Beyond Destiny
Disclaimer: I don't own Roswell or Charmed or anything linked to them.
Category: Charmed/Roswell crossover
Rating: ADULT
Pairings: Liz/Chris, Piper/Leo, Wyatt/?, Phoebe/Coop, Paige/Henry, Michael/Maria.
Summary: Liz is the twiced-blessed heir to the Murray-Parker coven. When Liz's parents are killed by demons her powers are unbound and Paige is assigned to be her new whitelighter. It is decided that Liz will attend magic school where the next generation resides and sparks between the Parker and Halliwell lineage will ignite.

Chapter Fourteen

The attic in the manor was quiet except for the rustling of pages and occasional sigh. Liz sat down on a settee browsing one of the many books Paige had given to her. A demon had attacked Liz while she and Paige had been out for breakfast that morning and since then they had returned to the manor to do research. About an hour into their work, Paige had orbed out promising to come back after one of her cases was squared away. Piper had yet to check on her- having escaped to the kitchen with a catering order from the restaurant.

Sighing loudly, Liz got up and strolled lazily to the Charmed Book of Shadows. Flipping through the pages, Liz wondered what Chris could be doing. It had been a week since they had last spent time together; he had been busy hunting down demons of his own and Liz had been trying to gather evidence to prove Melissa's theory true. Alex had yet to drop in on her, or come to her when she called for him. It was frustrating.

Isabel was like a ghost to Liz since she had settled in to Magic school; the blond had fast become close to Wyatt, and the freedom to use her powers around school had offered Isabel a new outlet. During Wyatt's class, Liz noticed Isabel smiled and laughed more openly, and Wyatt had give her a purpose- giving her menial tasks that helped the perpetuation of the activities. It was almost as if being at Magic school was a panacea for Isabel- a way to fix all the defects she found in herself and overall be happier.

As the pages passed before her eyes, one of the titles jumped out at Liz- Wisdom of the Other Side/ Summoning a Spirit. Frowning, Liz stopped on the page and saw that it was an incantation. She read the paragraph at the bottom of the page and concluded it was a summoning spell of some sort. Thinking she could use some wisdom, Liz shrugged her shoulders and read the ritual. Retrieving five white candles and some sage, Liz cast a circle and stood behind the bookstand and read aloud.

"Hear these words, Hear my cry, Spirit from the other side, Come to me I summon thee, Cross now the great divide." Wind picked up in the attic, the candlelight flickered, and orb lights began swirling in the center of the circle. The gale force sent the pages of the book ruffling and flapping, and Liz had to turn her face away from the circle to avoid the forceful air.

Everything settled in the room and Liz turned her face back to the circle. A woman in her twenties with pitch black hair, pale skin, large hazel eyes, and when she smiled at Liz, big, pearly, white teeth dazzled her.

"Uh…hello." Fumbling with her hands, Liz shifted nervously.

"Hi." The beautiful woman stepped forward out of the circle and her body turned corporeal. "I'm Prue, and you are?"

"Liz. Liz Parker. I…" Words failed her and Liz could only shake the hand offered her.

"Not that I have a lot to do, but was there a reason you summoned me?" Prue asked, her approach direct.

"I guess I wasn't sure if this would work. I thought maybe you'd be able to provide me some clarity." Liz spoke, realizing how ridiculous it was to summon someone from the Other Side without having anything planned as to what to say. In all honesty- Liz had been hoping her parents would be the one to cross over.

"Well we are in my sisters' house and you clearly touched the book, so I know you aren't evil. Tell me what you need help with." Prue had gestured to the book, her manner very to the point.

"I was…you know what? I actually didn't think I would get through to anyone, this was kind of a spur of the moment thing; and I guess I was really trying to reach my parents." The welling of regret in her stomach caused Liz to lean against the book, one of her hands fisting in her hair. A shadow fell over her and Liz glanced up to find Prue leaning over her.

"You know, my mom died when I was five. I tried for a long time to avenge her death, or maybe just to get her back- but it didn't happen. I fought hard when I found out I was a witch. I lost myself to the craft- and eventually my own single-mindedness ended up getting me killed. I thank God that my sisters lived on and that it wasn't one of them, but I know how hard it was for them." Prue spoke in a reminiscent way and Liz wondered what memories were playing through her mind.

"Piper tried several times to summon me and I wasn't allowed to answer. In fact, you are the first person who has ever summoned me. Magic happens for a reason. It works how it is supposed to, so I know that there is a reason you were the one to reach me. Maybe it's so I can help you move on the way Paige helped Piper move on. At least you didn't have to turn into a demon to get my attention." Liz's eyes widened at that newsflash and Prue laughed.

"Did it hurt? Dying I mean." Liz questioned, her eyes sad, but tearless.

"You know in our line of work you get used to the nicks and scraps and when you finally die- the pain isn't different than that; you don't even know you're dying until you are dead." Prue said it to be comforting, and that's how Liz took it.

"My parents are Nancy and Jeff Parker- do you know them?"

"Probably." It was an evasive answer, but Liz didn't expect much more than that. "So what happened that brought you to the attic?" Prue asked.

Liz went into great detail about the attack that morning, even greater detail about Tektra, and then- faith and something else guiding her- Liz told Prue about Melissa's theory. "I feel like everything has fallen into my lap all at once." Liz vented.

"Sounds about right. When I first got my powers, everything that could go wrong went wrong. But you have to stay on task. Prioritize. Focus on learning how your powers work, how best to utilize them, and then the demons." It sounded easy when put that way, but Liz knew it wasn't. She had been trying- but all her personal baggage was bringing her down.

"I'm surprised Piper isn't being more useful, or Phoebe. Piper is excellent at potions- one of the best. And Phoebe, well she has enough researching gusto to wind three witches. And Paige…she's a good witch. She has a good heart." A shadow passed through Prue's eyes, but Liz didn't ask questions. She knew how hard it had to be for Prue, she knew the story.

"Paige helps when she can. Phoebe has a lot on her plate with work. And Piper's not my biggest fan." Liz's eyes darted elsewhere and she avoided meeting Prue's eyes.

"Phoebe probably wants you to learn faster- approach her and she'll be a pillar of guidance. I know Piper better though. What's holding her back?" Sighing, Liz faced Prue and explained her relationship with Chris.

"I like Piper. I do. I want her to like me too. But I'm not going to give up on Chris because his mommy says so." Defiance radiated off her, and Liz squared her shoulders.

"Piper's a better witch than that- she knows you have to either harness your emotions to help your cause, or put them off for later. Something you should learn too, Liz. Whatever emotional baggage you are carrying- either use it, or forget about it. Being a witch means living beyond pettiness and for the greater good." Prue paced the room and Liz felt like a soldier watching a four-star General plan for battle.

"The best way to handle things with Piper is to meet them head on. Lay it out for her and be strong. With Phoebe, ask for help, and she'll be there- that's what makes her such a great columnist." Prue turned back to Liz. "Work on the potion for the demon, Tektra. Once that's done- go to Patricia and have her help you scry; it's part of her gifts. She has the ability to find almost anything. When you go back to Magic school, see what you can overhear. Remember everyone you know right now- they are of potential use." Liz nodded to Prue as the other woman spoke and watched as Prue stepped back into the circle- her body dissolving into spirit form.

"I- Thanks for your help." Liz replied.

"You'll be fine, Liz. Prioritize. I'll be here if you need me. Blessed be." The awing sight of Prue whispering away on the wind and the candles going out had Liz rooted to the spot. The sound of a car turning off and the front door opening alerted Liz to a new presence.

"Aunt Piper?" It was Henry Jr. Liz hurried about, putting the candles away and returning to her research.

Moments later the attic door opened and Henry Jr. appeared. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a dress shirt- an odd pairing, cute none-the-less. "Hi Liz. How are you?"

"Hi. I'm fine. How are you?" Liz asked, looking up from the random book she had opened in her lap.

"Good. Have you seen Piper? I was supposed to drop by for some food for P3; we have a special concert going on tonight."
Henry said, leaning against the doorjamb.

"She was downstairs in the kitchen- but she might have run some food to the restaurant- they had a catering order tonight." Putting the book down, Liz stood, and joined Henry as he walked out into the hall, heading for the kitchen.

"How is school going for you? I've visited a few times, but you always seem to be busy. Not that that's bad." Their shoulders brushed as they went down the stairs and Liz froze- a vision hitting her.

Tektra and Henry facing one another, whispering words that Liz couldn't hear. A fierce expression on both their faces. Distant cries of agony reached them and Liz stared on petrified as Tektra sent an attack toward Henry and Liz's direction.

"Liz are you alright?" Henry had taken hold of Liz as she stumbled and fell forward down the stairs toward the landing. Liz gazed up at him shocked and dazed from the brief, but distressing vision.

"I'm fine. I had a vision. I saw Tektra. He was attacking you. It looked grungy and dank- maybe the underworld?" The blurring images rushed through her mind and Liz scrunched her eyes shut- forcing them out while rubbing a soothing hand across her brow.

"Come sit down." Henry orbed them onto the couch in the living room and Liz gulped down breath, positioning herself upright.

"I really can't tell you more than that. In fact, I can't really say that it'll come true. The one about Phoebe has yet to come to fruition and really I don't know if this one will either, but don't rule it out." Again the sound of the front door opening had Liz on edge.

Piper marched into the house, unaware of Liz and Henry, and stopped only when Henry called to her.

"What are you doing here?" Piper asked, pointedly ignoring Liz.

"I came for the food for the concert tonight." Liz watched Henry get to his feet and embrace Piper, talking the bags from her arms.

"Shoot, I almost forgot. The food should be ready soon, actually. I put it in before I left, and had confidence that should a fire start, Liz would notice and put it out." The statement challenged Liz's competency, but Liz was too distracted by her vision to notice, or care.

"Great. I'll be back for it then. Thanks again, Liz. We'll talk more later." Henry orbed away and Piper disappeared into the kitchen, only to return seconds later.

"Chris not enough? Working on my nephew too?" Piper said snidely.

"Piper, I love Chris. I think he is one of the greatest people I have ever met. He is smart and mature and kind. Don't you agree?" Piper nodded as she opened her mouth to retort, but Liz cut her off with a wave of her hand. "IF you do, then you should trust his judgment. I would never hurt him. I have been trying for weeks to help you and your sisters and your family with Tektra. I have swallowed the reality pill and come to see that this isn't a dream, or a nightmare that I am going to wake up from. I have been utilizing my powers to do what I can to help save your family from a great lose and you won't don't seem to want to cut me any slack.

"When Leo was labeled off-limits by the Elders did that stop you from wanting to be with him? From trying? No. And I'm not going to let YOU stop me from being with Chris. I am a good person. I was a good daughter. And I will be a great witch. But only with help and support. Chris offers me that and more. I like you, Piper, but I love your son. And I don't care if you agree with that- but I hope you can come to understand that." Liz folded her arms protectively around herself, and stood up to await Piper's answer.

"I couldn't stop Chris from making a mistake before- he did that. But he still go hurt. Don't be a mistake. Don't let my faith in my son, and the faith I will give you now be a mistake." Piper warned. "Now why don't you grab the book from the attic and bring it into the kitchen. Maybe we can find something on the demon from this morning. Or brew up a potion for Tektra." That said, Piper walked out with a slight smile on her face and Liz headed for the stairs.

Prue's advice came through and Liz felt a sudden kinship toward the spirit. The attic was as it had been left minutes before, except the book was open. When Liz reached the page it was open to made her gasp. The demon from that morning was clearly detailed and outlined in the book. Liz book marked the page, snatched it off the stand, and raced down the steps and into the kitchen. Piper was already boiling water and pulling out ingredients when Liz slapped the book down onto the counter.

"I found the demon from this morning." Piper joined Liz on the other side of the island and stared down at the depicted demon.

"Relic Demons. They are a clan of unintelligent demons by nature, similar to the extinct Kazi Demons. Regeneration, blinking, and power absorption are some of their known gifts. They also have the ability to morph into powerful amulets used by other clan members. Unintelligent as they are, Relic Demons are incapable of organizing, or planning anything on their own and must be ruled by, or led by someone with drive and power." Piper read off the description and Liz memorized the information. The hideous blue skin and black eyes of the demons were chilling and the self-made cuts and welts raised the already creepy appearance all the more unsettling.

"Alright, so if they are similar to Kazi Demons maybe we should get Paige and Phoebe in on this. They were the ones to catch one when Wyatt was a baby." Piper suggested as she began reaching for the phone.

"Paige has a court case today." Liz spoke up from where she was studying the book- rereading the passage.

"Phoebe should be available though." Piper dialed away on the phone and Liz glanced over at the bubbling water. It was about to spill over onto the counter and the book and out of reaction- Liz motioned with her wrist at the pot. It iced over and then exploded into a hundred piece. Piper shrieked from her phone conversation and hit the ground as Liz fell off her stood and landed on her side on the floor.

"Jesus Liz!" Piper exclaimed, getting up and picking up the phone.

"Sorry. I was just trying to stop the water from boiling over onto the counter and the book." Liz's right arm throbbed and she had a hard time lifting herself up.

"Are you hurt?" Piper asked, shushing Phoebe who was squawking on the other end, asking what had happened.

"My arm hurts, but I'm fine." Liz waved it off, but the jolting zing of pain in her right arm had her gasping.

"You aren't fine. Leo!" Piper called, shushing Phoebe again. Liz's face warmed with embarrassment when Leo appeared. Leo hadn't seen Liz since her first night at Magic school and Liz remembered his reaction to hers and Chris's relationship.

"What?" Leo stood in his headmaster robes and addressed Piper, not noticing Liz.

"Liz needs healing." Leo's attention pivoted to Liz and Liz smiled.

"Hi Leo." Liz finger waved and then hissed at her own stupidity when another thrill of pain hit her.

"Hello Liz. What happened?" Despite his desire for answers, Leo attended her arm and Liz noticed that his touch was much like Paige's- it missed something that Chris's didn't, but the thought dissipated when the pain stopped.

"Liz froze a pot of boiling water." Piper put in before redirecting her attention to Phoebe, finally.

"I didn't want it to spill over onto the book, or the counter. It was stupid of me. I know that when water rapidly freezes it expands, and as it was boiling water the effect was explosive." The debris of broken and iced over metal and ice littered the counter and floor and chips were embedded in the ceiling.

"Don't worry about it. This house has gone under a lot of construction since the Charmed Ones were first established and then reinstituted." The laughing twinkle in his eyes, eased Liz's flushed embarrassment.

"Just get here Phoebe. God sometimes I wonder if your job has become your main priority over your family." Piper's voice rang angrily before a violent clicking sound was heard, and Liz knew that Piper had hung up the phone.

"Was that really fair to Phoebe, Piper?" Leo's tone was gentle, but chastising.

"Look I've had one hell of a day- everyone has to be a little more understanding. Phoebe is always working, which I know she deserves- but so do I. I don't shun demon duty even when I want to, Leo, and Phoebe is just getting off track lately. It always happens when her career picks up in a new direction. I would call the kids, but they all have a lot on their minds and plates. Now you should get back to Magic school before the whole place falls apart without you." Piper's tone had gone from stern to endearing in under a minute and Liz watched in amazement as the couple kissed and then Leo disappeared.

"I love my husband, but sometimes he's just a little too compassionate." Liz heard Piper mutter.

"Phoebe's a writer, right?" Liz questioned, curiously. She remembered what Prue had said earlier, and wondered what kind of columnist Phoebe was.

"Yes. Phoebe is an advice columnist- she used to write as "Ask Phoebe", but she has recently started to write a new column, "Finding Love". I love my sister, but she has a problem balancing her priorities." Liz smiled and could have laughed at how much Piper sounded like Prue just then.

"Now why don't you grab another pot and I'll grab some more ingredients." They worked together after that in silence. It was half an hour later before Phoebe breezed into the room, hands on hips, and glare in place.

"I was in the middle of an interview. Thank you very much, Piper. Hi Liz." The "are you happy now" tone of voice switched to cheerfully welcoming as Phoebe addressed Liz.

"Hi." Liz said, smiling back.

"I'm sorry, but we need your expertise." Piper returned, rolling her eyes and pointing to the book.

Sighing, Phoebe quirked her lips in a sarcastic expression, and then tossed her purse and keys on the kitchen table. Liz peeled more rosemary from the stem she was working on and refocused on the task at hand.

"Relic Demons- that's new. I remember the Kazis, that was when we had lost our senses to the monkey totem right?" Phoebe asked Piper. Piper glanced up from where she was mixing the potion and a rueful smile spread across her face.

"Yeah, and that was fun." Piper said.

"What happened?" Liz asked. Phoebe regaled Liz with the story and Liz it added a whole new dimension to Piper's "kick ass mama" side.

"I'd like to say good times, but really they were a nightmare." Phoebe said through a false smile, brows furrowing.

"Tell me about it." Piper chimed in, making a here-here gesture with her wooden stirring spoon.

"I couldn't image not being able to see, hear, or speak." Liz said, shaking her head and then in unison the three knocked on the wooden counter top. They broke out into laughter and Liz thought it was a long way to come from the Saturday she had been having.

"Sounds like you're all having fun." Henry Jr. orbed back in beside Phoebe. He gave her a half hug and smiled at them all.

"The food should be ready." Piper said. Liz moved out of the way as Piper took out four, deep, cooking trays, covered in tin foil. The oven had been off for about fifteen minutes and Piper had left the trays in the oven to stay warm.

"They are hot, so I suggest orbing them to P3 one at a time." Piper instructed. "If you need more, I think we have extra at the restaurant- but you said you only need a couple more trays."

Henry pulled on some oven mitts and smiled, "This is more than enough. Thanks Aunt Piper. Nice seeing you again Liz. Bye Aunt Phoebe." Henry grabbed two of the trays, orbed out, appeared again moments later for the other two, and then
disappeared for good.

"He's lucky that he didn't burn himself, or someone else." The mothering tone was wasted on Liz and Phoebe; they had already gone back to potions and spell writing.

"I have a vanquishing spell for one for the Relic Demon you ran into this morning, Liz. Here you go. I have to get back to the office, but if you need help- let me know. Oh and a simple summoning spell should work to get it here." Phoebe handed over the small paper she had found to write on and smiled broadly before hugging them both and taking off in a hurry.

"There is one thing that we don't have that should be perfect to finish off this potion." Piper murmured as she dropped in the last of the Thyme they had.

"What's that?" Liz asked, scanning the spell Phoebe had written.

"Tektra's skin." Piper replied.

"What?" Liz looked up alarmed.

"With high-level demons a piece of their skin in required to make a vanquishing potion. As it is, we don't know if the potion and spell will even make a difference. He is supposed to be unstoppable and the only one of us to ever kill an unstoppable demon- while they were truly unstoppable- was Prue." Piper's hair had fallen curtain-like in front of her face while she leaned over the book, avoiding Liz's eyes.

"How am I supposed to get a hold of Tektra's skin?" Liz puzzled.

"We'll figure that part out." Piper answered, finally throwing back her hair and giving Liz a reassuring look. "Remember, I've been in this business for over twenty years now." Piper smiled callously.

"Then why do you want to quit?" Liz asked, unable to stop herself.

"When your whole life is abnormal since you were in your twenties, you tend to grow a fondness for normalcy." Thoughts of Max and the others and how her life had been "abnormal" for years and all that she had been through she sympathized.

"I think I understand." Liz empathized.

"I think so too." Piper retorted before turning off the boiling potion and storing it in a large plastic container. "This should keep well in the freezer for a couple of weeks, but if we don't manage to acquire the skin before then, we'll have to make another batch." Piper explained.

"What about the Relic Demon?" Liz held up Phoebe's spell.

"You and Paige can scry for it tomorrow. You should head back to Magic school. It's getting late and I have to return to the restaurant." Piper was already cleaning up as the sun was setting outside.

"How am I to get back?"

"I have a teleportation potion." Piper said, pausing to open one of the cabinets and pull out a small vial of pink liquid.

"Thanks for the help, Piper." Liz said reaching for the vial.

"Thank you for helping my family, Liz." Piper's eyes met Liz's as Liz dropped the potion and for a moment, acceptance flickered in the older woman's eyes, and then everything faded away.