Title: Power of Two
Author: storydivagir [at] hotmail [dot] com
Disclaimer: The story of Charmed and the characters are not mine. Well, Eddie and Peyton are mine, but yeah, I'm mean no infringement.
A/N: This is a basically A/U story with original characters taken from the sixth season storyline. Feedback always appreciated.
Chapter One: Just Another Day at the Halliwell House
"You were supposed to stay at the school, Piper. We were going to handle things until after the baby was born," Leo replied. He motioned to Chris and said, "To keep the both of you safe."
"Well, I couldn't very well stand by while some outside force kept coming after my family, could I?"
Phoebe sighed, "Actually sweetie that's exactly what you're supposed to do."
"Yeah, we've got it covered," Paige added, though her voice inferred otherwise.
Piper crossed her arms over her chest and stated, "Whatever is going on might require the three of us." She motioned to Wyatt, "I didn't want to leave him at the school without me-but we need to keep him out of harm's way."
"Mom"
"Don't 'mom' me, Chris," Piper replied. She glanced at the mess in the living room from the attack and said, "What do we know about our attackers?"
"I got the feeling that this wasn't your normal get-rid-of-the-Charmed one's assault," Phoebe stated. Upon the bewildered expressions of her sisters, she explained, "They were afraid we were going to stop them from completing some sort of ceremony."
"What ceremony?"
"I don't know. Their emotions were too chaotic to read-but it's something bad."
"Isn't it always?" Paige replied.
"There is a group I've been tracking the past few months called the Scorios. They require large amounts of power and energy to feast on in order for them to continue to thrive. If they were to capture someone strong enough, they could become invincible," Chris explained.
"The Scorios? What kind of demon is that?"
"It's a bunch of different types of demons actually. It's the equivalent of a demon secret society. Their one goal is to find someone powerful enough to allow them to take over the world," Chris replied. He shrugged and said, "You must have some link to this power source that they're searching for."
"Or they think the three of you are a threat-"
"I don't know," Chris interrupted. He focused on his father for a minute and explained, "In the future, they're a very weak group."
"How do you know that?"
"Because Wyatt made sure of it."
"Oh," Piper replied. She didn't like hearing about her son as anything but the sweet baby he was at the moment-it was the one time she was glad that Chris remained so tight-lipped about the future.
"But something must-mom, you might want to get Wyatt somewhere safe. It's no secret that Wyatt possesses a great amount of power and this might be what happensmaybe they take him, but it ends up back firing."
"And turns Wyatt evil," Paige finished.
Chris shrugged and simply said, "Yeah."
"Great. No pressure there," Paige replied.
"No, I get the feeling they've already begun the process with whomever they've taken," Phoebe countered.
"It could be a trap to lure us out in the open and away from Wyatt," Leo replied.
"So you're telling me that there is some sort of gathering of demons that's forming-and they have some special leader to induct?" Paige questioned, glancing at her sisters before focusing back on Chris and Leo.
"If this is what turns Wyatt, they'll regroup and attack again," Chris replied. He had a weird feeling in his gut that told him otherwise though. Something about this whole thing wasn't right. He sighed and said, "Either way, it needs to be handled."
"Does this special leader need to be eliminated?"
Chris shrugged and turned to Leo. Leo said, "We have no idea if this leader is an innocent or not-I have faith that you'll be able to figure out what has to be done." He pointed to Chris and said, "I want you to stay here and watch Wyatt."
"No."
"It might be dangerous," Leo countered.
"Your father's right, Chris," Piper replied.
"If this is what turns Wyatt evil-then this is the reason I came back here."
"Son"
"I have to do this. Besides, it's still my job to watch out for them as their whitelighter," Chris stated, pointing to the three sisters.
Leo sighed and said, "You're as stubborn as your mother."
"Yes, and we all know that your father is always a man of reason," Piper countered with a roll of the eyes.
Chris smiled at that. He still harbored a lot of anger toward Leo, but as Phoebe pointed outthere was time to change things like that. Maybe his trip was to do more than save Wyatt, maybe he did still want a relationship with his father after all. He said, "I'll go check with some of my contacts-"
The sound of the doorbell interrupted the small pow-wow. The girls looked at each other, but no one moved. Piper said, "The house is a mess."
Paige replied, "Yeah, but we can't ignore the door. All of our cars are here and the lights are on. People know we're home."
"But what if it's Jason? I don't want to see him right now," Phoebe said.
When Paige opened the door, Chris winced at the voice echoing from the foyer. There was a bit of shouting and Paige ended up flying through the air. He saw Piper and Phoebe ready to react as a young guy busted into the room and pointed at Chris. Chris had to move quickly and orbed over to the guy to move him out of the line of fire. When they reappeared, they were met with four sets of curious gazes.
Chris hadn't even had time to let the appearance of this person sink in until that moment. He glanced at the young man and said, "How the hell did you get here, Edward? And exactly what was that back there?"
"Who's Edward? Do we know an Edward?" Paige questioned as she rubbed her shoulder from where she hit it on the ground.
"We don't, but Chris appears to," Piper replied with a nod in her son's direction.
Paige followed Piper's gaze to the scruffy light-haired man next to Chris. Paige smiled and said, "Sexy accent, great hair, bad attitude. Totally my type."
"Now is not the time for flirting," Phoebe chided.
"Can I help it if the only cute guys I see anymore are related to me or demons?"
Chris groaned into his hands and said, "I think I should take Eddie somewhere to talk. He has some explaining to do and-"
"Right here will do," Leo replied. Chris knew that look well enough from future escapades to realize that there was no arguing this point. And, frankly, the only thought on his mind was that if Edward was here, something bad had occurred.
Edward glanced at the girls and said, "I'm sorry about my entrance. I didn't mean to harm anyone, but it's imperative that I speak with Chris."
Chris studied his friend's face and repeated his question, "How did you get here?"
"I used the portal Peyton created for you-"
"What? But you're notwhy would she let you do that?" Chris wondered aloud. He knew better than anyone that Peyton wouldn't let anyone near that wormhole, especially Edward. He was as certain of that as he was of his existence. "She knew that reopening it could-"
"She didn't, Chris. I did."
"What the hell is going on, Eddie? Peyton would never risk your safety like thatunless she doesn't know you're here."
"Um, hello, sweetie, do you want to introduce us to your little friend? Since he likes to make such grandiose entrances it would be rude otherwise," Piper said.
Chris realized that everyone was watching this display and before he could get Eddie out of the room, Edward's vision turned to his mother and aunts. His mouth gaped slightly. He had been so determined to get to Chris, he hadn't even focused on Paige when he forced himself through. He stared at Piper and pointed before turning to Chris and saying, "It's your mom."
"Yes, I know that."
"But it's been so long since-"
"No talk about the future," Chris ordered. He understood where this was coming from. It had taken all his control not to rush over and hug his mother the first time he saw her again. Chris knew what Eddie was feeling, but his patience was at an all-time low. He knew something had to be wrong and he needed to know what it was. He said, "Eddie, please stay focused. Where the hell is Peyton?"
"That's why I'm here, man."
"Who is Peyton?" Piper asked.
Before Chris could offer any sort of explanation, Phoebe felt a premonition hit her. She shut her eyes and replied quietly, "Your daughter." She paused and concentrated her attention on Chris, attempting to read him, but over the past few weeks he had built up walls that not even she seemed able to penetrate. She asked, "She wasn't in the original vision I had, but you have a sister, don't you Chris?"
Chris sighed, exchanging glances with Eddie, and said, "Yes."
"A sister? I have a daughter too?" Piper replied. She folded her arms and narrowed her gaze on Chris and asked, "Why did you fail to mention that, young man?"
"I didn't think-" he sighed again. He and Peyton had made a pact about this beforehand-to attempt to keep as much knowledge of the future from their family as possible and let them find out in due time. But when he noticed everyone staring at him, he wondered if that had been the right thing to do. He knew he would have to deal with their questions, but at the moment, his thoughts were on Eddie and his sister. He offered placatingly, "I hadn't planned on telling you who I was either until it sorta became an emergency to my ongoing existence."
"Peyton is our daughter?" Leo asked. Chris closed his eyes and nodded. "We're going to have a little girl."
Piper shook her head, "But how? When? I mean, Leo and I aren't even together."
"That didn't stop you the last time," Paige commented.
Piper pointed at her sister and said, "You shush." She then focused on Chris and said, "You explain."
Chris glanced at Eddie before stepping closer to his mother. He placed his hand on Piper's stomach and said, "Peyton is my twin sister."
"What a minute? There are two of you in here? But how-what? Are you sure? The doctor hasn't mentioned anything about twins. Shouldn't he know? Isn't that his job?"
"Twins?" Leo repeated. "In magic that means-"
Chris cut his father off and said, "I'm the oldest by two minutes." He and his father exchanged knowing glances, but said nothing else. Chris looked at his mother and explained, "Peyton, Bianca and Eddie were the one who sent me back here, but Peyton and I-we knew this was something we had to do to fix things. We had a plan of action to attempt to fix the future. I would come back here to try to thwart whatever came after Wyatt and Peyton would make sure that Wyatt didn't find out long enough to insure that I could get away-" Chris stopped when a horrible thought occurred to him. He turned to Eddie and said, "He doesn't know, right? He would be furious andmy god, he didn't hurt her, did he?"
"No, noChris, c'mon. Even at his worst, Wyatt would never hurt Peyton. He can't even if he wanted to."
"What does that mean?" Piper questioned.
"It's best if you don't know."
"I'm sick of hearing that, Chris. I can't believe that Wyatt would hurt his own sister."
Chris pretended not to hear his mother. That was not a conversation he wanted to have with her ever. She was hurting enough because of the Wyatt-turns-evil bombshell and he refused to point out that he already had tried to kill Chris. Chris focused his attention on Eddie. He said, "We know that Wyatt can't do anything to Peyton, but I'm not sure he is aware of that. I've had a bad feeling all morning, Eddie, and then you appear. You're here and she's notwhich means-"
"What happened to my daughter?" Piper finished. Leo squeezed her shoulder and she said, "She might not be born yet and her brother might have failed to inform me of her existence" Piper paused to give Chris a stern look before continuing, "but I'm her mother. I love her and want to know what's going on."
Eddie pushed aside his own pain and worries and stated, "Have you heard of a group of demons that work together in the name of darkness-the Scorios or something?" He noticed everyone in the room visibly react. He glared at Chris when he didn't say anything and prompted, "What? What's going on?"
"The Scorios attacked here this morning," Leo replied before Chris could.
"But they have no real power yet-"
"Why would the Scorios want Peyton?" Paige asked.
"The Scorios had an alliance with Wyatt for awhile, fearing he'd use his power on them if they attempted to fight back, but he reneged on his end of the deal. They took her, Chris. I'm sure of it. At first, we all thought it was a bargaining tool of sorts-get out of their alliance with Wyatt and maintain their freedoms in exchange for Peyton's safe return. But no demands have been madeI went undercover a bit, but-" Eddie paused. He met Chris' gaze. The two of them were fully aware of how powerful Peyton was, a secret they had been fighting to keep hidden from Wyatt and everyone else. "Word is that they want her powers, Chris."
"They'd be too scared of Wyatt to do anything," Chris countered.
"The Scorios were the first to open wormholes for time travel. That's why I'm here. I think they took her to a time when Wyatt's powers were limited. We have to find her."
"If what you're saying is true, these demons could've taken her anywhere," Paige said.
"There must be a way to find her," Piper said.
"How?" Paige asked.
"Couldn't we do a location spell?" Piper asked. She pointed to her stomach and said, "We have a link to her already."
"But we don't know where in time she's been taken too," Chris argued.
"I don't think any of that is necessary," Leo replied. He stepped closer to his son and said, "If they captured Peyton and brought her here, it would explain why they came after the charmed ones this morning."
"And when they realize that their warriors failedthey can travel through time without a problem. They could move her to a location that we can't reach," Chris replied, the worry inside him growing more with each passing second.
"So we locate her before that happens," Paige stated.
"I'll look up ways to vanquish these things," Phoebe said, hurrying off upstairs. On her way passed she squeezed her sister's hand and asserted, "We'll fix this."
Piper didn't say anything. Chris could tell she wasn't handling the news well. He could understand the feeling. His sister was far too important to not only him, but the world for anything to happen to her. If things went as badly as prophesized after Wyatt's transition, he wouldn't be able to stop him without Peyton's aid. Their powers were interwoven in one another. He kicked at an imaginary rock on the floor and said, "Dammit. How did they get near her? She was supposed to be protected."
"We're not sure."
"This is my fault," Chris muttered. He felt tears boiling below the surface, but he refused to cry. He didn't want anyone to see him like this and he was afraid that if he gave into his worries, they would only manifest themselves. He repeated, "This is my fault. I should've been there for her."
"Chris-" Eddie began.
This caught Piper's attention and she cut Eddie off, "What? Honey, how could this be your fault?"
"We agreed that I should be the one to come back because she had more control over Wyatt than anyone elsebut when I ended up back there a few months ago-my crossing back and forth must've done something. God knows Wyatt was mad enough at me to kill Bianca. If Wyatt figured out that it was Peyton who created the portal and spell that was responsible for getting me back here"
"He would've forced Peyton to help him so that he could come for you, Chris. He would've done it right away. You know thatand he would've made Peyton suffer," Eddie stated.
"I thought you said he wouldn't hurt his sister," Piper countered.
Chris rolled his eyes and Eddie explained, "He wouldn't physically hurt Peyton. He can't, but Wyatt gets off on a person's emotional distress. He would've found a way to make her suffer. He would've hurt someone she loved."
"He could know. This could be his way of getting back at me. I knew this might backfire on us and I should've had a plan in place. I should've sent her back here and stayed to deal with him. First, I get Bianca" Chris' voice faltered as he thought of his fiancé and the last time he saw her. He would be damned if he lost his sister too. He curled his hand into a fist and said, "If something happens to Peyton, I'll be responsible for it."
"That's not true, son," Leo replied. He placed his hands on his son's shoulders. It was a tentative gesture at first, frightened that Chris would push him away, but when Chris didn't react at all, Leo squeezed Chris' shoulders and said, "We'll find your sister, Chris. I promise you."
"I'm going to hold you to thatdad."
Leo tried not to smile, but it was the first time since his arrival that Chris had referred to him as anything other than Leo or bastard. He patted his son's back and said, "And no more blame-placing, okay? We need to come up with a plan of some sort. Quickly."
Chris nodded and said, "Okay, you're right, but I need to talk to Eddie for a minute."
"Whatever you need to say can be done right here. We're involved in this, Chris. You can't shut us out, honey," Piper replied.
Chris nodded, but said, "You're right, and I appreciate the offer, but there are some things you can't know. If you find out too much about the future, it could change everything for the worse."
"Chris has a point," Leo stated. He glanced at the girls and said, "We'll give the locating spell a try while Chris gets caught up on things with his friend." Leo started to herd Piper and Paige toward the stairs.
Chris and Eddie exchanged looks. Eddie shoved his hands into his pockets, but Paige pointed at the two of them and said, "I think the rest of us are missing something."
"I feel like I'm missing a lot," Piper commented. She peered at Chris appraisingly and asked, "Chris? Anything you want to share with the rest of us?"
Chris shrugged and replied with a grin, "I guess it wouldn't hurt"
"What?" Piper asked.
"Eddie is actually my brother-in-law."
Leo stopped moving. He looked paralyzed whereas Piper's reaction was to glance back and forth between Chris and Eddie several times. She grabbed Eddie's hand from his pocket and sure enough there was a platinum band resting on his ring finger. She said, "I'm hallucinating. I mean, I have to be, right?"
"Eddie is Peyton's husband."
"Oh. I'm a dirty old auntie who hit on her niece's husband," Paige replied with a look of revulsion.
Eddie forced a small smile in her direction and said, "It's okay. If it's any consolation, I used to have a crush on you when I was younger."
"Really? Was it-" Paige inquired.
Piper rolled her eyes and cut her sister off, "Fascinating as that isyou're my daughter's husband?"
"Yes."
"She's married? But you're twenty-twoso young," Piper paused when she noticed the look on Eddie's face and she felt her worries for her daughter disappear. Who was she to judge? She had married someone who had died in the 1940's. Not to mention, Edward looked so fragile-his eyes were a dark blue that almost gave them the same green coloring as her son's but much duller and lacking any spark. She might not have been an empathic like Phoebe, but it was obvious that the young man was suffering and that he loved Peyton. Wasn't that all she could hope for? This comforted her somehow and eased the worry she was feeling at the moment. It was amazing the fear she had for a child she hadn't even met yet and the happiness that encircled her knowing that Eddie cared for her daughter, especially since Chris had already let it slip that she didn't live to see her children as adults. Piper wrapped her arms around Eddie and hugged him. He remained stiff for a moment, but slowly gave into the strength of someone else's arms. She stroked his hair and said reassuringly, "We'll find her and bring her home, right Leo?"
Leo remained quiet, still too stunned to process anything. First he found out that Piper was pregnant again, then he found out that she was pregnant with Chris, who was standing before them as an adult and someone he had treated terribly since his arrivalnow Piper was having twins, his daughter had been kidnapped from her future, and she was married. How was he supposed to return to the upper realm and leave Piper to handle this alone? He needed to be here for his family. He needed to be here for Chris and prove to him that he could be a good father. And he was pretty sure he had to have the "you hurt my daughter, I hunt you down and kill you" speech with the guy in the leather jacket.
"Uh, dad?"
"Wh-what?"
Chris noticed the dumbfounded expression on his father's face and cleared his throat loudly. Leo glanced at him and Chris replied, "I really need to talk to Eddie privately for a minute. We'll join you guys upstairs as soon as we're done."
"I'm not sure-"
Before Leo could finish his response, Chris had grabbed Eddie and orbed them to the top of the Golden Gate Bridge. Eddie looked down and gasped. He pushed his hair back off his face and groaned before pointing at Chris and stating, "You're as bad as your sister. You know I hate this stuff."
"That's why we do it."
Eddie rolled his eyes and replied, "Yes, I do recall a favorite game of yours from childhood. Torment the ambassador's son."
Chris placed his hand on his best friend's shoulders and said, "Peyton and I only tortured those we loved-a side effect of growing up with Wyatt for a big brother."
Eddie smiled as he thought of the three of them when they were younger. He had met Chris at their private school in the third grade. No one else would talk to him because of his English accent-as if it was some sort of disease-but Chris dared to be different. They became partners-in-crime at their school and, after the class day was done, they would be joined by Peyton in their endeavors. "The Terrible Three" was what Piper had coined them years ago. Eddie replied, "I still remember the first time the two of you brought me up here like it was yesterday. We were fourteen. I had returned from my summer in Burford with my mother"
"That was the summer that my mother died."
"Yes. Peyton was so closed off about everything and you were almost as bad. I tried to bully you into talking to me, remember? You got so mad that you slugged me and blurted out the truth about your family. I thought you were nutters until you grabbed me and brought me up here."
"I thought Peyton was going to kill me-"
This surprised Edward. She had never mentioned anything of the sort to him. He knew she had always been protective of him, the reason he probably avoided more than one beating at Wyatt's hands growing up, but she was even more protecting of Chris. Eddie eyed Chris suspiciously and said, "Since when? I was pretty sure I caught a glimmer of mischief in her eye that day too."
Chris chuckled, "That's because the look on your face was priceless, but Peyton thought I enjoyed it a bit too much. She was mad at me for the rest of the day." Chris nudged Eddie and said, "Even then I knew she loved you."
Eddie smiled at that and said, "Too bad it took me another year or so to figure it out, huh? I was still living under the notion that I only tolerated her existence because you were my best mate."
Chris met his friend's gaze and read his mind easily. He said, "We're gonna get her back, Eddie."
"We have to."
"What was Wyatt's reaction to the news?"
"Anger. It's his response to everything these days, Chris, but you know that."
"Yeah. To say that my big brother has anger management issues would be putting it mildly," Chris replied. He glanced out at the sky and asked, "Did he send any spies undercover to get Peyton back? Was he watching you?"
"Wyatt wants me to handle this. His exact words were 'your wife, your problem' as I recall," Eddie paused and laughed mirthlessly. "As if I would do nothing and trust him to resolve this bloody mess. What your brother lacks in diplomacy could fill the Pacific Ocean." Eddie glanced down at the people moving about below them and said, "He does want to be informed if she's been hurt though."
"Peyton is his weak spot."
"I know. In a way, I think he wishes she would be gone because she's the last of his humanity."
"Yeah, but he can't hurt her. It would be the end of him," Chris said. As the severity of that statement sunk in, he added, "I only hope that the Scorios haven't realized that or it might be too late."
"Don't say that," Eddie replied. He glanced nervously out at San Francisco and said, "I barely remember a time when the world felt like this. I still have vivid memories of how it used to look prior to Wyatt's fun with dragons, but the energy here is so different. There's still promise."
"It's definitely strange."
"I hope you're able to fix things, Chris. I'd like my kids to grow up in a world like this."
Chris laughed, "It's hardly perfect, but it's better. It's strange. I think I'm closer to two-year-old Wyatt than I ever was to him growing up."
Eddie nodded and said, "Things have to work out."
"They will."
"I didn't want to damage your plan, but I couldn't-"
"I know," Chris replied. He patted Eddie on the back and said, "You did the right thing."
"Peyton was the only one strong enough to conceal the wormhole she created from Wyatt. If he did find out about it, I can't guarantee that this wasn't one of his outrageous schemes to lure you out of hiding."
"Big brother thinks I'm in hiding, does he?"
"He's too egotistical to think otherwise. He can't imagine you being able to help him. He believes he's doing you a favor by not hunting you down and killing you. He likes to remind Peyton of that as well as point out that keeping me and Peyton alive is a gift. He doesn't realize that if he ever did anything, Peyton would destroy him."
"That is exactly what I don't want. I don't want her to bare that burden."
"You shouldn't have to either, Chris."
"Hopefully I won't, but I'm her big brother and there is no way in hell I'm sacrificing my sister for our other psycho sibling."
"She's accepted that might be her fate," Eddie replied. He met Chris' bewildered expression and said, "I keep telling her that I won't let her do it, Chris. I can't let her do it, but she's Peyton and she's so damn stubborn and"
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that I can't be completely sure that your sister hasn't hatched some crazy plan that involves her using herself as a means to an end."
"You told me you had this covered. You told me you would keep her from acting on any of those hair-brained, self-sacrificing schemes of hers!" Chris shouted. None of his anger was directed at Eddie. Eddie was the one person who loved his sister as much, if not more, than he did. But it slipped out and Chris regretted it the minute he saw the anguish etched on his friend's face.
Eddie gritted his teeth, "Do you really think I want this? To be a widower at twenty-three?" Eddie sat down on one of the beams of the bridge and stared off into space. He glanced up at Chris and said, "I tried to reassure herto tell her that you had everything coveredbut every day Wyatt got more powerful and every day I saw that look in her eye when she'd smile at me."
"The look?"
"It was the one that she used to say your mother gave the two of you that morning."
Chris shook his head, "Defeat."
Eddie nodded and said, "I tried to ignore it. I thought that if I didn't think about the possibilities, if I didn't let her focus on it, everything would be okayand then we had this stupid talk recently."
"About?"
"How much she loved me, but what the price of being a Halliwell entailed. I didn't want to hear it. I tried to change the subject, but she wouldn't let it go. She kept carping on about how strong she knew I was and that I needed to prepare to live a full life even if she wasn't around-"
"Why would she say that unless-"
"Unless she knew something the rest of us didn't? Yeah, I realize that now."
"What the hell was she thinking? She swore to me-"
"She's the girl, Chris. Females in your family don't live long lives."
Chris couldn't deny it. He knew all too well what happened to the women in his family. It didn't matter how much those around them attempted to keep them safe-it was like they were magnets for the grim reaper. His words came out as little more than exhalations, "No, they don't."
Eddie punched at the air and said, "I should've tied her up and locked her in our apartment. I should've insisted we go visit my father in London when things with Wyatt began to spiral further out of control. I should've done something to keep her safe."
"We don't even know that Peyton set out to get captured. And if she did" Chris took a few deep breathes-in and out, in and out-until he felt a bit calmer. He continued, "if she did this, there was no way you could've stopped her. I'm sorry for yelling at you, Eddie, because we both know what Peyton's like."
Eddie quickly pushed a few tears from his eyes and replied, "I'm sorry too and I'm so sorry about Bianca. Peyton tried to heal her, but we were too late getting there."
Chris pushed back his own tears and said, "We'll save them both and maybe Wyatt while we're at it."
"I give you so much credit. I know how devoted you were to Bianca, mate. I was with you when you were picking out the engagement ring-" Eddie's voice cracked and a sob escaped. He shook it away and managed to get out, "I'm not nearly as strong as your sister appears to think I am. I need her. She's all I've known my whole life."
Chris sat down next to Eddie and draped his shoulder around his best friend. In many ways, Eddie was more of a brother to him than Wyatt ever had been. It was true that Wyatt wasn't always a power-hungry freak, but all the good memories between him and his big brother had been wiped out by all the bad he caused. Chris said, "Neither of us will have to be strong like that. Trust me to fix this. That's why I'm able to hold it together-because I believe that Bianca will be there when I get backand so will my sister. Trust me, Eddie."
"You're the only one I do trust to help me. That's why I came here. You have to save her, Chris."
"I will and if I find out that Peyton decided to act on her stupid martyr complex, you better believe she and I will be exchanging a few words."
Eddie laughed, "Sometimes you're the only one she'll listen to."
"It's the twin thing."
"I'm used to it by now. I grew up watching the two of you, remember?"
Chris smiled despite the circumstances and said, "I have to admitit's good to see a friendly face, man, even if it's because of something bad. I've missed you."
Eddie hugged Chris and said, "We've missed you too. Peyton won't admit that of course."
"Of course."
"And she'd kill me for saying anything to the contrary, but she was up here trying to reach out to you from time to time. I think she went through telepathic withdrawal after you left."
"There's been more than a few times when I've tried to reach out to her-so many situations that I knew Peyton would know how to handle or times when she would be able to properly scold me for letting my temper get in the way of things" Chris paused and smiled again. He and his sister had always been able to communicate without words. It used to drive his mother crazy when they were little-she would become convinced that the two of them were plotting something and she was usually right. He glanced at Eddie as a thought dawned on him. He said, "Why didn't I think of that earlier?"
"What?"
"I might be able to reach her."
"But it's been months since the two of you"
"That doesn't matter. If she really was brought back to this time, I should be able to contact her."
"What if the Scorios can sense it? If they figure out that we're onto them, they could hurt her."
"I've got to try. It might be the only way to locate her."
Eddie nodded and Chris shut his eyes to concentrate on his sister. He thought about the last time he saw her and the brave exterior she was wearing at his request. He had asked her to watch out for Biancaand promised that he would see her again. Chris felt sadness wash over him and he felt his sister's presence. He could sense her grief when she was unable to save Bianca, but it faded away quickly. Chris focused more and more on Peyton, willing her to hear him. He was close-but he couldn't get through. Something was blocking him from reaching her. That fact alone scared him, forcing him to consider the possibility that she was hurt, but he couldn't give up. She would never give up on him.
C'mon squirt. Hear me. Tell me where you are. I need to find you.
Suddenly Chris felt heat sear through him. He wondered if this was what spontaneously combusting was, but the thought didn't last long. A sharp pain, as if someone was twisting his insides with their bare hands, hit him full force and threw him backwards. He crumpled over and clutched at his head. Eddie looked stricken, knowing full well what Chris' pain implied, and said, "Chris. Chris, it's okay."
Chris gasped for air and whimpered against the pain. His eyes went dull and his lips began to develop a blueish tint at the corners. Eddie shook him and said, "ChrisChris, you have to call for help. I can't get us out of here."
"No"
"Break the connection with her," Eddie demanded. As Chris attempted to push him away, Eddie repeated, "Break the connection with Peyton and call for help, Chris. You're the only one who can save her now. She needs you."
Chris cried out in pain, but somehow managed to call out for Leo, who appeared in a flash. He looked confused, but reacted immediately when he saw his son curled up in a ball, gasping for air. He knelt down next to his son, flooded with worry, and shot Eddie a suspicious look as he attempted to heal Chris' pain. "I'm here, sport. It'll be okay."
When it didn't work, Eddie stated, "You can't fix him like that. It's not his pain that he's feeling."
"What?"
"It's hers. Something's happening to Peyton," Eddie replied, squaring his jaw to keep from allowing a torrent of fear to overtake him. Peyton always warned him the day might come when something like this happened and he knew that if he was going to protect her, he couldn't lose control. He needed to hold it together so that he could explain things to Leo and save the two most important people in his life.
But all he wanted was to go back to that conversation with her from a few days ago and force her to run away with him. Run away from all of this and hide.
"You have to prepare yourself, Eddie."
"I'm not going to prepare myself for a life without you, Peyton," Eddie replied. He sat down next to her on the sofa and reached out to pull her close to him. She allowed him to lift her onto his lap and he pushed her hair aside and said, "I love you."
She smiled and kissed him quickly. "I love you too. I love you so much, but this isn't about love. It's about you accepting-"
"I don't want to have this conversation. I won't."
"Too bad and yes, you will have this conversation with me, Edward Maurier. We've put it off long enough," she stated. Her green eyes sparkled with determination and Eddie knew there was no way to get out of this discussion with her no matter how much he loathed the idea of it.
"Peyton"
"Do you think Bianca wanted to let Chris go? Or do you think Chris wanted to leave her behind for that matter? It's not necessarily about what we want. Chris and I have a legacy to live up to and a part of that is our responsibility for Wyatt. It's up to us to keep Wyatt from destroying everything my family fought so hard to protect. We have to stop him-at all costs-and next time it might not be Chris and Bianca who have to do the letting go, Eddie."
Eddie sighed. He could see the pain etched on her face and he hated it. He hated that they weren't getting to enjoy the life of a normal newlywed couple, where the biggest worry was forgetting to take out the garbage or nosy in-laws dropping by on a daily basis. He hated all the sadness she carried around and he hated that he couldn't conceal his own fears for her safety. Sometimes he even hated that she knew him so well. He held onto her tightly and said, "I'll never let you go, Peyton."
"I'll always be with you."
"Stop talking like this. You're not going anywhere. I know that you hate that Chris and Bianca had to make such a huge sacrifice, but we all agreed it would be best for him to go. Chris will be back, sweetie. He won't be gone forever."
"This isn't about-"
"We're going to have a long life together," he said, as much for him as her. He stroked the top of her head, allowing his fingers to get tangled up in her long brown hair, and pulled her closer to him until their lips met. He kissed her nose and forehead before pulling back and staring at her. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, but beyond that was the enormous amount of energy she expelled into the air. The idea that she might not be around one day was like being told that the sun wouldn't rise again. He said, "I knew from the first time we kissed that I was going to marry you."
"You lie."
"Nope, I'm afraid it's true. I was smitten."
"Smitten?" Peyton scoffed. She punched him in the arm lightly and added, "Chris tells me everything, dummy."
"What exactly did he tell you?" Eddie replied, pretending he didn't understand.
"I believe the words 'it was okay, I guess' were used at one point and maybe an unfair comparison to the sophomore class slut's kissing techniques," Peyton answered with a smirk.
"Chris has a big mouth," Eddie replied. He went to kiss her but she turned her head away and he got her cheek. He tilted her head with his fingers and met Peyton's playful gaze. He added, "Fine, fine, it's true that I might've made an egregious error and said things that weren't quite true, but you have to understand. I was a bit confused. I didn't expect to meet the love of my life when I was still a kid. I had thought my life would follow in the same manner that my father's had-go to Oxford, play the field, and settle down with a family friend which would eventually result in a nasty divorce-and then we kissed and everything changed. I knew I was going to marry you then, but I couldn't admit it yet."
"Uh-huhsure, buddy."
"We were fifteen years old, Peyton. I couldn't bloody well admit something like that to you then-you would've thought I was a crazy person," Eddie replied. He gave her a puppy dog look and said, "Believe me now?"
"Yes," she said. She traced her fingers along his jaw and went on, "And, for the record, I wouldn't have thought you were a crazy person."
"Now who's lying?"
"I'm not. I knew that I loved you the first day Chris brought you home," Peyton stated. Eddie rolled his eyes though he knew she was being honest. She had always treated him like some stray dog that needed a homeso did most of the Halliwell clan. He loved it and it was probably the reason he spent more time with their family than his own.
He moved in for another kiss. This time she didn't turn away, but she kept it brief. She slid out of his arms completely and looked away for a moment. It was a weird moment, as though she was slipping away from him and there was nothing he could do about it. But it passed and she regained her stubborn exterior. She sighed and added, "And that's all the more reason for us to deal with this, Eddie."
"You've got a one-track mind."
"And you thought you were being clever by changing the subject. It won't work this time."
"What do you want from me, Peyton? Do you want me to sit here and plan out your funeral because the women in your family have a nasty habit of dying young?" he snapped. He regretted it when he saw a single tear slide down her cheek. He reached out and brushed it away, "I didn't-"
"It's okay. This isn't an easy thing to talk about."
"Then why do we have to do it? Neither of us can predict what is going to happen."
"True, but I know you, Edward. I know how you react to things andand if something happens-"
"It won't."
"Humor me."
"No. Not on this."
She crossed her arms and said, "If something happens, we have to be prepared. It might not be any time soon, but the day will come. You're right. Halliwells have a tendency of dying young. It came for my mother and my aunts and my grandmother before them. It comes with the territory of having these gifts."
"I won't let anything happen to you. I would move heaven and earth to stop it."
"I know that, Eddie. I know you would do anything for me. You've proven that time and time again."
"It's because I love you."
"You've already endured so much pain at Wyatt's hands and I want to lessen that as much-"
Eddie cupped her face and said, "You've got to stop beating yourself up about that. It wasn't your fault anymore than it was Chris'. Wyatt's lost it, Peyton. He's cruel and wanted to hurt the two of you and naturally he picked me as his target."
"And you suffered because of it. Because of me, Eddie."
"I came away from it with a bit of magic of my own and that's saved me on more than one occasion."
"Magic that you wouldn't need if it weren't for me."
"I think the good outweighs the bad. My life is infinitely better for having you in it. Besides, aren't you the one who blathers on that things happen for a reason?"
"Yes."
"I can handle anything as long as I have you. The entire time that Wyatt's lackeys were torturing me, you kept me alive. I knew that you and Chris would come and you did, Peyton. It's not your fault and you need to stop beating yourself up about it. Wyatt is the problem."
"Exactly. Wyatt is the problem. And the day might come when he needs to be vanquished and it might not go as planned."
"Chris has it covered."
"He likes to think he does."
"Now you doubt Chris?"
"No, Chris will do whatever he has to do, I know that, but he refuses to accept that this may not be his fight. Wyatt may be my problem. Ever since Wyatt did that healing spell on me when we were little, we've been linked magically somehow. No one could ever figure it out and god knows he's tried to break the connection on more than one occasion, but it's still there. I can feed off his power and vice versa-one day the only option might be"
"Don't finish that sentence. Do you hear me?" Eddie countered. When she didn't acknowledge him, he grabbed her hand as if it was his lifeline and stated, "I won't let you sacrifice yourself. That will never be an option."
"We might not have a choice, Eddie."
"There is always a choice," he replied. He fingered her wedding ring and said, "You have to choose to fight for us, Peyton. Nothing else matters."
"Love comes second in my world. You know that. You knew that when we got married-"
"The rules. The stupid, stupid rules that make you and Chris targets for every evil in the world. The unwritten laws that state your happiness is second to everyone else's in the world because of who your parents were. It's crazy. You can't carry that burden on your shoulders."
"It's like you said, Eddie. Things happen for a reason. I need you to understandwhat I'm trying to say, rather unsuccessfully, is that you need to be prepared for things. I want to make sure you realize how much I love you and how happy you make me. I have to be sure that if something does happen to me, you'll be okay and able to move on. I'm not planning on going anywhere any time soon, but if it happens, you have to be strong, Eddie. I'm counting on you because Chris won't be able to cope. I need you to be there for him."
Eddie glanced away from her, the certainty in her words paralyzing him, but she placed her hands on his cheeks and turned her to face him. He couldn't lie to her. He never could. He replied softly, "It would destroy me, Peyton."
She gave him that look she was so good at. The one that said that she knew something he didn't. "You're stronger than you think, Edward. I wouldn't have married you otherwise." She wrapped her arms around him and said, "You're the reason that I'm okay with my destiny and I need you to be okay with it too."
"Tell me you didn't do this to yourself, Peyton," Eddie thought to himself. He felt someone's hand rest on his shoulder. It was warm and calming and it caused Eddie to blink up at Peyton and Chris' father.
Leo was saying something, but Eddie couldn't make it out at first. His mind was still on Peyton. Finally, as Leo shook him, Eddie heard him say, "Did you hear me?"
"What?"
Eddie's eyes shifted to where Chris was writhing back and forth in pain. Leo said, "You need to hold onto me while I orb the three of us back to the manor. Hopefully, the girls can do something to stop his pain and you can explain this."
Before Eddie could respond, there was a flash of blue light and his feet were coming to rest on a hardwood floor. He heard a female's voice frantically calling to Chris and for a minute, he thought it was Peyton. He blinked down and realized it was Piper, not Peyton, and the grief that he had been fighting for days overwhelmed him. He fell to the ground and said, "We can't be too late. We can't be."
"Hey, don't you give up on my niece," Phoebe said. She helped Eddie up and she said, "We're going to save them both, but we need you to do that. You need to be pre-"
"Prepared, I know. I've heard this speech before," he finished. He met their gazes and said, "She warned me she might do something like this. I didn't think she was serious-"
"What are you talking about?" Paige questioned as Phoebe rushed upstairs, muttering something about a spell she had once read.
Eddie glanced at Chris' unconscious form. When he didn't say anything, Leo stepped over in front of him, practically pressing his chest into Eddie's and said, "What the hell is going on with my son?"
"Leo" Paige warned.
"If you did something, you better tell me now."
Eddie wasn't sure how to react. A part of him wanted nothing more than to hit something-someone-but he knew it wouldn't do any good. So he laughed. It was all he could muster. When Leo closed the distance between them-which wasn't so much a distance as an inch of space-Eddie said, "You think I did this to him? What would be my motivation? We'll overlook the fact that he's my best friend and focus on the fact that he's the only one who can help me find my wife. Knowing that, why would I hurt Chris?"
"No one's blaming you, Eddie," Paige replied. She placed her arm on his, stepping between him and Leo, and said, "But we need to know what happened or we can't help either of them."
Eddie nodded. He glared at Leo, but explained, "Chris was attempting to reach out to Peyton. Up until he left to come back here, the two of them could communicate without words. I think he succeeded in locating her."
"They're telepaths?" Leo asked.
Eddie nodded and replied, "Between them. They can't communicate with others."
Leo nodded and Piper said, "Go on."
"We were on the bridge and Chris decided to try to reach out to her telepathically. He was fine at first and next thing I know he's thrashing about like someone was hurting him. I had to force him to break the connection with Peyton."
"So this is my daughter's pain?" Piper questioned as she rubbed her hand over Chris' forehead.
"I'm afraid it is. This has happened to them once before."
"Huh?"
"Peyton got hit by a car when she was nine while she was riding bikes with Wyatt. Chris and I were somewhere, the arcade I believe, and he doubled over in pain. He kept repeating that Peyton was in trouble-but a few minutes later, he was fine."
"So this will pass?"
Eddie shrugged and he said, "I don't know. Wyatt had healed Peyton that day, so I don't know if it was the fact that she was better or that Chris had somehow broken his connection with her."
"He may still be connected to her now," Paige said, trying to make sense of all this. She thought she and her sisters were close, but it seemed Piper's kids made them look like virtual strangers with one another.
"Yes, and if he is," Eddie paused. He ran his hands through his hair, causing the light brown strands to stick up in every direction, and he forced out, "if he's still with her, she's not doing well. We need to find her."
"We need to heal Chris first," Leo replied.
Phoebe ran back into the room, waving a piece of paper in the air. She pushed past Leo and Eddie and knelt down next to Chris. She glanced at the paper one more time before rolling it up in a ball. She laid her hand on his forehead and said, "Though no words have been spoken, let this witch's link be broken."
Nothing happened at first. The group of them remained silent and Eddie was sure that they could all hear the rapid beating of his heart. He didn't know who he was more scared for at the moment. Then, after a few minutes of Piper whispering to Chris to wake up, Chris' eyes fluttered open.
He didn't move right away. He blinked up at the group of them as if trying to figure out where he was and how he'd gotten there. Leo moved over to his other side. He glanced at Piper before placing his hand on Chris' arm. Leo closed his eyes as if to heal him and said, "It looks like you're okay, sport."
"Welcome back, sweetie," Piper replied, brushing his hair back off his forehead and placing a quick kiss on the top of his head. Then she smacked him on the arm and said, "Don't do that to me again. Got it, Mister?"
"Ow, mom. Could we not beat me up in front of guests?" She smiled at that and Chris asked, "How did I get here?"
Chris sat up and, when his eyes locked on Eddie's, he jumped off the sofa, remembering exactly what had happened, who was in trouble, and where he had to go. He moved toward the door without a word. Piper latched onto his arm and stated, "Sit back down."
"I can't."
"You scared the hell out of us, young man, so you're going to sit down and humor me!" When Chris didn't budge or say anything, Piper pointed to her stomach and asked, "Do you really want to cross a pregnant woman?"
Chris smiled reassuringly at his mother. He didn't want her to worry or suffer in any way, but there was no time for him to catch a good night's sleep. He hugged her and said, "I'm fine. It wasn't me and I think"
"Is she still alive?" Eddie asked.
Chris nodded and said, "For the time being. That's why I have to go."
"Your mother's right, Chris. Only a few minutes ago, you were barely breathing. You're in no position to attempt a rescue mission," Leo countered. Before Chris could argue, he pointed to the girls and said, "Let your aunts handle this."
"That's right. I found a spell that should weaken the Scorios long enough for us to get to Peyton and bring her back here. Then we can do a protection spell on her until we figure out a way to vanquish them all together," Phoebe said.
Chris shook his head and said, "I have to go. She doesn'tif I'm not there, she won't know what's going on. She's expecting to see any of you."
"I'm sure she'll figure it out, Chris," Piper replied. She glanced at Edward and said, "Your friend can stay here with you and Wyatt."
"No. This isn't going to work."
"Chris"
"She's my sister."
"Yes, and apparently, my daughter," Piper countered.
"You're eight months pregnant."
"He does have a point, Piper," Phoebe said. She looked at her sister and commented, "I'm surprised you can even stand upright."
"Fat jokes? You're making fat jokes at a time like this?"
"Mom, I have to go. Now."
Chris moved over next to Edward. He said, "I think it's best if you wait here."
"Like hell."
"Eddie, it's not a good idea."
"I'm coming, Chris."
Chris sighed. He glanced at his dad and said, "We'll be on the radar, but you should stay with mom and Wyatt in case this is some large plan to get her and Wyatt alone." Chris glanced at his aunts and asked, "Are you ready?" When they nodded, he flicked his arm in their direction and a blue orb encircled the two of them until they disappeared. Chris grabbed Eddie and said, "So we're clear. You better be careful and stay behind me or my aunts at all times. Peyton's going to be pissed when she finds out that I brought you and if anything happens, she'll kill me."
(to be continued...)