A Charmed Story - Part Nine:
I, Myself And The Elders
Chapter 9
Short after Chris and Wyatt had arrived at the manor, Michael entered from the kitchen with the first-aid-kit in his hands. As soon as he saw the two newcomers, he ran over to them: "Oh my God... Chris," he exclaimed, "thanks God you and Wyatt are alright!"
"Mickey?" Wyatt said with a shaking voice, as he sucked his thumb and tried to hold back his tears to appear as a grown-up, now that his brother was crying. Chris needed a 'big brother' that made him feel better, so Wyatt would play the big brother, holding his hand strongly in order to comfort him.
Michael smiled weakly at the small boy and stroked his hair while he looked at Chris, who had just raised his eyes up to him.
"Mike..." he was really shocked to see him there, save and sound, after all the disaster that had taken place. "What... what happened?" he asked once he had enough strength to do it. "How did you...?"
Michael sighed as he went over to kneel down by Steve and took some things of the first-aid kit. "Don't know. I just... left for a moment. Went to the bathroom as soon as you were gone. Then all this noise came to me, and I did not dare to go out. You know, Chris..." he said ashamed, "I can't do much, so I thought that it'd be better to remain hidden. I..."
Chris closed his eyes as tears ran down his cheeks, and nodded, swallowing heavily. "You did well, don't worry..." he said, caressing Wyatt's hand softly.
The child was looking at him with his big eyes wide open, and all his body trembling. His big brother was feeling so bad... If his big brother felt bad, things were really wrong, because Chris would never feel like that otherwise. And he had seen that ugly demon, he was so scared...
Chris shook his head and smiled at him, then he hugged him strongly, under the attentive look of Mike who was trying to make Steve wake up with some stinking products he had found.
"It's ok, were gonna find them," Chris said, feeling what Wyatt was feeling, and therefore feeling the need to comfort him.
"Chris..." Michael started, "I think your help will be useful here. I mean... you can heal."
Chris nodded, standing up slowly and going towards Steve. Michael crawled back a little bit so that Chris could do what he had to do, and took Wyatt in his arms as they both observed how the golden light sprang from the Elder-witch's hands on Steve's body.
Steve awoke after a few moments, taking a deep breath. He looked to Chris with an indescribable expression but said nothing.
Chris shrugged and smiled feebly. He knew it'd be hard for him to forgive him. He stood up and went to Nicki and Veronica, healing both of them.
"Where are they?" Nicki asked with a weak voice. Chris swallowed and shook his head.
"He took them all..." Veronica murmured, with a thrill, as memories of what had happened came to her mind.
"Doesn't any of you remember anything?" Chris asked.
Nicki shook her head. She hadn't even had time to see the man who had attacked her. She just saw how Steve was flying against the door, and had tried to run towards him; after that, she only remembered a strong pain.
"Everything was too fast," Steve answered coldly.
Michael pressed little Wyatt's body against him, trying to figure out what had happened to Bianca and the children.
Veronica was still like absent, but she was actually thoughtful. "That demon came. It was him... He attacked us by surprise. I guess no one had time to react. I was knocked out soon, but I saw that he secured them in a sort of forcefield..."
"When I came there was nothing else," Michael said.
Chris sighed again, knowing that he would not be able to get anything else from them: "I guess there's no more time to make up stupid plans. I have to go."
"Are you nuts?" Michael exclaimed. "Haven't you just seen what he has done to your family? What if they...?" He was going to say, 'What if they were all dead by now?', but stopped himself. "You can't go."
"He's waiting for me."
"That's why..." Nicki said.
"He'll not hurt anyone until he has me."
"That's WHY!" Michael exclaimed desperately.
Chris shook his head. "God, he has my child. Do you really think I stay here and do nothing?" He made a short break looking at his friends. "I am gonna go. Don't worry, I am ready. Just, I don't want more 'let's make up a plan before', 'let's see what else we can discover first', or anything. I am not gonna wait until he has you all to go," he said and started to orb.
But Steve rushed to him and grabbed his arm: "I am going with you."
Chris frowned and looked him in the eyes. He could see he was still angry at him, but apart from that, he saw resolution. He would not be able to convince him to stay behind.
"NO!" Nicki exclaimed. But it was too late, Chris and Steve were gone. "Noooo..." she whined once again and started to cry. Veronica, even if she felt terrible on her own, went over to her and hugged her.
Michael just stared into the nothing, slowly shaking his head. "WHY HIM?" he exclaimed. "WHY HAS IT ALWAYS TO BE HIM???"
The women looked at him shocked by his outburst. Wyatt clenched his fingers into Michael's shirt and started to sob again.
°°°°°°°°°°
Odin and Elenia had been the only awaken persons in the cave for a long time. But then Jeremiah started to moan.
"Oh my God, he wakes up!" Elenia exclaimed. They both tried to reach him, but they were still chained and too far away from him.
"Jeremiah?" Odin asked. Slowly the Elder opened his eyes. "Jeremiah?" Odin asked again. "Can you hear me?"
"What...? Where...? What...?" he felt still too dizzy to speak in complete sentences.
"It's ok, take it easy," Elenia said, with a worried voice.
The Elder was still holding his aching head: "What happened?"
"Rhashirk," Odin said dryly, "he caught you... us... eleven Elders all together, and the witch Tom Marsden."
Jeremiah sighed: "And where are we?"
"In another plane..." Elenia explained.
The Elder wanted to ask some more questions, but suddenly they heard some noises... voices actually... and the cry of a baby.
"Oh my God..." Odin muttered, having a real bad feeling in his stomach.
And then they saw them. Rhashirk was pushing the Halliwells into the cave. The sisters and Bianca, all bound with a magical rope, another one around their moths kept them silent... The babies who were put in a small cage, and Leo and Andrew, who were unconscious am now levitating in front of the demon... And Cole...
"Damned..." he cursed, when Rhashirk pushed him hard against the wall.
The demon smirked: "Well, what a nice prey... I'm wondering if you're still connected to your other half... Because if that's so, I would really enjoy torturing you..."
"YOU BASTARD... You will hurt NON of US!" Cole struggled to get free. But the demon had him chained to the wall with a short move with his hand. Rhashirk laughed, satisfied with what he had done, and then again orbed away.
When he was gone, Cole sighed and sank down to his butt, his arms held up by the chains.
"Where is Chris?" Odin asked.
Cole turned his head around, now noticing the others for the first time. He looked at Odin a little confused, then he answered: "I don't know..."
°°°°°°°°°°
Right after reappearing somewhere in the Underworld, Chris looked gravely at Steve and told him not to separate from him. He should stay all the time at his back, protected, and he should obey him and do as he said in all moment. He was not ready to lose anyone else; he was not sure at all if he'd be able to endure it. His eyes were glassy and his voice trembling, but there was something in his tone that showed his determination.
Steve knew immediately that he'd fight come what might, and he himself regretted a little bit how he had treated Chris before. Therefore, he just followed him, did as he said, and tried not to say anything that could hurt him more in such a moment. Later he'd have time to consider if his deals with the source of all evil were worth his friendship with Chris.
"We're going straight to a place you won't like," Chris said dryly. "You don't need to come." Steve looked him in the eyes, but without a word, kept on walking behind Chris.
The elder-witch walked on, leading towards the place where Belthazor had pointing to when they talked before in his lair. Once they arrived in that are even the demons stood away from, Chris took a deep breath and got ready to open the gate to the other plane.
And then, that was the moment that Steve chose to speak. "Is this the place the demon told you?" he asked wary.
Chris turned to him, on the defensive: "I told you, you don't need to come if you don't like it."
Steve ignored the bitter tone and went on: "Are you gonna go then?"
Chris laughed sarcastically. "I didn't come here to make a tourist tour. Of course I am going. My family and friends are there, my daughter is there," he explained as he examined the walls carefully, as if he was looking for an entrance.
Belthazor had told him how to arrive in that plane in the same way the old source had done to imprison Rhashirk, and not through the hole the former Elder was using to go to their world. Thus, he had explained, they'd catch him by surprise.
Steve stared at him thoughtfully. Finally he said: "You really trust him..." His voice sounded so tiredly.
Chris turned to look at him for a moment. Then he sighed: "I do, in that case. I don't need that you do too, though. I can go on my own, and I promise I will bring them back." Then he went on with his task.
While he was doing that, he heard Steve's voice again: "No I don't trust him." Chris shook his head and sighed, without looking at him. Then he noticed that Steve had come to his side and was looking at the wall carefully: "But I DO trust you, Chris. And you said you need the help of a witch... So? What are we looking for?"
Chris stared at him, surprised. Then he smiled weakly, almost unconsciously, but Steve was focused on the wall.
Chris's hand moved as he turned to speak to him, and touched something that made him stop at the moment. He looked back at that spot and frowned: "I think we found it." It was a little sign on the wall, just a salient piece of rock which resembled a horn.
Steve approached to have a look, and then asked: "What are we supposed to do now?"
Chris shrugged: "Go in..."
Steve was still wondering HOW, when Chris took out a paper and read with a shaking voice...
"Enop eht ordo
Esorfo ilev
Enop eht esatga
Tele ni eht ilevd."
Steve opened his eyes widely. "What crap is that, man?" he asked, truly scared. It sounded like a really weird and evil language.
But he had no time for more questions, since suddenly the horn moved, the cave was filled with a strong red light and when they could open their eyes again, the wall had disappeared to give place to a big entrance.
Chris smiled nervously, as Steve stared at the entrance, where a sort of vortex, like a twister or something, was moving constantly. And they had to cross that...
"Open the door,
Forces of evil
Open the gates
Let in the devil."
Chris recited in a murmur. Then he smiled at Steve: "There you are a good riddle."
°°°°°°°°°°
When Rhashirk returned he brought another Elder to the cave. She was also unconscious.
"You bastard," Jeremiah said much calmer than he wanted, "how could you do that to us, you've been one of us!" The others had already informed him, which made him feel kind of confused and scared, too.
But the demon didn't pay much attention to him. Instead he went over to Cole again, who had rose to face him. "You now, what really makes me wonder?" he said to the witch. "I'm walking around in your world so freely. Why does your other half not go after me?... Maybe he's too... weak?"
Cole felt the anger rose inside him. He couldn't explain why he felt like that, but he really didn't like the way Rhashirk was talking about Belthazor. "God, I wish I had more powers 'cause then I would blow your ass right into hell!" he yelled at the demon.
Rhashirk just smirked: "Here... you don't have any powers... except those you'll give to me..." Then he began to laugh evilly.
Cole was struggling to get free. The chains were hurting him, but he didn't care. He was just so angry... If he would have been free, he would kill that demon with his own hands... Yeah that's what he wanted... he wanted to kill him!
The girls were looking at him worried, nearly desperate. None of them had ever seen him so angry... evil, disgusting, cold as ice, yes... but never that angry.
Phoebe shivered, she had to do something. But she couldn't. She was bound and unable to move. But then she had an idea. She closed her eyes.
"Cole..." he could hear her... Cole could hear his wife. How was that possible, she wasn't able to speak with that magical rope around her mouth.
"Cole... please sweetie, you have to calm down..." she said.
Cole shook his head and looked at her, while Rhashirk kept laughing and teasing him. Phoebe's eyes were closed. Could that be, that she was talking to him in his mind.
"Sweetie... you'll help none of us when you freak out like that... please..."
Cole just kept looking at her, when he was hit in the face by Rhashirk: "Hey... I'm waiting for an answer... or shall I end your live right now... I mean, if you prefer..."
Cole's eyes shot back at the demon. He was calmer now, he had to, for his wife. But still he was very angry. "Try it... But be sure, in the end, you'll be the one who's dead," he said with clenched teeth.
Again Rhashirk began to laugh loud and evilly. Then he left them again.
Cole sighed and sank down again. He looked at his wife, with a weak smile: "Thanks."
"What was this about?" Odin asked confused.
Cole sighed: "Well I guess he tried to... I don't know what he tried, but... for a moment I thought I could lose myself. Thanks God that I have such an amazing wife." He turned to Phoebe again and smiled at her.
"Mmmm-Mmmmh! M-MM--mmmhhhhhhh!" Bianca tried to gain their attention.
"What's wrong?" Elenia asked. She could see that the Phoenix was about to freak out.
Bianca gestured with her head to the small cage where the babies were in. All heads turned to them too. And then they saw what made the young mother freak out. The babies were absolutely silent. They both had stopped crying and where now just lying on the bottom of the cage. They were not moving either.
Everyone tried to get to the cage, but they were all out of reach.
"Oh no..." Cole muttered, "please let them be just sleeping..."
°°°°°°°°°°
When Rhashirk left his cave, he felt something weird. Frowning he tried to get it clearer but at that moment it was gone again. He shook his head. All these powers he had absorbed lately were making him feel dizzy.
He knew he should take a step backwards, but he hadn't the time for relaxing. He needed the last of the Halliwells. And then he could let the hole in the barrier between those two planes let grow wider... and wider... and wider... till there would be only one plane left... his plane... Then he would rule the world... every part of it...
He smirked imagining how he would slowly kill the source of all evil... Belthazor... He knew he wasn't evil like he should be... But that just meant so much more fun...
He smiled to himself. Then he went over to that little spot which led to the Golden Gate Park. He needed some more Elders, to intensify his sensing ability.
°°°°°°°°°°
In the manor, Veronica was sitting with a crying little Wyatt in her arms. She tried insistently to make him calm down, as Michael paced nervously in the lounge and Nicki sobbed silently. She had been strong for her friend the whole day, but after seeing the terror in which the manor had been submerged and after having seen Steve leave again to face the demon after all that had happened, she could not stand it anymore.
Besides, Michael was not helping at all. He was too worried himself to pretend that everything was ok.
Veronica kept caressing the little child and whispering soothing words to his ears. And as she did it, she could not help remembering the strong and well-built man from the future that had come to the past to help his brother. That young man with wavy blonde hair, the same one that she was holding at the moment and trying to soothe.
"There must be something we can do," Michael repeated once and again.
Nicki sobbed and Veronica looked at him shaking her head hopeless: "What do you wanna do? You should actually be in your house, with your wife, enjoying a mortal and normal life, this is not for you."
Michael glared at her: "Well, I am here trying to be helpful to my best friend, and I have no intention of leaving, even if I can't do anything."
Veronica shrugged, but Nicki smiled at him encouragingly. "It's ok, Mike..." she said, holding back her tears, "everyone does what he can, and that's more than enough. I am grateful, and I am sure that Chris is, too..."
Michael sighed: "Wherever he is..."
°°°°°°°°°°
Steve looked at Chris out of the corner of his eye, and Chris did the same thing. "So... let's go, I guess." he finally announced.
Steve nodded, and followed him, and they had just finished crossing the door and the tornado, when a strange thrill struck Steve's back. That was the place... The dark place where he had been.
Chris looked at him feeling that he'd maybe give up. He looked scared! "Maybe you're on time to g..."
"The wolves are over there. I can hear them. The cave must be over there too," Steve interrupted Chris and started to walk towards the direction from where the sound came.
Chris sighed, worried for his friend and followed him. He knew he was still angry at him, somehow, but he had started to forgive him. He just wished that everything would go well, so that they could think about it from the future and smile.
They had walked for a while, startling at the mere sound of the dry leaves they stepped on, and the little branches they crashed. But Steve seemed to be more confident with every second that passed.
Then a voice that made their blood freeze in their veins stopped them. "Gee... Never thought that my prey would come straight to me, and so friendly."
No sooner had Rhashirk wanted to set foot on the other plane, he had sensed that feeling... a presence in his world... An intruder, a very welcomed one.
Chris turned, and Steve did the same thing, but Chris covered him so that he could not face Rhashirk and expose himself.
"Great, I never thought MY prey would greet me before I kill him," Chris answered.
Rhashirk burst into an evil laughter: "Oh... Really, you more sarcastic than I expected. And very funny! But you forgot a little detail. I still have your whole family, and I assure you that I am having a really good time..."
Chris felt his heart beating strongly, and his fits clenched as all his body tensed. Steve stayed back, staring at the man whose voice had made him freak out so much.
"You'd better not put your dirty hands on them or..."
"Or?" Rhashirk said approaching Chris slowly. "You can't do anything but follow me and accept your fate, young Halliwell. It'd be better if you had stayed in your time. You would be dead without having had time to lie and suffer. I wonder when you'll start to feel dizzy, as your little self dies," he said with a smirk in his thin lips.
Chris opened his eyes widely: Christopher... He did not know if that would affect him in some sense, due to their connection, but he had learnt to see Christopher as his little brother, and at that moment he was more worried for him than for himself and the possible consequences.
Steve looked at Chris noticing panic. He had to do something. That bastard had his best friend Tom, and all the family of Chris... He had to do something before Chris's willpower started to weaken, which was starting already to happen...
°°°°°°°°°°
"Cole," Odin turned to him again, "did Rhashirk do anything to them?"
The man kept his eyes focused on the two little bodies while he shook his head slightly: "Not as long as I have been with them." The Elder nodded still looking worried.
Suddenly Elenia sighed relieved. She had closed her eyes a few moments ago. "They are alive," she announced. Having the closest position to them, she had tried to sense for the two innocent babies.
Piper felt the tension leave her body. They were alive, that was the most important thing.
Bianca instead was still terrified. She still wasn't used to be a mother, neither was she use to being a mother when her baby was in such a danger.
"Maybe he had put them under a spell or something," Elenia suggested looking at Odin and Jeremiah.
And WHO are you?" Cole asked. He was still angry about their current situation, so his voice sounded more harsh than he had meant it.
"Cole!" Odin exclaimed not very pleased.
"Sorry... " Cole muttered, "I... it's just..."
"Never mind," she said, "I'm Elenia, I'm an Elder..." That was when another idea hit her mind. She sighed and looked at Odin who nodded, guessing her thoughts. Then she add: "And I'm Steve's mother."
"WHAT?" Cole exclaimed while all the eyes - except Bianca's - turned to her.
°°°°°°°°°°
Steve could nearly feel how Chris lost his strength... The fear that something could happen to his daughter, his family was starting to control him.
He didn't know what else to do so he just put his hand on Chris's shoulder.
The Elder-witch felt that. He took a deep breath, while Rhashirk was still talking about how good the powers of his father felt... "I'm really looking forward to taste those of your little girl," he heard him say.
"NEVER!" Chris yelled and threw him telekinetically through the air. But Rhashirk landed safely on his feet.
"You can't beat me," he said smiling, approaching them again, "not here..."
"Well... let's see who will laugh at the end," Steve said trying to sound confident.
Rhashirk began to laugh: "Well... you're really trying to fight me... again... Thought you had enough the last time... I mean... you're not even a witch, so why is this bothering you...?"
Chris narrowed his eyes, while the anger beat down the fear inside Steve. "I AM A WITCH!" he yelled. And then he added a lot calmer: "Wanna find out?"
Chris meanwhile pulled out another sheet of paper. "Steve... let's read this," he ordered. And both started to read...
"Here our voice, here our cry
witch and Elder begging to the sky..."
"NO!" Rhashirk yelled and threw Chris telekinetically against a tree.
Steve turned around and screamed his friends name. Chris moaned in pain, but had still the paper clenched in his hand.
Rhashirk, didn't pay much attention to Steve. He was sure that boy was too afraid of him. Instead he approached Chris who was still lying on the ground, pain written on his face.
Steve watched the demon, thinking hard what to do. He knew he had to do something, but... "Leave him alone!" he yelled. Rhashirk didn't bother to react. He still went nearer to the Elder-witch.
"I said: LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Steve yelled again and instinctively stretched out his right hand. To his surprise a flash of lightning escaped from his fingertips and hit the demon in his chest.
Rhashirk, thrown into a bush, yelled in anger and pain, while Steve escaped out of his sudden surprise and rushed over to his friend.
"Chris? Chris can you hear me?" he asked shaking him.
Slowly the Elder-witch turned his eyes to him. "Thanks God," Steve said. "Chris, you have to orb us a little away," he ordered quietly while Rhashirk rose to his feet again. Chris nodded, took Steve hand and they both orbed out of sight.
°°°°°°°°°°
They rematerialised just a few yards away, they could still here Rhashirk's swearing. They both didn't want to run away from that fight. They just needed a moment to gain back their strength and... sort a few things out.
"How did you do that?" Chris asked sitting up, but still holding the shoulder which hit the tree first.
Steve just looked at him with a worried expression on his face: "I really have no idea..."
(Chapter 9 written by Chrissy.W.x and Belén)
