2026

"You have to do this, Ava." My sister said, the light in her eyes fading more and more. "Please. Its up to you now. Just go."

I stared down at my sister, my hands shaking as I saw the life leave her eyes. "Katlyn?" I asked frantically, grabbing her shoulders. "Katlyn?" My body shook with my sobs as I held my sisters lifeless body against me.

"I'll do it, Kay." I said, determination in my voice. "I'll do it. And then, when I get back, this will be fixed." I slowly got to my feet, grabbing the spell from her limp hand. "I will save you, Kay. Even if it means saving him first."

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2005

I shifted anxiously outside of Halliwell Manor, my story repeating itself over and over in my head. I had to do this. It was the only way to save my sister- and my mother. And my friends. The only way to make things the way they should have been.

I slowly reached out my hand, then pressed the doorbell. I heard voices inside, so I knew they were home. I just hoped they believed me.

The door swung open and I felt my breath catch in my throat. "May I help you?" Piper Halliwell asked me, her brown eyes regarding me cautiously.

I took a deep breath. "Piper. I know this is going to be really hard to believe, but I have to talk to you. Regarding your son. May I come in?"

Piper's eyebrows shot up and her expression turned slightly colder than before, but she held open the door for me anyway. I stepped inside the manor, and the door closed instantly behind me. "Talk." She said, her voice hard. "Who are you?"

"My name is Ava Jenkins." I said, knowing she wouldnt recognize the name. She and the sisters didnt meet my mom, Billie, for another two years. "And I am from the future."

Piper stared at me a moment, then let out a groan. "Not another one." She muttered, turning and walking down the hall.

"Excuse me?" I called after her. "Another one?"

She motioned for me to follow her. I quickly made my way into the next room, then felt myself freeze completely. Standing there was a young man, a man I knew for a fact was three years older than myself. He had dark hair, which was currently a complete mess, and jade green eyes. Eyes that were currently regarding me in complete shock.

"Ava, what the hell are you doing here?" Chris Halliwell asked me, his expression closing off completely.

I fought to school my own expression. Out of all the things I prepared myself for, coming face to face with my ex-boyfriend was definitely not one of them. "My guess is probably the same thing you're here for."

"So, you're here to save Wyatt too?" Phoebe asked, her eyes staring straight into my own.

I nodded, going along with whatever story Chris had created. "And you two know each other?" Piper asked, her gaze shifting from me to Chris.

"At one point." I muttered, ignoring the annoyed glance Chris shot me.

"We grew up together." Chris said, avoiding the questioning glance Phoebe shot him. He turned to me, his eyes hard. I felt a pang in my chest but I ignored it. Or, I tried to anyway. I had a lot of practice. "I have this all under control, Ava. You can go now."

"I'm not going anywhere." I snapped, glaring. I looked around, finally noticing the playpen in the room. I felt myself tense when I saw the blond baby in there. Wyatt. Then I noticed the other baby. A baby with a snakes tongue-

"You have everything under control?" I asked Chris, turning my eyes on him incredulously. "Then why is there a demon in the playpen?"

I heard someone snicker- probably Phoebe. Chris just glared at me. Piper knelt down beside the playpen, letting out a sigh. "I tried to separate them." She told me, her own eyes amused as she looked from me to Chris. "Wyatt just orbed himself back down here."

"Of course he did." I muttered, rolling my eyes. "What if you distract Wyatt and I take the baby?" I suggested, joining her by the playpen.

"Its worth a shot." Piper said, then preceded to play a game of peek a boo with her son. But Wyatt just stared at her, not into playing.

"I dont think distracting him is the answer." Chris said sarcastically, shooting me a glare. I glared back instantly.

"Okay, Wyatt. Bad demon, very bad demon." Piper said, scolding her son.

I heard footsteps and turned instantly, only to see the youngest Charmed One walking toward me. "Darryl needs- who're you?"

"This is Chris's friend from the future." Piper said, her eyes amused once again.

"We aren't friends." I said instantly, though I smiled at Paige- who was always my favorite. "I'm Ava."

"Paige." She said, smiling at me. "Well, I'm off." She told her sisters, walking toward the door.

"You're just going to let her go?" Chris demanded of Piper, disbelief in his voice.

"You're welcome to try and stop her." Piper told him sarcastically. I hid a smile. Apparently, Chris didnt exactly tell his mother who he was.

"You know, I should go try and talk to Jason." Phoebe, standing.

"And her too." Piper said as Chris shot her yet another look.

"Wait, stop. Where are you going? Aren't you slightly concerned that there is a demon in the house?" Chris asked, staring at his aunt.

"Chris this is a baby. And you." Phoebe said, turning to her sister, "You call me if you need anything." Piper nodded as Phoebe walked by Chris. She shot him an annoyed glance on her way by. "Stop."

"I need to figure out what kind of demon we're dealing with here." Chris said in annoyance, turning toward the stairs.

"So, I'm taking it that you two aren't exactly the best of friends." Piper said to me, her eyebrows raised. "Odd if you two grew up together."

"Our parents were friends. And so were we- at one point." I muttered, letting out a deep sigh.

"Ava!" I heard Chris yell from up the stairs. "Get up here!"

I rolled my eyes as Piper chuckled. "Look, Piper. I know its hard to trust us, with the way we just showed up here. But I promise, we really do have good intentions."

"Ava!"

I let out a sigh. "He never did learn to be patient." I muttered, turning away from Piper and walking up to the attic. "Yes sir?" I asked sarcastically as I saw him turning pages in the Book of Shadows. He glanced up at me, a frown on his face.

"What are you doing here?"

"I thought I already answered that question." I snapped, sliding into one of the chairs. "Chris, I didnt know you were here. I just- Katlyn came up with this plan to come back here and stop whatever demon got to Wyatt."

"So why didnt Katlyn come back?" Chris snapped, not removing his eyes from the book.

I felt that familiar pang in my chest. Of course, he would rather have her- or anyone else- here except me. "Because she's dead."

He finally turned to me, eyes wide with shock. "He killed her last week. I'm all thats left of my family." I told him, my voice hard. "So, I'm sorry if you dont like the fact that I'm here, but youre going to have to get the hell over it. Because I'm not leaving until this is fixed, and I have my family back."

"Ava-" I stood swiftly, walking out of the attic and ignoring whatever it was Chris was trying to say to me. I quickly walked back to the conservatory, sitting beside the playpen as I watched baby Wyatt.

Billie, my mother, had been friends with the Charmed ones for years. I was born only a year after my mother had been forced to kill her own sister. Well, me and Katlyn. We were twins. We did everything together. And now, I was here, and she wasnt. My mother had been killed at the same time as Piper. I was eleven.

That drew me and Chris closer than we had been previously. Before then, I had always been Chris's annoying little sister. But after the event, I bonded with him enough to quickly move into the best friend slot. Katlyn was Melinda's best friend, the daughter of Piper.

I was fourteen when Chris and I moved into the "more than friends" category. I loved him. Even at fourteen, I knew it wasnt just a little crush. We were together when everything with Wyatt started. We were together when Melinda was killed by her own brother. When Paige and Phoebe, as well as their families, had been killed.

I was seventeen- almost eighteen- when Bianca came into the picture. Chris had been attracted to her since day one. I guess I was a fool, trusting him the way I did. But I had truly believed that he wouldnt do anything to hurt me. And then that day happened.

"Ava, you know I love you." Chris told me, his hand tightening against mine. "But, sometimes I dont think its the kind of love we think it is. And now, with Bianca, I'm sure its not."

"What are you saying, Chris?" I asked, pulling my hand away from him and letting the tears fall down my face. "Are you breaking up with me?"

He looked at me, his own eyes hard. "Yes."

'"For her?" I demanded, standing angrily.

"Be rational, Ava." Chris said, shaking his head. "I love you, you know I do. I just-"

"Is it for her?" I asked once again.

Chris hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Yes." He said softly.

"Get out." I demanded.

"Ava-"

"Chris Halliwell, I never want to see you again. I hate you." I said shaking my head. I watched with hard eyes as he stood.

"I do love you, Ava. Just not as much as I love her." He told me softly, then he disappeared in blue lights.

I waited until the last light faded before sinking to the ground, tears falling from my eyes.

"You okay?" Piper asked, coming back into the room with her eyebrows raised.

"Fine." I told her softly, still staring at the babies. "I just- I never expected to see Chris again. I guess it just- well, I wasnt prepared for it."

I felt Piper's eyes on my, studying me, but I didnt look at her, nor did I offer anymore information. I heard footsteps on the stairs and I swallowed hard.

"Vicious demons with supernatural strength and venomous claws." Chris said, obviously reading from the book. "Manicors communicate in high pitched cries and tend to travel in packs." He paused, and I knew if I looked at him he would have a sarcastic look on his face. "Great, well, I say we get rid of the little brat before the pack comes looking for him."

"Okay, great, what do you suggest we do, call social services?" Piper asked him sarcastically as I chocked back a laugh.

"No, I suggest you vanquish it." Chris snapped.

"Chris I'm a mother, I cant go around vanquishing babies, no matter how evil they are." I let out a chuckle at that, thinking how much easier my life would have been if she had.

"Its not how evil he is, its how evil he's going to be. You have to stop looking at him like a little baby. and start looking at him like he's an unstoppable killing machine, cause thats what he is." Chris argued, obviously ignoring me.

I tuned out the conversation, instead thinking about how my own life had got so messed up. My mother and sister were dead. I had no idea what had happened to my father. The guy I was in love with was in love with a demon. Wyatt, who had always been like a big brother to me, was trying to have me killed. Melinda, Patty, Prue- all were dead.

"I cant to it." Pipers voice cut into my thoughts.

"Okay, well if you wont listen to me, maybe you'll listen to Leo." Chris said, orbing out of the room. I raised my eyebrows as I thought of how that must be for him. Chris had never had a great relationship with his father. This couldn't have been easy for him.

"So, I've been thinking." Piper said, sliding down to sit beside me on the couch ."There seems to be a little tension between you and Chris. Care to share? Kind of hard to trust you when you hate our white lighter."

I felt my eyebrows shoot up at that. Their white lighter. Hah. "Bad breakup." I said bluntly.

"Ah." Piper said knowingly. "His idea, I take it?"

I nodded, letting out a sigh. "Oh yeah." Piper shot me a sympathetic look.

"Well, Chris has been staying at P3, in the back room. I suppose you could stay here. You'd have to use the couch."

"Thanks." I told her gratefully, letting a small smile escape. "That sounds great."

She smiled at me, then went back to staring at her son and the demon child in the playpen.

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I heard voices coming from the attic later that afternoon, and I slowly walked up the stairs.

"Maybe Chris was right." Phoebe said, her voice resigned.

I walked in, rolling my eyes. "That would be a first." Piper shot me an amused glance and I shrugged. Phoebe ignored my comment.

"Piper you said it yourself, he was born evil." She argued.

"Why doesnt Wyatt think he's evil." Piper replied once again looking at her son.

Phoebe glared, then went to pick up Wyatt. "You stay away from my nephew." She said to the demon baby.

"No, Phoebe put him down." Piper said, standing quickly. I instantly frowned, ready.

"Why?" Phoebe asked.

A demon shimmered in, startling the middle Charmed Sister.

"Thats why." Piper said.

Wyatt instantly threw up his shield as the demon struggled to get to the baby.

"Get away from my kid." Piper demanded, hitting him with he magic again and again. I grabbed my head as fire appeared in front of me, then it shot at the demon. It hit him right in the chest, but didnt seem to effect him what so ever.

The demon grabbed Piper, making me holler out, but before I could move, they were both gone. I ran over to Phoebe, helping her stand from where she was thrown. "You're a fire starter?" She asked me.

I nodded, not liking the subject. I had my aunt Christy's powers- something I was never really proud of. You know, considering she was evil and my mother ended up having to vanquish her own sister. "That and I'm telepathic." I said bluntly, "Call Paige. We need to get Piper."

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Phoebe sat scrying, and I was looking through the book for the mystery demon when Paige walked in. "I feel bad that I wasnt there." She said, going to sit by Phoebe/

"I dont think you could have helped if you had been there." Phoebe told her, explaining the attack.

I turned them out as they started talking about how to get to Piper. I couldnt find that damn demon in the book anywhere, and it was like nothing I had ever seen before. It just didnt make sense to me.

I glanced up as I heard orbing. Chris and Leo were there, both of them glancing around the room.

"Hey," Chris said to the sisters, not even looking at me. I rolled my eyes as Phoebe shot me a sympathetic look. Oh, right. Empath.

"Dont wake the baby." Paige said, frowning as she looked at the playpen.

"Where is Piper?" Chris whispered,.

"Good question." I muttered, still flipping through the book.

"Wait, she's missing?" Leo asked, his eyes landing on me.

"Did the Manicors take her? Chris demanded, coming to stand beside me as I flipped through the pages.

"No." Phoebe responded, "Some other creature that wanted the baby did. And it wasnt affected my Pipers powers, or the fire starters over there." She said, nodding toward me.

"Dammit, you should have listened to me." Chris said, his voice clearing aggravated. "You should have vanquished him while you had the chance."

"Its good we didnt." Paige responded. "We're going to need the baby to get Piper back."

Leo and Paige start arguing over genetics but I wasnt listening as I was to busy getting yelled at my Chris. "What is the point of you even being here if you cant protect her?"

"Hey, I tried, okay. It didnt work, it was like it didnt even hit him." I snapped back, my eyes narrowed. "And where the hell were you?"

"Listen, Ava-"

"Just go." I snapped, shaking my head. "I told you I never wanted to see you again, and it wasnt just in that time."

He sighed deeply, then followed Leo as they orbed out. "What about that potion?" I asked the two sisters. They both exchanged looks, ones that clearly said they weren't going to ask, and we got to work.

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"Hey Jason." Phoebe on phone about two hours later. "Cant really talk right now, busy."

"Who's Jason?" I whispered to Paige.

"Boyfriend." Paige answered back.

I heard whining and Paige and I shot Phoebe annoyed glances as the baby started to wake up. Phoebe's eyes widened.

"I really have to go now." She said, snapping her phone shot as one Manicore came. He moved toward me, hitting me across the face and sending me to the floor. I tasted the blood in my mouth and watched as Phoebe threw the potion, vanquishing him.

Two more appeared behind Phoebe, sending her flying. Paige moved forward, but she followed the same route as he sister. I concentrated, a fire ball appearing in front of me, but before I could attack, the demon that had taken Piper appears, killing one Manicore. The other one looked at him, then disappeared. The demon walked over to the crib, grabbing the baby.

Phoebe threw the potion, connecting with his shoulder, but the demon just howled, then disappeared with the baby. "So much for our leverage." Phoebe said, staring at the place the demon had been. I slowly sank down onto the floor, clutching my head.

"You okay?" Paige asked me, rushing to my side.

I nodded, blinking my eyes frantically, "Yeah. We need a stronger potion."

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"This had better work." Paige said as she took a sample of the blood the demon had left. Apparently, the potion had at least wounded him.

"It will." Phoebe said as she cast her worried eyes on me. "Are you sure you're okay?"

I nodded, though I knew I wasnt. I held a washcloth to my head, trying to stop the bleeding. "Yeah, I'll be okay."

Phoebe opened her mouth to say something, but blue lights appeared in front of us, making her cut off.

"The elders are in agreement, if we cant return the baby safely to the Manicors-" Leo started.

"We'll vanquish it." Chris finished, his eyes landing on me and a frown appearing on his face.

"Talk about your moot point." Paige responded, moving over to the potion once again.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chris asked, moving forward and grabbing the washcloth from my hand. He looked at my head, his frown growing larger.

"Notice anything missing?" I asked him sarcastically, grabbing the washcloth from him.

"The baby?" Chris asked, finally looking around the room. "What happened?" He asked, once again ripping the washcloth from my hands and motioning for Leo to come over.

"The beast took him, right after the Manicore kicked our asses." I responded as Leo held out his hands, healing me. I closed my eyes and leaning my head back against the couch. I felt Chris sink down beside me, but I ignored him as I drifted off.

"That is way to risky." Chris's anxious voice broke in through my haze.

"Blood is thicker than water." Phoebe responded. I opened my eyes as Phoebe stood, walking over to Paige. "We'll be back."

"What did I miss?" I asked, blinking in confusion.

"They're going to make a deal with the Manicors." Chris responded from beside me.

"Who are you again?" Leo asked me, his eyes drifting from me to Chris.

"Ava Jenkins." I responded, leaning my head back against the couch once again and closing my eyes.

"And you and Chris-"

"Grew up together." Chris responded instantly. "Ava, what the hell were you thinking? A washcloth? You could have been seriously injured-"

"What was I supposed to do, call you?" I questioned, raising my eyebrows sarcastically. "No thank you."

"Ava-"

"If you'll excuse me, I need to lay down." I muttered, standing quickly and making my way out of the attic."

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I heard the sound of voices about an hour later, as well as Orbs. I quickly made my way into the room, only to see a man lying on the couch, obviously hurt.

"Who is he?" Leo asked as he healed the man.

"Where is the baby?" Chris asked over him, clearly not caring who the man was.

"Manicors have him."

"So the plan worked?" Chris asked, eyebrows raised in surprised.

"Yeah, a little to well." Phoebe replied

"Now we have to get him back." Paige said as soon as she cut off.

"What?"

"Paige will you go fill up some potion viles please, lots of them." Piper said to her sister, her eyes still on the man on the couch.

"Wait, are you serious? You finally get rid of the demon and now you want to risk your lives to get him back? " Chris demanded. I stood in the doorway, watching the scene in amusement.

"He's not a demon child." The man said, sitting up as his healing finally worked. He glared at Chris. "He's my son."

"How you feeling, you okay?" Piper asked.

"I cant believe I'm human again" The man said in awe, looking down at himself.

"Aren't you glad you didnt kill me?" Piper asked, a smirk on her face.

"Not funny, I dont think thats funny." Leo said to her, shaking his head.

"Agreed." Chris said, frowning. I chuckled from the entryway and Chris's head snapped around. His eyes landed on me, and for a moment I didnt see the cold shield I had grown used to since our breakup. I actually saw- my Chris. The Chris I loved before Bianca got to him. Then the coldness was back and he turned away from me.

"What are you two on the same team now? " Phoebe asked, her eyebrows raised.

"The sisters will get your baby back." I said from the doorway, staring at the man and ignoring the look Chris through me.

"We will." Phoebe said, agreeing with me after sending me a small smile. "I promise."

"Do we not have a say in this?" Chris demanded of Leo.

"No." Leo replied, a half smile on his face. "One thing you have to learn with being a white lighter is once they make up their minds, that's it. Besides, I'm a father first."

Chris opened his mouth to make a comment about that one, but I moved quickly, placing my hand on his shoulder. He looked down at me in shock and I shook my head. Do not blow your cover because of one stupid comment. I told him telepathically. He stared at me in shock for a moment, and I turned around to lean against the wall, avoiding his eyes.

"We're going to have to separate the baby before we attack." Phoebe said, ignoring the growing tension from the two young people. "You know that right?'

"Why?" He asked, frowning.

"Because the potion vanquishes Manicors. And your son is half Manicore." Piper responded slowly, shrugging. I got fed up with Chris's eyes on me, and quickly pushed my way off of the wall.

"I'll go help Paige." I said softly, walking out of the kitchen.

Paige sent me a sly look as I entered. "Ex-boyfriend getting to be to much for you?"

I frowned at her. "How did you-"

"Piper told me." Paige replied, shrugging. "And Phoebe's an Empath, remember? And besides," She said, sending me a smirk, "the way you two act? Either you had a bad breakup, or you tried to kill each other at one point. And since Chris didnt demand to get rid of you the second you walked through the door, I'm going to go with the first one."

I nodded, sinking down onto a chair as I watched her. Paige had always been the sister I talked to, the one that had become my mother figure after my own mother died. If I could talk to anyone, it was her. "It hurts." I finally said, my voice shaking. Paige glanced up at me, her face compassionate. "I mean, I never expected to have to face him again, much less in the past. I thought- I finally thought I could handle it, but I'm not ready for that. Not yet."

Paige nodded slowly, then looked toward the doorway. "Why dont you go to my room? I'm most likely going to go to Richards tonight anyway."

I shot her a grateful smile. "That sounds great." She smiled back, then grabbed the potions and made her way out of the kitchen.

I walked toward the stairs quietly, "Where is Ava?" I heard Chris ask.

"She's had a long day." Paige replied. "I told her she could use my room."

I walked up the stairs quickly, hoping he wouldnt come looking for me. Because, like I had told Paige, I didnt think I could handle it. Not tonight anyway.