Disclaimer: I don't own BTR or Charrmed.
Ch21: Morality bites.
Logan's pov:
I grunted walking into the kitchen carrying two grocery bags with one arm and my left shoe in my other hand. "A little help here!" I yelled when I dropped one of the bags and the groceries fell out scattering over the kitchen floor.
"I'll help." James said walking into the kitchen, he walked over to me pulled out the latest issue of 'Man Fashion' from the bag I was still carrying before lazily sitting down at the kitchen table. I stared at him as he began reading the magazine. "That's not helping!" I snapped.
"Relax." Kendall said as he and Carlos walked into the kitchen. Kendall was about to take the bag from me when he froze. "Dude," He said scrunching up his nose in disgust. "What did you buy that smells so bad?"
"This." I muttered holding up my left shoe that was covered in dogs poop.
Carlos made a face. "And the evil puppy strikes again." He spoke dramatically before bending down and starting to pick up the groceries that I dropped earlier.
I couldn't help but agree with him though. Our front lawn and porch are already turning in a puppy minefield. "It's so damn annoying that that guy let's his dog do his business in our front lawn." I muttered putting the grocery bag on the counter.
End Logan's pov.
Kendall nodded, he to had lost way too many good sneakers thanks to their neighbor's dog. "The next time I catch him in the act, I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind." As if on cue he heard a high pitched dog's bark.
Carlos immediately rushed to the front door to look through the small window. "It's him." He told Kendall and Logan who walked into foyer after him. He saw the balding guy in suit walk up their front lawn with his tiny dog which couldn't possibly belong to himself.
"Are you guys seriously watching a dog poop on our porch?" James asked walking into the foyer, his magazine still in his hands.
"What else do expect us to do?" Kendall replied not taking his eyes away from the window.
James shrugged. "I don't know give the guy a taste of his own medicine? One swing of your arm and-"
"We can't just use magic to teach him or anybody a lesson!" Logan cried shocked James would suggest such a thing.
"Why not?" Carlos asked starting to agree with James' suggestion. "We'd do the entire block a favor."
"See it as community service." James added smirking, glad he had at least one of his brothers' one his side.
Kendall and Logan glanced at each other before nodding. In a split second Kendall shapeshifted into a Labrador letting our a few loud barks scaring the tiny dog outside causing it to let our various loud shrieks.
When the dog owner was distracted Logan moved to look outside through the small window. He swung his hand towards a pile of dog poop moving it across the lawn letting it hit the dog owner's shoe. "An eye for an eye a shoe for a shoe!" He whispered grinning earning small laughs from James and Carlos. The laughing turned even louder when they saw the man look around in confusion.
"Did he see you?" Kendall asked once he shapeshifted back into himself.
"No," Carlos shook his head grinning. "What's he gonna do? Cry witch?"
"Well, now that we've done our good deed for the day," James said smirking. "I think I deserve to read my magazine in peace." He said already walking out of the foyer and into the living room.
"I call the remote!" Carlos cried chasing after him.
Big-Time-Charmed.
Carlos let out a heavy sigh changing the channels of the flat screen again. Why was there never anything good to watch when he got the remote. Pouting he settled for a news program on the greatest sportsman of this time. The female reporter was telling something about some great baseball player named Cal Greene.
Not wanting to watch the program alone he glanced over to where James laying on the couch still reading his magazine. "Hey James, wanna see world's greatest baseball player?"
"Hm?" James said looking up from his magazine to glance at the television.
The moment his hazel eyes landed on the baseball player he lout small gasp as he was pulled in a premonition. It wasn't like his usual premonitions though.
It was like he was still watching tv only instead of the baseball player he only got a glimpse of, he saw a scene that could be from a bad black and white home video. He saw an older looking version of himself being chained against a pyre by two guards, the scene changed to another guard pressing a button then back the older version of his as the pyre came to life and huge flames came from it burning him alive. James got one glimpse of Kendall, Logan and Carlos crying out to his future self before the premonition ended.
"James!" Carlos cried when James opened his eyes again, let out a strangled cry before falling of the couch. "Easy." He said helping James back onto the couch. "It's okay."
"No it's not." James slowly shook his head trying to calm his breathing. "I'm gonna be executed." He said. "Burned alive." He added in a small whisper.
Big-Time-Charmed.
If there is one sentence that could ruin the entire atmosphere in a household of four witches it would definitely include the words 'execution, stake and burned alive'. Carlos decided watching as Logan walked in carrying a class of water and putting it on the salon table in front of James who was still pretty shaken up from his premonition.
"How can one report on a baseball player trigger a premonition like that?" Kendall wondered. He was sitting on the couch besides James.
"I don't know but, I could feel it." James replied shuddering. "I-... I could feel it burning-"
"No need to retell." Kendall quickly cut him of resisting the urge to gag. The thought of one of his younger brothers burning at the stake was just too horrible.
Logan sighed sitting down on the smaller couch besides Carlos. "It doesn't make any sense." He noted. "We were just standing there?"
"That's what I saw." James said with a small nod of his head.
"But that's not how it works." Carlos stated crossing his arms firmly. "We'd never just let something like that happen. No matter if it's in the past, present or future. It's just not how we roll."
All four boys looked up when the doorbell rang. "That's Jo!" Kendall said with a small grin on his face, he jumped of the couch and hurried to the front door.
Shaking his head in amusement, Logan watched him leave. It was the first time Kendall and Jo would see each other after he found out Jo was their whitelighter. To think, less than a year ago they thought the only stain on Kendall and Jo's relationship would be Jo's dislike for hockey.
Big-Time-Charmed.
"Hey stranger." Jo happily greeted Kendall when he opened the door to her. She smiled stepping into the foyer. She wrapped her arms around Kendall's neck pulling him into a deep kiss.
"If that's how you treat strangers," Kendall said once she pulled away, just a little bit He grinned a silly grin. "I really need to find out how you treat lovers."
Jo smirked playfully. "Well why don't we find out together, they are making me work tonight." She said briefly glancing up letting Kendall know she was referring to the elders. "But I got the whole afternoon off."
Kendall chuckled resting his hands on Jo's hips. "The old 'I gotta save the world' excuse again?"
"Like you never had to use it?" Jo snorted with a slight roll of her eyes.
At those words Kendall's smile turned from an amused one to an apologizing smile.
"You're about to use it." Jo stated fully pulling away from him.
Kendall didn't bother to lie. "I just got something really important to do." He didn't bother going into details either. "Maybe we can-" He stopped talking when he heard a jingling like sound coming from... the sky?"
Jo didn't look surprised by the sound, in fact she looked more annoyed. "Now?" She asked clearly not pleased.
"Uh, Jo?" Kendall started to ask.
Jo shook her head. "Some bosses keep in contact with pagers. Mine are a little bit more straight forwards. Only whitelighters and powerful magical beings can hear the jingle." She said before returning Kendall's apologetic smile. "I gotta go to." She said. "But we really need to talk about this later. Get to know where we stand."
Kendall nodded. "That's what we do best." He said pulling her into another kiss. In the middle of the kiss Jo orbed out needing to do the task the elders needed her for leaving Kendall kissing nothing but air.
"Arg." Kendall muttered watching the last of tiny white light orbs disappear. "I hate it when she does that."
Big-Time-Charmed.
Orbing into the attic Jo quickly moved to the pedestal where the Book Of Shadows rested on. Opening it she held her hands above it magically flipping through the pages. Hearing the guys walking towards the attic she quickly orbed away.
"So how did you're talk with Jo go?" James asked following Kendall, Logan and Carlos into the attic. He really wasn't sure what the guys thought they could do. From what he could tell from his premonition his execution wouldn't be for another ten years.
"Well it basically existed of both of us having other stuff to do and canceling our date." Kendall replied shrugging.
"You didn't ask her what we should do?" Carlos asked.
Kendall shook his head. "I couldn't, she had to fly... literally." He added smiling before noticing the Book Of Shadows was already open. Guessing their great grandmother was trying to help them from the alter life he walked over to the pedestal. "It's a spell to take us to the future."
"Two actually." Logan corrected looking at the two pages. "One to take us to the future and one to send us back. But apparently we only get one shot. Once we used them they disappear."
James looked at his brothers like they lost their minds. "We nearly got killed going to the past. How's going to the future a good idea?"
"To save your life." Carlos stated with a small shrug. It seemed pretty obvious to him.
Kendall nodded firmly. They were going to save James' life whether he liked it or not. "Look, you had that premonition today for a reason. It must mean that we're supposed to do something about it. And going to the future might be the only way to find out what you did to put you on that pyre."
At this James crossed his arms and glared at Kendall. "What makes you think it was something I did?" He asked quite offended. "For all you know it could be a demon that puts me there."
Logan smiled, apparently Kendall was picking up on Gustavo's reversed psychology techniques. "Do you really want to risk finding out when it's too late?"
Kendall smirked when James didn't have a reply to that. "Alright we're going to the future. We're going to need a date for the spell James."
James nodded, maybe that's why the premonition looked like it came from a bad recorder so he could see the date and time. November 12 2025. That's two weeks before the date I saw in my premonition."
"Alright." Kendall said writing the date down on a piece of paper. "That should give us enough time to figure out what put you on that pyre."
"I wonder how I'll look like." Carlos wondered when Kendall handed him the piece of paper.
Logan frowned. "Not really the time to start caring about that now."
"No not like that." Carlos said shaking his head. "I mean like when we went to the past last year we saw baby Kendall and Logan and James and my mom were pregnant with us. This time we'll see ourselves ten years older."
"We'll find out when you lit up that paper." Kendall said rather impatiently.
Nodding Carlos glanced at the page in the Book Of Shadows before summoning a small flame on his index finger and burned the paper. "Hear these words, hear the rhyme."
"We send to you this burning sign." Kendall continued the spell.
"Then our future selves will find," Logan added.
"In another place and time." James finished sounding a whole lot less convincing the the others did. Twinkling lights encircled the boys before they disappeared.
Big-Time-Charmed.
"Daddy, daddy, daddy!"
Yawning Kendall slowly sat up. He was sitting on the living room couch. Or at least it he was in the living room but he was on a complete different couch. Last time he checked the couch was green not white with black roses. He looked up at what had woken him up.
In front him stood a little boy that couldn't be older than five. With dirty blond hair bright brown eyes and bushy eyebrows. The boy was smiling brightly looking up at him. "Time to not be lazy." The little boy giggled.
Kendall slowly stood up looking around the living room he noticing many differences in the room that hadn't been there when he last had been here which couldn't be over twenty minutes ago. He looked down at the little boy in front of him. "I think you're in the wrong house kiddo." He told the little boy not sure what else to say. "Definitely the wrong daddy too."
"Stop being silly dad." The little boy grinned briefly hugging Kendall around his waist seeing he couldn't reach up any higher. The boy grinned hearing a car honk. "Aunt Katie!" He cheered running out of the living room.
Kendall was about to run his hand through his hair when he saw a gold ring around his ring finger. A wedding ring, when did he ge- Kendall quickly stood up and walked over to the gold framed mirror James had insisted on hanging in the living room. His eyes grew wide when he saw his reflection.
Well he was obviously older with sharper features. The biggest difference would be that he now had a short light brown beard. Besides his reflection in the mirror he saw the news on the '3D surround' tv show a picture of an older version of James.
"James." He whispered looking around the room for the remote. "Where's the volume?" He muttered. He was only mildly surprised when the volume went up on its own. "Voice controlled televisions." Kendall noted. He could get used to that.
"More news on the execution of the actor James Diamond coming up in just a moment. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming MTV's Real World 18th, on the moon." The male reporter read from his notes.
"Dad I'm gonna be late!" The little boy cried from the foyer.
"I'm coming." He answered not taking his eyes away from the tv. "Er.. tv shut up... Mute." The final order did the trick. Smirking in satisfaction he quickly went to the foyer only to stop midway when he recognized the person standing next to the little boy. "Katie?" He asked slowly walking towards the doorstep where the future version of his baby sister stood.
Like he always knew she would, his little sister grew up beautifully. She still had straight brown hair just with shorter bangs. Dressed in skinny jeans and baby blue blouse it showed she obviously wouldn't be an easy catch. "Morning big brother." She greeted him the same way she always did, though this time with faked cheerfulness. "Are you holding up?"
"Uh.. I guess." Kendall replied still getting over the shock of seeing the twenty year old version of his sister.
Katie sighed briefly looking down before facing Kendall with a confident look. "Don't worry. I'm sure your plan will work. In the meantime don't worry about short stuff here." She said looking down at the little boy smiling fondly. "I'll drop him of at school on my way to college." She sighed. "And then I'll take my nephew to 'the ex'. And yes I'm calling her the ex. Unless one of changes your minds then that's how it's gonna be."
"Ex?" Kendall repeated before realizing he was staring. "If that's what I told you to do then just do it."
Katie nodded. "You say bye to your daddy." Katie told the little boy. "Meet me at the car." She said before heading towards her car.
The little boy turned to him looking much more serious than before. "Don't worry daddy." He whispered. "I promise I'll do what you asked. I won't use my magic again ever." He said giving him a big hug before turning around and following his aunt to her car.
Momentarily stunned Kendall watched them drive off. A moment later a black SUV pulled up parking on the same spot where Katie had parked previously.
Kendall immediately recognized the latino that stepped out of the large car.
A huge grin broke on Carlos' face when his eyes landed on the blond as he obviously recognized his older brother. Carlos changed to, he no longer had his childlike round features, he was more muscular he even grew an inch or two.
"Kendall!" Carlos cried rushing towards the manor obviously relieved that he managed to find Kendall. "Dude there are two baby seats in my car!" He yelled sounding panicked before he grinned again. "But look at my car!"
Looking at the black SUV Kendall whistled. "Nice."
Carlos nodded. "I know right? So how did you do?"
Kendall let out a dry laugh before turning around walking back into the manor.
"Is that good or bad?" Carlos asked following him inside and closing the door behind him.
Kendall shrugged. "Well if you ignore my apparently failed marriage and the fact that I'm still living in the manor in ten years-"
"You're married?" Carlos interrupted eyes growing wide.
"Not for long." Kendall replied. "Katie mentioned it when she picked up my son for school."
"You have a son?" Carlos asked.
Kendall nodded a small smile forming on his face thinking about the little boy as his. Before he could reply the doorbell rang servile times. "Please be somebody we knew ten years ago." Kendall pleaded before opening the door.
His wish was granted when he saw Logan standing in the doorway. He gave Logan a once over. "Well aren't you predictable." He stated smirking. Out of all of them Logan changed the least, sure he his features were a bit sharper and he looked a bit worn but that's it. The white lab coat with a name tag reading 'Dr Mitchell' certainly gave a big hint at what his future career was.
"Gee thanks furry face." Logan responded referring to Kendall's new beard.
"Hey Logie." Carlos briefly greeted his second oldest brother. "Back to the subject you have a son?" He asked Kendall again.
"You have a son?" Logan repeated the question. "What's his name?"
At that the smile slipped from Kendall's face. "God, I don't know." He realized. "But he has powers guys. But for some reason I told him not to use them. Why would I do that?"
"Speaking of why.." Logan started ignoring Kendall's new fatherhood related doubts. "Why are we in our future bodies? I mean, I thought we were supposed to come here and see them." He said walking into the living room followed by Kendall and Carlos. Carlos was tempted to comment on why Kendall changed there living room but decided against it.
"I don't know." Carlos shrugged in reply. "Maybe going to the future is different then going to the past or it was a different kind of spell. I just wish that since we are in our future bodies that we could have some memory of what's happened in the last ten years, like why I'd have those kiddie seats in my car."
Logan groaned palming his forehead. "Carlos go join Kendall in 'the new daddy club'." He muttered. His head shot up when he realized something. "Wait a second.. if we're in our future bodies that means that James is-"
"TV!" Kendall cried when the news showed the picture of James again. "Uh... Louder." He ordered the voice controlled tv.
"-execution. We're less than eight hours away now until the burning of James Diamond. The witch accused of murdering Cal Greene six months ago." The reporter read from his paper.
"Eight hours!" Carlos gasped. "We're supposed to be here two weeks before!"
"Shh!" Both Kendall and Logan shushed him neither of the two taking their eyes away from the tv as the scene changed to a female reporter standing outside interviewing a grey haired man in suit.
"Los Angeles district attorney, Nathaniel Pratt, who's discovery of the witch last May, has made him an early favor for the governor's seat, just came out to make a statement. Let's listen in."
She said bringing her microphone closer to Nathaniel's face.
"This is a reflection of our citizens' resolve to ferret out the hidden evil." Nathaniel spoke in the microphone in a serious yet confident face. "To turn fear into fight, and to band together as one. To cleanse our city of its greatest threat. Tonight, James Diamond will burn for his crime. And when he does, let that be a warning to other witches out there. You're next." He said pointing into the camera making the boys feel like he was actually pointing at them.
Big-Time-Charmed.
With a sense of déja vu Kendall, Logan and Carlos walked into the attic. "Oh, surprise." Logan muttered stopping at the doorstep as Kendall and Carlos walked past him. "Here we go, up the stairs, into the attic, grabbing the Book of Shadows. Please tell me we're not still gonna be doing this in ten years."
"Uh apparently not." Carlos replied sounding unsure.
"What?" Logan asked walking towards them.
"The Book isn't here." Kendall stated before he started searching the attic for the Book's new hidden place. "It's got to be here, we need it to find the return spell." He muttered. Logan to started searching through the attic.
"Guys?" Carlos asked not sure what to do.
"Just help us find it!" Logan ordered his voice sounding higher than usual.
Carlos sighed, if Logan was already freaking out then finding the Book Of Shadows would take ages. "Relax we'll find it. Don't worry."
"You don't know that!" Logan shrieked. "I mean, what if it's lost, what if we can't find it? Then we're stuck in our future bodies with no way of getting out of them and no way of saving James." To empathize his point he flicked his arms towards the window somehow sending nearly object in the attic flying that direction. paling at what he'd done Logan stared at the now nearly destroyed attic. "Oops."
"Ooh been working out?" Carlos asked amazed at how much Logan's power had grown.
Logan slowly nodded. "I-I guess that's a little sample of what ten years does to our powers."
"And to our attic." Kendall grunted crossing his arms. "I doubt future me would appreciate us wrecking the hous-" He stopped talking when he noticed something attached to a table Logan had turned upside down. "A key." He said picking it up and showing it to the others.
Logan cocked his head as he studied the key, reaching into the pocket of his lab coat he pulled out a key identical to the one Kendall was holding. "It's the key to my private locker at the hospital."
"You went to work already?" Carlos asked frowning.
Logan shook his head. "I woke up there actually. I guess future me had the night shift or something. You think we keep the book there now? Why would we take the book out of the house?"
"We don't even know what we're like in this time, Logan." Kendall answered. "Let alone what we think. But if the book is at the hospital, maybe it'll give us some answers."
Carlos nodded. "So we'll go there first, then to James to see if he's alright."
As they walked towards the door Logan glanced behind them. "Sorry about the mess." He apologized to Kendall who only shrugged in reply. He'd get mad at Logan in ten years.
Big-Time-Charmed.
Waking up in unfamiliar apartments with girls he didn't recognize after a party gone too far, no problem. Waking up behind bullet proof glass in beige overalls, that was a complete different issue which he could not handle!
"Hello?" James called unsurely walking through the small square shaped cell which only held a hard bed and a disgusting looking toilet which he already knew he wouldn't be using. "I really need to talk to someone." He called sighing sadly when no one replied... again. "What about food, a snack maybe?" He asked trying a different approach. "I could really go for some crackers, peanuts? Or some su-" He stopped when a guards slid a tray full of grey slop into the room.
"A tray full of goo?" He asked incredulously giving the guard his 'you have got to be kidding me' look. No wonder his future body was so skinny.
Ignoring him the guard turned around and walked away.
"Wait!" James cried afraid of being left alone again. He touched the glass trying to reach the guard only to get a small electric shock from it. He let out a small shriek of pain. "Don't I get a phone call?" He asked sliding to the floor and hugging his knees, he didn't even know his friends' numbers in this time so what's the point.
He let out a tiny whimper when he heard a voice coming from the cell besides him yell. "Shut up witch!"
Big-Time-Charmed.
"Seriously how did you end up with such a cool car?" Logan asked once they all got out of Carlos' suv.
Carlos shrugged. "Guys for all I know it's not my car. I woke up in it at a parking lot. Maybe I burrowed it or it's my wife's."
"Be glad you didn't wake up driving- Did you just say wife?" Logan cut himself of surprised by Carlos' words.
Shrugging again Carlos glanced back at the car. "Yeah... I think so seeing I have those kiddie seats in the car."
"I do not want to be the only one single of us!" Logan declared crossing his arms. Yes he'd gotten his dream job, but by the looks of it both Kendall and Carlos had families of their own. Though it couldn't be worse than being put on death row. They really needed to get to James soon.
"Guys!" Kendall groaned. "Let's not open the can of worms." He told Logan and Carlos holding up his hands. "We're not here to find out how our future looks like, we're here to find out wha-... Did the streets just get like really quiet?"
Both Logan and Carlos nodded looking past Kendall. Following their gaze Kendall turned around his eyes growing wide when he realized that all the people on the street had disappeared and in their place now stood... cans? "Please tell I didn't just transform the entire street into cans."
"Looks like my power isn't the only one that's grown." Logan commented. "You just transformed-"
"Everyone!" Carlos finished sounding shocked.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
The three boys looked up to see Jo walk up to them. She because she was immortal she hadn't changed a bit, the only differences were her clothing style that looked more matured and that she now had a wave in her long blond hair. She did not look happy at all.
Kendall grinned at his girlfriend. "Hey baby, I'm so glad to see you." He said moving to hug her only to be pushed away by her. "Jo?"
"You know, I knew you'd do something stupid like this!" Jo snapped glaring at him. "You used your magic in public. What's the matter with you? Are you insane!"
Kendall had no clue how to respond to that.
"She thinks we know what's going on." Logan reminded him in a quiet whisper, though he too was taking back by their whitelighter's behavior.
"You wanna end up like your brother?" Jo demanded somewhere between furious and exhausted. "We had an agreement. No using magic for Kevin's sake."
"Kevin?" Kendall repeated frowning as he was trying to make sense of what Jo was telling him.
If possible Jo's anger grew at his words. "Our son! What the hell is wrong with you?" She sighed heavenly rubbing her temple. "please tell me you didn't start drinking again."
Kendall just stared at her. "Our son?" He finally asked in a quiet voice.
"You're Kendall's ex?" Logan and Carlos asked in perfect harmony.
Just then a woman walked out of one of the buildings. She gasped seeing the usual crowded street filled with cans instead of people. Realizing Kendall, Logan, Carlos and Jo were the only people there she pointed at them with a shaking hand. "Witch!" She screamed in a high pitched voice. "Witch!"
"You know this is starting to feel more like the 1400's than the future." Logan stated putting a hand on his hip.
"Guys..." Carlos said pointing at a poster that showed Nathaniel Pratt with the text 'Rid the evil. Turn in witches'.
The woman briefly stopped screaming when all the cans turned back into people who simply continued doing previously unaware of their time as cans. "Over there! Witches!" The woman started screaming again.
"All right, hurry," Jo said turning around, motioning them to follow her. "we gotta get outta here before they see you." She said walking in a fast speed.
"They?" Logan asked sounding insecure.
"Witch hunters." Jo said with a slight roll of her eyes. What was wrong with the guys today? Like they were suffering from memory loss or something.
Big-Time-Charmed.
James sat up from the hard bed when he heard the door open. "Carlos? Kendall?" He asked hoping the guys would just walk in and get him out of this place.
Unfortunately instead of one of his brothers a tall skinny man with grey hair in a suit walked in looking awfully pleased with himself. "They haven't been to visit you before. Why would they come now?" he asked obviously having heard James call out to his friends. "No... they're gonna be as happy to get rid of you as I am." he said ending with a small disturbing chuckle.
"And you are...?" James asked not caring that he probably sounded pretty dumb right now.
The man chuckled again. "I'm sorry. It's been so long since our last visit. Executions are a bitch to plan. Logistics, alerting the media, gathering the kindling." He told James smugly. "But don't worry, I'll make sure you and your kind pay for your crime."
Chewing his bottom lip James wondered what his next move should be. "Yeah... But it wasn't really a big crime was it?" He asked hopefully.
Nathaniel glared at him. "You must be truly evil." He said looking utterly disgusted. "What bigger crime is there then taking a man's life."
Gasping James got of the bed and walked over to the glass. "I-I killed somebody?" He asked looking at Nathaniel with huge eyes.
Nathaniel's sighed looking annoyed. "James, what is this? An attempt to stay your execution? Plead insanity? It won't work. You have five hours to live. Tick tock." He said smirking as he pointed at his watch in a mocking manner.
"Five hours? That's not possible!" James cried furiously shaking his head. The spell was supposed to send them there two weeks before the execution not on the day!
"Well, I'm happy to see the seriousness of your crime has finally hit you." Nathaniel actually let out a small laugh to show how truly happy he was before turning serious again and glaring at James. "See, you represent everything I abhor. You're a threat. A danger to everything that is good and pure in our world."
Hadn't he heard that in a movie before? James tried to eye Nathaniel with an even look though he pretty sure the fear was evident on his face or else Nathaniel would have stopped looking so damn smug. "You're talking out of fear. Just because you don't understand something, doesn't make it evil."
"You're the one that doesn't understand." Nathaniel said snorting. "You killed a man using your power and now you're gonna die because of it. I only wish I could burn all of your kind with you. But don't worry, in time I will. This is only the beginning."
Big-Time-Charmed.
'This can't be real'. That thought plaguing Logan as Jo led them to an underground hiding place. The place reminded him way to much of something from the history books on world war two when people had to hide from the government.
"Jo, listen to me." Kendall pleaded, he'd been trying to convince Jo they were from the past for at least ten minutes now but it seemed Jo had gotten even more stubborn over the years then Kendall was. "The three of us." Kendall said speaking slowly showing he was about to snap at her. "Are from the past. From ten years ago."
"We have no idea what's going on!" Carlos added hoping to help.
Jo let out a loud frustrated sigh. "Don't even lie to me! James is set to die today and I only hope that this madness dies with him!" She yelled startling some of the people in the underground hide out. Realizing what she did Jo forced herself to calm down. "these people are in danger because of the witch trials he started." She told them in a softer tone.
"How did he possibly start this?" Logan asked looking at all the people spread out over the hideout. There were some couples, a few people sat on their own, they were even families hiding down here!
"You know," Jo said in a low hissing voice. "I don't know what you hope to accomplish by pretending not to know-" She was cut of when Kendall pulled her towards him by her arm and forced her into a deep passionate kiss. She tried to resist it at first before melting into the kiss.
Logan and Carlos awkwardly looked away. This was pretty random.
The couple finally pulled away breathing heavily. "Wow" Jo breathed. "We haven't kissed like that since-"
"Since this morning, 2012 remember?" Kendall cut her off his voice nothing but sincere. "We were supposed to meet, you had to leave, I went up to the attic and this is where I came, the future. If you don't believe me, at least believe what you feel, trust that." Not quit snapping not sounding to friendly either.
Jo frowned looking down at her feet. "I remember that was the day they sent me up to the attic to open the Book of Shadows, the future spell." She quietly said.
"That was you?" Carlos asked sounding surprised. "We just assumed it was grams."
"No that was me." Jo replied shaking her head. "So you really don't remember what happened the last ten years?" A sad look formed on her face when all three guys shook her head. She glanced at the people in the hide out. "These people, they're here underground because they've been accused of practicing witchcraft." She sadly informed them.
"They're witches?" Logan asked as he began realizing that if these people were ever spotted out of this hide out they would end with the same fate James had.
"Not all of them." Jo answered. "Most of them have been falsely accused."
"What did James do to start this?" Kendall asked already knowing there wasn't an answer that could make the situation seem any better.
Jo sighed. "Six months ago he killed a man. Cal Greene."
"The baseball player?" Carlos asked recalling the tv program he had been watching that morning. That report that started this whole mess.
"That's crazy!" Kendall cried not believing what Jo just told them. "James would never purposely hurt someone!"
"Well he hurt him!" Jo said raising her voice only the slightest. She sighed again before she started explain the situation. "James did it because Cal Greene murdered someone. Someone James cared about very much. A good friend who Cal brutalized." She spoke softly. "But a technicality set him free. James was furious, outraged. And that's when he crossed the line from protecting the innocent to punishing the guilty. He used his powers to kill Cal Greene, got caught, and his magic exposed by Nathaniel Pratt."
"And this is the result?" Logan asked his voice showing he didn't believe what Jo was telling them. "Modern day witch trials with Pratt as their leader?"
"And James at the stake." Carlos added. "But James' powers are passive." He said perking up slightly. "His powers can't kill."
"They can now." Jo replied with a firm nod. "All your powers have grown."
"Then we gotta go to James and explain." Kendall said already turning around.
"You can't!" Jo cried grabbing his arm. "That's why you haven't managed to visit James. If you go there Pratt will start thinking you three are witches to and you'd end up just like James. It took so much trouble to convince him you were mortals the first time!" She almost begged them. "I'll go.
Kendall sighed not sure if he really liked the plan but it wasn't like they had a choice. "Okay, then we'll go to the hospital to fetch the Book Of Shadows so we can get the spell that sends us home."
"Meet us at the manor." Logan said before he and Carlos ran towards the hide out's exit.
Kendall watched them go before looking at Jo. "So..." He started a small smile formed on his lips. "We got married huh?"
Jo only smiled in response.
"Kendall!" Logan and Carlos yelled from the exit.
Big-Time-Charmed.
Walking inside the hospital the boys soon realized one thing.
Logan was insanely popular.
"Good afternoon doctor Mitchell." A young female nurse said walking past them but not without sending a playful wink towards Logan who quickly turned beet red. This was repeated by every female nurse and doctor that they passed. Only to be stopped when a young woman in her early twenties walked up to them. "Give doctor Mitchell some space! He had to do the big surgery last night remember!" She said intertwining her arms in Logan's as she began dragging him into an office
Kendall and Carlos glanced at each other as Logan and the woman walked past them they tried to follow them till the woman closed the office door in his face. Grunting Kendall knocked on the door.
"Yes?" The woman asked opening the door.
"We're with him." Kendall stated pointing at Logan.
The woman blinked studying Kendall and Carlos before turning to Logan obviously confused.
"They are Kendall and Carlos." Logan said sounding surprised they weren't known at his works. "My best friends, my brothers?" He added when the woman still looked at loss.
"Oh," The woman blinked a couple of times fixing her smile. "I forgot you had more, well other than..." She awkwardly trailed off pretty sure that mentioning the execution of one of his best friends to her superior wouldn't exactly do her career much good. "I'm Anne." She introduced herself quickly changing the subject. "I assist dr. Mitchell in most of his surgeries." She smiled. "He's such an amazing surgeon!" She said happily clasping her hands together. "The way he heals people... It's almost like magic!"
"Magic eh?" Carlos said smirking. That out of all of them Logan's career would be based on personal gain was just so ironic... Though when you thought about it, it wasn't ironic in the funny way.
Logan cleared his throat but not before sending Carlos an annoyed glare. "Anne could you give us a moment?"
Anne nodded eager to please him. "Of course! If you need me just buzz." Said before exiting the room.
"Not one word." Logan hissed glaring at Carlos.
Carlos looked away pretending to be innocent. "You mean no words like... Personal gain?" He sang.
Ignoring his friends' bickering Kendall walked over to the locker at the far wall of the office letting out a small sigh of relief when he found the Book Of Shadows in it. He carefully grabbed it and put it on Logan's desk. The smile on his face faded when page which was supposed to hold the spell to send them home wasn't there.
He palmed his forehead when he realized why both spell were gone. How could they have been so stupid? "The spell can only be used once, that means that our future selves have already used it. Which means... We have no way of getting back home."
Big-Time-Charmed.
James let out a startled gasp when a silhouette of tiny blue and white lights appeared in front of him. "Jo!" He grinned when Jo materialized in front of him. "I know what they think I did bu-"
"Shs." Jo cut him off. "They'll hear you."
James nodded. "What's the plan?" He asked in more quiet voice.
Jo sighed sitting down besides James on the bed. "James... They're not coming."
James actually laughed at that. "Ha! If that's whitelighter humor then let me tell you are not a funny race of people." Despite his words he couldn't hide how his voice shook from his whitelighter.
"I wish you remembered." Jo told him. "Your future-self used witchcraft for vengeance, James. Pratt is using that as a platform."
"Why does everyone think I killed somebody." James muttered getting up from the bed. "I wouldn't!" He cried pacing in front of her. "I couldn't! What did I do? Premonition the guy to death? My powers are passive."
"Not anymore." Jo told him. "Your powers grew, they changed, so did you. And unfortunately you have to suffer the consequences."
Shaking his head James sat back down on the bed. "I-I don't believe it."
"Then believe what you see." Jo said holding out a crippled newspaper with Cal Greene's name on the headline.
Taking it in his hands James quickly closed his eyes as he was pulled into a premonition.
/Cal Greene walk into an ally when an older version of himself jumped up behind the baseball player and put his hand at the side of the guy's head without actually touching the man he levitated him in the air. Sparks erupted form James' hands and went into Cal Greene's head. Future James smirked before removing his hands from the guy's head letting him fall./
Gasping loudly James let go of the paper. Tears blurred his vision as the harsh reality hit him. "Wh-what have I done?"
Jo sadly shook her head before orbing out of the cell.
"Jo?" James let out a small whimper knowing full well there wasn't anything left to do. Unlike their ancestor Melinda Warren who was tricked into her execution, he had actually done something to deserve it.
He deserved to burn tonight.
"Someone help me!" He cried as a few tears managed to break through his defenses and freely rolled down his cheek. "Please." He whispered as he moved in a fetal position. How could become a murderer? He thought as he fought of the sobs that wanted to break free.
Big-Time-Charmed.
"Wanna tell me how screwed we are?" Logan asked. He was laying on the couch in the manor's living room covering his face with a pillow.
"Pretty screwed." Carlos replied from his spot in the big armchair in front of Kendall's 3D tv. Watching the news only showed what a sadistic man Nathaniel Pratt is. At the bottom of the screen was timer ticking away till the exact time of James' execution. With every second that ticked by on the times Carlos felt his stomach turn.
"Logan stop trying to smother yourself with that pillow and come help me with this." Kendall who was sitting at the coffee table going through the Book Of Shadows said without even looking up.
"What?" Logan asked removing the pillow and sitting up.
"Some of these pages are marked. The top corners are turned down and all of them are new spells." Kendall replied.
Carlos and Logan got up to look in the book at Kendall's words. "Like what?" Carlos asked.
"Like, here's a spell to create a door," Kendall replied. "one to induce slumber, one to bind someone's powers. Some of them have these little baggies attached to them." Kendall said holding up a small purple bag for Logan and Carlos to see.
Grabbing the bag from Kendall's hands Carlos opened it to find a small vial in it. "Their potions."
"But what about these?" Logan said flipping to another marked page. "Okay, one to create money, to bend someone's will, to erase a memory. Sounds like personal gain. Why would we write spells like that?"
"Because Carlos was right." Kendall whispered a huge grin forming on his face. Obviously he was still the plan guy in the future. "We wouldn't let James be executed in the past, present or future! Our future selves wanted to bust James out of prison." He said his grin growing even bigger when he found a prison map between two pages of the book.
Just then Jo orbed into the living room.
"Great timing." Carlos smiled. "Where's James?"
"In prison, where he belongs." Jo replied in a toneless voice.
"What?" Kendall and Logan cried getting up. "You were supposed to bring him here!" Logan yelled.
"No, I said I'd go to him." Jo with small shake of her head. "I did. To explain what's going on and why he has to pay for his crime."
Carlos couldn't help but glare at her. "But you're our guide!" He cried. "You're signing his death warrant!"
Jo just looked tired. Tired and annoyed. "I'm to protect the greater good. If James lives, if you use your magic to save him, then the persecutions will continue. And our son will grow into a world where his power is punishable by death. Do you want that?" She asked Kendall as calmly as possible.
"Of course not!" Kendall snapped. "Urg- stubborn as a mule!" He yelled holding his palm out towards Jo who only had the chance to let out a surprised murmur before she was transformed into a mule.
"How long will she stay like that?" Carlos asked his voice held a small trace of surprise. This was the first time Kendall used his transformation power on purpose.
Kendall narrowed his eyes glaring at mule who seemed to be glaring back. "If she knows what's good for her, she'll stay like that." He sighed. "Let's get those spells."
"Wait!" Logan cried pointing to the tv which had gone back to Nathaniel Pratt.
"Now, some people say this is a victory for me. But I say here's a victory for us all. For today a blight on everything that is good in our world, will be extinguished. Tonight, the witch will burn!" Nathaniel cheered looking into the camera.
Big-Time-Charmed.
Standing outside Jo's house Kendall seriously wondered how his dad had found to courage to bind their powers when they were younger. Looking through the window Kendall saw the little boy, Kevin, his son sitting on the living room floor playing with some toy cars making small noises. He didn't even know what powers he would be binding.
"You can't do it can you?" Jo asked standing behind him.
Unsurprised by Jo's sudden arrival behind him Kendall shook his head. "No. My dad did it to us for protection." He said not looking away from the five year old inside the house.
"You don't have to do it Kendall." Jo told him in soft caring voice which reminded Kendall of the Jo he knew from his time. The Jo he fell in love with. "We agreed that I'd take care of him and I will." Jo continued in the same voice. "I promise."
"I know." Kendall nodded. There was no doubt in his mind that Jo would do everything in her power to protect their son... Even if it meant letting James be executed. "We're married huh?" He said still not turning to face her. "Does that mean you clipped your wings?"
Jo shook her head. "You wouldn't let me give up that part of me. We tried to make it work but then all this happened..."
"Were we happy?" Kendall had to ask, if only to give his relationship with Jo in his own time a second time.
Jo smiled. "Very." She answered longing back to those times.
"Are you gonna try and stop us?" Kendall asked though his voice held an edge of happiness knowing his marriage wasn't a complete disaster.
"And be turned in a mule again?" Jo snorted.
"I hope you understand why we need to do this." Kendall said.
Jo nodded. "After this is over we'll do what we do best."
"Talk about it later." Kendall finished smiling.
Big-Time-Charmed.
Stepping back in the suv Kendall frowned when he found Carlos frantically talking into a cell phone. He turned to Logan hoping for an explanation.
"He's trying to save his future selves' job." Logan curtly explained. "It's not good for social workers to go to work without calling ahead even though one of his best friends is being executed today."
"A social worker?" Kendall asked surprised by the revelation of Carlos' future job.
"Not anymore." Carlos replied putting the cell phone away. "I just got fired... Or I will get fired." He shrugged. "I hope future me's household has another source of income or else whoever belongs in those kiddie seats might go hungry... And if we fail today we'll die and-"
"We are not gonna die!" Kendall cut him off. "We're gonna find a way back to the present and we'll create a new future." Kendall Knight always gives killer speeches, whether in the past, present or future.
"According to James' premonition we fail." Logan reminded him.
"No, our future selves fail." Kendall pointed out smirking confidently. "We still get a shot." He spoke earning smiles from both Logan and Carlos. "Now let's go save our brother."
Big-Time-Charmed.
James got up from the bed when two guards walked into his cell. He didn't struggle when they handcuffed him nor did he cry out. He'd already cried way too much for one day.
Big-Time-Charmed.
"You know," Logan said holding his finger in the air like he usual did when stating random facts. "usually people try breaking out of prison."
Carlos smiled while chalking a door on the huge grey wall of the LA's penitentiary. It was just such a Logan like thing to say that. "The situation isn't really normal."
"To create a door." Kendall read from the page they had ripped from the Book Of Shadows. "When you find your path is blocked, all you have to do is knock."
Doing just that Carlos knocked on their drawn door. Like it was an actual door the chalked up door opened.
Stepping inside the prison the three boys immediately got spotted by a guard. "Freeze!" The guard cried aiming his gun at them.
"Good idea." Kendall said holding out his palm towards the guard using his transformation power to turn the guy into an classic cupid shaped ice sculpture.
"Give me a decade and I actually might get a hang of my transformation power." Kendall noted.
Carlos studied the cupid shaped ice sculpture, a small winged guy in diapers carrying bow and arrows. "James would so call you a racist if he sees that."
"Let's make sure James gets the chance to be mad at him first." Logan said unfolding the prison map. "His cell should be up those stairs!" He cried already running towards the stairs.
Big-Time-Charmed.
James tried to keep a straight face as Nathaniel let the guards test the pyre in front of him pure and alone to torture him. Not an easy thing to do especially when a group of reporters were watching him like hawks.
Big-Time-Charmed.
'No, nononoo!' Kendall stared at the empty cell. The cell that should have contained their best friend.
"W-we- We're too late." Logan stuttered his voice filled with pure terror.
Big-Time-Charmed.
This was probably the point where he should yell out some prophecy. He had the power of premonition after all. But what was there to say when tied up to a pyre that would lit fire every moment now, killing him slow and painfully. He'd be leaving a world where his friends and family would be hunted down a killed in the same way he was about be.
"Ah I love the smell of burnt witch in the morning." Nathaniel laughed standing in front of him.
"At least I'm paying for my crime." James spoke, his voice sounded foreign even to his own ears. He eyed Nathaniel with the best glare he could muster which was actually a pretty scary glare seeing it came from a man that just accepted his death. "There'll come a day where you have to pay for yours too."
"Remorseless to the end, huh?" Nathaniel chuckled. He turned to the camera crew smiling smugly. "Let today be a lesson to all those who would seek to defy human nature with their way of life. Let today serve notice that black magic will not be tolerated in our society and let today be remembered as the day we burned the witch." He said before signaling to someone in the far corner of the room.
Knowing this was it, James closed his eyes preparing for the flames.
Instead of the horrible pain he expected, he heard a familiar voice cry out. "Damn stoned place!"
James looked up to see everyone, including Nathaniel to be turned into stone statues. He looked at the door when three familiar people walked in the room. "Guys!" He cried his voice filled with happiness and unbearable relief. Even if this was his fate he could at least get the chance to say goodbye to his brothers.
"We're getting you out of here." Carlos told him grinning as he climbed onto the pyre and started to untie him.
"No wait!" James stated to protest as Carlos untied him. "Carlos I'm serious!" He cried when he nearly fell down once Carlos finished untying him.
"What are you talking about?" Kendall asked as he and Logan moved to help James steady himself on the stone floor. Six months in prison had obviously not done James' future-self much good. He was skinny, his hair was too long and constantly blocking his eyes from view and the sight of his red and puffy eyes told them that James' day had been far from easy.
"You guys have to leave." James told them. "I deserve to be here.. Or my future self does." He said not bothering to keep the fear and pain out of his words.
"You killed a killer." Logan scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous."
Carlos nodded. "This is Pratt's personal issue. This isn't about us, this is about him. Where ever we go, he will follow us. He will hunt us. He will hunt our families. If anybody should be punished is shoul-" Getting an idea Carlos turned to the stoned statue who he knew should be Nathaniel Pratt.
"Carlos?" James cautiously asked. "What are doing?"
"Saving future good witches." Carlos replied. "Time to see how my powers grew!"
Before he could even flex his fingers James grabbed a firm hold of his arms and roughly pulled him away from the statue. "Don't dare become a murderer too!" He yelled his voice breaking. "It has to end with me."
"James..." Kendall sighed sadly. What had this place done to his best friend? "Cal Greene was evil. He deserved what you di-"
"The wrong thing done for the right reason is still the wrong thing." James interrupted him as tears started rolling down his cheeks. "Our job is to protect the innocent, not punish the guilty. And I crossed that line, I know that." He told them. "And now you guys have to know that too."
Logan shook his head. "James stop!" He cried blinking rapidly. "We're not leaving here without you!"
"But you and Kendall were right Logie." James said in a small voice. "We were sent here for a reason. Maybe not to stop this like we thought. But maybe to understand why this has to happen. W-why you have to let this happen." He said stopping when his friends suddenly pulled him in a tight group hug. "I don't want to die." He said burying his face in Kendall's shoulder. "But I don't want you to die because of me." He finished pulling away from his friends and walking back onto the pyre.
"I'm sorry." He said right before all the statues transformed back into humans.
The guard pressed the button and the pyre lit fire.
Kendall, Logan and Carlos stood huddled together sobbing hysterically when James started screaming in pain as he was being burned alive.
"No." Logan whispered when he felt Kendall start shapeshift. They should have known this would happen. Kendall Knight couldn't stand and do nothing when one of brothers was in pain.
This was too much Carlos realized. Here he and Logan stood both sobbing as they tried holding half-wolf half-human Kendall back from trying to lash out to Nathaniel while listening to James' now fading screams. It was just too much...
And suddenly everything stopped. Kendall stopped struggling, they could no longer hear James screaming or shrieking in pain, they didn't even hear the cries of the reporters or Nathaniel anymore.
Not knowing at what point he had exactly closed his eyes Carlos opened his eyes to find him, Logan and Kendall standing in the kitchen back in the manor. And not the way too modern kitchen that had him helpless of knowing what to do but in their own kitchen. In his kitchen at home. "Guys?" He asked looking up at Kendall and Logan who looked just as shocked as he felt.
"How did we get back?" Kendall wondered feeling his chin no longer finding his beard there.
"James!" Logan cried spotting the latest issue of 'Man fashion' on the counter. "You guys don't think he's still- that was- I mean we saw..." He trailed of wanting to forget was he'd seen as soon as possible.
"Oh god. Don't let it be real." Kendall whispered. "James!" He nearly fainted of relief when a really pale looking James walked into the kitchen. In his hand he held a mirror which Kendall guessed James had used to look for burn marks, but neither he or Logan and Carlos cared at they quickly ran towards their friend enveloping him in a huge hug. "We thought we lost you!" Logan cried.
"You did." James murmured not caring that his brothers were hugging him so tight they were probably cutting of his air supply. "I was burned. And I could-... I could feel the flames on my skin..." his body shook at the memory.
"It's okay," Kendall was quick to assure him. "you're safe now, you're home."
"Yeah but home when?" Carlos asked pulling away.
James sighed pulling away from his friends. "Come on." he said as he started heading towards the living room. In the living room he pointed to the tv where a news program on the greatest sportsman of this time was playing. The female reporter was telling something about some great baseball player named Cal Greene.
"That's- We're right back where we started!" Carlos gasped. He frowned. "How did we get back?" He asked turning to Logan and Kendall.
"Maybe because it worked." Logan suggested. "We were sent into the future to find out what James did, so we came back to stop it from happening."
"But we didn't cast a spell to come back." Kendall reminded him. "We didn't even have one."
"Maybe they send us back." James suggested looking up as he referred to the elders.
Kendall frowned, it was likely the elders would give them another chance but then... "If we were sent back to keep the future from happening, shouldn't we be sent back to the day James killed Cal Greene instead?"
Before the others could reply to that they heard a high pitched dog barks coming from outside.
"Not again." Logan muttered already heading towards the door. "It's the same guy." He said looking through the window.
"That dude still hasn't learned his lesson." Kendall said before he shapeshifted into a labrador just like he'd done before.
"And apparently neither did we." James commented looking down at Kendall with an unreadable expression on his face. "This is why we were sent back here to this moment in time. This is where it all started. The first time we used our magic for revenge."
"But it's just a little thing." Carlos pointed out. "It's harmless."
James nodded. "But breaking the small rules only makes breaking the bigger rules easier later."
Kendall smiled. "I very wise person once told me that we were supposed to protect the innocent, not punish the guilty."
James smirked. "I haven't told you yet."
"And you won't have to." Logan said. "Look." He said pointing towards the dog owner.
Getting a better look of the dog owner Kendall, James and Carlos gasped. "That's Pratt." James said recognizing the younger version of his would be executor.
"Should we follow him?" Carlos asked when Pratt walked away.
Logan shook his head. "No. Our little act of revenge might have been what sent Pratt on his path to seek his own."
"Which led to the future witch trials." Kendall added watching the person who they already hated but technically hadn't met yet walk of. "We all have a lot of changes to make if we want to avoid ending up where we just came from."
"It wasn't all bad." Carlos pointed out. "Logan was like super surgeon and you and Jo were married."
"Wait you and Jo?" James asked shocked.
As if on cue the doorbell rang.
"Speak of the angel." Kendall smiled. "Guys could you-"
"We can take a hint." Logan said before he, James and Carlos ran out of the foyer.
Smiling Kendall opened the door. "Hey stranger." He greeted Jo before pulling her towards him and pulling her in a deep passionate kiss.
"Wow." Jo said once they pulled apart. "I would have settled for a nice hello."
Kendall smirked. "Didn't anyone ever tell you not to settle?"
"That's a good lesson." Jo nodded smiling.
"I've been learning a lot of them today." Kendall nodded.
"I heard." Jo replied. "Kendall, I didn't know you were gonna be sent to the future. I don't even know what happened when you got there. All I was told was apparently you had something to learn."
"That's why you're here." Kendall stated somewhat disappointed.
"Nope." Jo smiled shaking her head. "That's why you're here. You four were given a glimpse of your future to learn a valuable lesson. And I'm glad you learned it too because I know they wouldn't have brought you back if you didn't." She finished her smile slipping. "Speaking of which, they're making me work tonight, so I can't really..." She trailed of not happy she had to cancel their date.
Kendall sighed. "This is going to be a problem for us isn't it?" He asked recalling why his future self's marriage with Jo failed.
"We can work on it." Jo replied sounding hopeful.
"Good." Kendall nodded smirking confidently. "Cause I'm gonna hold you to that for the next couple of ten years." He said pulling her into another kiss.