Future Consequences by Kalvana--Updated 2/09

[Nite Owl]

Bianca sat silently as Paige and Phoebe and Tasha bounced ideas about what to do about the Warrens off eachother. She was still fuming at Chris’s leaving. The Elders had never done anything to help their cause in this time or any other. To think they’d give Leo back was ridiculous and to think that they’d be any nicer to Chris was even more so.

“This is getting us no where,” Paige admitted, standing and stretching from her seat.

“I’m hungry,” Tasha said quietly to herself.

“Me too,” Phoebe agreed. “Let’s go see about some dinner and then we’ll get back on this.” The was a murmur of agreement and they stood, heading towards the door.

Tasha stopped, turning to face Bianca. “You coming?”<br>
Bianca nodded. “I’ll be there in a minute,” she offered softly. Tasha nodded and left. The moment she had disappeared around the corner, Bianca was on her feet, standing at the pedestal that held the famed Book of Shadows. “All right. I know I’m not exactly a creature of good, but I could really use some help,” she said to herself, reaching towards the pages, hoping that the book wouldn’t jump from her touch. She jumped back when the pages started flipping on their own, opening to the entry she would have been looking for. “I don’t know who up there is helping me,” she said softly, “but thanks.”<br>
“Athemaes, athemaes.” There were so many listed. She stared at the markings on the hilt of the blade in her hand, trying to match them up with one drawn into the book. “Souleater,” she found finally. “The souleater athemae, when used to kill magical creatures, traps their spirits as well as their powers,” Bianca read. “The bearer can access those powers to use for their own design.” She stared at the blade, focusing on it as she tried to sense the magic, and she certainly did. “Mystery solved,” she whispered to herself, reading further.





Phoebe stared into the open refrigerator and frowned. There was no food, well, at least no food that involved little to know cooking and the only people had any skill at it were in heaven.

“Cheese!” Paige pointed out over her sister’s head, grabbing that block of cheddar out of the door.

“Maybe one of us should learn a domestic skill?” Phoebe suggested as she grabbed a knife and handed it to Paige, only to turn and grab a box of crackers.

“Do you think they’ll be successful?” Tasha asked, chewing dully on a cracker.

“Yes,” Paige said decisively. “They have to be.”<br>
“When are we going to actually have confidence in things, with reason behind it other that, it has to be?” Phoebe asked dejectedly.

All three of them jumped when they heard the door slam. Paige closed her eyes for a moment. “Bianca left,” she informed them.

Tasha was on her feet, running for the door. “Bianca,” she called down the street, but she didn’t see the other witch.






Piper found herself in a white room. She couldn’t make out where the walls were from the brightness. “Chris!” she screamed. The Elder had sent her away, leaving her two sons at his mercy. She trusted them less and less. Their obstinate view of what she and her sisters should know was infuriating, their belief that the Charmed Ones destiny was to serve them without question was infuriating. “Wyatt!” she screamed, hoping that either of her orbing sons would hear her.

“Piper?” a soft voice asked from behind her. She turned, and ran into Leo’s arms, holding him tightly. “What’s happening?” he asked, feeling her tears burn his neck.

“We came up here to get you back, but they sent me here and they have Chris and Wyatt,” Piper explained quickly, her panic evident as she shook and furiously blinked away tears.

Leo held her close, breathing in the scent of her. “Chris can take care of himself. And he’ll take care of Wyatt as well,” Leo soothed, brushing her hair back with his fingertips.

“And you?” Piper asked. “Why have they kept you here?”<br>
Leo stepped back and shrugged, looking away. “They were trying to decide what to do with me.” Piper bit her lip, fearful of the consequences of his absence from her life. “They were talking about recycling, of sending me back to be reborn.”<br>
“Why?” Piper squeaked out, her concern growing.

“I have Elder duties that I must attend to. They see my family as a distraction. They can’t take my powers from me, but they can’t have an Elder just flitting off to earth.”<br>
“Clip your wings,” Piper suggested quietly.

“I tried,” Leo said, tears beginning to brim his eyes. “It’s not the same as being a Whitelighter. I can’t just give up my powers. They need to be passed on.”<br>
“So pass them on,” Piper begged.

“There will be no one ready to take them for years, Piper. Elders are born and there are none on earth at the moment.”<br>
“But, you weren’t supposed to be an Elder. It wasn’t supposed to be in your destiny,” Piper reminded. Leo shook his head. “It wasn’t.”<br>
“Destiny changed,” Leo said. “My destiny became so much greater when you loved me,” he whispered, kissing the side of her neck.

Piper leaned back and wiped away Leo’s tears with her fingertips. “I just want to be with you, with my husband, the man I love. I just want to be allowed to love you without all the stress of magic. I just want my family.”<br>
“It’s all I want, too,” Leo replied, kissing her softly. “I love you so much, Piper. I love you. I don’t want a new life. I want this one, any one with you.” His lips crashed to hers, drinking her in and Piper found herself pushing the thoughts about Chris and Wyatt’s eminent danger and Leo’s probable rebirth. All she could think about was hopefully having another baby boy to remind her of the man she loved.

[Nite Owl]

“Wyatt!” Phoebe gasped in surprise. Immediately, Tasha dropped to the floor, transforming herself into a snake. She relaxed and became human again when she realized that the Wyatt that appeared was a toddler who Phoebe scooped up into her arms. “What are you doing here? Where’s you mom?” Wyatt’s arm stretched high above his head, pointing upward. “Where’s Chris?” Wyatt’s little arm bent at the elbow, still pointing up, but not as high.



Bianca stabbed the blade into the round table that she had etched a star into, a pentacle, a symbol of her wiccan heritage. Too often growing and more often in recent years, it became easy to forget that she was anything more than a killer, but she was. She was a witch, too. She looked at the small pot on her make due altar and started tossing in herbs, silently thanking Piper for keeping a store of spell components here at P3. “Bring forth the souls of those trapped here. Bring forth the spirits trapped within. Show me the life that has been taken. Release the powers of three witches.” She bit her lip, seeing that nothing was happening. She had to be right. She had to. And then the blade itself began to smoke, as if on fire from deep within. Tears of relief stung at her eyes, even as she readied herself to face whoever or whatever would appear. The smoke thickened and gathered until three familiar forms stood before her.





Phoebe ran up to the attic with Wyatt in her arms, Tasha and the twins right on her heels. Paige, of course, beat them by taking an orbing short cut. “What happened?” Paige demanded. Chris was standing in the room, facing away from them, staring at the sword in the stone that was no longer covered as it usually was. “Chris!” she shouted.

“What’s going on?” Phoebe asked anxiously. “What’s happening?”<br>
Then they heard the strangest sound, a sound that sounded so foreign coming from Chris: laughter. He was laughing.

“Why did they keep Piper? What’s happening to Leo?” Phoebe asked suspiciously, pushing Wyatt into Tasha’s arms as she took a step forward. “Chris!”<br>
“Chrissy!!” Pi shouted.

“Tell us what’s going on!” Paige demanded.

“I am currently being conceived in Heaven itself,” he said smugly, turning to face his aunts. Neither one had ever seen him smile so broadly. He was certainly a good looking kid. They both instantly deciding he should smile more.

“Really?” Phoebe asked excitedly.

”Right now?” Paige asked.

“In Heaven,” Chris teased.

“Yeah you!” Phoebe cheered. “Does this mean Leo is coming back?” she continued.

“I don’t know the details, but I am assuming yes. They won’t leave me without a guide again,” he said cryptically, his face absolutely beaming.

“Bianca left,” Tasha blurted out. She knew Chris would want to know as soon as possible, though she hated having to ruin his good mood.

“What do you mean she left?” he asked, the smile leaving, replaced with his usual gameface.

“She left,” Tasha repeated. “There was a demon attack. She knew them. One of them told her that the lord was coming. Here, to this time.”<br>
“Why would he risk that?” Chris asked, confused.

“The demon said that when you and Bianca, Leo and Piper came back from the future that you’d taken something with you that he wanted,” Phoebe explained. “You didn’t take anything from him, did you?”<br>
“Just a knife in the gut,” Chris spat sarcastically. Paige and Phoebe looked at eachother, suddenly getting it. Chris realized it to as he looked around, searching the attic for the knife that had almost taken his life. It wasn’t there.

Paige saw him close his eyes, the familiar wrinkle appearing between his eyes. She followed suit, trying to sense as he was, but she’s been unsuccessful in finding Bianca earlier like that. The phoenix had somehow been blocking her. But, then she felt her sister’s presence. “That’s funny,” she said. “Piper’s at P3. So’s Phoebe.”<br>
“I’m right here,” Phoebe barked.

“I can’t sense Bianca,” Chris said quickly, not having heard his aunts. “Damn it!” he shouted in frustration. That’s about when a hole blew out of the roof.




“Thank you,” Piper sighed, her relief obvious. Bianca just stared at her would-be mother-in-law. “Are you all right?” Piper asked, trying to give the young woman in front of her a reassuring smile.

[Nite Owl]

Bianca nodded dully, not knowing what to say. She’d expected them to appear for a moment before dissipating to the heavens. Maybe stick around for a moment as translucent spirits in gleaming white robes to say thank you, but then that would be it. But, no, they were here, the Charmed Ones. And they were solid and breathing and real. Older than the ones here, but the Charmed Ones none-the-less. Piper especially. And then Bianca relaxed when Piper seemed to smile at her, telling her that everything was fine and then Piper reached forward, wrapping her arms around Bianca in a tight hug. Bianca felt tears in her eyes. She hadn’t felt a hug like that since she was little. It was a hung of appreciation and pride and love.

Piper leaned back, smiling still. “Let me look at you,” she said. “I’ve never really had the chance.” Bianca wiped the tears from her face and hoped to make Piper’s approval. “I can see why he loves you,” Piper said softly. “Now, down to business.”<br>



“Not good, not good, not good!” Phoebe said quickly as she cowered in the hallway with her sister, two daughters, nephew and Tasha. They all cringed when there was another explosion.

“What is going on?!” Paige complained.

“I think Chris just got Piper’s powers,” Phoebe said. “Wyatt, take them to uncle Darrell’s,” Phoebe said, grateful that the orbs signaled the disappearance of Pi, Pay, Tasha and Wyatt. “Chris!”<br>
“I can’t make it stop!” he shouted, completely panicked.

“Sit on your hands!” Phoebe shouted. Another explosion rattled the house. “Sit on your hands!” There was a long pause in the noise. “You sitting?”<br>
“Yeah!”<br>
Phoebe grabbed Paige’s hand and dragged her behind her into what was left of the attic. What was left of the house at this point. “Oh, my, God!” Paige gasped, looking around. There was barely any roof left, and holes were punched through walls.

“The neighbors!” Phoebe gasped, running towards the gaping hole that had once been the windows.

“I don’t care!” Chris shouted. “Back to me!” Paige looked at him and tried not to laugh. There he was sitting in the middle of the floor, Indian style, on his hands, looking like a kindergartener waiting anxiously for story time. “What is happening?”<br>
“You got your mom’s powers,” Phoebe explained nonchalantly.

“Why now and didn’t she freeze stuff first?!”<br>
“True,” Phoebe explained, still looking at the gathering crowd. “Paige, you better start working on some memory dust.” Phoebe walked around to sit in front of Chris. Phoebe frowned when she saw the scared, panicked look in Chris’s eyes. So unlike him. “Freezing came from startlement and fear. Anger, and more importantly frustration brought about the exploding. The more frustrated you get, the more out of control it is going to become. Now, you’re an empath. You can control emotions. You need to control your own.”<br>
Chris nodded. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. “I don’t have time for this. I need to find Bianca before Wyatt shows up here. And, I need to be at full strength, full control,” he muttered. He closed his eyes again, trying to keep himself calm. “Why now?” he muttered.

“Aha!” Paige shouted. “I knew I had some!” Phoebe looked to see her pulling out a small pouch of memory dust from the rubble. “Let’s do this,” she said, gesturing for Phoebe to help her. Phoebe took the pouch, sprinkling the dust as Paige used her powers to spread it through the air, hitting the gathered crowd. “Let the object of affection become but a dream, as I cause this seen to be unseen,” the said together.

“Back to me!” Chris shouted impatiently.

“Now there’s that whiny impatient brat we knew before we knew who you were,” Paige commented.

“You have to find Bianca,” Chris growled, hopping up and down while still sitting on his hands.

“Why? She’s a big girl. She can take care of herself.”<br>
“But I have to be the one to face Wyatt. I’m the only one strong enough to stop him if my mother is still up there, thus no Charmed Ones, when he shows up,” Chris argued.

“Still not getting what that has to do finding Bianca,” Paige said.

Chris growled. He stopped, taking a long deep breath before standing up. Both sisters jumped back, cringing at his hands. He stepped over to the sword that had become part of the decorations of the attic. He reached, his hand wrapping around the hilt. It felt so natural. And when he pulled, it felt like he was pulling it from water rather than rock. “Because I need her train me how to use this.”<br>
“That’s Wyatt’s!” Paige argued, her brow wrinkling in confusion. “He used it to vanquish whatshisname.”<br>
“Anyone can wield it,” Chris said. “But only the bearer and the guardian can draw it.”<br>
“But Piper is the Lady of the Lake,” Phoebe pointed out. “She’s the guardian.”<br>
Chris laughed, looking to his aunts. “And what would that make me?” he laughed. His humor disappeared quickly. He stared at a spot behind his aunts. They both turned, confused by what they saw. Bianca was standing there with, well, with them. They glanced back at Chris, seeing his eyes red rimmed and tear filled.

“I found some people,” Bianca said softly. “They can’t stay long, but they wanted to see you before they left,” she said, her eyes never leaving Chris.

“Mom?” Chris asked, his eyes stuck on Piper. Paige and Phoebe looked at her, this version of Piper, with a shining silver streak through her dark hair, a sad smile on her face. She stepped forward, sweeping Chris up into her arms.

Paige and Phoebe both turned to face their future selves. Paige didn’t notice much of a difference. Her hair was dark and long, and her clothing was covered with a black robe. But, she hadn’t seemed to age much. Phoebe, on the other hand, was in shock at what she saw. Her future self was wearing a thick leather vest and fatigue style pants. Her hair was braided tight to her scalp. Her skin was pale, white. There were knives strapped to her. She could see the scars on her arms, one on her neck. She could only imagine scars hidden beneath the clothing. And her eyes didn’t quite sparkle. And their future selves simply watched their sister and nephew embrace.

[Nite Owl]

****

“Why do we have to wait here?” Pi complained as she paced.

“Because your mother asked you to,” Tasha said easily as she played with Wyatt on the floor of Darryl’s spare bedroom.

“But—“ Pay started to argue, but Tasha interrupted.

“You just met her. Do you really want her to think you’re bad girls?” Tasha coaxed. She heard the murmured ‘no’s of the twins. “That’s right. We are going to sit here and wait until they call for us to come back.”<br>
“Who are you all again?” Darryl asked from the doorway. “I mean the only reason I haven’t shot you all is because Wyatt there seems to trust you and I’m told he’s an excellent judge of character.”<br>
Tasha smiled up at the man who had taken them in temporarily. “Do you really want to know?” she asked with a teasing smile.

Darryl chewed his bottom lip nervously. “Probably not,” he answered before leaving them alone again.






“I don’t understand,” Chris said, when he’d pulled himself from his mother’s embrace. “How?”<br>
Piper smiled sadly up at her son, her sweet boy. “We were all trapped.”<br>
“Trapped?” Chris asked, momentarily confused. “I don’t—“ He then saw the athemae Bianca held by the blade that had been wrapped in a towel. “No,” he said, shaking his head, looking back at his mother. “No,” he said again, backing away from her. Phoebe felt the guilt flowing off him in waves. “I should have known. I should have found you.”<br>
“No!” Piper admonished, reaching forward to take his hand.

“There was no way for you to have known,” older Phoebe said quickly, stepping forward. “You couldn’t have known.”<br>
“I should have,” Chris argued again weakly.

“We don’t have a lot of time,” older Paige reminded. She turned, looking at the younger forms of herself and her sister. “Could we have a moment with Chris?”<br>
“But there is so much—“ younger Paige started, only to have her sister lay a hand on her arm, stopping her argument.

“We’ll be in the kitchen,” younger Phoebe offered.

Chris watched them leave, and the older versions of themselves looked around the attic. It was so different. So strange being here. “What was it like in there?” Chris asked suddenly, gesturing to the athemae as Bianca set it on the side table.

“We saw everything through our bearer’s eyes. Heard everything we were in the same room as,” Phoebe explained.

“Then you know—“ Chris started.

“We know that that sword belongs to you,” Piper said, pointing to the sword that had dropped neglected to the floor. Piper bent to pick it up. “Never leave it unprotected. If it is not in your hand, it should be in that stone, do you hear me?”<br>
Chris nodded, taking the sword from her and then turning to place it back in the stone. “Things aren’t looking too good,” Chris said.

“I don’t know. You’ve managed to get yourself conceived,” Paige laughed.

Chris was nice enough to blush. “I still have to worry about the Warren sisters and Wyatt’s impending arrival.”<br>
“You can’t do anything to the Warrens,” Phoebe reminded flatly. “That lies in the hands of the Charmed Ones.”<br>
“They can’t do anything either, not without risking the powers from the entire line,” Chris argued, feeling his hopelessness return, his frustration. “I couldn’t even,” he started, gesturing towards the athemae. The table beneath it exploded. “Not to mention my inability to control that,” he muttered, stepping back to drop onto the couch and sit on his hands.

Piper laughed, a hearty, musical sound. “I remember that,” she laughed. “When did you get my powers?”<br>
“About five minutes before you showed up here,” Chris shrugged.

“About the time you were released from the athemae,” Bianca pointed out, knowing it was too much of a coincidence.

“It makes sense,” Paige offered. “If Chris was destined to gain your powers, but not until after the time in his life when you died, he wouldn’t have gained them if they were trapped.”<br>
“I gained sensing while you were trapped,” Chris scoffed.

“From you father,” Piper said quickly.

“If you were in the athemae, why didn’t Wyatt use your powers?” Bianca asked. “I’d seen him use all the others, thought they were his own. But he never used Piper’s, or empathy.”<br>
“He didn’t use empathy because he didn’t like to feel emotion, let alone multiple ones. It made it difficult for him to control things. He feared it,” Phoebe explained.

“As for my powers, he felt they were weak, useless,” Piper said.

“Because they have no effect on witches,” Chris finished.

Piper nodded. She sat down next to him, her hand resting lightly on his shoulder. “You can control them, Chris,” Piper said softly. “You’ll need to be in complete control. You need to face Wyatt.”<br>
“I know. I also need to know how to use that sword,” he said, looking up at Bianca.

As Piper went about explaining how to use her powers to Chris and Bianca started thinking about a way to train Chris in swordplay as quickly as possible, Phoebe gestured to her sister to leave with her. Paige nodded and slipped from the attic, Phoebe soon following after grabbing the athemae from the pile of rubble that used to be a table.





“There are so many questions I have for them,” Paige complained, pacing the kitchen.

“I know, but we need to give them time with Chris. Chris needed to see them more than we did.”<br>
“But—“

“You should go to Darryl’s and get Wyatt, Tasha and the girls,” Phoebe said.

“Later,” her own voice continued. “We need to talk first.” Warrior Phoebe stood in the doorway with her sister, Professor Paige. “I think I’ve figured out a way to stop the Warren demons without endangering the line’s powers,” she continued, stabbing the athemae into the butcher block countertop.

“That will still kill them,” young Paige pointed out. “It killed you.”<br>
“No,” Professor Paige said, starting to see all the possibilities. “It killed our physical bodies and trapped our souls, our spiritual essence.”<br>
“And on a demon it will kill the body, but there is no soul.”<br>
“But there is a spiritual essence,” Professor Paige continued. “If you trap that essence, the powers will remain alive and within the line.”<br>
“How are you solid?” Phoebe asked suspiciously. “You’re ghosts, right?”<br>
Professor Paige shrugged. “They’re giving us time to settle ourselves with Chris,” she said, pointing upwards, indicating the Elders. “We figured this is more important.”<br>
“So we have a plan,” young Phoebe said, taking the blade from the countertop. “We just have to find them before Chris is born.”<br>

[Nite Owl]

“No!” Warrior Phoebe shouted, all three of the others staring at her, confused. “You have to stop them before Wyatt comes here. You have to stop him from returning to this time. Chris will kill him.”<br>
“I wish I could be upset by that,” young Paige shrugged, “But we’ve seen what he’s capable of, what he does. He deserves to die.”<br>
”Chris would never forgive himself if he killed his brother. God help him, he loves Wyatt. He wants Wyatt safe and happy and good. Even after everything Wyatt has done, Chris hasn’t been able to bring himself to do that. If he does it now, it’ll kill him too.” Warrior Phoebe looked at her other self and the two forms of her sister. “I know him better than any of you. It was him and me for a long time. I don’t want him to have to murder his brother, no matter what.”<br>
“Wyatt!” Tasha shouted as the group materialized in the kitchen. “I’m sorry,” she started muttering, noticing Phoebe and Paige. “I think he was bored with being at Uncle Darryl’s”<br>
Warrior Phoebe gasped, tears instantly in her eyes at the sight of her two daughters. Before they even had the chance to react, she had them in her arms, weeping. “My babies. I’m so sorry for leaving you. I shouldn’t—“

Phoebe watched herself, feeling the pain and regret she held for leaving her daughters as orphans, even though she knew they were raised with love and care, never without love, she still managed to hate herself for leaving them. “Mom?” Pi asked, pulling out of the tight embrace. She then looked up at the other Phoebe. “You’re like our real mom?” she asked the woman who still had a hold on her and her sister. Warrior Phoebe smiled broadly, nodding happily, tears still spilling.

“We have to go,” Professor Paige said sadly.

“But—“ Warrior Phoebe started. She stopped herself and nodded. She stood up, taking a little girl in each arm as she started for the stairs. Professor Paige and Tasha with Wyatt in her arms followed, leaving the younger versions of Paige and Phoebe behind.




“It’s time,” Professor Paige said softly when they entered the attic. Piper looked up at her and nodded, standing from the couch beside Chris.

“No,” Chris snapped automatically, jumping from his place to take his mother’s hand, hold her there a moment longer. “Please, I-- There’s so much that I—“

“Shhh . . .” Piper soothed, laying a finger over his lips to keep him from continuing. “I’ve been watching you. I am so proud of you, Christopher. You know that, right? You know how strong you are? How caring and capable and smart? I am so proud of you.”<br>
“Don’t go, please?” Chris pled quietly, tears stinging his eyes, pushed away by a brush of his arm over his face.

“We have to,” Professor Paige said. She stepped forward, hugging him tightly.

“But—“ Chris started, only to have Warrior Phoebe leap into his arms.

“Thank you,” she whispered, still holding him tightly. “Thank you for taking care of my babies.”<br>
“But Prue—“

“You’ve done more than I had any right to hope for,” Phoebe said.

“I miss you,” Chris admitted, feeling tears on his neck as Phoebe cried in his arms.

“I miss you too, kid,” Phoebe said, releasing him and wiping his own tears away with her thumbs.

Piper pushed her way in, hugging Chris tightly. “I love you. Never forget that. I love you so much,” she said quietly.

“Piper,” Paige reminded, tapping her wrist impatiently. “Time for the afterlife. I’ve been waiting for ten years.”<br>
Phoebe made a face. “It’s not like we aren’t going to cease to exist when this gets fixed.”<br>
“All the more reason to want to see the afterlife now,” Paige retorted.

“They won’t let us stay any longer,” Piper said from her place in her son’s arms.

“I don’t understand why,” Chris mumbled.

“Because the Charmed Ones of this time need to do their own job and you need to do yours. You have to protect them,” Piper said. “Protect all of your family.” Chris nodded. Professor Paige began to fade, followed closely by Warrior Phoebe, as she waved good-bye to her young daughters.

“No!” Chris yelled, when his mother began to fade.

“I’m so proud of you, my baby boy. I love you,” she said as she disappeared.

[Nite Owl]

“Again!” Bianca shouted, watching as Chris went through the pattern of thrusts and parries. “Again!” she shouted. She nodded at the two young girls, watching as they did as they were directed, throw fire and ice at their Chrissy. Chris deflected the attack with the blade absorbing the powers. Then on instinct, he twisted the blade to face a tree at the edge of the field. From the tip of the blade, the fire and ice shot out, destroying the tree.

He stopped, turning back to face Bianca. “I can feel what it wants me to do. I—“

“It’s teaching you itself,” Bianca confirmed. “What about you new power?” Wordlessly, Chris flicked a hand at another tree, sending it into splinters. Bianca went to duck, but then noticed that the splinters hung in the air, frozen in place. “Wow,” she breathed.

“I have really precise control of it,” Chris said quietly. “It has to be the sword, helping me.”<br>
“What do you mean?” Chris shrugged and flicked a hand again, this time at Bianca. She braced herself to explode, but then felt the burn on her stomach. Her belt buckle was gone, but she was completely unharmed. “Did your mother have control like that?”<br>
“No. She could aim well, but never really stop things around her target from being harmed.”<br>
Bianca nodded sadly, watching the emotions play across Chris’s face. They both knew what was coming, what it may mean. “I hate to say it, but I think you’re ready to face him.”<br>
Chris nodded. “We need to get back to the manor.”<br>





Paige pricked her finger, dropping the blood into the steaming kettle. She looked around the room. “Nothing,” she announced. “I can’t call them through blood.”<br>
Phoebe slammed down her crystal. “No luck scrying for them.”<br>
Paige groaned. “Let’s think about this. They have to be in the city. They have to already be planning Wyatt’s turning.”<br>
“The hospital,” Phoebe shouted. “Piper said that they were pretending to be a doctor married to another doctor and their daughter. Maybe we should start there?”<br>
Without another word, Paige took her sister’s hand, orbing them into a linen closet at the hospital. After checking whether or not the coast was clear, they stepped out into the hallway and approached the nearest nurse’s station. “Excuse me,” Paige asked. “We’re looking for a Dr. Black.”<br>
“Are you a patient?”<br>
“No, it’s a personal call,” Phoebe offered.

“Which Dr. Black?”<br>
“Maggie.”<br>
“Her shift doesn’t start for an hour, but her husband is here,” the nurse offered.

“Husband?” Paige asked, feigning surprise. “When did she get married?”<br>
The nurse laughed and then leaned forward in a conspiratory whisper. “Just last month. It was a big scandal!”<br>
“Why?” Phoebe asked.

“She just started working here a month ago. Within three days they had eloped!” the nurse gossiped.

Phoebe and Paige gave eachother a knowing glance. “We’ll wait to see her, if that’s not a problem, but we’d like this to be a surprise.”<br>
“Oh, I can keep a secret,” the nurse promised. Paige and Phoebe again exchanged a knowing glance, but only smiled at the nurse. “She checks in here before she starts her shift.”<br>
“Perfect!” Paige squealed with mock excitement.





“Thanks, Darryl,” Chris said, shaking the police officer’s hand.

Darryl gave him a confused smile and looked again at the group of people he barely knew who were usurping his guest room. He only thanked fate that he had a guest room. “Dinner’s in a couple of hours,” he told all the kids, before he closed the door on the group and disappeared.

Chris ducked down in front of the two little girls he had raised. “I got to go to work,” he said softly.

“You going to be gone long?” Pay asked.

Chris thought long and hard about it. “I don’t know, Pay Day. I’ll be gone for as long as it takes to get the job done.”<br>
“It’s dangerous,” Pi said flatly.

“Isn’t it always?” Bianca said.

Chris pointed to his cheek, waiting for usual response, which was given readily, both girls kissing a cheek. “We’ll be back to get you as soon as possible,” he said, hugging both girl’s tightly. “I love you.”<br>
“I love you too,” they both echoed. Chris released them and stood to give Bianca her chance with them. She wrapped them both tightly in her arms. “Love you, B,” they both said softly. Chris watched as his three girls whispered to each other.

He turned to Tasha, wrapping his arms around her. “I don’t know what’s going to happen.”<br>
“I’ll protect them,” she responded. “You be careful.”<br>
“I will.”<br>
Bianca stepped over to say he goodbye to Tasha and Chris picked up young Wyatt. “You be good, big brother. Promise me you’ll be good,” he tried.

“Bye, Kiss,” Wyatt said. Chris’s eyes looked shocked. Wyatt had never spoken to him before. He had no idea the little boy knew his name.

“Bye big little bro,” Chris said in reply before handing the toddler off to Tasha. He rounded Pay and Pi up in one last hug before taking Bianca’s hand and orbing them both away.





“There she is!” Phoebe said quietly, pointing with her chin to the nurse’s station. “You ready?”<br>
“Ready,” Paige agreed, standing and walking quickly to the linen closet.

Phoebe stood slower, walking over to where Maggie Black, also known as Margaret Warren, also known as the demon Makith, stood thumbing through charts. “Excuse me, are you a doctor?” she asked, grabbing Makith by the arm, rushing her towards the closet.

Makith’s eyes widened in surprise, recognizing the woman who held her, but before she got her wits about her, she was grabbed from the otherside and disappeared in a swirl of orbs. When she reappeared, she was trapped in a crystal cage.





“How long do you think we’ve been up here?” Leo asked lazily, his fingertips running along the smooth skin of Piper’s bare arm.

“Not long enough,” Piper answered lazily. “If this is all the time I’ll have with you, not nearly enough,” she answered, curling tighter into her husband’s chest.

“You have responsibilities on earth.”<br>
“So do you,” Piper argued.

“Remember when I first brought you up here? You were gone a month and it felt like a few moments. You could have been gone a year already,” Leo said sadly.

“It hasn’t been that long,” Piper said quietly. “I would know.”<br>
“How?”<br>
“For one, Chris would have been born. Seeing as we just conceived him,” she smiled.

“You knew when he was conceived.”<br>

[Nite Owl]

“He had some math figured. I did some more. And we just made a baby destined to save the world,” she said happily. Leo smirked, then laughed, then kissed his wife and gave her an encore.








“You know who we are and we know who you are,” Paige said.

“So kill me,” Makith said quietly. She was sitting calmly in the cage, looking completely human, completely normal, and her voice was soft and comforting. She looked around the inside of the club with odd interest.

“We also know that killing you would destroy our line,” Phoebe said. “But we know what you’re planning. We want to negotiate.”<br>
“Negotiate?” Makith laughed, though she seemed honestly intrigued.

“Yes,” Paige said quietly. “We can’t kill you without harming our line. But, if we don’t kill you, it also will harm our line. We want to find a way that you two get to live and our line gets to live on as well.”<br>
“Summon your sister so we can talk,” Phoebe said.

“Summon yours,” Makith shrugged.

“Our third sister has been kidnapped by the elders,” Paige groaned. Makith laughed. Phoebe rolled her eyes. Paige continued. “Our only other hope of finding your sister is to use your blood to summon her. We have no qualms about cutting you.”<br>
“Open this cage and you’re sitting ducks,” Makith replied. Makith rested her hands on her knees and closed her eyes. Paige saw the light on the other side of the cage begin to bend, then shimmer and then another woman appeared.






“Ready?” Chris asked, waiting for his brother to appear as he paced the attic.

Bianca nodded from her place trying to remain calm on the floor. “We get him out of here. First and foremost, we get him out of here. A battle here would destroy the manner. A battle here could destroy half the city.”<br>
“We get him to the field that the girls and Tasha have been camping at. It’s clear and we’ve warned the magical folk there to stay away.”<br>
“It’ll be a good place for a battle,” Bianca agreed.

“Any place is a good place for a battle with you by my side,” Chris said quietly, smiling down at Bianca.

Bianca smiled back and stood up, wrapping her arms around Chris’s neck. “I love you.”<br>
“I love you too,” Chris replied, before kissing her softly.

“Well if it isn’t my little brother and my wife, come to greet me,” Wyatt said as the portal closed behind him. Chris and Bianca broke apart, both their faces turning hard and cold as they faced Wyatt. “It’s a pity she betrayed her king.”<br>
“You always liked to think of yourself that way,” Bianca spat. “Me as your Guinevere? Chris as your Lancelot.”<br>
“It’s an apt analogy,” Wyatt commented airily.

“Except I’m the king, aren’t I big brother?” Chris asked, lifting the sword from the stone.
************

[wickedwms]

Kalvana, let me be the first to beg for an update at the new location! [shadow=red,left,300]Please I am begging you! No funny emoticons to show you how I am begging, but I am. It has been 2 MONTHS! We are dying to see an update to this great story! [/shadow] I hope all is well and you have found your way to the new location. ;D

[P3CharmedWriter]

please update soon. If u changed ur screen name, could u tell us. (as I did, I was formely known as WhitelighterK)

Please update son! I can't wait!

[P3CharmedWriter]

O, now I feel stupid. Again. Lol. I hoope she joins and updates soon!

[CanadianHalliwell]

I need to go to sleep, but I can't. I want no I need an update to magically appear so I can finish reading this story, so hurry up? I am on pins and needles waiting for an update.

Sometimes I wish some of you writers wrote the actual epsiodes instead. They are much better!

P.S. Maybe you could change the date on the subject line so others will know it was updated since the move.

[charmedbyphoebe]

a freind told me about this story saying how totally awesome, fantastic and wondeful it was. she has a nack for understatments!!! Please update soon!! I am not above begging!! I couldn't put this down. Great job MCharmed!!!

[scifi]

Actually, a writer named Kalvana is the author. MCharmed is the mod who posted it here.

You see, when the old Cafe closed down, the mods were nice enough to move these stories to the new board, which took a lot of hard work on their part. Unfortunately, that means that the authors of the stories are not listed on the main page. The mods did, however, make sure the author of each story was credited in the first post, so I try to check there to see if it's a story the mods moved or a brand new one.

Speaking of this story, Kalvana, we really are eagerly awaiting an update. I hope everything works out so you can start posting again.

scifi

[kalvana]

“But I’m the king, aren’t I brother?”<br>
“You think you understand now, but you don’t!” Wyatt shouted. “You can’t see your own burden. You can’t see what’s happening! You can’t see what that blade will do to you!”<br>
“I see things clearly enough,” Chris growled back calmly. He could feel the power in the blade he held. He could feel it emanating from the sword. The sword was angry.

“No, little brother. You don’t. Does he, Bianca?” Wyatt snickered.

Chris wasn’t buying it. He didn’t turn to face the woman he loved. He didn’t allow Wyatt to distract him, not this time. “You shouldn’t have come here. It’s almost over.”<br>
“Almost doesn’t count,” Wyatt shouted. Before Chris could blink, energyballs appeared in his brother’s hands. He blocked one easily with the sword. But the other was no where near him. He felt the pain emanating from behind him and knew Bianca had been hit. He was focused. He attacked.

Bianca looked up from her place on the floor as Chris attacked. The two brothers disappeared in a swirl of orbs. She knew where Chris would take them. She immediately shimmered, reforming in the field where the brothers fought. Wyatt was on the defense; something that she had never seen. Wyatt attacked haphazardly, tossing energyball after energy ball at Chris who used the sword to reflect and absorb the energy balls with ease. Wyatt paused a moment, seeing that his little brother had barely broken a sweat in his own defense. It was all the time Chris needed to fire all the absorbed magic at his brother in a hailstorm of energy balls.

“I don’t want to kill you, Wyatt,” Chris said simply.

Wyatt glared at his brother. “You say that as if you can!” Orbs began to swirl around him and with his telekinesis, he began tossing the summoned objects, potion bottles. Chris froze them in the air. One by one flinging them back at Wyatt before they broke. They could fight this all day: telekinetic tug of war, but Wyatt let the potion bottles through, let them hit him with seemingly no effect. Chris frowned in confusion.

“Summons,” Wyatt shrugged. Chris barely had time to figure what it meant when the field filled with demons blocking his view of his brother.

Chris swore beneath his breath as he dealt with the task at hand, a myriad of attacks from a myriad of demons. He used his newly inherited powers, blowing them up one by one as he used the sword to defend himself. He was amazed at how at ease he felt with the sword in his hand. It was a part of him, as sure as his own hands were. He was practically entranced by the rhythm he had created, until a shrill scream cut through.

He glanced up, seeing Bianca on the ground. Wyatt stood above her, looking worse for wear, but still standing. Chris watched in horror as an energy ball struck Bianca. She stilled in her place on the ground, a puddle of blood growing around her and a charred hole in her chest.

Chris couldn't explain it, couldn't explain how he moved. Rage had taken over, rage and frustration and hatred, all emotions he had so desperately tried to keep locked away. He let them tear through him. He watched Wyatt stumble away from the emotional attack, blood dripping from his nose.

Wyatt shook his head, trying to brush off the affects, trying to regain control. He began muttering lowly, spinning a spell to negate the effects of his brother's emotional turmoil. Wyatt watched his brother mourn over the phoenix that had once been his queen, his wife, his consort. He watched his brother mourn a woman he had just killed. He wished he could feel as Chris did. He wished he had loved her, but he didn’t have it in him to love. That was removed a long time ago. He had been left with only greed and ambition. And Chris had taken what was his.

He launched a volley of energy balls, the first struck Chris, tumbling him to the ground beside his dead lover. But Chris recovered, raising the sword to defend himself, directing it to absorb the energy, redirecting it back at Wyatt.





Moskah moved quickly, kicking away a crystal to free her sister, who had been distracted long enough for Phoebe to get in a swift kick, knocking the demon sisters into each other and separating the two pairs of sisters to opposite sides of the room.

“Shimmer and we’ll only follow!” Paige shouted, bringing the room to silence.

“If the chase begins, I’m willing to bet that you would tire first,” Makith replied.

“We want to negotiate,” Phoebe tried.

“Are you crazy?” Paige cut in. “We don’t negotiate with demons!”<br>
“These aren’t just demons!” Phoebe argued. “They’re family.”<br>
Moskah smiled slyly. “That’s right, half breed. We’re all family here.”<br>
Phoebe stepped in between Paige and their demon cousins before the youngest Halliwell sister tried to claw out some eyes. “And in trying to keep the peace, I think that we can not call each other names,” she suggested.

“I’m sorry, sister, but I agree with the half-breed,” Makith said. “There will be no negotiating with them. They have nothing with which to negotiate it. Nothing we want.”<br>
“We’ll offer you anything in our power to give you,” Phoebe said quickly.

“There is nothing--” Makith snapped be fore being cut off

“Yes!” Moskah interrupted. “There is.” She turned back to Makith. “They can deliver our betrayer.” Moskah smiled as she turned towards Phoebe and Paige. “We want Melinda.”<br>
Phoebe nodded. “If you swear an oath in blood that you will not attempt to harm or persuade anyone of our line ever again, we will deliver Melinda to you.”<br>
“Phoebe, are you crazy?” Paige shouted.

“Do we have a deal?” Phoebe said, ignoring her sister’s protests.

“We have a deal,” Makith smiled, stepping towards Phoebe with her hand raised. The simple sliding motion, sliding her hand into the palm of a demon's raised the hair on the back of the witch's neck. Phoebe held firm to her demon cousin’s hand as she sank the blade into her gut.

“Makith!” Moskah screeched, charging at Phoebe too late to stop her sister from bursting into flames as she was vanquished. Phoebe was pushed to the ground, the demon on top of her, clawing at her.

Paige couldn’t clear her head, wrap it around what was going on until a fireball appeared in the demon’s hand. She reacted, shouting for the athemae lying forgotten in a pile of ash. Paige stabbed, amazed at the ease in which the sharp blade slid through the demon's flesh. Phoebe's life was more important than their powers any day, but then she felt it. Even as flames began to dance in front of her, she felt the power of that blade, the anger and the rage that was inside it, trapped along with the demons' essence and the power they had passed down through their sister Melinda.

When the flames cleared, Paige stood with the athemae still clenched in her hand. Beneath her, Phoebe lay still on the ground, scorch marks from the fireball marking her chest and neck. Paige dropped the blade and fell to Phoebe's side, moving to cradle her sister as tears began to flow.





“Enough!” Chris shouted, pulling himself from the ground telekinetically, up righting himself to square off against his elder brother and the bane of his existence. “You have taken everything from me now, Wyatt! Everything I love! Everyone I love! Everyone I hold dear!”<br>
"Not everything, brother. There are still our little cousins. And I may have taken the Charmed Ones of our future, but those of this time? You love them as well, more than as family, but as friends and allies!" Wyatt laughed. "And if I'm not mistaken, that's Phoebe dying now!" Chris just reacted, taking the moment to sense his aunt, giving Wyatt the chance he needed to attack.

Chris felt the energyball explode against his chest, felt the burn tear through him as his grip on the sword faltered and he dropped to his knees.




“Phoebe!” Paige screamed, trying to keep her sister with her. “Leo!” she screeched, her voice cracking as she screamed through her tears. “Leo, please!” She felt herself breath again when orbs appeared, but the form that appeared was not who she was expecting. "Wyatt?"
**********

[CanadianHalliwell]

Oh my Gawd!! That was absolutely, nail biting fantastic! Please update again real soon

[scifi]

Oh, Kalvana, I am so completely thrilled that you're updating again. Once again, you didn't disappoint. Well, maybe a little, but that's just because you've left us on yet another cliff!

Anyway, the update is utterly fantastic. Using the emotions going through Chris at Bianca's death to faze Wyatt (loved the description with the nose-bleed) is brilliant. And you have Paige in a similar situation, cradling a dying sister. And now Chris is hurt and Wyatt's after the sisters...Ahhh, the cliff! I'm hanging on by my fingernails!

Finally, the Warren sisters are trapped in the athame, so I expect we'll start to see lots of very interesting things happening in these closing chapters. I think I know where you're going with it, but I'm not going to say anything, because I could either 1) spoil some people, or 2) come up with a completely wrong guess and make myself sound stupid, lol. I will say, though, that I hope you update really really really soon!

scifi

[kalvana]

Leo hopped from the bed as his heart constricted, his chest tightening to the point that he could barely breathe. Piper looked up at him from where she was, wrapped in silken sheets. “What is it?” she asked worriedly.

“It’s—“ he choked out. “Too much,” he gasped.

“Leo?” Piper prodded, stepping beside him, trying to get him to focus.

“Bianca, Phoebe, Chris, oh God Chris!” he managed.

“Get us out of here!” Piper demanded, grabbing onto Leo, preparing to orb, ignoring the fact she was wearing only a sheet.

“I can’t,” Leo ground out. “They won’t let me orb.”<br>



“Phoebe!” Paige screamed, trying to keep her sister with her. “Leo!” she screeched, her voice cracking as she screamed through her tears. “Leo, please!” She felt herself breath again when orbs appeared, but the form that appeared was not who she was expecting. “Wyatt?”<br>
“Aunt Paige,” he said coolly.

“Where’s Chris?” she managed to get out as she moved to shield Phoebe with her body.

“Incapacitated,” Wyatt said quietly, lifting the sword he had held behind his back. “I want him to feel this. Where are the girls?”<br>
“Who?” Paige asked. Wyatt stared at her without responding. Paige couldn’t help but breathe an audible sigh of relief when she heard Phoebe gasp a breath. She was thankfully still alive.

“Chris’s precious little Charmed Ones. Where are the little brats? I’ve killed Bianca, but I want hi, to feel their deaths and their terror.”<br>
“I won’t let you do that,” Paige spat.

Wyatt stepped around her, easily pushing her away when she tried to stop him. “If you don’t tell me where they are, I’ll kill her. If you do, I’ll heal her so that she might have the chance to bear them.”<br>
Paige looked between her sister and her nephew and back to her sister, wiping tears from her eyes. “I—“ she choked back her response as her tears began again.

“Oh, Aunt Paige!” Wyatt cried impatiently. “Never could make a decision!”<br>
“Can’t you just sense them for yourself?” Paige snapped.

Wyatt laughed. “Of course not, never could! I could only sense my parents and aunts, unless I was called. I always used yours. Why do you think I took it?”<br>
“Because I interrupted!” Paige spat, laughing. “Couldn’t succeed in killing Chris!”<br>
“Is that what he told you?” Wyatt said, seemingly amused as he looked over the edge of Excalibur.

“That what I saw! That’s what he showed me! He allowed us to see exactly what you turn out to be!”<br>
Wyatt laughed again. “Did you ever think for even a moment that he could show you anything he wanted? He could have shown you anything.” Paige’s certainty faltered a moment, but she quickly realized Wyatt was trying to throw her. She’s seen it; she knew what he was. “He is more powerful than you can imagine, more powerful than he may ever realize!”<br>
“Jealous that little brother can kick your ass?” Paige asked.

“He’s dying, right now, from my hand,” Wyatt said. Paige thought about it for a moment and realized that Wyatt was telling the truth. Chris was in pain and struggling for breath. “Tell me where the little brats are and I heal Phoebe!” Wyatt demanded.

“Heal her,” Paige said. “Heal her first!” Wyatt smiled triumphantly and Paige almost choked at how much he resembled his father. Wyatt knelt and laid a hand on Phoebe’s chest, a warm yellow glow emitting. “How do you heal?” Paige asked. “Leo’s healing comes from love and it is so obvious you have none in you,” she growled.

Wyatt shrugged. “My powers obey me, not the other way around,” he said.

Phoebe gasped into awareness, trying to get her bearings when she felt herself being dragged to her feet by an extremely firm grip on her collar. Then there was a sharp point against her back and Paige began to come into focus in front of her. “Tell me!” Wyatt demanded again.

Paige only shook her head. “Excalibur!” she shouted, watching as the blade formed in her hand.

Wyatt only shook her head. “Paige!” Phoebe gasped in warning as she felt what had replaced the blade: an energy ball, ready to explode against her spine.

Paige bit her lip. “They’re at Darryl’s”<br>
“Of course,” Wyatt laughed.

“Phoebe!” Paige shouted, before Wyatt had a chance to go back on his promise. She fell to the ground as Phoebe reformed in her arms, just in time for the energy ball to explode against the wall and Wyatt had disappeared.

Phoebe scrambled to her feet. “Orb us over to Darryl’s!” she said frantically.

“No,” Paige said, shaking her head.

“You told that monster where my daughters are!” Phoebe screamed. “I will not let them die!”<br>
“Defend them now with your own life and they will never be born!” Paige screamed back. She saw her sister’s indecision, anger, sorrow at the thought and thanked the Elders that she didn’t have Chris’s powers. “We have to get to Chris!” she shouted, suddenly remembering that her nephew was dying.




Tasha jumped up, hoping to greet Chris when the orbs appeared. Unfortunately, it wasn’t Chris. “Lord Wyatt!” she gasped, moving between him and the three children Chris had asked her to protect.

“At least someone remembers who and what I am,” Wyatt scoffed, scanning the room quickly for the girls.

Tasha stepped into his field of vision again. She swallowed back her fear as she shifted into the beast she’d been when she first arrived in this time, this time with sight. “You will not hurt them,” she shouted, bearing teeth. She lunged at him, managing to slash him across the chest with her claws, knocking him backwards into the wall.

Wyatt pulled himself from the floor, wiping blood away from his split lip as he looked down at the deep slashes in his chest. “That hurt!” he shouted. Tasha only growled again. From behind her, a blast of ice licked at Wyatt, as he dodged from it. Tasha slashed out again. “I’m not in the mood for games, little girl!” Wyatt shouted.

Tasha felt the pressure in her throat as she was lifted from the floor, felt the air squeezed away. She shifted back to her true form as she began to lose consciousness, unable to hold the beast. “I wonder if Chris loves you?” Wyatt mused before his hand, seemly holding air, squeezed shut and her neck audibly snapped.

“Tasha!” Pi screamed, grabbing Wyatt’s attention from the dead girl as he flung her out of the way. Both girls raised their hands, preparing to fight against their cousin, until a wavy blue wall appeared in front of them, blocking them from their target.

Wyatt stared at his younger self, willing him to understand that it was his own will to kill the girls his childish self was protecting. “Drop the barrier,” he said quietly. His younger self shook his head at him. “Drop the barrier!”<br>
“What’s going on in there?!” Darryl shouted through the door. Wyatt raised a hand to telekinetically hold the door shut. “Tasha!” Darryl shouted.

“Tasha is dead!” Wyatt snapped back. He heard the pounding stop as Darryl digested that information. “I will kill you, Pay, Pi!”<br>
“Chris won’t let you!” one of them snapped. Wyatt couldn’t tell which.

He let fly an energy ball; one after another smacked against the barrier, fizzling against it. “I know for a fact that he can’t hold that barrier forever!” Wyatt shouted at the girls. “Chris is dead,” Wyatt said smugly.

“Nuh!” little Wyatt yelled.

“Yes, he is!” Lord Wyatt shouted back.

“Nuh!” little Wyatt responded.

“Y—“ Lord Wyatt started, before biting his tongue as he realize he was not only arguing with a baby, but himself as well. “He will be soon.” Wyatt watched his younger self begin to disappear in orbs, taking the two little Charmed Ones with him. "Damn it," he muttered to himself as he moved to follow.

[CanadianHalliwell]

Oh my, that update had me sitting on the edge of my seat . Please you must update again soon!

[wickedwms]

[glow=red,2,300]

Oh my Gosh!!

[/glow]What a treat! I go away and come back to TWO updates. Kalvana, you definitely do not disappoint! Those were both great action packed updates. Please keep them coming. You have me on the edge of my seat while I read this (at work and setting a bad example for my employees) LOL! Where is the bouncing, thumping, jumping emoticon when you need one!

[silenttypewriter]

First of all, thank you for the updates!! You have no idea how long I've been waiting for you to update this story. I absolutely love it! You MUST update it again soon =) Second, I just love that last little bit when future Wyatt was arguing with his younger self... He's evil and all, but that was just so darn cute! Anyway, keep up with the great writing!