A/N: I'm back people! Thanks so much for your reviews of chapter 5, and enjoy chapter 6!
BTW I will be making posts in my new fanfic devoted livejournal http://ada-c-eliana. Refer to previous chapter.
Bound By Blood
By: Ada C. Eliana
Chapter 6: One Out of Two Ain't Bad
Stand my ground, I won't give in
No more denying, I've got to face it
Won't close my eyes and hide the truth inside
If I don't make it, someone else will
Stand my ground
"Stand My Ground" Within Temptation
As she floated listlessly in the empty space between life and death a hand reached out for hers. Surrounded by stunning white light, she tried to make out who it belonged to, but it was all she could see. Tentatively reaching for it, as soon as their skin touched the light disappeared. Instead of hovering, she was now standing beside her body, watching in shock as Tyler attempted to heal, Alec crooned sweet things, and Chris stared in disbelief. She turned to the person who anchored her on the plane and saw a face she had spotted once in her mother's photo album. The album had been shut violently when she asked about him, and later Aunt Paige explained that he was a demon that her mom had fallen in love with. Cole Turner, Belthazor. Since then she had finally heard the stories, and so knew enough about him to be worried that he had prevented her from moving on.
"Cole?" she asked.
"Oh good, you know who I am," he responded, quirking a smile at her. He was dressed entirely in black, and had not aged a day.
"Am I dying?" she whispered.
"No, not yet. Wyatt infected you with evil. Your spirit couldn't take being around the evil as it worked its way through you, so here you are. Don't worry though, if I know anything about the Halliwells, your body will adjust to it and you'll live."
"Why would he do that?"
"I can only think that he hoped to turn you, he just didn't count on how difficult that really is. He clearly did not learn much from his Aunt Phoebe," Cole shrugged. He stared at Lena's spirit form with intensity. She looked so much like her mother, it was as if he were talking with Phoebe right now.
"So… can you help me?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Below her Tyler had begun cursing, screaming and hoping his voice carried to the Elders as he demanded their help. Little did he know that the Elders were otherwise occupied at the moment.
"I hope so," Cole said. "You and Chris can't fight him alone, Lena. You need help. And he hopes to turn you evil, and you cannot possibly stop it by yourself."
"So what am I supposed to do?" The situation seemed bleak to say the least.
"Your body is beginning to overcome the effects of evil, as you go back in, I need you to recite a certain spell in your mind."
"What will this spell do?"
"Make Wyatt think he's won."
"Vague, much? Why should I trust you anyway?" Lena asked, quirking a ghostly eyebrow as she watched his face for any signs of deception.
"Because I have spent more time than you have existed trying to figure out how to make it up to Phoebe, and I think I may have finally found a way."
"I'm scared," she admitted, unsure as to why she told him. He just seemed so understanding.
"I know you are," Cole sighed, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "But I won't let you down, I promise."
Her spirit began to fade, heading back towards her body; to where Tyler cried and Chris squeezed her hand so hard it had turned white. "What's the spell?!"
Lena awoke a week later in San Francisco Memorial Hospital. Her body felt… different in ways she could never put into words. When she opened her eyes she saw Chris staring down at her, his forehead creased with worry. "Chris…" her voice sounded dry and scratchy.
"Lena, how are you feeling?" Chris asked hurriedly, reaching for a glass of water. He put it up to her lips, holding her up slightly so she would not choke.
"Been better," she smiled. "Where's my dad?"
"At the Kalos Vineyard, getting it ready for us," Chris sighed, omitting the part where Wyatt had taken the Manor from them, and expectedly getting a blank look from Lena.
"What happened, after I--?" She stopped abruptly as a doctor entered the room, smiling as he saw she was awake.
"Ah, Miss Halliwell-Kalos, good to see you awake," Dr. Bailey smiled.
"When can I go home?" Lena questioned quickly, shooting the doctor her sweetest smile. At the same time she used power of telepathy – a little weak at the moment but still there – to probe his mind slightly. She found that he wanted her to stay for a battery of tests, and frowned. She was a witch, and she had been stabbed by a cursed athame. It wasn't like she needed a tetanus shot now. As subtle as she could, she influenced the doctor's thoughts, changing his mind.
"Well, I can let you go whenever you like. Just stick with bed rest for now, and come back in a few days to get some of your test results. I'll get you the release papers."
"Thank you," Lena responded as Dr. Bailey walked out of the room, the door shutting behind him. She looked over to see Chris glaring at her. "What?" she asked innocently.
"Telepathy to get you out of the hospital sooner?" Chris accused.
"I would never…" she trailed off when she saw Chris was not convinced. "I just… don't like hospitals, okay? And it's not like they could do anything for me anyway."
Chris nodded, he shared in Lena's hatred of hospitals, it had been less than a year ago that their grandfather Victor had finally succumbed to lung cancer and died. They spent a lot of time visiting him there, surrounded by the scent of disinfectant and white walls.
Lena I
"WYATT!" Lena screamed as she shimmered into a large marble great room. "WYATT, WHERE IS HE?!!"
"Lena?" Wyatt's voice laughed condescendingly even before the twice-blessed witch appeared before her. Dressed all in black, he chuckled softly and wiped a spatter of blood from his cheek as he approached her. He knew her game plan; she was here to distract him, most likely while the others went to rescue Chris. It would have been a brilliant plan – if he did not know her as well as he did.
"Where is he? You swore you would tell me if he came back, and you didn't! I want to know what you've done with Chris!" His voice bordered on hysterics, but Wyatt knew half of it was an act.
"Calm down, Lena. I haven't 'done' anything to Chris, we just chatted," Wyatt smiled.
"And whenever you 'chat' with someone they usually turn up dead. And you're covered with someone's blood. I'm not an idiot, Wyatt."
"No, but you pretend to be one quite well."
"Should I be flattered?"
"When did you become so bold?" Wyatt questioned, barely moving his hand. The force of that small action coupled with TK had her flying across the room. Branching out with her paternal power of the elements, she stirred the air around her to slow her movement and stood again.
"I'm sorry, Wyatt," Lena muttered, head bowed. "But you know how I feel about—"
"As if that should matter to me. Lena you need to discard such useless feelings such as love and friendship, you know it unhinges you. All you need to worry about is power."
"I have enough power. I just want someone to share it with. Just like you."
"You presume too much."
"You always wanted to share it with us, that's why you did this," Lena said, holding up her right arm.
"I did that to bind you and Chris to me, and it worked. I can sense you all the time, you cannot hide from me; not even in your little house in the Underworld."
Her eyes widened a bit at that revelation, but she soldiered on nonetheless. "Where is Chris?"
"Come on Lena, let's chat, shall we?" Wyatt said conversationally, putting his arm around her shoulders. "Let's talk about the child you are going to have."
Lena – II
Stalactite ceilings dripped with moisture, in a dark and gloomy cavern, as Lena crept through the shadows. The stalactites were not real, but a conjured effect that Wyatt thought made the dungeons seem ominous. And it worked.
As Lena approached the guards, they immediately backed away from her, remembering the fierce witch/warlock they had seen vanquishing demons for so little as looking at her the wrong way. "The Master sent me," Lena shouted, "Now get out of my way." As they leapt back to allow her access to the dungeons, Lena paused. Without a second thought, fireballs formed in her hands and she thrust them at the guards, incinerating both on contact.
The prisoners stirred in their magical cages as the female Halliwell stalked through the rows searching for her cousin. Several members of The Resistance stared back at her through gaunt faces and hollowed eyes. Some recognized her as their ally, others as the enemy. However, all wondered why she was there. No one had access to the prison aside from Wyatt and the guards, and Lena had certainly never been there before.
"Lena!" a male voice called through the gloom. Whirling in the direction of the voice, she saw Jason, the Chinese upper-level member of The Resistance. He used an Eastern magic and called himself the Dragon. Lena and Jason had met on numerous occasions with Chris to discuss the situation with Wyatt. He had pursued Lena romantically for years. She liked him, but not enough to risk everything they worked so hard for. When Chris left for the past, Lena broke off connections with the Resistance, worried about possible spies and moles that would turn her in to Wyatt. As such, she had no idea that Jason had been captured.
"Lena, help me!" he begged, his dark eyes beseeching her. Sighing with agitation, she conjured a silence barrier so she could speak to him away from the weak ears of other prisoners.
"Where's Chris?" she demanded.
"He's here?" Jason asked with wide eyes. "But he was supposed to be in the…"
Shaking her head, she branched out with her empathic powers, searching for her cousin, but found them blocked. "Goddamn," she muttered. Then she turned her attention back to the witch before her. "Stand back." Summoning a fire ball and an energy blast, she aimed at the bars' weak spot – something she had learned from Chris – and dismantled the corner.
"Lena, wow, thank you so much!" he gushed, honestly believing that no matter how "good" she was, she would never have rescued him.
Knowing the alarm triggered by the cage's destruction would sound soon and she had little time, Lena grabbed Jason's arm and ran with him.
Good magic became distorted in the dungeons, unreliable and inaccurate. It suited Wyatt's purposes – the good witches he caught would be helpless while he still retained his demonic abilities. And it worked for Lena too. Witches like Jason possessed powers to which the rules did not apply, so he would be able to use his abilities anywhere outside of the cages.
"Can you feel for Chris?" she asked Jason. He nodded and shot off towards the back of the dungeons.
Zigzagged patterns of cells, blocked tunnels, and various traps made the dungeons a deadly labyrinth. Lena guided Jason through the treacherous path until they arrived at the farthest corner from the entrance.
She found her cousin sprawled on the floor, blood pooling around him in the most secure cell of Wyatt's dungeon. "Chris," she hissed through the bars. A barely perceptible lift of his head let Lena know he was still alive.
"Len…" he whispered through a raw and sore throat, the word coming out as 'Lane'. "Shouldn't… be… here…"
"Jason, I'm gonna need your help to get him out," Lena ordered. Her demon sense picked up on various shimmers and flames, Wyatt's crew were on their way. Concentrating hard, the two witches combined their powers, Lena's evil and Jason's foreign. Together they busted through the bars and held Chris up over their shoulders, going back the way they came.
"Lena, where are we going to go?" Jason asked, his dark brown eyes clouded with fear. He watched Lena intently. As one of the Charmed Ones she could be known to think of something in a pinch, it was one of the reasons he loved her. But now he could see something different in her eyes. And he knew he would hate her answer.
"Nowhere," she answered solemnly, stopping abruptly. She shifted Chris so that she held him up alone. "I'm sorry, Jason, but he can't know it was me," she whispered, her voice strangely cold. She shimmered Chris away, sending him safely to her home. Glamouring into the demon guard she vanquished earlier, she glared at Jason. Her glamoured eyes welled with sorrow for a moment, and she silently mouthed "I'm sorry" to Jason. Then she cast a spell, removing the memories of the last ten minutes from everyone in the dungeons. Turning to Jason again, she completed her ruse.
"You helped him escape!" she yelled, loud enough to send the guards running her way. As soon as they could see the pair, she created an energy ball and threw it at Jason, killing him instantly. "Make sure Master Wyatt knows about this," DemonLena ordered, and then she shimmered away.
2022
Lena pulled off her coat – new just like everything else she was wearing as Wyatt had cordoned off the house – and dropped it as she entered the foyer of the home she had spent the first eleven years of her life. She still felt unsettled and off balance after what happened to her, but being back in the Kalos house away from the Manor and Wyatt made her feel centered somehow. Chris had orbed them both inside; and he watched the relaxed expression on her face with amusement before picking up her coat to hang it up.
"Home," Lena sighed, turning to face Chris. She got a good look at him for the first time since she had been stabbed. And what she saw frightened her. "Chris, what happened?" she asked.
"Come on, let's sit down," Chris suggested, taking her arm as she was still unsteady, and walking towards the drawing room.
"Lena?" Alec called from the balcony stairwell as they entered, his eyes wide with relief. He ran down the stairs two at a time and wrapped his arms around his daughter. "I was about to go back to the hospital to see you. They let you out already?"
"Well, not exactly, but I – er – convinced them," she smiled.
"Chris, thanks for bringing her home," Alec said, acknowledging the young man for the first time. Alec always made it a point to be polite like that, but in reality, he and Chris were quite close.
"No problem," Chris sighed.
"Come on you two, sit down, I'll get some drinks," Alec ordered, seating his daughter down on a stately couch before disappearing into the hallway.
"Why are we here, what about the Manor?" Lena asked immediately.
"Wyatt's taken it. I went back before to try and get some of our things, but he had demons guarding it, and I couldn't go inside."
"But what about the Nexus?"
"He absorbed the Nexus," Chris whispered in defeat. "I saw it, and I could not stop him."
"He took the Book too, didn't he?"
"Yeah, and there's more. I just found out that he killed all of the Elders. Well, except Dad, but I don't think he really counts anymore…" Chris paused before standing and pacing. "God, Lena, how did all of this happen? What's wrong with him?" Chris' voice broke as he spoke.
"That look in his eyes… the things he said…" Lena muttered more to herself than her cousin.
"He's the one trying to become the Source, I just know it. How could he? Why would he? I just don't understand." Chris stood, running an agitated hand through his hair.
Her hand reached to where her tank top covered a thin black scar that ran vertical beneath her rib cage. "Do you remember all of those demons Wyatt sent us after? The things they said to him? They were the only ones who stood in his way of becoming the Source, and he used us to get rid of them. He's been playing us for a while."
"Wyatt wouldn't do that."
"And Wyatt wouldn't absorb the Nexus, kill the Elders, and stab me with a cursed athame, but he has, he did, and we have to figure out what to do now."
"We're getting away from him," Alec announced as he entered the room, a tray with drinks and snacks in his hands.
"Where are we going to go? He'll find us," Lena admitted angrily.
"There is a small isle in Greece. It is the origin of our family and our powers, it has acted as a safe haven for the Kalos witches for centuries. If we go there, he won't be able to find us."
"How come I've never heard of this place before?" Lena asked. "Why didn't we go there when the demons were coming after Mom, why—"
"Lena, your mom wouldn't let me take her there. She didn't believe in running at the time, but I think now, given the circumstances…"
"I agree, let's go. Chris, orb us," Lena commanded.
"You can't orb there, it's protected. Our best bet is to get to Greece first, and then get a boat out to the Isle."
"None of you are going anywhere!" Wyatt's voice echoed all around them. Three sets of eyes darted around the room in time for a brilliant explosion to rock the mansion. The bricks crumbled and the ceiling began to cave in. Chris grabbed Lena's hand, orbing the two of them outside, while Alec faded out.
When the cousins appeared on the Mansion's grounds, another explosion ripped through the Kalos home, sending Chris and Lena flying with the blast. Bricks and mortar piled on top of them, burying them, and all the while the mansion continued to be inundated with blasts.
"Lena!" Chris called as he orbed from the rubble, searching the area for any sign of his younger cousin. He pushed the continuing hail of shrapnel back with a well aimed burst of telekinesis as he used his power to dig through the piles.
Lena choked on the dust around her as more blocks landed on her bruised and bloodied body. Her scar from the athame throbbed painfully. Struggling to free her body from the smoldering remains of her ancestral home, she heard a deep voice laughing in the distance.
Chris turned to find Wyatt standing in front of the burning remnants of the once-stately mansion, a smile on his face. "Did you really think I would just let you two come back to this mansion and sit around plotting my demise? Do you really think that I am that stupid?" Wyatt demanded coldly, his eyes sparkling with mirth. Chris stared down the warped image of the man he had once known, never feeling so lost in his life. Everywhere around him were the charred and flaming bits of rubble, and somewhere beneath it all lay his only other blood relative. And Chris realized that he had yet to spot Alec either.
It all came down to him and Wyatt.
Brother against brother.
"Stop this, can't you see what you're doing Wyatt? Killing the Elders, attacking your family? What would Mom think of all of this? What would she say?" Chris asked plainly.
"She would realize that this is the only way anyone in our family will be able to have a decent life. I'm doing this for you as much as I'm doing this for me, Chris. Can't you see that?" Wyatt demanded.
"All I can see is you hurting people. I know what you've been doing, Wyatt. You've killed innocents. You're planning on taking over the Underworld and becoming the Source. You think she would be proud of you? Well, why don't we summon her spirit so she can tell us herself. No pesky rules anymore, right? So come on, conjure some candles!" Chris challenged Wyatt.
"I do not need Mom to tell me what I already know. This is the way it has to be. But you and me – we should not be fighting. Join me, Chris, and I will protect you always. You won't be surrounded by death and hopelessness anymore. I am going to create a world where we can use our magic without fear of exposure of consequences. It is our birthright as the most powerful witches ever born."
"Our birthright is to protect innocents and vanquish demons! Not create some twisted regime! Wyatt you're being a fool, why can't you see sense?"
"I will not allow anyone to insult me, not even you!" Wyatt growled, throwing Chris backward into a tree. Chris fell out of it, and then began telekinetically throwing rubble at Wyatt. Erecting his shield, Wyatt stood unfazed by the rocks and bricks thrown about him, and sent a shaft of lightning at his brother. Chris dodged, running through the uneven slope of the yard and firing more debris at the shield. Alec appeared and attempted to intervene, earning himself a concussion when Wyatt slammed him repeatedly into a wall. He then turned his attention back to his brother and their deadly game of attack and defense.
They continued to fight for some time, unaware of Lena digging herself out of the remains. Finally Wyatt managed to land a few good hits in on Chris, rendering him helpless as he collapsed to the ground, clutching at an energy burn on his chest. Wyatt stalked over to him, holding his brother frozen in place with his power and frowning. "I will bring you over to my side, Chris. I have heard people will agree to just about anything, if given the right incentive." To illustrate his point, he fired an energy ball at him, frying his right shoulder.
"Where'd… you hear… that? The History Channel's special on Josef Stalin?" Chris coughed.
Wyatt just powered up another energy bomb, ignoring Chris' comment. He pulled his arm back to fire it when a female voice screamed.
Spinning around he saw Lena, bracing the upper half of her body above the rubble with her hands, her legs buried, shouting at him. A moment later, she had shimmered out of sight and she reappeared beside Wyatt.
"That's new," Wyatt commented on her demonic teleportation ability with a prideful smile.
"What did you do to me?" Lena asked in horror at herself. She put all of her weight on her right leg, her left ankle had been twisted badly, and tendrils of pain shot through her.
"You'll find out," Wyatt laughed. "Now, was there a reason why you interrupted me?"
Lena's eyes darted between Chris, pinned in place by Wyatt's magic, and Wyatt, energy bomb in hand. Behind her, her father had begun to rise. Wyatt's words from a week ago echoed in her mind as she saw how close he was to seriously injuring Chris. 'If you join me, I promise I won't hurt Chris. I know you're worried about him, Lena, but come over to my side and he'll be perfectly fine, I swear it.'
"I… I… I don't want you to hurt him," she said lamely, the words catching in her throat as terror overpowered her.
"Does this mean you're accepting my proposal?" Wyatt questioned happily.
"Ye-yes," Lena stuttered, wiping some blood off of her cheek.
Wyatt smiled warmly, placing his arm around his cousin's shoulder. "Good choice, Lena. Now let's go, we have an empire to build," Wyatt laughed, dissolving the energy ball he held and turning around.
"Lena, no!" Alec cried, racing at the pair. Wyatt merely extended his shield, enveloping Lena within its boundaries.
"You're next, Chris. Think about it. You want us all to be together, I know you do. Once you join us, the Power of Three will be whole again. Think about it, little brother."
With one last glance back at Chris, a glance full of sorrow and regret, of words left unspoken and unanswered questions, a look of love and caring, she followed Wyatt.
As he watched Lena and Wyatt walk away, outlined by the hulking ruins of the Kalos Mansion, Chris heard Wyatt's words clearly in his mind.
'I know I can get our little cousin over there on my side. And then Chris, you'll truly know what it feels like to be alone. To be by yourself in a world out of control, at the mercy of those you used to trust. And let me tell you, Christopher, when that happens, then you'll finally see that there is no 'greater good' and there is nothing more that you can hope for in this life than plain old survival.'
A/N: The next chapter will be heating things up on the evil-Wyatt front!
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I would love to know what you thought. Say it with a review!
-A.C.E.