Alright, we're nearly at the end by now. Only one full chapter left and then S8 follows. There I'm working on chapter 17 at the moment, so it may take some time still.

To lizardmomma: Yeah, sorry about but I sent you a PM to explain this confusion. :D

21. The Battle For Chris

SURPRISE VISITORS

Shocked silence followed this simple sentence. It was Leo who found his voice first. "You're not supposed to be here," he said firmly and clenched his fists angrily. "What do you want, Zankou?"

"You know what I want, Leo," Zankou replied smiling. Looking at the two boys, he added, "And it seems that even Wyatt now does. Ah yes, the big overprotective brother. How sweet."

Piper had the same reaction like her husband. "Who did you bring with, Zankou? I don't think we have so many places available for this mass."

The demon conjured a fireball. "Be careful, Piper. I know a lot about all four of you, even little Wyatt. And you do know who these special guests are."

All four adults swallowed hard, full knowing what this meant. In the end, they might have no other choice than to kill these lost Innocents. Again. It may break their confidence. For good.

"What? Nothing to say anymore," Zankou provoked further and then turned smiling to Wyatt. "You know you can't protect your baby brother from me. I already showed you what you could have been."

Wyatt shook his head firmly, denying this and walked in front of his baby brother. To their own protection, the Twice-Blessed raised his forcefield.

"Whoops, I obviously forgot this little detail about you," Zankou said surprised but laughed like a little child. "Anyway, my Alchemist here is very eager to let his zombies loose on you. I'm sure you'd love to fight them, again, wouldn't you?"

The four adults were irritated and looked at each other confused. Again, Leo spoke first, "If you leave Victor and the boys out of this fight, we may agree. Yet for me, it looks like we're making a deal here rather than fighting with each other."

"Don't you worry, Leo, the fight will come. Still, I accept this deal with Victor and the boys, for the moment, but they're staying in the house." All nodded. "Bravo. Now, zombies, attack your enemies!"

While Victor and the boys orbed away, to which place within the house ever, the zombies slowly walked to each their victim.

PIPER'S DEAL

The mother of two stepped back as her two zombies walked steadily toward her. "Andy, Dr. Williamson, I can explain, please," she stuttered nervously. "And I'm sorry that I couldn't save you. Really."

"Oh Piper, please. You know me since childhood, yet still you sacrificed me. For what exactly?" Andy wanted to know furiously and he so was about to slap her for all this suffering.

"Yeah, I'm with him," Dr. Williamson continued the insult. "You were saved from your fatal disease, yet I wanted to help people, with your powers, by the way, I got killed – by you and your sisters. So, not fair!"

"Please, we had no other choice. We can't risk to be exposed." The eldest Charmed One wished for help and for once, her wish was granted. "Prue? Thank God!"

"I just want to spare you from making more mistakes, yet I think, in the end there might be no other way," Prue explained firmly.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Later. I'll speak with Andy and you with your Doctor. Hopefully, we can talk some sense into them."

Piper sighed. "If you say so." With a new determined task, she now walked to the doctor, "Listen to me, Dr. Williamson, I blamed myself enough for your death. It was the hardest one before I lost my sister later on. So, back off!"

"Hey, you killed me – with no mercy! I was only helping people to survive. If only you had let me continue," the doctor justified himself. "You still don't understand, woman."

"Believe me, I do. Yet you were going insane and that left us no other choice. Magical powers are poison to humans. You have to understand this!"

"I don't have to anything! You killed me and that's what counts for me! Most of all! You were there and saw how I died! You didn't suffer, you've lived on!"

"Bullshit!" Piper shouted back furiously. "You have no idea, Dr. Williamson." She began to cry again as here was no other choice left. Obviously. "I'm so sorry," the mother said and blasted the zombie doctor away. "So sorry," she mumbled.

"Wow, Piper, I'm impressed," Zankou said, clapping his hands smiling after having watched her episode. "Let's see how your dead sister does."

PRUE & ANDY

"Andy, please. You don't want to do this. I know you, better yet I've known you my whole life and you know us," Prue tried to reason with their childhood friend.

"True. But I got killed, didn't I? You three were all there, yet in the end Rodriguez got me. I know what comes now: You couldn't have done anything to stop him, right?" Andy shouted back, equally furious like Piper.

"I know but we could revenge you. Rodriguez was killed but you had accepted our wiccan life. You could be more than that! Please, listen to me, Andy!"

Andy's hands went to his head, to stop the noises. All of them. Then ever so slowly he requested, "Prue? That you?"

"Yeah, it's me. Please, Andy, listen to your heart and block out anything else," Prue begged now desperate and it seemed her work did it.

And then, all of a sudden, zombie Andy vanished, shocking Prue and Piper. Looking at each other, the two sisters knew only one source: Zankou.

"Sorry, but we should concentrate on the other three, don't you think?" the demon simply offered grinning. "Let's just have a look, shall we?"

PHOEBE'S DEALING

"Ah, Ms Halliwell, long time, no see," Inspector Davidson began walking to the woman. "You were there when I was killed and didn't help me! What kind of people are you?"

"We're good ones," Phoebe stuttered out nervously. "We really wanted to save you but we weren't able to. Really."

"Ha. As if," the former Inspector said frustrated."You didn't do anything! You just let me die and why did it happen? Because I was getting too close, finding out your secret and so I was taken care of. Plain and simple."

Phoebe swallowed hard. What he said sounded logical and plausible. "You have to believe me. If we had had the power, we'd have saved you. No matter what. Please. We'd have done anything."

Davidson didn't believe her, regardless what she was saying. "There's no way you did that. In the end I was killed and that's what counts the most, don't you think?"

Just seconds later, the Inspector was blown to pieces and Phoebe sighed in relief. Looking at her older sister, the living one, she said, "What took you so long? He was getting on my nerves."

"Sorry. We were so reminded of his fate that we got lost in it," Piper explained sadly. "Never mind. There are still Leo and Paige in trouble if you remember."

Zankou smiled at the three sisters. "Very well done, very well. You've impressed me even more. Let's see how it ends, shall we?"

All four of them turned to the youngest Charmed One, and the mortal. It didn't look so good.

PAIGE'S DEJA VU

The youngest sister had quickly been cornered and was holding her hands over the ears. "I didn't mean to. I did everything I could to save you. Helpless."

"Yeah, my girl, but see where you've landed. You've got a whole new family and forgot all about us," Mr. Matthews let his daughter know. "And now we're zombies."

"Paige, sweetie," Mrs. Matthews continued in the same tone. "You gave us a lot of trouble before and now it seemed to go on, I think. See, it's hard to believe you've changed."

"But I have!" Paige insisted crying. "When I told you this the first time, you were happy for me! Does the Alchemist have such an influence over you? Come back to your senses, damn it!" She watched them closely and hoped for a change.

All of a sudden, the two Matthews zombies began to shriek loudly, startling anyone around them before Zankou had enough and blew those up instantly.

"Uff, I hope you agree with me that they were not acceptable anymore," Zankou offered sighing. "So, the four Halliwell sisters together again and that left only Leo."

Piper raised her hands, ready to blow Zankou up but her sisters held her back. "We're not done yet. Chris will remain here, you know."

"We will see, we will see."

A crash turned the attention back to the still struggling Leo and his lost Innocents. His wife was afraid but hoped not to show it openly. Zankou and the four sisters watched this encounter with great interest.

LEO & HIS INNER DEMONS

The former Elder and whitelighter had lost too many people over the years and therefore he sat now crying on the floor. He tried to block out the voices but that wasn't easy. These voices were so cruel and reminded him too much of his losses.

"Ah, poor Leo. Doesn't want to hear it but it's the sad truth," Natalie spoke for all the zombies around him. "Now you're mortal, useless but still, you have a family. And what do we have?" She gestured to the zombies. "Nothing. We just died."

"But I couldn't have done anything! It was your fate, their fate," Leo justified himself, still in tears. "You know that, Natalie. You were a whitelighter yourself!"

"Yeah, okay," she said quietly. "Yet Leo, look at all the people you've lost. Charges, friends and even family, right? Like your little baby boy."

"Stop!" Leo cried out furiously. "You don't know anything! You all have been dead for several years."

"But as you see, we always come back!" The former whitelighter smiled evilly at him, like all the others before they suddenly all exploded, done by Piper and her powers.

As his wife ran to him and hugged him, Leo only cried but said nothing. He wouldn't think of the consequences, caused by the sisters' actions today. Zankou may win in the end.

ZANKOU'S TACTICS

The Alchemist, however, was not happy with his Master. "Zankou, you promised me that the Charmed Ones would never do this. My zombies are all gone. It's not fair."

Zankou turned to his friend. "Whoops, my bad. As you can see: I lied." And the Alchemist was blown to pieces, surprising anyone and also shocking. His simple excuse, "It's so hard to get good staff."

The four Halliwell sisters slowly began to unite, yet guarding Leo still. "What kind of plan are you following here, Zankou?" Prue wanted to know curiously. Yet suddenly she was summoned back 'Up There'. The other three went closer together.

"Interesting," the demon only offered smiling. "But that means I don't have to answer this question. Anyway, since you're all occupied , I can go after my real target. Have fun!" Zankou shimmered to the attic.

The Halliwells and Leo looked after him, not really able to follow since they were still dealing with the feelings Zankou had installed. Only the fighting noises from the attic managed to let the Charmed Ones and Leo orb to their relatives.

ATTIC, 10 MINUTES BEFORE

Victor was pacing nervously and afraid. The noises from below didn't sound good and the old man hoped for the best for his family. This 'demon' was creepy, yet he'd quickly realized whom this man was after.

As if he could read his mind, Zankou appeared. "Give me that child and you won't get hurt, man," he demanded firmly. "You have no magic and won't stand a chance against me."

"We will see," Victor said, equally firmly. "You don't know what a mortal can do if he's under attack."

Zankou shook his head amused before sending a low level fireball at the old man who was thrown to the wall and left unconscious.

"One problem solved," Zankou said and cleared his hands. "And now to the other one: little Wyatt and his forcefield." He turned to the children who looked up at him afraid. Smiling he simply said, "Funny."

Wyatt's forcefield was raised. "You no getting Kwis. Kwis mine," he shouted nervously and stood in front of his baby brother who bubbled onto him. "Leave Kwis alone!"

"You can't stop me from getting him, Wyatt," Zankou offered smiling. "You may be the Twice-Blessed child but just a child, nothing more. It'd be useless to fight."

Immediately the little boy shook his head. "No, no! Kwis with me!"

"Fine. Then the hard way." The demon started to throw several volleys of fireballs at the forcefield which didn't even buckle. "What the …?" Zankou said confused. Obviously he hadn't counted on someone in the game. "Mmh, interesting."

Wyatt felt the added power and couldn't believe it. Must be, because their Daddy had been an Elder back then. "Kwissie, you with me?" he asked quietly and his little brother nodded.

Just then their family orbed in. Zankou grinned only and shimmered away while Paige took care of Victor. All ran to the boys when Wyatt then lowered his forcefield and they were taken in Piper's and Leo's arms. All sighed in relief.

"Is it over?" Piper asked afraid, holding Wyatt closely and looking at her baby as well afraid.

"I don't think so," Leo replied in the same tone, holding Chris closer to him. His gut told him to do so. "C'mon Chrissie, time to go to bed!"

Father and son turned around, away from their family and on the way to the nursery. Just at that moment, Zankou shimmered back in again and hit Leo in the abdomen with his feet, taking Chris from his father.

"Thank you so much, Leo," Zankou said smirking and bowing to the family. "Now that I have the key, I can work on my next goal and you already know what it is. Again, thank you." And Zankou was gone. With Chris.

Piper broke down and started sobbing, with Wyatt crying in her arms as well. Victor slowly made his way over to his daughter and grandson, hugging them and hiding so his tears. Phoebe and Paige were no better, crying on each other for support.

Worse than the others was Leo who held his abdomen in pain. He'd lost his son. Again. Was all lost?

TBC...

Before you may decide to kill me, there's still one chapter left and a following whole season! So just stay put! ;)

Reviews are very appreciated!