The cave is dark, dank and dreary- among other 'd' words. Dismal even, but I simply raise my hand, clicking my thumb and forefinger together with a snap. Light bursts from my fingertips, illuminating the once lightless cave.

From what I can see, the cave stretches for miles. Damn. I'll have to do some walking. My head itches, a result of whatever knocked me out no doubt. Whatever jumped me has dumped me here. It's cold- I wish I'd worn my jacket.

A shiver runs through me as my footsteps echo in the vast space. The flames dancing in my hand create freeky shadows on the rock walls surrounding me. "Hello?" I venture a yell. I hear as the sound waves return to me twice over, but as far as I can tell nobody responds.

Fear creeps low in my guy and I squash it down. This isn't the worst thing I have faced. I won't even bother getting started on that low level group of demon ninjas. That right, ninja demons. Gross.

After what seems to be an hour of walking (who knows? It's impossible to tell the time) I reach an opening in the cave. Its a wide space, no exit to the outer world but a satisfying change from the bland cave tunnels I've gotten used to. With a cautious glance I raise my palm.

A moment later a fireball shoots from my open hand, flying straight forward and lighting up as much of the space as it can. Nothing other than more boring rock. I groan and start forward again, keeping my flames high so I can keep an eye out for anything suspicious.

My eyes never trail down to my feet, because what threats lie in wait on the ground? Turns out this was a bad idea.

"Shit!" I swear as I trip over something big. The lights go out as I use my hand to catch myself- lest I break my neck.

The ground comes far too quickly, and I land hating lay on my shoulder. Lucky enough I don't hear the snap of a bone breaking, so maybe I've only bruised it. Hopefully.

You definitely can't take on a demon with only one arm.

Hissing in pain, I push myself upright but freeze when I feel something move right in front of me. Whatever I have tripped on... It's alive.

Immediately I scramble to raise my hand. With a snap of my fingers fire bursts into life in my hand once more and I can finally identify what I'd tripped over.

I'd tripped over a boy, a young man at that. He had dorky, floppy, brown hair that fell over his hazel eyes. To my amusement I realised he was wearing a hoodie, at least he's thought to wear something warm.

Also, as far as I could tell, he was a human.

Witch, or innocent?

"What the hell man?" I ask as I nudge him with the heel of my ankle boot. He sits up, rubbing his eyes. "Wha'?" He asks, voice slurred. "Where am I?" The man continues, slightly more coherent.

I shrug. "No idea."

"Who are you?"

"You first."

He rubs his eyes again, and I watch the movement closely. "Chris," he answers after a moment. His gaze connects with mine again, and I try my best to look in control. To not show how much this whole scenario freaked me out. "Are you okay?"

I'm surprised by his question, by his concern. It must show on my face because he flashes me a tiny, reassuring smile. "Yeah," I breathe out after a moment. "Yeah. I'm fine. Just a bump on the head. And you?"

Chris glances down at himself, raising his arms and looking them over each. I follow the motion with my eyes, enjoying the look of his tone muscles beneath his jacket. "I think I'm alright. So what's our situation exactly? How long have you been here?"

"It's hard to tell." I hold out my non-flaming hand, wouldn't want to burn him. He eyes it for a moment before grabbing it. I haul him up with a bit of effort and once he's standing he dusts himself off. It's when he finally looks up from his dusty pants, his eyes widen at the sight of fire in my palm. I step back at the spark of fear that bursts behind his eyes, and raise my free hand in a calming gesture. "Before you get any ideas, I won't hurt you."

He nods to the flame. "What's that?"

"Fire."

"No, I get that. But how?"

Well crap.

"I… uh. Well. I'm a Witch."

He shakes his head. "No, I get that. How are you creating the flame? What spell?"

"Wait," I narrow my eyes. "Are you a Witch?"

He shifts, looking hesitant to admit the truth. I study him closely. Now that he's standing, I can see it in the way he holds himself. I myself had trained in many forms of self defense, and Chris holds the posture of someone constantly wary of being attacked. Exactly how I try to stand. "Look," I cut in. "It's not my place to interrogate you or pressure you into saying stuff you don't want to. As far as I can see it, as long as you don't try to kill me then I won't be forced to vanquish you."

"I'm not a demon!" His shout reverberates in the vast space, and I glare at him. "Keep it down," I hiss. He relents, crossing his arms and taking a far more casual stance. "Answer the question."

"I'm a spark," I tell him simply. "A what?"

"A spark." For emphasis, I raise my hand an lob a fireball at a nearby wall. As it collides with the solid rock it bursts in an explosion of light. "I've been able to manipulate fire since I was eight. No spell, no potion, no charms. Just plain old mental power." I tap my noggin significantly.

Chris continues to ponder the flame as it flickers in my palm, as though trying to find hidden meaning to the fire. I begin to feel slightly self-conscious, so I clear my throat. "Greetings over? Good to meet you Chris and all that yack."

He tilts his head. "You haven't told me your name yet."

"Oh, right." I feel my cheeks redden slightly. I don't like telling people my name, and Chris- for whatever reason- makes me more nervous than anyone else had. "Delmira," I explain. "It's… It's German."

He frowns, lips quirking slightly with amusement. I'm about to rant at him but then he leans forward slightly, eyes softening into something comforting. "I like it. Pretty, unusual, better than Chris."

I blink at him, then mumble a shocked thanks.

Chris smiles once more before nodding and heading off in a random direction, going to the edge of where my flame lights before turning back to me. "Where have you checked so far?"

"That way," I say with a gesture to the East. "There's a tunnel that stretches a few miles, and it branches off to another tunnel but only once. I think we should try that way."

"Yeah?"

"Unless you have any other ideas?" I prompt.

He frowns and looks to the ceiling. "I can't orb. Something is blocking my powers."

"Orb?" I ask, confused.

"Orbing." He tucks his hands into his pockets, abashed. "I'm half Witch, half Whitelighter."

I frown. "What's a Whitelighter?"

At my question, his mint green eyes widen. "You… You're a Witch and you don't know what a Whitelighter is?" I shrug, "nope."

"Well," he starts walking in the direction I had pointed. I follow after him, eager to learn more about the Mag world. "My father was a Whitelighter, my mother a Witch. A Whitelighter is a kind of… guardian angel, who protects and guides good Witches and future Whitelighters to protect and nurture them for their intended destiny."

"Huh. A guardian angel would've been nice."

"So how did you find out you were a Witch then? How did you learn to use your powers?"

I stiffened at his words. There was no way in hell I wanted to tell him my past, even though I feel an odd sense of trust with him. "So who do you think took us?"

Chris narrows his eyes at the subject change, but goes along with it, much to my relief. "An upper-level demon, most likely. Whoever or whatever it is though, it's mad at both of us. Real mad." I frown. That doesn't sound good. "What do we do then? We don't have any potions, or any way to get out of here."

"We have to keep looking," is all he said.

I pursed my lips, not really liking his answer, but willing to go along with the only plan we had. Chris lead the way, staying just within the reach of my light. We made it to the end of the larger space of the cave, discovering yet another tunnel. I glower at it in disdain. "Please tell me we're not going through that."

In answer, Chris hazards his way inside the space. I groan, but follow after him. No way am I being left behind. "So… What else do you know? About Witches and stuff?"

"That depends," he spoke. "How much do you know?"

"Clearly not enough," I joked.

"I was taught. My whole family were Witches. They passed their knowledge down to me. Especially my mother, she was a talented Witch, one of the best to ever exist. I learned so much from her."

There was something in his tone, something sad and longing. I walk faster to press my side flush against his, an attempt to comfort him. He peeked at me from the corner of his eyes and I nudge him with a teasing smirk. "She sounds like a badass."

"She was," he agrees after a moment, tiny smile growing on his face. "Anyway. She taught me, passed down the knowledge. Now I have three Witches teaching me. Well technically, I'm guiding them, being their Whitelighter and all."

"How's that going?" I ask, intrigued.

"Pretty badly actually. They don't like to listen to me."

"I don't see why not." I look to my feet, slightly embarrassed. "You seem very smart, Chris."

There's silence, heavy and obvious in the lonely caverns. I spy at him through the corner of my eye, seeing him slightly unhinged by my words. "Thanks," he admits finally. I tilt my head at his tone, looking up to survey his expression. "Surely you've heard that before?"

"No."

"What?" I gasp in shock. "Huh. Well I guess there's a first time for everything."

We pause at an intersection, and I quickly send a fireball down each path. Both only reveal more rock as far as the eye can see, and something heavy settles in my stomach. Disappointment, hopelessness and anguish.

Chris, seeming to pick up on my change of mood, holds his hand out for me to take. "Come on," Chris says with a smile. "We've gotta keep moving."

"Alright."

I take his hand, and he debates a moment before pulling me in the left direction. There's nothing new to see, more rock and boring specks of dust motes. The air seems more stale than a few moments ago, and my breaths become more rapid.

"Hey." Chris voice snaps me out of my panic, and he squeezes my hand. "Tell me more about yourself. What do you do?"

"I work from home. Basically I manage advertising for about a dozen websites. It pays well enough, gets me a lot of connections. And it works out with all the demon hunting and such."

"Oh yeah? How'd you get into that?"

I grin. "An innocent I saved, actually. He was so kind, ambitious. I saved him from a Kieran demon. After that he helped me out, got me a computer and everything."

"You've done a lot of good in your life, haven't you Delmira?"

It was the first time he's said my name, and a thrill runs through me at the sound of it on his lips. He has this way of saying it, the syllables rolling off his tongue deliciously... I shake my head of these thoughts. What the hell? "I try."

"You do this all on your own?" He questions. "Ever met another Witch?"

I nod once, short and tense. "Yes. She was a bitch, never talked to her again. I actually think she got killed by a Succubus, but I can't be sure." The memory of her is still fresh in my mind. It'd been so wonderful to meet another Witch, at first, but then when she had ditched me in the middle of a vanquishing… "So. So far you're doing much better than her."

"Good to know." He stops suddenly, arm flying to hold me back, halting my movement. "There's something ahead."

"Demon?"

"Maybe."

I squint into the distance, trying to make out what he was talking about. "How do you know?"

"Sensing," Chris shrugs. "It's a Whitelighter power."

"Okay…" I draw out the word, a hint of skepticism entering my tone. None the less, I face the darkness with a newfound determination and raise my free hand. As our fingers unlink, Chris's hand drops to his side. "Let's hope it can be burned," I gulp and channel a flame in my hand.

The fireball I release is of my most powerful, and it soars forwards with vegence. As it lights the distance, slowly the demon is revealed. It's a short male, lower class, and just before my fireball reaches it, the demon dives to the side. The fireball crashes hard against the wall, and the whole cavern shakes.

"Duck!" Chris cries, and soon I find myself being shoved to the side, cradled to a firm chest as the rubble falls from the roof. I squeeze my eyes shut, and await a cave in.

Luckily enough, nothing more than harmless shards of rock fall, and Chris helps me up a moment later. "Yeah, I won't be doing that again."

Chris nods breathlessly, and turns back towards where the demon had been.

It's still there, looking slightly shaken by the strength of the blast, but otherwise undeterred. IT raises its own hand then, and Chris shoves me behind him. As the demons powerful energy ball flies towards us, Chris raises and flicks his hand.

Nothing happens.

With a swear under his breath, he presses us flat against the wall, and the energy ball flies harmlessly past us, disappearing far in the distance. "I can't use my powers down here, Delmira. You're going to have to kill him."

"We don't have any weapons Chris, and it's too risky to be lobbing fireballs all over the place."

He holds my gaze for a few seconds, before nodding. "Okay, okay." He looks to the ground, deep in thought. I turn from him to the demon, who is now slowly approaching and readying another energy ball. I bite my lower lip, nerves churning my stomach uncomfortably. Suddenly Chris's head snaps up, and he turns with determined eyes. "Can you keep him busy? At least for a few minutes."

"I can try. What have you got planned?"

"A spell, our best shot."

I think over his words, before smirking. "A few minutes of distraction coming up!" I turn from him and stalk forwards towards the demon. "Here creepy soulless thing! Come get me."

My taunt has the intended effect. It's new energy ball aims straight for me and I swiftly raise my free hand. With a grunt of effort, I create a small wall of fire that doesn't last for long, just enough to block the energy ball.

The demon seems frustrated now, preparing to attack again. I shake my head. "Not so fast," I tell it. With a determined flick of my wrist I lob three consecutive fireballs. My forehead beads with sweat, arms beginning to shake from exertion.

At least one of my fireballs manages to hit, singing the edge of the demon's shoulder. It roars in pain, furious voice echoing throughout the tunnel. I grin and prepare to lob more fireballs before it can recover.

The flames swell in my hand, swirling and tumbling until it amasses to a basketball sized ball of fire. My head throbs in pain, I've never had to create so much fire in my life. The demon manages to create an energy ball just in time, and the two attacks collide in a huge explosion of light. I duck just in time, having moved further in front of Chris to try and block him from the demon's sight. Too close apparently, because some of the flames manage to catch on my shirt.

Having been practicing my spark for majority of my life, I'm more than used to being set on fire. As weird as that is to say. I don't hesitate to pat down the flames, quick enough that they don't mar my skin. It's weird. I can hold a live flame in my hand, but I can still burn.

"You ruined my best shirt," I thunder and stomp forward. In my anger I completely miss the giant energy ball the demon has lobbed at me. It hits me square in the chest before I can block it, and I go flying backwards. I feel skin sizzle, and the force of the attack knocks the wind out of me.

"Delmira!" I hear Chris call. A second later there are arms snaking under my shoulders, hauling me backwards. "Delmira, you okay?" He asked, voice shaking with worry.

Before I can answer, an energy ball explodes above our heads and Chris leans over me almost immediately. His body shields me from the debris, and his mint green eyes lock on to my ochre brown ones. "I'm alright," I croak out. "How's the spell?"

"Done, but he needs to die first. It can't teleport us unless the area is clear of anything other than Witches." Chris's admission comes with a large amount of regret and worry. Despite that, I find myself grinning. "Thank God. I wouldn't want to leave this bastard unscatched after he hit me."

Chris's brow creases, but I shove him aside with great difficulty and haul myself upright. My left hand immediately comes to clutch my chest, and I stagger to my feat. There's blood slowly soaking into my shirt, but I've been worse off than this. I can still kill this demon. As long as I can still see straight I can lob a fireball.

"Hey!" I shout. Chris steadies me from behind, touch light as he cradles my waist. The demon glares at me from just under a mile away, face illuminated by the slowly growing energy ball in his hand. "It's rude to take such a cheap shot!"

It's much like a Western showdown, who can draw and fire their gun quickest?

The demon seems in the lead, having already created his energy ball, but I match him three to one and soon our attacks are colliding right in the middle.

He must have only expected one fireball, because as soon as my first takes care of hsi only energy ball, two more fireballs are flying at his face.

The demon bursts in flames with a satisfying roar of pain. I watch until it's burned to ashes, before collapsing into Chris's arms. "Got him boss," I inform Chris lighty.

He's not even remotely amused by my words. I pout. "You gonna do the spell or what?" I ask him. My eyes are drooping, black spots dancing in my vision. His hand is fussing over my chest, trying to stem the bleeding. "Chris?" I whisper.

Hearing his name snaps him out of it, and he finally meets my gaze. "Huh?" He asks, eyes wide and panicked. A second later he remembers what I've said and nods fiercely. "Yeah, hold still. It'll feel a bit weird," he tells me.

I shrug, despite the pain. It's not like I can move anytime soon.

I'm not sure exactly when. Maybe it's when he brushes a strand of hair from my cheek, or when the world bursts in a bright blue shine, but my eyes finally drift shut. I'm unconscious before I can even ask him for his number.

X

Everything hurts when I finally wake. My head pulses with pain, my chest is sore as hell and my arms feel as though they're made of lead. It's awful, worse than that time I got jumped by a group of thron demons. I rub at my forehead with my hand, blinking my eyes open gradually. The lights are off, but the room is lit by sunlight streaming through a window.

I admire the morning light. Good. I'm not dead. I let out a relieved giggle and turn to look around the rest of the room. I lay in a lovely queen bed, adorned with cozy blankets and decorative pillows. I sit up slowly, taking my missing shirt and jeans. Huh. Someone had changed me. My cheeks warm at the thought of Chris changing me, at least until a five-foot-two girl peeks her head in.

"Oh! Great, you're up." She bustles her way in, offering a glass of water. I tilt my head at her. Curious. She seems… interesting. I quickly look over her short cut brown hair and gorgeously styled clothes before taking the offered drink. "Thanks," I tell her gratefully. "I can't believe it's possible to be so thirsty."

"Understandable." She sits down at the edge of the bed, seeming immediately comfortable with me. It's kind of overwhelming, but not… weird. Almost… refreshing. It's hard to gain someone's trust so quickly these days, and for whatever reason this lady trusts me straight away. "You've been out for two days."

I almost spit out my drink. "Two days?" I gasp.

"Two days," she confirms with an understanding smile. "Chris brought you in on Monday. It's early Wednesday morning now. We were worried you wouldn't wake for a few more days. How do you feel?"

"Like shit," I tell her bluntly.

She laughs. "Energy balls will do that to you."

I nod slowly, finishing off the rest of my water before she takes it from me and pats my duvet covered leg. "Stay in bed, at least till this afternoon. From what we could tell there's no serious damage to your chest, just some burnt skin. You're healing really quickly though… Chris said you were a spark or something?"

"He didn't explain?" I ask, confused.

"Nah. He normally just dumps stuff on me and my sisters and skedaddles."

I frown. Are these the three Witches Chris had mentioned? I suppose it would make sense. As though sensing my curiosity the Witch smacks her forehead with an embarrassed laugh. "Oh! My bad. Totally forgot to introduce myself. I'm Phoebe."

"Delmira," I tell her easily. I wasn't at all worried how she would perceive my name.

"Well Delmira. I'll be back with lunch in a jiffy. I'm guessing you're hungry?"

"Starving," I reaffirm.

She lets out a chortle of laughter. "Right then. A big heaping plate of Piper's casserole coming up." Phoebe leaves with the same kind of energy to her step and I'm left wondering who the hell Chris had left me with.

For now though, I go back to looking around the room. The furnishings are all very warm and comforting. This is definitely a family home, and an old one at that. Perhaps passed down through generations. My eyes finally land on the chair by the corner, my jeans- washed and folded- sat neatly on the cushion. I pout for a moment, remembering how my favorite shirt was ruined.

Bummer.

Content with the knowledge I'd gained, I finally turn to look at myself. I seem to be boring one of the Witch's shirts. A simple sky blue cotton throw over. Comfy sweatpants hung low on my hips, and much to my relief I was still wearing the same underwear. Yes! It's good to know no one's seen me completely naked.

At last I pick at the bandage. It's not soaked in blood, which I assume is a good sign. It has a moist feel to it however, an ointment perhaps? The way the cloth was wrapped neatly around my midriff made me guess these people had treated injuries like these many times before.

With a start I look to the dresser, and thank God my cellphone is there, in seemingly perfect condition. I'd only just brought a new one, the last having suffered an unfortunate fate in a wrestle with a demon. Mostly I use it for business emails…. and snake.

I have an awesome high score on that, nearly five hundred.

Heh…

I'm such a loser.

The door is nudged open soon, and both Phoebe and another girl poke their heads in. "Knock knock," Phoebe greets and walks in. She carries a tray of steaming beef casserole and my stomach grumbles unbidden. The girl behind her, a blonde haired girl with bright brown eyes, lets out an amused snort. "Phoebe said you were hungry, guess she was right."

"Ignore my sister," Phoebe says as she places the tray across my lap. "She's just mad because her latest temp job was a bust." The blonde shrugs. "Turns out fairies can be annoying as hell."

I quirk a brow. "Fairies?"

"Yeah you know," she gestures. "Little girls with wings that fly around and- apparently- prank people. Anyway, hi, nice to meet you! I'm Paige."

Paige holds out her hand, and I shake it, careful not to tip my lovely bowl of food. "Delmira."

"So um," Paige glances at Phoebe, who sends a quick glare at the taller girl. Seeming to ignore whatever warning Phoebe was sending her, Paige continues. "Chris kind of dropped you off without much of an explanation."

Phoebe glares at Paige for a few more moments before relenting, giving into her curiosity. "What my sister is trying to say, is that our wayward Whitelighter only told us you were hit by an energy ball. If you can… could you explain what happened?"

Suddenly though, before I can say anything, a bright burst of blue light fills the room. I'm tempted to flinch away from the new threat… but I don't. It's not until Chris appears that I figure out why.

He ignores the two sisters, gaze immediately landing on me.

"Hey," he greets.

My cheeks warm at the amount of attention I'm suddenly receiving. "Hi."

"You're up," he continues.

"Yeah."

"How do you feel? I went and got you some herbs and such- Phoebe said she'd make the ointment for me. I'm not sure if it will work or not but I have on good authority that it will heal all wounds. I figured an energy ball burn would count as a wound so I… I made sure to get all the ingredients and I would have made it myself but then I wanted to track down the place they held us and make sure all the demons who captured us were dead and…" He blinks suddenly, as though realizing he was rambling. "I uh. Yeah."

I can't help but smile in both amusement, and from the bright burst of warmth suddenly filling me. He seems like… he seems like he genuinely cares about my well being. "I'm fine, thanks. the ointment worked. Thank you."

Damnit. Did I just say thanks, twice?

It's then that I remember there's more than one person in the room and I turn to look at the sisters. Paige is looking on, completely uninterested, but Phoebe is frowning, as though in deep thought. "Well um," Phoebe finally speaks up. "We'd better leave you to eat your lunch." She nudges Paige pointedly, and the blonde nods. "Got it. Ciao!"

I watch in fascination as the two leave, pulling the door closed behind them.

With great hesitancy, I turn back to Chris. He seems almost as embarrassed as I am, so with a shrug I gesture to the bowl in front of me. "Want some beef casserole?"

"No I uh-" he chuckles nervously. "I'm fine. Thanks, though."

"Right."

"So. I see you've met the sisters."

"Two of them," I nod. "They both seem really nice. Generous. They patched me up, huh?"

"Yes." Chris's stance shifts, becoming defensive. "I made sure to tell them how to fix you up though. Energy balls are a serious matter and I wanted to make sure…" He trails off when he notices my slowly growing amused grin. "Again," I say with a huff of laughter. "Thanks Chris."

"Yeah. Good," He nods. "So I'll… let you eat I guess."

Fear spikes in my chest, and I sit up straighter. "You'll be back, though?"

"Oh yeah!" He quickly reassures me. "I'm just going to check on the sisters, then deal with a demon horde. Think you'll be up and moving this afternoon?"

"With your magical concoction, I'm sure."

He smiles, a small, little smile that shy and adorable. "Bye, then."

"Bye," I farewell, with a slight wave.

Chris waves back, hand moving in an awkward jerk before disappearing in a burst of bright, blue light.

With one last amused huff I turn to my food and grab up the fork. The first mouthful is divine… and the second, and the third. Too soon I've finished with the whole bowl, and I want to ask for more, but my stomach is far too full for a second helping.

Having a content, full stomach brings my drowsiness back on full force, and I carefully set the tray on the bedside table before settling down into the bed and letting my eyes fall shut. Sleep comes easily, and I'm more than happy to let it.

I dream of bright blue lights and warm, soft palms caressing my own. It leaves me feeling warm and fuzzy, very un-badass like, but I can't complain. When I wake the room is darker than it had been, lit with an orange glow from the sunset outside.

I yawn as I stretch, feeling joints pop and muscles relax. The bedside table is clear of my lunch tray from earlier, and there's a fresh glass of water waiting for me. Carefully, I move to stand, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. When nothing hurts, simply a dull ache in my chest, I push myself onto both legs.

It's amazing how well I've healed in such a short period of time. I grab the water and take small sips as I head out of the room. I nudge the door open, revealing a long hall that leads to a flight of stairs. There's a bathroom halfway down the hall, and I stop in quickly to relieve myself and freshen myself up.

My hair is a mess, all knotted and slightly bloody. I wash the blood out in the sink as much as I can before untangling the golden brown curls with my fingers. Once down, I borrow a hair tie from a tub at the side of the sink and tie my hair up in a plait. My face is unharmed, other than a slight bruise forming at my temple from when I'd been knocked out, everything seems fine.

If only I had my eyeliner though… I feel bare without it.

Once finished, I grab my glass again and continue onwards. When I come to a staircase leading up, or down, I frown. After a moments concentration I can hear the whispers of conversation from below. Down it is then.

My feet pad on the carpet with soft thuds. Pictures line the walls, and I quickly scan them over as I descend. "-And then of course Elise increased my word limit, why wouldn't she? With the response I've been getting. The… freakish amount of response."

"That's good though, isn't it?" I hear Paige ask.

Finally I get to the landing and walk forwards, towards a lovely looking sitting room. Phoebe is the one with her side to me, and she notices me as soon as I step through the threshold of the room. "Delmira!" She exclaims brightly, standing to greet me. "So good to see you're walking around. Did you find your way alright? Sorry. If I'd known you were awake I would've given you a tour."

"You have an awesome house," I tell her. She gestures to the sofa she was sitting on, and I take the left side so she can have the right. "My apartment seems so bland compared to this."

"Please," Paige brushes me off. "We really can't take any claim over the decorations. That was here long before us." Phoebe shrugs, "I agree with you though Delmira, it is pretty awesome, isn't it? Not to brag, of course."

I look around the room as they speak, wondering what exactly their life is like. Witches, living in suburbia? I chuckle quietly to myself. "Dinner should be ready soon," Phoebe pipes up. "Are you staying for dinner?"

"Oh," I blink. I hadn't considered that. "Where are we exactly?"

Paige laughs. "San Francisco, why?"

"Oh! Awesome," I grin. "I live on Mission Street, how far are we?"

Phoebe purses her lip in thought. "Maybe just under half an hour?"

"It's late," Paige speaks up. "You most as well stay another night. Besides, you're still not one hundred percent better yet and you haven't even met Piper yet."

"Oh that's right!" Phoebe jumps up, heading deeper into the house. "Kitchen," she mentions as though sensing my confusion. "Piper wants to meet you."

I turn, curious, to Paige. She folds her arms. "Excuse my sister. Excuse both of them actually, they're awfully… exuberant lately. Phoebe because she's doing well at work and Piper… well. We're not sure about Piper, I'll get back to you on that one."

That brings pause to my thoughts. I've never had much of a family, and it's interesting to see their dynamics. "You're sure, about me staying the night?" I ask to double check.

"Honey, we have three spare rooms and more than enough casserole to feed an army. Stay as long as you want. Any Witch is a friend of ours, especially one who saved our Whitelighter."

I frown. "I didn't save him…"

"Ah. I like you. You're of those noble types. I see."

"He's the one who got us out of there," I try to defend him. "We'd still be stuck down there if it wasn't for him. All I did was managed to get hit by an energy ball."

Suddenly Phoebe is hurrying back into the room, dragging someone behind her. I assume it's Piper, given the casserole in her hands. "Delmira! This is Piper. Piper, meet our Whitelighter's savior."

"It's wonderful to meet you finally!" The lady chirps, holding out her free hand to shake whilst balancing the casserole in her other. I take it hesitantly, offput by how… bubbly she seems. "Dinner is ready, you'll be joining us right? I'd love to get to know you."

"Uh, yeah." My response is automatic, spurred by her excitement. "Great!" She chirps and bustles off. I turn with a quirked brow to Paige, who simply give me a looks saying 'I told you so'.

Phoebe claps her hands suddenly, and I turn to face her. "Well that's everyone! Oh wait! You haven't met Wyatt yet."

"Wyatt?" I ask.

Paige gets up to stand at my side. "He's Piper's son. Be warned, he's a cheeky little fella."

"A kid," I muse. "Huh."

"What's that?" Paige asks, turning from following after Phoebe.

I shift, slightly uncomfortable. "I don't mean to be rude or anything, but if you're all Witches, what are you doing bringing up a kid in an environment like that? I'm one Witch and I get at least three demon attacks a month, and here… there's three of you."

"We'll keep him safe," Paige insisted, growing defensive. I raised my hands in a surrendering gesture and tried to backtrack. "I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to offend you. I just… I have experience with this kind of thing. I had someone close to me once… She didn't make it."

Paige sobered instantly, a somber mood falling upon the both of us. She looked like she wanted to say something, but suddenly Phoebe came back into the room. "You coming to see the baby boy, or not?"

I mask my face, and flash a smile at her. "Sure Phoebe."

She holds out her hand and I take it, letting her guide me forward. Paige follows behind after a few moments with a frustrated sigh. Phoebe takes me to the living room, and in the corner is an adorable kid with short blonde hair. He's playing with a toy dinosaur and I can't help but grin. "You're totally into dinosaurs huh? I was too when I was your age." I crouch down in front of his playpen and lean on the fencing. "You must be Wyatt."

Wyatt looks up at me, shy smile growing on his face. "You're just adorable." I grin at him, reaching down to pick up a race car he wasn't playing with. "How old is he?" I ask to no one in particular.

"Six months," Phoebe says with a broad smile. "He's our little Prince."

Paige crouches down next to me and picks Wyatt up. She bounces him on her hip for a few seconds as she stands. "You wanna hold him?"

I gawk. "Really?"

"For sure," she holds him out for me. "Here you go!"

"How do I-" Before I can ask how to hold him Paige practically shoves the baby into my hands. I fumble for a few moments, much to the two sister's amusement. He's deceptively heavy, but despite this he settles comfortably in my arms.

Phoebe grins and turns to her sister. "She's a natural."

"Yeah," Paige agrees with a nod.

"I'm glad you guys have confidence in me."

Both sisters laugh, and Phoebe is kind enough to hold out her arms for me. I lower Wyatt into her arms, smiling goodbye to the boy. "So!" Paige chirps. "Now that all the introductions are over, let's go see if dinner's ready."

"Brilliant idea Paige, lead the way."

I watch them as they head out through a different door, and I glance one last time at Wyatt before following after them. It leads us into yet another room, the dining room. "Wow, this is so wonderful."

Piper must have been busy whilst I was meeting her son. There was a plethora of food on the table, which was set with shining silverware and squeaky clean china. "Looks delicious," PHoebe compliments as Piper enters the room.

She smiles. "Thanks!"

I hesitate when they take their seats. Where do I sit?

Before I can choose the room lights up once more with a familiar blue light, and suddenly Chris is there. He looks immediately to me once more, that small smile growing on his face. "Hey."

"Hi."

"Chris," Piper greets. "Are you joining us for dinner?"

Phoebe quirks a brow. "Yeah Chris? You joining us for dinner?"

Paige smirks knowingly. "You don't normally," she adds onto her sister's question.

"If that's okay," Chris says, eyes not leaving mine. To my chagrin he steps towards me, around the table and pulls out a chair for me, next to Phoebe's. "Thanks." I slide into the seat easily, and he pushes it in after me.

Paige and Piper sit on the other side of the table, so we have uneven numbers. Chris debates before taking the seat next to me. I flash him a small, private smile and he returns it with one of his own. "Let's dig in, shall we?" Phoebe asks.

The cue moves us into motion. Piper behind dishing out the meals and I pour everyone a glass of water. "How did tracking down the cave go?" I ask to Chris quietly, hopefully too quiet for anyone else at the table to hear.

"Great, actually." He picks up the glass of water and takes a few sips. "I found it easily enough. There were two low level demons there, but I vanquished them easily enough."

"Is that it then? Our problem's over?"

"No," he admits regretfully. "I have a feeling our demon's were working with someone far higher in the food chain."

Phoebe must pick up on some of our words, for she tilts her head. "What's this?"

"Nothing," Chris says too quickly.

I glare at him and kick his shin lightly under the table. He huffs at me but turns to the sisters. "We were just talking about what happened to us."

"Yes!" Phoebe cheers. "Please, share away!"

Chris looks to me, mint green eyes hopeful. I purse my lips at him but turn to the rest of the table. "Well I can share my story mostly. I was heading home after trying to track down a demon and I was jumped. Whoever it was hit on the head and knocked me out. Then I… I woke up in a cave. That's how I found Chris, then together we tried to escape."

"She was amazing," Chris pipes up. "Delmira took on the demon all on her own without any weapons or potions or spells. She gave me enough time to get us out of there."

Paige quirks a brow. "And how did she do that?"

Chris's mouth fell open, completely unprepared to answer that question. I smiled reassuringly at him. "It's hard to explain."

"Give it your best," Phoebe tells me.

"Right well. I'm a spark. I have the ability to create and manipulated fire."

"What?" Paige asks.

"You're a Firestarter," Piper speaks up.

"Oh right! Like Tyler," Paige adds.

I frown. "What's a Firestarter?"

"It's in the Book of Shadows." Phoebe gestures upwards with her fork. "You can read the entry if you want?"

I turn to Chris expectantly. He shrugs. "Never heard of them."

Multiple conversations break out across the table. The three sisters discuss Paige's new temp job, as far as I can gather, and Chris turns to me. "So… what do you think?"

"About what?"

"Everything."

I bit my lower lip in thought. "It's amazing. They have a family… they're a family of Witches. I've never seen anything like it. And.. Well it's overwhelming, really."

"I have to admit, Delmira." Chris lowered his gaze, hands fiddling with a napkin. "I'm… surprised how well you've managed to do without any guidance. I mean, I don't think I could have been strong enough to survive on my own, especially when I was only just learning my powers."

Something warms within me at his words, and I'm sure I'm blushing furiously when he finally dares to meet my gaze again. "Pfft," I brush him off. "I'm not as… strong as you're making me out to be. Besides, sometimes we just get dealt these kind of cards, you know?"

"Well maybe now… Maybe now you don't have to be strong on your own."

Chris's words cause my eyes to widen in shock. "What are you saying?"

"I'm sure… if you wanted, the sisters would be more than happy to teach you. I would be more than happy to teach you. Or at least help you out somehow."

I shrug. "You've already saved my life, Chris. You don't owe me anything else."

"Not like that," he amends quickly. "I mean… There's still an upper-level demon who organised your kidnapping. You'd be safer with us."

"What are you saying?"

Chris glanced at the sisters. "It's not my place to offer, but I'd really like it if you stayed here, at least until we tracked down who organised our kidnappings."

"I've taken on an upper-level demon before, Chris."

"I'm not saying you can't defend yourself," Chris quickly amends. "I just… I don't know if I could handle knowing you were out there on your own with no one to help you."

As soon as the words are in the air, Chris ducks his head, tips of his ears tinging red. I myself feel a blush warming my cheeks, and I dig my nails in my palm to try and regain focus. Jeez. I'd never… Well. No one has ever really cared about me like Chris seems to. "If the sisters want…" I say after a moment.

Chris's head snaps up and the biggest, most relieved smile grows on his face. "Thank you," he says quickly. "Thank you. I get how hard this probably is for you. I myself spend a lot of time on my own and I know how it can feel to have that ruined."

"Yeah well," I shrug in embarrassment. He's hit the problem right on the head. "Now you just have to convince the sisters."

Once again Phoebe must pick up on the conversation, because she turns to us with a tilted head. "Convince us of what?"

Chris, bless his heart, actually seems a bit nervous with what he's about to ask. I sneak my hand to join with his under the table, and flash him a reassuring smile. Chris glances at me from the corner of his eyes, shoulders sagging as he relaxes. "I thought it might be a good idea for Delmira to stay here, at least until we vanquish whoever organised her kidnapping."

Nobody says anything for a few long moments, and I perhaps am squeezing Chris's hand a little too tightly by the time Paige finally speaks up. "I think that's a wonderful idea."

"Really?" Chris blurts from my side.

Phoebe nods. "Definitely." She turns to me, "I wouldn't feel right if we let Delmira go without anyone to back her up. Although I'm sure you can take care of yourself, sweetie, I'd feel a lot better if I knew you were safe."

"This house is protected," Paige continues. "Not to mention we have hundreds of potion ingredients for anything under the sun. We can keep you more than safe."

At all of their hopeful faces, I can't help but give in to their offer. "Alright," I agree. I slowly look each of them in their eyes, landing on Chris's gaze finally. "Thanks."

X

Chris and I had gravitated upstairs to the spare room I'd woken up in. He paced the length of the floor as I swung my legs back on forth from my position on the bed. "So?"

"Oh," Chris pauses, turning to face me. He smiles a moment later, abashed. "Sorry. I was just thinking." I frown, and ask, "About what?"

"I need to tell you something."

I tilt my head. "Yeah?"

He opens his mouth, but then clamps it shut a moment later. He lets out a frustrated sigh, running his hands through his hair. I click my tongue and hope off the bed, walking up to him in three quick strides. He's taller than me by about half a foot, but I manage to meet him in the eyes easily enough.

"How about you show me the… uh, book? The one the sisters were talking about."

Chris smiles in relief, glad I'd picked up on his uneasiness. "Definitely." He takes my hand in his and tugging me along softly. My golden brown curls bounced as we walked, shoeless feet padding along the floor. "So what is this book exactly?"

"It was created by their family, knowledge passed down from generation to generation. It contains information on almost all magical beings, how to vanquish them, what their weaknesses are. It's where we turn when we need help."

"That's so cool," I tell him, mouth wide open in excitement. "I have to kept most of my information online, and half the time it's inaccurate as hell. Or from a really outdated book my-" I cut off suddenly, realizing I was sharing far too much information.

If he does notice my sudden clamped mouth he doesn't comment on it. "Yeah. Seeing as you're staying here, you can look at it whenever you want. Read up on anything you need to."

"Really?"

He nods. "Mhmm. I'm sure the sister's, as great of hosts they are, will probably ask you to help them out and make a potion sometime. You'll need the book for that."

"Potions," I muse aloud. "I've only made a few before, because I can never find the ingredients. Or half of the potion recipes end up with my eyebrows being singed off."

Chris lets out a bark of laughter. "When I was learning to make potions, I blew up the whole kitchen. we had to get it entirely remodeled."

"Oh," I hiss through my teeth. "Ouch."

He shakes his head, fond smile still in place. "It was actually worth it. We finally got a new oven. My brother… my brother used to congratulate me for it."

"Oh?" I tilt my head. "You have a brother?"

Chris freezes at that, movements stilling. "Not… exactly."

I nod slowly, understandingly. Chris has things in his past, probably just as bad as mine. I turn from him, looking for another subject. It comes in the form of a large book resting on a pedestal. "Is this the book?"

He nods, grateful for the subject change. "The Book of Shadows."

"And it was information on these… Firestarters?"

"Yeah. Now we just have to find it."

Chris rounds the book and faces it. I waddle up to his side and watch as he flicks his hands. The pages turn in time with his gestures, and he searches it with expertise. "So how long have you been the sister's Whitelighter?" I ask suddenly, curious.

"Too long," Chris jokes. I grin and he shakes his head in exasperation. "Just over five weeks."

"Here it is," he speaks up suddenly. I step forward and look at the page he had turned to. Unsurprisingly, there it is. The page on Firestarters.

"The Firestarter. An extremely rare and coveted magical creature, usually a mortal. The power is linked to their emotions. It first manifests in adolescence with the onset of puberty.

If subjugated while still impressionable, they can be persuaded to use their powers for evil. Because of this, they are often trained to be bodyguards of the Source." I frown. "Huh. I guess that explains all the hunters then."

"Rare, huh?" Chris grins teasingly at me and I nudge him in the side. "Shut up."

"Urgh," I shiver in disgust. "This book makes me sound like an… object."

"At least we know what you are now. That makes it even more incredible that you've survived. Apparently they wanted you for the Source."

"What?"

"He was the ruler of the Underworld. Very powerful, very evil."

"Sheesh," I whistle. "Well thank God I learned to blast things, right?"

Chris nods and steps away from the book, tucking his hands into his pockets. "It's getting late," he says, glancing out the attic window. "Where will you be sleeping?" I ask him.

"I have a place at P3, Piper's club. Most of the time I'm tracking leads though, no time for sleep. You'll be alright staying here?"

"Um. Of course," I frown at him. "Chris… you need sleep."

He shifted. "I… it's complicated."

"Right," I draw the word out, skeptical.

Chris huffs, but smiles. "Goodnight Delmira. We can swing by your place tomorrow and pick some of your things up."

I grin. "That'd be great."

He leaves in a burst of bright blue light, hand raising to give a small wave as he does.

Eventually I turn from him, looking across the attic with curious eyes.

This… This was going to be interesting.

X

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