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 29

Chris woke up to see Paige sitting in her chair, fast asleep. He tried to sit up but found that his strength had not returned. He tried unsuccessfully to silence his groans as he fell back onto the bed. Just as he had feared, his groans woke Paige from her sleep.

"I'm okay," Chris whispered. "Go back to sleep."

"I'm fine," Paige answered as she placed her hand on Chris forehead. Her expression was grim as Chris' fever failed to subside. "Let me see if Piper or Phoebe found anything in the Book of Shadows."

Chris reached out and grabbed her hand as she was about to leave. "Don't," he called out. "It's no use. You won't find anything there."

Paige brought her other hand to her eyes to wipe away the tears. "What do you want me to do? Sit here and just watch you suffer in pain?"

Chris tried hard to smile, but it was difficult to do. "You need to help Phoebe and Piper prepare for this demon attack. There's nothing that you can do to help me."

Paige covered her ears and shut her eyes. "I don't want to hear it," she stated as she refused to believe Chris' words. "I don't care what you say, Chris. But I'm not going to sit by and do nothing."

The young Whitelighter sighed as Paige refused to listen. "I'm fine, okay? I just need some time to recuperate and then I'll be good as new." He tried so hard to be convincing that for a moment, he almost believed in his own words.

"Chris," Paige began before she was cut off.

"Trust me, okay?" Chris pleaded. "Go see if Phoebe and Piper need some help. I'll be fine here."

Before Paige could get in another word, the manor shook violently. She could hear Piper and Phoebe yelling downstairs but could not make out what they were saying. The shaking continued and she could hear other voices now.

"Go help Phoebe and Piper!" Chris ordered as Paige debated whether to go or stay.

"I can't leave you here alone."

"Just go! They need you!"

Just as Paige orbed downstairs, two demons appeared in the room where Chris was staying. "How does it feel to be stripped of your powers, Christopher?" one of them sneered.

Chris glared at the demons, daring them to make the first move.

"You're a failure. Watching your charges die and not being able to do a single thing to help them," the other taunted as they advanced on Chris. They had barely taken two steps before Chris weakly flicked his wrist. Immediately, the two demons were burned to ashes. The sudden surge of power disoriented Chris. He struggled off the bed and tried unsuccessfully to orb. Knowing that the demons were outnumbering the Charmed Ones, he crawled towards the door, determined to provide what little assistance that he could.

After much difficulty, he managed to position himself outside the parlour where the battle was raging. The Charmed Ones fought valiantly but the tide was slowly turning against them. Concentrating, Chris attempted once again to summon an energy ball. To his dismay, he could not even get a faint glimmer of energy to appear. He rested his head against the wall, horrified that he had lost the little power that he had left.

His thoughts were interrupted by Piper's cry as she was kicked in the stomach by a demon. Distracted, Phoebe and Paige also succumbed to the attacks. The three witches tried to regroup but they were cornered by the attackers.

Just as the demons were about to strike the witches, Chris walked into the room. "Hey, ever thought of picking on someone your own size?"

The demon turned around and laughed. "If the Charmed Ones can't beat us, what makes you think that you can do any better?" A massive fireball was thrown at Chris, who managed to avoid it just in time. Several more fireballs were launched but the young Whitelighter managed to avoid them all - except for the last one, which managed to graze Chris' shoulders.

The young Whitelighter gasped at the sudden pain but refused to cry out. He tried once again to summon an energy ball but was once again bitterly disappointed. He was now faced with three demons who were ready to tear him apart, with little power remaining to defend himself. With their backs turned to the Charmed Ones, the three witches launched a counterattack against the demons. However, their advantage was short-lived as the demons once again gained the upper hand.

The attacking demons were about to finish off the witches when they were interrupted by Chris yet again. Furious at being delayed, the demons turned towards the young Whitelighter with the intention of destroying him once and for all. Instead, they were met with a barrage of poison-tipped arrows that obliterated them. For the two demons that survived the arrows, Chris finished them up by flicking his hand and engulfing them in flames. Within minutes, the legion of demons that had threatened the Charmed Ones' existence was nothing more than piles of ash on the floor.

Mission accomplished, Chris paid dearly for the exertion of energy as his knees buckled, causing him to collapse to the floor. Before darkness could engulf him, however, he felt himself pulled to his feet roughly. His eyes barely opened, he could make out a very angry Piper and Phoebe.

"Poison arrows and fireballs," Piper seethed as she spoke. "Just who the hell are you, Chris Perry?" she demanded.

Before Chris had a chance to formulate an answer, everything went dark as his limp body slid once again to the manor floor.

~ to be continued ~