Author's Notes: Thank you all who reviewed last chapter.

I'm sorry for the delayed posting. Past couple of weeks have been hectic for me. Unfortunately next two are not likely to be any different. So it might a while before I post another update. I hope you all enjoy this chapter too.

Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed or any of its characters except the ones I make up. I do not seek to make profit out of this story.

Five Little Peanuts

It had been about a week since the sisters were forced to reveal one of their best-kept secrets. Despite the upheaval it had caused, the life was almost back to normal for the Halliwells. Chris had been handling the situation remarkably well. Since he didn't have the memory of the events in the past or the alternate future, it was little more to him than the WWII stories he had heard from his dad. It was next to impossible for him to imagine his goofball of a big brother as an evil tyrant; so within a few hours of knowing the truth, he had given up on the attempt. He'd just appeared for his anatomy exam and despite all the chaos in his family, he knew he'd done well. Wyatt's state of mind was a whole different ballgame. Chris was a bit worried about his big brother and with good reasons. Ever since the truth came out, he'd been acting very un-Wyatt like. His over apologetic 'I'm so sorry kitten, I was a horrible brother and you had to die to save me' way of treating his little brother was getting a little annoying. What worried Chris the most was that Wyatt didn't seem to understand or accept the fact that none of this was his fault.

The twice-blessed witch's behavior towards his parents was another cause of worry. Generally speaking, Wyatt was very forgiving and compassionate. Chris, just like his mother, had been known for holding a grudge on occasions but never Wyatt. But the recent revelations about their past and alternate future had pushed him over the edge. He wasn't disrespectful or offensive towards his parents but was rather cold and distant. Over the past week Piper hadn't managed to get more than monosyllabic answers from her first born. It was hurting the two parents noticeably but Wyatt couldn't seem to care less. Today was no different.

"Wyatt, honey, would you like another pancake?" Piper asked hopefully. Last night, Chris and Wyatt had stayed at the manor to research on the new source. Recently she had been feeling that her eldest son couldn't stand to be around her anymore. The fact that he agreed to stay at the manor was a good sign.

"Nope," Wyatt responded. Piper did her best to hide her disappointment and turned her gaze towards Carver. He smiled at her reassuringly and nodded in answer to her unspoken question. After his kidnapping weeks earlier, Wyatt refused to let him stay alone at their apartment. Carver had reminded him that he was not a child and that he didn't appreciate being treated like an invalid. After receiving a pleading look from Piper, Leo and Chris, he had given in and stayed at the manor. If this helped Piper and Leo to bridge the gap between themselves and their son, he would tolerate Wyatt's over-protective behavior.

"Dan called. He needed someone to help him out at the club. Do you think you can drop by P3 and see what he needs?" Piper asked serving another pancake to Carver.

"Sure," Wyatt answered in a tone that didn't invite further conversation. Chris had entered the kitchen at the moment. Piper quickly turned around not wanting her peanut to see the anguish in her eyes. But Chris knew exactly what was going on and decided to help out.

"Mom, I know I promised you to help you with cleaning the attic but I've got this really important test and I need to study," Chris said and a smug smile appeared on Carver's face.

"Studying eh? With Catherine, I presume? " Carver broadcast telepathically to Wyatt and Chris. Wyatt chuckled and Chris narrowed his eyes.

"None of your business," Chris thought in his mind making sure Carver heard it.

"Did I touch a nerve?" Carver asked, again telepathically, thoroughly enjoying Chris's discomfort. Piper was keenly observing the changing expression on her son's face.

"Hey. No telepathy at the table," She warned Carver raising her index finger. Carver raised his hands in capitulation.

"As I was saying, I have to study. But may be Wy can help you. Wy? Could you do that for me, please?" Chris asked looking at Wyatt expectantly. Wyatt seemed unsure for a moment. He wasn't ready to have a heart to heart with his mother yet. At the same time, he didn't want to disappoint his little brother. Chris knew that in his current state of mind, Wyatt wouldn't dream of denying any of his requests. He felt a little dirty for using his brother's unreasonable guilt regarding Perry, but if it helped his mom and dad reconcile with their son, he would do it. After a moment of indecision, Wyatt nodded affirmative. Piper silently thanked her youngest as he orbed out to meet Catherine.

"I have already planted the visions for the empathic members of the Halliwell family. Is the plan of action clear to everyone?" the source said to a group of dark-lighters; upper and lower level demons, explaining them this strategy to get Chris. The creatures nodded, those who had necks did anyway, in agreement.

"Yes sire. We'll do as you command," the demons said in almost unison. A satisfied smirk appeared on the source's face. Chris had earned himself quite the reputation down in the underworld and the demons were more than willing to do the source's bidding if it meant one of their biggest enemies would bite the dust. The word about the new power of two had spread like a wildfire in the underworld and everyone who was already afraid of Wyatt, was now terrified of the brothers together.

"Good. Remember. This time, just like last time, 'the Catalyst' is the primary target. Do not fail me like Dumat did. The consequences would be grave indeed," the source warned.

"I have to admit that I cannot guarantee success of this mission, as its outcome is still obscure to me. But so many demons just to get the poor little brother? Isn't it a bit of overkill?" The seer asked, astonished.

"Ah. You make the classic mistake of underestimating young Christopher and the Halliwells in general. I have worked with them. Trust me, they are a force to be reckoned with, especially when it comes to one of their own. There is no room for error on this one," the source said with a serious face. The seer simply nodded.

Coop was passing by Reese's room and heard some noises. He knocked on the door but there was no response. Slowly, he turned the knob and opened the door as silently as possible. Reese was tossing and turning in his bed, apparently having a nightmare. His sheets were drenched in sweat and his contorted face told his father that whatever he was seeing wasn't pleasant. Coop sat down on the bed besides his son and considered waking him up. He gently brushed aside strands of hair that clung to Reese's forehead.

"Dad! No!" Reese screeched in an unnatural voice. Coop held his son's hand in his own and attempted to wake him up.

"Reese, buddy, wake up. It's all right. It's just a nightmare. I'm right here. Wake up," Coop said shaking his son gently by the shoulder. Reese woke up with a start and instinctively scrambled away from the person in front of him. Coop continued to soothe him. Within a few moments, the fact that his father was alive and well, registered in Reese's mind.

"Dad! You're OK. Thank god, you're OK," Reese said hugging his father tightly as if he would instantly vanish if he let go. Coop rubbed comforting circles on his son's back and reassured him that he was indeed OK.

"It's OK, buddy. It was just a nightmare," Coop said as he led his son to the bathroom. Reese splashed some cold water on his face and dried himself with the towel handed to him by his dad. He was feeling ashamed because of the whole episode. Without another word he returned to his room and pulled on a shirt. Suddenly his attention was drawn to his dad's shirt.

"Dad! Your shirt!" Reese exclaimed as a look of utter horror crossed his face. Coop looked down at his grey t-shirt but didn't find anything out of ordinary.

"What about it?" He asked his terrified son.

"It… It wasn't a nightmare. It was a vision. You were wearing the same shirt. And the demons attacked. They threw some exploding potion at you. We've to get mom and the aunts," Reese was clearly freaking out. He loved his father dearly and couldn't face the possibility that he could loose him.

"Reese. Calm down. If it was a vision, it means we're meant to change its outcome. It's a good thing that we know what to expect. Why don't you go to the manor and fill your aunt Piper in? Start looking through the book. I'll get your mom and be there as soon as we can. Don't worry. I'm going to be alright," Coop said in an attempt to calm his son down. Reese nodded and immediately teleported to the manor.

"I missed you," Catherine said throwing her arms around Chris's neck before kissing him passionately. Chris had never rushed in a relationship before but somehow it seemed different with Catherine. Although they hadn't explicitly talked about being together and a couple, it seemed inevitable considering the way things were going.

"I missed you too," Chris said pulling her even closer. The light aroma of her dark hair filled his nostrils as he slid his arms around the small of her back. A soft moan escaped his throat as she slid her hand underneath his shirt. She then slowly pulled away with a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye. She held his right hand with her left and began pulling him towards her bedroom.

"So, what do you have in mind," Chris asked with raised eyebrows. But the grin on his face told her that he knew exactly what she was thinking. He wanted her to say it out loud.

"I can think of a few things," She answered vaguely. The smile on Chris's face was replaced by frustration as he heard his mother's voice ring through his head.

"Perfect," Chris said sarcastically. Although that was exactly the response Catherine had expected from the man, his tone suggested anything but the anticipation and glee she was used to hear from guys in his situation.

"Christopher Perry Halliwell, you get your catalytic ass back to the manor right now," Piper bellowed as she frantically searched through the cabinets for some burdock root. Wyatt, Junior and Paige had orbed in at her first call but not Chris. Suddenly, her ears began buzzing with what appeared to be millions of tiny bells ringing at a great distance. She clutched her head in an attempt to cope with the unpleasant feeling.

"What the hell was that? Did he just jingle me? What the hell am I supposed to do with a jingle?" Piper was beyond pissed by the action. Junior chuckled.

"It's one of his annoying elder powers. It usually means 'I'm busy. So piss off' when he does that to me. But I'm sure he didn't mean it that way when he jingled you," Junior amended his statement after looking at Piper's expression.

"May be we should try calling him on the cell phone," Paige suggested flipping through the book as Reese tried to identify his dad's assailants. Without another word Piper grabbed the handset and dialed Chris's number.

"You will answer your phone if you know what's good for you, Christopher," Piper warned her son in a no-nonsense tone. She knew her son had heard her. It worried her a little as this behavior was so unlike Chris.

Coop was seriously worried by now. He found his wife in a similar state as his son. He was in the middle of explaining to her about Reese's vision as she was folding some laundry. As soon as she touched one of the shirts in the pile, she was sucked in a vision. Coop rushed to his wife and put an arm firmly around her to support her crumpling body. Although years of receiving disturbing visions had prepared her for anything the demonic world could throw at her, the horror of current vision was clear on her face.

"It's not just you. They are going after Henry as well," Phoebe said finally. But then her brows furrowed in confusion.

"What is it?" Coop asked.

"Why did I get a vision about Henry when I touched one of your shirts?" She asked, confusion evident in her voice. Coop looked at the shirt in her hands and shook his head.

"That's not my shirt," He said, clearly as confused as his wife.

"Then Reese's? But it's not the right size. Besides that wouldn't make sense either," Phoebe said further confused.

"Let's go to the manor. We can sort this out there. Take the shirt with you. You might need it for scrying or something," Coop suggested. Phoebe nodded as the two disappeared in pink light.

Patty had been having this weird feeling of being watched. She was sitting in Evan's room, keeping an eye on his condition. Unfortunately, he was still unconscious and the doctors didn't have any idea about the true extent of injuries to his spine. Patty had been feeling guilty since Evan had received his injuries while trying to protect her. Eventually the feeling of unease was too much for her and she decided to investigate. She thoroughly searched the room, behind the curtains and windows. She peaked in the corridor but there was nothing out of ordinary. Nevertheless, she couldn't shake the feeling of being stalked. She's had time to come up with a spell and finally decided to use it.

The feeling of unease I cannot shake

Stalker of mine's made a big mistake

I invoke the spirits to reveal the spy

But hide him well from a mortal's eye

The wall in front of her shimmered and revealed the face of a man in leather vest, typical attire of a lower level demon. Patty gasped at the sight and cursed herself for casting the spell before calling for backup. The demon however was equally surprised by the sudden exposure. Instead of attacking her, he shimmered away. Patty immediately called her brother on his cell phone to let him know of what had happened.

All the Halliwells were now gathered at the manor including Chris. Phoebe had narrated the details of her vision and the family was discussing possible strategies for protecting the vulnerable members of their family.

"You're right. It's Henry's shirt. I cannot imagine why it was at your place though," Paige observed.

"Well it's clearly a distraction. Someone planted that shirt at your place. No one in our house has any cognitive powers. If someone was to plant a premonition, they'll have to use either you or Reese," Junior observed.

"But it's blindingly obvious that it's a distraction. Gideon is smarter than that," Leo knew his old mentor well and couldn't believe for a moment that he would come up with such a ludicrous plan.

"Unless it was meant to distract us from the distraction itself," Chris said. His mind was working mile a minute.

"You mean like reverse psychology? Make us believe the attacks are distraction so we divert our attention on finding his real plan while he takes out uncle Coop and uncle Henry?" Wyatt asked to make sure he was following his brother's reasoning. Chris shook his head.

"No that's not what I meant, because it's not likely to work. Distraction or not, the threat is very real and we'll do everything in our power to protect our family. If this Gideon knows us that well, he must be well aware of it. I think he wants us to divide our attention and keep all of us thoroughly confused," Chris said.

"But given time we can figure out his endgame and then concentrate our efforts on stopping him," Piper said resolutely.

"Precisely. Given time we can. And time, if I'm reading the situation correctly, is something we may not have," Chris said with a grave expression.

"I'll go and get dad," Junior said but at the same moment his phone rang. It was Patty. After hearing her out, he promised her that someone would be there within moments.

"It was Patty. There was a demon in Evan's room. He didn't attack or anything but she believes he was spying," Junior explained.

"That son of a bitch! Sorry. But I better go there," Carver cursed but then apologized after looking at Piper's reprimanding look.

"Some one with active power has to be there. I'll go with you," Prue, who had arrived minutes ago, said linking arms with Carver without waiting for his response.

"Alright. Prue and Carver, go get Dan first and then go to Evan. He's in a public place so it's less likely that he'll be attacked but better safe than sorry. Junior, you go and fetch your dad. If Chris is right, they may attack any moment. If they do, you may need backup so I think Chris and Wyatt should go with you. We have Reese and the power of three here. I think we'll be able to handle things if they show up here," Piper took charge of the situation and issued orders to everyone. Prue had inherited her aunt Piper's molecular acceleration, Carver grabbed some potions and Dan had energy balls. Between the three of them with some help from Patty, they should be able to take care of the hospital front. Wyatt and Chris formed the power of two which, by now, had been established to be more effective than the power of three and Junior had the closest bond with the brothers so they were most effective together. Henry Sr. being a mortal, it naturally made sense to send the most powerful witches to protect him. The sisters were of course strongest at the manor. Everyone nodded and teleported out by their own means.

Dan, Carver and Prue teleported into the ally behind the hospital and rushed to Evan's room. Patty was waiting anxiously for some backup. After the trio reached their destination, Patty explained all that had happened in the room minutes earlier.

"But the demon didn't attack? Don't get me wrong. I'm glad he didn't. But isn't it a little odd?" Prue asked Patty who had regained her composure by now. Dan went through all the explanations he could come up with. His face scrunched, as none of the scenarios were pleasant.

"Do you have any idea if he was following you or was he stalking Evan?" Dan asked.

"I think he was stalking Evan. I only felt as if I was being watched while I was here. I felt it yesterday too but I thought I was just being paranoid. I didn't sense anything while I was home or on campus," Patty explained. Carver was thoughtful for a moment.

"May be it's the proof that the source is somehow involved. Why else would a demon be spying on Evan?" Carver observed. Dan nodded.

"I agree. May be I should snoop around in the underworld. With the description Patty has given us, it should be easy enough to track him down," Dan said. Prue shook her head.

"Not right now. At the moment, our task is to stay on our guard and fend off any demon attacks that may happen here. Once the demons after dad and uncle Henry are taken care of, we can plan a recon mission," Prue said firmly. Dan agreed, although reluctantly. Patty's eyes widened with fear. Her brother hadn't told her anything about the impending danger to their father.

"Someone's after dad?" She gasped. Prue, Dan and Carver gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, sweetie. Chris, Wy and Junior are there at your place. He couldn't be safer when three of the most powerful witches are protecting him. Not to mention Chris and Wy have the 'power of two' at their disposal. Don't worry, everything will be all right," Prue reassured her little cousin as she pulled her into a hug.

Back at the manor, the sisters had busied themselves preparing for the anticipated battle. Paige had just finished bottling up the last of the potions when Reese's eyes glazed over. He quickly came out of the vision and yelled.

"Incoming. In ten seconds," He warned and the witches prepared for the onslaught. The first wave of demons struck. The attacking group consisted of several lower level demons a couple of upper level demons and a dark-lighter. Piper immediately began blowing up the lower level demons. There was nothing particularly threatening about those demons. By this time, any lower level demon was nothing more than minor nuisance for the Halliwell witches. But their sheer number proved to be a problem some times. So Piper immediately began working on reducing their numbers.

Phoebe kept her assailants at a safer distance with her martial arts training and levitation. No demon could come near enough to engage in hand-to-hand combat. But fireballs and energy balls were another matter. She was holding an atheme in her hand and threw it at one of the upper level demons. The blade embedded itself in his chest and ruptured his black heart. It didn't take long for him to reduce to a pile of ashes.

"Nicely done, sis…. Arrow!" Paige admired her big sister's handiwork before redirecting a dark-lighter arrow away from her.

"Aunt Paige, watch out," Reese warned as soon as he got a vision of a fireball speeding towards his unsuspecting aunt. His power as an oracle to see immediate future accurately came in handy in situations like this. He was standing behind the podium with his dad and throwing potions at any demon that dared to venture near them. Suddenly he got a vision of a dark-lighter arrow hitting his aunt Paige in the shoulder. He realized that she was the only healer currently in the manor and if the arrow found its target, her chances of survival were slim to none. He looked around for a weapon and found an arrow stuck in the wooden plank behind him. He quickly pulled out the arrow. He didn't have any white-lighter blood in him so it was safe unless he was fatally injured by it. Within a moment he teleported behind the dark-lighter and thrust the arrow in his back with deadly force. The dark-lighter never got a chance to aim at Paige again and within moments burst in flames.

"Good thinking!" Piper appreciated her nephew's wit and presence of mind. Unfortunately this left his father vulnerable for attack. The remaining upper level demon came too close to Coop for Reese's comfort. He quickly dashed towards his father. The demon had something in his hand that looked suspiciously like a potion vial. Before anyone knew what was happening, Reese jumped forward and pushed his father out of the way. Unfortunately, Coop outweighed his son considerably and Reese couldn't move out of the way quickly enough. The potion was about to hit him square in the chest when, out of desperation, Piper blew up the vial mid air. The potion exploded with a loud bang. Reese's scream of agony filled the attic and both Phoebe and Coop skipped a heartbeat. Paige immediately orbed the atheme Phoebe had used previously into the demon's chest and he was vanquished instantly. Piper had taken care of last of the demon in the manor and they rushed towards Reese who had fallen face down to the attic floor.

Over at Paige's house, Henry Sr., who was blissfully unaware of the impending attack on his life, was surprised to see his son and nephews in a state of alarm.

"Hey guys! What's going on?" He asked. Junior offered his father a hand before answering.

"No time to explain. We need to get you to the magic school," He said in a hurry. But before they could orb out, a group of demons shimmered in followed by four dark-lighters.

"Crap!" Junior exclaimed and hastily pushed his father to take cover behind the sofa. A barrage of fireballs followed and the three witches immediately went into battle mode. Considering the fact that all three of them had white-lighter blood in them, the dark-lighters were obviously higher priority.

"Odie! Cover me," Chris told Junior as he began reciting the dark-lighter vanquishing spell he had come up with a while ago. He simply had to alter the spell to vanquish four dark-lighters instead of three. There were four dark-lighters in the room now and they simply couldn't rely on the traditional method for vanquishing them. Junior nodded and began redirecting the arrows that were now raining over the three. Wyatt kept the demons busy with his seemingly limitless arsenal of offensive powers.

I call upon the ancient power

To help us in our darkest hour

Spirits of darkness, four of a kind

Destroy them now, body and mind

Sure enough, all of the dark-lighters burst out in flames and turned into piles of ashes.

"I'll have to remember that one," Junior said in amazement. Chris smiled at him and began frying demons with his elder bolts. Wyatt suddenly realized that there were two upper level demons that had shimmered in and he could only see one. He was fairly certain that nobody had vanquished the missing demon yet.

"Kitten, are we missing a demon?" He asked while flinging an energy ball at a nearby demon. Chris nodded and turned around. He found the missing demon that was hiding in the shadows in near the hallway. His momentary surprise at the demon's behavior quickly subsided as he realized that the demon was, in fact, chanting some incantation in some ancient language.

"Oh oh… Wy?" Chris said as he realized it was too late. Purple lights momentarily surrounded his whole body before dissipating into nothing.

"Are you alright?" Wyatt asked worried. Chris was confused for a moment.

"I'm not sure. I feel weird," He responded. Wyatt took care of the hidden demon with a well-aimed energy blast and turned his attention to the remaining three lower level demons that had ganged up on Junior. Chris pulled himself together and attacked the upper level demon. Chris stretched hands pushed the demon back into a wall with his telekinesis. Suddenly he noticed something weird about his palms.

"Wy. I think I'm shrinking," Chris said disbelievingly.

"What? What in hell?" Wyatt muttered as he witnessed Chris's changing appearance. Instead of his twenty-two year self, Chris looked like he was thirteen or something. Two of the three demons that had attacked Junior had been vanquished by now. The remaining demon, however, took advantage of the momentary distraction that Chris's apparent reducing age had caused and threw Junior into the table behind. Wyatt quickly threw an energy ball and vanquished him when he heard something he hadn't heard in some eighteen years.

"Mom! Wy Help!" came frantic scream of a scared child. Wyatt turned around to see a five-year-old Chris facing a large upper level demon holding some sort of potion vial. Time seemed to slow down as the vial was speeding towards his little brother.

"Chris! Orb!" Wyatt yelled reaching out his hands. Chris was frozen in place.

"Chris!" Junior used his telekinetic orbing to get his now little big cousin out of harms way. Chris's body was partially dissolved into blue and white orbs when the potion vial hit the floor. There was a large explosion and the orbs that surrounded Chris burst and scattered throughout the house.

"NO!" Wyatt bellowed and stretched out both his arms. An enormous blast of energy emanated from Wyatt's palms and consumed the demon whole. There was nothing left of the vile creature, not even ashes. Unimaginable fear came over Wyatt as he was reminded of the painful feeling he had when Turel had killed his little brother in the erased timeline. Wyatt's eyes frantically searched for Chris before a wave of relief flooded his mind. He heard his brother's call in his mind. Junior had heard him too as he stopped searching for him.

"He still sounds five. Did he have an echo?" Junior asked Wyatt, frown firmly in place. Wyatt frowned in concentration and nodded. He's still here but I can't get a fix on his location. It's really weird.

"Chris! You can come out now. It's OK. The demon is gone now," Junior reassured his cousin. To their astonishment two five-year-old versions of Chris walked out of the kitchen.

"Am I seeing two of him?" Wyatt asked incredulously.

"More like five," Junior said pointing to the stairs.

"Oh oh…" Wyatt said with trepidation.

"Reese, honey, wake up. You've to wake up," Phoebe's pleading wasn't having much effect on her unconscious son. The explosion had caused severe burns all over the front of his upper body. The potion had burned through his shirt and charred his skin. Paige immediately began healing; one hand hovering over his face and eyes, the other was over a nasty wound on his chest. Coop checked his pulse. Fortunately he was still alive. Soon the warm golden glow of Paige's healing touch spread over Reese's body and the burn marks began to disappear.

"I'm so sorry, Phoebs. I had no idea it would explode like that," Piper was feeling guilty. Phoebe shook her head but Coop was first one to respond.

"No! If the mid-air explosion was this potent, I shudder to think what would have happened if it had hit him directly. There was nothing anyone else could have done in time. Piper, you probably saved his life," Coop said as all of the burn marks on Reese's body disappeared and he woke up with a start.

"Dad? Are you OK?" He said; fear laced his voice.

"I'm here bud. You got hurt saving my life. Your aunt Paige healed you," Coop said putting an arm around his son's shoulders. Reese's face was dark with worry.

"Why is it so dark? I can't see anything," To his parents, Reese's words felt like a ton of bricks hitting square in the head.

"Honey, it's daylight. Paige?" Phoebe looked at her sister expectantly. Paige's brow furrowed but she nodded and attempted to heal Reese's eyes. The golden glow flickered for a moment and disappeared. There was nothing more to heal. The cause of Reese's blindness was not because of any physical injury.

"It's not a physical injury. The potion must have some sort of enchantment on it that is causing the blindness. It's some magic; apparently resistant to white-lighter healing," Paige observed. Reese's face fell in disappointment. Phoebe let out a sob.

"I'm I going to be blind permanently?" Reese asked, his voice clearly showing fear and frustration.

"NO!" All three sisters said in unison. Piper immediately began searching through the book.

"There has to be something in here," she said getting frustrated too quickly.

"May be we can write a 'power of three spell' or may be Chris and Wyatt can heal him with their 'power of two.' We simply have too many powerful witches and white-lighters in our family to let this be permanent. Don't worry. We'll find a way. We always do," Paige reassured Reese, Phoebe and Coop collectively.

"What's going on?" Henry Sr. said as he came out from behind the sofa. All of the Chrises were watching all of them with apprehension, as they didn't recognize the adult versions of their big brother and little cousin. They knew they were good witches like their mom and aunts. The demons they had vanquished were proof enough. But they were still strangers. They also didn't understand why there were five of them. Their faces lit up as soon as they saw their uncle Henry.

"Unkey Henry!" All of them yelled with relief, almost in unison and ran towards Henry Sr. who was shocked to see five five-year-old versions of his adult nephew clinging to his body. He lost his footing under the weight of five Chrises and fell on his backside, quite unceremoniously.

"Hey kitten! Or rather kittens. Is any of you hurt? Does anyone need healing?" Wyatt asked in the friendliest voice he could muster. All the Chrises shook their heads simultaneously.

"That's beginning to creep me out. It's like looking in one of those carnival mirrors," Junior said and all the Chrises narrowed their eyes. Even as a five year old, Chris's glare was enough to make Junior squirm. Henry Sr. chuckled at his son's reaction.

"Who are they, unkey Henry?" Chris asked his uncle who was, at the moment the only familiar face in the room.

"Believe it or not bud, I'm your big bro Wy. And this is your little cousin Junior," Wyatt said kneeling down to Chris's level. All the Chrises rolled their eyes. It was really funny albeit a bit creepy to see five identical five-year-olds achieving a perfect eye-roll.

"Nope. You're not," Chris who had hopped on his uncle's back said firmly. The rest of the Chrises nodded in agreement. Wyatt closed his eyes and thought for a moment. Chris was as stubborn as both their parents and he remembered that his five-year-old version was frustratingly stubborn. He wasn't sure how to convince him that he was indeed his big brother. Chris sitting in his uncle's lap stood up and explained their reasoning.

"Wy is this big and Junior is this big," He said raising one hand above his head and the other hovering near his chest.

"Dude, five minutes ago, you were six foot tall and twenty-two year old," Junior said with a lopsided smirk. All the Chrises raised their eyebrows. The one holding on to his uncle's left arm spoke up.

"Unkey Henry, did they hurt their head when the demon attacked?" he asked solemnly. Henry Sr. burst out laughing. Wyatt let out a frustrated grunt. He was just reminded of the fact that his little brother had a smart mouth on him even at the age of five.

"Chris, look around you. How many of you do you see? Is that a normal thing?" Junior asked logically. Chris didn't answer. There was certainly something wrong about having five versions of himself walking around.

"So, you're really Wy and Junior? Prove it," Chris that was holding on to his uncle's right hand challenged. Wyatt was thoughtful for a moment before the proverbial light bulb lit over his head.

"Chris, you share a link with your Wy, yes?" Wyatt asked. It was easier for him to address only one of them at the moment. All five of them nodded. Wyatt momentarily closed his eyes and told him about an incident that had occurred when Chris was about four. Chris had accidently orbed a two year old Henry Jr. to the roof of the manor. Wyatt, who had better control over his telekinetic orbing by the time, had brought him back before anything bad happened. Junior was too young to tell anyone about it and Wyatt had promised his brother not to tell anyone. The adults never found out about the whole episode. Chris's eyes, all ten of them at the moment, widened in surprise when they heard the adult Wyatt narrating the whole incident through the shared link.

"How did you know about that? It was a secret between me and Wy," Chris claimed suspiciously.

"Because I'm your Wy. You know I wouldn't tell that to anyone else," Wyatt said. Chris was thoughtful for a moment before he nodded in acceptance. Wyatt let out a sigh of relief.

"We better take this mess back to the manor," Junior said. He was worried how his aunt Piper was going to react but there was no point in procrastinating.

"Alright Chrissie. Can you orb back to the manor?" Wyatt asked. All the Chrises nodded but only one of them orbed. The remaining four closed their eyes very hard in concentration but nothing happened.

"This is worse than I thought," Wyatt observed looking at the apprehension on the four little faces.

"Chris, try to use your telekinesis, one by one," Junior instructed pointing at a door. First Chris waved his hand but nothing happened. Second one tried. Again, nothing happened. Third one successfully closed the door with his power and smiled triumphantly. The fourth Chris accidently let loose some elder bolts that incinerated the door and the table near it. This scared all the occupants of the room, as Chris didn't have that power until he was much older and as such had no control over it. As a matter of fact, Chris had almost barbequed Junior, Wyatt and uncle Coop when he first developed that particular power at the age of twelve. Chris stumbled backward, realizing what he had just done and bumped into Wyatt.

"Hey kitten, it's OK. It wasn't your fault," Wyatt said soothingly as he knelt down to Chris's level. Chris threw his arms around Wyatt's neck and began sobbing uncontrollably in his brother's chest.

"I… I'm so… so… sorry. I… I… didn't mean…" Chris's explanations came muffled and broken. Wyatt kept patting the back of his little brother's head as he spoke soothing words in his ear.

"It's alright Chrissie. Look," Junior said as he cast his mom's legendary spell to cleanup the mess. The whole room was back to normal.

"Alright. Lets go home," Wyatt said picking up two of his little brothers with two hands and signaled Junior to do the same. Junior picked up one Chris and held his dad's hand while his dad picked up the remaining one. Together they orbed to the manor.

"Mom!" came a frantic cry of a child. Piper was startled. She hadn't heard that voice in more than a decade. She closed the book with a slam and rushed to the door. Phoebe and Coop remained in the attic reassuring their son that everything was going to be all right. Paige followed Piper downstairs.

"Mommy!" Chris chirped happily as he saw his mother and hugged her middle tightly. Piper was too stunned to say anything but her motherly instinct kicked in and she picked up her precious little peanut and settled him on her hip. Paige's jaw dropped to ground as she saw Piper comforting her five year old nephew who should have been twenty-two. Chris kept chattering excitedly about adult Wyatt and Junior and there being five of himself. Most of it didn't really register with Piper as she gazed at her sister disbelievingly.

"This cannot be happening," Piper muttered as she heard the end of Chris's sentence 'five of me'.

"Peanut, sweetie, did you just say five of you?" Piper asked looking him in the eye. Chris nodded solemnly.

"We should call Wyatt and …" before Paige could finish her sentence, two sets of orbs filled the conservatory and coalesced into her son, husband, Wyatt and four more Chrises.

"Anyone want to sign for these?" Junior asked mischievously.

"Junior!" Henry Sr. admonished his son. Paige and Piper were too shocked to appreciate the dry humor. Wyatt, Junior and Henry Sr. put down their cargo gently on the ground. All the Chrises ran to their mother.

"We need to call Arrazigal," Junior said. Wyatt nodded and called the angel of destiny by his name. He wasn't sure if they needed to summon him because so far Ari had simply shown up exactly when they needed him. Within moments white orbs swirled around the middle of the room and coalesced into Sandra.

"The angel of destiny is occupied at the moment. He asked me to help you in any capacity that I can," Sandra said to Wyatt who simply pointed to the five Chrises.

"Oh! What happened?" Sandra asked, her voice calm as ever. Wyatt and Junior filled them in on what had transpired at Paige's place. Sandra's expression turned grave.

"Its Gideon's doing. I don't think he meant to split him in five but he certainly wanted him five," Sandra observed.

"What? Why?" Wyatt asked incredulously.

"A child's mind is very impressionable. If the source were to break Arrazigal's memory-binding spell when Chris's an adult, he would be able to cope with all the terrible memories he would receive. It would actually make him emotionally stronger and more knowledgeable. On the other hand, if the memories are unleashed while he's a child, it would scar him for life and it may weaken the bond you two share. I believe that's his motivation behind today's attacks, weakening or destroying the power of two. Him splitting in five versions might merely be an unforeseen consequence of mixing the white-lighter and demon magic," Sandra explained. The expression on Piper face turned to that of murderous rage and suddenly, all the glass panels of the entire floor shattered into pieces.

"Get Leo from magic school," Paige instructed her son who promptly orbed away. Paige sat besides her big sister and attempted to calm her down. Phoebe, who had heard the shattering glasses, had rushed down.

"What happened? I heard…" She asked but was stunned into silence as she saw five Chrises. Leo arrived within a moment. Wyatt and Junior filled them in.

"Wyatt, honey, I know Chris is a little indisposed at the moment but do you think you two can help Reese?" Phoebe asked still concerned about her boy.

"What's wrong with Reese?" Wyatt asked having no idea about what had transpired in the manor. Wyatt's face darkened with worry when Phoebe explained the situation.

"We can try aunt Phoebs. But Chris's powers are a bit scattered right now. So I'm not sure if it'll work," Wyatt told his aunt.

"What do you mean scattered?" Phoebe asked.

"His powers appear to be split in five as well," Wyatt said.

"I believe when Chris was split in five, so were his powers. That's why only one of them can orb, one has telekinesis, one has electro-kinesis, one has control of the Equalizer and only one can heal," Sandra interjected. Phoebe's face fell in disappointment.

"Lets try and reunite them. A 'power of three' spell should work. Don't you think?" Paige said. Piper nodded. After a few failed attempts at the unifying spell and fruitless searches in the book, the sisters realized that their task wasn't that simple. Everyone was now looking at Sandra expectantly who shook his head.

"There has to be a way to reverse it but I'm afraid I don't know it. It is up to you to figure that one out. In the mean while I would suggest you protect young Christopher from any and all of Gideon's minions. Whatever happens, you do not want Chris to have his memories while he's a child. That should be your highest priority. Incidentally, good luck," Sandra said before disappearing in blue and white orbs. Piper rolled her eyes.

"Typical," She muttered.

"Well, there's no harm in trying with the Chris that can heal," Wyatt said turning to his five little brothers. He was confused once again. All of them were identical.

"How do we know which one can heal?" He asked no one in particular.

"Firstly, I think we need to find a way to identify them. Raise your hand if you can orb," Junior said looking at the five Chrises. One Chris and Wyatt raised their hand.

"Not you, you moron," Junior said to Wyatt and gestured the orbing Chris near him.

"From now on, up until we find a way to reunite you, you'll be Chris," Junior said as he placed his hand over the little boy's shirt. It glowed white momentarily and the name 'Chris' appeared in yellow embroidery on his shirt.

"Cool," Chris said.

"The one with telekinesis," Junior said. Another Chris stood up.

"You, my dear little big cousin, are going to be Kitten," he said as the word 'Kitten' appeared on his shirt. He repeated the procedure with Chris with elder bolts. He was named Sparky.

"He's so going to kill you Odie," Wyatt said with a wicked smile. Junior simply rolled his eyes.

"Now lets see who can heal," Junior said taking off his shirt and exposing a nasty looking bruise on the bottom of the left side of his ribcage that extended all the way to his left shoulder. Wyatt was about to admonish him for not telling him earlier but Junior waved him off.

"It looks worse than it actually is," Henry Jr. said as he encouraged one of the remaining Chrises to attempt to heal.

"But I… I can't heal. Only Wy and aunt Paige can," one Chris said sadly. Henry Jr. shook his head.

"Yes, one of you two can. Look you didn't have the power to make lightening until you were much older. I'm betting if Sparky can make lighting bolts, one of you can heal. Now come on. I know you want me to feel better. Just try it," Junior said encouragingly. One of the two Chrises stepped forward hesitantly and held his little hands over Junior's chest. Within moment, the golden glow appeared and Chris healed his little big cousin. The bruise on Junior's body disappeared, as if it was never there. A wide grin appeared on he little boy's face as he invited himself to sit in Junior's lap.

"You, my friend, are Perry," Junior said as he put the nametag on the boy's shirt before turning to the last one.

"And you, my sword bearing friend, what would you like to be called?" Junior asked.

"Sir Christopher," the little boy answered solemnly. Everyone in the room burst out laughing despite the difficult situation. As children, when the cousins used to play castle, Wyatt, of course, would be king Arthur while the rest of the cousins would assume the roles of the knights of the round table. Wyatt smiled mischievously and summoned Excalibur.

"I dub thee, knight of the Halliwell manor. Rise, Sir Christopher," Wyatt said gently touching Chris's shoulders with the tip of the sword. Even Phoebe, who had been worried sick about her son the whole time, couldn't help but chuckle. A wide grin appeared on Sir Christopher's face while Chris, Kitten, Sparky and Perry pouted, as they didn't get to be a knight.

"Oh come on little brother. You know I love you all just the same. Now, hop on. We've a cousin to heal," Wyatt said turning around and kneeling in front of Perry who promptly hopped on his big brother's back. Phoebe and the rest followed the two upstairs.

Dan, Prue, Patty and Carver were waiting around Evan's room, anxious about the impending attack. But nothing happened. After waiting for about an hour, Dan was getting restless.

"I doubt they're going to attack here. I mean if they had planned to, they would have by now. I should go down there and investigate Evan's stalker. We're loosing precious time. Besides, if something happens, I'm just a shimmer away," Dan said finally. Not having white-lighter blood in him, Dan couldn't hear any calls but Carver could always communicate with him using his telepathy.

"I'm coming with you," Prue said matter-of-factly. Dan shook his head vehemently.

"No! You need to stay here. You're the only one besides Chris, Wy and Junior who has the power to summon me when I'm down there, if I'm trapped or otherwise can't hear Carver's message. Besides, Chris and Wy would vanquish my ass if anything happens to you. No no no no no. You're going to stay here," Dan said with a touch of finality. Before Prue had a chance to argue Dan shimmered away.

"Damn you, Walker!" Prue cursed. She paced around the room as Carver and Patty watched her temper flare in mild amusement.

"Tell him that I'm perfectly capable of vanquishing his half demon ass myself," Prue told Carver. There was no point in arguing with her so carver relayed her message to her lover. The telepath chuckled as he heard Dan's response.

"What did he say?" Prue asked, her eyes narrowed and her nostrils flared.

"Ah… He thinks you look hot when you threaten to vanquish him," Carver said with a grin.

"Aaghhh. He's so infuriating. I need some air. Call me if you need me," Prue said clenching her fists before walking out of the room. She could feel her anger towards Dan subsiding by the second. But she was now getting angry with herself for not being able to be properly pissed at her charming boyfriend.

The strong bond Wyatt and Chris shared had developed over two decades and as of now the bond between five-year-old Perry and adult Wyatt was not nearly as strong as they needed it to be. Perry touched his big brother's shoulder and closed his eyes tightly in concentration. The golden light flickered for a few moments and then vanished. Wyatt was disappointed and so was Perry.

"Hey. It's OK. It's not your fault. Don't worry about anything. We'll find a way," Wyatt said reassuring his little brother. Perry nodded weakly and hugged his big brother. Wyatt could feel that Perry trusted him now and the bond between the two was strengthening. Unfortunately it was a long way from what the 'power of two' would need.

"May be it'll work if all of them try together. I mean Perry is just one fifth of Chris. It's supposed to be power of two, not power of one-point-two," Junior suggested. Phoebe, being a bit weak at math, raised her eyebrows.

"One-point-two?" She asked naïvely.

"One plus one fifth is one-point-two," Junior explained.

"Oh. I guess it's worth a shot," Phoebe said sheepishly, feeling a bit embarrassed for forgetting basic fractions. Wyatt motioned Chris, Kitten, Sparky, Perry and Sir Christopher to move closer to him. He than instructed them to concentrate just as Perry had. Wyatt attempted to heal once again. This time the golden light sustained longer. After about a minute and half of healing Reese cried in excitement.

"I can see light. It's not as dark anymore," he said squeezing his dad's hand. A hopeful smile appeared on everyone's face. Unfortunately, the healing glow died once again.

"What happened? Is he healed completely?" Phoebe asked impatiently.

"I can see the light. I can make out the shapes and sizes of things but everything is still fuzzy. I can't recognize the faces," Reese sounded disappointed. Wyatt tried once again but to no avail.

"I don't think Reese's eyesight is going to improve any further at the moment," Leo observed.

"Why not?" Phoebe asked disappointed.

"The strength of power of two comes from the strength of brotherly bond Wyatt and Chris share. We may see better results once we figure out how to change Chris back," Leo clarified.

"So turning Chris into an adult is our first task. Unifying him has lesser priority," Wyatt concluded.

"No, actually, protecting him from Gideon while we fix his age is the most important task," Junior corrected his big cousin.

"But protecting five of them is very difficult. So may be putting humpty-dumpty back together should have higher priority," Paige earned a death glare from Piper for her unseemly comment.

"How did he do it, exactly? I mean reducing Chris's age," Leo asked.

"I'm not sure. He was chanting some spell or something in an unknown language," Wyatt answered.

"Was he surrounded in some kind of purple light before he turned into a five-year-old?" Leo asked, concern apparent on his face.

"Yes. How did you know? Do you know what it is? How do we reverse it?" Wyatt bombarded his father with questions. Leo's face darkened with worry.

"It's called 'Hespith's ritual'. It's a demonic spell version of the 'fountain of youth'. There is no known way to reverse its effect. The good news is that, unlike the effect of the water from the fountain, which is permanent, the spell wears off after a specific amount of time, usually between twenty-four to seventy-two hours depending upon the strength of the caster's magic. Which means we merely have to wait for the effects to wear off and Chris should be back to being twenty-two. The bad news is that this means Gideon has uncovered the grimoire," Leo explained.

"Well then, we divide and conquer. I think Mom, aunt Piper and aunt Phoebe are most qualified for protecting Chris, Kitten and Sir Christopher. Sparky and Perry seem to get along with Wy, so may be he can protect those two…" Junior said but was cut off midsentence by Wyatt.

"But I want to help with the research," Wyatt wasn't exactly happy with the prospect of babysitting his five-year-old brothers.

"No offence intended Wy, but you're not exactly the researching type. You're more of a brawn than a brain," Junior said and Wyatt glared at him for essentially calling him a meathead.

"And why do I get two of them?" Wyatt asked incredulously.

"Because, dear cousin, you're the only one with a shield," Junior explained as if he was talking to someone incredibly dense.

"Actually, that's a great idea, Wyatt. With your shield, you can actually take care of all five of them. Considering the fact that Chris is a momma's boy, Piper can help. Myself, Phoebe and Odie can do the research," Paige suggested. Piper's eyes lightened up with hope. This would mean Wyatt would have to interact with her. That could prove to be the first step towards mending their relationship. Wyatt wasn't too happy about the turn of events but considering the situation they were in, he agreed reluctantly.

"I'm going to stay with you," Sparky said to Junior as he hopped on his back. Junior was about to object but one look in Sparky's hopeful green eyes and he knew he had lost the argument already.

"Alright. If Wy and aunt Piper are babysitting four of you then I guess it's only fair that I take care of one of you. But we have some rules. Firstly, we have to stick together no matter what. And secondly, keep your hands close to your body at all the times. I don't want to be barbequed, again," Junior said shuddering at the memory of being at the receiving end of Chris's elder bolts when he first developed this power. It was not a pleasant feeling.

"Why not take them all to the magic school?" Wyatt suggested. Leo shook his head.

"Gideon was the headmaster of the magic school for over a century. If anyone can breach the defenses at magic school, it's him. Considering the fact that all of you are strongest at the manor, he may be more secure here than anywhere else," Leo said logically.

"OK People. Chop chop," Piper said clapping her hands. Wyatt and Piper gathered Chris, Kitten, Perry and Sir Christopher and headed downstairs while Junior and Sparky began going through the book.

"Leo, two of us can go and get my daughters and then go to magic school to try and find out how to reverse Gideon's magic that split one of my favorite nephews in five," Paige said before orbing away with her brother in law.

"Honey, can you look after Reese? I'll go downstairs and start working on a potion for him that might help," Phoebe asked her husband and headed downstairs as he nodded in understanding.

Prue didn't even see the demon shimmering behind her. He had been watching her for some time and silently approached her with a carved wooden staff in his hand. He struck Prue from behind and she was knocked unconscious without a fight. The demon shimmered away with her limp body in his hands.

"Oh crap," Dan muttered as he found himself ambushed by a hoard of demons. It was supposed to be a simple recon mission but Dan soon realized that it was a trap. He cursed himself for walking straight into it. He began flinging energy balls left and right but the overwhelming number of his assailants told him that his chances of getting out of this one alive were slim to none. Suddenly he felt searing pain in his stomach and the warm trickle of blood soaking his shirt.

"Carv. It's a trap and I'm stuck. I don't think I'm getting out of this in one piece," he thought in his mind. Carver was the telepath not him. So he couldn't initiate a dialogue. He only hoped that Carver had kept their communication channel open and had heard him before that darkness took over.

So ends the Ninth chapter.

Kindly read and review.