Hey here we go first real chapter

Warnings from the from page apply as does the disclaimer... witness the birth of the Ravens...

Caught In The Crossfire

Prologue

In the years leading up to Thomas Chrome's election to power the world was in chaos and the people looked to a strong leader to make them safe again. War was ripping the world apart. Mistakes had been made, mistakes that could never again be ignored and as a result magic had been exposed.

The humans made a huge mistake in killing a witch, an innocent bystander; one of the protected White Stars, the Wiccan paramedics and so war had started. Some would say that it was not the human's fault they were never meant to know about magic. It had always been considered too much for them to handle. Now we wonder if that were true. They started a war that may never end because we will never give up.

Of course if you are a human sat here reading this, which is highly unlikely given the circumstances of how I am writing this, but I know things can change, then you, will never believe the truth because us witches cannot speak truth. But whether you believe it or not this is the truth and I suggest you read it with care, and realise that if you had had more sense than lower level demon none of this would ever had happened.

So read on and witness the demise of witches as we know them, for once I would have given my life to protect you, now I give my life to protect my people from you. For if the witches are guilty of anything, when you killed Katherine we overstepped the line. We broke the rules.

We were always meant to protect the innocents and with the murder of our White Star, Katherine Caine, a name that will live forever we overstepped the line and we began punishing the guilty.

Witness, humans what you started for now it will never change…

Katherine Caine sat on the bench in chains. Her eyes were red and sore from the tears she'd cried. Her sandy hair fell in uneven waves past her elbows and was mussed in a mattered tangle around her face. She wondered how on earth she had managed to get herself here. She glanced down at her hands shackled and chained. Just like her feet.

The window to her cell may look innocent but it is electrocuted. She feels a surge of electricity every time she touches it. Somehow they have managed to stop her escaping. Not that she would. She would not put her fellow witches in danger that way. The cell was magic proof. She smiled bitterly. She didn't think even they were aware they'd done it. Sure the whole electrocuted cage thing made one wry about trying to escape but that wouldn't have stopped her. She was a White Star and she had the power of Flight the use of her Wings. The Power to move from one place to another at will.

But the true reason she was still here instead of being free and helping her charges, as she should be was that she was a White Star. The healers of the Witches. The Guardians of mortals and witches. She was like their supernatural paramedic and as long as they had been injured by supernatural means, demons or the creatures of hell then she could heal them.

But Katherine had lost a charge today.

Katherine had heard what that did to a White Star. It froze your insides until you couldn't move. It made your eyes glaze until you could no see and messed with your head until you longer think straight. It froze your powers and made your heart bleed.

Katherine winced and touched the wet patch in the centre of her dark blue overalls. Her fingers came away tacky, wet and very red. Tears pooled in her eyes all over again. She had thought she had felt pain when her charges got hurt but that had been nothing to how she felt now. Oh Queen! She thought why didn't you help me, why didn't you give me the strength to save him? It would have made all this worthwhile. Why couldn't I save him? She started to cry. She knew she was lost. She could feel it in those around her. They wanted her dead. That was fine she wanted to be dead. She didn't want to live anymore. She didn't want to live. She knew that she couldn't live if her family were to live. If the witches were to survive it meant that she would have to die. She accepted that now. And she would see Stefan again.

"Shut Up Witch!" One of the guards yelled banging on the enforced door. Katherine cried harder. She would not be the death of all her fellow witches yet she knew they were looking for her.

She hadn't answered calls or been seen for two days. Two whole days. Every witch calls in before that. Frantic calls had gone out and reached her but she hadn't answered them. She would not endanger any of the others with this mess. It was hers and hers alone.

At that moment however, her brother Horatio Caine leader of the witches had finally found her. And that changed everything. It took the choice to not to involve the witches out of her hands. He was telepathic as well as other things, one of the most powerful witches to be born. Her older brother, she was so proud of him.

She knew when her Elders would have put the call out because she hadn't answered her call-ups or three calls from her charges the call would have gone out that she was missing.

Horatio had touched her mind and his relief that she was okay had been like a wave hitting her system. But that had soon turned to shock and cold fury when he crushed her block around her memories and found where she was and what had happened to her. It was then that she realised that nothing would be the same again.

She stared down at her hands. Her magic was gone. She would never again help anyone. She touched the smooth skin of her palms. They looked like her own but they didn't feel like hers. They had failed her today. Her magic had never failed her before. She knew that you couldn't save everyone; it was like being a paramedic. You won some and you lost some. But she had never lost before. And that was bad enough. But why did it have to be him? Why him? She would never wish anyone had been in his place but she would have accepted her fate a lot better had he lived.

A life for a life.

She would have given hers to see him okay. To make him survive.

But that was not meant to be.

She felt Horatio invade her thoughts again. This time he was taking no prisoners. He wanted to know and he wanted to know now. As he found the reason she was there it played back in her thoughts.

Over again to two days ago….

"Katherine!" Katherine stilled and titled her head and let her brother's voice enter her head. She was running hot today. She had had three saves! Queen she loved her job. She loved being a White Star. She got to help her charges and people in general and because of that she got to kick the bad guy's ass.

Without actually doing anything active. This was after all against the rules. Her brother was telling to get her ass to their house. Now. She smiled. Her little niece and nephews. Ray was eleven, Madison was nine and Antonio, the youngest was only six. Ray was techinacally Madison and Antonio's step brother from her brother Ray sr's marriage to Yelina but they never saw him any differently. And Ray adored his younger siblings. He was obsessively protective of them.

Katherine smiled. As she thought of them they could only be one reason, okay maybe three reasons why she was being called to Ray's house. Her niece and nephews were the love of her life and she adored them with everything she had.

So she concentrated on her brother, sister-in-law and the kids and her eyes flew open as she realised there was something desperately wrong. She was needed now. She moved out immediately she orbed into her brother's house and found it in chaos. She ran for her brother. "Ray!" She yelled running through the house that was in total devastation.

The table and chairs were up turned and everything was in tatters. "Up here Katherine!" Came Susie's voice. It was calm but it was eerily calm as if she was forcing herself to stay calm. And that more than anything sent Katherine's warning meter into over drive. She ran for the stairs taking them two at a time dreading the worst.

Her senses were tingling. There was dying pain in this house. She pushed through the pain that felt like a screw turning in her head and dived for the door leading to Ray's room. Inside the room here heart stopped. The bed was up turned and everything was a mess. And right in the centre was her brother.

Ray was laid on the floor on his back with a massive piece out of his side. "Katherine." He wheezed. Her side blazed with white-hot pain and she had to squeeze her eyes tight shut to avoid her White Star powers of empathy override her reason. That was how she lost charges. She was not going to let her brother die. "Shh…" She soothed going into automatic calm mode. "It's ok." She felt inside for the pull and felt her magic rise up and blue light emitted from her hands. She saw the wound for what it was. A life threatening wound that needed immediate treatment. But she also saw deeper than that. It was a demon attack. The demon a Jynx Demon from the look and feel of the wound.

Jynx demons were horrible ugly beasts that used brute force instead of intelligence. They were the very bottom of the Underworld deployed by The Master to create havoc and chaos. They had limited magic but what they had they used to create devastation. They were stupid but a fool was sometimes more dangerous than a genius.

Katherine shook her head. This was no time for judging the killing skills of demons it was time to heal the damage. And there was a lot of damage. The wound had severed a major artery, which explained the bleeding, and he had obviously been thrown across the room because his kidneys had taking one hell of a beating. They were bruised and from the look of them they had stopped working all together.

Katherine set to work at once. Her magic was strong and potent and it worked fast. Blue tipped sparks danced gently over her brother's wound plugging the artery and clogging the blood and began healing the wound without leaving a scar. More magic went further and soothed the battered kidney's taking away the bruising and flushing through the poison in his body that was stopping them from working. She flushed her brother's system conscious that this was her brother and she couldn't let him die.

Soon she felt the satisfying pull of her magic withdrawing from her brother's body. He sat up and hugged his baby sister. He looked past her and looked to his wife. "Is Ray ok?" In answer Ray came in holding his siblings hands. Madison was crying and Antonio was clinging to his brother's leg. He led his brother and sister over to his father and they all hugged him.

"Are you ok daddy?" Antonio asked.

Witch children remembered things from an early age. It was a feature of their race. So Katherine knew that Antonio would know what was going on despite his young age. Madison and Ray now understood the importance of their magic and what to do in the case of an attack Antonio was still learning. It was, however, foolish to try and hide it from him.

"I'm fine now Tonio." Ray said looking at his tiny son. "Auntie Katherine used her magic." Antonio turned and smiled at his aunt. Katherine felt her heart melt.

She opened her arms and motioned for him to come and get a cuddle. He came willingly. She scooped him up and he giggled as she cuddled him. She held her arm out and the other two ran to her and huddled close.

Then over their heads she looked at her brother. "Now, what the hell happened?" She demanded.

"Jynx Demons." Susie said grimly. "A whole swarm of them!" Ray said then he looked at her his brown eyes intense and sincere bored into her violet ones. "They know Kate." He said quietly using his nickname for her. Madison had nuzzled his head into Katherine's neck and it took a moment to understand what her brother was saying then his words sunk in and she whispered "Hell!"

Ray smiled faintly and said, "Yes so it would appear." "Have you told Horatio?" "No he hasn't but he had better start." A voice said. Katherine and Ray turned at the voice. "Uncle Horatio!" The kids screamed. Antonio squirmed and once he was free ran to Horatio who smiled and picked him up. "Hey Tonio." He smiled. He smiled as he was tackled by his other kids. "Ray I see you've been taking care of you brother and sister."

Ray nodded proudly. "Madison and I look after Antonio he's the youngest." Horatio nodded and then looked at his brother and sister. "So? You want to tell me what happened?" "Jynx Demons attacked. They know we're second in line." Ray said wincing as he got up.

"You'd think they'd go after Horatio," Katherine said quietly. Since they must know he's the actual head of the Head of the Council." Ray started to laugh. "They wouldn't dare. The whole Underworld fear him." "They will fear me more when word gets to the Master that I have obliterated every demon even attached to this attack." Horatio said his eyes burning. "They will learn they do not touch my family." Ray looked at his brother and thought for a moment his eyes flashed gold but then it was gone.

"They made a good choice for once in their lives." Ray smiled. "With Horatio had the head of the Council the witches will prosper!"

"You and Susie still need to take their offer Ray. Damn it your second in line for the Council. That's dangerous enough but the Master already knows… You need protection, the kids need protection!"

Ray shook his head. "This is only for Susie and I but the kids will have extra protection body guards and such." Katherine nodded looking at her niece and nephews. "So are you going to do it?" Horatio demanded. "I will not have you or my kids in danger!"

Ray nodded "The Council insists we do." This came from Susie who had entered the room and fell on her husband. She hugged him close. She smiled at Horatio. "Which of course means that Horatio insists on it." "Yes I do." Horatio said firmly.

"Good because I can't keep bailing you out." Katherine smiled and said, "Besides if you and Susie are Regenerative that means we'll never have to say goodbye. We'll all be together."

Katherine looked up startled there was a guard outside her cell. He tapped on the glass with his gun. The door opened and Katherine's jaw dropped. She recognised him immediately. It was Stefan's twin. "Get out." She breathed. He took no notice of her and simply walked further in. This was Kevin Steel. Stefan's twin who had called for punishment at her trial. If it would be honestly called for one. Which then caused Thomas Chrome to call for the first execution of a witch in over five hundred years. The fact they were killing one of the pacifist ones seemed to escape them. The fact she had wings and could have escaped them seemed to also have by passed them.

Seeing Kevin this close made Katherine shake with fear she had forced herself not to let them see. She backed up against the wall of the cell as far from Kevin as she could get. She refused to look at him.

"I want the truth witch." He said harshly. She couldn't keep her mouth shut a moment longer. "I thought you heard the truth at the trail!" She snarled. Kevin blinked and then took a hesitant step back. "Oh for Queen's sake. I can't do anything to you so hurry up and tell me what you want. So I go back to contemplating my death in peace." "You're willing to die even though you say your innocent?" Kevin asked, "Look no matter what I say it'll never be enough in the eyes of all you humans I killed your brother no matter what I say. The fact that I could have used my powers to escape you and I never did seems also to have missed you all totally." She still wasn't looking at him.

"You say that but everything points to the fact you did!" Kevin said his anger rising. Katherine lost her temper. "I was in love with Stefan! I loved him I was trying to save his life. You pulled me off him and I couldn't help him!" She screamed it with all her pent up and anger and grief. All the frustration that no one would listen to her she now screamed at Stefan's twin. Kevin seemed to go paler and paler under the wrath of her words.

He backed against the glass and the charge shot through him cutting his hand at the point of contact. He yelped. Pain blazed through Katherine and despite everything she knew she had to help him. She got up and felt relief as her powers showed her they were there. They had not left her yet. Not as potent as before but enough.

"Give me your hand." She said gently. "What?" He asked "Just for once in your existence trust that something maybe good and give me your hand." Kevin blinked at her. But shakily held his hand out. She felt the pull and blue light emitted from her hands.

Her magic had not left her after all! But it did not escape the fact that it had failed her when she had needed it most. But she pushed the negative thoughts away. It was here now. That would have to be enough.

It was dimmer than before but the blue sparks did their job. They healed the hurt. She pulled away and Kevin stared at his hand there was no evidence that it had ever been hurt. "That's your power?" Kevin said in a high-pitched voice that Katherine could see was on the verge of panic.

Katherine nodded. She closed her eyes and managed to gather enough magic to move from in front of him to behind him. "They're all the powers you have?" Kevin whispered. He had gone as white as when his hand had been hurt. Katherine nodded her sad smile.

"No one listens to the guilty." "B...But they told us t-that you had power over his life force and that you drained it." It was Katherine's turn to pale. "That is against any Wiccan rule we have. We do not kill innocents. Besides Stefan was my Charge. I was meant to care for him. I should die. I failed."

Kevin was shaking. "You tried to save him! You're going to die! This is all my fault!" Katherine suddenly realised that all his anger at her had been because he believed her the killer of his brother. She should have known before. His pain stemmed from his loss. She couldn't help it she reached out to him. None of this was anyone's fault. It was just circumstance. It was her turn to die. And she had accepted that she would.

"It's no one's fault. I would have died anyway my only regret is that I couldn't save Stefan." "But you shouldn't have to die for that!" Kevin said and Katherine could instinctively know he was fighting tears.

"I've been chosen to die. That's just the way it is. I have to die to make sure that my kin survive. You have no idea the fuss this will cause. If I die then the Witch Hunts will stop and my brothers, my niece, my nephews and my sister in law will be safe. They're my family I don't care about anything else."

Kevin had left. He was a human that had promised to turn the tide. Katherine smiled. Even if one human knew the truth then hope can spread. She remembered what actually happened that day.

After she left Ray's she felt the pull from one of her other Charges. Stefan.

Her heart stopped and she was moving before she even knew what she was doing.

Stefan was being attacked from all angles. Had The Master gone insane attacking in broad daylight? Stefan was a witch the only one in his family something he had hidden from them. Katherine had never thought this the best idea but she had respected his wishes. He had fought them off and staggered into the road. She saw the car coming for him and didn't think twice. Katherine ran into the road and pushed him clear. The rush of the car whipped past her but she didn't care. "Katherine." He smiled. "I knew you'd come. My guardian angel." She smiled.

"You'll be ok." She wanted to get him somewhere safe but for the first time ever in her career as a White Star Katherine let her emotions rule. She knew she loved him. And she knew she couldn't let him die. She ignored the warning bells in her head. She preformed magic in broad daylight. She could feel him slipping from her. "I love you Katherine." He whispered. Then he was gone.

And no matter how she tried she couldn't get him back. "Stefan please!" She begged tears falling freely down her face but nothing she did brought him back. And then she felt hands prizing her from him.

Then she understood. Her magic had been exposed.

Despite this the next two days went by un a numbing blur and then she was sat on death row the film of her magic the biggest piece of evidence against her. Now she was chained and waiting to die.

She had half and hour left.

With ten minutes to go three guards unlocked her cell and lead her along a grim grey corridor. She was lead into a panelled room and there was the stake right in front of her. The media flashed and yelled outside behind the screen and only one man stood in the room.

Thomas Chrome.

She was chained to the pyre and Chrome made a speech but Katherine couldn't hear anything there was a roaring in her ears that blocked everything out. Then he turned to Katherine. She gaped. She recognised him! He was evil. She saw and felt it in one moment in time. She narrowed her eyes. "Got anything to say witch?" "Only that one day I hope you pay for your crimes as I am paying for mine." Tears fell down her face.

She was going to die. She didn't want to die.

He smirked. He pointed to the control room and Katherine saw as the dial began to turn. Then time stopped. And she knew.

In the doorway Ray, Horatio and Susie were there with two other witches. They were Time witches holding time frozen. And from behind their mother the kids looked at her. Horatio wasted no time. He vaulted the barrier and untied his sister. "Come on!" He was insistent. "The Council will protect you." "Kate now!" He pulled her but she still didn't move.

"I can't Horatio. I have to pay for this." "Kate please! You did nothing. You loved him. You lost him. None of this was your doing!" Susie said pleading. "I exposed magic. I let my emotions rein. I crossed the line. This is my punishment." "Kate stop being stupid and move!" Ray said joining his brother to try and get her to move."

"Auntie Katherine please!" Ray was crying. She smiled. She knew they should be here. Madison was crying and Antonio was looking at her with wide eyes pleading. "Kate please." Madison sobbed.

She didn't want them to have to see her die but she was pleased that she had this time. She had this one chance to see them again, once more before she died. Antonio broke free of Susie's grip and reached for Katherine through the barrier. "I have to go now kids." She said through her tears.

"Be good for mum and dad okay?" She gripped Antonio's hand briefly. "Ray look after your brother and sister okay? Madison be a big girl. And Tonio, baby be brave."

She looked at her kids as they nodded tears rolling down their faces. She kissed them all and then hugged Susie, Horatio and Ray never wanting to let go. "I love you forever." She whispered.

She walked back to the pyre and put he arms around it. "I love you. I'll always be watching over you." She gulped and then nodded to her kin and closed her eyes.

Ray Jr. Watched knowing things would never being the same he gripped his sister's hand as she cried. Antonio watched watched knowing he would never forget as time sppeded up again and flames engulfed Katherine. She screamed and Antonio tried to run to her.

"Tonio no!" His dad and brother yelled.

"Kate! Kate! Kate!" He had to help her. He wanted to die with her.

Horatio held him back.

"Antonio no!" Horatio yelled dragging his nephew back in to his arms. His nephew's screams mingled with his own. His sister was gone. His beautiful caring compassionate sister was gone. He sobbed into his son's hair. This couldn't be happening…

He looked at Ray and Susie who had their arms wrapped round their stuggling son and daughter. He looked at Ray and knew he felt it too. This couldn't be happening but he knew it was.

He felt her soul leave earth forever and knew that the humans had killed his sister. Humans had killed a White Star! Katherine was gone from their lives forever.

His tears fell and his heart was broken forever. Someone had to pay for this. Even the Underworld did not kill White Stars.

They would pay for this….