Author's Notes: Thank you lizardmomma who reviewed the last chapter. Seeing only one review, I'm beginning to wonder if my readers are loosing interest in this story. I sincerely hope that this chapter is better received.

The discussion about using Billie's powers has been included in response to a PM query made by Jay Warren.

Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed or any of its characters except the ones I make up. I do not intend to make profit out of this story.


Negotiations

"Wonderful. Another Prophecy. And peanut is not here to help me solve it," Junior grimaced.

"You can do this, Odie," Wyatt said to his little cousin reassuringly. Prue and Reese nodded.

"Let's see. The prophecy about Chris says that Evan will wake up when the source is vanquished. So the timing of this new prophecy makes sense. All we need to do is divide and conquer. Wyatt, Carv, Junior, Reese, Dan and I can work on deciphering this new riddle while the older people can figure out a way to restore magic school," Prue said looking between her family members.

"Older people?" Paige hissed as she glared at her niece with narrowed eyes.

"We're old. Get over it," Piper responded before Prue was forced to backpedal. Paige pouted a bit as she glanced at her older sister. At that moment, the stern expression on Piper's face reminded all of them of an annoyed Penny Halliwell. Knowing she didn't have any counter argument, Paige decided to change the subject.

"Oh Alright. But shouldn't we be concentrating on bringing Chris back? I mean, it's going to take a considerable amount of time and energy to restore the school. As far as the research is concerned, the other magic schools are just an orb away," the youngest charmed one said raising her eyebrows.

"It's not just the library and the books for research. Chris's prophecy says that 'the lady' will strike soon. We will need a sanctuary if things go out of hand. We cannot wait till last minute to restore the school. We will need some time to rebuild and reestablish the wards on the school," Leo said insightfully. They couldn't count on the elders to help them restore the school. They'd probably have to do it on their own. And he'd start sooner rather than later.

"Right. Guys, are you going to need the book while working on Evan's prophecy?" Phoebe asked as she picked up the book from the podium.

"Nop. We got the e-book version," Junior answered orbing his tablet computer to his hands.

"Chop chop, people. We've got work to do," Piper said shooing her sisters out of the attic. Junior smiled and turned to the parchment on which he'd noted down Reese's words.


"Here's an idea, why not just get Billie to project us back in time and keep Chris from doing what he did?" Phoebe said as soon as the sisters, Leo, Coop and Henry Sr. were downstairs in the conservatory. Her question was a logical one as Billie's projection powers had helped them defeat Christy and the Triad. Piper's face lit up at the suggestion. She turned to Leo who's expression told her that it was not that simple.

"It's not going to work," her husband's response was enough for her face to deflate.

"Why the hell not? Billie has successfully projected us back in time before and even if she can't we can always use Coop's ring. It's not as precise as Billie's power but one of the two options has to work," Piper wasn't willing to give up.

"I didn't say it because we don't have the means to travel back in time. I remember the spell Chris took out from the book and I'm sure Paige remembers the potion we were going to use to send Chris back the first time. That's not the point. In this particular situation, time-travel is not a viable option, irrespective of the mode we use," Leo tried to explain but Phoebe interrupted him.

"Why not? And Leo, please explain it in simple terms. I already have a headache," the empath said rubbing her temples.

"Firstly, we don't know when to go back to. Going back to the time just before Chris opened the portal is not going to work because we do not have any other way to get rid of Gideon's core other than to open the portal. We might be able to do it with a power of two or a power of three spell but the fact remains that the portal will suck in who ever cast the spell. In other words, we'll either loose the three of you or Wyatt and Chris both. Some time between the evil Gideon from the parallel world entered our world and the time he confronted us, he booby-trapped his magical core. If he's vanquished after he altered his core, he will detonate and kill us all. The only solution is to go back to a time before he changed his core and vanquish him then. But we don't know when that was," Leo began explaining but this time Henry Sr. interrupted him. He didn't quite understand the magical theory like the rest of the family but being a police officer, he was use to outsmarting deceptive individuals. He often came up with surprisingly simple solutions no one else could think of.

"Why do the spell casters, be they the sisters or the brothers, have to be physically present where the portal opens? Couldn't you guys use that power where you sleep in one place and send your image somewhere else? The way you did when you vanquished Zhankou," Henry Sr. asked. Hearing her husband's description of the astral projection power, an amused smile appeared on Paige's face.

"That's an excellent idea and it would have worked marvelously if the portal didn't need an anchor to this plane. This is not an ordinary portal. It's a massive portal that has magical void on the other side. Such portals are essentially unstable and are more likely to collapse on themselves if not properly anchored. I'm pretty certain that Chris used his physical body as the anchor and his soul as the power source to create the portal. Who ever casts the spell, has to be present there to anchor the portal. Astral projection is not going to work in this case," Leo explained. Henry Sr. felt a bit dejected. Paige smiled at her husband comfortingly.

"Apart from that, time travel, in this case, is a bit of overkill," Leo continued. Piper was properly scandalized at the statement. Their loss was no ordinary one. She would do far worse to get her peanut back. Leo raised his hands in a gesture of surrender before Piper could blow the gasket.

"We know that Chris isn't dead. His diary didn't open. And Niles and Ari have assured us that this had to happen. I think Chris is just trapped in another plane like we were when… you know… we made him? We just need to find a way to bring him back. Going back in time and vanquishing Gideon before it's his time may end up making things even worse. We never know what could happen. Imagine what would have happened if you three had vanquished Zhankou before defeating the Avatars? You guys wouldn't have had a chance against the combined strength of the Avatars if it weren't for the potion he told you about. Roland becoming an angel of destiny, Dan getting his elder powers, these are a few events that were caused by Gideon, directly or indirectly. Killing him before his role in this world's destiny is fulfilled might have disastrous effects," Leo explained. Piper was not angry anymore and rested her head on Leo's shoulder as he pulled her closer.

"I just want my baby back," Piper sobbed. Leo held her tight and planted a gentle kiss on the top of her head.

"I know. And we're going to get him back. I promise," Leo said, tears glistening in his eyes.

"We'll do every thing in our power and fix this. But Leo's right. Time travel is not an option at the moment. Right now we have to focus on fixing the school. It's the first step towards bringing Chris back," Coop, who was silent for a long time, spoke up. Piper nodded and wiped her tears. Phoebe grabbed the book and began flipping through the pages looking for restoration spells. The sisters and their husbands went back to their original task to figure out a way to restore magic school to its former glory.


"Could you please read out the prophecy once again?" Prue asked as she sat down on aunt Perl's sofa besides Dan. Junior nodded and began reading from the parchment.

"Obviously, it is referring to coma as an endless dream…" Wyatt began but was interrupted by Junior.

"Or, we've been referring to an endless dream as coma," the blond witch-lighter said.

"What's the difference?" Wyatt asked frowning.

"May be Evan has been trapped in a dream all this time. The problem being magical in nature, any medications and treatments the mortal doctors would use are not likely to work. The doctors think it is coma because they don't have alternative explanation," Junior clarified.

"Alright. So how do we wake him up?" Carver asked eagerly. His brother was trapped in a dream and knowing their luck, it was most likely a hellish nightmare.

"First we need to figure out who 'three of his kin' are," Prue said thoughtfully.

"Doesn't kin mean siblings, children and parents?" Wyatt asked glancing at his boyfriend. Carver's parents had disowned him for being gay and Evan had, more or less, severed his ties with them because of the way they had treated his big brother. Wyatt hoped with all his heart that if need be, Carver's parents would help them rescue their youngest but he didn't really know them too well to be sure.

"Generally speaking, kin means people who share common ancestors. Next of kin are close relatives, by blood or by marriage. But prophecies don't always stick to the dictionary meaning of the words. So the word kin could include a broader group of people. For example, it could refer to all good witches as his kin. Or all witches with empathy or any cognitive power as his kin. I'm certain that it refers to Carv as 'the one of the blood' since brothers share blood," Junior explained.

"Well you guys are my family so…" Carv wasn't sure how to finish that sentence. He knew the Halliwells would do anything and everything for him but still he didn't want to sound demanding.

"Exactly. We're your kin, in a manner of speaking. And that's why I think the prophecy refers to Wyatt as 'the last of the might'. Think about it. Wyatt is the most powerful witch," Junior said excitedly. Dan stared at Junior with a glint in his eyes as the proverbial light bulb turned on over his head.

"Which means you're 'the one of wit'. It has to be you," the half manticore said rubbing his hands enthusiastically. He was proud of himself for being able to decipher part of the prophecy himself. The unconvinced expression on Junior's face was enough to make him doubt his revelation.

"What?" Dan asked frowning.

"If it is referring to Chris, we're screwed. Think about it. Chris is closer to Wyatt and consequently to Carv and Evan in kinship than I am…" Junior's explanation was interrupted by Wyatt.

"Odie, you're as much my brother as Chris is. So stop doubting yourself," the twice blessed said smiling.

"You were the first one to welcome me to the family, remember? We're kin," Carver stated remembering the evening Wyatt had introduced him to the family. Junior smiled wholeheartedly at this remark.

"So does that mean you, Carv and Wyatt have to enter Evan's dream?" Prue asked Junior. With a thoughtful expression, Junior began scanning through the e-book of shadows on his tablet.

"Think of it as a vision quest in which you're trapped till you see or do what you need to. Except, for some reason, Evan is unable to fulfill the quest and get out of the dream. I think the spell we used to send me to Chris's vision quest should work with some modifications," Junior muttered as he flipped through the virtual pages. After a minute, he came to a halt and showed them the spell he was referring to.

"Let's do it. What're we waiting for?" Wyatt said getting up from the chair.

"There is one problem. If you three are to enter Evan's dream with this spell, you need to be in close proximity to him. Just imagine one comatose guy surrounded by three of his family members equally unresponsive in a hospital room. The cleaners will have some serious cleaning up to do if any mortal enters the room in that time. Considering the fact that he's in ICU, he's probably being monitored constantly. We cannot just orb Evan here for the same reason," Prue noted. Carver grimaced. Wyatt was about to declare that he didn't really care if the cleaners had to do some overtime but Dan interrupted him.

"The dungeon!" he exclaimed referring to the room at magic school that had slowed down clock. He was beaming with pride for being the one to come up with the solution.

"Which was at the magic school, which is now destroyed," Reese rained on his parade. But Junior still had a hopeful expression on his face.

"That doesn't mean we cannot put the same kind of time slowing enchantment on Evan's room. All we have to do is have one of us stand guard outside Evan's room and make sure nobody enters it for about five minutes. With slowed down time inside the room, we should have more than enough time to perform the spell, get in, get Evan and get out," Junior said excitedly.

"What about the time stop spell?" Wyatt asked.

"Wouldn't give us more than a few seconds, fifteen at best. We're going to need Kevin. He's the one who enchanted the room at the school," Junior responded before turning to the sky and yelling for the young elder.


"The first time around, the school was built by gnomish architects. You guys might be able to convince them to help you out once again," Leo informed the sisters. After thorough search in the book, they hadn't come up with any solution. Leo was skeptical that a 'power of three' spell would be powerful enough on its own. A 'power of two' spell might have done the trick but in Chris's absence, they didn't have that option available.

"Do you think they will help us without the approval from the elders?" Paige asked skeptically.

"But you do have the approval from the council," came a voice from near the fireplace in the living room. All three sisters sprang to feet instinctually but within seconds Sandra appeared at the archway between the living room and the conservatory. All the present Halliwells visibly relaxed.

"Odin's paranoia has subsided considerably due to Chris's absence. I managed to convince the council that rebuilding the school is necessary for the development of future good witches. They agreed. I'm here to offer any assistance you might need in rebuilding the school," Sandra said with a kind smile on her face.

"I sense another Elder here. Are you spying on us?" Paige said suspiciously. She sensed another Elder but wasn't able to pinpoint the location.

"Kevin is in the attic. He's helping your children," Sandra said gesturing the sisters to calm down.

"Gnomes are master architects. You can summon one of their representatives and ask their chief to help you in rebuilding the school. I'm authorized to act on behalf of the elders," Sandra continued as the sisters settled down.

"OK. Let's get to work," Phoebe said picking up a notepad to work on the summoning spell.


It didn't take long for the younger generation of Halliwells to convince Kevin to enchant Evan's room. Odin would most likely be pissed but that possibility only served as encouragement for the young and rebellious elder. Within moments all of them were in Evan's room. Prue and Reese stood outside the room to stall any and all mortals who tried to enter the room while Dan stood guard inside to fend off any supernatural intruders who might drop in unannounced. Wyatt, Carver and Junior settled themselves on three relatively uncomfortable plastic chairs in the room and Kevin began the enchanting.

"What does the prophecy mean by open the door and settle the score? The only part I'm clear about is that I have to fight a clay golem," Wyatt asked Junior. Kevin threw an irritated glance at the twice blessed for disrupting his enchantment. Slowing time required immense concentration and Wyatt's chattering wasn't helping.

"I don't know. We're just going to have to wing it," he answered in a hushed voice after glancing at Kevin's annoyed expression. Wyatt wasn't happy with the answer but didn't say anything. It took Kevin another few minutes to finish his task.

"Cast the spell. I'll stay here and help Daniel, should something go wrong," Kevin told the Halliwells. Junior, Wyatt and Carver gulped down the potion for a vision quest before Junior began chanting the spell to transport them to Evan's dream.


"Why have you summoned me here? I've things to do," the gnome that stood at the center of the summoning circle said in his characteristically irritated voice. The gnomish community respected the elders and the charmed ones alike but that didn't mean he had to be happy about the summoning.

"My name is Sandra and these are the charmed ones; Piper, Phoebe and Paige," the elder said in a calm voice as if to remind the gnome of proper manners through example. The gnome seemed a bit embarrassed for a second. He straightened his red pointy hat before clearing his throat and speaking.

"I'm Seed, spokesperson for the gnomish settlement at Konaakth. Now, what do you want?" Seed uttered the first sentence in relatively neutral tone but the irritation was back by the end of the question.

"We need help from Gnomish architects to rebuild our magic school that was destroyed by the last source. The gnomes were the ones to design the school before. We're hoping to acquire your services for the greater good once again," Sandra spoke before any of the sisters had a chance to utter a single word. Piper snorted at the use of phrase 'greater good' but surprisingly so did the gnome.

"It is out of the question. All our architects are busy at the moment and will remain so for the foreseeable future," Seed said in a cold voice. Sandra was about to speak on the elder's behalf but she was interrupted by Leo.

"The sisters have helped the gnomish community before on many occasions. Surely your clan could spare few to help the charmed ones. Why are all your architects busy?" the ex-elder asked the gnome.

"That is a private matter of my clan. Outsiders have no business knowing it," Seed said folding his arms and looking away as if there was nothing else that needs to be said. The sisters didn't miss the stress on the word 'outsiders'.

"Interesting, a private matter that keeps all your architects busy, especially at the time when the source has been vanquished and many upper level demons are making a power play for the throne. Let me guess, some of them are attacking the Gnomish settlement to acquire some powerful artifact locked away with your treasures. The demons constantly attack and destroy your settlements and your architects are busy rebuilding the city defenses. May be your people find it embarrassing to ask the charmed ones for help or you people want to keep the existence of some powerful artifact a secret. Or may be the reason behind this secrecy is combination of both," came a voice from the kitchen door. Niles was standing there. The sisters were startled for a moment before they realized it was Niles. Piper was a bit irritated because Niles was apparently spying on their conversation but before she could express her annoyance, the gnome spoke up.

"You're a shrewd one, aren't you? Very well. Perhaps this involuntary trip is not a complete waste of time. May be we can agree upon, let's say, exchange of services," Seed said thoughtfully. He stressed on the words 'involuntary trip' while staring meaningfully at the sisters. Paige and Phoebe squirmed a little while Piper only scowled.

"Let me guess. We fight your demons and in return your architects rebuild the school," Piper said raising her eyebrows.

"As long as you pay for the building materials," the gnome said smugly.

"Come now. The demons will keep attacking your settlement if the sisters refuse to help. Your people will have to continue rebuilding your city for years to come. What a waste of resources. Think of all the gold you will save by helping out the charmed ones," Niles said smiling sweetly.

"The charmed ones are good witches. It is their duty to help the magical community," the gnome said thoroughly enjoying the negotiation process.

"Indeed. And help they will. Then again, you, as a representative of the gnomes, haven't asked for help. You said and I quote, 'we can agree upon, let's say, exchange of services'. Since it is a trade, they retain the right to refuse. They have suffered a terrible loss recently. So even if they accept said exchange of services, who knows how long it will take for them to actually be in a position to fulfill their end of the bargain. And who knows how much more damage your city will incur in the mean time," Niles said without letting the vicious yet sweet smile fade from his face. He had the gnome exactly where he wanted. Piper was about to interrupt but Leo held her arm and silently asked her to let Niles do the talking.

"Nothing is official yet. We can always make an official request for help from the charmed ones, one they're duty-bound to grant," the gnome said smugly.

"Fair enough. But in such case the gnomish settlement of Konaakth will incur a debt of honor to the charmed ones. Refusing their request for help or making them pay for your services is not going to do much for your reputation in the magical community," Niles said, his voice suddenly cold. Seed scowled for a moment. He didn't see any way out but to accept Niles's terms and conditions.

"Very well. Just as a matter of curiosity, who are you? Do you have the authorization from the charmed ones to negotiate on their behalf?" the gnome asked looking for a loophole.

"Yes he does have the authority to negotiate on our behalf," Piper said unexpectedly. She knew they couldn't have come up with a better bargain on their own, especially not without the knowledge of gnomish culture that Niles seemed to have. They were getting help from the gnomes in rebuilding the school without having to pay for the building material from their own pocket and in return they were handed the opportunity to kick some demon ass. It was a win-win situation, really. Paige, Phoebe, Leo, Coop and Henry Sr. glanced at the Halliwell matriarch in surprise. They had no problem with the terms of the agreement. They just didn't expect Piper to side with Niles. The future boy glanced at Piper with something akin to fondness in his eyes and smiled sweetly. Although a bit hesitantly, Piper returned the smile. For some reason, Niles was beginning to remind her of her lost son. Besides, she didn't share her eldest son's strong mistrust towards the elusive visitor from the future.

"My identity or my relationship with the charmed ones is a private matter. You're welcome to speculate but we're not obligated to provide any outsiders with those intimate details," Niles responded turning to the gnome and stressing on the word 'outsiders' just like the gnome had. Seed's eyes flashed with indescribable expression but he didn't comment.

"So it is settled. The charmed ones will assist the gnomes of Konaakth with the demon invasion and in return the gnomish architects will rebuild the magic school and bear the cost of building material. If both parties agree to these terms as fair, I can affirm it as a magically binding agreement," Sandra declared. The sisters nodded their agreement. After a moment's hesitation, Seed did too.


"Where the hell are we?" Wyatt asked as soon as he could see clearly. The three were standing in a stone archway that led to a stone bridge on one side and an endless void on the other. Instinctively, the three stepped away from the void and on to the bridge. As soon as they did, the Arch collapsed behind them. Wyatt, Junior and Carver sprinted away from the falling stones. Carver grabbed Wyatt's arm and pulled him away from the edge of the stone bridge. Beneath the bridge, spread the same abysmal emptiness that was behind them. Part of the bridge they had traversed also collapsed and they could feel that the bridge under their feet was unstable as well.

"Run!" Junior yelled as he sprinted to the other end of the bridge. Wyatt and Carver followed momentarily, just in the nick of time to avoid falling in the abyss. They could have ran for about half a mile as if their lives depended on it, which it did.

"What in hell?" Wyatt said between panting as the three reached another archway at the other end of the unstable bridge. The twice blessed wiped the beads of sweat on his forehead and turned to his boyfriend.

"Are you OK?" he asked Carver. The telepath only nodded.

"Welcome. Dream walkers, or shall I say kin of the Catalyst? Welcome to my realm. What, may I ask, brings you here?" came a booming voice. Junior, startled, turned to the direction of the voice and froze in place. In front of them, stood a huge beast that somewhat resembled a dragon but was far hideous as compared to the elegant and regal dragons.

"You know who we are?" Junior said as he regained his voice. The creature chuckled.

"Azany Blackheart knows you're kin of the Catalyst. Your arrival was foretold. Yet, Azany Blackheart does not know the purpose of your visit," the creature said. It was not clear to Junior if the creature was Azany Blackheart and referring to itself in third person or there was some other sinister being who ruled here.

"What is your purpose here?" Junior asked. The creature gestured to the large wooden door in the massive stonewall behind it.

"I guard this door," it answered simply.

"And what is the purpose of this stone altar?" Junior asked pointing to a stone block in front of them. The top of the stone block was divided into two parts which slanted on opposite sides like roof of a house. Both of the surfaces were riddled with narrow grooves that intertwined and formed an indiscernible pattern. At the highest point of the slanted surfaces, there were two slight depressions that formed a sort of bowls. It was clear to Junior that if any kind of liquid were poured into the bowl, it would flow into the grooves on the slanted surfaces and reveal some hidden pattern.

"I have the power to grant a single wish in return for a small amount of blood sacrifice. If you have a wish I can fulfill, just pour a small amount of blood right here on the altar. That will satisfy me and I will grant any single wish. Gold, kingdom, all the comforts in the world, I can grant anything," the creature said in a greedy voice.

"May be this is it. I need to use my blood and wish for him to open the door for us," Carver whispered to Junior. 'The one of the blood will open the door', the third line of the prophecy made more sense now.

"I assume the drawing of the blood constitutes a binding agreement?" Junior asked the creature. The beast only nodded.

"And the other side of the alter is for your side of the agreement, yes?" Junior asked shrewdly. The creature hesitated for a moment but nodded and offered Junior an ornate atheme. Carver took the atheme from Junior and was about to slice open his wrist to draw some blood. He was about to wish for the door to be opened but Junior shook his head. Understanding the gesture, Carver asked the witch-lighter telepathically.

"What is it?" Carver said in Junior's mind.

"Don't ask just for the door to be open. Ask to open the door so that brother of the listener may see his kin," Junior responded in his mind. Carver nodded understandingly.

"I wish the door to be open so the brother of the listener may see his kin," Carver said out loud and placed the blade against his wrist.

"Careful how much you cut. We cannot heal self-inflicted wounds. It'll have to heal naturally," Wyatt cautioned his boyfriend.

"You as well," Junior said to the creature shrewdly who chuckled and cut open a small wound on its enormous finger. Its black, tar-like blood began dripping on the farther side of the alter as Carver's blood began soaking the nearer. As expected, the blood flowed through tiny grooves to reveal a readable pattern. Junior was watching the pattern on the demon's side while Wyatt was eagerly watching Carver's side of the altar.

I agree to grant the wish in return for the sacrifice.

The pattern on the demon's side revealed the demon's part of the agreement. Wyatt gasped in horror as the pattern on Carver's side was revealed by his own blood.

I offer myself as sustenance for the guardian in return for the fulfillment of one wish.

The beast had tricked them. Before either of the Halliwells could react, the beast stepped forward and hungrily swallowed Carver whole.


So ends the third chapter.

Evil cliffhanger, I know but the next chapter will follow soon.

Kindly read and review.