Disclaimer: I really, really do not own Charmed- keep your fingers crossed though, if I ever win the lottery I'll be financing the spin-off. ;-D
(X)
Zahra, disguised as Piper, knocked on a door. The door opened and a pretty, dark haired woman answered, she gaped at the woman on the doorstep. She wasn't prepared for Piper, the most observant of the Charmed Ones!
"We met last week but I wanted to speak with you privately," Zahra began, letting herself into the hotel room; she sneered in disgust, "My sons seem very involved with your life. I was hoping to find out why. Children can be so trusting. So can my baby sister," she shook her head in disgust; "I want to be honest with you. I don't trust you. You come from God knows where, bringing the magic and demons back and my sons are somehow responsible for your welfare? It just sounds off to me. Looks like you've convinced everyone else to be trusting…" Zahra let her sentence trail, implying that Priscilla had better get started on convincing Piper to trust her.
"You're not trusting?" Priscilla asked. "You don't believe in helping innocents?" Priscilla asked, a brittle edge to her words.
"It's been a long time since I've been trusting. Besides, I'm not so sure that you are an innocent. Didn't Lord Phobos, The Source of All Evil, show up around the same time you did? How do I know that you're not working with him?"
"I can understand your concern for your children, but your family has nothing to fear from mine. If I had the power I would have vanquished Phobos a long time ago." Priscilla promised. "I would never work with him." What the hell is with Piper? 'Lord Phobos'? Priscilla thought.
"You'd say that even if you are, though, wouldn't you?" Zahra/Piper asked disdainfully.
"Actually," Priscilla looked at her guest ruefully, "I suppose that I would."
"You're family doesn't belong here, until I know that you're no threat, I'll be keeping my eyes on you," threatened Zahra/Piper.
"Where I'm from, the Charmed Ones helped innocents. They didn't threaten them." Priscilla said angrily. How dare this woman come into her 'home' and attack her. She gave an internal shrug, 'you'd think I'd be used to being attacked at home by now'.
"Well, I hear that the Charmed Ones don't exist in your world anymore. No wonder. They don't seem to have been very smart."
"They were great witches! They protected and fought…"
"And died." Zahra interjected, finishing nastily.
"Yes, they sacrificed everything for the protection of innocents." Priscilla defended the sisters vehemently. She owed them so much and this version of Piper was sadly lacking from the woman she remembered so fondly, mourned so painfully.
Pace entered the house in a hurry, not even bothering to close the door behind him; he'd heard his mother's raised voice. "I think you should leave." He grimly told their guest.
"I belong here!" Zahra/Piper declared, incensed, "How dare you come into my world! I only came to see for myself what kind of people you are."
"Pace, freeze!" Chris yelled, running in the open door.
Zahra thought it was a warning to Pace for yelling at Chris' beloved mother. She didn't realize that he was giving Pace a command. Pace looked at Chris for a moment, surprised and still angry. He threw his hands out to freeze the room. He figured that when the Halliwells froze he'd talk with his mother and discuss their next move. To his amazement Chris didn't freeze, even though Piper did.
"What are you immune, now?" Pace asked wearily. He stood protectively in front of his mother.
Priscilla put a calming hand on Pace's arm, "Piper has the power to freeze, Pace. That is not Piper." Then, almost to herself, "I should have known. Nothing could have changed her that much."
"The Chris in the bar wasn't me and Wyatt hasn't been at P3 all day. Remember the first demon we fought? We don't freeze." Chris remembered from his other life how it felt to be hunted and weary. He supposed that it was because of his "past" that he was so willing to help this family. He wanted to earn their trust and he knew, from experience, that having someone to trust helped you not feel so alone. Besides, he truly liked the Bennetts.
"I should have remembered. Sorry, Chris. But they knew stuff that I'd only told you, about Mom being a witch, and other things. They were convincing." Pace looked apologetically at his friend. "Guess I'm just used to believing the worst in people."
"No, I'm sorry. I did tell my mom and dad about you. But, you'd never have to be afraid of them. I wasn't gossiping; I was enlisting their help. It's what they do."
"They help the innocent," Priscilla agreed. "Shape shifters?" She asked Chris, arching a dark brow.
He nodded. "We can get rid of this one, at least."
Just then, Zahra broke out of the freeze. Priscilla and Chris were too quick for her, they started the spell.
"When in the circle that is home," Zahra started hissing in pain, "Safety's gone and evils roam." The shape shifting demon bent double and started smoking, "Rid all beings from these walls," screaming and snarling, she fought against Pace, who barred the door. "Save…" Chris and Priscilla shared a look, "we friends three, Now, hear our call." Zahra screamed her final anguished cry and melted into the floor.
"There are two more?" Priscilla asked Chris and Pace, who nodded in answer. "They'll be back." She warned them. "Seems like they hoped to cause mischief, maybe make our families destroy each other, doing their dirty work for them."
"So, we trust each other?" Chris asked Pace hopefully.
"If you start talking like a pompous ass again, I'll know it's not you." Pace said with a smile.
"Yeah, but it could still be Wyatt," Chris said with a wink towards Priscilla. She gave him a warm smile. Chris' personality was irrepressible. She liked the handsome green-eyed young man. Priscilla couldn't remember the last time she'd liked someone, TRUSTED someone outside her family, and here it had happened twice in one day. Then she reminded herself where he came from and why she could trust him.
(X)
"So, we have to warn everyone that there are at least two shape shifters around, causing problems?" Wyatt asked Chris after he heard the story.
Chris leaned back into the couch cushions, exhausted. "I already warned Mom and she said she'd tell the Aunts."
"We've got a regular little magical 'phone tree'," Wyatt grinned at his brother.
"It'd be helpful if we could just orb," Chris muttered.
Wyatt cocked a brow at his little brother, "I am NOT holding your hand." The Elders had taken White-Lighter duties, responsibilities and powers away from the newest generation of witches, in an effort to control the amount of magic any one being could have. However, Paige's daughters, twins, had discovered that together they had the power. When they held hands they could orb.
Chris shot Wyatt a sardonic look. He had no intention of holding Wyatt's hand either. "I just think that if we have to warn everyone all the time, try to be in two places at once… think of the commute hassle we could save ourselves…"
"Looks like Mel isn't the only one with 'power envy'." A grim, determined look entered his eyes, "If it becomes necessary to be able to orb, we will."
"Not by holding hands!"
"No, but if we need the power to protect innocents, we will have it."
"Wy, you're starting to sound an awful lot like the other you."
Wyatt took a deep breath; he wanted Chris to understand his explanation. It still hurt him to think of what he'd become in another time line. "I'm not power hungry for power sake, Chris. I grew up right this time; learned from Mom and the Aunts. The innocent comes first. If being able to orb will save lives…then we will have to convince the Elders to let us at least have that power."
"If orbing, why not the power to heal? Wyatt, they don't want us to have those powers. There's a reason why they stripped them from us."
"O.k. Chris, I don't want to argue with you. I see your point. But, we might be able to get the Elders to see ours. It's something to keep in mind."
(X)
A scream of rage rent the air.
"Calm down." Kivad ordered Rendon, who continued to scream and rage.
"Those witches killed Zahra!" He turned a baleful glare on Kivad. "You said 'if we have a plan, we'll succeed', you said 'the witches would destroy each other'. YOU were wrong!"
"We underestimated them. We should have learned the powers each wields…"
"We should have killed them and not have been playing these games!" Rendon snarled.
Kivad nodded in agreement, "Maybe you are right, after all, my friend."
(X)
A/N Please r/r
reworked
