"Chris found you?" she coughed some more.
"No, I was on my way here but parked close by soon as I heard you" he hugged her. She coughed into his shirt. "Are you sure you're alright?"
"I'm f…fine"
"Why's Chris looking for me?" Wyatt said grabbing an apple from the counter.
"It's probably nothing…" coughs. "Julian caused a bit of an uproar this evening so we thought of… invisible… demons…"
"Here" said Wyatt getting her a glass of water. She drank it between even more coughs, which made her drop the glass. It shattered by her feet. "It's OK. I'll get it"
"No, I got it" said Sam starting to pick up the pieces of glass while he went to get a dustpan from the sink. He tried taking the glass from her hand to prevent her from cutting herself accidentally. " I said I got it!" she said and dropped them hard onto the floor where they shattered even further.
"Sam, it's OK. I'm sorry I wasn't here when the demon attacked. You're under enough stress as it is, why don't you go lie down?"
"Fine" she said and left angrily. Wyatt understood how much she must have been going through at the moment, with Edward's death still so fresh.
Upstairs, Sam lied down on her side head still pounding over the stupid glass. Chris orbed by the bed.
"Sorry" he said. "But I think Julian might have seen something this evening, only we couldn't… see, children see a lot of things we can't because of their innocence. I read about it in the BOS…"
"Stop talking, Chris. Not now"
"We need to figure out who's been the peeping Tom demon we got ar…"
"I said not now!" said Sam and Chris flew against a wall. He recovered in shock of what just happened. She was breathing heavily and prepared to attack him again.
"What's got into you?"
"What's going on up here?" Wyatt opened the door. "Chris?" he asked confused.
"I don't think it's me you should be asking about" he nodded towards Sam who was wearing slightly claw-like fingers. She stared at them both and disappeared into smoke.
They orbed with the kids back into the manor and rushed to the attic.
"Look for claws"
"Are you serious? More than half these creatures have claws!"
"She was angry too"
"She's grieving"
"Not like that, she's not!"
"She couldn't stop coughing after the demon attacked"
"What demon?"
"A female, tattoed-face, tangled hair…"
"Big old claws?" said Piper coming upstairs with Megan in her arms. "Why are you looking up the Furies?"
"The what?" said Wyatt.
"I read that…" said Chris taking over the BOS quickly turning the pages.
"The Furies. It was no fun becoming one before we vanquished them. The coughing was a pain in the ass" Wyatt's heart sank.
"Here" said Chris finding the page. "Their cry makes evildoers hear their victims' screams…the smoke…"
"Turns you into a Fury" finished Wyatt. "How do we find her?"
"Who?"
"Sam"
"What?"
"A Fury attacked her and she couldn't stop coughing when I got there"
"Oh God, Wyatt, we got no time…as soon as she does her first kill… there will be no turning back" she handed Megan to him. "Get the kids into the safe room. Chris, call your aunts"
"Alright, I got the spell" said Wyatt.
"How are we gonna get her back?" asked Chris. "I didn't see a potion for Furies"
"That's because there isn't one" said Phoebe.
"When Piper turned into one, we kinda made her face her anger to get her back"
"Which was?"
"I was angry at your Aunt Prue for dying"
"It hit her fast though" said Paige. Phoebe nodded.
"So, we need to take her to Edward then" said Chris bringing them back.
"Yes" answered Paige. "Let's just hope we're not too late"
"We won't" said Wyatt more to himself than his Aunt.
Hear these words, hear me now
Wherever you are my bride
Let these words bring you back
Bring you back by my side
"It's not working" he said after chanting a couple more times.
"She's not her anymore" said Phoebe.
"We're too late?" asked Chris.
"Not necessarily" said Paige trying to lighten the moods. "Maybe we just need to attract her here"
"How do we do that?" asked Phoebe.
"Chris? You said she attacked you?" asked Paige.
"Yeah, so?"
"What's if we try to pick a fight?" Phoebe said catching on.
"It could work. If these creatures are all about repressed anger it's possible" Phoebe scribbled away. "Here. Read this" she turned to Chris with a knife and cut the tip of his finger.
"Wow, a little heads up!" he complained while his aunt squeezed the blood onto the candle.
"Read" she said as the first drop fell.
A fight unfinished in a hurry,
Come back and finish me you Fury!
"You really think…" A chair was frozen just before it hit him over the head. "OK. It worked"
"Let her grab you!" yelled Phoebe.
"What? Are you crazy?"
"You're the one she's after. If I try she's puff away again!" said Wyatt. Chris nodded and went closer. She grabbed him by the neck.
"Quick, to Edward's grave" said Piper as her son dangled dangerously above the ground. Wyatt orbed them to the cemetery. Sam finally threw Chris back by the neck while Wyatt got hit flatly on the chest. Chris hit a tree hitting hard enough to open his head.
"It's alright. It's OK to be angry at him. He left you…after everything you went through looking for him he left again…" Wyatt was saying while he tried to stand up avoiding sudden movement. He glanced at Chris at the corner of his eye, he needed him. He took his eyes off Sam for a second and she flung herself at him. Wyatt orbed to Chris' side before she strike. "Chris?" he said unsure while healing his brother. Chris awoke shaking his head slightly, the wound was closed but he was still resenting the hit. Sam jumped toward them and they rolled out of the way leaving a defenseless poor oak to perish at her claws.
"I don't think it's working" said Chris orbing out of the way once again. "Any ideas?" he said trying to catch Sam's attention to keep her from running off on them.
"No" he said in despair. Sam threw herself at Chris over and over till she managed to slash his chest. "Chris!" Chris thought for a moment.
"I got an idea" he said holding his wound with one hand and grabbing Sam's outstretching arm with the other. They orbed a second later leaving a very confused Wyatt.
He orbed her to Edward's old room where she turned and turned again apparently confused on where to go next. Chris took advantage of this moment and grabbed her by the sides turning her to face the tall mirror by the closet. She was in full view of herself.
"Go on. Tell her. Tell her how she blew it. How she ruined his life. How she's responsible for what happened to him" Sam started trembling and meant to leave but Chris cut off her pass and threw her back roughly. "She needs to hear how she failed him. How she wouldn't let him go…How…" Sam gave an almighty scream and threw herself at Chris where she caught her this time in his arms. The claws started to fade out as she cried crumbling to the floor. "Shh, shh…" he held her close. "It's OK"
"No, it's not OK. I failed him Chris. All this years wanting to find him, to be sure he was safe and I brought him straight to his death" she sobbed and shouted. "I was selfish. He helped me get my life in order and he wouldn't even have a life of his own. He ended up giving everything for me and he didn't have to… he didn't want to… I was supposed to protect him!"
"Here" he said picking a tennis racket from the side of the bed. "Give it a whack" she stared at him for a moment and then took it. Chris stood up and helped her up as well. She was staring back at the mirror intently breathing shallow breaths. Without so much as a warning, she broke the mirror and kept thrashing around the room crying in despair. Chris just stood aside watching her pain give into her anger. After breaking the tenth or so of Edward's old possessions, she kneeled down and cried some more. Chris took the racket from her and hugged her. His shirt covered in blood wasn't helping the situation, it stung, but he was sure it didn't hurt nearly as much as loosing a brother. After a few moments on the ground, Wyatt orbed in finally catching up with them. They said nothing. Wyatt went over to them and healed his brother.
"You alright?" Chris nodded giving Wyatt the opportunity to take his place by Sam. He orbed away leaving them brokenhearted on the floor.
BACK AT THE MANOR…
Everybody was waiting to hear the outcome of tonight's problem. Chris reassured them they were all fine.
"How did you know she was angry at herself?" asked Phoebe.
"Because I would have been"
"Chris…"
"It's OK, mom" he hugged her and went to bed.
UNDERWORLD…
"Go" echoed a vicious female voice before Barbas shimmered away.
BACK AT THE MANOR…
Chris lied wide awake in his room, staring at the ceiling. Thoughts of loosing his own brother running around in his head uncontrollably. Suddenly, Wyatt and Sam orbed into his room.
"Quick! He's after her now!" Wyatt hugged Sam turning his head this way and that.
"Who?" said Chris, but he found the answer not too soon. A demon appeared near his side and blew Sam up on the spot. Wyatt's wrath devastated the room along with the demon who was instantly vaporized. He had a maddening look in his eyes. "Wyatt?"
"No. It's enough. I'll show them how powerful I can be. I'll show them all"
"What?"
"Don't stand in my way or you'll become the enemy too" he pointed a finger at Chris who could feel his heart racing against his chest.
"So easily turned…" whispered Barbas in his ear.
"Wyatt wai…" Chris fell to the ground paralyzed in fear. His hair whitening on the spot. Barbas laughed at his handywork. Chris' arm started to sting, his heart racing. "No" he said to himself writhing on the floor of his room.
"Chris, I think…" said Piper opening the door. "You!" she meant to blow him but he got away with a smile. "Oh my God, Chris?" she kneeled beside her son. "Wyatt? Leo? No, no. no, baby. Come on!"
Wyatt appeared a moment later along with Leo behind her by the door.
"What happened?" said Leo kneeled by Chris too.
"Barbas. That son of a bitch!" said Piper crying enraged. Wyatt tried healing him but it didn't work at first. He started to sweat.
"Not again" he muttered to himself. He started giving him CPR, then tried healing again. Then both at the same time. "Can't take him" he muttered again to himself thinking of his encounter with the angel of death. After agonizing moments, Chris started to breathe but he was still short of breath so they laid him on the bed. Wyatt felt his arms getting weak with nerves. "He's alright" he said slightly louder than a whisper, more to himself than anybody else. Sam, puffy eyed, went straight to hug him. Chris struggled to catch his breath, trying to refill his stressed lungs.
IN THE UNDERWORLD…
"He's alive?"
"He was as good as dead"
"Was he dead?" Barbas remained silent. Elak paced around him, furious he hadn't finished the job. "Those who fail me, only get to do it… once" she raised a finger and lifted Barbas by the throat. Her face maniacal. She set him on fire and delighted herself on hearing him scream, frightening even the toughest demons around the tunnels.