Author's Notes: Firstly I would like to apologize to my readers for the delayed update. It was the end of the semester and I found myself buried under tons of work. Rest assured, I will not abandon this story and I sincerely hope that you guys haven't either.

I can't believe the story has reached 100,000 words with this chapter and yet the end is not in sight.

Thank you monkey kix ass for reviewing the last chapter. I'm glad you liked the story so far. I'll do my best to keep it interesting.

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.

The Devil's Advocate

"Found something," Leo uttered going over the paragraph in one of the ancient books. Paige, Patty and Penny who were researching at the magic school gathered around Leo.

"Orbing accidents?" Paige asked with a frown firmly in place. Leo nodded.

"Our leading theory is that Chris's splitting was not intentional. Which means it was an accident. Look, it says that if a white-lighter suffers a trauma mid-orb, his orbs may scatter and harmlessly coalesce back into his or her body. Piper used to blow me up all the time. It hurts like hell but didn't do lasting damage," Leo began explaining. Paige nodded yet not understanding where her brother-in-law was headed.

"But Chris is half witch. We don't know how it affects him. Piper wouldn't dream of blowing up her precious little peanut no matter how mad she got," she said. Leo pointed to a few lines at the end of the page.

"Exactly. It says here that if a witch suffers a mid-orb trauma, they may coalesce with missing body parts. This may lead to excessive bleeding and possibly death," Leo said with a grave face. Paige nodded in understanding.

"Because he's part elder white-lighter, he coalesced into five copies of himself instead of five body parts," the youngest charmed one said.

"And since Wiccan or elder powers cannot be copied, each copy has only one power," Penny added.

"OK. That explains what happened. Does it say anything on how to fix it?" Patty asked not realizing the fact that their theory was wildly inaccurate. In the erased timeline where Chris had died at the hands of Turel, Piper had in fact blasted Chris and he had coalesced just like a white-lighter. Leo shook his head.

"When this book was written, there were no half-breeds, no offence," Leo said realizing all his present family members were half-breeds.

"Right. So they had no reason to even hypothesize about what would happen," Paige said ignoring Leo's comment.

"Great! So we're back to square one," Penny said with frustration.

"Not necessarily," came Junior's voice from behind. They were so engrossed in their discussion that they didn't realize when he orbed in with Sparky. Everyone turned to him with a questioning look.

"The power of three spell didn't work before; probably because the unification has to take place mid-orb. It's just a theory but certainly worth a try…" Junior's explanation was cut short when Sparky doubled over clutching his head in pain.

"Hey bud. What happened?" Junior said in a comforting voice. He moved Sparky's hand away from his forehead and saw a cut above his left eye. It was bleeding but didn't seem particularly deep.

"How did that get there?" Patty asked incredulously.

"That doesn't matter right now. Just heal him," Leo said. At times like these he really felt useless due to his lack of healing powers. Junior was about to put his hand on the cut when it began healing on its own.

"I didn't know he could heal himself," Penny said frowning.

"He can't. At least couldn't till a few days ago. I saw Wyatt healing a bruise on his shoulder recently. But if he can heal remotely, self healing's not a big stretch," Paige said shrugging her shoulders. Junior shook his head in disagreement.

"No. Sparky can't heal anyone. He just has elder bolts, remember?" Junior asked rhetorically. Everyone nodded.

"But then, how?" Patty asked.

"The others…" Junior exclaimed. Leo's face lightened up in understanding.

"That's right. Wyatt must have done it," Leo said and Junior nodded his head in agreement.

"Wyatt did what now?" Paige asked annoyed at the cryptic conversation.

"The other fragments or copies or whatever, they're with Wy. He's calling me. He's asked me to get Sparky," Junior said. Junior held out his hand towards Sparky and the two quickly orbed out. Paige, Penny and Patty, annoyed at not getting an explanation, quickly followed him. Leo sank down on the nearby chair in despair. Whatever happened to one Chris; happened to all of them. This wasn't good. If Gideon wanted to hurt Chris, the chances of his success had suddenly increased five times. He was sure Gideon had gathered this much from the seer and was already working on a plan. There always was a distinct possibility that Chris's current condition was deliberately caused by the source.

"Have I been vanquished?" was Dan's first coherent thought. Judging from the anguished screams let out by all the demons being vanquished, Dan always thought that the process was extremely painful. Having your body ripped to shreds or burned to ashes couldn't be a pleasant experience. But Dan didn't remember being in such agony. He tried to open his eyes and judge his surroundings.

"Ah, you're awake," said a voice. Dan realized that he was shackled to a cavern wall in the underworld. His clothes were covered in dirt and blood seeping from the shallow cuts on his body. The pain in his chest every time he drew breath confirmed that he had at least a couple of broken ribs. But other than that he seemed fine. He remembered being hit by an energy ball and blood soaking through his shirt. When he looked down at his stomach, however, there was no trace of the wound.

"You were never hit by the energy ball. It was an illusion. My friend Barbus convinced you that you were loosing blood and going to die," the source said as he came closer to Dan watching him curiously. Dan looked up at him contemptuously.

"Let me go you son of a bitch," Dan growled. The source chuckled.

"Now there. There's no need to be nasty. I'm not going to kill you; at least not yet anyway. You're far too important for my plan to take out your two witch-lighter friends. They're too powerful. So much concentration of powers on either side is not good for the balance of the world. Don't you see? They are going to destroy the world by merely existing. That's why I had to become the source. I'm the only one powerful enough to maintain the balance of the world. Besides, if they loose the path of righteousness, the world would be beyond redemption," Gideon said. Dan couldn't believe that a former Elder, someone who's supposed to strive for the triumph of the good, someone who's supposed to be a visionary, could be so delusional.

"Am I the only one who sees the irony in this? An elder who's already lost his path is worried about two of the best sources of goodness in the world loosing theirs. You're truly deranged," Dan scoffed. Gideon's black eyes lit up in rage.

"You think I want to be the source? I don't have a choice. It's the only way to maintain the balance. I'm the only one powerful enough. If I destroy the power…" Gideon began his angry ranting but was cut off by Dan's mocking voice.

"If you think your power comes anywhere close to that of the power of two, you're truly delusional. Last time, uncle Leo defeated you single handedly. Your pride will be your downfall," Dan said and immediately regretted mocking the source of all that is evil. A sharp pain ran through his chest as the source telekinetically broke two more of his ribs. Dan gasped for air as it was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe.

"You see, this time, I have the source's powers not to mention the entire underworld at my disposal. I do not need to worry about the reactions from the other elders who keep refusing to see that the Halliwell brothers are the true threat to this world. Most importantly I have something none of the previous sources had. Knowledge. It is the greatest weapon of all. I know how the witches think. I know what they know. I see all their future moves even before they do. Chris and Wyatt will perish and I'll finally be free. The balance will be restored," Gideon said contemplating the success of this plan. Dan looked at him in confusion.

"Free?" the half manticore asked incredulously.

"If there's no power of two, I will be free of this burden of being the source," Gideon stated simply. Dan was speechless.

"Anyhow, I was expecting Paige's son to come to investigate the spy but I'm sure you'll be just as helpful. Now I'm sure you're not in a helpful mood right now but I'm very persuasive," Gideon said.

"No amount of coercion or torture is going to convince me to betray Wy and Chris," Dan said firmly. An evil smile appeared on Gideon's face.

"Even if the torture is inflicted on your beloved?" Gideon said waving his hand to reveal an unconscious Prue Halliwell.

"Did he…" Wyatt began as soon as Junior materialized with Sparky.

"Yep," Junior answered before Wyatt finished his question.

"And then he…" Wyatt began again.

"Uh hmm," Henry Jr. nodded affirmative. Piper stretched her hand out and Sparky ran into her embrace.

"Why? How?" Wyatt asked.

"OK enough of the cryptic crap. Can anyone please explain to me what just happened?" Paige asked incredulously.

"I have a theory. And I just might know a way to test it," Junior said as he strode over to the book.

"Henry Wyatt Matthews Mitchel Jr. Do not try my patience…" Paige was outraged at the lack of explanation from her firstborn. Her demeanor reminded Wyatt of a very pissed off Piper.

"We think the five of them are somehow…" Wyatt began explaining as much as he understood but was cut off midsentence by Carver's frantic call. He orbed out without finishing the sentence.

"I swear next person leaving a sentence unfinished is going to find him/herself on South Pole, naked," Paige fumed. Piper who was uncharacteristically calm about the situation gave Paige a reassuring smile as she brushed a few strands of hair away from Sir Christopher's eyes. Fussing over five year old versions of her adult son was somehow therapeutic to her. Blue and white orbs filled the attic and coalesced into Wyatt and Carver.

"Dan's in trouble and Prue is missing," Carver said before anyone had a chance to ask any questions.

"What happened?" Piper asked.

"Dan went down to the underworld to investigate the stalker demon in the hospital. I kept our link open just in case he needed to contact us. A few minutes ago, I heard a frantic call from him. He was in trouble. I tried to reach Prue since I can't teleport. She didn't answer. I called Wy and he tried to sense them both. He can't find them," Carver answered without stopping for a breath.

"Alright. Carv, don't panic. We'll find them," Wyatt said as he pulled out the map and the scrying crystal.

"I'll get started on the summoning ritual for Prue and Dan just in case scrying doesn't work," Paige said.

"Can we summon Dan?" Penny asked skeptically.

"Well, according to dad, Dan is considered a witch after his wiccaning. Besides, we have summoned demons too. So one of them should work," Wyatt said swirling the crystal over the map.

"Don't dare touch her! #$%$$##$%%..." The foul words that escaped Dan's mouth were enough to make the source blush. However his tirade was cut short by searing pain in his chest as the source telekinetically crushed Dan's broken ribs.

"No! Leave him alone," Prue screamed as soon as she came around and saw her boyfriend being tortured by the source.

"How touching," Gideon commented but let Dan be and turned his attention to Prue. The glare Prue threw his way reminded him of Piper Halliwell and her grams, Penny Halliwell. He glared at the defiant girl for a moment and walked away.

"Are you OK?" Dan asked trying to keep his voice as even as possible. He didn't want her to know that he was in pain.

"I'm OK. I have a dull headache and might have a concussion but I'll live. You?" Prue asked.

"I'm OK," Dan answered breathlessly. It was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe due to the broken ribs.

"I can't teleport. I assume you cannot shimmer either," Prue observed. Dan only shook his head.

"Does anyone know we're missing?" Prue asked with raised eyebrows.

"Carv might know. At least I hope he heard me," Dan answered but stopped talking as soon as he heard footsteps approaching. Gideon appeared shortly.

"I have a job for you, three actually. If you succeed, you'll be rewarded greatly," the source said in an oddly friendly voice. Dan made a gesture to suggest a place where Gideon could shove his reward. The source chuckled and signaled someone with his left hand. A scantly clad woman appeared and approached Dan. She unbuttoned Dan's shirt, eyeing him in a predatory manner.

"You're trying to seduce me? Sorry lady, I'm already taken," Dan answered. The woman, Dan assumed was the seer, only chuckled. She produced an amulet in her right hand and put it around Dan's neck. There was a peculiar rune carved on it but Dan didn't recognize it. She stepped aside and the source approached the half manticore.

"Now, here's what I want you to do. Your first task is to convince the Halliwells not to reunite what has been set asunder. Secondly, you're to convince them not to reverse the Hespith's ritual and lastly, you need to make sure the five currently youngest members of the family are not at the same place at the same time," Gideon made his demands. Dan, who had no Idea of what had happened to Chris, stared at the source as if he had lost his marbles.

"Oh, you'll understand what I mean when you go back to the manor," Gideon assured him. Dan scoffed.

"Are you high? What makes you think I'll do anything you ask of me?" Dan asked incredulously.

"Like I said, I'm very persuasive," Gideon said as he pressed his right hand over the amulet. Dan found himself unable to breathe. He wasn't sure if it was due to the pressure Gideon was putting on his chest or the unimaginable pain caused by the amulet, which was now red-hot and burning his skin. Dan felt sick due to the smell of his own charred skin. He soon passed out.

"Nothing," Wyatt said exasperated. He had been scrying for his cousin and best friend for past half an hour without result.

"Keep trying. You can't give up," Phoebe pleaded. She couldn't believe what was happening to her family. Her youngest child was legally blind and her oldest was missing. She knew the source's primary target was Chris and he was currently incapable of defending himself, but at least he was there. The rest of the family could protect him. Prue on the other hand could have been in life-threatening situation and they had no idea where she was.

"We'll get her back, don't worry," Piper said putting a reassuring arm around her baby sister.

"I think we should try and summon her. We've wasted enough time scrying," Paige said and Phoebe nodded.

Power of the witches rise,

Course unseen across the skies

Come to us who call you near

Come to us and settle here

Blood to blood, I summon thee

Blood to blood, return to me

Phoebe chanted as she pricked her finger and added her blood to complete the ritual. Unfortunately, nothing happened. She chanted the spell again and again but to no avail.

"Maybe we should try Dan," Wyatt suggested. Junior, who had temporarily abandoned his mission to find the proof for his theory about Chris's situation, scribbled something on a piece of parchment.

"Chris wrote this spell to summon Dan a while ago. It should work. But I think Wy needs to cast it," he said handing the parchment to his older cousin. Wyatt studied the spell and nodded in agreement and began chanting.

I beckon the one with a heart of gold

Whose dark heritage is well controlled

A brother in arms, a friend in need

Bring him to me at lightening speed

The spell would work only if Dan was alive. Everyone in the attic of the Halliwell manor waited in anticipation.

Dan's vision was blurred when he came around. His first instinct was to check on Prue. She was still tied up but didn't seem to be physically injured.

"Prue! Are you alright?" he asked. She nodded mutely. Dan remembered the amulet. He looked down at his chest and found the rune on the amulet branded into his skin. The amulet itself, however, was missing.

"What did he do?" He asked confused.

"I'm not sure. He put the amulet around my neck after he was done with you," Prue said. Dan looked up at her in horror. He couldn't imagine his love going through such pain. Prue shook her head as she realized what he was thinking.

"It didn't hurt me," She assured him.

"You're awake. Excellent," came the source's voice.

"What the hell did you do to me?" Dan hissed.

"A little insurance policy. In case keeping your lover prisoner isn't enough to persuade you to do my bidding. You see, the rune on your body and that on the amulet, currently worn by dear Prudence, are connected by an enchantment. Attack me, my minions or utter a single word to her family about her whereabouts and the enchantment will cause both of you unimaginable pain that will eventually result in your death. Do exactly as I say and her stay here will be relatively short and painless," Gideon said smugly. The seer approached Dan and buttoned up his shirt. Then with a flick of wrist, Dan's shackles vanished. As soon as he was free, he conjured an energy ball without thinking and prepared to throw it at the source. It was a foolish move, as he knew he wasn't powerful enough to vanquish the source but he hoped to injure him and slow him long enough to rescue Prue. At the very moment, however, Prue screamed in agony while the mark on his own chest began to glow. Dan felt as if he was being burnt inside out. He dropped to his knees in pain and looked at Prue with tear filled eyes. The source chuckled.

"As I said, if you don't do as I command, both of you will die painfully," Gideon said. Dan reluctantly extinguished the energy ball and his and Prue's pain reduced instantly. Suddenly the seer knocked him unconscious with a blow to the back of his head and before he could react, darkness took over. The source waved his hand and Dan's unconscious form was teleported to an empty cavern in the underworld. Soon enough white lights engulfed his body before he disappeared once again.

The Halliwells waited in anticipation as the white lights coalesced into an unconscious form of the half manticore. Wyatt immediately dropped to his knees besides his friend and began healing. Within minutes Dan stirred and opened his eyes.

"What happened? Where is Prue?" Phoebe asked. Every single person in the attic had his or her eyes on Dan.

"I don't know. I was following a lead and walked into a trap. I sent a message to Carv before I was unconscious. For some reason my attackers didn't kill me. Instead they locked me in chains. I couldn't shimmer but apparently Wyatt's spell was powerful enough to break the enchantment," Dan lied to his extended family. He was good in undercover operations and deception was one art he had mastered. But lying and manipulating the demons in the underworld was one thing and deceiving his best friend and the people he truly cared about was entirely different story. Fortunately for him, Phoebe was too distraught over her children while Wyatt and Piper were too worried about Chris to notice the fact that Dan had been avoiding eye contact. Henry Jr. was the only one to notice something was amiss.

"Dan, honey, you've been through a lot. Why don't you go downstairs and find something to eat? We'll keep looking for Prue. Don't worry, we'll find her," Piper said shooing the half manticore out of the attic.

"I'm alright. I don't think I'll be able to eat or do anything else till we get Prue back," Dan said as he tiredly sat on aunt Perl's sofa. Wyatt and Junior filled him in on what was going on with Chris.

"Now, Junior, why don't you tell me what happened at magic school with Chris's injury?" Paige asked her son.

"My leading theory is that all five fragments of Chris are somehow symbiotically bound. If you hurt one of them all of them get hurt. Similarly if you heal one of them all of them get healed. Sir Christopher, who was with Wy, stumbled and got a cut on his forehead. That's why Sparky, who was with me, got the cut as well without having a similar accident. When Wy healed him, Sparky was healed too," Junior explained. Paige raised her eyebrows at this outlandish theory but nodded in agreement after giving it some thought.

"I might have a way to test this theory but now is not the time to do it. For now, I think we should accept it as the most likely explanation and concentrate on getting Prue back," Junior said further. Suddenly, Gideon's demands made more sense to Dan. Gideon wanted Chris to remain five till he unlocked his memories to cause the maximum trauma. Whether the splitting was intentional or not was inconsequential. Keeping him split in five increased the probability of success five times. That is why he wanted Dan to separate the five youngest members of the family, namely five Chrises. It would be easier for the Halliwells to protect all of them together. He was being forced to hurt his unofficial baby brother in order to save his love. Dan didn't care about his own wellbeing but the thought of hurting Prue was unbearable to him. He desperately hoped that Chris, if he survived this ordeal, would some day be able to forgive him for it.

"Alright. Now we divide and conquer. I'll go down to the underworld and try to find out if anyone had heard any rumors regarding Prue. Aunt Phoebe, why don't you go downstairs and stay with Reese? We'll find Prue but Reese needs you now," Wyatt said. Phoebe reluctantly nodded.

"I'll go up there and see if the elders know anything about Prue's disappearance. Junior, sweetie, could you work on a spell to reunite Chris?" Paige asked her son who nodded in agreement. After all, he was the best spell writer in the family after Chris. Piper decided to keep scrying for her niece. Leo, who had just returned from the magic school, took up the responsibility of feeding five of the currently youngest family members.

After about an hour of fruitless attempts, Wyatt and Paige were back. Unable to find any leads regarding Prue's disappearance, they took up babysitting Chris, Kitten, Sparky and company.

"I think I have something that might work," Junior exclaimed. Everyone currently in the attic gathered around the blond witch scrutinizing the spell he had come up with. Everyone agreed that they should cast the spell. Well, everyone except Dan. At the very moment the mark on his chest began to burn and the pain started to spread through out his body. This was a hint for him to act.

"Do you think it's a good idea?" Dan reluctantly said. Everyone looked at the half manticore astonished.

"Of course it is. It is difficult for us to protect him with five of him running around. You have no idea how difficult he was to handle even at that age," Piper said narrowing her eyes. To her this was the most logical thing to do.

"Dude, I have been writing spells since I was five. Trust me, its safe. I have the best track record after Chris himself," Junior said a bit offended, thinking Dan doubted his spell writing ability.

"I'm sure its safe. I don't doubt it. I'm just being the devil's advocate," Dan inwardly winced at this sentence. He was literally being the devil's advocate. But he had to play it as if he was simply providing the counter opinion just for the sake of argument, to make sure the plan didn't have any drawbacks. All the Halliwells were now staring at the half manticore expecting him to elaborate on his point of view. Dan licked his dry lips before speaking.

"Think about it. If the source hurts one of them physically, all of them get hurt…" Dan began to make his case but Piper cut him off midsentence.

"My point exactly. We reduce the chances of him getting hurt by reuniting him," She said rolling her eyes.

"Yes. But there is a flip side to this coin. If we heal one, we heal all. By keeping at least one of him well protected with a healer all the time, we make him virtually invincible. It's not farfetched to imagine that healing more of them simultaneously might make it more efficient," Dan said with an earnest expression on his face. Piper was still unconvinced but Leo and Paige were thoughtful.

"That might actually be a good idea," Paige said and Piper glared at her.

"Are you out of your mind? I'm not willing to let any of them get hurt in the first place. There is no question of healing one to heal them all because they are not going to need healing in the first place," Piper said in her no-nonsense tone. Paige rolled her eyes.

"Of course we don't want to allow them to be hurt, Piper. But we have to be realistic here. The source is after him. Granted, he's trying to restore his memories while he's a child. But think about it. If elder Gideon had no qualms about killing baby Wyatt, do you think source Gideon will think twice before killing Chris if he gets the chance? I know it's not a scenario you even want to consider but don't discard the idea just because it is painful. We need to think outside the box," Paige said to her older sister. The argument continued for some time before Piper finally gave in. Dan felt a bit relaxed as the pain in his chest died down. This meant Prue wasn't in pain anymore either. Junior was curiously watching his reaction but didn't say anything.

"Excellent! This means the half manticore has performed his first task successfully. It shouldn't be long before the power of two is destroyed," The source said as he noticed the fact that Prue wasn't in pain anymore. Prue glared at him.

"You will never succeed. My family is looking for me and when they find me, they will vanquish your ass," Prue spat.

"Oh I'm sure they will try. And perhaps succeed. As a matter of fact I'm counting on it. But before they get the chance to save you, I will have sacrificed Wyatt and Christopher. They have too much power and threaten the balance of the world. It must be done. There is no other way…" Gideon said walking away from the cavern where Prue was imprisoned. She couldn't understand how an ex-elder, a being of ultimate good and wisdom could be so deluded. She wanted to give him a piece of her mind but Gideon had simply walked away from her before she could say anything. She tried to teleport away again but the chains that bound her were somehow magic proof. The only thing she accomplished was to get a killer headache.

There was a loud crash in the conservatory and Piper, Paige and Junior rushed downstairs. Wyatt and Leo had gathered Chris, Sparky and company in the dining room and were currently attempting to get the five year olds to sit still and eat. As soon as they heard the noise, Wyatt telekinetically orbed the five-year-olds near him and instantly raised his shield. He urged Leo to join them but the father refused. Instead, the ex-elder rushed to the conservatory followed by Piper, Paige and Junior.

"Leo, watch out," Paige yelled and Leo ducked instinctively. A fireball roared over his head and crashed in a nearby chair. He quickly threw his atheme and vanquished the demon that had attacked him.

"Fireball!" Paige exclaimed and sent the magical weapon back to its sender. Piper systematically blew up two demons at a time, one with each hand. Over the years she had perfected her technique for maximum efficiency.

"Sparky! No!" Wyatt yelled as his currently five-year-old brother squirmed out of Wyatt's grasp and ran towards the fight to help his mommy. With a blink of an eye, however, he was orbed back near his big brother who promptly pulled him in a hug. He hated the fact that he couldn't help his family in the conservatory. He was the only one with a shield. As a result he was the only one who could effectively protect his little brother. Suddenly a demon shimmered in the kitchen. He was holding a fireball in one hand and a piece of parchment in the other. Wyatt couldn't use his offensive powers and keep the shield up at the same time. If he made a move to vanquish the demon, he would be leaving Chris open for attack. The demon began chanting some thing in a language unknown to the twice blessed.

"Mom! Junior! A little help here," Wyatt screeched as he noticed a strange green light envelop his baby brother. Wyatt was certain that the demon was unbinding Chris's memories. Apparently his shield blocked the offensive magic but didn't block neutral spells like the one this demon was using. He made a split second decision and lowered his shield to attack the demon. The demon was quicker, however and instantly threw the fireball at Chris. Wyatt cursed and raised his shield back up again, just in time before the fireball could hurt Chris. The demon, still chanting, created another fireball. Piper and Junior had either not heard him or they were unable to come for his help.

"All right, everyone, grab my hand," Wyatt instructed. He had decided to orb them out before the demon finished chanting. Chris didn't listen however and began chanting his own spell.

I'm not afraid of monster because

I'll blow him up like mommy does

That was a pretty good spell for a five-year-old and it worked. The demon burst into flames and reduced to a pile of ashes before he could finish the chant. Wyatt was watching his brother with wide eyes.

"You came up with that spell?" He asked incredulously.

"I made it up to vanquish the monster under my bed that you told me about," Chris replied innocently. Wyatt chuckled. He realized now why, as a child, he could never scare Chris with the stories of monsters under beds and in the closet, no matter how hard he had tried. His genius baby brother had it covered.

"Is everyone OK? Does anyone need healing?" Wyatt asked changing the subject.

"My head hurts a little. But it's OK. Mom said its personal gain," Kitten replied. Wyatt put his hand over his brother's head and began healing regardless.

"Considering the situation, I don't think mom will mind," Wyatt said, as he made sure there were no other injuries.

"Is he OK?" Piper asked as she entered the room.

The source was pacing in his underground lair. His first attempt had failed. All the demons he had sent after the Halliwells had been vanquished and the demon that was supposed to unbind Christopher's memory had failed miserably.

"You will never succeed," Prue's words echoed in his mind. All was not lost yet, however. He still had control over Dan, the half manticore, who had the absolute trust of the Halliwells. There's no way the witches were going to succeed in protecting their precious progeny.

"May be we should try and reverse the so called Hespith's ritual that turned him five in the first place," Piper suggested.

"If he is twenty-two again, he'll be able to defend himself and he'll be able to cope with the memories better if Gideon succeeds," Paige agreed with her. All the Halliwells had gathered in the conservatory to discuss the future course of action.

"Didn't uncle Leo say that it was irreversible?" Junior asked looking at the ex-elder. Leo shook his head.

"Irreversible in the sense that there is no known way to reverse it. But that doesn't mean we can't find a way," Leo clarified.

"But doesn't the effect wear off on its own?" Dan, who had curiously stayed away from the battle earlier, interjected.

"Yes. But the demon almost got to Chris. Do we really want to wait and see when the next attack comes?" Leo said worried about his youngest.

"May be we can accelerate the time like you guys did when Tempus attacked," Junior suggested.

"What if the spell backfires and Chris ages too much?" Dan said looking distinctly uncomfortable. All the Halliwells were watching his behavior curiously.

"Dan, are you alright?" Junior asked with a hint of worry. Dan was sweating profusely by now, trying very hard not to show the pain caused by the mark on his chest.

"I'm fine," Dan said abruptly. Piper was annoyed by the fact that Dan had been actively refuting any of her ideas when it came to dealing with the problem at hand. She was an experienced witch and her baby was currently in danger. She glared at the half manticore, which made him squirm.

"All I'm saying is that we need to think if it's worth the risk. If the spell wears off on its own, is it really a good idea to take the risk when all we have to do is wait and protect Chris while he's five?" Dan said.

"If my calculations are correct, then Hespith's ritual performed by an average upper level demon shouldn't last longer than twelve hours. It might take us considerable time and efforts to research and formulate a way to reverse the magic. By that time, the spell may wear off by itself," Leo observed. Dan saw the opening and interjected.

"Right. The question now is that whether we spend time and resources in finding something that might be obsolete by the time we find it or do we concentrate on protecting Chris till the time the spell wears off?" Dan said. He was relieved to see Paige and Leo nod in agreement again. Piper wasn't willing to give up yet.

"We can research and protect Chris at the same time," she argued.

"I don't think Gideon is going to stop at one attack. He seems to be relentless and we really cannot afford to divide our attention," Wyatt argued back taking Dan's side. He was still mad at Piper and made sure not to address her directly. As stubborn as Piper was, Leo was equally persistent and also very good at convincing her. Eventually she gave in but not before glaring at Dan who had spoken against her in the first place. Dan was, again, visibly relieved when everyone agreed to wait till the spell wears off.

"Hey Wy, I need to borrow one of your shirts. Mine is too dirty and I don't want to shimmer home and face my dad like this. He is way too worried as it is," Dan said. Wyatt nodded and orbed a clean shirt from his closet. Without a word, Dan took off his dirty shirt and after making sure that Junior had seen the mark on his chest, he buttoned up the shirt he had borrowed from Wyatt. The source had instructed him not to say anything about his plan. He never said anything about not showing them the mark. The lack of pain and the fact that he was still alive assured him that he had found a loophole. He just hoped that it wouldn't cost Prue her life. Henry Jr. was sure that Dan wanted him to see the mark but then why didn't he say anything? He was looking at the half manticore curiously.

"Are you OK, man? You're sweating like a pig and you look as if you're in pain," Junior said to the half manticore.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me," Dan said but Junior could see clearly that he was anything but fine. Junior's brow furrowed but he said nothing further. He didn't understand why Dan would lie to them. Perhaps something or someone was preventing him from telling them the truth. If that was the case, there was no use asking Dan directly. Junior knew he had to find the answer on his own.

"Interesting," Junior muttered and orbed to the attic. He was determined to investigate the peculiar mark further. Wyatt, Piper and Paige remained in the conservatory looking after the five Chrises while Junior flipped through the book. Making sure no one would notice, one of the vases in the foyer shimmered.

"What do you have to report?" The source asked the shape shifter.

"The half manticore convinced them not to reverse the Hespith's ritual. They have decided to concentrate on protecting the Catalyst for now," The shape shifter said. He hadn't realized the fact that Dan had purposefully let Junior see the mark. The source smiled satisfied.

"The half breed is more resourceful than I had thought," Gideon mused. He dismissed the shape-shifting spy with a wave of his hand and began preparation for his next attack.

"Damn it!" Henry Jr. cursed as he scanned through the whole book twice without finding a single word about the weird mark he had seen on Dan's chest earlier. He was getting increasingly frustrated, as they were nowhere near finding his missing cousin. On top of that his half-manticore friend was acting weird and his other cousin was still legally blind. He needed help researching. Wyatt was busy protecting Chris, the sisters would ask too many questions to which he didn't yet have answers. The same was true for Penny and Patty. Prue was missing and Reese was incapacitated so the only people who could really help him were Adam and Ella. Adam and Ella weren't his charges so he called them on their cell-phones instead of sensing and orbing directly to them. Within five minutes, the three had gathered in the magic school library.

"This is what you're looking for," Junior said handing Adam and Ella two pieces of paper that had a drawing of the rune he had seen on Dan.

"What is this?" Ella asked. Junior thought for a moment. He didn't want to scare her by telling her that her brother might be in trouble before he had all the facts. At the same time he didn't want to lie to his friends either. So he decided to stick to vague statements.

"I don't rightly know what it is. I couldn't find it in the book of shadows. All I know is that it is somehow linked to what's happened with Chris, Reese and Prue. We'll know more once we find out what this symbol means. I need you two to trust me and not ask too many questions. Most importantly, don't tell anyone else about it," Junior said to the two. He hadn't lied to them. He'd just avoided explicit details.

"But where did you see it?" Adam asked. Junior hesitated for a moment.

"I mean it will give us a place to start our search if we knew where you saw it," Adam clarified.

"I saw it branded on a demon's body," Junior said. He had seen it on a half demon but it would have been too obvious had he told them the truth. Dan was the only half demon they knew besides Cole and Cole had been dead for quite some time. He might as well have told them that it was Dan. Instead, he decided to give the half-truth.

"Alright. So it probably has a demonic origin. It could be mark of his tribe," Ella suggested. Junior shook his head as he knew for a fact that was not the case.

"I doubt it. If that was the case, many demons would have had the same mark and we would have seen it more often," He gave them a plausible explanation instead of the truth.

"Mark of slavery?" Adam suggested. Junior was thoughtful. It made more sense if Dan was being forced to act against his will. But still, the mark had to be more than symbolic. Otherwise Dan would have had Wyatt heal it and they would have vanquished the slaver by now.

"It's possible but my gut is telling me there is more sinister magic involved in it, something like a curse," Junior added.

"Or it could be kind of blessing, you know, to give the demon a power boost," Ella suggested. It was clear that Dan didn't have the mark for long. Junior hadn't seen him fight after receiving it. As a matter of fact Dan had curiously stayed away from the fight. But the notion that Dan would betray his extended family for a power boost was inconceivable.

"He didn't seem all that powerful," Junior simply stated to steer them away from the idea.

"How do we know that the magic involved is demonic in origin? The demon could have come across it somewhere else," Adam said.

"I have read about some ancient witch who tried to enslave mortals by placing curses on their loved ones. The other witches of her time eventually vanquished her and freed her slaves," Ella remembered from one of her classes at magic school.

"But it doesn't apply to a demon. Demons are not capable of love. As such they can't have loved ones," Adam argued. Ella glared at the witch-lighter for contradicting all her ideas. But to Junior, this theory made perfect sense. Dan's behavior, Prue's disappearance; all the pieces of the puzzle were falling into place.

"My big brother is half demon and he's the most loving and caring person I know. Not to mention Cole. He did some nasty things but you cannot deny the fact that he loved aunt Phoebe. Then there was that Vampire dude who got himself vanquished last year trying to save his mortal boyfriend…" Ella was furious at the suggestion that Dan was incapable of human emotions. She would have continued her rant but was interrupted by Adam.

"I never suggested that Dan was incapable of human emotions. Dan, despite being born a half demon, is technically considered a witch after his Wiccaning. Cole was half demon and half human as well. So those two don't count. As for vampires, they fall in entirely different category…" Adam began arguing. A shrill whistle by Junior interrupted their altercation.

"Ella is right. We can't limit ourselves based on stereotypes. Did you forget the demon professor my mom had hired? Aunt Phoebe fell for him before she met uncle coop. Granted, we haven't come across anyone like Drake after that but we shouldn't discard Ella's theory," Junior took Ella's side. Ella looked at Adam triumphantly and stuck her tongue out. Adam rolled his eyes.

"I guess you're right. Besides, it's always possible that the curse was placed on the demon himself. If he betrays his master, he dies. Even a demon incapable of loving anyone else must love himself," Adam conceded.

"Precisely. Adam, why don't you search the demonology section for curses and enslavement? Ella, could you please search for any such magic in the Wiccan world? I've to go back to the manor and help Wy look after Chris," Junior said in an attempt to get them back to the task at hand. Adam and Ella nodded in agreement.

"We'll call you if we find anything," Adam assured Junior who thanked them and promptly orbed away.

"There you are! You were supposed to help me look after them," Wyatt exclaimed even before Junior's orbs coalesced. Kitten promptly jumped on his cousin's back and demanded to be carried around. Chris was more than a cousin to Henry Jr. He had been a big brother to the younger man over the years. Part of the reason the two were so close could have been the fact that Junior was the only one in the family who was intellectually at a comparable level as Chris. Surely, Chris loved all his family. He loved Wyatt for his kind heart and happy-go-lucky attitude. He loved Prue for her wisdom. He loved Reese for his unfaltering faith in the power of love that he had learned from his father. He loved the twins for their witty remarks and the sarcasm they had gotten from his beloved aunt Paige. His relationship with Junior, however, was truly unique. Henry Jr. was blessed with a powerful mind just like himself. He was the only one who could keep up with him cerebrally. When he was in battle plan mode, Junior was his second in command. Wyatt and Chris were the best when it came to executing those plans but his goofball of a big brother was never much of a thinker. Chris protected and covered for Junior like a big brother would. Sure, he teased the younger man relentlessly but that was his prerogative as a big brother. Junior hated it with passion when people referred to Chris and him as Garfield and Odie but he wouldn't even consider changing anything about their relationship. As a result he didn't mind in the least when five-year-old Kitten made his childish demands.

The most difficult part about taking care of the five-year-olds was that if one of them got something, the remaining four would want the same thing at the same time. Seeing as Junior carried Kitten on his back downstairs, Sparky grabbed Wyatt and demanded the same thing. Chris smiled mischievously and ran towards Dan. Sir Christopher and Perry, who were too slow to find a ride downstairs, turned to Penny and Patty. The twins sensed the danger and promptly orbed away making some excuse about working on some project for one of their classes.

"What about us?" Perry spoke for himself and Sir Christopher. Wyatt couldn't stand to look at their disappointed faces. They hated being left out.

"Come on, I'm sure me and Dan can carry two of you," Wyatt said picking up Sir Christopher. Dan yelped as Perry pounced on him.

"Speak for yourself Wyatt," Dan said with mock anger towards his best friend. Wyatt carried the little ones downstairs to the kitchen to feed them. Chris and Perry had already had their food and were too busy wrestling with their informal big brother.

"Look at this one," Adam called Ella's attention to a paragraph on a tattered page of an ancient tome. Ella looked at it and raised her eyebrows in astonishment. There it was printed on the page, an elaborate depiction of an amulet and its name, amulet of Binding Agreement. The rune was the same as the drawing Junior had provided them. But they were expecting to find a branding iron or something instead of an amulet. Unfortunately, the part of the page with the description was so damaged that the writing was illegible.

"We can't read anything but the name of that 'thing' but I guess its better than nothing," Adam said.

"It's great. We can search the archives for this amulet. There has to be some other record about it somewhere. Good job Adam," Ella said to the witch-lighter. Adam was surprised to hear genuine appreciation from the part dragon but was touched by the gesture nonetheless.

"Well, shall we talk to uncle Leo? He might know where to find more information on the thing," Adam said. Ella shook her head.

"Odie asked us not to tell anyone, remember? Why don't you go and tell him about what we found while I talk to the librarian to see if he knows any other book that mentions this amulet?" Ella suggested. Adam was about to correct her by saying 'what I found' but thought better of it. He nodded instead and orbed away to find Junior.

"Is it just me or do you think Dan is acting a little weird?" Wyatt asked Junior as soon as he arrived in the kitchen. Dan had stayed back in the attic and it was a perfect opportunity for Wyatt to voice his concerns to his family. He didn't want to worry his parents and aunts so he decided to confide in his cousin.

"What do you mean?" Junior asked feigning innocence. He was certainly not going to tell Wyatt anything before he had all the facts. Wyatt, with his over-protective nature, would go off the rails and say or do something they would all regret.

"You know, he argued against mom twice…" Wyatt said and Junior interrupted.

"And lived!" Henry Jr. added. Wyatt winced.

"And lived. I'm not sure if he knows how close he came to having his ass blown to oblivion. But anyway, I agree with him. He's got a point. But don't you find it strange? I mean he's basically a powerhouse just like me. We're usually not the ones to strategize and reason," Wyatt said.

"Yes. But there is a difference between the two of you. He doesn't express his opinions that often but that doesn't mean he isn't capable of strategic thought," Junior said trying hard to keep a straight face.

"I agree but… Wait what did you mean by 'the difference between the two of us'? Are you insinuating that I'm incapable of thinking?" Wyatt said scowling at his cousin. The three little Chrises, who were quietly eating their peas till now, began giggling.

"You agreed with me," Junior said trying very hard to keep a straight face. He had to duck to avoid some projectile pasta, thrown at him telekinetically by Wyatt. The pasta landed directly on Kitten's head.

"Hey!" The little one complained. Wyatt raised his eyebrows and folded his arms over his chest.

"Well, you laughed at me!" Wyatt justified his action. Before the twice-blessed witch could utter another word, however, a ladle, full of gravy, emptied itself on Wyatt's head. For a five year old, Kitten had excellent command on his telekinesis. Everyone in the kitchen, except Wyatt burst out laughing.

"You think you're so tough, don't you?" Wyatt said as he flung a lump of mashed potatoes at Kitten who was ready this time. He ducked and the mashed potatoes smacked sir Christopher right in the face. Sir Christopher, who didn't have any power that would be useful in a food fight, promptly threw a jug full of orange juice at his big brother. Wyatt telekinetically redirected the flying liquid to Henry Jr. Junior, who was too busy laughing at them, didn't see it coming. He was soaked from head to tow in the sweet liquid.

"My eyes!" Junior exclaimed as the acidic juice began irritating his eyes. Seeing as his little cousin is temporarily incapacitated, Wyatt took another shot. This time, Junior's hair was covered with the marinara sauce Piper had made earlier. The exchange soon turned into a full blown food fight that involved, apart from the pasta, potatoes, gravy and sauces that had already been in play, some milk, coffee, butter, sour cream, leftover spicy Indian curry from last night and not to mention some eggs. A shrill scream from the door stopped the fight abruptly. The five culprits turned around to see a very, very livid Piper Halliwell.

"Oh o," Junior muttered trying to hide behind Wyatt's larger frame.

After yelling at the five culprits for about half an hour, Piper was interrupted by orbs forming in the kitchen. The blue and white lights coalesced into Adam who was looking for Junior. He took in the scene and the wonderfully expressive face of Piper Halliwell and realized that he had arrived at a very bad time.

"I guess you guys have more important things to do. I'll talk to you later," Adam said to Junior and promptly orbed away.

Piper had handed them their sentence after Adam left. Wyatt as the instigator of the fight, coupled with the fact that he was the oldest in the group, had been at the receiving end of the major portion of the yelling and the toughest punishment. Piper had ordered him to clean up the whole kitchen. To her surprise, he had accepted it without argument. She couldn't help but think that it had little to do with feeling remorse over the mess they had created. The only reason Wyatt didn't argue was that he didn't want to engage in a conversation with her that consisted of more than monosyllabic responses. It hurt her immensely that her son would consider talking to her as a greater punishment.

Junior was supposed to help her bathe Chris and then cook something for everyone. Junior was not as good as Chris or Piper when it came to cooking. He had worked at Piper's restaurant as a bus boy and waiter but had never bothered to learn cooking. Granted, he wasn't as bad as Wyatt but in his own opinion, it wasn't a good idea for him to cook for everyone. The part that bothered him was the first one.

"But Chris is like my big brother. It's weird for me to bathe him. I mean… ewe!" Junior tried to argue in a non-challenging tone. Piper narrowed her eyes.

"He's five. Besides He used to bathe Wyatt all the time when he came back to the past. You can do it too," Piper declared, leaving no room for argument. He led Sir Christopher, Kitten and Sparky to the bathroom without another word. It didn't come as a surprise to Wyatt when the little Chrises only received the yelling and escaped any form of physical labor as a punishment.

Dan was facing conflicting thoughts now. So far he had, although unwillingly, complied with the source's demands. He had convinced his friend and family not to reunite Chris's fragments and turn him back to his adult self. No matter what the source had attempted to accomplish so far, Dan was almost certain that the Halliwells would be able to protect Chris. Now, however, the increasing pain in his chest meant it was time to fulfill the source's final command. He was supposed to make sure that five little Chrises were separated, an act that could potentially cost his unofficial baby brother his life. Wyatt and Junior had taken Sparky, Sir Christopher and Kitten to the kitchen to feed them, Leaving Chris and Perry in Dan's care. It was now or never.

"Chrissie, Perry, you guys trust me, right?" Dan asked kneeling down to the level of the five year old. The two little ones nodded.

"And you know I would never intentionally hurt you, right?" Dan asked. His heart clenched as the words left his mouth.

"Duh! You're my big brother; just like Wy. I know you could never hurt me. You always protect me," Chris said rolling his eyes. Perry nodded in agreement. Dan blinked back the tears welling in his eyes and offered the two a hand.

"Then you must come with me," the half manticore said. The three shimmered away as soon as Chris and Perry grabbed Dan's outstretched hand.

So ends the Tenth chapter.

Will Dan really betray his friends? Or does he have some other plan in motion to protect Chris and Prue both? Can Junior find a solution to Dan's problem before its too late? What do you guys think?

Kindly read and review.