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 8

Paige waited for several minutes before deciding to try the door. She found it odd that the apartment was dark even though she could hear the sound of the radio inside. She turned the doorknob and found it unlocked. Stepping inside quietly, she took a moment to adjust to the darkness. Taking several more tentative steps, she could make out the Chris' form on the sofa. His body slumped forward, she could make out his wracking sobs. They were soft sobs but to Paige, they were the only sounds that she could hear.

She instinctively sat beside Chris and pulled him close, hugging him and comforting him. "Shh," she whispered, "it's okay, Chris. Everything's going to be alright."

"No they won't," Chris whispered back, his voice thick with anguish.

"Tell me what's wrong, Chris," she coaxed gently. "What did Piper say to you?"

Chris pulled away from Paige, slightly embarrassed by the display of his weakness. "The same old stuff," he answered simply.

"You know, she doesn't mean.."

"Doesn't mean it, right?" Chris finished for her. "I've heard that one before."

"I don't understand why she has such a hard time accepting you," Paige remarked. "I mean, she's usually not like this."

"Because to her, I'm an eyesore, that's why."

"Don't say that, Chris."

"It's true. Every time she sees me, it reminds her of the husband that she lost. To her, Leo would never be gone if I had never shown up. Don't you see? She hates me and she will always hate me because to her I will always be the one who broke up her happy family."

Paige didn't have an answer to Chris' response. While she hoped that it wasn't true, Chris' reasoning made a lot of sense. "She'll come around eventually, Chris. Don't give up now."

"Do I have a choice? It's my job to protect her. That's why I'm here. Hopefully your next Whitelighter will have an easier time."

Paige turned to Chris with a confused expression. "What next Whitelighter?"

"Once I'm gone, you'll need another Whitelighter, wouldn't you?"

"What do you mean gone? Where are you planning to go?"

"Never mind. It's not important anyways," Chris answered half-heartedly as he gazed out the window.

Paige remained silent for a while as she contemplated Chris' words. She had no idea what he meant but she didn't like the sound of it. The truth was that Phoebe wasn't entirely off the wall when she suggested that she had feelings for Chris. Yes, she admitted that she liked Chris. But she knew almost nothing about her mysterious Whitelighter and she was actually looking forward to getting to know him. This latest twist about him being gone bothered Paige more than she would have liked.

Then there was the other question that was on her mind. "Who is Annette?"

"What did you say?" Chris asked. Paige looked startled for a minute, not realizing that she had actually said her thoughts aloud.

"You kept repeating the name Annette when I was coming in. Who is she?"

"She was my everything," he replied, his voice threatening to break again.

Chris' use of the past tense was not lost on Paige, but she wasn't sure if she should continue asking or not. Lucky for her, Chris continued to speak, saving her from having to ask such an awkward question.

~ flashback (or more accurately, "flashforward") begins ~

"Oh Chris, they are beautiful!" Annette hugged Chris and the two shared a loving kiss. "I still can't believe how lucky I am. That's what all the girls keep telling me too."

Chris laughed and hugged Annette again. "Funny, I could've sworn I was the luckiest guy alive. Guess you beat me to it!"

Annette pulled Chris close and the two shared a moment of tranquility with each other. "I just wished everyday would be like today. That would be so perfect."

"That day will come," Chris answered with a genuine smile. "Once we defeat the Titans, everything will get back to normal again."

Annette's smile faded and she shook her head sadly. "No it won't, Chris. Things will never be normal again. The Titans can never be defeated. Yes, we might win a few battles, but at what cost? Our friends are dying and we lose more of them with each fight. When will it be our turn to perish?"

"We won't perish, Annette. We're going to win this. Don't give up now!"

"I'm not giving up. I'm just putting things into perspective," Annette reasoned. "We have to think about our future too, you know."

"So what do you have in mind?"

"Well, it's always beneficial to be on the winning side in any battle. And this time is no exception."

Chris wore a puzzled look as he tried to understand what Annette was saying. "So, what you mean is."

"We agree to help the Titans."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Chris, I would never joke about these things."

"How could you even suggest these things? There's no way we can help the Titans! We can't betray our friends, our families, our beliefs!"

Annette turned away sadly. "I knew this was how you would react, that's why I didn't tell you about it sooner."

"Tell me about it sooner?" Chris asked as he grew more upset by the minute. "You mean you've been thinking about this for a while now?"

Annette nodded in acknowledgement. "I figured that maybe your love for me would be enough to convince you to join me. We can build a future together Chris. The Titans would make us powerful!"

"There is no way I'm going to defect to the Titans, Annette. How could you?" he asked, blinking back tears. This wasn't the Annette that he thought he knew. What happened to their ideals? What happened to their promise to destroy the Titans and restore the world to order?

Suddenly, Chris realized that they were not alone. "What do you want, Akradonis?" he demanded.

His eyes grew wide as Annette walked over to Akradonis and took his hand. "I can't get him to agree," she said as she smiled at him.

"Annette?" Chris asked, totally bewildered. "Do you even know who he is?"

"Of course she does, Christopher," Akradonis answered. "We know each other quite - intimately."

Chris felt like he had been punched in the stomach and found it hard to breathe. "Annette. How could you??"

Annette looked at him and smiled. "I gave you a chance, Chris. I thought you loved me but I guess this was all a lie."

"Annette! Don't do this? You can't mess with him!" Chris pleaded.

Akradonis laughed at the comment. "Do you realize how pathetic you look and sound right now?"

In his fury, Chris summoned his power and hurled an energy ball towards Akradonis. To his dismay, Annette summoned her powers to neutralize it. Before he had a chance to react, both Annette and Akradonis hurled their powers towards Chris. The combined force was too much for him and Chris was hurled against the cliff. His eyes tearing from pain but more from the anguish of betrayal, he only looked on helplessly as Annette and Akradonis kissed. They did it slowly and deliberately, in full view of Chris, rubbing salt and humiliation into his wounds. As he watched the scene unfold, Chris felt any strength to fight back fade away. His heart was torn to pieces and he just wanted to die. Anything but to experience this pain, this anguish, this betrayal.

~ to be continued ~