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 16

The three witches stared in shock as they watched Chris, their Whitelighter, dancing and singing on stage. Even more shocking was the fact that the party guests were going crazy for him. Like some boyband singer, he was taking to the stage like it was his everyday job to dance and sing in front of crazed teenagers.

"I think I'm going to faint," Piper said. "I can't believe our Whitelighter is singing on stage in my club!"

"Well, I must say that this was rather - unexpected," Phoebe added, her eyes still fixed on stage.

Apparently, Chris didn't notice the Charmed Ones' entry because he just continued onto another song without missing a beat. The party guests were all over the dance floor having the time of their lives. Piper took another gulp of water as she saw Mr. Johnson approach her.

"Oh Mr. Johnson," she began nervously. "I can explain this."

"There's nothing to explain," he cut her off. "I have to say, Piper, that you've outdone yourself this time. What a fabulous party you have organized!" Piper smiled nervously as Mr. Johnson continued to speak. "I haven't seen my daughter this happy in quite a while. And now, she thinks I'm the best dad in the world for organizing this. This is absolutely wonderful!"

"I'm glad that you find this party to your satisfaction," Piper answered.

Mrs. Johnson decided to join in on the conversation. "Oh Piper, this is beyond our expectations. You totally surprised us with this arrangement. I mean, look at those kids. They are just going absolutely crazy for that young man on stage there. Who is he, anyway? I've never heard of him before."

"Oh, he's a friend of ours," Piper explained, not really knowing what to say.

"Well, he certainly is awfully talented," Mrs. Johnson continued. "And he's very good on the eyes too, if you know what I mean," she said with a giggle.

"I'll make sure that I pass on your message, Mrs. Johnson," Piper remarked. After what seemed like an eternity, the Johnsons finally left the three witches alone.

Paige's eyes darted back to the stage for the umpteenth time when Phoebe walked up beside her. "Like what you see?" she teased.

"What are you talking about now?" Paige asked with mock annoyance.

"How does it feel to see you boyfriend on stage with teenage girls going crazy for him?" Phoebe continued.

"Who said anything about him being my boyfriend?"

"Oh, no one," Phoebe quipped. "But only a blind or totally oblivious person would miss the fact that you have the hots for him."

When Paige remained silent, Phoebe knew she had her answer.

"Well, he is really cute, isn't he?" Paige asked to no one in particular.

The conversation between the two sisters was interrupted when silence suddenly filled the room. "Thanks everyone for coming out tonight," Chris said, obviously exhausted from his performance. Paige noticed that he was sweating and his T-shirt was soaked, hugging his body tightly. Paige found that all this made him look incredibly sexy. "Are you all having a good time?" he asked.

The guests roared their approval in response.

"That's awesome," the young Whitelighter continued. "So now, to the person responsible for putting together this great party, let's give a huge hand to P3's wonderful owner, Piper Halliwell!"

Again, the crowd cheered loudly, causing Piper to smile at the reaction.

"And now, there's a song that I really want to sing," Chris began again. "I want to dedicate this song to a very, very special person," he said as his eyes connected with Paige. The music began and an upbeat dance song could be heard. Wearing his headpiece, Chris began to sing:

"I've been watching you from afar, at the way you make yourself around the bar. You laugh like you're really entertained, and you smile like it's your favourite game. Now you're moving closer to me and our eyes are connected emotionally. I'm not looking for a one night stand, or a place for a broken heart to mend. I know everybody here wants to hold ya, I know what it's like 'cause I feel the same. When you look in my eyes there's a part of me that's still afraid.

And when you say you love me, do you mean it? Baby, when you hold me, do you feel it? Should I believe in magic in your eyes? I would wait until the end of time to hear you say you love me like you mean it. Baby, when you hold me make me feel it. All I wanna do is make you mine, I've been hurt way too many times."

As the music continued to play, Chris got off the stage and walked towards Paige. Blushing madly, Paige could not help but sport a huge smile as her Whitelighter moved towards her. Her heart melted as she looked into his eyes. Taking her hands, he gently led her to the dance floor where they began to dance to the rhythm of the music.

"Again and again and again, I would hurt, my friend, till the end. You know I've been high I've been low, I got no place else left to go. Again and again and again, when will this search ever end?

And when you say you love me, do you mean it? Baby, when you hold me, do you feel it? Should I believe in magic in your eyes? I would wait until the end of time to hear you say you love me like you mean it. Baby, when you hold me make me feel it. All I wanna do is make you mine, I've been hurt way too many times."

Paige found herself wishing that this moment would never end. Her Prince Charming singing to her, dancing with her, their bodies so close together.it was a dream come true.

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"Thanks, Ben," Piper called out to her bartender as he cleaned up the counter. "You better get some rest. You must be exhausted."

"Oh, that's okay, Piper. I'm doing okay," he replied cheerfully.

"Wow, you must have lots of energy to be this energetic after such a long day. Weren't you here since this morning setting up the club?"

The young man grinned shyly. "Yeah, but it really wasn't too bad. Plus Chris was here to help me get everything set up."

"Chris was here this morning?" Phoebe asked, surprised at the revelation.

"That's right. Actually he did most of the heavy work. I only helped out. He's a really cool guy."

Remembering the scene from the kitchen earlier when Chris was gulping water like there was no tomorrow, Phoebe could not help but smile. "Yeah, he can be a little strange at times, but most of the time he's cool."

"Well, I better get going now. I'll see you tomorrow, Piper."

"Goodnight, Ben."

"Well, that was an interesting night, wasn't it?" Phoebe asked.

"I suppose it could've been a disaster," Piper admitted.

"But thanks to Chris, it turned out rather well, didn't it?"

"I guess he does deserve a lot of credit," Piper answered.

"Talking about me behind my back again?" Chris interrupted. "Everything's cleaned up, by the way."

"Thanks, Chris, you were really good tonight," Phoebe complimented.

The young Whitelighter laughed at the comment. "Thanks. I tried getting a decent band, but I couldn't find any. Sorry." he said sheepishly.

"No, no," Phoebe answered, "you were great! Awesome, actually. Isn't that right, Paige?"

Paige just smiled at Chris, still looking dazed.

"Well, I must admit you saved the day," Piper said in an even voice. "But how long were you planning to keep me in the dark about your real intentions towards Paige?"

~ to be continued ~

* Lyrics from "When You Say You Love Me" sung by Clay Aiken.