EIGHT
"I guess that's about all of it," said Piper when she and her sister had finished telling what they knew about Wyatt. "Did I leave anything out?"
"Sounds like you covered it all to me," said Phoebe.
"You were very thorough," said Chris.
"Tell me something," Angel said to Chris. "You told this Wyatt that you'd kill baby Wyatt to stop him. Do you still plan to do that?"
"What?" Piper nearly screamed. "Don't even think about it, buster. No one's laying a hand on my baby."
"It was a bluff," said Chris. "I needed to buy some time to get close enough to him to flash him. It was the only way we were going to get out of there alive."
"It could solve a lot of problems," said Angel. "If baby Wyatt dies, grown up Wyatt doesn't exist."
"Leave it to you to come up with that," said Buffy, a hint of contempt in her voice. "We can't even consider killing a baby."
"Easy, girl," said Paige. "I don't think he meant it. Not really. I know you guys have some history but we have to stay focused on our objective here."
"She's right, love," said Spike. "This Wyatt is out to kill us. Any differences you and Angel have will have to go on the back burner for now."
"Chris," said Piper, "why didn't Wyatt just kill us when he was here the other day? If he supposedly came back to prevent you from being born he could have done that by killing me instead of waiting for a Dark Lighter's bolt to kill Leo. Why did he leave us unharmed? But he didn't seem concerned with us. Just you and Leo."
"He obviously came back to stop me," said Chris. "That would have been his primary goal. But he couldn't kill you. Not just yet. If he kills you too soon it might alter his past too much. It might actually prevent him from becoming evil."
"I don't understand," said Buffy. "Supposedly baby Wyatt was infected with some kind of demonic essence. How could what they do have an affect on that?"
"It's something they have to do that they haven't done yet," said Chris. "Until they do Wyatt can't take the chance of harming them. If he harms one of them the other two may not do what they originally did. Which means everything he's done will be in vain."
"Just what do we do that we haven't done yet?" asked Phoebe.
"That's a good question," said Leo, walking into the living room. "I just got back. I followed Wyatt to Los Angeles but I lost him there. Then I checked in with the other Elders to see if they had found out anything."
"Leo, everybody," said Piper. "Everybody, Leo. We can make the formal introductions later. Right now we need to know what you learned from the Elders."
"Something happened in Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago," said Leo. "They can't figure out exactly what it was but it was big. They sensed a powerful magic appear. Like it just came out of nowhere. And they think it has something to do with him."
Leo looked directly at Spike.
"Me?" Spike asked. "I don't know what it could be. Up until a couple of weeks ago I was nothing but a phantom. I couldn't even leave Los Angeles. Not likely it was anything I did."
"Spike," said Angel, "that would be about the same time you got your body back."
"I suppose," said Spike. "Maybe that's what these Elders of yours sensed."
"No, it was bigger than that," said Leo. "Something powerful and evil. And before you ask, it wasn't Wyatt. Wyatt was still in the future when this happened. But whatever it was, it seems to be heading toward San Francisco."
"The demon," Chris said suddenly. "It could be the demon that infects Wyatt."
"Maybe," said Leo. "But you haven't answered my question. What is it the girls are supposed to do that they haven't done yet? The reason why Wyatt can't harm them?"
"They vanquish a demon," said Chris.
"We've done that dozens of times," said Piper. "What's so important about this one?"
"It was after Wyatt," said Chris. "He didn't have enough control over his power to protect himself effectively against it. If you hadn't vanquished it, it would have stolen Wyatt's power, killing him in the process. Without you here to protect him, Wyatt will die before he can be infected. That will change everything."
"There's a demon after my baby and you didn't say anything?" Piper asked angrily. "Just how long were you planning on waiting before you told us?"
"You have to remember I'm going by what happened the first time," said Chris. "Wyatt, the grown up Wyatt, wasn't here. I'm not sure how that's going to change things this time around. But I do know the demon is going to attack baby Wyatt and you have to be here to protect him."
"What kind of demon?" Leo asked.
"It's called a Collector," said Chris. "It's a non-corporeal demon. It searches out magical infants and drains their magic from them killing them in the process."
"If it's non-corporeal," said Buffy, "how do they fight it?"
"In order for one to drain the magic from a child," said Chris, "it has to become corporeal for a few moments. That's when you'll have your chance to vanquish it. They aren't particularly powerful. That's why they feed off the magical energy of infants. Until you vanquish it Wyatt can't take the chance of harming you."
"So now we have two things to worry about," said Piper. "My supposed grown up son out to kill us all and this Collector demon out to drain my baby's power. This is just getting better and better."
"I guess that's about all of it," said Piper when she and her sister had finished telling what they knew about Wyatt. "Did I leave anything out?"
"Sounds like you covered it all to me," said Phoebe.
"You were very thorough," said Chris.
"Tell me something," Angel said to Chris. "You told this Wyatt that you'd kill baby Wyatt to stop him. Do you still plan to do that?"
"What?" Piper nearly screamed. "Don't even think about it, buster. No one's laying a hand on my baby."
"It was a bluff," said Chris. "I needed to buy some time to get close enough to him to flash him. It was the only way we were going to get out of there alive."
"It could solve a lot of problems," said Angel. "If baby Wyatt dies, grown up Wyatt doesn't exist."
"Leave it to you to come up with that," said Buffy, a hint of contempt in her voice. "We can't even consider killing a baby."
"Easy, girl," said Paige. "I don't think he meant it. Not really. I know you guys have some history but we have to stay focused on our objective here."
"She's right, love," said Spike. "This Wyatt is out to kill us. Any differences you and Angel have will have to go on the back burner for now."
"Chris," said Piper, "why didn't Wyatt just kill us when he was here the other day? If he supposedly came back to prevent you from being born he could have done that by killing me instead of waiting for a Dark Lighter's bolt to kill Leo. Why did he leave us unharmed? But he didn't seem concerned with us. Just you and Leo."
"He obviously came back to stop me," said Chris. "That would have been his primary goal. But he couldn't kill you. Not just yet. If he kills you too soon it might alter his past too much. It might actually prevent him from becoming evil."
"I don't understand," said Buffy. "Supposedly baby Wyatt was infected with some kind of demonic essence. How could what they do have an affect on that?"
"It's something they have to do that they haven't done yet," said Chris. "Until they do Wyatt can't take the chance of harming them. If he harms one of them the other two may not do what they originally did. Which means everything he's done will be in vain."
"Just what do we do that we haven't done yet?" asked Phoebe.
"That's a good question," said Leo, walking into the living room. "I just got back. I followed Wyatt to Los Angeles but I lost him there. Then I checked in with the other Elders to see if they had found out anything."
"Leo, everybody," said Piper. "Everybody, Leo. We can make the formal introductions later. Right now we need to know what you learned from the Elders."
"Something happened in Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago," said Leo. "They can't figure out exactly what it was but it was big. They sensed a powerful magic appear. Like it just came out of nowhere. And they think it has something to do with him."
Leo looked directly at Spike.
"Me?" Spike asked. "I don't know what it could be. Up until a couple of weeks ago I was nothing but a phantom. I couldn't even leave Los Angeles. Not likely it was anything I did."
"Spike," said Angel, "that would be about the same time you got your body back."
"I suppose," said Spike. "Maybe that's what these Elders of yours sensed."
"No, it was bigger than that," said Leo. "Something powerful and evil. And before you ask, it wasn't Wyatt. Wyatt was still in the future when this happened. But whatever it was, it seems to be heading toward San Francisco."
"The demon," Chris said suddenly. "It could be the demon that infects Wyatt."
"Maybe," said Leo. "But you haven't answered my question. What is it the girls are supposed to do that they haven't done yet? The reason why Wyatt can't harm them?"
"They vanquish a demon," said Chris.
"We've done that dozens of times," said Piper. "What's so important about this one?"
"It was after Wyatt," said Chris. "He didn't have enough control over his power to protect himself effectively against it. If you hadn't vanquished it, it would have stolen Wyatt's power, killing him in the process. Without you here to protect him, Wyatt will die before he can be infected. That will change everything."
"There's a demon after my baby and you didn't say anything?" Piper asked angrily. "Just how long were you planning on waiting before you told us?"
"You have to remember I'm going by what happened the first time," said Chris. "Wyatt, the grown up Wyatt, wasn't here. I'm not sure how that's going to change things this time around. But I do know the demon is going to attack baby Wyatt and you have to be here to protect him."
"What kind of demon?" Leo asked.
"It's called a Collector," said Chris. "It's a non-corporeal demon. It searches out magical infants and drains their magic from them killing them in the process."
"If it's non-corporeal," said Buffy, "how do they fight it?"
"In order for one to drain the magic from a child," said Chris, "it has to become corporeal for a few moments. That's when you'll have your chance to vanquish it. They aren't particularly powerful. That's why they feed off the magical energy of infants. Until you vanquish it Wyatt can't take the chance of harming you."
"So now we have two things to worry about," said Piper. "My supposed grown up son out to kill us all and this Collector demon out to drain my baby's power. This is just getting better and better."