Chapter 1
(A/N: This is a Charmed fanfiction set in the future. It concerns the next generation of Halliwell children and is told mostly by Chris in third person. It also contains an OC. Enjoy! ~ Marie Michaels)
It had been years since a big threat had tortured the Halliwells, as it should have been in their eyes. After years and years of sacrifice, they embraced all the peace and tranquility they received in their new, evil free days. There were, of course, demons and warlocks that would occasionally try a new plot to take over the world or organize the Underworld once again, but with the birth of a new generation, it seemed Good had a firm upper hand. Nowadays, the Charmed Ones needn't do anything now that their own children seemed to take over the duties.
And that was exactly what Chris Halliwell was doing with his brother and sister. His sister, Melinda, was working on a potion, being the best with mixing herbs. Wyatt had gone to speak with the Elders, hoping to find something that might have been forgotten to be put in the Book which Chris was currently flipping through. "Found it," he announced, scanning the page.
"And?" Melinda pressed, looking up from the smoking pot.
Chris closed the book. "I'm quite sure it's a Spider Demon."
His sister cocked her head to the side, a little smile dancing across her lips. "Didn't Mom once get kidnapped by a Spider Demon with you inside of her?"
"Yeah, and my alternate self got turned into one, too." he added with a shrug of his shoulders. He had been told the story many times as a child, even as he grew up. And strange enough, he had seemed to retain some of the memories, too. Faint, but he could remember them. Like the one of him punching his Dad which flashed briefly in his thoughts, making him wince.
The shining light of orbs materialized next to him, and soon solidified into his older brother Wyatt. "Well, they weren't of much help, nothing we didn't already know," he informed. "Just like you thought, Chris , a Spider Demon and they drain the life and power out of their victims."
Thinking for a moment, the middle child bit the inside of his cheek thoughtfully. "Which means that the Charmed Ones have to bless the potion." Melinda nodded, grabbing the ladle and pour the freshly brewed potion into a bottle. "And a good plan to lure her out of her lair."
"What are you three doing?" their Mother had just walked into the kitchen, a basket in her arms and Wyatt instantly went to take it from her arms, but she nudged him away, muttering, "I'm fine, now what are you talking about?"
"Spider-demon!" Melinda chirped, shaking the little bottle in her hand. "We need you, Aunt Phoebe, and Aunt Paige to bless the potion I just made to vanquish it."
Their Mother put the laundry basket on the table and instead walked over to her only daughter, taking the potion that was being given to her. As always, she analyzed it before giving the girl a proud smile which was returned with a smug one of her own. "It has my blessing," she stated easily, handing it over to Wyatt. "Why don't you go orb to Aunt Phoebe first, she's at home right now."
He nodded, before leaving in a flood of lights.
Chris moved to help his Mother, though she had tried to insist beforehand she didn't need it, he didn't listen. Always the stubborn one, she would say, making him smile. "So, what's going on between you and Diana?" she asked curiously, grabbing a shirt to fold. Melinda inched closer, listening with interest.
Giving his little sister an annoyed look, he tried his best to brush off the question. "Nothing, we've just been hanging out is all."
"Do you like her?" Piper asked, to which Chris did not respond to. "You know it's nothing to be ashamed of if you have a crush on her, Chris."
He hesitated a moment, folding a pair of his jeans before he answered his Mother's question with some reluctance. He knew, however, that there'd be no getting around it. "I'm not ashamed, I'm just worried about the whole secret thing is all." he said with a sigh.
"Ah." Melinda was now helping, too, listening quietly to the exchange. Their Mother said nothing, she simply had a thoughtful look on her face as she continued to fold clothes. Finally, she said, "Don't worry about it now. You're young, Chris, only 20 years old and you've always put your duties before life. If you like this girl, take the risk or else, how will you know?"
Chris smiled gently. "Thanks, Mom."
"Don't thank me," she said with a wave of her hand, though a smile lit up her face, too. "Thank your Aunt Phoebe, she had me read her latest writings." Both children laughed at their Aunt who always got quite excited when it came to love, and especially loved to give advice on it.
It didn't take much longer for Wyatt to return with the blessed potion. Piper left the room, letting them get to their business and the neo-Charmed Ones as they jokingly called themselves worked on a plan to vanquish the Spider Demon. They were crafty things and it wouldn't be easy to save the innocent she would be coming after soon. "We just need to tempt her with something more powerful," Chris had insisted.
"Like who?" Melinda argued. "That's putting one of us in danger and plus, she could sense the rest of us."
Wyatt shook his head. "Not if we cloak ourselves, then she couldn't sense us, right?" His brother nodded slowly, adding, "Right."
Their little sister pursed her lips, unsure of the plan. "Who'll be the bait then?"
Chris raised his hand and smiled almost sarcastically. So it was decided. The middle brother would be the bait to lure out the spider, threatening to vanquish her with a different bottle while his siblings were cloaked and held the true vanquishing potions. Melinda quickly whipped up the invisibility potion that their Aunt Paige had perfected years ago. Wyatt and her took it before they left and once they had been deemed invisible, and finished playing little tricks on their brother, orbed away.
"Why can't demons ever live somewhere pretty ..." Melinda muttered softly, glancing around the creepily dark cave that they arrived in.
Her brothers mumbled their agreements as they all adjusted to the dampness and lack of light in the tunnel. Chris manifested a single, bright orb in his hand to guide them, letting it float freely above his hand. The place was dreadful, filled with spiderwebs and decayed bodies that reeked. "Come on, lets go." he whispered, taking hesitant steps further into the cave.
Being guided by the light, they could clearly see the collection of bones that the spider demon had garnered over the years. It sent a shiver down all of their spines watching sets of bones as they went in further. A sadness, too, of lost innocents, but there was nothing they could do besides avenge their spirits. Which they would do, Chris thought to himself, clutching his potion bottle in his hand tightly. He knew it would do nothing, he was only meant to be the distraction, but it brought a sense of peace over him. Peace and confidence, making him stride a little bit quicker until he reached a corner.
They could all hear her. She moaned, she was feeding and Chris resisted the urge gag. It was almost as if she took sexual pleasure in draining her victims and he knew that his siblings shared the same look as he did. Extinguishing the light before the demon could see it, he held up his hand to let Wyatt and Melinda know to wait until the demon was thoroughly distracted. Chris inched inside the cavern until he was out in open.
"Hey Spidey, having a nice dinner?" Chris taunted, a smirk pulling up on his lips as he watched that thing stiffen and quiet down, then slowly turn around with bloody red eyes. His stomach twisting itself in knots, he lifted up his potion bottle. "I suggest you don't make things worse for you than they already are."
The demon let out a low chuckle. "And you think I'm afraid of you and that little potion?" her steps to him were more like a spider's prowl and her smile was vicious. "Because I'm not, not even your family could vanquish my sister ... they had to get an ogre to do it."
"Your sister?" he sputtered, blinking. Her smile grew.
"Yes, my little sister. She was quite foolish to think that the sisters wouldn't come after your Mother and you, but I won't make that same mistake." Baring her fangs and sharp claws, and she inched closer to Chris who was beginning to panic. "Especially since you fell in my web already ..."
"Wyatt, Melinda now!" Chris commanded with haste and as soon as those words let out, he saw two bottles come out of thin air, heading straight towards the demon. He looked almost haughty as they came rushing, but that look quickly faded as the spider demon spun around and effortlessly deflected the potions and watched as they hit the walls, leaving a bluish liquid behind.
They. Were. Fucked.
"Now who should I have first ..." the demon cooed, her eyes flicking around. "How about the littlest Halliwell, hm?"
It didn't hesitate, her hand shot out and looked to grab air, but it was obvious to Chris that she had gotten hold of Melinda by the neck. He tried to move her with his telekinesis, but the demon reacted instantly by shoot a web from her hands and sent him flying back until his back collided with the wall. Letting out a groan, he tried to move, but he was firmly stuck in her webs as she sent another shot towards his brother who became visible as he hit the wall. He, too, was not stuck, leaving their little sister alone with a demon and powerless.
"Mel ..." he tried to get out, but he could barely speak, his eyes already fading in and out of reality.
Someone help, he thought.
"Don't worry, little one, it won't hurt," she laughed wickedly, and as she closed her eyes, she began the feeding process once again. Little moans escaped her parted lips while Melinda let out whimpers, her strength leaving her and the potion began to wear off bit by bit as more of her power was drained. Where was Dad? Where was Uncle Coop? Chris tried to call to them, but there was no reply. The place must be protected and he had just led his siblings into a trap.
Struggling against his bonds tiredly, he didn't seem the flash of red that had snuck up on him. Before he could comprehend the images in front of him, Chris met the hard cavern floor and was quickly helped up after that. Everything seemed to be happening quickly, leaving him in a daze as his brain still felt a little fuzzy with the impact of the wall moments ago, but as forced himself to focus, he was shocked towards what he saw. Besides the demon feeding on his sister, Chris could now clearly see a girl with a mess of red hair helping his brother.
Don't say anything, a thought passed in his mind, but it wasn't his.
The girl held an athame in her hand and swiftly tore through the webs that held his brother, leaving him to meet to floor as he just had. Helping Wyatt to his feet, she turned towards Chris, bring her finger to her lips. She's distracted now. came that little whisper.
Yes, but how are we going to vanquish her, he thought in return, his eyes flicked to the spider demon who still held his sister that was now passed out. It was distracted now, yes, but they had no more potion. It had all been splattered against the wall.
An image flashed inside his thoughts.
The spider demon throwing a web at them again. Them deflecting it with their telekinesis. Her hitting the wall where the potion had been thrown. Vanquished.
Blinking, Chris's eyes met Wyatt's who seemed to be slightly more awake now. He seemed to share the same thought as his brother, it might just work. Nodding , it was agreed, that's what they would do. "Hey, you think you could get rid of us that easily?" Chris declared. "You've got another thing coming."
The spider demon's eyes shot open and she released their sister, letting her fall to the floor. No more harm would come to her now. The red headed girl snuck away unnoticed by the demon who had her eyes set on the brothers, lips pulled up in a sneer. "You're going to be a pest, aren't you."
"You're one to talk," quipped Wyatt with a chuckle, using his telekinesis to throw a rock at her which she flicked away with a movement of her hands.
She hissed. "You will die."
"Yeah, just not today." Chris stated, smirking back at her. The demon let out a little shriek of annoyance and seemed to use all her might to shoot the biggest webs that she could conjure. And they were flying right towards them.
Now.
The brothers lifted their hands and in unison, reversed the webs course from them to her. The demon, startled, was unable to react and was caught in the traps of her own web that continued to fly across the cavern until it hit the wall. The wall where the potions had been. "No!" she screeched painfully, a firing igniting itself from within her body and claiming her to Hell. Chris and Wyatt watched with pride as the spider demon was vanquished, even giving each other a clap on the back, but reality quickly came back to them when they heard Melinda let out a pained tortured groan.
The red head was bent over her, her mess of hair falling over her face. The brothers didn't waste any time then to rush towards their injured sister. Wyatt placed a two fingers on her wrist. "She's alive, but she's weak. We need to get her back home so Dad can heal her."
Chris barely heard him, he was too busy staring at the girl before him. "Who are you?" she looked up, face unfamiliar to them.
"The girl who just saved your life." she drawled lowly, meeting his eyes with the same distrust that he felt. Chris frowned, unhappy with her answer. "How did you find us?" he interrogated furiously.
She didn't respond, simply brushed her fingers across his sister's forehead. He grabbed the girl's wrist, tightly. "Answer my question." he demanded, glaring.
"Your brother is right, she's weak and she needs healing." she confirmed, glancing down at the girl with a hint of worry.
"That doesn't answer my-"
Wyatt interrupted him firmly, "Chris."
The middle child looked up into the face of his older brother. Sometimes he seemed to forget what his position was, that he was the middle child and not the oldest. By Wiccan law, Wyatt was the leader, not him, but most of the time it was almost as if Chris was the leader instead. Except in moments like these when his brother took on the role.
"She needs healing," he insisted, then turned to look at the girl and added, "I hope you know that we're not leaving you. We have some questions we'd like to ask you. You're coming to the Manor with us."
The girl didn't say anything, just nodded and kept her lips pressed in a firm line. She avoided looking at any of them. Wyatt looked towards Chris, his eyes clearly asking the question his mind didn't and wearily, he agreed to it. With a nod of his head, his siblings were gone in a flurry of blue lights.
"Come on," Chris said gruffly, holding out his hand, but she merely looked at it with curiosity. "Look, I have to orb you back to the Manor and I can't do that unless you grab hold. So we can either do this the easy way or the hard way."
The red head looked up, eyes burning with fire. "You know, considering I just saved your family's life, you're an ass." but she took hold of his hand with her dainty, pale hand. Chris said nothing, both shocked and too busy orbing each other back to his home.
