Chapter Seven
The Manor of the future was nothing like Leo expected. Not that he'd known quite what to expect. But this was just... weird.
The home that he was so used to seeing alive with colour had a dull tint to it, like it was of another dimension. All that was left of the Manor was a shell. One that people eyed greedily, as if by doing so a minute piece of the immense power that had once inhabited this grand, murdered corpse might flow into them. They had no hope of that. Any power that had once livened these halls had been sucked out, to be put to evil use; these pitiful halls and dutifully organised rooms were all that was left of the Halliwell Manor. Leo fought to prevent the emotion from infiltrating his eyes; instead, he struggled to echo the expressions of intrigue and envy that were plastered on the faces of his tour group. An array of demons from the general public surrounded Leo, Paige, Phoebe and Chris. However, with their new faces, they blended in perfectly.
The group stood in the hallway, having just come through the main entrance, and stood scrutinising the living room, listening to a lecture that an overenthusiastic blonde woman was giving, her arms gesturing wildly. Leo struggled to think over her incessant voice.
"In this room, the Charmed Ones and their beloved Whitelighter would speak, discussing topics from the latest threat to their way of life, to simple sociable chats. However, this room was home to much more intense goings on. Being the main room in the house, many a battle would commence here, and uncountable events causing collateral damage took place. Woven into the very fabric of these deceivingly homely walls are, the screams of a thousand demons and warlocks, who met their ends at the Charmed Ones powerful hands in this-very-room-"
A thousand? Paige wondered if that was a real statistic or just an off the tounge statement to be dramatic. Because she was willing to bet it was way, way over a thousand. But it'd be nice to know.
Paige flicked her eyes towards a tall, impossibly slim and slightly gangly woman who was stood, towering above her peers in the corner of the group. Phoebe, who was feeling slightly self-conscious in her disguise, returned Paige's gaze, and the girls both rolled their eyes, Paige flicking her electric blue hair in annoyance. This woman just wouldn't shut up...
"And, with that, we move on the the Halliwell Manor kitchen, where- trust you me- a lot more than mere cooking went on." The woman jumped eagerly in said direction, and the crowd began to follow. "Now, Piper had a love of cooking. In fact, her and her youngest son Christopher would spend hours here, baking..."
Her voice thankfully faded away, and four people of the crowd hovered towards eachother; Phoebe with her gangly limbs; Paige with her chubby face and electric blue hair; Leo, with his surfers style and casual gait; and Chris, hidden behind endless layers of tattoos and bulging muscles. Chris lifted a finger and flicked it, sending a floating security camera spinning in another direction. Then, he watched the rest of the group walk away.
"C'mon. Now's our chance." Chris whispered, turning for the stairs. His family followed.
At the top of the stairs, Chris put his back against the wall. Someone was guarding the stairway to the attic, as expected. No problem. Chris lifted his hand (scowling at the unattractive snake tattoo traveling down it), and clenched his fist. The guards face suddenly went very red, and he fell to his knees, clawing at his neck. It only took a few seconds for him to explode silently, his screams trapped in his throat along with his oxygen.
Gesturing for his patiently waiting family to follow, Chris bound up the steps to the attic. Once there, he made for the holographic image of the Book of Shadows that lay where the real thing was supposed to be, on the stand.
Phoebe, Paige and Leo watched as he muttered the spell that would bring back what was rightfully theirs.
Instantly, the holagraphic image of the Book materialised into the real thing, and Chris let out a sigh of relief. He jumped slightly when it came out as a low growl.
"Sorry." He said to his startled family apologetically. "New face. New voice."
"Okay," said the woman who was Paige (but wasn't), as she approached Chris, "where's the spell we're looking for?" She began to flick through the Book, her eyes diligently scanning.
"Ah-ha! Here it is!" She hit the page triumphantly. "Okay, let's get this over with. Find and destroy that damn portal so we can get back in our own bodies. And have our own hair back." Paige grabbed at her hair. "This straw is dyed to death. I'd never mistreat hair so badly!"
"Paige? Can we focus on the task at hand please?" Chris said, eyebrows raised. "If it makes you feel any better, I think your hair matches really nicely with your out-fit." Chris sniggered, looking down at Paiges luminescent pink, frilly skirt and tightly drawn purple corset. Phoebe chuckled.
Paige shot Chris a look, which he interpreted as 'one more word, and you die.'
Chris focused once again on the Book. "C'mon. I know it's not exactly the Power of Three, but it'll do. Let's go for it."
Phoebe, Paige and Chris gathered around, as Leo moved to watch the door. The three witches read from the book in a confident chant.
"Portal that eludes us,
Hidden in the air,
We wish to know your hiding place,
Show us where"
The room was still as the withces paused.
Seconds ticked wordlessly by.
"Well?" Chris said, getting flustered. "Where is the portal?"
"Oh no. It must not be in the Manor at all." Phoebe said, leaning into the book. "It says here that the spell only works when the readers are in at least a fifty meter radius.
"Damn it! I've been walking around in this body for nothing!" Paige whined.
"I like the style. Kinda punky." Leo admitted from the doorway. "But that doesn't matter. We need to leave. But we can't orb in or out of here, so we have a problem."
"Find the tour group." Chris stated, his voice wavering.. He put a beefy hand in his bikers jacket and pulled out a pen, quickly jotting down the spell. For some strange reason, his hands were shaking. He'd gone a deathly pale and, being bald, it was all the more noticeable.
Phoebe was the first to guess what was wrong. Chris had figured out that if the portal wasn't here, it was at the torture place, Causa Mortis. Phoebe winced for Chris. No-one should have to ever suffer that way. Ever. Phoebe thought, looking into Chris' young, burdened eyes. "You alright, Chris?"
Before Chris could even part his lips to answer, alarms sounded about the Manor. Red lights from somewhere in the walls flashed with every whine of the siren. Great. Chris knew this'd been too easy.
Suddenly, Chris snapped his head round. There was a shower of dark light, and three Darklighters appeared in the attic, tensed and ready to attack. As one aimed his arrow at Leo, he reacted quickly with a forceful punch in the nose and kick in the groin. In one fluid motion, Leo rose from the kick and swiftly struck the two remaining Darklighters with his Elder powers, catapulting them across the room wrapped in buzzing electrical currents.
"Oh! The Elder kicks ass!" Chris quipped, closing the book and running with his aunts to get a piece of the action.
Raising her arms, Paige cried, "Arrow!" At her words, a Darklighter groaned, his own arrow sticking from his gut and blood spluttering from his mouth. Phoebe kicked him down brutally for good measure.
A recovered Darklighter violently swung his cross-bow at Phoebe, knocking her down with force. She crashed to the floor and lay still, moaning.
"Phoebe!" Chris called, and lunged, arms raised, to hit Phoebe's attacker with telekinesis. He never got the chance.
As Chris rose his wrist, an arrow shot into it, embedding it into the wall behind him. No sooner had that happened than another shot into his forearm, sending crippling pains like electricity up his arms. Chris cried with pain as his vision swiftly began to blur.
"Chris!" Leo yelled in horror as he ducked to avoid a Darklighters high swinging foot.
The Darklighter that struck Chris snarled as he let off another arrow. Chris yelped as his other wrist was pinned to the wall by two arrows in a shower if blood, which splattered Phoebe where she lay, unmoving. Chris stood ridgidly against the wall, his head spinning. A harrowing moan escaped his lips when the thought of his dead cousin flashed before his mind, her savaged corpse pinned as he was now. What cruel irony, Chris managed to think through the pain.
Leo rushed to his son, his eyes wild, only to be knocked down by a his own assailant. Hard. The edge of the cross-bow hit him in the temple, and Leo felt a foot crush his head as he lay on the floor. He was powerless against the Darklighters heavy, steel-lined boot.
Leo raised his eyes to search for his son. Chris was swaying now, his wrists and arms taking all the weight that his legs were too weak to manage. Next to him, Phoebe lay, and Leo's hopes were dashed when he saw that, although concious, her eyes were bleary and Darklighter was holding her down. Paige was in no better shape. A Darklighter had her by the hair. Her face was contorted in a wince, and blood ran from her nose.
Suddenly, the disguses left them. The beefy brute morphed back into Chris, who cried out as his arms got shorter and the strain got unbearabley worse. The gangly lady, her limbs sprawled on the floor, became Phoebe once again. The Darklighter holding Paige found he grasped a fistful of strawberry-red where there had been blue, and he smiled triumphantly. Leo cursed. How had their simple plan gone so completely wrong?
Leo licked his dry lips to speak weakly. "What..."
"What happened, you want to know?" A chilling voice spoke from the doorway in a menacing tone. Leo's blood froze in his veins at the cruelty the voice seemed to radiate. "I happened." The man said humourlessly. "I took away your masking spell. I thought it'd be nice to look my family in the eyes. Their real eyes."
Upon saying this, the owner of the voice stepped into view. The tall, lean man was dressed head to toe in black, and the demenor with which he carried himself told Leo that he didn't think any fancy-dress was needed to complete his look. He was right. This man didn't require dramatics as the Nightmare demon had. Nor did he need cross-bows or knives. The power seemed to seep from the mans very pores and swirl in his deep blue eyes. Very familiar deep blue eyes...
"Who the hell are you?" Paige spat with contempt, holding her scalp as it threatened to be ripped from her head.
"Antie Paige, surely you must recognise me?" The man spoke, turning to her so that Leo could only see the back of his head, his disheveled blonde hair. Blond hair... Blue eyes...
Auntie Paige...
"Wyatt!" Leo said, hating the words even as he spoke them with conviction. Leo knew instantly that he was right.
Wyatt span to face his father, and his face seemed to twitch, like a reaction to a flash of pain. It wasn't. It was a twisted, disturbed smile.
Xx
Piper sat on the sofa, cold tea in hand. She was curled up (as curled up as she could manage with her massive stomach) on the sofa, sniffing pitifully. Her eyes were red-rimmed and bloodshot, and her cheeks blood-red too. From the many times she'd wiped them. She pulled her sleeve and wiped her nose, taking another huge sniff.
Piper was so ashamed that she'd done it. What she told herself she would definately not do. But she hadn't been able to fight it any longer. Piper had finally broken down. Sure, Darryl had been great to have around. He'd been so caring, coming to the Manor almost every day to help Piper manage Wyatt, and even do little tasks that, being heavily pregnant, Piper couldn't do. He'd mowed the lawn. He'd helped clean the house. He'd even aided Piper in a few of her demon bashing missions. But now, things were overwhelming Piper, and not even Darryl could take away the pain.
A few days? Fine. Weeks? Sure. But months? Eight months- her family had been gone, and Piper had no idea where! Now, Piper was on the verge of giving birth- it was just under a month until little Chris was due- and she was close to admitting defeat. She had to imagine a world with her, her two babies, and no one else. As this thought passed her mind again, Pipers heaving sobs began to return, sending sharp pains through her already aching back.
"Hey, hey, hey! Piper, not this again." Darryl rushed over, quickly placing the freshly made, hot tea on the table. He placed a hand on Pipers. "Please don't cry again, Piper. Think of the baby." Darryl soothed.
Piper took deep breaths at Darryls command, but whene she spoke, sobs interrupted her constantly.
"I-I'm sorry Da-Darryl... I ca- I ca-" Piper stopped and caught her breath, loathing how weak and helpless she was acting. But the stress and worry of all the months spent waiting had finally caught up with her.
No, she thought. Get a hold of yourself woman!
"You alright now?" Darryl asked softly.
"Darryl..." Piper began, sniffing. "I think it's safe to say that there never coming back. I mean, how could they now? After it's been so- so long. I-I don't thi-" Piper began to choke up again.
"Hey, hey, hey... Piper, I hate to see you like this." Darryl sat and put Pipers head on his shoulder, letting her cry into it. "But, listen, if there is one thing I've learnt about your family, it's that nothing ever means the end for you. And I'm serious! Every predicament, every situation, it's always overcome!"
"But..." Piper choked.
"But nothing. Piper, just because this problem is dragged out, doesn't mean it's the end. This is a time travel problem. Which means time is messed up! They may be a little late, but they'll be here. You wait. Just you wait." This, he continued to repeat, as if to persuade both Piper and himself. He didn't stop whispering the words. They became like a prayer. "Just you wait."
Suddenly, the walls around them began to glow, as if the entire Manor were a torch. Piper and Darryl were dazzled as the house retained it's glow for a few seconds. Then, the light dulled. The walls became normal again.
"What the hell just happened?" Piper screeched, lifting her head.
"Oh, excuse me. I just happened." A voice chimed apologetically from behind them.
Piper and Darryl whipped their heads back to see Gideon stood by Wyatts play-pen. But the little boy wasn't inside it. He was in Gideon's arms, staring innocently into his mothers wide eyes. Gideon's eyes, on the other hand, looked sad.
"I'm truley sorry to put you in this situation. Really, I am." Gideon sounded strangely genuine, locking his gaze with Pipers. "I assure you, it is for the Greater Good."
Piper cursed loudly, tears streaming form her eyes, and Darryl lurched to tackle Gideon to the ground. But, to Pipers great devestation, Darryl simply threw himself into empty space. Gideon was gone.
"Darryl, he took Wyatt! He took my baby!" Piper screamed, clutching her stomach as if it were the only thing left worth living for.
Darryl blinked.
"Piper..." He mused, his brain chugging, "the house... It was glowing. Could he have..." His eyes suddenly went wide. "No..."
Darryl fled to the window and used all his force to try and swing it open. He couldn't.
"No way..." He muttered.
Piper screamed and whipped her hands, attempting to explode the window. She couldn't.
Darryl could try to open the front door. He could try hurling his body against it to force it open. He could even tell Piper to use her magicy-stuff on it. But he didn't bother. It was obvious already that all attempts would prove futile.
Piper wimpered as it all became clear; pieces of the jigsaw came cluttering into place. Chris had said Wyatt would be turned before he himself was born. Now, everything was beginning to make sense. Who'd helped Leo make the potion? Who was so close and trusted that he was above suspicion? Piper wanted to scream with self-hatred.
Gideon. He had Wyatt somewhere outside of the Manor. And Piper was trapped inside it.
