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Post by oddball7 on Jan 9, 2005 21:22:22 GMT -5
There's No Escape From the Fire (Chapter 3 added 11/9!)
Author: DumbBrunette
I'm bored, and experiencing another bout of writer's block.
So why not post this?
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THREE MONTHS AFTER SEASON FINALE
TEASER
Outside the Halliwell Manor, a storm brewed. Rain drops pounded on the window plane as Piper fed her now three month old baby, Chris. Her last connection to the smart ass whitelighter, his future self, she had known.
But he’s happy in the future now, she thought. That’s all that matters.
Suddenly, her baby disappeared in a swirl of blue orbs. In seconds, an angry two year old with short, dirty blonde hair and vibrant blue eyes appeared in her lap.
“Wyatt!” she exclaimed, scolding her son. “What I have I told you?”<br>
He just grinned and hugged her. She picked him up and went on a search for her youngest son, when Phoebe, her brown hair now to her shoulders, walked in, Chris in hand. His emerald green eyes were brimming with tears and his face bright red.
“Don’t worry, I got him,” she said, handing him over and taking Wyatt. “We really have to do something about this.”<br>
“It’s just a stage. Remember what Grams said when we called her last month? We have to try and pay no attention it.” Piper told her youngest sister as she sat down and soothed her baby.
“Yeah, yeah. I still can’t believe you tried to shove me down the laundry chute!” She said with a bit of anger.
“I was six! Let it go.”<br>
Phoebe sat down next to her and started to make faces at Chris, who stared blankly back.
“I swear, if he could, he’d be rolling his eyes at me,” she said after failing to get a laugh out of her nephew. Piper laughed. “So has Paige called yet?” she continued.
“No, she said she’d call us after her interview. I hope she gets the job though. The club has dropping a bit in profits lately.”<br>
“Are you worried?”<br>
“No, but it’d be nice to know that we have more money coming in, just in case.”<br>Phoebe nodded, but looked at her sister curiously.
“Is something else bothering you?”<br>
Piper sighed, but asked anyway.
“It’s Leo. He’s been acting really weird ever since Big Chris left. Do you know what’s wrong?”<br>
“Nope. Not at all,” she answered far too fast.
“Phoebe!”<br>
“Piper, believe me, I want to tell you. . .”<br>
“Then why don’t you?!”<br>
She hesitated and was about to open her mouth when the doorbell rang.
Saved by the bell, she thought, relieved.
“I’ll get that!” She got up and ran to the door, tuning out Piper’s frustrated calls. She opened up the door and her jaw opened in shock.
At the door was a tall, shivering man, around twenty three, with emerald green eyes and short brown hair. His gray shirt was torn and blackened and wet with blood .
“Oh my God... Chris.”
He fainted and fell to the floor.
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Chapter 1 coming soon....
So...What do you guys think?
Edited by: DumbBrunette at: 11/9/04 8:54 pm
RedPhoenix
Charmed Cafe Member
Posts: 765
(11/5/04 11:58 pm)
Reply Re: There's No Escape From the Fire
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you're off to a great start, Brunette, *i dont wanna call you Dumb, though* i cant wait to see what future Chris (assuming that that is him) is here for.
please update soon!
*two hundred clapping emoticons for you!*
annegately
Charmed Cafe Member
Posts: 8
(11/6/04 3:10 am)
Reply Re: There's No Escape From the Fire
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i luv the story. pls update it asap. And pls can u include prue in the story also. thanks!
(sorry bad english)
annegately
Aurora Nightstar
Charmed Cafe Member
Posts: 614
(11/6/04 12:35 pm)
Reply Re: There's No Escape From the Fire
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very good start. I hope future Chris is alright!
MCharmed21
Charmed Cafe Member
Posts: 59
(11/6/04 2:50 pm)
Reply
ezSupporter
Re: There's No Escape From the Fire
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I love how your personalized everyone. Please update soon I so can't wait to find out what happends!
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Post by oddball7 on Jan 9, 2005 21:22:43 GMT -5
DumbBrunette
Charmed Cafe Member
Posts: 6
(11/6/04 10:02 pm)
Reply Re: There's No Escape From the Fire
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Aww thanks, guys. And most likely no Prue in this one. Sorry!
Chapter I
Piper watched as her son lay on the sofa, writhing and squirming. She reached out and tenderly touched a burn mark on his arm. After pushing up the sleeves of his shirt, she and Phoebe had found bruises and burns of varying degrees.
What happened to you? She thought. Behind her, Phoebe paced nervously, occasionally sparing a concerned glance at her nephew. They had called for Leo, but he was in a meeting with the Elders. They were deciding his punishment for killing Gideon, and he wasn’t allowed to leave.
“Phoebe, why don’t you sit down?”<br>
“I’ll sit down when Leo gets here.”<br>
Suddenly, a swirl of blue orbs appeared in the room.
“Thank God-” she started to say when the orbs materialized into Paige. “Oh it’s you.”<br>
“Hello to you too,” she replied sarcastically. Turning to Piper, she continued.
“So what’s so important that you called. . .me. . . for.” She trailed off when she saw Chris, breathing slowly on the couch. She shivered. It was all too familiar.
“How did he. . .”<br>
“I don’t know,” Phoebe answered. “I just opened the door and there he was.”<br>
“But, it can’t be,” she stubbornly replied. “He, I saw him. . .” she stopped, not wanting to say anything in front of Piper, who unfortunately picked up on it.
“You saw him what, Paige?”<br>
“Uh, Phoebe? Can I talk to you ?” She grabbed her sister and rushed her into the kitchen.
Piper looked at her son nervously, not wanting to leave him. But she had to know. So she grabbed a blanket, put on him, kissed his forehead and ran after her sisters.
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“Why aren’t you listening to me?! I had to kill Gideon. It was the only way to restore the cosmic balance!” Leo exclaimed, desperate to convince them and end this trial. Piper and Phoebe had been calling him and it sounded serious. But the Elders wouldn’t listen.
“You didn’t do it to restore the balance, Leo, and you know it.” said the Head Elder, his long white hair falling into his face. “You did it to avenge your son’s death. The fact that it restored the balance is just a ‘happy coincidence’.”<br>
“Why does it matter why I did it, as long as good triumphs?”<br>
“Why does it matter?!” He cried out, his voice angry and booming. “The reason is more important than anything. If one kills to protect an innocent, is it a crime?!”<br>
“No, but-”<br>
“If one kills to stop a great evil from destroying countless lives, is it a crime?!”<br>
“No,” Leo replied, annoyance and anger creeping into his voice. “It isn’t but-”<br>
“Exactly! But you didn’t kill for those reasons! You killed in anger, in hate, for revenge on the man who took your son away! That is what makes what you’ve done a crime, and, as an Elder, you must be punished!”<br>
Leo remained silent. After all, how could he argue with the truth? He could tell himself all he wanted that killing Gideon had been a noble act to save the world and restore the balance, but it wasn’t true. He had been out for vengeance and nothing more.
It was a side of himself that he had almost forgotten, and hoped to never see again.
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Meanwhile, Chris lay on the couch, drifting in and out of feverish dreams.
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DREAM
He lay on the hard, stone ground, flames burning high, encircling him and trapping whim within the confines. He was alone, but he knew he would come. He always came.
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Panting, he woke up, confused ,as he looked around, at where he was. Slowly, he realized he was in the living room at the manor.
He had done it. He was back.
He started to get up when a bolt of pain shot through his body. The whole room started to spin around him and he sat back down, feeling dizzy. He could hear his mom’s voice from somewhere, but his vision started to darken and he fell back on the couch.
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Piper stared at her sisters, shocked at what they were saying.
“Of course it’s Chris! If it was a demon, I don’t think it’d be hurt.”<br>
“Piper, you don’t understand,” Paige said pleading. “There’s no way that could be Chris.”<br>
“Well obviously, he went to the future, but Wyatt was still evil. He got caught and he escaped, and now he’s back to finish what he came here to do. Unless you know something that I don’t.”<br>
Paige and Phoebe shared a knowing look. As much as they didn’t want to do this, they had to.
“Piper,” Phoebe said gently. “Chris didn’t go back to the future. Gideon killed him.”<br>
Piper’s eyes widened as she looked towards the living room.
“No, he can’t be dead,” she said, shaking her head in disbelief, her long chestnut hair flowing as she did it. “He’s lying right there.”<br>
“It’s not him. Or if it is, not the same him. A different version of our Chris.”<br>
Her eyes started to fill with tears when she heard a loud shriek coming from the living room. Baby Chris.
“Damn it Wyatt,” she said with false anger, wiping the tears away. She walked out, Phoebe and Paige following suit.
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DREAM
He jumped out of the way as another energy ball came flying toward him. He landed on a flame, crying out in pain as he rolled over. Smoke rose from him as the burn stung. But his torturer just laughed.
“There’s nowhere to run Chris. You should know that. God knows you’ve studied this place enough. There’s no escape. . .”<br>-------------------------------
Chris woke, this time to a loud scream that vaguely reminded him of a banshee coming from the chair facing him. He looked over and saw a small baby crying, his face a deep scarlet.
Oh my God, that’s me, he thought as he sank back down, feeling the urge to faint again.
Piper ran into the room, not seeing him at first. She picked up little Chris and comforted him.
“Come on, Chris. You don’t want to wake your older self, do you?”<br>
“He already did, but it’s okay, I don’t mind.” Piper whipped around at the sound of his voice. He could see that she had been crying. In a flash, she was right beside him, one arm tightly holding him. He winced slightly as she touched a burn, but quickly leaned into the hug.
From behind him, he heard his aunt Phoebe clear her throat.
“Piper-”<br>
His mom quickly cut her off.
“Phoebe, I know my son,” she said matter-of factly.
There was a moment of silence. Phoebe came over and gave him a good look over and then hugged him fiercely, tears streaming out of her eyes. Paige, however, held back. She stood watching the group in silence.
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Mushiness. It's not what I'm best at, but it was needed.
Thanks again! Hope you like this one!
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Post by oddball7 on Jan 9, 2005 21:23:03 GMT -5
RedPhoenix
Charmed Cafe Member
Posts: 767
(11/6/04 10:39 pm)
Reply Re: There's No Escape From the Fire
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great chapter, Brunette! you wrote Piper so well in this latest update- how she refused to believe Phoebe and Paige, how she strongly believed that it was truly Chris that has come back.
oh and poor Leo! this is actually how i wanted his trial to be. though we hadnt seen it aired *hmph, silly writers!*
anyway, this is going on great. hope to see more!
Aurora Nightstar
Charmed Cafe Member
Posts: 616
(11/6/04 10:43 pm)
Reply Re: There's No Escape From the Fire
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Mushiness or not, I liked it. Good job!! Keep going!!
MCharmed21
Charmed Cafe Member
Posts: 61
(11/6/04 10:47 pm)
Reply
ezSupporter
Re: There's No Escape From the Fire
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I love it, Chris is back and baby chris woke him up...LOL update soon!
DumbBrunette
Charmed Cafe Member
Posts: 10
(11/7/04 8:24 pm)
Reply There's No Escape From the Fire-Chapter 2!
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Thanks again guys! Hope you like this one!
Chapter II
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Leo impatiently paced the golden floor as the Elders conferred. He was tired of this. He needed to get back home and see what was happening. Piper had stopped calling a while ago. What if he was too late?
Suddenly, the head Elder sat up.
“It has been decided. You will be stripped of your Elder status.”<br>
Leo carefully hid his happiness under a mask of shame. He couldn’t let the Elders know that it was what he had hoped for. He looked at the Elder and was suddenly hit with a realization.
“I’m not going to be a whitelighter either.” he said. The Elder just nodded.
He was going to be mortal. Even if he wasn’t too late, he couldn’t do anything.
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Paige walked out of the living room quietly, trying not to draw attention to herself, and orbed to the attic. She opened the Book Of Shadows and started flipping through it.
'Come on, come on! Where’s that transformer page?', she thought anxiously.
She found it and started to skim.
"Can turn into any being it desires, blah, blah, blah, is similar to the shapeshifter demon except it can aquire the memories of the being it has formed into, etc., etc...Ah-ha! A potion to detect a transformer!"
She checked over the ingredients. Fortunately, they had all of it in the cupboard in the kitchen.
'Now, I’ll just wait till everyone’s asleep.'
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“Mom, Phoebe. I kind of need to breathe,” Chris said after a few minutes, feeling uncomfortable.
They reluctantly let go. Phoebe took a seat across from him, while Piper sat at the foot of the couch, holding little Chris close.
“What happened to you? I mean, Leo and Paige, they saw you-” Phoebe trailed off and looked at the floor, suddenly uncomfortable.
“-die?” He continued where his aunt left off. “I never died. Wyatt brought me back to the future and healed me.”
“But I thought you couldn’t be healed. Something about how since it was Gideon’s magic that did it, only he could heal you.”<br>
“Wyatt’s never been one to allow the rules of magic to restrain him.”<br>
Piper shuddered slightly at the words. Just another reminder that her son was going to grow to be a power mad tyrant.
'That’s not going to happen', she firmly thought. For the sake of the world, and Chris’.
“So is he the one that did this to you?” She asked, eyeing the burns and scars.
“No. I escaped,” he said quickly, the lie rolling off his tongue.
'They don’t have to know, It’s easier all around this way,' he thought to himself.
His family in the future had always called him a martyr. A true follower in his mother’s footsteps. He had always made sure to keep his pain solely his. He could handle this.
Phoebe looked at him closely, but he put on his trademark blank face, hiding any emotions. She had the strangest feeling that he was lying.
'But why would he?'
A man, around 5'7", with short spiky black hair and ocean blue eyes, orbed in next to Leo. He gave Leo a good look over before turning to the Elders.
“You called?” he asked, with a distinct British accent.
“Yes John. We’re assigning you to the Charmed Ones. If you could please orb yourself and Leo to them.” John nodded and took Leo’s hands, rather half heartedly, and they disappeared in a swirl of blue lights.
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“Then, where were-” Phoebe was cut short by the orbing in of Leo and a strange man.
“Well, it’s about time!” Piper exclaimed. “We need you to heal...” she trailed off when she saw her husband’s -ex-husband’s, she reminded herself- face.
“What did the Elders say?”<br>
But he didn’t hear her. Was barely even aware that she was there.
Chris, alive and well, was lying on the couch right in front of him. His eyes traveled down and they rested on a burn.
'Maybe not well but he’s alive! But how?'
“Hey dad,” Chris finally said meekly, as his dad threw his arms around him.
'Oh God this is weird,' he thought. In the future, his dad was never one for hugs. At least not for him. It was impossible when Wyatt constantly had Leo’s undivided attention. Chris barely even got a hello.
As if reading his thoughts, his mom broke the moment.
“You’re suffocating the boy,” she said with a small smile. It seemed that she had ended up having to say that a lot to Leo over the past year, especially the past few months.
He slowly let go as John moved in, mumbling that he needs healing. He put his hands over Chris and a golden glow came from them. The scars and burns slowly disappeared as Leo whispered to Piper and Phoebe. Never taking his eyes off his son.
“How?”<br>
“Yeah, we’re still trying to figure that out,” Piper replied.
The last scar faded away as Chris sat up.
“Thanks.”<br>
“Anytime mate.”<br>
“Not to be rude, or anything,” Phoebe cut in. “But who the hell are you?”<br>
“John,” he said turning around, his intense blue eyes locked on her warm brown ones. “I’m your new whitelighter.”<br>
“Oh,” Piper said. She turned to face Leo.
“Can I talk to you in the kitchen?”<br>
“Uh.” but he didn’t get a chance to answer before she pulled him into the kitchen, only pausing to tell the group that she’d be back in a bit and to give little Chris to Phoebe. The fake smile she had plastered on her face soon fell away to anger when they were alone.
“I thought you were going to quit being an Elder, even if you didn’t demote you! What about Chris and Wyatt, I can’t raise them on my own!”<br>
“But I’m not an Elder anymore!”<br>
“Really? Than what’s with British boy over there?! If you’re not an Elder, than why do we have a new whitelighter? Wouldn’t they give that job to you!?”<br>
“The thing is...”he sighed deeply before continuing. “I’m not a whitelighter anymore either.”<br>
The anger soon disappeared from her face as she asked him.
“What?”<br>
“I’m mortal.”<br>
Piper watched Leo as he sat down at a chair, putting his head in his hands. She tried hard to keep her happiness hidden as she saw his reaction. But it was hard. How can she not be happy? She had secretly hoped for this. They might finally be able to work this thing out between them. She missed him.
But she knew how Leo must feel. She remembered how helpless he had felt when he clipped his wings a few years ago, unable to help them and protect them.
“There’s no way the Elders might change their mind?”<br>Leo just shook his head as she sat down next to him.
“It’ll be okay. It’s not like we’re defenseless.”<br>
“Yeah, but little Chris is. Wyatt at least has a shield. Chris hasn’t shown any powers yet.”<br>
“Well, then it’s a good thing he’s got his older self around, isn’t it? Besides, if anyone gets hurt, we can just call what’s-his-name over there over there.”<br>
Leo snickered.
“His name’s John.”<br>
“Whatever.
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Meanwhile, in downtown San Francisco, a man in tattered brown rags slept on the floor, leaning against the side of a building, the bricks crumbling. Suddenly, a patch of blue light in the form of a Triquetra appeared on the wall. One by one five creatures that looked like dogs stepped out. They had red glittering eyes, and several thin tails, each with an ember at the point. They sniffed the air and snarled, drool dripping from their mouths. The man woke up as one stood over him raising it’s front legs, causing it to stand a good eight feet tall. He tried to run but another one moved into his path.
'I’m going to die,' he realized staring into it’s eyes, glittering like rubies in the moonlight.
Suddenly, a demon stepped out. He had long spindly legs, and sharp talon like hands. He was as pale as ivory and completely bald, save for a few whiskers at the top of his head. His black eyes glittered with excitement as he saw the man, cowering. His pets turned to him, pleading.
“Feed, my pretties,” his voice strangely high pitched, like nails on a chalkboard. “Best way to lure him out.”<br>
The man’s screams filled the night as the creatures dug in.
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Post by oddball7 on Jan 9, 2005 21:24:27 GMT -5
Aurora Nightstar
Charmed Cafe Member
Posts: 617
(11/7/04 8:40 pm)
Reply Re: There's No Escape From the Fire-Chapter 2!
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Still liking this. Please continue.
MCharmed21
Charmed Cafe Member
Posts: 65
(11/7/04 11:05 pm)
Reply
ezSupporter
Re: There's No Escape From the Fire-Chapter 2!
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LOL...Ok I really like your story. Please update really soon!
RedPhoenix
Charmed Cafe Member
Posts: 774
(11/8/04 2:53 am)
Reply Re: There's No Escape From the Fire-Chapter 2!
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i dont know whether i should be elated or depressed that you made Leo mortal, but i'll wait how the Charmed Ones would cope with this. great job of introducing John, mate!
and what's up with the Transformer demon? is this Chris not who he's supposed to be? scary demons you got there, Brunette! and original too!
please update soon!!
DumbBrunette
Charmed Cafe Member
Posts: 11
(11/9/04 8:53 pm)
Reply There's No Escape From the Fire-Chapter 3!
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Thanks again guys.
A nice long one for you.
Chapter III
The moonlight shone through the attic’s stained glass windows as Paige sat on the cold wooden floor, spotlessly clean thanks to Piper’s latest cleaning frenzy, staring at the vial in her hand and going over everything in her mind. She had followed the ingredients for the potion exactly. The right amount of thyme, everything. She had done all the Book had dictated.
It had been around midnight, after everyone else had finally gone to bed, that she had crept up to the attic. She had walked over carefully to the small cot Piper had set up for Chris to sleep, cringing with every creak, alert and heart pacing at the slightest cough. With the utmost care, she had plucked a brown strand of hair from his head, dipped into the vial, and as patiently as she could possibly be, waited. Again, just as the Book had said.
Now, nearly a half hour later, the potion’s color, a sickly, pale green, remained unchanged.
'There’s no doubt about it. He’s not a transformer,' she thought. 'But he could easily be something else.'
'Or it could really be Chris.'
It was like an ongoing battle between her head and her heart. One half of her felt like she would give anything to be like Phoebe and Piper and just believe. While the other half of her was grateful that at least one of them could see the light. There were too many possibilities, too many demons who’d love to take advantage of their grief and use it to destroy the Charmed Ones in their very own home. Too many things that made far more sense than Chris coming back into existence on his own accord.
'But you never saw him die, did you?' her heart practally screamed at her. 'He faded away and you assumed. But that could’ve been something else.'
It was one argument that she couldn’t reason away. They had all left him for dead, excluding Piper who hadn’t known anything about it. Leo had researched a bit into it, but was all it was: research. More of a way for him to come to terms with Chris’ death, than trying to find him.
'So is it really common sense that won’t let me believe? Or is it guilt?'
“No..,” Chris muttered in his sleep, as he twisted and turned on the cot, fighting some unseen enemy. She was brought out of her thoughts as she twisted her head over to look at him. He seemed to be in the icy grips of a nightmare.
Or the demon was a really good actor.
She got up slowly and, putting the vial in her pocket, walked out, shutting the door silently behind her.
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DREAM
Towering flames surrounded him, trapping him within the literally scorching prison. The dry air made it difficult to breathe and he lay on the dusty floor, eyes closed and panting desperately. On his arm was a huge gash, compliments of HIM. The evil that had no name, or ,at least, he had never heard one. At the beginning, he had labeled him as Smiling Bob, back when he still had a sense of humor. But that soon died, the name following suit.
He suddenly became aware of another presence in the room and he shot up like a bolt, which he immediately regretted as a fresh burst of pain ran through his back and he let out a cry.
“Had enough? Or is an eternity of pain and suffering still better than joining me?”<br>----------------
“Chris!”<br>
Chris’ eyes snapped open. He suddenly noticed that his pillowcase was absolutely drenched with sweat. A quick glance down confirmed that his sheets and blanket were balled up on the floor, lost at some point in his restless, fitful sleep. Seconds later, Phoebe opened the door and he sat up.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, I woke you up.”<br>
“It’s okay. Really”<br>
“Bad dream?” she asked, noticing the sheets and his hair, matted down with sweat. “Or were you just really hot?”<br>
“Uh, yeah. What’s wrong?” he quickly asked, avoiding the topic. He didn’t want to chance letting something slip.
She eyed him strangely for a moment but finally told him.
“You mind watching Wyatt and little you for a moment? I’ve got to work, Paige’s at her new job, and Piper and Leo went off somewhere.”<br>
“Sure. I guess,” he replied, his discomfort obvious.
“Don’t worry, your parents should be back soon. And I just changed Chris-you-little you-, so there shouldn’t be anything too weird for you to do.”<br>
“Because baby-sitting my younger self and my older brother who’s a baby is just so normal.”<br>
“Don’t be a smart ass,” she scolded, frowning a bit. There was something wrong with the way he said it, the usual playfulness missing. And the sight of his face when she came in wouldn’t stop playing over and over in her mind. That fear. She let it go, knowing that no amount of questioning would make him tell her. He had, unfortunately, inherited Piper’s need to be a martyr, the incessant feeling that he had to stick things out alone. But the thought kept nagging at her.
'There’s something he’s not telling us.'
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“You could’ve just called John. He could’ve orbed us over there in a flash.”<br>
“Leo, the reason Darryl’s mad at us is because of magic. He’s finally consented to call us so I think the least we could do is use the least amount of magic possible.”<br>
Piper sat behind the wheel of her jeep, her head resting against the steering wheel in frustration. Darryl had called her around an hour ago, asking her to come downtown and check something out as soon as possible. She had agreed, taking it as a sign that he was starting to want to patch things up, and she and Leo had set out. What she hadn’t counted on was the huge traffic jam that they found themselves stuck in the middle of.
Apparently, a group of nude women had parked themselves up front. Something about the right to breast-feed in public. It was such complete stupidity that even the cops were baffled on how to resolve it. That, and the fact they had the right to protest.
'Like this is protesting! What happened to sit ins, picketing, boycotts? Civilized ways to protest that didn’t demean women!' she thought with a groan. And Leo wasn’t helping matters.
“He also wants us to get there as fast as we can, and that’s by orbing.”<br>
“If traffic doesn’t start moving in five minutes, I’ll call John, all right?”<br>
She was regretting bring him along. She had thought it’d be good for him, so he’d still feel involved. But so far, he had only proved himself to be an annoyance. But he had been so happy at being asked along.
In truth, she had been hoping more that they could use this time to try and talk about their situation. She had been thinking about it a lot. And now, with the Elders firing him, maybe they could finally make it work it between them. Now that he wouldn’t be popping off every ten seconds.
“It’s been five minutes.”<br>
'Or maybe not.'
“Fine. Just let me pull over.”<br>
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Minutes later, Piper, Leo, and John arrived in an alley, behind a dumpster, only a block away from the alley Darryl had told her to meet him. They walked the rest of the way, so as not to arouse suspicion. They soon saw Darryl standing next to the alley, which was closed off by yellow police tape.
“It’s about time,” he said bitterly.
'So much for him forgiving us.'
“Yes Darryl, I’m fine. Thanks for asking and how are you?”<br>
“Piper, I’m really not in the mood for jokes.”<br>
“And I’m not in the mood to be treated like a subhuman. In case you’ve forgotten, you’re the one who set up this little get-together.”<br>
“Don’t make anything out of it. I don’t have a choice.”
“Let me guess: demon attack?” Leo asked.
“Take a look for yourselves,” he said, raising the yellow tape to let them through. They stepped under. John, his large, blue eyes always on the alert, saw it first.
“Bloody hell...”<br>
Piper and Leo followed his gaze.
“Oh God,” she said, horrified, as Leo turned away, not able to take it as flashes of the war sped through his mind, countless images similar to the one before him.
Two men examined a body of a man on the ground, surrounded by broken bones, his eyes blank and vacant. A immense, gaping hole was in his chest, dried blood staining his torn jacket. Piper walked closer, not wanting to but drawn to it. The insides were empty.
Beside him on the ground, in a deep crimson that could only be dried blood, was a message:
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Post by oddball7 on Jan 9, 2005 21:24:51 GMT -5
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THE LIFE OF AN INNOCENT IS THE PRICE TO PAY
FOR EVERY DAY YOU HIDE AWAY.
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“We figure it’s a message to someone.”<br>
“How do you figure that?” The intended sarcasm not quite making it.
“So is it a, you know, demon?” he finally whispered, in the same way that a four year old said a curse word. As if the very word would cause horrible things to happen.
'God, I hope so.'
“I don’t know,” she replied after a few moments, tearing her gaze away from the scene as the body bag came over the corpse, gone from sight but not from memory.
“I’d have to look it up.”<br>
“Can you do it soon?”<br>
“Eager to be rid of them, are you?”, John bitterly asked, surprising both Piper and Leo, who snapped out of his past and turned to face the whitelighter. He was so shy, so withdrawn and serious. In truth, they had both forgotten he was there.
“Well, that note suggests that someone else is going to die today, so I kind of hope I can stop that from happening. And just who are you anyway?”<br>
“John, our new whitelighter,” Piper replied as the angel looked down at his feet, embarrassed.
“Oh. So Chris did finish his job? Before he-” he stopped, not knowing whether it was something he should mention.
“-died? No he didn’t. And he’s back.”<br>
Darryl looked so confused that under different circumstances, she would’ve found it hard not to laugh.
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'What the hell have I agreed to?,' Chris thought as he looked down at the wriggling baby-him- on the changing table in front of him. Supposedly, Aunt Phoebe had changed him when she left. And yet, here was little him, laughing and smiling, diaper very plump and slightly wet.
'I am never going to live this down,' he thought as he gingerly started to lift the flaps. Carefully he opened it up, intently looking away. Once he had no choice, he turned back.
'God, was I really that small down there ?'
Suddenly, he heard a car pull up. A quick check out the window confirmed that it was his parents.
'Oh thank God', he thought as he closed up the diaper, much to little Chris’ display who appeared to have been enjoying watching him squirm. He picked his younger self up and carried him downstairs, where Piper was coming in, Leo lagging behind.
“Hey, you sleep well?”<br>
“Uh, yeah. Wyatt’s watching T.V. , and he-I-little me- needs a change.”<br>
“Well, why didn’t you do it?” she asked as she gathered her son out of his older version’s arms and carried him upstairs, Chris following.
“Because it’s disturbing!”<br>
“You already wipe yourself when you go to the bathroom, what’s the difference?”<br>
“The difference is-” he struggled to find one. “-is that it’s just disturbing!” he finally said, unable to come up with anything. Piper simply rolled her eyes.
“So, where were you anyway?”<br>
“Darryl called us down. Someone was killed and he think’s it was a demon. Actually, you mind checking it out for me in the Book?”<br>
“Sure. What am I looking for?”<br>
“Something that eats people’s organs. Straight out of the person.”<br>
Immediately, his face paled and his eyes widened.
'No way,' he thought, not wanting to believe. 'It can’t be.'
“Chris! Are you all right?” Piper asked him, concerned.
“Uh, yeah. I’ll go check it out.” He disappeared in a swirl of blue lights.
“Chris! Chris, get your butt down here!” she yelled, but it was to no avail. Piper ran up to the attic, little Chris, whose wet diaper only now starting to bother him, began to fuss.
“Chris! I know you know something...” she had reached the attic but he was nowhere to be found, and neither was the book.
'Damn it Chris,' she thought with a mix of worry and fear.
“Leo!”<br>
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Cerebarai: dog-like demons who guard the cells of those sentenced to hell.They survive on a steady diet of organs, at least once a day, although they particularly enjoy the human heart. They send out a gas that will cause it’s victims to live out their worst memories, one of the many torture practices used on the prisoners.
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They didn’t mention the horrible stank that gave you the false hope that you’d choke to death before the memories came.
He flipped through the pages until finally he saw his face.
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Aytaro: A lanky, chalky white demon who takes care of the Cerebarai and is the head torturer of the prisoners of the underworld. His sharp, talon like nails can mean certain death if ever used up on Earth.
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'Smiling Bob,' Chris thought as he sat up on the Golden Gate Bridge, the wind ruffling his hair.
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Before anyone asks, yes, I do have some issues with TBWP's final scene with Phoebe.
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Post by oddball7 on Jan 9, 2005 21:25:13 GMT -5
Aurora Nightstar
Charmed Cafe Member
Posts: 619
(11/9/04 9:41 pm)
Reply Re: There's No Escape From the Fire-Chapter 3!
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Chris knows who this demon is. I like it!! Keep going.
Edited by: Aurora Nightstar at: 11/10/04 6:25 pm
MCharmed21
Charmed Cafe Member
Posts: 72
(11/10/04 10:30 am)
Reply
ezSupporter
Re: There's No Escape From the Fire-Chapter 3!
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Quote:
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“The difference is-” he struggled to find one. “-is that it’s just disturbing!” he finally said, unable to come up with anything. Piper simply rolled her eyes.
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Ok, this just gets better and better! Update soon!
RedPhoenix
Charmed Cafe Member
Posts: 778
(11/11/04 7:18 am)
Reply Re: There's No Escape From the Fire-Chapter 3!
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the demons that youve whipped up are absolutely terrifying!! and how chris knows who he is and calling him "bob"? that's new! i loved how you wrote Chris perfectly- shady, secretive! i love it!
please update soon!
DumbBrunette
Charmed Cafe Member
Posts: 12
(11/30/04 8:59 pm)
Reply Re: There's No Escape From the Fire-Chapter 3!
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Chapter IV
“Leo!” Piper yelled as she rushed down the stairs, little Chris now full out sobbing. He met at her at the foot of the stairs.
“What’s wrong?” he asked with a concerned look.
“You have to find Chris,” she answered without thinking, mindlessly trying to calm the scarlet faced baby. “He orbed off somewhere when I told him about the demon and...”<br>
“Piper...”<br>
“What,” she asked, annoyed and upset.
With a sad sigh, he replied, “I can’t. I don’t have my powers anymore. Remember?”<br>
'Nice going,' she thought angrily to herself. She had completely forgotten. She had just been so worried about Chris that she had just gone on instinct and looked to Leo. As if he wasn’t having a hard enough time already.
Still mentally kicking herself, she said, “Leo, I’m so sorry. Can you just change Chris for me then while I scry for him and get Paige?”<br>
He nodded halfheartedly and took the screeching infant into his arms. Piper ran up the stairs and yelled loudly into the air.
“Paige!”
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Paige orbed into the attic, not at all happy. Her dyed brown hair was up in a pony tail and she was dressed in her new uniform, a blue blouse and navy slacks that had come courtesy of her new job, supposedly to build up company spirit. She turned around and saw Piper intently scrying with a crystal as she held Chris’ worn, leather jacket.
“No offense Piper, but part of having a job is actually being at the job,” she remarked.
Piper barely took her eyes off the map as she muttered a quick apology. “I know, but I need you to find Chris.”<br>
'Fantastic,' she thought. 'And here I was hoping I wouldn’t have to tell her.'
“About Chris...” she said and Piper looked up, her brown eyes deeply concerned.
“You saw him?”<br>
“No,” Paige answered as she took a seat facing her. “It’s just...” she stopped, not knowing how to continue.
Piper continued spinning the crystal but her attention was now solely on her sister. “Just what?”<br>
'How do I tell her that her son may not be her son?' Paige wondered as she searched for the words. If she didn’t say it just right, Piper would take it the wrong way. She couldn’t lose her, especially if she was right.
'Now’s not the time,' she decided. 'I have to wait till the demon slips up. That way I have something to back me up.' “Just be careful,” she finally said.
Piper’s expression went from worry to confusion. “What do you mean...” but she stopped when the crystal landed with a small thump. “Hey Paige, you have no problems with heights right?”<br>
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Chris was still staring into the painted coal black eyes of Aytaro when a swirl of blue lights appeared in front of him and materialized into Paige.
'Great.' He shut the book and tried to regain his composure. 'I don’t need her on my case.' Paige always had a tendency at being able to squirm things out of him if he wasn’t careful, even when he was a kid.
“Your mom’s worried about you, you know,” she told him, the words sounding strained and her eyes giving him a strange look. It was one that he had gotten very familiar with since the day he came to the past; distrust.
'She doesn’t believe it’s me,' he realized sadly. He should’ve known that Paige wouldn’t. She was like him, quick to suspect and slow to accept, but for entirely different reasons. For her it was simply a characteristic, for him it was adaptation, a survival skill that you picked up in his time. Whether you wanted to or not.
“I just had to get out. Get some air,” he finally said, a bit of resentment crawling into his tone. Paige simply nodded as she crossed her arms.
A deafening silence followed, broken only by the honks of car horns below and the wind. Uncomfortable, Paige asked, “Aren’t you cold?”<br>
He shook his head, staring out at the sea. He shifted the Book in his lap as Paige tried again.
“Seriously, Piper is worried about you though.”<br>
“So you’ve said,” he answered back sarcastically, not ready to go back home yet.
“So aren’t you coming?” she asked, exasperated. Despite the beautiful view, the wind was picking up and the temperature was going down. It was definitely not the place to be without a jacket.
He cooly replied, “Later,” and threw her the Book, which she thankfully caught before falling into the sea below.
Paige sighed as Piper’s words came through her mind. She reached out her hand and grabbed Chris, pulling him into the orb as he yelled a quick “Hey!”<br>
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The little rodent ran desperately, only to be blocked by a powerful Cerebaras. Aytaro watched as his pets tortured the creature, a slow grin on his face. He had been wise in taking the advice of staying in the sewer. Humans had a strange aversion to the place and they weren’t likely to be found. At least not until the person he wanted tried.
Tired of the game, one of the Cerebarai took a swipe at the creature’s heart, killing it in an instant. It turned around and whined, it’s meaning obvious. It was hungry.
“When the sun sets, my pet,” he told it, his voice grating. “We have to give him a chance first.”<br>
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Piper was busily scrying with the crystal again when it landed hard on the map, where the Manor was. She looked up and saw Paige was releasing her son’s shirt, book in hand.
“Oh thank God,” she said as she stood and went to Chris, tightening him in a hug. He instantly stiffened a bit, but it was hardly noticeable. After a few moments, Piper let him go and hit him on the shoulder. “How dare you just orb off like that, you had me worried sick!”<br>
“I’m sorry!” he told her sincerely, rubbing his shoulder. “I just...needed some air.”<br>
“Air?!” she cried. “How about the next time you want some air, you open a freaking window! Not orb to the top of the Golden Gate Bridge!”<br>
“Thank God I’m not an Empath anymore,” Phoebe remarked as she came into the attic, Leo behind her. “Because I don’t think the neighbors can stand any more.”<br>
Piper turned to her sister and, pointing to Chris, said, “Well blame your nephew over here who thinks he can just orb off anytime he damn pleases without telling me where he’s going!”<br>
“For crying out loud, I’m not a little kid!” He yelled, aggravated. “I can take care of myself, it’s not a big deal!”<br>
“He’s got a point Piper,” Leo said, mediating. “Don’t you think you’re overreacting?”<br>
Piper gave him an almost betrayed look when she heard a cry from downstairs, a shriek that could only be little Chris and rushed downstairs, as the older version watched her.
“What is her problem?” he asked when she was out of sight.
“She’s just being a mother, Chris,” Phoebe said reasoning. “It makes sense that her maternal sense of protection would kick into overdrive. She just found out that you died and came back. You probably just scared her when you disappeared like that.”<br>
'Nice job,' he thought as guilt flooded his system and he looked to the floor.
Filler, I know. Thanks guys!
RedPhoenix
Charmed Cafe Member
Posts: 845
(12/3/04 2:17 am)
Reply RE: Chapter 4
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piper piper piper, ah typical neurotic Piper! great work!
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