Hey all, did you miss me? Well I hope so, because now I have another chapter for you!! I hope you enjoy this chapter and please review, I'm excited to hear that you guys are intrigued by the character Shayne. But, what makes everyone think that he is evil? I never said anything about him being evil, who is spreading rumors? Tsk Tsk. I think you all just want Mel and Blake to get together. *Spoiler alert* Their moment is coming. Enjoy, and please review. :)
"So when do I get to see this new power?" Warren asked Portia as they walked down the sidewalk.
"When I have more control over it. I mean I did vanquish a warlock with it, but I still don't feel like I completely have a handle on it you know?" she half stated half questioned.
"Not really. I mean the power that took me the most time to figure out was orbing, and that doesn't exactly hurt people when it backfires. Well unless you land on them" he said with a laugh.
"I hurt my sisters Warren. I just don't want to hurt anyone else" Portia stated.
"Well why don't you practice?" Warren said with a grin on his face.
"Are you saying we should go play dodge ball" Portia replied with her own mischievous smile.
"That's exactly what I'm saying" he said as the two started to walk back to his house.
The two young witches walked into the quaint little home. They went down stairs where Warren's room was. Warren looked through a few drawers in his desk and pulled out a hard covered journal. He flipped through some pages and found the spell in question. He held the book so Portia could see the spell and the two young witches chanted
"Hear the words of the witches, the secrets we hide in the night, the oldest of gods are invoked here the great work of magic is sought, in this night and in this hour we call upon the ancient power, part the ways of time and space and remove us from this place, on this plane we all drift, and go to a place to practice our gift." And in a flash of light they were gone.
The two friends reappeared in a place that looked like the Halliwell Manor.
"Alright show me what you can do with this power" Warren said as he pointed to a small table across the room.
Portia took a deep breath and focused on her power. She looked at the table and clapped her hands out in front of her. Three hearts formed from her hands and went towards the table. The table was moved across the floor and then exploded into tiny splinters upon hitting the wall.
"See that wasn't so bad" Warren said as the table reformed it's self.
"No, it actually worked" Portia said in disbelief.
"Portia, I know how you think. The fact that you hurt your sisters with this power is what makes you so afraid. You're just not used to anything this powerful. Clearly as you can see, you can handle it, the Elders wouldn't have given it to you if you couldn't" he told her.
"Thanks" Portia said as she gave Warren a hug. "When they start giving you charges, you're going to be a great white lighter Warren. So, up for some more practice" she asked with a smile.
"I hate this" Blake whispered as he and Bianca walked through the underworld.
"Yea, you told me already. Like 50 times already" Bianca replied annoyed.
"I just don't get why we always have to go" he questioned.
Bianca stopped in her tracks and looked at the half-manticore. "Are you really going to make me answer that question for you" she said with narrow eyes.
"Yes" Blake stated bluntly.
"Blake. You and I can shimmer. You are half demon, and Phoenixes are known to work with them. We have the best chance to be down here without getting caught" Bianca explained as if she were talking to a young child.
"Fine. It just makes me nervous down here" Blake said as they continued walking. "And it's not that easy to find contacts down here anyway."
"Hey you two" a voice came from behind.
The manticore and the phoenix froze in their steps. Bianca slowly turned around to evaluate the threat.
"Are you two going to the meeting?" the approaching demon asked.
Upon hearing that they were being considered demons the two loosened up.
"What meeting?" Blake asked confused.
Bianca elbowed him in the ribs. "That all depends. Is it the same meeting we are going too?" Bianca asked.
"The one with this new kid. He really thinks he is something special. I mean who tries to gather all the forces in the underworld and not call himself the Source" the demon rambled.
"Yes, quite. He wants us all together and yet doesn't want to rule" Bianca stated.
"Oh he wants to rule, but I think he is too small. I mean he isn't trying to make a name for himself yet. All he has been trying to do is befriend witches, not kill them. Something about earning trust and taking them down from the inside. He only takes out witches one by one. That's why he thinks if we work with the warlocks and dark lighters we have a better chance of doing something bigger. I guess I just don't get it" the demon said.
"Maybe he thinks that taking out a witch here or there won't draw the wrong kind of attention" Bianca replied coolly.
"I'm just here to see what the kid says. And if anything goes down, I want to claim new territory" the demon said with a grin as Blake and Bianca followed him to a section of the underworld.
"Play it cool ok. This is the jackpot" Bianca whispered to Blake before they walked in.
"Cool as a cucumber" Blake remarked.
Several demons were crowded in a cavern. Towards the front of it was a stone pulpit. The demons were all chattering about one thing or another when a sudden hush fell among the crowd. A shrouded figure flamed into the pulpit.
"I would like to thank you for accepting my invitation my fellow demons" a sultry voice descended from the pulpit. "The reason I have called you all here is because I have a proposition to make to all of you. I know you are all busy demons, so I will get to the point. Past experience has shown me that we are too caught up in the quick kill. We need to focus on knowing the enemy. We need to learn strengths and weaknesses and then evaluate the best way to destroy them. I am looking for assistants. Demons, Warlocks, Dark lighters the works. We must bring all our talents to the table if we expect evil to flourish" the shrouded figure proposed. "If we join together we can rule not only the underworld but above as well."
"But researching witches and earning their trust will take too long to accomplish anything" a demon with spiked hair shouted.
"It will take some time, but not as much as you may think. Learning how humans live and function will give you opportunities to exploit their weaknesses. Every war humans have fought in, they try and learn as much about the enemy as possible" the covered demon explained.
"How do you know how humans think" another demon shouted.
"Because I was raised amongst them. My parents, both demons, raised me in the mortal world so I could learn how they think. Daily rituals can be used to our advantage, not just with mortals, but with magical creatures as well" the demon replied.
"What about the Charmed Ones" an oracle said in a seductive voice.
"They are not my concern at the moment. I want nothing to do with them until it is time" he shouted.
"But once they're offspring hear about the plan they will be involved" the oracle said.
"Well that's why we must do this cautiously, so they are not alerted" he told her.
"But it is too late sire. You see as we are speaking, you plan is being over heard by Charmed alliances." the oracle commented.
"Oh crap" Blake whispered to Bianca. Bianca looked at him telling him to shush.
"What do you mean Charmed alliances. There are only demons, warlocks, and dark lighters here" the voice boomed.
"Sire, the Charmed children have demonic friends. Use your dark senses, I'm sure you'll be able to find the spies" the oracle said with a smile.
The shrouded demon was very still. He didn't talk, he didn't move, he didn't even look like he was breathing. Suddenly in a booming voice the figure said "YOU!" and raise a hand and pointed a finger at Bianca and Blake.
"Alright now you can say that" Bianca said as the group of demons slowly descended on them.
Suddenly Blake stood up straight and said "Bianca, why are we still here?" he asked.
"Good idea" Bianca replied as the two shimmered out.
"Don't just stand their fools, after them" the figure bellowed.
The demons in the cavern shimmered, flamed, and smoked out.
Back at the Manor, Blake and Bianca shimmered into the attic where H.J. and Wyatt were still doing research.
"Do you think they followed us?" Blake asked.
Four demons smoked in behind them.
"I'd say that's a yes" Bianca said as the two backed up.
The demons were wearing long gray trench coats and looked as if they had never seen a shower. Suddenly all four demons opened their mouths and green liquid shot out. Bianca shimmered out before getting hit with the liquid, which landed on a nearby table promptly melting it.
Wyatt fired up an energy ball and threw it at the demons. It hit the demon on the far left but was absorbed into his body.
"That's not good" Wyatt said backing up farther "H.J."
"I'm looking" H.J. replied flipping through the pages in the book.
The demons fired the green acid once again. Before it could reach the people in the attic, Blake used his power of apathy to stop the demons' emotions, which promptly stopped the green spray. The demons looked at each other confused
"Scabber demons, can be vanquished with their own acidic saliva" H.J. read out loud.
Upon hearing the entry from the book, Blake released the hold he had on the demons' emotions. The demons sprayed their trademark slim at the people in the attic once again.
"Green spit stuff" H.J. said as he held out his hand. The streams of goo went back towards the demons and vanquished them instantly.
"Ok, are they really that dumb. I mean we read out loud how we were going to vanquish them and yet they still spit at us" Wyatt said coming to the middle of the attic.
Blake and Bianca however were still on guard.
"There could be more. Do you think there's more?" Blake asked as he looked around panicked.
"No I think we're safe now. We were right next to the Scabbers when we shimmered out that's probably why they could follow our shimmer trail so easily" Bianca explained.
"Ok, so what happened?" Wyatt asked the two as they calmed down.
"Well someone is trying to organize the underworld again. His plot is to join all the different types of evil together and pretty much make nice with magical creatures so he can pick them off slowly from the inside out, that way it doesn't register on 'their' radar" Bianca said pointing upwards.
"Did you find anything else out?" H.J. asked.
"He isn't after the Charmed Ones. Well at least not yet anyway he said he would deal with them when the time comes, but that may have changed now" Blake responded.
"Oh and he was raised in the mortal world. Both his parents were demons, but they raised him among humans to help him understand human behavior I guess" Bianca added.
"Well if both his parents were demons, then they would have been upper level demons. I mean if they raised him in the mortal world, then they too would have to pass for mortal" H.J. said still looking through the book.
"Why does that mean they would be upper level?" Wyatt asked.
"Because upper level demons have a human form, see." He said as he spun the book around, displaying the entry on Balthazar.
"Oh. So what did this guy look like?" Wyatt asked.
"Don't know, he was in a long robe and the hood covered his face" Blake informed him.
"But that voice… it was very hypnotic" Bianca said.
"What do you mean hypnotic?" Wyatt asked.
"He just sounded so confident. There was just something very comforting in how he spoke, and the way he spoke. It all seemed very familiar to me" she explained.
"Familiar how? Like you heard it somewhere before?" H.J. asked.
"No familiar like a favorite food or being with your best friend" she replied.
"Do you think he was trying to enchant the crowd?"Blake asked.
"Why, did you feel it too?" Bianca questioned back.
"No, actually I got that creepy feeling listening to him talk" Blake explained.
"Maybe it's a gender thing. He might be trying to lure female demons to him?" H.J. supplied.
"No I don't think so. I mean it's a possibility, but unlikely. If he is trying to form a faction, then he would want all the demons he can get, not just the females" Bianca explained.
"Either way, we can't go down there for a while. Too many faces will recognize us now" Blake told the group almost in a happy tone.
"Well research is over. Think we should call the others?" Wyatt asked H.J.
"Call the others for what?" Chris said walking into the attic and over to Bianca. "Hey" he said giving her a kiss.
"Hi" she replied happily as she kissed him back.
"Someone is organizing the underworld. They were going to pick off magical creatures one at a time, but Blake and Bianca managed to hear their plan" Wyatt informed his younger brother.
"Guys I hate to abandon you, but I have to DJ at the club tonight, so I have to get going" H.J. said starting to orb out.
"Wait what about the demon" Wyatt called.
H.J.'s orbs reformed. He held his hands out like a scale. "Who am I more afraid of, Source of all evil, or Aunt Piper" he said weighing his options. He dropped one hand down and said "Aunt Piper" before orbing out.
"Coward" Wyatt called after him. "Ok, so who isn't working at the club tonight?" Wyatt asked Chris.
"Well, um, we are" he said pointing to him and Wyatt. "Mel, Peyton, and H.J. So that pretty much leaves Parker, Portia, Hope and Faith. And I'm pretty sure Faith and Parker are working at Charmed tonight" Chris told his brother.
"Do we know what the demon's next move is?" Wyatt asked his demonic friends.
"Not really. I'm assuming that once he finds out that we are still alive he will come after us and then you" Bianca explained.
"Alright so we need to get Hope and Portia here. Hope can make some vanquishing potions and Portia can write spells. If we can get a jump on the different kinds of evil that will be attacking we should be able to wipe this guy out no problem" Wyatt instructed.
"Things never go that smoothly for us Wyatt" Chris said.
"Hey I'm being optimistic. Well if Chris and I have to be at P3 then we better get going. Will you guys get Hope and Portia, and if Warren is around he might be useful too" Wyatt asked Blake and Bianca.
"Sure, go ahead. We'll call if we discover anything" Bianca said as the two brothers went downstairs to change.
Mel walked around doing last minute checks on things before the club opened.
"Wyatt is everything stocked down there?" she asked as she went past the bar.
"Yes, for the tenth time, it's full. What's up with you tonight, you've been in charge of the club before" Wyatt asked.
"My mind's just… preoccupied" Mel said turning to stack napkins.
"It doesn't have to do with a certain motorcycle riding smooth talker does it?" he asked as he wiped down the bar.
"Maybe it does, and maybe it doesn't. I'm fine though, really Wy" Mel told her brother before walking away.
"What's up with her, she seems on edge" Chris asked as he dumped a bucket of ice in the bin.
"I don't know. Hormones maybe?" Wyatt said as he shrugged.
The club opened up and was soon full to the capacity. Peyton and Mel were waiting on tables and Chris and Wyatt were behind the bar. H.J. was spinning hot music and for Mel everything seemed to be running smoothly. She glanced over at a table where two guys were sitting. One guy turned around causing Mel to double take… it was Shayne.
"Concert my ass" Mel said as she started to head over towards him. Suddenly she stopped. She didn't want to make a scene in her mother's club so she decided on the next best plan of action… eavesdropping.
"Hey Peyton" Mel said approaching her cousin.
"Yea what's up?" she asked.
"Can you handle these tables? There is something I need to take care of" Mel told Peyton.
"Yea shouldn't be a problem" Peyton said as she walked off.
Mel went into the back hallway. She glanced around to make sure nobody was there. Then she was engulfed by swirling white lights. When the lights disappeared a tall blonde woman with big blue eyes and a tight pink strapless dress was left. Mel caught her reflection in a pane of glass.
"Wyatt would so kill me if I kept this dress" she thought to herself as she walked back to the dance floor.
Mel walked past the table were Shayne and his friend were sitting. She sat at the table behind them so she could still hear what they were saying.
"I'm sorry that the concert was cancelled man, it would have been a good time" Shayne said to the guy sitting across from him.
"That's ok dude. I still got to see San Francisco. It's better than you telling me about it all the time" the other guy said.
Mel shrank down in the booth. He didn't avoid her, his friend was in from out of town, and they planned on going to a concert. But then the concert was cancelled. What a self-centered person she was, it isn't always about her. Mel took a deep breath and sighed. She walked back to the hallway and glamoured back into herself.
"Peyton" Mel whispered from the corner of the club. Peyton looked around and saw her cousin waving her to the corner.
"What?" Peyton asked with a confused look on her face.
"Look over at that table" Mel said casually moving her head in the direction of Shayne's table.
"Yea, so isn't that Shayne?" Peyton asked.
"Yes" Mel responded.
"Ok. Am I missing something? You seem a little upset" Peyton stated.
"I'm not, I mean I was. Last night you know you had that vision of him well I tried to get him to go out with me tonight so I could protect him but he said he had a concert to go to and then I told him that maybe we could hang out after the concert and I think I kind of scared him off and now he is over there with that guy so I was a little jealous that he would ditch me for his friend so I glamoured so he wouldn't recognize me and went and sat at the table behind them so I could listen into what they were saying and it turns out his friend is in from out of town and the concert they were going to was cancelled and now I feel like a terrible person for getting mad but I am still worried about this demon attack that is supposed to happen" Mel said as she took in a big breath of air.
"Mel, that's why I got the premonition. So we can stop the attack. As far as scaring him off, I'm sure you didn't. He really did just have other plans. Why don't you go over and talk to them, maybe take their drink orders" Peyton said winking.
"And then I wouldn't look like I was stalking him. You're a genius Pey" Mel said as she grabbed a drink tray.
"Hi, guys, can I get you a round of drinks?" Mel asked putting napkins down on the table.
"Mel" Shayne said with a smile. "Jeremy, this is Mel. Mel this is my best friend from back home, Jeremy" Shayne said introducing the two.
"Nice to meet you. You made quite an impression on my friend here, you have been all he's talked about tonight. I'm glad to put a face with the name" Jeremy said shaking Mel's hand.
"Oh really" Mel said blushing. "Well he is a very interesting guy. So you like my mom's club so much that you came two nights in a row?" Mel said with a small laugh.
"Well the concert we were going to go to got cancelled, something about the singer having voice problems. So I decided I needed to show Jeremy the best club in town" Shayne said flashing his pearly smile.
"Oh thanks I'll be sure to tell my mom you enjoy her club. So can I get you two another round?" Mel asked with a sweet smile.
"I would rather you sit down and join us for a little bit. Can you do that?" Shayne asked.
"Let me go see if I can get my cousin to cover my tables, just a second" Mel said walking away.
Mel walked up to Peyton again. "Pey, he wants me to hang out with them for a little bit" Mel said excitedly.
"So go do it. I'll watch the tables, and if we need anything from the back I'll come and get you. The guys should be doing ok with stuff for now" Peyton said smiling at her cousin.
"I so love that you're a cupid" Mel said grinning at Peyton before walking away.
Mel walked back to Shayne's table. "Peyton said she could watch my tables for a little bit" she said sitting down. "So how long have you two been friends?"
"Forever it seems like. We have just always been around each other. Our parents knew each other" Jeremy explained.
"So you're from Salem too then" Mel said sounding a little nervous.
"Yes. Have you ever been to the East Coast?" Jeremy asked. "It's one of the most beautiful places ever. Or at least I think so" he said.
"Well our family took a trip to Boston one time. My brother Chris was taking a tour of Harvard when he was looking at colleges. But we weren't there very long" Mel explained.
"Boston is ok, but it's a big city. The small towns are the best. Especially right on the coast when the fishermen bring in the catch of the day. Best seafood ever" Jeremy exclaimed
"You obviously have never had my mom's lemon basil tuna. That my friend is what I call the catch of the day" Mel said with a smile.
"Well I'm glad you two are getting along. Jeremy is staying with me for a while. He will be moving out here soon to go to school at SFSU next semester" Shayne told Mel.
"That's cool. Four of my cousins go there, and both my brothers went there. Well actually my brother Chris is in the graduate program there" Mel explained.
"Really what did they study?" Jeremy asked.
"Well my oldest brother Wyatt studied journalism, and Chris studied history he is in grad school for curation and estate acquirements. And then my cousin H.J. is studying music production and his sister Hope is studying social work. Then my cousin Peyton is studying to be a marital counselor and her sister Parker is going to be an elementary teacher" Mel explained.
"And you're the black sheep that ended up in fashion school?" Jeremy asked.
"No. Well I'm the only one in fashion school yes. But my cousin Faith is in nursing school and my cousin Portia just started culinary school. So no not all of my family went to SFSU" Mel stated.
"Wow, how many cousin's do you have. You're family seems huge" Shayne asked.
"Only six. That's not that many is it? I think it just seems like a lot because all nine of us are around each other a lot. We are very close" Mel explained to the two young men.
"So which cousin did I meet last night again?" Shayne asked.
"That was Peyton. H.J. was here but he was in the D.J. booth, actually that's where he is tonight as well" she told them.
"Wow, he's really good. I've only heard people spin this well when I go to New York" Jeremy said.
"Yea he's the best. Well, I think my darling cousin has covered for me long enough, so if you'll excuse me, I think I need to get back to work" Mel said as she went to stand up. Shayne gently grabbed her arm and pulled her back down. He leaned in and gave her a lingering kiss on the lips.
After he pulled away from her he opened his eyes and stared into hers. "I just wanted to say thanks for hanging out with us for a little bit."
Mel nodded slightly and then got up and left the table. She went over to the bar still slightly in a daze.
"Don't even think I didn't see that Melinda" Wyatt said as he was putting money in the cash draw.
"Don't even think I care for one minute what you saw Wyatt" Mel said in a snarky tone. Wyatt really needed to get over this whole thing.
Peyton came running up to Mel and gave a high pitched squeal when Mel turned around.
"Oh my god that was so cute. What did he say? Tell me everything" Peyton said excitingly.
"Peyton she can tell you after work, right now we all need to keep to the task at hand" Chris said to his cousin.
"Fine" Peyton said as she mouthed the word 'later' to Mel.