A/N:
Again, as I said yesterday, I'm sorry if anyone accidentally skipped Chapter 5. I uploaded two chapters at once, and, looking at the views, I think a few people may have gone straight to six. Apologies! I'm new to this! :/
Anyway, please keep reading, and please try to slip me a review too (they make me feel special! Thank you if you've given me one!)
:-)
Chapter Seven
The sisters ran silently through the intoxicating darkness, Leo following close with Chris hanging from his shoulder, healed just seconds before, at about the same time that Leo had told Wyatt to orb himself back to Magic school. He would have advised he take Chris back to safety, but his poor little baby was already shivering with the effort orbing through the barrier of the Underworld took. Leo was filled with a burning pride, mixed with sadness, to see the lengths his son would go through for his parents.
No-one dared utter a word as they got closer and closer to the bottom of the long corridor that had first led them to their cell, and they slowly but surely got closer and closer to the flickering, warm coloured light that shone from the top of a jagged, stony stairway.
Piper went first. She eased herself up the steps- taking care- and peeked in. Her blood seemed to turn to stone as she set her eyes upon the Nightmare daemon, stood statue-like in the middle of a massive, stretching cave. Before him was a sort of pond, magic holding it up vertically, and it shimmered and flickered with the reflection of the flames that seemed to fill up a quarter of the cavern, hiding whatever evil might be going on the other side. He's probably creating a ghastly concoction that will steal our powers, Piper thought bitterly.
She raised her hands and gentely flicked them.
Looking at the daemon, you wouldn't see any difference. However, Piper and her sisters behind her knew that he was frozen. Just one look at the water which now held the appearance of ice and the screen-shot of dancing flames made Pipers effect clear.
Finally letting out their withheld breaths, Piper and the others stepped out into the room. Chris, upon seeing the fire, flinched and recoiled into Leos shoulder.
"Please, let's just do this. Quickly." He said weakly.
Paige revealed her vile of black vanquishing potion from the pocket of her trousers, as did her sisters.
"Lucky I brought these." Paige said proudly.
The sisters threw their viles at the Nightmare daemon, who stood menacing and unknowing, and watched silently as a black swirl of smoky fire consumed him.
"Let's go." Leo said, his eyes burning black watching the daemon slowly die.
The sisters ditifully took Leo's arm, and turned their heads away, preparing to leave.
The seconds ticked by wordlessly.
"Leo? What's up?" Piper said through the smog that was quickly spreading, tumbling towards them.
Stumbling back with everyone else to avoid the ashes of the dead daemon, Leo spluttered "I-I can't! Something's blocking me!"
"What! Nothing blocked Wyatt before, Leo. Try harder!" Piper screeched, her arms flailing about around her, trying to purify the black air that was her breathing space.
"What's blocking you, Leo?" Pheobe croaked.
"Oh," a sinisterly familliar voice chimed, "That'll be me..."
The Nightmare daemon lurched from the black fog, and thrust his arm out. A torrent of black was released from his palm. It's deadly path lead straight to Piper.
Piper flew back, tumbling over 5 meters of the cavern floor, and lay on the floor shivering violently.
"Piper!" Chris yelled, shoving Leo foreward.
They took off. The Halliwells ran to the only welcoming place they could immediately spot. Leo scooped Piper up as he ran, despite not trusting his shaken self to be able to support her weight. The staircase they had hastily faltered towards the stairs, which wound upwards, and, blocking out the devilish mocks that were cried after them, the Halliwells scrambled up them, wanting to be anywhere but in the devils presence. Chris blindly followed the crowd, his body wracked with pain, but his fear acting as sufficient motivation to keep him going. Leo's feet pounded against the ground, each step sending shudders through his body, making Pipers poor head lurch- he was all to aware of her shivering body in his arms.
"It's so amusing how you think that you can escape me! YOU CAN'T ESCAPE A NIGHTMARE!" The cavern that they'd run into shook violently with his words, toying with them, trying to knock them off their feet. But the Halliwells just kept running.
When Leo's arms began to ache to the excrutiating point where he thought they'd rip and Piper had terrifyingly stopped moving, Leo called to the others, "Stop!"
Paige and Phoebe jerked around, falling to their knees to where Leo had fallen to his. Chris stumbled to them, collapsing, his chest rising and falling fiercely with his harrowing breaths.
"I- can't - hear him- any more. Must've- stopped-" He choked.
"He's playing with us!" Phoebe screached, "as if were pathetic freaks!"
"Little mice, little mice. The hungry cat is coming..." the sinister voice sang sickly.
"He's coming!" Pipers eyes had fluttered open. Phoebe put a hand Pipers clammy froehead. And then...
... She left the cavern...
... And was in the Manor- Prue was there! But she wasn't moving; blood trickled down her head; Piper was grasping her shoulders with brutal misery, in floods of tears, her sobs so furious that her chest was heaving. She was knelt over her older sister amongst piles of broken wood and rubble, the dusty sediment plastering both her blood-red face and Prues unanimated, lifeless one, mixing disturbingly with blood and tears. Oh God... Prue was dead! But this had already happened... It wasn't a premonition of the future... It was a... a... an...
"...an Earthquake! Phoebe it's an Earthquake!" Piper was yelling into her face.
Phoebe felt as if her bones were shuddering in her body. But that wasn't the case. The ground was shaking!
Pale, but alert, Piper latched onto Leo and buried herself into his chest. Good idea. She was avoiding a broken bone. Jaw juddering, neck close to snapping, Phoebe grabbed Chris, who looked to be in his own world, and embraced him tightly. He linked arms with Leo and Paige, leaping to avoid a giant falling rock, struggled into the huddle, although over the sound of the raging Earth, it was hard to see where she'd gone.
"LEO, NOW!" Chris screamed above the chaos, his voice strained.
"Now WHAT?"
"NOW!"
Leo summoned all his strenghth, not even knowing if he'd assumed correctly. But he had.
Dust and rocks fell right on top of where the Halliwells had been, crushing the little particals of blue orb lights that remained.
Xx
The Halliwells collapsed onto the attic floor with an almighty thump. In the Manor, it was eerily quiet. Then again, they had just come from an Earthquake.
The gang, having untangled themselves, flopped back onto the wonderfully smooth, if not a little dusty, carpet. Chris wanted break down and start kissing it. Although, he controlled himself, knowing that a display of emotion on that scale might not look that great.
"Chris, did you just do what I think you did?" Leo breathed.
"What?" Piper asked, aghast, looking at Chris, who'd developed a sudden interest in his shoes.
All eyes went to Chris' foggy green ones. As soon as he noticed, he shyly looked away, and shrugged nonchalantly.
"Yeh. Sure. I summoned an earthquake to put the daemon off. If he was distracted, he couldn't block our orbs." Chris admitted, then he caught sight of Paige, who's eyebrow was raised acutely. "Oh. Yeh. Sorry for almost crushing you with a rock, Paige. But c'mon, what else could we do?"
Paige let her eyebrow fall and her playful look was replaced with a curious one, "I had no idea you could do that... I mean, I knew you were half witch and all, but... That was real good."
Piper jumped to her feet, her face an image of rage, "Real good? That was more than real good, that was incredible. How long were you planning on hiding your power, hu? Until you missed the chance to save us with it? Until one of us died..."
"No. No! Piper," Chris stood up and raised his arms defensively, "I- that-" Chris couldn't find the words. Not under the intensity of Pipers glare.
"Okay, lets all calm down." Phoebe slowly stood and placed a hand on Chris' shoulder, "Piper, just let Chris- the kid who just saved your ass- explain."
Pipers knitted eyebrows softened a little. She waited for an explaination, her hands at her hips.
Chris took a deep breath. "Honestly? I try really hard not to use my powers."
The sisters waited.
"They're kind of unstable. I can't really explain it. It's like they're held behind a... a sort of... mental dam, I guess. Using them a cracks the dam. After that, I need to be careful, or I have no idea what I'll do." Chris looked at the ground guiltily. "I've done terrible things in the past when I've lost control. Accidental! But terrible."
Chris left that last part hanging in the air. he cleared his throat.
"So, when I came here, I said I was just a Whitelighter. It was easier, y'know." He shrugged.
When he looked up, the Halliwells were watching him, each with a different expression. There was kindled interest. Sadness. Pity. Chris couldn't take it.
"Piper, you got hit. Get some rest." He ordered, trying to sound tough and collected, but the loving concern had crept into his voice. "I gotta go." And with that, Chris orbed away to hide.
Each Halliwell was lost in his or her own thought. Paige was wondering what could have happened to make Chris so terrified of his powers. Phoebe was wondering the same. Leo was thinking about how sure he was that Chris had got to clear his head on top the bridge. But Piper was thinking about what she'd seen. Prue's death. Her worst nightmare.
A/N: I have been in such a rush to get these out, I think I'll calm it down a bit. Maybe one chapter a day, with the odd exeption? But if you're reading, please stay with me! It makes me feel really fab to know that people are actually reading my stuff (thanks for that!)! I hope you're enjoying reading it just as much as I'm enjoying writing it. The story will (hopefully) blossom until the climax I have in mind (which I will try to make sufficiently awesome!)
PS: Premonitions are now italics! I should've done that before, really.
Thanks for reading :-)
