Part 2: Fraudulent Lies

Notes: Thank you to everyone who's review so far ^_^ I'm glad you liked the teaser, and I'm hoping you'll like 'Part 2' as well. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this (

~~

Chris had just orbed Up There, and was now hesitantly making his way towards the grouping of Elders. As luck would have it Leo is the first Elder to notice the Whitelighter-Witch and begin an approach.

Leo: What's the matter Chris?

Chris: (muttering) Not keeping an eye on your family.. Typical. (raising his voice) Demons. The sisters have been receiving visits from demons they've vanquished ages ago.

Leo: (raises an eyebrow at the muttering) We've been getting reports similar to this from other Whitelighters.

Chris: And naturally as the younger son, I'm the last to be informed.

Leo: Chris, that's not it. The Elders – we – don't know what's happening. The Grimoire hasn't been taken, and we'd know if demons were being resurrected. As it is none of these demons are being brought back to life.

Chris: So you don't know anything useful.

Leo is silent, not knowing how to respond to that in a way that wouldn't provoke his son.

Chris: Right.

As Chris begins to orb out, Leo quickly grabs his arm.

Leo: We need to talk. Maybe not now, but sooner or later. (lets go of Chris, allowing him to fully orb out)

~~~

Back at the manor the sisters are cleaning up some broken dishes in the kitchen, the recent site of yet another demon attack. Paige has just entered the kitchen with a towel wrapped around her bloody arm. She scowls at Phoebe, shaking her head.

Paige: What? I'm not just going to let it bleed everywhere.

Phoebe: It's not that.

Paige: Then what?

Piper: That demon, he recognized you – but only you.

Paige: I know, but we were all there at his initial vanquish. Maybe he just has a faulty memory.

Phoebe: Paige.. He told Piper and I both that we couldn't be here. He said we were dead.

Paige: That I can't even offer an answer for. But maybe Chris can.

Piper: What do you mean?

Paige: Maybe this demon was from the future.

Phoebe/Piper: Maybe..

Chris orbs in about that time, and is clearly startled to see the bloody towel wrapped snugly around Paige's arm.

Chris: What happened?!

Piper: (calmly) Another ex-vanquished demon.

Paige: Which we think might've come from the future like you.

Phoebe: Actually, it's Paige's theory.

Piper: And it's all we got.

Phoebe: It said we were dead, and only seemed to know who Paige was.

Chris: That doesn't.. No, it couldn't have been a demon from my future.

Piper: Because all of us are dead – right?

Chris looks away, not wanting to meet his mother's gaze. He knew that Victor had told her about her death in his future, but that didn't make the memories any less painful.

Paige: I'll take that as a yes. So, then, new theory anyone?

Phoebe: Go for it.

Paige: Resurrected demons.

Piper: Seems déjà vu-ish. (amused)

Chris: And it no longer works. The Elders claim that no demons have been brought back from the dead.

Paige: And there goes another theory. Alright, then, Pheebs .. Your turn to come up with the answers.

Phoebe: Why me?

Paige: You're an empath.

Phoebe: And?

Paige: You felt the emotions of the demons.

Phoebe: Right. Okay. (long pause) I know -

Piper: Time to consult the Book, again.

~~

The two teen demons from before were now within an old abandoned warehouse. The eldest of the two, the girl, was wearing a black tank and deep red jeans, a change from her previous all-black wardrobe. As for the boy, he was still wearing the same black longsleeve shirt and black pants.

The girl is pacing from one side of the room to the other, clearly unsettled, while her brother is sitting on an old bench. Leaning against the wall closest to the boy was Cole, who was watching the two with his cold gaze.

Girl: You expect us to believe that YOU are our father. The same father we watched being vanquished by our bitch of a mother.

Cole: Yes.

Boy: It doesn't make sense. How did you survive it?

Girl: He staged it, remember, he just told us Nethaniel. You're right though, it doesn't make sense. Why go to such lengths?

Cole: It was my way out. I knew that if I had reversed the spell too soon Paige would've kept trying to kill me. This way she thought she had gotten her way.

Boy - Nethaniel: And you left us there.

Cole: You would've been vanquished yourselves if you had come with me. I left you in that world so you could live.

Girl: Oh, that's just great. Really, father, I'm so pleased that you gave us such a wonderful upbringing. Slaves to the Source, we were the lowly offspring of a Charmed One and Belthazar... Freaks, if I may say so myself.

Cole: Pyrena-

Girl, Pyrena: You are not my father. Even if everything you say is true, you are no longer my father. Belthazar is my father.

Cole: I am Belthazar.

Pyrena: No, you WERE. Now you're some kind of freak yourself, an Avatar or whatever you referred to yourself as. I don't have to respect you, even IF you did bring me in to this reality to 'save me'.

Nethaniel: Pyre.. In a way he still is our father. Belthazar was only part of him.

Pyrena: I see he's successfully brainwashed you, Nethaniel. I thought you wiser than this.

Nethaniel: I can just see the truth.

Pyrena: Bull. You're looking at only the lies.

Nethaniel: At any rate, we owe him our lives. If what he said was true-

Pyrena: IF.

Nethaniel: -then our collapsing reality would've killed us. We would've vanished without a trace, literally. And on top of that he's made sure we were able to keep our powers in the transition.

Pyrena: (to Cole) And why was that exactly?

Cole: You needed to be able to hold your own in this world. Without your powers you wouldn't be able to survive here.

Pyrena: Right, except that's not how I see it. You allowed us to keep our powers as an offering for our alliance to you – isn't that right?

Not waiting around for an answer, Pyrena shimmers out of the warehouse.

Nethaniel: She's got a bit of temper. You and mother did well with naming her. (chuckle)

Cole says nothing, he just narrows his eyes in a mixture of annoyance and frustration.

~~

At the manor, in the hall below the stairs, Paige is receiving healing from Leo.

Paige: Thanks so much Leo.

Leo: No problem, you should've called me sooner.

Paige: Well, I.. Didn't want to disturb your Elder duties.

Leo: It's Chris isn't it?

Paige: What? No.

Leo: Paige, it's alright. I know first hand how Chris feels about me, but I'll be here for you and your sisters if you need me.

Paige: Actually the reason is.. I think you should concentrate more on Piper and Chris than me, or even Phoebe.

Leo: Oh..

Paige: You need to do some major damage control.

Leo: I-

Piper: PAIGE! LEO!

There's a crash upstairs in the attic, where Piper is calling for them. Without hesitation the two orb up there.

~~

The scene isn't too pretty. Chris is unconscious in the corner, with a broken arm and some blood on his shirt from a minor wound on his neck. As Paige and Leo orb in, Phoebe is just being thrown across the room and in to the wall. There's no sign of their attacker – whoever it was is now gone. Piper seems to be the only one not wounded, and she's hovering over Chris in a worried mother type fashion.

Leo rushes over to Chris and places his hands over his son's broken arm and neck wound. A golden glow appears for a long moment, and after it fades the Whitelighter-Witch comes rushing back in to the conscious world – startled.

Chris: Leo?!

Piper: It's okay Chris.

Chris: Wait – are you alright?

Piper: I'm fine, thanks to you. BUT I will not stand for you acting as a human shield for me anymore! Do you have any idea what could happen?!

Chris: (avoiding answering) Leo – Phoebe needs your help.

Leo doesn't have to be told twice, as in an instant he's over at the middle sister and healing her minor wounds. Once healed Phoebe looks over to Piper questioningly.

Phoebe: Was that who I think it was?

Piper: The Source? Yeah.. Paige/Leo: WHAT?!

~~

-To be continued...