A Charmed Story - Fourteen:
Ashon: Re-Evolution (Freaky Friday 2)
Chapter 10

Julian felt relieved when he saw that Christopher's plan seemed to work and the Ashon bowed before him. He was standing about ten feet behind him, Bianca and Nicki grabbed by the elbow to keep them all invisible until Christopher said it was save for them to appear. But from what things were looking like, that wouldn't take much longer.
He hadn't thought that Christopher had it in him to appear this collected and calm and "royal", but he did. Right from the moment they had entered the cave he had the feeling that the young man in front of him was a different one. As if he had moved on from kid to respected adult within seconds. And right now, as Koran-Dil bowed before Christopher, he was sure their plan would work out just fine... At least as long as Elenia wouldn't find them.
Bianca was deeply impressed by Christopher. Right now he acted nothing like he did the last week, nor like the last time he had been in the past. He also was not like Chris... And she wondered how it would be when her husband finally uses the sword in this way. Somehow she imagined that Chris would look damn hot as king. But then she banned this thought out of her mind, because she wasn't down there in that cave because of a sightseeing trip. She was on a mission, she was there to protect the Ashon from Elenia, in case she would show up. So she let her eyes wander around the cave to check for anything unusual that could indicate that they weren't alone anymore. But so far everything was clear.
Nicki was looking around, too. Her eyes were searching for the one she loved so much. And when Christopher mentioned that name, Tevaal... 'How beautiful that sounds,' she thought. When he mentioned that name, she noticed that one of them made a step forward but was stopped by two others. Nicki's eyes were instantly glued to that Ashon. His eyes... His eyes were shining red, but still they had the same shape. And she also recognized his jeans, and... She also noticed the ring on his finger. He was still wearing it.
She took the time while the others were talking to look at him more closely. He was wearing no shirt, his grey skin was covered by some drawings. Nicki refused to think about what they used to make them. But it had something attracting, since it underlined his fine muscles, muscles the human looking Steve didn't have. But then she moved back to look into his eyes. They were shining as usual, even with this strange color. She could see that he was a little confused and she also saw some other emotions flashing in those red eyes. And she couldn't help wondering if he'd recognize her, if he still loved her... as much as she still loved him.

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Christopher eyed the head of the Ashon with mixed feelings. He knew what he had to do, it was his plan after all. After his talk with Vivienne the path in front of him became clear, but... that didn't mean he had to like it or even feel comfortable with the situation. It wasn't visible on the outside - at least he hoped that - but he was nervous, very nervous. One wrong step and he would risk all their future.
Somehow he was glad that the spell he wrote had sent him to that special moment. Because there was one advantage he had. He knew Koran-Dil. He had met him, even talked to him a couple of times. And he really hoped this would help him now.
After a moment of silence Christopher finally spoke again: "Well... Thanks for your faith in me. So... let me introduce you to my company. As you see..." At this he gestured to Cole and Odin. "I have two friends with me, who are here to..."
"You chose your company wisely. A former half-demon and an Elder." Koran-Dil chuckled lightly: "You don't expect me to believe that this is a coincidence, right?"
"Of course not..." Christopher said with a smile. "But what I wanted to add is that I also have three more friends with me right now, who are invisible."
"What?" one of the other Ashon exclaimed, stepping closer to them.
But Koran-Dil stopped him with a gesture, before he said to the new king: "I believe you have your reasons for not showing them to us."
"Koran-Dil, please believe me that this is not to offend you. As I said I fear danger is nearing this place. And two of my invisible friends are great fighters who are here to ensure that no one of you gets hurt. And by keeping them invisible we can surprise any possible attacker."
Koran-Dil nodded at this, thoughtful. Then he asked: "Who do you expect to attack us down here?"
Christopher sighed at this. He wasn't sure if it was the smartest thing to say it but he knew he had to say the truth. "An Elder, named Elenia. She has lost her path because of the fear to lose her son. We tried to make her see reason but unfortunately she wouldn't listen."
At this the leader of the Ashon looked at the new king with interest and wonder: "You would fight an Elder to protect a clan of demons?"
Christopher looked at the Ashon, his head raised a little, his face serious to underline his words: "Yes I would."
Koran-Dil was looking at Christopher intensely, as if his eyes wanted to see into his soul. To say Christopher felt uncomfortable would be understated. But finally the head of the Ashon nodded. "Very well..." Then he turned to a group of Ashons and gestured one of them to come forward. "Tevaal," he said, "this man wants to talk to you. If you want to do so, then do it. It's your decision."
Tevaal looked at Christopher, who actually smiled at him. Somehow this man seemed familiar to the Ashon but he couldn't place him. Unsure what he should do he looked to Batim and Meehan, who looked as uncertain about this as he himself felt. So finally he asked: "If it's ok, when my family is with me, then I will talk to you."
Christopher looked to the other Ashons Tevaal had just looked at and smiled. Batim and Meehan, he knew them as well. He knew they always meant a lot to the Steve from his time. So he agreed: "Maybe we should find a place to sit then..." The Ashon agreed to this. Then Christopher turned around to his friends: "Cole, come with us, Odin, you stay here with the rest and watch the cave." Then he turned back to Tevaal and, while pulling the sword out of the stone floor again, said: "Lead the way..."

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Nicki watched them leave, wondering who those other Ashons might be. Steve had called them family. Did that mean... Did Steve love that female Ashon? 'No!' Nicki thought shaking her head. 'Don't jump to conclusions,' she told herself, remembering what Christopher had told her earlier, in the Source's cave. "If you love him, then don't give up. Because I know he still loves you with all his heart..." he had said. And Nicki wanted to believe him...
Odin on the other hand cleared his throat as he turned to the Ashons' leader. "If I'm allowed to make a suggestion..." And as Koran-Dil nodded he went on: "Since there is danger nearing, is there a place you can send your women and children to? A place where they are safe?"
"Our children are not in danger from your kind. And our women are in much ways even better fighters then our men. But I appreciate your concern for our kind," Koran-Dil replied, his voice politely, as he bowed his head to the Elder who in turn did the same.
Then Koran-Dil turned to the Source of all Evil, who still stood a little aside from them, still scowling. He smiled and stepped closer to him. "My Lord, I have to admit you impressed me," he said to the huge red demon. Belthazor looked at him puzzled so the Ashon explained. "It needs great courage for a man in your position to accept the new king. I can only imagine how much this situation must disturb you. Still, you manage to keep your calm and do what you have to. You have my deepest respect my Lord." And with this he bowed also to him.
Belthazor had a hard time not to smile at this. He had never thought that this adventure could actually have a positive outcome for him. But apparently it did.

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In the future...
The family dinner had been awkward, to not say horrible. Before they finally began to eat everyone had found out that Chris was about to leave soon after, so almost all the Halliwells and Turners had been sad and pretty calm, especially the younger ones. Kevin was only pushing his food around, for he simply couldn't understand why his cool young dad had to leave. Michael, Angela and his own parents were bothered by other thoughts through. And the older version of Chris seemingly felt pretty bad about lying to his friend, as did his younger version from the past. He so didn't like the outcome of all of this, it simply wasn't right! In his own time Michael was the best friend he had in this new life, and from what he had heard and seen so far in this time it was still the same. And you simply don't lie to your best friend, even if it's for a good reason.
So when they were done eating and Piper told everyone to go into the living room so that they could start saying goodbye to him, Chris took his grown up daughter by the arm and let her into the hallway and out of view so that he could talk to her quietly. After that, with a smile on his face while Hope was frowning deeply, he went back and helped his older self to clean the table.
"Chris?" Piper asked, wondering why he wouldn't join them, sure that he didn't want to leave without at least hugging everyone one last time. And as a matter of fact, none of them knew how long they would have left.
"I'll be there in a second," he said as he took a pile of plates to the kitchen.
There his older self noticed him with surprise. "Why aren't you in the living room? It isn't long anymore before Christopher will be able to cast the spell to return home, so..."
"I know, I know..." the younger one said. "Don't worry, Hope is taking care of that..."
"What...?" the older one of the two asked confused, feeling a headache forming in the back of his brain. "What are you..."
"No time, as you said... I just need you to answer me a question."
"Ok..." the older one said warily. He couldn't remember this conversation, and the feeling in the back of his mind was becoming stronger with every second."
"Just tell me," the younger one then said after taking a deep breath, "will this really work out? Do you know for sure that Michael will come to terms with this at the end, that he won't find out that we lied to him???? Do you know for sure, that they all will be a happy family in the end, as you hope?"
The older Chris sighed at this, then shook his head: "No, I don't... But so far Michael promised to try and Angela seems to be happy and when Julia moves in here..."
"What if he finds out we lied? He's our best friend, but... Can you be sure he'd understand?" The younger Chris asked insisting on that point.
The older one shook his head and replied: "Why do you ask? It always was meant to be like this, it's like it should be and the best thing we could do..."
The younger of the two just stared at the other for a moment, before he slowly shook his head. "I don't believe that," he then said before heading out of the kitchen.
His older brother wanted to go after him but right that moment he was hit by a huge headache that felt oh so familiar to him... So he sank down to a chair, holding his head and moaning in pain.
This is how Phoebe found him, who wanted to get drinks for everyone. "Oh God, Chris, what's wrong?" she asked worried as she knelt down by his side.
"It's Chris..." he muttered. Phoebe didn't understand first what he meant since she just had passed Chris in the dining room, and he seemed fine to her. But then her nephew went on: "Chris, he's... He's changing our past..."

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In the present...
The tunnel was dark and dirty. This was the last place Elenia had ever thought she'd come again. There were too many horrible memories down here.
She struggled hopelessly against her attacker, unable to free herself. His strong hands, iron around her wrists, trapping her. She screamed for help, but none came.
She shook her head, hoping to erase the memory, but down here, it came screaming back, louder in her ears now than her screams had been back then. She'd thought she'd been brave coming down here. Intent on studying a little more about a rather strange group of demons called the Ashon.
From the book she'd found buried deep in the library Up There, she found they had very human-like qualities. They were said to live together in a large den, many families together, like a small underground village. She had thought that absurd for demons. Demons were cruel, evil beings, who worshiped power above all else. That's what her years as an Elder had taught her. But these demons made her curious, and the words in the book she now carried with her, caused her to do something reckless.
The deep shadows thrown around her by the torches on the walls, did nothing to make her less uneasy. And neither did the far off screams. She knew she had to find the dreaded place from her nightmares. That was the key to finding Steve now. She'd been so close to the den back then, so much so that she'd been sure she'd heard children playing. But all she heard now were screams. She imagined hers had been one of them so long ago.
A strange sound reached her ears. It was a sound that had always warmed her heart, and made her wish, for one fleeting moment, that she could break the rules and find someone to love and start a family. It was the sound of children playing. 'What a strange sound to hear,' she'd thought. Children playing in the underworld wasn't something she'd ever thought could happen. But here it was. Unless it was some evil trick meant to lure some unsuspecting witch into a trap. But she was an Elder, so she thought she'd be safe.
She tried again to banish the memory, tried to focus on finding Steve. She needed to find Steve. He was all she had, all she'd ever had.
There was another strange sound behind her, like fabric rustling in the wind, and then her arms were caught in a vice-like grip. She was turned around roughly, and slammed into the nearby cavern wall, bright red eyes staring into hers. There was something mad in the eyes. Like something terrible was eating at this demon's insides, causing him to go insane. The fear that sank into her core, was a fear like no other. A black hole sucking everything good deep down into nothingness, obliterating it.
The black hole returned now, sucking again at everything good in her life. Sucking it into oblivion just like before. Everything she'd ever believed in, everyone she'd ever cared for, slipping away. And then, right before her, was the place where it had happened. She could feel it in her very being. But something wasn't right. There were no Ashon here. No sound of children playing. 'They must have moved since then,' she thought, looking around. There was a wall at the end of the corridor which she was sure had been open back then. Because this was the place he had dragged her to, before... She turned around to look where she'd come from. Now that she was focused again, and her eyes were accustomed to the gloom, she could see another passageway cutting off to the left. Something beyond her guided her feet, and she followed down the path, oblivious to the security cameras tucked into the recesses on either side of the hidden door she just turned away from. Had she just taken one more step. She would have seen it. But like things were, the cave where two well-known beings lived nowadays, stayed unnoticed by her.

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The Ashons had lead Christopher and Cole to a kind of sitting area near by. There were some huge stones around an almost died down fireplace where they all sat down. The Ashons, with Tevaal in the middle, on one side; Christopher, who had placed Excalibur on the ground by his feet, and Cole on the other. And for a moment no one said a word.
Tevaal felt really uncomfortable, he wasn't sure what this man, who as it seemed was a very powerful person, could want from him. Why was this whole situation one of his business? What had he to do with him? Yes, his face seemed familiar, but he couldn't remember that he had ever met him before. And that worried him.
Meehan was finally the first to speak: "So, if I may ask, what is it you want to talk to Tevaal about?"
"I just wanted to talk to him to see if he's alright. We... we are friends," Christopher answered honestly. And then turning to Tevaal he asked: "You don't remember that, right?"
The young Ashon sighed then admitted: "No, I don't..."
"Yeah I heard of that..." the witch-Elder smiled. "But that's ok... You've been under a lot of pressure lately. We believe your memories will come back with time."
"Some already have," Tevaal admitted, not really sure why he felt that he could trust this man, but he did.
"Really?" Cole now asked, speaking for the first time.
And Christopher who was as surprised as his uncle added: "Do you wanna tell us what you remember?"
But Tevaal just shook his head: "It's not important... at least not anymore. Things changed so much... too much."
Hearing this, Christopher frowned, worried what his friend might mean with those words. He knew that he was stepping on very dangerous ground with this talk, one wrong word could destroy the trust he now held, one wrong word could push their friend away from them. And that was something he couldn't let happen. He had promised to bring Steve back, he had promised it to Nicki. He couldn't fail. So he had to choose his words wisely, even if that was really hard for him, since he usually talked before he used his brain... He closed his eyes for a moment collecting himself. Then he said: "It does matter... to me it does."
"Why?" Tevaal asked back. The question was so simple but held so many questions.
Through for Christopher the answer was simple. "Because you are my friend, and I care about you. I can see that your memories upset you in a way, and I want to help. So please... Tell me."
"How can I be your friend?" Tevaal asked instead of answering. "I'm a demon, a dark creature, evil... And you are a force of the light, so how can you care about me?" At those words, Batim had placed an arm around his brother, to give him support, fearing the answer of that human as much as Tevaal did.
"That's not completely true. I know you for all my life and you never ever were evil. You might be half-demon but you are also half-Elder. You are a great teacher and a loyal friend. I know I can count on you. You are one of the best friends of my older brother Chris, you are one of those rare people who know everything about him. You are caring and kind. In fact I'd trust you with my life. So don't you dare to talk of yourself as evil."
"But..."
"No buts... I'm your friend... So why won't you let me help?" Christopher asked, his voice calm, but still leaving no room for arguments.
Tevaal looked from him to those Ashons by his side. Meehan looked back at him with concern written all over her face, but she nodded. And Batim smiled and said: "I'd give it a try, he seems to be a nice guy."
Tevaal took a deep breath, then he explained: "I remember that my human name is Steve. And... I remember a woman named Nicki. I remember how I first met her, how we went to school together... I remember falling for her, getting together with her...I remember I asked her to marry me, because she meant the world to me, but..."
Christopher had smiled when his friend started to explain, but now he frowned: "But what?"
"She won't love me anymore... I changed, I'm not who I used to be..."
"WHAT?" Christopher exclaimed, jumping up, startling everyone. "You can't honestly believe that Nicki doesn't love you anymore! Because she does. And she's worries sick right now, because she doesn't know if you are alright!"
Tevaal just looked at him with mixed and confused emotions. He wasn't sure what to feel. He wasn't sure what to believe. Just one thing was clear in his mind. "But I'm... I'm a demon..."
A few yards away, Nicki had heard what Christopher had exclaimed, and even if she barely could hear it, she knew what Steve had replied. 'I can't believe that he would think like this...' she thought, through on the other hand she somehow saw the reason in his words. But it hurt her none the less and she needed to do something. So with a quick move she freed her arm out of Julian's grip and immediately turned visible. The other Ashons around watched her surprised as she quickly went over to the group at the died down fireplace.
"Steven Moody, or Tevaal for that matter!" she exclaimed as she stepped in front of him.
"Nicki," he whispered and the next second hid his face in his hands muttering something that only Batim and Meehan could understand. "Don't look at me..."
But Nicki wouldn't listen anyway. Instead she went on: "What do you think of me? Remember what I said to you on Christmas? I told you I don't care that you are half-demon. And just for the record, you always have been! Just because you discovered a new side of yourself, doesn't mean you aren't the same person anymore!"
Batim and Meehan watched the young witch in wonder. She was good looking and in her eyes they could read that she said the truth. Meehan couldn't help to admire her strength in this tough situation.
Tevaal on the other hand just kept whispering, through he had heard her words as well: "Please... Don't... don't look at me..."
Cole sighed deeply, feeling that this wasn't going as planed. But Christopher only smiled as he saw Nicki sigh and step closer to their friend. He knew she was exactly what he needed right now.
Nicki meanwhile knelt in front of Tevaal and grabbed his hands, pulling them away from his face slowly. He let it happen but still kept his eyes firmly to the ground avoiding eye contact. "Oh honey..." she said calmly and took his face in her hands to make him look at her. And when red eyes met blue ones she whispered: "I promised to marry you... to love you in good and bad times. And I plan to stick to that promise. You are still the man I love and you always will be."
Tevaal couldn't believe his ears but he saw the true love shining in Nicki's eyes. And then she did something he never thought was possible, not with the way he looked right now...
She kissed him.
Everyone around the two watched that in awe... same as most of the others in the cave did from the distance. And they all saw that Tevaal changed back into his human form.
When the couple parted they smiled at each other lovingly, before the half-demon noticed the change. "What...?" he asked. But as soon as he did realize that he was looking human he changed back to his demon shape. For a moment he closed his eyes, then shook his head whispering: "I'm sorry..."
"Oh don't worry about that," Cole then said, "with a little bit of training you'll soon be able to control how you look like..."
"And I love both shapes of you," Nicki said caressing his now again grey cheek.
Steve smiled at her and pulled her close into his arms. "I love you, too, Nicki. I love you so much..."
Meehan and Batim smiled at this, the latter saying: "Well, welcome to the family."
Also Christopher and Cole smiled. They had made it, now everything would be alright...
... At least it seemed like this until Christopher felt the vibration of the mobile phone in his pocket. It was connected to Julian's computers who were programmed to control the area around the Ashon's cave... And the alarm now could only mean one thing: someone was coming.

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Elenia followed down the path, determination flowing through her every nerve. The unfamiliarity of the passage doing little to deter her. She had a mission, and she was going to finish it. Even if it meant the death of every single Ashon in the Underworld.
Rounding another corner, she came to a dead end. At least that's what it looked like at first glance. As she moved closer, frustration building inside her, she noticed a crack in the wall. It certainly wouldn't have caught her notice if it hadn't been running straight down. She moved closer still, wanting to inspect the concealed doorway, and wondering if this was the right place. But before she could take another step, a sensation flashed in her mind, one that she would know anywhere.
"Steve!" she half cried, when she recognized her son's essence nearby. She rushed toward the hidden door, knowing for certain now this was the right place. But Steve's sense disappeared almost as fast as it had appeared, causing anger, fear, and hate to take over her entire being. Then she orbed away in a flash of angry lights...
And for the second time in less than an hour, Elenia failed to notice the security cameras watching over the hidden door. But this time was different... As soon as she crossed the invisible barrier when she rushed the door, a chain reaction was set off. The motion sensors blinked silently, sending a signal back to Julian's computers, which in turn sent a warning signal to Christopher's and Julian's cell phone...

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In the future...
Chris went with long powerful steps into the living room, grabbed Michael's arm and pulled him out of the room. Wyatt looked at Julia worried, not sure what this was about. But he didn't dare to do anything, since he knew the older version of his brother had everything under control... Or at least he hoped he had... Also the others in the room where a little puzzled, especially Angela, who had been talking to Piper and now looked at the witch questioning. But the oldest of the Charmed Ones could only shrug, not knowing what was going on herself.
"Chris what's this about?" Michael asked, when the other let finally go of him.
The Elder-witch turned around facing his friend, then said: "That's what I wanted to ask you! You are my best friend, at least you are in my time. And I can't stand to see you and me pushed apart like this by whatever happened. So tell me, tell me and I change it! I'm going back to the past in a couple of minutes, that means I could try to change things." And as those words were said, and Michael looked back at him frowning, Chris prayed to the higher powers that he still knew his friend well enough, that he would do the right thing.
Michael kept looking at Chris for a moment. He had to admit this thought had its advantages. He could stop all this from happening. Maybe if he told Chris, he could even prevent that Wyatt and Julia even fall for each other...

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In the present...
Inside the cave, Christopher looked down at his pocket and the vibrating cell inside. He'd hope they'd be able to get this done before any trouble could start, but now that seemed impossible. The only good thing was that they'd gotten a head start. Now all that was left, was to stop Elenia before anyone could get hurt, or worse, killed.
He turned to his friends then, knowing it was time. "Guys, I really hate to interrupt you right now, but..." before he could finish his warning, orbs appeared nearby and an incensed Elenia took form. Lighting was already forming at her fingertips, ready to attack any Ashon who came close. But she didn't wait for them to attack first. She let loose a volley at the nearest demons, hitting one in the chest, while the others jumped for cover. Christopher, Cole, Nicki, Tevaal, Batim and Meehan all jumped to their feet, shocked, horror covering their faces, as two more Ashon fell to Elenia's powers. In another heartbeat, fireballs started sailing in her direction. She blasted them out of the air with her lighting, forcing her enemies back with the power of her blasts.
"Elenia!" Christopher cried out, trying to get her attention away from the Ashon. But when she turned to him, the three Ashon by him caught her attention, and she blasted at the little group. Christopher and Cole dived for cover, jumping in one direction, while Batim and Meehan went in the other. Tevaal grabbed hold of Nicki and pulled her to the ground, just inches from getting hit. Elenia then turned back to her bigger problem of the moment.
Belthazor pulled Koran-Dil out of the line of fire, refusing to engage in the battle, and keeping the Ashon leader safe. Koran-Dil looked on in awe at Elenia's powers, fearing he'd underestimated the powers of an angered Elder. He watched as another Ashon fell to her, but this time not without wounding her first. Though this seemed to only enrage her more.
By this time Julian had released Bianca, and both were now visible, but Elenia was covering herself too well for them to get close.
Odin stood nearby, trying to find an opening in her defenses, hoping to stop this before it got any worst. When Christopher had called her name, he had realized the young witch-Elder's mistake. In her current state of mind, it would be more likely she'd attack him. But he had noticed a small moment of distraction as she saw the three Ashon standing with Christopher. So Odin stepped forward now, hoping he could stop this.
"Elenia!" he called to her, "stop this now!" Elenia again turned to the sound of her name being called, but she wasn't happy when she saw Odin standing near more Ashon.
"Traitor!" she yelled, before attacking him. He quickly orbed out of the way, taking the Ashon with him.
Meanwhile, Christopher was pushing himself up to his feet, fear on his face, his confidence gone. He was at a loss now as to what to do, and just stared at the carnage Elenia was leaving behind. Three Ashon dead now, eight wounded. 'Think, damn it! Think!' Christopher thought to himself, in desperate need. He had to stop this, and he had to do it fast...

(Chapter 10 written by Chrissy.W.x and Kirianna Ledräen)