Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Charmed.

Chapter 4

The music was blaring as Chris and Phoebe entered P3. The atmosphere that surrounded them was a stark contrast from the one that had surrounded them at the manor. The sight of people dancing and laughing moved Chris in a way. It was nice to see people living and not having a care in the world. It was what he had longed to have for quite some time. Phoebe grabbed his arm and led him to a table in a corner of the club, pushing him onto a stool and then taking a seat across from him.

He began to drum his fingertips on the table, which earned him an irritated look from his aunt. He smirked and continued, enjoying the knowledge that he was bothering her.

"Chris, would you please stop that," she whispered, giving him a glare.

He stopped and frowned, already bored. "Aunt Phoebe, why did you bring me here again?" he asked.

"You know why! Your good looks will attract the ladies, which will help me get interviews," she said, laughing at the scathed look he gave her.

"What am I, a piece of meat? You know, I'm a person, and I don't appreciate being used. You can attract people on your own," he mused. "You are a celebrity."

"Honestly Christopher," she huffed, her eyes rolling dramatically, "Could you please just sit here and look pretty? It's not like you have to try hard. You really are handsome, and women really are attracted to you,"

"I don't want them to be attracted to me!" he exclaimed, slamming his fist on the table. "I don't have time for this! My job from now on is to protect my family."

Phoebe closed her eyes, obviously frustrated with the young Witch-White Lighter. "Chris, you can't close your heart to love. I know that you loved Bianca, but she's gone. Wouldn't she want you to be happy?"

"We'll never what she'd want, will we?"

His aunt winced at the harshness of his tone and quickly stood up. Hands on her hips, she let him have it.

"You stop that right now! I know that you loved her and I know that her death has made you doubt many things, but you should never ever doubt love! By denying yourself, you're betraying everything you had with Bianca. Now stop being so negative and live!"

Chris sat quietly, taking in his aunt's words. Was he really betraying Bianca's memory? Maybe he could let go for just one night.

"All right. All right! You win, Aunt Phoebe. I'll do this," he sighed, "But for only one night," he added after seeing the look that had appeared on her face.

She jumped up, her hands clasped in excitement. "Ooh, you won't regret it, I promise!"

For some reason, he was sure that he would.

"You should definitely wear the red one."

Sarah held the dress against her and stared into the mirror. "Are you sure, Ashley? You don't think it makes me look, err, easy?" she asked, an unsure look plastered on her face.

Her roommate laughed, shaking her head. "Sar, would I ever lie to you?"

Sarah rolled her eyes, extremely frustrated with her supposed friend.

"Don't you dare answer that," Ashley added, coming up behind her and turning her around. "Now, you go change into that hot little thing and I'll call you when Riley gets here."

"Oh, I don't know, Ashley, maybe I should – "

"No! It's been settled. Now, go change," she insisted, pushing Sarah toward the bathroom.

She flicked on the light and shut the door. Oh, God, how could she have let Ashley talk her into wearing this thing? Her parents would die of shock if they ever caught her in it! She'd definitely have to get Ash back for this. She began to think of ways to embarrass her friend as she shook her jeans off and let them pool around her feet. Her camisole came off and she stood in front of the mirror in nothing but her bra and panties. A trail of bruises met her eyes and she frowned. She winced as she touched the large bruise that covered most of her abdomen. She really needed a new hobby.

She shook her head, trying to banish the negative thoughts that had slipped into her conscience. Tonight was special, and she wouldn't let anything ruin it. Riley would be so surprised when he saw her! She smiled, thinking about her friend's reaction to her appearance.

He was so special and she thanked whoever it was that had brought him into her life. They'd known each other for so long, she wasn't sure was life had been like before him. Was there life before Riley? She couldn't think of anything of importance that had happened without him. No, her life had begun the moment she had met him that summer at the beach many years ago and they'd been joined at the hip ever since.

Their friendship had bloomed into something that she knew was constant and stable. He'd always been there for her, never wanting for anything. He'd accepted her and not judged when he had found out certain things about her. No one had ever loved her so unconditionally. Well, her parents did, but that didn't count.

Riley was amazing and at times she believed that she didn't deserve him. She'd even told him, but he'd quickly banished the thoughts as soon as she had spoken them. He was so kind and caring. It was hard to believe that he wasn't an angel.

She untangled her long, unruly auburn hair and let the loose curls tumble down her bare back. Her pale skin was a stark contrast from the rich color of her hair, which seemed to make her even paler. She grabbed her makeup bag on the counter and rifled through it, searching for her blush. After finding it and applying it, she glazed her lips with a soft pink gloss. The dark eye shadow that she chose gave her green eyes a smokey look, which delighted her. Deciding that she was done with her makeup, she took the dress off the hanger and pulled it over her head. The silky fabric was cool and soft. She zipped up the back of the dress and grinned. She was ready!

A knock at the door announced the return of her friend. "Hey, Sar, I just wanted you to know that Riley's here," Ashley whispered, the excitement in her voice obvious.

"Okay, I'll be out in a minute!" she called out, turning to the mirror one last time to check her hair. She gave herself a satisfied nod and opened the door.

Riley was leaning against the wall looking absolutely bored when she entered the room. She laughed at his appearance, which gained his attention quickly. His smiling face turned to one of pure shock when he looked at her.

"Riley, if you don't close your mouth, something will fly in," she said seriously.

He closed his mouth slowly and moved forward, taking her small hands into his larger ones. "Sarah, you look beautiful," he whispered.

The butterflies had become rampant the moment he placed his forehead against hers. These feelings definitely weren't as platonic as she'd claimed they were. Could these butterflies be trying to tell her something?

These thoughts filled her mind as they made their way out of her apartment and to Riley's car. He opened the door for her and she had to smile. He was always a gentleman. She'd have to thank his parents for raising him so well someday.

They drove to their destination in silence. For some strange reason, words would not form correctly in her mind. The silence was beginning to become too much when they finally reached P3. Sarah let herself out of the car, waiting for Riley to join her. When he did, he clasped his hand around hers and they walked into the club.

The music was loud and addicting. She immediately formed an adoration for P3. It was so full of life!

"Come on Sar, let's dance!" Riley yelled, dragging her to the dance floor. Riley's dancing was absolutely infectious and she could not help but to let loose and become intoxicated with the excitement coming from all around her.

This was truly the best night of her life.

Chris was bored. Could one die from boredom? If not, he was sure he'd be the first person in the world to succeed. Phoebe had left him some time ago, telling him that she was a sort of repellent to the attraction he had with women. He really wanted to know who he had inherited this so called attraction from, so he could find them and kill them. A few moments after his aunt had disappeared, a swarm of women had gathered around him.

He had listened as they talked nonsense. He had laughed at their silly jokes. Hell, he had even tried to flirt with them, but he was not going to dance with them! This was definitely not part of his agreement with his aunt.

"Ladies, I'll be right back. I think I just saw a friend," he lied, quickly getting up from the table and making a beeline for the bar. He greeted Max the bartender and ordered a beer. He hadn't drank in quite some time, so the liquid shocked his system for a second, becoming used to it again. He finished the beer and ordered another.

He'd had four beers and a bowl of peanuts when he noticed her. She was wearing something red and tight, which would make any man look at her, but this wasn't what he had zeroed in on; She was breathtaking. The air around her was static with happiness. The alcohol in his body could not intoxicate him they way she had.

Phoebe had told him he had to live. Perhaps he would tonight.

"Riley, I can't dance anymore! I'm afraid my feet will fall off," Sarah said, pushing him away playfully.

"Am I hearing right? Are you, Sarah, dancer extraordinaire, tired of dancing?" he asked smirking.

"Yes! I need some fresh air. Care to join me?" she asked him.

"No, I think I'll stay here and mingle with these lovely people," he said, waving at her and disappearing into the crowd.

She opened the front door of P3 and stepped outside. It was actually colder than she had thought it would be and she decided that she needed her coat. She quickly ran to Riley's car and opened the door. Ducking in, she grabbed her coat. She had just closed the door when she felt the the back of her neck begin to prickle.

Someone was watching her.

She looked around, trying hard to see if anyone was near her. It was far too dark to see anything but the neon lights of the P3 sign. She shrugged her coat on and began to walk back to the club.

"Hey pretty lady, what's your name?"

She stopped dead in her tracks and whirled around. A man stood behind her. He was tall and moved toward her. He stopped moving when he was right in front of her, and she gagged. He smelled of smoke and alcohol.

"Sorry, I don't talk to strangers," she said.

"Come on, darlin'. You're a pretty little thing. How about we go back to your car and have some fun?"

"You're drunk," she said, not questioning it, but making a statement.

He grabbed her arm, pulling her against him. "Maybe so, princess, but I don't see what that has to do with anything. Come on, baby, be a good girl and give me a kiss."

He smashed his lips against hers, kissing her roughly. She tried to push him off, but he was stronger than her. She opened her mouth to scream, but instantly wished she hadn't. In doing so, she had given him access and he quickly shoved his tongue into her mouth.

He seemed satisfied with himself when he finally pulled away. He began to caress her face, making her nauseous.

"Please, let me go," she whispered, blinking away tears.

"Now why would I do that?" he asked. He grabbed her arm again and dragged her back to the car. He slammed her against the passenger door and began to kiss her neck. His hands had found her thighs and she could feel them inching beneath her dress.

The moment his fingers touched the sides of her underwear she screamed bloody murder.

"Shut the hell up, you bitch!" he yelled, and silenced her with a slap to the face.

She could see stars and became disoriented. Was this really happening? Was this man really going to rape her?

"I don't think she wants you to touch her like that."

Had she imagined it? No. Blinking wildly, she could make out the shape of another person, a man from the sound of his voice, in front of them.

Her attacker stopped and turned. He began to laugh manically.

"Buddy, why don't you mind your own damn business and go back inside?"

The man walked toward them, and she could see that he was shaking his head. "Sorry, but I can't do that. So why don't you get away from the girl and leave in peace before things get messy?"

Her attacker began to make his way to her savior. She wasn't sure if she was seeing things, but he looked taller and thicker than he had seemed to be before. She looked at him again and was sure of it. Hedefinitely hadn't looked like before. What was going on?

"Silly mortals, always trying to save the girl. I will enjoy killing you and then breaking her," he seethed, a dagger appearing in his hand. He raised it high and made to strike the man when he suddenly stopped. He began to cough and dropped the dagger, clutching his throat with both hands.

Her savior had his hand out, shaping it as though he were choking her attacker.

"Sarah, what's going on?"

Riley's voice rang out through the darkness, and she began to cry. "Riley, thank God you're here!" she cried, running to him. He held her tightly, continuing to ask her what was wrong.

This distracted the man, and he turned to look at them, momentarily ignoring her attacker. She saw him raise his hand, conjuring a ball of fire. The fire soared through the air and she screamed. Riley jumped in fright, whipping her around so his back was to the man.

The fire ball hit him in the back, and he cried out in pain. He crumbled into her arms, and she could not believe this was happening. He fell to the hard ground, taking her with him. Sarah hovered over him, caressing his face.

"Riley, sweetheart, you're going to be okay! Don't worry, everything is going to be okay," she repeated over and over again.

A high pitched scream rang through the air and she lifted her head. Her attack was on fire! He screamed and writhed in pain and then disappeared. Her savior ran toward them, crouching down and grabbing her shoulders.

"Are you all right?," he asked, obviously not noticing Riley.

"I'm fine, but my friend isn't," she whispered, tears blurring her vision.

"We need to call an ambulance! He's hurt! I – I don't understand what happened..."

His eyes locked with hers and she couldn't help but realize that they were the most gorgeous green eyes she had ever seen. His face was tense and full of worry. He placed his hand on Riley's chest and nodded his head solemnly.

"Sarah... I'm sorry. We're too late."

"What are you talking about? We need to get him to the hospital! He'll be all right! He had to be all right!" she screamed at him. Why wasn't he helping her? Was was he acting as thought Riley were – no, she couldn't think like that.

Riley moaned in pain and she returned her attention to him. He was so pale and it looked as though breathing was hurting him. She grasped his hands in her own and noticed that they felt like ice.

"Riley... you're going to be fine. I promise," she said quietly.

He smiled softly, closing his eyes at the sound of her voice. He opened them and she could tell that he was in pain. His grip on her hands tightened and his face became serious.

"Sarah... I... I love you..."

"Riley, please... Please don't do this to me."

"You're glowing..." he whispered.

She could not stop the tears from falling when his hand left hers. He was gone. Riley was gone. How could this happen? Was this real?

"You really are glowing," the man in front of her said.

She looked down at her hands and noticed a soft glow surrounding them.

What the hell was going on?