Title: The Lost Future
Disclaimer: I don't own anything
Author's Note: Thanks to all who reviewed. And Happy New Year.
Chapter Twenty: Between Head and Heart
"The Source? As in the Source of All Evil?" Leo asked in astonishment. He was leaning against the doorframe of the sunroom, his eyes wide with shock. Wyatt and the twins had taken seats in the sofa, and Chris, laden with all the books from Magic School, was slowly making his way to the loveseat. Paige and Prue were sitting next to each other on two hard-backed chairs, while Piper and Kyle paced restlessly.
Phoebe had disappeared to call Jason and inform him of the latest development. And to reassure herself that he was safe.
"How many times do we have to vanquish him?" Paige asked wearily.
"How many times have you vanquished him?" Prue questioned.
"Well, there was the first time when he was reborn in Cole, then there was the time when we vanquished Cole, so that was twice. Then there was Phoebe's demonic baby, so that's three…" Paige reeled off, counting the times on her fingers.
"What?" Prue asked harshly, turning sharply to stare at her youngest aunt. "What do you mean there was Mom's demonic baby?"
Paige, realizing what she had given away, glanced over at Piper for help. Piper glared back at her in annoyance and said to Prue, "It's a long story, Prue, and one that you should hear from Phoebe, not us."
Prue glanced between her aunts, and seeing the determined look on their faces, knew not to push it. She lapsed into a sulking silence, still reeling from the news.
Her mother had a demonic child that had been vanquished?
They had vanquished a child?
"So do we think the Source and this shift in magic are related?" Kyle asked, breaking the uneasy silence and glancing over at his brother-in-law.
Leo nodded wordlessly. It was too much of a coincidence for them not to be related.
"And this girl…Melinda…you saw her at Magic School?" Paige asked quietly, her eyes on Chris.
Chris nodded, thinking back to his conversation with the mysterious stranger. "Yeah…I did."
"And she told you that Phase Two was the beginning, and Phase One was the end, and it was here mere presence that caused Phase Two?" Wyatt asked, summing up everything Chris had told them. He shook his head. "Well, that makes no sense to me."
"What books did you find?" Mel asked, picking up one of the books that Chris had brought back. "From Here to There; Portals and Parallels." She turned to Chris with one eyebrow raised. "Fascinating,' she deadpanned.
Paige smirked slightly, then stood up and said, "I've got to get back to Magic School. I need to find someone to cover my classes today…" She hadn't been to class in a while, each day finding a new substitute. She found that she missed teaching, missed watching the students learn.
"I'll do it," Kyle volunteered.
Paige glanced over at him, startled by the offer, and smiled briefly. "Thanks," she said softly.
"How many vanquishing potions did you guys make?" Piper asked, glancing at Wyatt and the twins.
"A lot," Pen answered. "But will the work on the Source?"
"No, but they'll help us to take out any of his minions that might attack. And we have a spell that will work on the Source," Paige replied.
Phoebe entered the room at that point and heard Paige's comment. She wrinkled her nose and replied, "We have a spell that would work on the Source if we were still Charmed."
"You guys didn't have a chance to talk about stuff yet?" Leo asked, looking between the sisters.
"We were going to, but then Prue got the premonition," Paige replied glumly. "Seems like every time we try to sit down and talk, something gets in the way." She turned her attention to her sisters, feeling yet again a wave of guilt pass through her. She wished she could take back the things she had said.
They all wished they could take back what had been said.
"I know what you mean," Phoebe answered heavily, taking a seat next to her daughter. "First the warlock attacking, now the Source…and we still have to worry about those dark-lighters…" She rubbed her eyes wearily and shook her head. "Plus the whole issue with Chris' memories and Bianca…"
Chris suddenly flushed a deep crimson and jumped to his feet in shock and guilt.
"Chris?" Piper asked instantly, worried.
"Bianca! I haven't seen her since the warlock attacked. I have to make sure she's okay, I have to tell her what is going on," Chris replied. He had completely forgotten about her role in all of this. So many things had happened to his family, and he had been so completely focused on mending the rifts, he had forgotten about her.
"She's fine," Piper replied quietly, remembering the way the seething Phoenix had glowered at her when she was told to leave. "Angry, but fine."
"I should check and…"
"Are you sure that is a wise idea?" Leo asked softly.
Chris raised an eyebrow at his father. "Why wouldn't it be?" he demanded harshly. "I know you don't like her, but…"
"It isn't about whether or not we like her, Chris, it is about her own safety," Leo replied gently, flinching both at his son's harsh tone and the truth in his words. He didn't like Bianca.
"Oh?" The word was dripping with enough sarcasm to make Leo flinch again. Green eyes narrowed angrily, as though daring the Elder to continue.
"Chris, Latere may be gone, but if the Source is really the one behind this…"
"Which he is," Phoebe cut in.
"…then there may be other demons or warlocks out there that the Source is contracting with," Leo finished, sparing a brief nod for Phoebe to acknowledge his acceptance of her statement.
"She's a trained assassin," Chris replied. "Even if she doesn't kill anymore, she still knows how to fight."
"And what if the Source finds another way to bring out dormant personality traits?" Leo asked pointedly, watching the comprehension dawn on Chris' face.
"You think the Source could turn her into the Bianca she was before…when she worked for Wyatt?" Chris asked worriedly. He had not consider that possibility, and it scared him to no end. He did not want to lose his love twice, did not want to suffer through seeing those warm brown eyes turn icy cold again.
"It is possible," Piper spoke up, supporting her husband. "I would say probable." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, shaking her head slowly. "Chris, we simply don't know what we are up against, and if there is even the slightest chance that the Source could bring back the assassin part of Bianca…do you really want to do that to her?"
Chris hesitated, clearly torn between his desire to see Bianca, and his fear of having her revert to the assassin he once knew.
"Peanut, I'm not going to lie to you," Piper continued, getting up and placing a hand on Chris' shoulder, "I don't like Bianca. But I can see, in your eyes, how much you love her, and I would never dream of standing in the way of that. So believe me when I tell you that I am not saying this because I want to keep her away." She paused, then amended the last sentence. "Well, not only because I want to keep her away. I am also saying this because I really do think bringing her here would be a dangerous idea, and a gamble I am not ready to take."
"Maybe I should just tell her that everything's okay…" Chris suggested half-heartedly, knowing as he said it that it was a bad idea. If he saw Bianca again, he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't tell her everything, and then the protective part of her would insist that she join the fight.
"That's a bad idea," Wyatt said gruffly, although he was smirking slightly. "Even I know that, and I barely know the girl." He eyed Chris for a moment, then continued, "Not really thinking with your head, are you?"
Chris flushed even deeper at the implied suggestion and glared at his brother. "Don't be crude."
"I'll keep an eye on her," Kyle said suddenly. At Chris' confused look, he explained, "I can put her on my radar. That way I'll know when she is in danger. Just to make sure the Source doesn't decide to go after her."
"Do you think he will?" Chris questioned, worried again.
"No," Leo replied grimly. "I think he's too focused on us."
Chris looked between his parents and his brother, then over at Kyle. His heart wanted to see Bianca, wanted to see her very badly. But his head knew it was a bad idea, knew bringing her into this entire mess would be a disaster. He bit his lip and looked at the floor, his heart and head having a brief, but bitter, battle.
His head won out.
"Okay. I'll talk to her when this is all over," he agreed.
"How's Dad?" Prue asked, taking a seat at the kitchen table. She watched as her mother hunted through the fridge for something to drink. Kyle had gone to Magic School to cover Paige's classes. Leo had orbed away to check with the Elders, although his disappearing act had annoyed Piper to no end. Wyatt, Chris, and the twins were looking through the Book for nothing in particular and Piper and Paige were going through the books Chris had brought from Magic School.
"He's fine," Phoebe replied, finally finding some milk and pulling out the carton. "Still at work. Worried about the Source and all, but I assured him that we have everything under control."
Prue tilted her chin back and stared up at her mother, her eyes reflecting her doubt. "Do we?"
"No," Phoebe was honest enough to reply. She poured herself a glass of milk, then asked, "Do you want something to drink also, Prue?"
"Nah, I'm good." Prue stared down at the table, playing with the cloth. She was silent for a long time, considering her choice of words, then said, "Mom, I don't think you and the Aunts are the only ones who need to sit down and talk." She looked up, meeting her mother's concerned gaze. "We all said and did things that we regret, but we still did them."
"If this is about what the warlock did…"
"It isn't," Prue said quietly. "Well, it is partially about that." She got up and walked over to her mother, her eyes unnaturally solemn. "This is also about Aunt Piper erasing my memory and lying to Chris and Wyatt for all those years. This is about Chris disappearing on us without any explanation and hiding out at Bianca's. This is about Wyatt going psycho and trashing the attic. This is about Kyle lying to us about not knowing where Chris was, and you and Dad arguing about stuff, and Piper and Leo disagreeing on how to handle Chris' magical training, and you not telling me that you vanquished your demonic child."
"What?" Phoebe demanded angrily, wanting to know which sister had informed her daughter about the child she was supposed to have with Cole.
"We all said things we regret, and we need to talk about it before the family falls apart. There still there Mom, all those hurt feelings. Even if we've pushed them aside for right now and focused on everything else, they are still there. Don't you see that?" Prue continued, not realizing how passionate her voice had gotten, how filled with fear and despair she sounded.
"Prue…?"
"And they'll all come out once we get thrown into another stressful situation again. Like they did last time. Another dark-lighter attack, a demon or warlock attack…Mom, if we don't talk about these things, they will come back to haunt us. I can feel it, Mom!"
"Prue? Are you alright?" Phoebe asked, reaching out and laying a hand on her daughter's shoulder.
Prue swallowed and shook her head. "I've got a bad feeling, Mom. I've had it for while. I don't know…" She closed her mind and let out a slow breath. "I'm scared," she murmured. "I'm really scared."
"They know who we are!" the Source hissed angrily, pacing restlessly.
"Obviously," the Seer agreed in a subdued tone as she waved her hand over her pool and changed the water back to black. "But they do not know what we are doing, or how to stop us." She turned to the Source, worry creasing her forehead. "Although I do not know how long that will last."
"If we can distract them…" the Source suggested, his eyes flashing with red flames.
"What do you suggest?" the Seer asked quietly.
The Source was silent for a moment, contemplating his options. At last he turned to the Seer with a cool stare and asked, "Are the dark-lighters organized?"
"We have an army of them waiting for our command," the Seer replied. "Although they do not expect to be sent in until much later. Not for several days."
"It is time to move up our timetable," the Source ordered grimly. "Send in the dark-lighters." He took a deep breath and smiled, a chilling smile that did not reach his eyes. "Send them in now."
Next Chapter: Enter the Dark-Lighters
Due: Friday 1/6