Hello, so sorry about the long wait, things at school are really twisted.
I'm convinced they're trying to send us subliminal messages through the
daily announcements, and they keep us at school at the very least two
minutes later than we're supposed to leave. And no, I have *not* been
watching too much 'That 70's Show', and hanging on to everything that a
certain very hot Steven Hyde has been saying. Anyway, I might not be able
to update soon seeing as I didn't turn in this really huge social studies
project that I think counts for 10% of my grade. Who cares about a stupid
diorama about Lewis and Clark, I saw the special at the IMAX, and then
another thing in class. I think I know all I need to know.
And now for the little special things responding to comments in the reviews that I... think call for some responding to.
Charmed Leo: I agree, and something totally humiliating is going to happen to Richard. Promise.
Protection Paige: HOW COULD THE SERIES DO THIS TO THEM! I completely agree with you, and no matter what, Chris and Paige will have their moment... but under what circumstances? *loud, twisted 'Mwhahahaha' is heard*
Sassy Playa: Yeah, sorry about that, guess I didn't make that centaur thing very clear. I promise one day I'll come up with some sort of funneled version that will make sense.
Dragon of Mirkwood: Iceman? Okay, I have to admit, he's cute, but Pyro is hot, Hot, HOT! Literally. Besides, my friend Crystal already claimed him. And for some weird reason, I have an odd attraction to guys with serious emotional problems. And I'm coming to the conclusion that it might be unhealthy... so is my therapist.
Ori: I hate how they give Phoebe all these really cool power boosts and then Paige just goes on some sort of temp job quest. So Paige shall finally kick some 'Ass de Demon'. And, having finally decided on a plot... there's a chance for whitelighter/witch hybrids.
And last, but not least, after they made Chris Piper and Leo's second son I was so sad I went and cried. Okay, I didn't really cry, I was just superly pissed. So, this plot made the AU category.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter Six: Theory of Relativity
Phoebe was absolutely seething. More than seething, she was livid, her anger incensed. Chris and Paige were supposed to be fine, FINE! And now they were more than ready and probably willing to kill each other and they had *no* idea how much this confused her and her stupid new power. Screw helping people, she wanted to go back to being the only one in her head. She tried a breathing exercise as every one in the room stood still, as if under Piper's freezing power, a tense and austere atmosphere settling in. Piper stood, her hands limp and surrendering at her sides, almost stoically staring at the vase she'd broken. Chris was sitting on the floor, his burnt shirt half-torn off him, obstinately frowning at Phoebe. Leo had managed to restrain the vitriolic Paige by pinning her elbows behind her back.
When Phoebe had finished counting to one thousand for the fourth time, she spoke once more. "Okay, Chris, Paige, you two have some serious issues and you are going to work them out TODAY!" she spat severely, jabbing her finger in the air menacingly. "As Leo intended, you will train, under his supervision, with no talk of personal business. Piper will take some notes on darklighters and centaurs out of the Book of Shadows and I will go to work. We'll all rendezvous in the kitchen tonight at eight when I get off work. IS THIS CLEAR?" she finished sternly, putting her hands on her hips in a strict fashion. Leo let go of Paige who straightened her grey blouse and nodded weakly. Piper sighed and slumped her shoulders and Chris rolled his eyes and shoved the half-burnt rug off himself. Close enough.
Phoebe practically growled under her breath and stomped down the stairs. She grabbed her laptop and was out the door within five minutes, nearly backing into the neighbor's cat. She'd long forgotten her suspicions about Paige and Chris.
Piper sluggishly grabbed the Book of Shadows and headed downstairs, just in time to bid her son good-bye as Ella [2] took him for a walk and spent the better of the afternoon taking notes as Phoebe had instructed her to.
Leo gave Paige and Chris a warning, which they didn't really listen to any way, and left with the promise he would be watching for 'above'. They were not to leave until they could get along. Which (fortunately for us) left Chris without a shirt.
"Okay..." he began, standing the rooms full length away from Paige. "Well, like Leo said, I am the master-"
"-And I am the Jedi Padawan." Paige cut in boorishly, folding her arms in a recalcitrant manner. "Just don't bore me with that 'wax on' Mr. Miyagi shit." She added as an afterthought. Chris raised a confused eyebrow and Paige realized that 'The Karate Kid' didn't exist in Chris' futuristic pop culture. "Just start showing me energy balls, or you will have no balls, if you catch my meaning."
"Well, this'll be a real fun hour." Chris said wryly. "First off, uh, we," Chris paused, and perused what he knew about energy ball technique. "Let's begin. Do you know the proper beginning stance?" Chris asked, folding his arms and feeling slightly chilled now. Paige flopped down on the well-done couch and groaned, at the thought of actually having to obey Chris as her whitelighter.
"No," she replied, clandestine about the many energy balls she'd orbed into her hand to defeat an enemy. Chris sighed, finally sinking into the morose knowledge that for some reason he'd let his arrogance drive Paige away, and his chances of winning her back over to his good side were somewhat assuaged. Then again, denial and certain rules hadn't favore him from the beginning anyway.
"Well, just hold your arms out, and we'll start with the actual formation of an energy ball." He directed. Paige dragged her body off the couch and held her hands out with a bland expression, resembling a zombie complete with little blue baggies under her doe brown eyes. The more Chris studied her, the more apparent her imminent exhaustion became. She looked beat.
"Not what I had in mind." Chris criticized bitterly under his breath. Not really bothering to think through his actions before acting, he came in behind Paige and aligned his body with Paige, arm to arm, leg to leg, hip to hip. Right after he did it, he half expected her to pull something, like elbowing his stomach and attempting to trap him in a headlock.
When Chris got so close to her, for a moment, Paige seriously considered elbowing his middle and trapping him in a headlock. She took in a spiteful breath, but stopped when her breath nervously caught in her throat. Wait, since when was being held in Chris' arms when he conveniently didn't have a shirt on nerve-racking? /Point taken/ she thought to herself. But of course, she didn't *like* him like *that*. Nope. Not at all.
"Uh...well, you have to, uh, hold your arms like this." Chris brought her arms together, outstretched in from of her and put one above the other, palms nearly together. At that moment, Paige felt some sort of surreptitious attraction emanating form Chris. Unspoken and perhaps unheeded, but very much there. "Now concentrate all your energy to that center. Although you energy is usually centered inside you, the trick to mastering energy throwing is to draw the energy to an outer center." /Wow, zen-master/ Paige thought, having never been exposed to Chris' wise side. It was usually his wise-ass side. But this was a tad unnerving. Inwardly shaking herself of those thoughts, she obeyed him. Taking a deep breath once more and willed the electricity that just today had shocked her veins and ignited her insides. After five second of bated breath, a tiny white spark emitted. Paige jumped at the chance and immediately the energies gathered into a sphere the size of a golf ball, hissing and crackling.
"Where'd you pick up this little trick?" Paige questioned breathlessly, marveling at the minute wonder.
"Future." Chris replied curtly, slowly adjusting her hands in order the lengthen the energy's size.
"Nice and vague there." Paige said, evaluating his callous tone. She fought hard not to tremble when Chris rolled up her sleeves and continued to adjust her hold, his rough hand heating friction against her unmarred skin. "I don't get you." She announced simply, quietly. Chris stopped abruptly with his rather nervous actions and cleared his throat.
For the next hour, Chris did something Paige thought she might never forgive. He recreated the atmosphere f 11th grade Physical Education class. Chris seemed to cover up whatever he was really feeling infallibly well, making Paige unable to taunt, feeling terribly self-conscious, as she knew Leo would get on her case if she didn't follow Chris' orders. He seemed to have forgotten his campaign to verbally degrade her, but she was still torn between which was better. Arguing or the monumental awkwardness that came with getting along.
At approximately a quarter past two, Paige decided she felt much better attempting to get back at Chris. "Are we done yet, you drone like some documentary from the History Channel?" Chris frowned from where he was on the wall, arms folded, trying for some rebellious loner look; but without his shirt, he much more resembled a Calvin Klein underwear model.
"No, we're not done, there's *always* the chance you'll screw up." He muttered bitterly.
"Are you implying something?" Paige snarled, balling her fists and marching briskly toward him. Chris was desperate to avoid another fight, slip of his tongue and inevitable physical pain at Paige's hands, leapt to a quick excuse.
"I found something about what happened this morning!" Chris replied quickly. Paige's anger lessened and her profound curiosity emerged.
"What's your lead?" she asked slyly, trying to mask her excitement at the prospect of finding answers.
"Goblin." Chris said shortly, going over where he'd hid the green blood and the glass within a brown rag. "I found this going down the stair," he explained, gently handing Paige the glass, the blood dry and peeling like paint. "My last memory is of us gong downstairs, so I figured it was worth a look. I examined it and found some similarities to goblin blood. Their mountain homes aren't too far..." Chris trailed off and realized the flaw in his plan. He rolled his eyes skyward and remembered Leo was still watching.
"... and we'll go investigate." Paige finished, rewrapping th glass and holding out her hand as if to orb. "We'll just tell Leo we went out for some real target practice." Azure orbs swirled in Paige's open palm and she was holding Chris; shirt. "Found this in my room." Chris put the shirt on without hesitation, fumbling a bit. Paige withheld a laugh and allowed Chris to orb her to the mountains.
For a few moments, she stood in awe when her feet met dusty little bit of gravel and sand, rising up slightly from her disturbance. The mountain loomed before her, shaping miniature hunchback shadows from the gleaming golden two o'clock sun. Clouds had already begun to gather above them and the shade of the sky altered between baby blue and the verge of rainy gray. The mountains themselves were wrinkled and craggy with age and erosion, frowning down at the pair. Paige numbly noticed that Chris had taken her hand and was leading her to the base of the mountain into the dank dark and smelly mouth of a small cave. Chris had immediately noticed, but the crevice would've never caught Paige's eye otherwise. When her neck began to ache, she tore her eyes from the cloud penetrating mountaintops and yanked her arm away from Chris with an irately whispered, "I'm *fine*!"
"Bring up an energy ball!" When they had ventured too deeply into the dark hole, Chris requested light and had gripped Paige's arm again, much more hesitant to relinquish his hold in the blackness. Paige grunted when she concluded her circulation had been fully cut from her fingers. She reverted to breathing through her mouth as a putrid stink entered her nostrils and shoved her close to a gag, which would've unbalanced the eerie silence choking the already tiny cave. Suddenly, Chris tightened his grip and yielded his footsteps.
"What the-"
"Shut up!" Chris reprimanded urgently. Paige pivoted and flung herself from Chris' side.
"I am *tired* of you treating me like you are superior to me-"
"Paige, *please* be quiet!" Chris pleaded, grasping around in the black for his livid companion, straining his ears for the soft sound of friction between feet and ground.
"No, not until-"Chris never did find out what he would've had to do. At that moment, Paige felt a flabby, rough hand latch onto her neck. At first instinct she hurled her hand behind her to discover who it was, but a surely different pair of hands roughly jerked her arms forward, digging it's sharpened, pointed nails into her skin. Her heart began to beat wildly as slimy, sort of jagged ropes surrounded her stone cold wrists. Chris' muffled scream came to her ears, only he seemed much closer and she grew sure more hands and feet were gathering around her. A stifled thump and the gentle fuzz of Chris' hair tickled her neck. He had been knocked unconscious and he was being held in front of her, his head lolling from side to side.
Paige could hear deep voices in the background grumbling and whispering murderously, in a primitive language resembling pigs snarling. They were arguing, whoever they were. It stopped abruptly and she could hear chains clinking with a different man's gruff moans. Paige shut her eyes, but when she prepared to orb, somebody struggled with her sleeve and pulled it halfway down her arm. Two slick, small knife-like teeth sank into her shoulder. She tussled around at first, but a pair of peeling, scabbed lips surrounded her wound and she experienced freezing, runny liquid pouring onto the cut. She struggled again, and the grip on her arms constricted, the mouth grew more vicious on her skin. Glasses clinked behind her and the man groaning earlier growled painfully. Numbness began to spread from Paige's wound and her head began to pound. She slowly, reluctantly let it drift down, a placid flapping of wings lulling her tot the world of dreams as a grimy, bumpy tongue lapped at her injury...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Ya'know, she sold her soul, I wouldn't be surprised if she skipped out on our meeting just out of spite." Piper mused, rubbing her eyes as she crawled out of bed sluggishly. Paige hadn't shown up for the meeting and Phoebe had woken up Piper at six in the morning to confess her fears. Or vague apprehensions, as Piper saw it.
"But she hasn't even shown up here at all! And she lives here, I really think we should go find her." Phoebe urged, attempting to pull Piper toward the door. Piper was in pink pajamas, while Phoebe had hastily thrown on jeans and a red blouse. "She's not in bed, we have to-"
"Can't we just call Leo?" Piper asked groggily, flinging herself back onto the bed and curling up in her quilt's depths. Phoebe froze and smacked herself on the head after a moment's thought.
"LEO!" she called to the ceiling. In the other room, Wyatt's cries rose. Piper growled ferociously into the sheets and smacked her younger sister in the head. The infamous ex-husband suddenly appeared in Piper's path. After a moment's hesitation, she shoved him out of her way and almost apathetically asked "Where are Chris and Paige?"
Leo turned to Phoebe, between bewildered and knowing. "Something strange is going on-"
"Isn't it always?" Piper called, bobbing Wyatt gently on her hip. Leo continued, selectively ignorant to Piper's distance.
"Just last night, I saw them orb to some caves ten miles away from the city. After that their signals vanished for just a few hours." Leo informed them. Phoebe was thoughtful, remembering odd vibes coming from both Chris and Paige the day before. Piper was peeved, remembering how both had nearly torched the attic. "They just now turned up at P3." He finished.
The trio heard jingling come from above like wind chimes on a suddenly windy day. The Elders were calling Leo. It was critical. "I've gotta go," Leo said, "Could you check on them?" Phoebe quickly agreed. As soon as Leo left, Phoebe practically tore Wyatt from Piper's arms in order to get him ready while and ninety-nine percent asleep Piper dropped herself almost literally in her closet. Five minutes later Phoebe ushered dazed Piper and again sleeping Wyatt into the car and drove at top speed, nearly invisible in the fading cloak of night. The sun was a fraction above the horizon as Phoebe hastily parked the car and leapt out. She nearly started hopping in agitation when Piper took a great deal of time unloading Wyatt, walking to the door and jingling her key ring, trying to find the right one.
"This could be bad!" Phoebe chided straight into Piper's ear. Piper grumbled and threw the door open. With her road no longer blocked, Phoebe raced across the darkened room, off to calm her suspicions, the nagging fear that had jerked her awake five in the morning. She tripped over a few things, but stood in the middle of the room for a moment. She could feel Paige was here. She was content and... in Chris' room? Phoebe raced to the door and without bothering to knock heaved it open. Her look of concern converted to a look of horror and she closed the door, backing up against a wall for support.
"What's wrong honey?" Piper said, by now finally concerned. Phoebe, who for some reason had lost the ability to speak, jabbed her finger in the air toward the door. Piper frowned, opened the door, and understood Phoebe's reaction. "Ohh..." On Chris' couch bed, he and Paige were curled up against each other, both looking to be devoid of clothes or covering, save a white sheet over both of them. They were both smiling slightly. Piper's stomach dropped to her feet and she shielded Wyatt's eyes, quietly shutting the door. She leaned against the door, mimicking Phoebe's heavy, horrified breathing and considered what she had just seen. "It could have been worse..." she started slowly.
"Phoebe gripped her shoulder and looker her dead in the eye. "How?" she asked in an unusually high, squeaky voice.
"They could be related."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
And that folks is what I like to call irony. I feel bad; the ending was a little rushed. I'm terrible, I think I make readers a little confused and never tell them early enough what's going on. But hey, practice makes perfect... in theory. While I was typing this up, I couldn't get "The World Will Know" out of my head. Has anybody seen the movie 'Newies', it's my official newest obsession. If you have, pretty please tell me you hated Sarah Jacobs. Bye!
And now for the little special things responding to comments in the reviews that I... think call for some responding to.
Charmed Leo: I agree, and something totally humiliating is going to happen to Richard. Promise.
Protection Paige: HOW COULD THE SERIES DO THIS TO THEM! I completely agree with you, and no matter what, Chris and Paige will have their moment... but under what circumstances? *loud, twisted 'Mwhahahaha' is heard*
Sassy Playa: Yeah, sorry about that, guess I didn't make that centaur thing very clear. I promise one day I'll come up with some sort of funneled version that will make sense.
Dragon of Mirkwood: Iceman? Okay, I have to admit, he's cute, but Pyro is hot, Hot, HOT! Literally. Besides, my friend Crystal already claimed him. And for some weird reason, I have an odd attraction to guys with serious emotional problems. And I'm coming to the conclusion that it might be unhealthy... so is my therapist.
Ori: I hate how they give Phoebe all these really cool power boosts and then Paige just goes on some sort of temp job quest. So Paige shall finally kick some 'Ass de Demon'. And, having finally decided on a plot... there's a chance for whitelighter/witch hybrids.
And last, but not least, after they made Chris Piper and Leo's second son I was so sad I went and cried. Okay, I didn't really cry, I was just superly pissed. So, this plot made the AU category.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter Six: Theory of Relativity
Phoebe was absolutely seething. More than seething, she was livid, her anger incensed. Chris and Paige were supposed to be fine, FINE! And now they were more than ready and probably willing to kill each other and they had *no* idea how much this confused her and her stupid new power. Screw helping people, she wanted to go back to being the only one in her head. She tried a breathing exercise as every one in the room stood still, as if under Piper's freezing power, a tense and austere atmosphere settling in. Piper stood, her hands limp and surrendering at her sides, almost stoically staring at the vase she'd broken. Chris was sitting on the floor, his burnt shirt half-torn off him, obstinately frowning at Phoebe. Leo had managed to restrain the vitriolic Paige by pinning her elbows behind her back.
When Phoebe had finished counting to one thousand for the fourth time, she spoke once more. "Okay, Chris, Paige, you two have some serious issues and you are going to work them out TODAY!" she spat severely, jabbing her finger in the air menacingly. "As Leo intended, you will train, under his supervision, with no talk of personal business. Piper will take some notes on darklighters and centaurs out of the Book of Shadows and I will go to work. We'll all rendezvous in the kitchen tonight at eight when I get off work. IS THIS CLEAR?" she finished sternly, putting her hands on her hips in a strict fashion. Leo let go of Paige who straightened her grey blouse and nodded weakly. Piper sighed and slumped her shoulders and Chris rolled his eyes and shoved the half-burnt rug off himself. Close enough.
Phoebe practically growled under her breath and stomped down the stairs. She grabbed her laptop and was out the door within five minutes, nearly backing into the neighbor's cat. She'd long forgotten her suspicions about Paige and Chris.
Piper sluggishly grabbed the Book of Shadows and headed downstairs, just in time to bid her son good-bye as Ella [2] took him for a walk and spent the better of the afternoon taking notes as Phoebe had instructed her to.
Leo gave Paige and Chris a warning, which they didn't really listen to any way, and left with the promise he would be watching for 'above'. They were not to leave until they could get along. Which (fortunately for us) left Chris without a shirt.
"Okay..." he began, standing the rooms full length away from Paige. "Well, like Leo said, I am the master-"
"-And I am the Jedi Padawan." Paige cut in boorishly, folding her arms in a recalcitrant manner. "Just don't bore me with that 'wax on' Mr. Miyagi shit." She added as an afterthought. Chris raised a confused eyebrow and Paige realized that 'The Karate Kid' didn't exist in Chris' futuristic pop culture. "Just start showing me energy balls, or you will have no balls, if you catch my meaning."
"Well, this'll be a real fun hour." Chris said wryly. "First off, uh, we," Chris paused, and perused what he knew about energy ball technique. "Let's begin. Do you know the proper beginning stance?" Chris asked, folding his arms and feeling slightly chilled now. Paige flopped down on the well-done couch and groaned, at the thought of actually having to obey Chris as her whitelighter.
"No," she replied, clandestine about the many energy balls she'd orbed into her hand to defeat an enemy. Chris sighed, finally sinking into the morose knowledge that for some reason he'd let his arrogance drive Paige away, and his chances of winning her back over to his good side were somewhat assuaged. Then again, denial and certain rules hadn't favore him from the beginning anyway.
"Well, just hold your arms out, and we'll start with the actual formation of an energy ball." He directed. Paige dragged her body off the couch and held her hands out with a bland expression, resembling a zombie complete with little blue baggies under her doe brown eyes. The more Chris studied her, the more apparent her imminent exhaustion became. She looked beat.
"Not what I had in mind." Chris criticized bitterly under his breath. Not really bothering to think through his actions before acting, he came in behind Paige and aligned his body with Paige, arm to arm, leg to leg, hip to hip. Right after he did it, he half expected her to pull something, like elbowing his stomach and attempting to trap him in a headlock.
When Chris got so close to her, for a moment, Paige seriously considered elbowing his middle and trapping him in a headlock. She took in a spiteful breath, but stopped when her breath nervously caught in her throat. Wait, since when was being held in Chris' arms when he conveniently didn't have a shirt on nerve-racking? /Point taken/ she thought to herself. But of course, she didn't *like* him like *that*. Nope. Not at all.
"Uh...well, you have to, uh, hold your arms like this." Chris brought her arms together, outstretched in from of her and put one above the other, palms nearly together. At that moment, Paige felt some sort of surreptitious attraction emanating form Chris. Unspoken and perhaps unheeded, but very much there. "Now concentrate all your energy to that center. Although you energy is usually centered inside you, the trick to mastering energy throwing is to draw the energy to an outer center." /Wow, zen-master/ Paige thought, having never been exposed to Chris' wise side. It was usually his wise-ass side. But this was a tad unnerving. Inwardly shaking herself of those thoughts, she obeyed him. Taking a deep breath once more and willed the electricity that just today had shocked her veins and ignited her insides. After five second of bated breath, a tiny white spark emitted. Paige jumped at the chance and immediately the energies gathered into a sphere the size of a golf ball, hissing and crackling.
"Where'd you pick up this little trick?" Paige questioned breathlessly, marveling at the minute wonder.
"Future." Chris replied curtly, slowly adjusting her hands in order the lengthen the energy's size.
"Nice and vague there." Paige said, evaluating his callous tone. She fought hard not to tremble when Chris rolled up her sleeves and continued to adjust her hold, his rough hand heating friction against her unmarred skin. "I don't get you." She announced simply, quietly. Chris stopped abruptly with his rather nervous actions and cleared his throat.
For the next hour, Chris did something Paige thought she might never forgive. He recreated the atmosphere f 11th grade Physical Education class. Chris seemed to cover up whatever he was really feeling infallibly well, making Paige unable to taunt, feeling terribly self-conscious, as she knew Leo would get on her case if she didn't follow Chris' orders. He seemed to have forgotten his campaign to verbally degrade her, but she was still torn between which was better. Arguing or the monumental awkwardness that came with getting along.
At approximately a quarter past two, Paige decided she felt much better attempting to get back at Chris. "Are we done yet, you drone like some documentary from the History Channel?" Chris frowned from where he was on the wall, arms folded, trying for some rebellious loner look; but without his shirt, he much more resembled a Calvin Klein underwear model.
"No, we're not done, there's *always* the chance you'll screw up." He muttered bitterly.
"Are you implying something?" Paige snarled, balling her fists and marching briskly toward him. Chris was desperate to avoid another fight, slip of his tongue and inevitable physical pain at Paige's hands, leapt to a quick excuse.
"I found something about what happened this morning!" Chris replied quickly. Paige's anger lessened and her profound curiosity emerged.
"What's your lead?" she asked slyly, trying to mask her excitement at the prospect of finding answers.
"Goblin." Chris said shortly, going over where he'd hid the green blood and the glass within a brown rag. "I found this going down the stair," he explained, gently handing Paige the glass, the blood dry and peeling like paint. "My last memory is of us gong downstairs, so I figured it was worth a look. I examined it and found some similarities to goblin blood. Their mountain homes aren't too far..." Chris trailed off and realized the flaw in his plan. He rolled his eyes skyward and remembered Leo was still watching.
"... and we'll go investigate." Paige finished, rewrapping th glass and holding out her hand as if to orb. "We'll just tell Leo we went out for some real target practice." Azure orbs swirled in Paige's open palm and she was holding Chris; shirt. "Found this in my room." Chris put the shirt on without hesitation, fumbling a bit. Paige withheld a laugh and allowed Chris to orb her to the mountains.
For a few moments, she stood in awe when her feet met dusty little bit of gravel and sand, rising up slightly from her disturbance. The mountain loomed before her, shaping miniature hunchback shadows from the gleaming golden two o'clock sun. Clouds had already begun to gather above them and the shade of the sky altered between baby blue and the verge of rainy gray. The mountains themselves were wrinkled and craggy with age and erosion, frowning down at the pair. Paige numbly noticed that Chris had taken her hand and was leading her to the base of the mountain into the dank dark and smelly mouth of a small cave. Chris had immediately noticed, but the crevice would've never caught Paige's eye otherwise. When her neck began to ache, she tore her eyes from the cloud penetrating mountaintops and yanked her arm away from Chris with an irately whispered, "I'm *fine*!"
"Bring up an energy ball!" When they had ventured too deeply into the dark hole, Chris requested light and had gripped Paige's arm again, much more hesitant to relinquish his hold in the blackness. Paige grunted when she concluded her circulation had been fully cut from her fingers. She reverted to breathing through her mouth as a putrid stink entered her nostrils and shoved her close to a gag, which would've unbalanced the eerie silence choking the already tiny cave. Suddenly, Chris tightened his grip and yielded his footsteps.
"What the-"
"Shut up!" Chris reprimanded urgently. Paige pivoted and flung herself from Chris' side.
"I am *tired* of you treating me like you are superior to me-"
"Paige, *please* be quiet!" Chris pleaded, grasping around in the black for his livid companion, straining his ears for the soft sound of friction between feet and ground.
"No, not until-"Chris never did find out what he would've had to do. At that moment, Paige felt a flabby, rough hand latch onto her neck. At first instinct she hurled her hand behind her to discover who it was, but a surely different pair of hands roughly jerked her arms forward, digging it's sharpened, pointed nails into her skin. Her heart began to beat wildly as slimy, sort of jagged ropes surrounded her stone cold wrists. Chris' muffled scream came to her ears, only he seemed much closer and she grew sure more hands and feet were gathering around her. A stifled thump and the gentle fuzz of Chris' hair tickled her neck. He had been knocked unconscious and he was being held in front of her, his head lolling from side to side.
Paige could hear deep voices in the background grumbling and whispering murderously, in a primitive language resembling pigs snarling. They were arguing, whoever they were. It stopped abruptly and she could hear chains clinking with a different man's gruff moans. Paige shut her eyes, but when she prepared to orb, somebody struggled with her sleeve and pulled it halfway down her arm. Two slick, small knife-like teeth sank into her shoulder. She tussled around at first, but a pair of peeling, scabbed lips surrounded her wound and she experienced freezing, runny liquid pouring onto the cut. She struggled again, and the grip on her arms constricted, the mouth grew more vicious on her skin. Glasses clinked behind her and the man groaning earlier growled painfully. Numbness began to spread from Paige's wound and her head began to pound. She slowly, reluctantly let it drift down, a placid flapping of wings lulling her tot the world of dreams as a grimy, bumpy tongue lapped at her injury...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Ya'know, she sold her soul, I wouldn't be surprised if she skipped out on our meeting just out of spite." Piper mused, rubbing her eyes as she crawled out of bed sluggishly. Paige hadn't shown up for the meeting and Phoebe had woken up Piper at six in the morning to confess her fears. Or vague apprehensions, as Piper saw it.
"But she hasn't even shown up here at all! And she lives here, I really think we should go find her." Phoebe urged, attempting to pull Piper toward the door. Piper was in pink pajamas, while Phoebe had hastily thrown on jeans and a red blouse. "She's not in bed, we have to-"
"Can't we just call Leo?" Piper asked groggily, flinging herself back onto the bed and curling up in her quilt's depths. Phoebe froze and smacked herself on the head after a moment's thought.
"LEO!" she called to the ceiling. In the other room, Wyatt's cries rose. Piper growled ferociously into the sheets and smacked her younger sister in the head. The infamous ex-husband suddenly appeared in Piper's path. After a moment's hesitation, she shoved him out of her way and almost apathetically asked "Where are Chris and Paige?"
Leo turned to Phoebe, between bewildered and knowing. "Something strange is going on-"
"Isn't it always?" Piper called, bobbing Wyatt gently on her hip. Leo continued, selectively ignorant to Piper's distance.
"Just last night, I saw them orb to some caves ten miles away from the city. After that their signals vanished for just a few hours." Leo informed them. Phoebe was thoughtful, remembering odd vibes coming from both Chris and Paige the day before. Piper was peeved, remembering how both had nearly torched the attic. "They just now turned up at P3." He finished.
The trio heard jingling come from above like wind chimes on a suddenly windy day. The Elders were calling Leo. It was critical. "I've gotta go," Leo said, "Could you check on them?" Phoebe quickly agreed. As soon as Leo left, Phoebe practically tore Wyatt from Piper's arms in order to get him ready while and ninety-nine percent asleep Piper dropped herself almost literally in her closet. Five minutes later Phoebe ushered dazed Piper and again sleeping Wyatt into the car and drove at top speed, nearly invisible in the fading cloak of night. The sun was a fraction above the horizon as Phoebe hastily parked the car and leapt out. She nearly started hopping in agitation when Piper took a great deal of time unloading Wyatt, walking to the door and jingling her key ring, trying to find the right one.
"This could be bad!" Phoebe chided straight into Piper's ear. Piper grumbled and threw the door open. With her road no longer blocked, Phoebe raced across the darkened room, off to calm her suspicions, the nagging fear that had jerked her awake five in the morning. She tripped over a few things, but stood in the middle of the room for a moment. She could feel Paige was here. She was content and... in Chris' room? Phoebe raced to the door and without bothering to knock heaved it open. Her look of concern converted to a look of horror and she closed the door, backing up against a wall for support.
"What's wrong honey?" Piper said, by now finally concerned. Phoebe, who for some reason had lost the ability to speak, jabbed her finger in the air toward the door. Piper frowned, opened the door, and understood Phoebe's reaction. "Ohh..." On Chris' couch bed, he and Paige were curled up against each other, both looking to be devoid of clothes or covering, save a white sheet over both of them. They were both smiling slightly. Piper's stomach dropped to her feet and she shielded Wyatt's eyes, quietly shutting the door. She leaned against the door, mimicking Phoebe's heavy, horrified breathing and considered what she had just seen. "It could have been worse..." she started slowly.
"Phoebe gripped her shoulder and looker her dead in the eye. "How?" she asked in an unusually high, squeaky voice.
"They could be related."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
And that folks is what I like to call irony. I feel bad; the ending was a little rushed. I'm terrible, I think I make readers a little confused and never tell them early enough what's going on. But hey, practice makes perfect... in theory. While I was typing this up, I couldn't get "The World Will Know" out of my head. Has anybody seen the movie 'Newies', it's my official newest obsession. If you have, pretty please tell me you hated Sarah Jacobs. Bye!