Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from the television show Charmed. All characters belong to Spelling Television, and The WB.

This is my first Charmed fic. I apologize if I get any of the show's details wrong. I'd love to get feedback! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed the story so far. Please continue to review the story or e-mail me at jeff_langdon@hotmail.com!

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Anguished Soul - Chapter 6

Chris began to convulse violently as the Charmed Ones channeled their power through him. The pain that the Whitelighter experienced was excruciating. He felt like he was being torn apart and the pain steadily increased.

"We can't do this," Paige cried. "We're going to kill him!"

The Tekenog combined their powers as they tried to counter the Power of Three. To their surprise, the Charmed Ones began to gain the upper hand, slowly but surely.

"We have to stop!" Paige pleaded as she saw Chris in agonizing pain.

"Don't stop," Chris thought to himself. "Don't stop now!!" his mind screamed, hoping that the three witches would not give up.

The battle raged on as the Power of Three began to dominate the struggle. With a massive surge of power, the Charmed Ones overwhelmed the Tekenogs, blasting them into oblivion. The power of the blast knocked the three witches off of their feet, sending them sprawling on the ground. The sudden withdrawal of energy sapped the Whitelighter of his strength and he slumped to the ground.

After regaining her bearings, Paige scrambled to her feet and ran to where Chris was lying. "Chris, are you okay?" She began to panic when she got no answer. "Chris! Answer me!!"

Phoebe and Piper soon joined her as they tried to revive Chris. Finally, he began to stir.

"Thank god you're okay, Chris!" Paige cried out, not realizing that she was in tears.

Chris clutched his head and groaned. "Ugh.I think I'm going to need some major doses of Tylenol."

"How do you feel?" Phoebe asked as she helped him to his feet.

"Crappy," he answered with a faint smirk. "Remind me not to come up with this sort of suggestion next time 'round." Turning to Paige, who was busy wiping the tears from her face, the Whitelighter's smirk only grew. "Are you crying, Paige? That's so sweet!" he laughed good-naturedly.

"In your dreams, Christopher. I've got dust in my eyes," she retorted not very convincingly.

"Ahh," Chris answered with a straight face, "my bad.my bad."

"Do you think you're strong energy to orb back to the manor?"

"Let's find out!" With that, Chris took Phoebe's hand and orbbed them back to the Halliwell manor, followed closely by Paige, Piper, and Wyatt.

"Well, that was an eventful day!" Phoebe announced once they finally settled down. "The next challenge is to get dinner ready before we all starve to death."

"Keep things simple. I just want to eat," Piper suggested. "None of that fancy stuff tonight, okay?"

"Don't worry, I wasn't planning to slave away at the stove after that little battle," Phoebe replied. "Why don't you go get Wyatt settled down and feed him first? And Chris, you're staying for dinner."

The look on Phoebe's face told the young Whitelighter that there was no point in protesting. "Thanks, Phoebe," he answered softly.

"I'm going to take a shower first," Paige announced. "My body aches like crazy."

That left Chris sitting alone on the living couch, still trying to recuperate from the huge amounts of energy that he drained earlier. After resting for a while, he joined Phoebe in the kitchen.

"Need help?"

"I'm alright," Phoebe answered as she stirred the pasta sauce. "Shouldn't you be resting up?"

"Nah, I'm okay. A little banged up but I think I'll survive."

"That's good to hear."

"Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I guess you three are stuck with me for a while longer," the Whitelighter joked as he began to set the dinner table.

"You know, when you first showed up, could've sworn you were a troublemaker."

Chris laughed at the comment. "Somehow I think I figured that part out pretty quickly. I must admit, I can be quite a handful."

"But," she continued, "I must also admit that I've been a pretty bad judge of your character."

"Oh, this I got to hear. The great Phoebe Halliwell is about to make a confession."

"Very funny. But seriously, what you did today was very brave. I really didn't expect you to do what you did."

Chris simply shrugged at the comment. "That's my job," he answered matter- of-factly. "That's what Whitelighters are supposed to do."

"Well, thank you all the same," Phoebe said, genuinely grateful. "You saved our lives today."

"Don't worry about it," Chris answered, slightly embarrassed. "I just wish you would all trust me."

"We do trust you, Chris."

"Actually, you do. And Paige does."

"Piper trusts you."

"No she doesn't. I can feel it. Even after today, she still doesn't trust me," Chris lamented. "I don't think she likes me very much."

"Don't be silly, Chris. She's just going through a hard time now."

"I guess. She probably blames me for Leo being gone."

"Don't blame her, Chris. It's hard for you to understand."

"Oh I understand alright," Chris cut in. "She isn't the only one who has lost people close to them, you know. The only difference is that I don't go around trying to blame it on innocent people."

"Chris." Both Phoebe and Chris turn around to see Piper standing in the doorway. "Can I speak to you for a moment. Alone?"

~ to be continued ~