With these words, I cast this spell,
Reveal Centaurs to this Halliwell!”<br>
Paige ran the spell in her mind for the fiftieth time. “There was nothing wrong with the spell, so why the hell can’t I find a Centaur?”

Paige slumped down in defeat and covered her face with her tired, sweaty palms. Suddenly, she remembered an entry in the Book of Shadows that told of Centaurs.

“Half-human and Half-horse, this magickal creature is neither evil nor good. It runs as fast as the Wind and is hard to see. It is primarily herbivore, but occasionally hunts other animals, such as Wendigoes, Werewolves, and Trolls. It only attacks when provoked. Weapons of choice are spears and their mighty hooves.”<br>
Paige snapped her hand, “That’s why I haven’t spotted one yet! They run so fast, I must have passed by hundred of Centaurs already, or they could have passed by me, whatever…I wish I had Piper’s freezing power so I can freeze these speedy creatures…”

An idea crosses Paige, and she excitedly orbs back to the Manor. Paige orbs directly into the attic, where Chris has been walking back and forth impatiently.

“Paige! How goes the mission?” asked Chris, relief washing over him as he sees one of his charges.

“Great! I’ve managed to ask some of Miranda’s Nymph hair.” Paige goes over to the potions table and carefully tucks the Nymph hair beside the pouch of Fairy dust that Phoebe had left earlier. As she spots the pouch, “Ah! I see that Phoebe had already found one of her three items too! I wonder how she and Piper are doing?” she scratches her head.

“That’s what I’d like to know, too,” cried Chris, “So, what are you doing back here in the Manor? I thought you still had the Phoenix egg and Centaur tail hair to get?”<br>
“That is exactly why I’m here. See, I remembered from the Book of Shadows that Centaurs run as fast as the Wind, that’s why I haven’t been able to spot at least one for the past two hours. Now, I’m here to brew a potion that’ll help me find some,” said Paige, as she drew herbs from amber bottles and began mixing them in the Halliwell Cauldron.

After adding three more items into the Cauldron, Paige waits for three minutes for the potion to cool. As soon as the potion was cool enough, Paige bottles the potion, waves goodbye to Chris, and orbs back to the mountain spot she has left earlier.

Paige looks around expectantly, then throws the potion to the ground, and recites an incantation,

“Make time slip into slow motion,
Time stop as I throw this potion!”<br>
Time stood still as if frozen by Piper’s power. Paige could see birds in mid-flight, rabbits frozen in mid-stride, and most importantly, two to three Centaurs in the hunt for what seemed like a group of trolls. Paige hastily runs to the Centaurs before the effects of her potion wears off and pulls out a pair of scissors from her backpack. Before Paige orbs out, she recites another incantation,

“I’ve done what I need to do,
Time go back to what you were used to.”<br>
And with that, she orbs off triumphantly before the Centaur could realize what she has just done to his tail.

Chapter 10

*Piper*
“Ahhhh!” Piper screamed as she dodged another energy ball. “Damn Harpies!” Piper cursed as she blew another Harpy up.

It had been almost two hours since Piper went in search for the Harpies to get one of their claws. She had opted to cast a simple Summoning Spell to avoid having to go over to the Harpies’ Lair and confronting a whole nest, like what she had done with the Vampires.

Piper had stayed inside the now-empty Vampire cave and started to think of a Summoning Spell. After she had come up with the spell, she began to cast it, senses alert, Acid-potion in hand.

“Magick forces, hear my plea,
bring forth a Harpy to me!”<br>
“Not my best spell, but it’ll have to do,” Piper thought as a vortex of light had appeared before her. She was about to throw the potion when a dozen Harpies emerged from the vortex. She couldn’t believe her eyes. The damn spell had conjured an army of lethal demons, instead of one!

Now, she has been fighting over three dozen Harpies, for when she vanquishes one, another seems to pop right out of the vortex, replacing the fallen demon. Piper turned around and kicked a Harpy right in the chest and ducked when another tried to grab her throat with its talons. “This is crazy! I can feel my powers draining, and I’m getting tired by fighting all of these demons...” thought Piper, desperation creeping in, “But I must do this for Wyatt…” Seeing her son’s beautiful face in her mind’s eye seems to have given Piper renewed strength and hope. She began blasting one Harpy after another, kicking, punching, and dodging with all her might.

[mcharmed21]

A Harpy was able to push through Piper’s defenses, and she grabbed the tired Witch by the neck, and raised her up the air, strangling her. Piper struggled with all her might, kicking at the Harpy.

“Stupid Witch! Do you really think that you can fight all of us? Summoning us was a big mistake, and it will be your last!” shouted the Harpy in victory, her fellow demons shouting and echoing their triumph.

Piper was beginning to lose consciousness… “I’m sorry, Wyatt…” and at that moment, she turned her head…and an idea went into her mind. “The vortex! If I manage to seal it shut, maybe I can at least stop the production of these damn demons!” Piper grabbed the last potion from her pocket, trying her best to hide her motives, so that the Harpy wouldn’t know of her plans. With a smirk, she threw the potion at the demon that was strangling her. It was the potion that replicated Piper’s exploding power! BOOM! The impact shook the whole cave and the other Harpies fell from the after-effect. Piper fell down with a loud *THUD*. She managed to stand up, rubbing her butt with a muffled “owww…”

She rushes to the vortex, but she is faced by three Harpies, blocking her to her destination. “Outta my way, bitches!” BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Piper gestures and blows the demons with a fierce determination. She runs again to the vortex, and hurriedly makes a spell up,

“Vortex, I seal you now,
don’t ask me how!”<br>
Piper closed her eyes and mentally kicked herself for coming up with such a lame-sounding spell, but as soon as she had said the last word of the spell, the vortex stopped swirling and finally closed down. “Now, I can deal with these manicure-deprived demons,” Piper snickered in spite of herself. She blew off the remaining set of demons, with the intent of saving one for its claws. BAM! BOOM! It was an intense battle, and soon, there was only Piper and a lone Harpy left in the cave.

“I guess it’s just you and me, huh…” Piper took a menacing step towards the now- frightened demon. “I bet you’re pretty scared by now, I bet you wanna fly back to mommy and stay under her wing forever…can’t blame ya, though…”

The Harpy began growling at Piper, “Rooowrr, ggrrr…”

“I know what you’re thinking.. you’re thinking, ‘Maybe the Witch will be scared if I growl at her, maybe she’ll be intimidated by me…’ well, guess what, you don’t scare me, demon…” said Piper sarcastically, a grin appearing on her lips, and taking another step toward her enemy.

“And, YOU, don’t scare me, Witch,” the Harpy replied defiantly, taking a step back.

“Really? Then, why don’t you attack me now,” another step; the Harpy is now backed up against a wall, obviously scared to death.

“Hisss!” the Harpy began hissing at Piper.

“You know, I’m getting tired playing games with you,” with that Piper blows one of the Harpies’ arms, taking special care in not blowing the whole demon up.

“AAYYY!!!!” the Harpy howled in pain.

Piper gestures again and again, this time blowing another one of the Harpy’s arms and its left leg. “AAArrrgghh!!!” The demon becomes unconscious through all the pain and slumps down into the cave floor. Finally, Piper bends down and, with her handy pliers, pries the Harpy’s claws off. The demon is engulfed in a bright orange flame, and Piper cannot help but close her eyes through the blinding light.

“And that takes care of that,” with that, Piper maps out here next plan of action. Before she can take a step toward the exit of the cave, though, she bends over in pain. She clutches her heart and whispers, “Wyatt…”

Chapter 11

Phoebe is sitting in the living room of Halliwell Manor, drinking a warm cup of chamomile tea and wrapped in a blanket, with Paige beside her, holding her hands. Chris and Leo are pacing all over the living room, worried and anxious.

“So, tell me again how you managed to get out of that cave alive and get that Auger Shell?” asked Paige, concern apparent in her eyes.

“I already told you, sweetie, Leo was there to heal me. We managed to vanquish the demon and helped the Mermaids.” Phoebe said, shivering in between words.

“Oooh yeah, Galtag…” Paige quivered, remembering how Phoebe described the demon as slimy and filthy and disgusting, and how he reeked of rotting fish, “EEyucchhh…”

“By the way, thanks again for helping me vanquish Galtag, Leo,” said Phoebe, looking at their ex-brother-in-law.

“Don’t menti…” before he can finish his sentence, Leo doubles over in pain and clutches his chest. “Aaarrghh!!” cried Leo.

Phoebe and Paige immediately stand up and go over to Leo. Chris is already there by the Elder’s side.

“What is it, Leo?!?” asked Paige.

“It’s…it’s Wyatt.. he’s in pain…” winced Leo.

“How’s that possible? He’s Up There!” asked Phoebe, eyes in bewilderment.

“I…I don’t know, but I must orb Up There…must see Wya…” Leo trails off, orbing to Up There in a show of bluish white lights.

At that exact moment that Leo orbs off, “Chris, Chris!!! Get your…oww… butt… uuhh… here this… oohhh… instance!!! CHRIS!!!”

Chris suddenly jumps in pain, making Phoebe and Paige look at him in surprise.

“It’s Piper, she’s in pain!” Chris said, massaging his aching eardrum.

“Well, get to it! Orb her here, NOW!” shouted Phoebe.

At Phoebe’s stern command, Chris orbs off to get Piper. After a tense second later, blue and white lights appear before the Halliwells’ eyes. Chris and Piper materialize in front of them.

“WYATT! WYATT!” Piper screams, struggling against Chris grasp, “Paige, Phoebe, where’s my son?”<br>
“Calm down, Piper,” Paige rushes to her sister’s side.

“Yeah, Leo went off to get him.” Phoebe said, trying to calm her sister down.

“Wait, what happened, Piper? You sounded that you were in severe pain when you called me, I don’t see any critical wounds…” asked Chris, confusion in his eyes.

“It…it’s not physical, Chris. I can’t explain it, it’s like, one minute I was fine, and then the next, I can feel Wyatt screaming inside my head…I felt his pain, Chris…” said Piper, recalling the cause of her pain.

“….Mother’s instinct…” said Phoebe, nodding, recalling her lessons from her psych class.

“Goddess, I hope Leo gets to Wyatt faster…I hope Wyatt’s okay…” pleaded Piper.

Chapter 12

“Click-klack-clik,” Whitelighters are in panic everywhere, running here and there, confusion evident in Elder-land. The place was chaotic- pillars were crashing, doors were burning. There was fire everywhere.

Amidst the entire archaic situation, Leo arrives in a sparkle of lights and immediately takes in his surroundings. “Oh Goddess,” he mutters as he quickly spots a lady Whitelighter headed his way. He grabs the panicked lady Whitelighter by the arm and yanks her off behind a fallen pillar.

{translation in English}

“What happened here?” asked Leo impatiently, pressing the young Whitelighter’s arm too tightly, “Why’s everyone in turmoil? Where’s Wyatt? Answer me!!!”<br>
The lady Whitelighter just looks at Leo, in shock.

Leo forcefully shakes the Whitelighter out of her stupor, “Michelle! Michelle! Snap out of it! Michelle!” Leo calls out to the young Whitelighter, hoping to get her to listen and answer him.

Michelle suddenly blinks rapidly, then sobs, her body shaking uncontrollably, yanking her arms off of Leo’s forceful grasp.

“I need to know what happened here, Michelle! Where’s my son?!?” asked Leo impatiently.

[mcharmed21]

“Yo..your son! He..He’s the cause of..of all this!” Michelle looks at Leo accusingly.

“WHAT?!? What do you mean? Explain yourself!” Leo asks again, pressing her for more information.

Michelle blinked once more, trying to remember what had happened, “I...i…the…The Healers were working their magicks on Wyatt- to try and balance his bio-rhythms, try to lower the effects of the Virus. ‘Everything’s going smoothly and according to plan,’ Peter said. For a while, Wyatt was sleeping peacefully. We watched silently as the other Healers took turns healing your son. But after a while, without warning, a shadow passed over Wyatt… and he…he woke up…oh Goddess…” Michelle trailed off, sobbing and crying again.

“What happened next? Tell me what happened to my child!” commanded Leo.

Michelle continued, “He…he woke up crying, something was obviously causing hum displeasure, so I bent over to pick him up, maybe try to help him calm him down. But as soon as I bent…as soon as I bent *sob* his eyes shone with orb-lights, and a pillar..a huge pillar came crashing down towards me!!! Richard was able to push me out of the way, and…and the pillar, oh Goddess, the damn pillar fell on top of him, crushing him…and…and…”

“And what?!? Continue!”

“And Wyatt kept on crying and crying, and the more he wailed, the worse things happened. Pillars came smashing down, doors kept burning, Wyatt kept on orbing books and throwing them around, Leo…Leo, it was hor…horrible!” cried the horrified Whitelighter. Michelle was crying hysterically now, her body trembling with fear.

Finally, she collapsed on Leo’s arms. Leo looked at her sympathetically, and gently laid her on top of a pillar. He then quickly rushed toward the room where he last left Wyatt, the Hall of Healing. Leo swiftly ran head-on to the hall, ignoring the bobbing pillars and the falling debris. As soon as he reached the Hall, he swung the doors with all of his might- the huge golden doors opened with a loud audible *THUD*.

“Oh my Goddess..” Leo said, as he looked at the entire room. Three Whitelighters- two males and one female- slumped lifelessly on the floor, and another Whiteligher (female) was lying unconsciously next to her fellow angels, blood gushing out of her head. There, in the center of the room, was little Wyatt, wailing and howling hysterically. “Waaahhh!! Waaah!!!” With each wail, loud thuds can be heard, and pillars came falling down.
“Wyatt! Wyatt! It’s me… it’s daddy,” Leo called out to his son, covering his head as he went to Wyatt’s crib.

Wyatt quickly recognized the voice of his father, and upon recognition, he stopped crying. In an instant, Wyatt blinked and orbed into the arms of his surprised father.

Upon touching his son, Leo jumps in surprise, “You’re burning hot!” Without wasting another minute, Leo hurriedly orbs back down to Halliwell Manor.

Chapter 13

*time left 5 hours and 32 minutes*

As soon as Piper Halliwell sees the familiar bluish-white orbs of his ex-husband, he swiftly runs to his side, hands stretching out, ready to hold her son. “Wyatt!”<br>
Leo transfers his son to his mother’s arms.

“Wyatt! He’s burning hot!” cried Piper, “What happened?!? I thought that your Healers were doing everything they can!”<br>
“They..They couldn’t do anything about the Virus, Piper…” lamented Leo.

“Why? What had happened Up There?” asked Paige.

Leo looked at Phoebe, his thin lips curled into a frown. “The place is in shambles. It turned out that Wyatt single-handedly wrecked the place. When the Healers couldn’t reduce Wyatt’s bio-rhythms to its normal state, he started to become agitated…his powers went out of control…” Leo said no more, his head bowed down.

“I’m so sorry, Leo,” said Phoebe, her Empathy letting her sense the sadness and loss of Leo.

“I…We…can’t do anything about that now…we have to continue on the search for the remaining potion ingredients. We have to save Wyatt,” said Leo, his face hardened by the stress of what he had just witnessed.

“Are you sure, Leo?” asked Chris.

“It’s my son we’re talking about here. I’ve never been sure in my entire life,” replied Leo curtly. “So what else do we need to get?” Leo tried his best to change the subject.

“I’ve gotten the Centaur tail and the lock of Nymph hair,” Paige said.

“And I have acquired the Fairy dust and the Auger Shell from the Mermaids,” said Phoebe afterwards.
“How about you, Piper?” asked Paige when her eldest sister didn’t report about her mission.

Piper, still cradling a now-asleep Wyatt in her arms, “oh, well, I’ve managed to get the Vampire fangs and the Harpy claws…” and with that, she looks again at her gentle sleeping baby, unbelieving that her innocent child can destroy the whole Elderville by himself.

Chris nods, “So we have secured six items on the list. Three more and we can brew the potion.”

“Right, so what else do we need?” asked Leo.

“We need the Sandman’s Dream Dust, the Phoenix feather, and the Manticore egg,” said Paige, reporting the remaining items on the list.

“And how much time do we have left?” asked Piper, not sure that she wants to hear the answer.

“A little over five hours…” said Chris after momentarily checking his watch.

“Oi,” was all Paige could say.

Chapter 14

“So it’s settled then,” Phoebe said, nodding her head in agreement.

“Yep, Piper’ll stay here with Chris and Leo and watch over baby Wyatt, while you and I complete the list,” said Paige, nodding too in approval.

After Piper had laid sleeping Wyatt in his crib, the three sisters and the two Whitelighters went to the Halliwell kitchen to replenish their potion supply and grab a bite to replenish their dwindling energies. They had also come up with a plan on how to get their hands on the remaining ingredients.

“I’m sorry, guys, but I really can’t leave Wyatt here…” said Piper, quite embarrassed with herself for leaving the responsibility of completing the ingredients over to her sisters.

“No need to apologize, honey, we totally understand…” said Phoebe, reaching her hands out to hold Piper’s.

“Yeah, you just stay here and wait for us, and we’ll brew that antidote in no time,” said Paige enthusiastically, lifting everyone’s spirits up.

“Thanks, guys…” was all Piper could say before she went over to her sisters and gave them both a hug.

“So how do you plan to get all three ingredients?” asked Leo, “Are you sure that you don’t want me to help out?”

“We’re certain, Leo…” said Phoebe, “besides, Piper might need your help when our nephew throws another one of his killer tantrums, and by killer, boy, do I mean it.”

“Okay…it’s just that, I want to help out, too,” said Leo.

“You’ve helped out a lot already, Leo, just leave the rest to us. We’ll be fine,” said Paige, reassuring Leo.

Chris walks over to the girls and gives both of them the freshly-brewed potions. “Here’re the potions that you’ll need.”<br>
“Thanks, Chris,” said Paige, smiling at their Whitelighter.

[mcharmed21]

“Yeah, thanks!” said Phoebe.

After welcoming them, Chris explained the effects of the various potions. “These blue ones are the ones that you’ll need to vanquish the Manticores, in case you square off against them. And you guys already know that these purple ones replicate Piper’s explosive power…Good luck…”

Chapter 15

*time left 4 hours and 49 minutes*

“Paige, I think we’re lost…really, I mean it this time,” said Phoebe as she looked around the dank cave walls.

“Are you sure?”

“Well, we’ve passed this same stone wall for the last six times, so yeah, I think I’m sure!”<br>
“But the spell should have brought us directly to the Phoenix!” cried Paige in frustration.

“Wait…gimme a sec to think this through…” Phoebe, scratching her head.

Paige sat down on a huge rock and waited for her sister to think the whole situation over.

“I think I’ve got it! Remember what the book said about Phoenixes?” said Phoebe, recalling what she read in the Book of Shadows.

‘One of the most magickal and rare creatures in the world, Phoenixes are especially hard to track. Tracking spells and summoning spells are ineffective against these birds of flames. The feathers of Phoenixes are used in most magickal cures, and for these, Phoenixes were hunted down to near extinction during the mid-12th century. One would be lucky enough to see one. Beware of its breath of fire.’<br>
“Tracking spells don’t work on Phoenixes, Paige, they just deflect the magick of this kind of spell back,” said Phoebe matter-of-factly, “and in order to save themselves from extinction, Phoenixes took refuge in these caves for protection.”<br>
“But if they just deflect tracking spells, how did we manage to get here?” asked Paige curiously.

“I think that by drawing on the Power of Three, we were able to counter the deflection of this Phoenix…but I guess the Phoenix’s magicks are stronger.”<br>
“I see…but in any case, we need that feather now! Wyatt doesn’t have much time…” said Paige, checking her watch, “we only have a little over four hours left!”<br>
“Okay, okay…what if we, I don’t know, what if we don’t look for the Phoenix itself?”<br>
“Heh? You lost me there, sis,” Paige said, looking quizzically at Phoebe.

“I mean, what if we cast a spell to look for a passageway that will lead us to the Phoenix, do you catch my drift?”

“Yeah! Yeah! Nice plan, Pheebs! So let’s get with it with the spell,” urged Paige.

“Okay okay, let’s see,” Phoebe said as she rubbed her hands, “Uhh…<br>
“To find a passage to the Phoenix is our plea,
Higher Powers, Blessed Be,
Listen to us and aide our plight,
Show us the way with magick bright!”

After Phoebe had cast the spell, a small light appeared in front of Phoebe and Paige. It lingered in front of them for a few seconds, and then zoomed into the cave at a fast pace.

“Oh quick, quick, follow it!!! Go Go Go!!” screamed Phoebe in excitement.

Paige and Phoebe dashed madly to follow the conjured light. It zoomed left, then right, then took another left turn. Paige tried to memorize the path they had taken in case they got lost again, but she soon forgot the path after a few minutes of following the rushing light. It didn’t matter though, for after half-an-hour of twisting and turning into the damp cave, they finally arrived at their destination.

The light disappeared into the skies, leaving the two Charmed Ones in front of a dazzling cavern deep within the cave. They had to cover their eyes with their arms to prevent being blinded. In the center of the cavern was a gigantic nest, one that challenged Halliwell Manor. And lying in the nest was the biggest creature that both sisters had ever seen.

The bird lying on top of the nest had sparkling red and orange feathers. It shone so bright that all the lights in San Francisco combined paled in comparison. The bird was bigger than the Manor by at least nine feet. Its beak was a bit bigger than a mini-Cooper and it was a golden color. It had a crown of golden feathers which shone just as bright as its entire body.

The sisters gasped with “oooh’s” and “aaahhh’s” before they realized what they came there for.

“Wow..i never realized that the Phoenix was this huge! I mean, the Book said that it was big, but I never realized this BIG!” said Paige, not believing what she saw.

“Yeah, it’s even bigger than the dragon Wyatt conjured up We must really update that Book when we get back home,” said Phoebe, not taking her eyes off of the sleeping Phoenix, even though her eyes began to hurt.

“Oww… it’s burning so brightly my eyes are starting to hurt…I’m beginning to see spots…what say we get the feather before we go blind?” said Paige, blinking her eyes rapidly to get rid of the spots.

Phoebe nods in agreement, “Just be careful not to wake it up…”

With that, Paige whispers, with hands stretched out, “FEATHER!” A huge feather, almost the size of five Books of Shadows suddenly appeared in Paige’s hand in swirling orbs. She almost collapses from the weight of the feather, “Oofff, mind giving me a hand here, Pheebs?”

Phoebe gives her younger sister a hand in carrying the heavy feather. Paige grabs Phoebe and the feather and they both orb out, not waiting for the Phoenix to wake up and realize that someone just grabbed one of its feathers.

Chapter 16

Piper froze another toy that was hurled her way, “Wyatt! Sweetie! It’s me mommy! Stop crying, darli… YIKES!” She ducked as the toy unfroze and went flying across Piper’s room.

Wyatt has been crying for the past forty-five minutes. With each passing scream, with each dropping tear, Wyatt’s discomfort caused him to accidentally use his telekinetic powers and began hurling toys and other objects around the room. Chris and Leo are in the room with Piper, trying to quell the angered baby’s pain.

“Wyatt, it’s me daddy…hush..” Leo tried desperately to run to his son, but as soon as he got close enough, Wyatt’s shield would automatically come up.

“Waaahhh!!!” With each passing second, Wyatt’s cries grow louder and louder.

“There’s no stopp…” Chris trailed off as he telekinetically deflected a table away from him, “ing Wyatt! Piper, can you, I don’t know, freeze the entire room?”

“Chris, you very well know that I can’t freeze good Witches!” said Piper as she ducked again to dodge another one of Wyatt’s flying toys.

“Piper, look out!” Chris yelled as he flung his arms out and telekinetically pushed the hurling chair that was headed Piper’s way.

“Thanks,” sighed Piper, “I’ve had enough of this… stand back!”<br>
Frustrated, Piper threw her arms out and froze the entire room- the hovering toys, the flying tables and chairs, and also Leo. Chris just stared at Piper and muttered a “thank you.” Wyatt kept on crying and crying. Piper walked over to Leo, and with precise aiming, unfroze only him.

Piper sighed, going over to Wyatt’s crib. She bent over and picked her son up, thanking the Goddess that she was able to reach her son without getting hurt by her son’s wonky powers. She cradled little Wyatt in her arms and swayed from side to side, singing a lullaby.

“Let’s hope that the freeze effect lasts long enough,” and with that, Chris plops down on the couch, tired.

[mcharmed21]

Chapter 17

*time left 3 hours and 13 minutes*

“Where’s the Dream Dust?” asked Phoebe as she looked at Paige.

“Right here…” replied Paige.

“Okay, hold on to that, don’t let it go,” said Phoebe, “Now, are we ready to face off against the Manticores?”<br>
“Yes…no wait! What was the plan again?”

Phoebe smiles, “Try to remember it this time, Paige. We orb into their Lair and we make sure that they see us. I’ll start distracting them by hurling all the vanquishing potions we have. Meanwhile, you orb an egg as fast as you can before I become their next meal. Got it?”<br>
“Yep, gotcha! Let’s get ready to rumble,” squealed Paige anxiously. Paige grabs hold of Phoebe’s hand with her right hand, while she holds the heavy Phoenix feather with her left. They orb in a flash of light, disappearing out of the Phoenix cave…<br>
…and appearing behind a huge boulder inside the Manticores’ Lair.

“Ready?” asked Paige nervously.

“Ready as I’ll ever be…” replied Phoebe, “On three…one…two…three!”<br>
Phoebe jumped up from behind the boulder and levitated to the ceiling. A Manticore smelled Phoebe’s magicks and quickly spun around.

“WITCH!” screamed the Manticore and alerted the others. In the span of a few seconds, all the sleeping Manticores stirred from their slumber and quickly blurred over to where Phoebe had levitated.

Phoebe began throwing potion after potion after she had landed into another huge boulder. “Ayyy!” screamed the Manticores as they got vanquished by Phoebe’s potions. Seeing this, Paige quietly crept deeper into the cave, looking for an egg.

Paige crept deeper and deeper into the cave. Soon, she was in total darkness. She was creeping blindly now. *Thud* Paige bumped into something hard and…slimy. As she reached her hand out to feel what she had bumped into, a muted “eeeww” escaped her lips. “This must be the egg,” thought Paige. She held on to the egg and crept back out from where she came.

“Phoebe! Got it!” yelled Paige.

The remaining Manticores turned and blurred over to Paige. “That’sssss ourssss!” hissed one.

Paige was soon surrounded by angry Manticores. She was backhanded by one of the demons and the egg fell from her grasp, falling into the outstretched hands of the Manticores.

“Paige!” shrieked Phoebe as she saw her sister flying across the cave.

She fell and hit her butt on a rock. “Owww. That hurt…” said Paige as she struggled to her feet. Seeing the Manticores disappearing into the cave, she orbed next to Phoebe.

“Are you alright, sweetie?”

“A little black and blue, but I’ll be fine” replied Paige as she stretched her hands out and screamed, “EGG!” The egg materialized in blue-and-white orbs in Paige’s hand. “EEWW!!!” this time, it was both Phoebe and Paige.

Before the demons can react, Paige orbs her and her sister out of the cave.

Chapter 18

*time left 2 hours*

“Hush, little baby, go to sleep…” Piper cried the last verse of her lullaby. Wyatt finally fell asleep after an hour of singing and swaying in Piper’s hands.

Leo looks over to his ex-wife and smiles, “You okay?”<br>
“Yeah, just tired, I guess,” said Piper, returning Leo’s smile.

“You want me to carry him for you?”

“Could you? I just need to sit down for a minute, and I’ll carry him again,” said Piper. But as she was headed to where Leo was sitting down to hand Wyatt to his father, she screamed in horror, “LEO! LEO! Wyatt’s…Wyatt’s leg! It’s fade…fading!”

Chris and Leo both stand up from their chairs and rush to Piper’s side.

“Chris, what’s happening to my son?” asked Leo as he took Wyatt from Piper’s arms and examined his son.

“The Daemonus Virii…it must be spreading all over Wyatt’s body!” yelped Chris.

“But you said that he still has 2 hours left!” cried Piper. “You said that, you said that…” was all she could say before she broke down and burst into tears.

Chapter 19
*time left 1 hour and 03 minutes*

Paige and Piper orb into the living room. “Piper, Leo! Chris!” shouted Phoebe.

No reply.

“Piper! Leo!”

After a tense moment, Piper came running down the stairs, “Oh Goddess, Phoebe, Paige, Wyatt…he…he’s dying…”
Phoebe flinched, taken aback at Piper’s report.

Paige rushes over to catch her hyperventilating sister. “No, he won’t!” Paige said forcefully, “we already have the remaining ingredients. All we have to do is brew the antidote.”<br>
“The antidote! Yes, yes… we still have time…we must hurry!” exclaimed Phoebe, coming to her senses.

Piper wipes her tear-streaked face and called out, “Chris! Chris!”<br>
Chris appears from the stairs and looks at the three sisters, “Do you have the three items?”

“Yes, yes, they got them, now tell us how to brew the antidote!”<br>

[mcharmed21]

Chapter 20

All three sisters were huddled around the Halliwell Cauldron, reciting the spell that would ‘activate’ the healing properties of the antidote.

“By the Goddess’ light,
and her Consort bright,
we call upon this antidote’s power,
heal this magickal baby in this hour!”<br>
Purple smoke erupted from inside the Cauldron. “Okay, it’s done. Let’s bring this to Wyatt!”<br>
The Charmed Ones rush up to Piper’s bedroom where Leo is trying his best to calm the now-fading Wyatt. His eyes brightened up as soon as he saw the three sisters rushing to him.

“Hurry, give this Wyatt!” squealed Phoebe.

Paige hurries over to Leo and hands him the antidote.

He opens the bottle and slides the antidote down Wyatt’s throat. After an edgy minute later, Wyatt’s transparent limbs appeared in red orbs and his temperature went back to normal. He smiled and giggled, looking at his family innocently.

Leo gives Wyatt to his mother, and the three sisters huddle over him, protecting him with their magick, and most importantly, their love.

----------------THE END---------------------------------