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20. A Strange Trio

A FEW HOURS LATER

The moment he was free, Barbas fled to the underworld where he felt an old and familiar power. He knew it but wondered why it was there kind of early. Plus, there was a different power with it. Also kind of familiar. Curious as ever, he walked towards the source. He wouldn't want to surprise them.

Short before the lair, he heard voices and decided to listen first before he'd walk in.

"Gideon, your plan worked. All is good. And you already said that the Halliwells know of you," Zankou explained calmly. "I thought you were for long term plans."

"I know," an unknown voice pressed back. Could be that Gideon? "But time's slowly running out. Chris will be born soon. And I'm going to die soon as well."

"Yeah, you mentioned that already several times. Thank you. But what now?"

This was Barbas' cue to enter. "Hi guys. Maybe I could be of service here. I'm back! Haha."

"Barbas! Old warhorse, you're back. What a surprise," Zankou stated half in shock and irritated. "Can I ask how it happened?"

"Oh, you know me," the demon of Fear stated amused and sat down casually. "I used two phantasm to catch a Halliwell but a Mr. Perry answered." Zankou and Gideon laughed all of a sudden. "What? What did I miss?"

"Hi, my name's Gideon, I'm an Elder and run Magic School." They shook hands. "Well, you should know that Mr. Perry is in reality a Halliwell. A child from the future, a child Piper's pregnant with at the moment."

Barbas was up immediately. "Okay, that explains a lot and also partly why he knows our demonic language." Gideon and Zankou looked interested. "Anyway, as he could understand it, Chris concluded it was a trap and that I was behind it. The Cleaners appeared and took the boy in front of the Tribunal. They talked first until I was brought in and to my surprise, the boy seemed to know me well but he didn't offer anything. He was good, I have to admit, yet here I am. To help you if you don't mind."

Zankou walked over and patted the demon's shoulder. "Good, that's good." Looking at the Elder, he offered, "We will see if Chris follows you down here. He knows us well. All of us, to be exact. Gideon and me have already 'played' with the boy, and I guess, it'd be fair that you now have fun with him too. After all, Chris has to have some fears, don't you think?"

Barbas grinned knowingly. "Indeed. With coming from the future, he's been through a lot. He might have lost someone close to him. I could work with that."

"Well, I can help you here," Gideon said smirking. "I know from sneaking into Chris' memories that he lost his Mom very early, his Dad was never there, most of the time and much more as you can guess."

"Just wonderful!"

"But be careful still. The boy is clever."

"I've noticed," Barbas admitted sighing and looked at his two co-gamers. "What game are you two playing? It's weird to see an Elder and such an upper level demon work together. How come?"

"Long story," Zankou offered smiling. "But you should only know that Gideon is for the present, me for the future. And the Elder's destiny is tied to the boy's. End of story!"

"Sweet. What role do I have to play now?"

"Just wait and see, man," Gideon said and was not happy with this turn of events. He walked away and prayed quietly, "Give me some patience still! If only for a few months."

The three 'players' looked at each other, smiling and just waited for a sign – from any spies.

IN A DIFFERENT PART, HOURS LATER

Chris was walking through the long corridors, searching for a certain lair but so far, he had no luck. Knowing this place from the future, it seemed that Zankou had not moved there yet. And to his luck, he was not found out … yet.

What the young man didn't know, that there were already some demonic spies after him, watching his every move. Some reported back quickly, others secretly had the order to push the boy into the wanted direction which they did also in secret.

Chris could feel that demons were spying on him and also that they left clues for him. He had no other choice than to follow them, though he might walk right into a trap which all three, Gideon, Zankou and Barbas, had set up for him.

Soon he heard very familiar voices and as expected, they were talking about him and the ways to get him. Not nice, but well, he could play that game too – thanks to his big brother! Then something hit him on the head and his world went black.

The demonic spies took the body and brought it over to their master who was pleased to see this. Zankou ordered them to tie the boy upon a chair and his partners were very eager too. It was time to act.

'THE NAME OF THE GAME' - ABBA, 1977

Barbas came forward and watched closely the young man, then back at Gideon. "You're right though, Elder. He looks more like a Halliwell than the other brat. And he really is from the future?"

"Yeah," Gideon replied and rolled his eyes. "How would he know us, and parts of our story? Especially Zankou's and mine. I'd bet that he knows you also well enough."

"I should ask him when he's awake again."

"Yeah," Zankou agreed smiling and then produced a needle out of nowhere. "I wanna see how he reacts to this fine liquid. Don't worry, it's not poisoned, just a demonic experiment." He injected the liquid, just like a doctor. "And now we'll wait for him to wake up."

It took half an hour for Chris to come around again. He felt weird but didn't say anything. Opening his sluggy eyes, he simply commented, "You know I'd have expected to see you three together. An Elder, an upper level demon and naturally the demon of Fear. Well, to be honest, Gideon and Barbas as a team is known. Kira had seen it before, you know."

Gideon and Barbas exchanged a look but were obviously kind of disgusted since they just met. Well, it was strange but hey, whatever might work.

"Interesting news," Zankou commented amused and looked at his two partners. "Behave, please! Now, what else can you tell us about Kira and your family?"

Chris began to laugh suddenly but then became serious again. "Okay, what have you given me? Is this another truth serum, Gideon? And why should I answer any questions of yours?" He laughed again. "Cool!"

Gideon turned to Zankou angrily. "I told you he was smart but it's your game." Then he turned back to the young man who smirked. "And wrong person to ask, Christopher."

"Oho," he replied smirking and swung his gaze to the demon. "So, it's Zankou's fault. Just great. I feel weird though. So, what's going on?" He laughed again.

Zankou shot an irritated look at Gideon but walked over to the boy, touching him carefully. "Listen to me, Chris, Kira was very important to me but she's lost now. You're the only one I can ask about her destiny. I bet she's human now, a mere mortal, right?"

Chris simply nodded and smirked. "Yup, but she got the information from her future self who was brought back by Wyatt. She should help him with me, yet she saw my death ahead, here in the past. Well, Fate has decided that my death will change the future for good, and no one can interfere!" He laughed again and looked at the three. "That's cool, isn't it?"

Zankou grinned at the boy. "You know you speak more openly when on drugs. That's really cool. Anyway, what else can you tell us? About the future, your family and Kira. Please, please, please!" His two partners gagged behind him and he glared at them. "One word and you're out! Clear?"

"Fine," both chorused together sulkily and crossed their arms over the chest.

"You act like little children," Chris commented laughing. "I'm the only adult here. Hehe!" He laughed again and snorted at the trio.

Zankou had to agree here. "Yeah, you could be right. Unfortunately." Looking at his partners, he tried to remember what Barbas had said earlier but he got it. Turning back to the young man, he simply asked, "How do you know Barbas so well?"

Gideon, all of a sudden, looked interested, and so did Barbas. Obviously, this topic had caught their interest.

Chris snickered loudly. "Oh yeah, cool story. In my time, he is Wyatt's best friend and second man, though I should be it but I refuse." He snorted now. "As kids, my big brother once told me that he went to visit his friend very regularly down in the underworld. I was shocked and wanted to tell our parents but he stopped me fast. Imagine, if our parents had known, they'd have killed us and then summoned our asses back on Earth again." He laughed again. "Oh my, what a picture!"

"Indeed," Zankou quickly agreed smirking. Looking at Barbas who was definitely interested. "What else is there to know about this relationship?"

"Out of curiosity," Gideon cut in smiling. "How long will your strange liquid last?"

Zankou glared at the Elder but Chris continued speaking, "Well, after Mom died, Wyatt immediately fled to Barbas who consoled him. Another weird picture if you ask me. Anyway, with Barbas' help, Wyatt could take over a group of demons and became their leader in the end. This was the start of Wyatt's reign in the underworld. The real world took a bit longer." His eyes slowly became heavy. "I feel tired."

"Oh look, a side effect is showing up," Barbas quipped in glee. Ignoring the glare from Zankou, he went on, "Didn't think of this, did you? So typical for you, man."

Zankou ignored the demon of Fear and turned to the Elder, "Gideon, could you please see if the show is already on air? I really want a big surprise for the Charmed Ones, a first 'Hello' from me to them. I'm sure they'll love it."

The Elder grinned knowingly and nodded. "Of course. The sisters will be shocked and do anything to get their relative back. Very nice. I'm going." And he walked out smiling.

Barbas looked certainly confused. "What are you talking about? What kind of show should be airing here in the underworld? Oh my, has the world changed."

"You'll see soon, I promise," Zankou said sighing. "But we should concentrate now more on the boy. He needs to stay alive for this wonderful show."

"If you say so." Barbas crossed his arms over the chest. Sighing, he went on, "Can we ask more about my destiny in the future? This story got me hooked. I'd like to know."

Zankou nodded and turned again to the young man. "Hey Christopher, what else is there to know about the demon of Fear and his destiny in your future?" He didn't react for some minutes. "Hey man, stay awake! You're still needed." No reaction still. "Damn it," Zankou cursed silently but out loud said, "Thankfully I also got the antidote!" He injected a different needle and slowly the boy came around again. "Phew, that was close!"

"Huh, what is it?" Chris asked completely confused. "What was your question again, man?"

Barbas snorted whereas Zankou slowly repeated his question, "What is Barbas' destiny in your future? We'd really like to know, Christopher."

"Uh, there's nothing much to tell, actually," the young man offered sighing. He looked at the two demons directly. "Barbas was always at Wyatt's side, no matter what – until he got hold of me. Because anyone knew that their master Wyatt only had one weakness – his little brother, me." He shivered a bit. "Barbas decided to play with me and play out my deepest fear, losing another family member which happened anyway."

"What did your brother do then?" Barbas asked curiously and swallowed hard. It was weird to know his destiny ahead.

Chris snickered loudly. "Well, of course, Wyatt was not amused since he wanted to be the only one who'd lay his hands on me. Anyway, as soon as he'd heard about it, he stormed in and killed the demon immediately. Seeing my mental state, however, he took care of me – like before until I was back to normal." He sighed. "But still, he let me go back to the Resistance. We were enemies again."

"Very, very interesting," Zankou commented only and was really happy to know this. It could be useful in the near future. He'd definitely use it to his advantage.

Barbas was white as a sheet but remained silent. He'd always die but Fear itself never dies, he hoped.

The group now waited for the Elder's return. If their plan would work, really.

MEANWHILE, IN A DIFFERENT CAVE

Gideon walked in and saw how the two demons spoke about their show and who could take part. Normal pranks for demons if you see it this way. He sighed and said casually, "Hi Corr, Clea, how is it going? We may have a special guest for your show soon."

"Oh Gideon, nice to see you," Corr announced smiling. "It's good to know that a new powerful witch is coming, because the normal ones are just … so useless and they die fast. So who is it?"

Gideon shivered a bit but replied anyway, "He's from the future, the son of the eldest Charmed One and Wyatt's little brother. He knows a lot about magic and all that stuff. He could be interesting for you."

Corr and Clea looked at each other in glee. Clea spoke up now, "That he is, for sure. But how will the Charmed Ones know about their relative? It's not as if they could watch our show above." She crossed her arms over the chest smirking.

"Well," the Elder began slowly again. "If we could use one of your TV crystals and give it to the sisters, they'd do anything to get him back, don't you think?" He smirked as well.

"Oh. Oh, good idea," Corr agreed smirking too. "And who'd have the honor to be the messenger?" He held a box with crystals and waited for the man's answer rather impatiently.

"Barbas," Gideon simply stated.

The two demons stopped their doing immediately. "Are you nuts?" the woman half yelled shocked. "I thought he was their arch enemy, or something like that. This seems crazy, even though the witch is powerful – and useful for our show."

Again Gideon smirked knowingly. "Don't worry, I'm sure they already know about him being back. Leo had seen Barbas too and would have told the family by now. All good."

"If you say so," Corr said sighing and handed him the box. "In it is a spell to activate them. One witch should be enough. Got it?"

Gideon just nodded. "I understand. We'll tell Barbas to let the Halliwells know." There was some silence. "How does it go with your show? I'm only curious here."

"Well," Clea began slowly and was certainly not amused. "If you must know, we can't find any more and young witches for it. But our watchers and players want to be amused, so when can we expect your super witch here? It'd be good for our show."

"In a few hours or a day or two. Zankou and Barbas are still asking the boy about the future. It's not good to know too much about your future." The two demons raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Gideon only smirked. "Never mind. It should be soon and I should go back now." The Elder turned around and walked back to Zankou's cave.

"Weird," the two demons commented at the same time but then concentrated back on their show. After all, their watchers were waiting for a good episode.

BACK IN ZANKOU'S CAVE

As Gideon returned a bit later, Chris appeared to be sleeping in his chair. Looking at his two partners, he simply stated, half asking, "Do I want to know why he's asleep? Or looking like that?"

Barbas turned around and replied, "Slightly overdose of that strange liquid. Or we simply talked too much. His body obviously decided to shut down for a while. Who knows."

"Oh. Okay."

"What are Corr and Clea doing? How's their show running? All okay?" Zankou wanted to know curiously and looked at him expectantly. "Well?"

"They're good but the show is slowly running out of witches, it seems." Gideon pointed to the young man on the chair. "They're rather impatiently waiting for our super witch as they call him. Oh, and they gave me the box with the needed crystals for the Charmed Ones, and Leo." He held it up immediately.

"Good," Zankou took it smirking.

"Um, excuse me," Barbas cut in and both turned to him. "And who of us should give the box to them?" The stares of Zankou and Gideon intensified, and the demon stepped back shocked. "Oh no, no. They'll kill me on spot, the moment I arrive. Are you crazy?!"

"No," Gideon said calmly. "I'm sure Leo has already told the sisters about you and your return. Besides, you're only the messenger here. They won't kill you."

The demon of Fear was not happy and crossed his arms over the chest. "You may think so, but I'm somehow their arch enemy if you remember. And I know them well enough of how they'd react. I'm dead meat. So why are you so sure I'd stay alive?"

Zankou put a hand on Barbas' shoulder. "Relax, my friend," he offered casually and walked with him a few steps. "Listen. When you give the box over to the Halliwells, you also give them information about their missing relative here. You will survive this meeting, I promise you. Though you should go soon, my friend. This special show starts in a day or two. Got it?"

Barbas accepted nodding and took the box with the crystals. "Yeah, all good. They'll be so surprised and … shocked. Still can't believe he's their future relative. Anyway, what will you two meanwhile?"

Zankou turned to Gideon and looked at the boy. "Well, we bring the special guest over to the show and discuss with Corr and Clea the latest details. And of course, let us give a crystal as well, so that we can watch it too. It should be very interesting and thrilling – this time, don't you think?" He grinned knowingly.

The Demon of Fear grinned as well and shimmered finally away. Straight to the Manor.

"We're really bringing him over? With our own hands?" Gideon requested curiously but Zankou only shrugged. "Fine."

The demon and Elder took the sleeping boy by his hands and feet. Slowly they walked over to the other cave where Corr and Clea were already waiting for them, rather impatiently. But they could calm them and even get their wanted crystal.

Show time!

AT THE MANOR

"Where the hell is he?!" Piper asked afraid and paced around the room nervously. "He should be back by now. Doesn't he know how much I worry?" she then whispered and touched her belly concerned. "Where is he?"

"I don't know," her husband replied sighing. "Piper, you have to accept that he's an adult, his own person since he was 14, remember? Maybe he's found out something. You know how he is."

"The moment he's born, he's grounded!" All laughed. "I mean it. Really."

All of a sudden, there was a shimmer in the room. All turned to it confused and were shocked to see this guest in their house. "Barbas," Phoebe stated friendly. "Welcome back. What an honor to have you here. Why are you here again?"

"Well, it seems you're missing someone important of your family, right?" There was no answer and Barbas knew it to be right. "Never mind. Here's a box with special crystals. They let you watch a demonic show which is very famous in the underworld, you know."

"Why would we need to watch this specific show?" Paige requested annoyed and crossed her arms over the chest. "Tell me again why we shouldn't kill you on the spot? It'd be good for the future."

"Kwiss," Wyatt said out of nowhere and all looked at him perplexed. "Kwiss."

"He's right," Barbas simply admitted and put the box on the table. "I should get going anyway. It's not safe here for me." He twinkled his eye at Paige and shimmered back to the underworld.

The complete family walked over to the table and looked at the box afraid. "Was Barbas telling the truth for once?" Phoebe asked in the midst.

"He could," Leo concluded and took the box in his hands. "If we use these crystals as wanted. Soon, I guess."

All were nervous, and Paige took Wyatt in her arms. Was Chris really in deep trouble?

TBC ...

Another chapter done and we're coming ever so slowly to the end. But don't worry, I have enough chapters still.

Next time: A Demonic Reality Show

Reviews are welcomed!