Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed, show or characters. I do own the plot of this story. Jordan is mine, too.
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On The Edge
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The night was cool, but uncomfortable as it wrapped around her with a sense of foreboding. The sun had gone down hours ago and a slight mist had settled over the street as she walked. No stars could be seen. It could have just been her paranoia courting her psyhcic powers, but whatever it was, she shivered.
Phoebe had woken up at home, feeling emotions that she knew weren't hers. She had driven to her sister's club, finally having the sense of mind to scry and find the source of the spike of feelings. She had eventually pieced together that the emotions picking at her belonged to a certain moody whitelighter.
She could feel the range of emotion emanating from him and it puzzled her. It was like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, which, she guessed, after what he had cryptically told them, he did. She knew something had been bothering him, but she hadn't known to what extent.
As she walked into P3, the air became stiffled by a haze of emotions, nearly knocking her off her feet. These feelings were completely unprovoked. Weren't they? She was sensing regret, frustration, helplessness and… guilt? What did he have to feel guilty about?
Walking a little unsteadily down the stairs, she looked up and immediately stopped at the bottom, surprised at what she saw.
Chris was sitting on one of the bar stools, his head resting on his folded arms. A raglay haphazardly next to him and he appeared to be sleeping. She was told otherwise when he heaved a great sigh and blew all the air out into the cacoon of his arms.
Phoebe was suddenly bombarded by those feelings of regret and frustration, with so much power behind the emotions that she stumbled. This seemed to catch Chris's attention. He straightened and regarded her stiffly.
"Phoebe? What are you doing here?" Chris asked, guarded curiosity reflected in the emerald pools.
"I was just uh…. checking on something for Piper." She said quickly, hoping it would be enough. It had completely slipped her mind that she would need a valid excuse if she was to get by without garnering suspicion from the furtive angel.
"Yeah. Right." Chris replied sarcastically, not believing her for a second. Slipping off the stool, Chris picked up the rag and threw it into the trash bin behind the counter. He walked around to the back office, Phoebe following worriedly. Chris began packing potions and weapons into a black bag. He paused in his work when he noticed Phoebe in the doorway.
"Can I help you?" He asked pointedly and, to her, a bit impatiently.
Deciding not to beat around the bush, Phoebe got right to the point. "Chris, what's wrong?"
"Nothing. Why?" Came the automatic response.
Phoebe sighed, obviously worried, but getting annoyed with Chris's secrecy. "Chirs, I need you to be honest with me for once. Soemthing is bothering you."
"Really?" Chris replied sarcastically. He snorted and turned back to the bag he was packing, and did a double take before pulling out a glowing blue potion and stuffing it in his pants pocket.
"Chris, your emotions are going crazy. That's what dragged me here!" That hadn't been the right thing to say.
Chris turned back to her, his eyes ablaze. "You had no right to tap into my feelings!"
"That's what I'm saying, Chris, I didn't have to. You're a neon billboard! What's going on!" Phoebe cried, obviously at the end of her rope with Chris's lies.
Chris turned away again, zipping his bag forcefully before pulling it over his shoulder and exiting the back office briskly.
"Chris!" Phoebe called after him, her face contorted in anguish. He didn't stop. "Chris, please!"
In a moment of weakness, Chris stopped, but didn't turn around. He had heard the real anguish in her voice and he wanted to kick himself for causing it.
"What do you want me to say, Phoebe? Of course my emotions are blazing! I'm trying to prevent the world from going to hell and you and your sisters are fighting me all the way! I'm bound to be a little frustrated!" Chris exploded, turning furiously on Phoebe, who was shocked at the amount of frustration coming from the whitelighter, but most from the sorrow flooding his eyes. "You guys don't trust me."
"Chris, I-" Phoebe began, holding her hands up in a shrugging gesture.
"Just don't." Chris held his hand up, squeezing his eyes shut, a frown marring his handsome features. "Look, I have to go." He said shortly, huffing his bag onto his shoulder once again and orbing out, leaving Phoebe staring open mouthed.
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"Piper!" Phoebe called, walking into the house a little hurriedly. It was late and she hoped that her sisters weren't asleep yet. "Piper! Paige!"
"Phoebe! Phoebe, what?" Piper came barreling down the stairs in her pajamas, Paige right behind her in her nighty and an open robe.
"Piper, I think we should give Chris another chance." Phoebe said, spitting the words out as fast as she could.
Paige and Piper deflated at the statement, Paige rolling her eyes and Piper sighing disapprovingly.
"Phoebe," Piper whined, exasperated with Phoebe's actions. "We've been over this. I don't ever want to see him again." Piper said impatiently, dismissing the subject.
"But Chris is-" Phoebe began.
"Evil. Phoebe, he let a demon into the house! How do we know that he's not the one who turned Wyatt?" Paige said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"How do we even know if Wyatt was turned at all? I mean, for all we know, Chris could have come back with the express purpose to turn Wyatt!" Piper declared, defending her twice-blessed son.
"Yeah, but see, Piper, I didn't get that vibe from him. He was-" Phoebe was cut ff yet again.
"You went to see him? Phoebe!" Paige reprimanded her older sister.
"Will you just listen!" Phoebe screamed, finally exploding. At her sister's shocked expressions, she swallowed. "Yes, I went to see him, but I don't think he's evil. What I felt from him was genuine. I think he really wants to keep Wyatt from turning evil." She took a breath and added, "And we haven't really been making it easy for him."
"How do we know we can trust him?" Paige said suspiciously. Piper glanced at Paige before turning to her other sister.
"What did you feel from him, Phoebs?" Piper asked, a genuinely curios spark in her eyes.
Phoebe sighed. "I felt... an overwhelming sense of frustration and regret from him. Piper, he feels like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders." She looked pleadingly at her sisters.
"Where is he now? I want to talk to him." Piper said, sighing. Paige nodded in agreement.
"Um…" Phoebe suddenly look alarmed.
"What?" Paige asked, becoming startled by the distressed look on her sister's face.
"I think he went demon hunting. He had a bag full of potions and weapons and he looked determined to kill something." Phoebe said anxiously.
"He'll be back." Piper said dismissively as she started to walk back up the stairs.
"Piper!" Phoebe hissed.
Paige was silently observing. She could see how worried Phoebe was and she was beginning to wonder if she should worry, too. "Piper, the demon wasn't doing anything bad- sure, it was a little unorthodox-"
"Paige! Have you and Phoebe lost your minds? It was a demon! A demon, Paige!" Piper fumed. "He let a demon in the house and he put my son in danger. I can't forgive him for that. I won't. If I ever see him in this house again, I'll kill him, no questions asked."
"Sweetie, you can't kill a whitelighter." Paige said gently.
"Piper, you don't mean that." Phoebe said with an anguished look on her face. She had a really strange feeling that their neurotic, annoying, possibly untrustworthy wightlighter needed help. And she felt strangely compelled to find him. She reached for Piper to try to calm her down and was suddenly thrown into a premonition as she touched her sister's hand.
The cave was dark, the light of the torch providing only a flickering vigil. In the center of the cavern was a group of demons. They had surrounded something. A flash of emerald. Chris.
Phoebe sucked in a breath as she returned from her premonition. What she had seen left her uncharacteristically shaking all over.
"Phoebe what did you see?" Paige asked.
"Chris," she breathed with wide eyes. "In trouble."
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More later.
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