Power of Two Chapter 2: Let's Meet The Sister, a charmed fanfic

Chapter Two: Let's Meet The Sister

To say that life for Peyton Halliwell was never easy was putting it mildly. She was used to the drama and the horrors and, on the less busy days, a bit of disarray. She had come to expect it out of life. It was something she had inherited like her mother's laugh, her father's eyes, and her grandfather's predilection for terrible vices. It was a given that bad things occurred and fighting against it was her legacy.

Peyton remembered the day her mother and aunts died as though it had happened yesterday. Her senses would immediately overload and everything rushed back at her like it was a film she was forced to endure over and over. The smell of pancakes wafting through the manor, causing her eyes to flutter open and her stomach to growl. The cold, clingy feel of the floor on her bare feet as she crept out of her room and down the hall. The sound of her brother's bark when she jumped on top of him to wake him up and the clang of silverware against plates as Wyatt consumed twenty pancakes without stopping for air. Moreover, the lookthe creepy glimmer in her mother's eyes when Paige orbed in and said there was a situation. Peyton had learned a long time ago that "situation" was code for unavoidable demon evil.

Her mother had gathered them up, telling Wyatt that he was in charge until she got back and fending off arguments from Chris and Peyton that at fourteen-years-old they could take care of themselves. Wyatt did his normal can't-be-bothered shrug and orbed out of the room. Her mother screamed after him, but everyone knew that Wyatt did what Wyatt wanted. So she hugged Chris, asked him to watch after his sister, and smiled reassuringly at the two of them. Even if Peyton wasn't well skilled at reading people's emotions, the look in her mother's eyes would've given her away. It was different than she had seen before-tired mixed with fear mixed with desperation-and Peyton knew before her mother had left that she wouldn't be returning.

Since that day, Peyton spent a good deal of her life living on a pendulum of sorts. Things were always back and forth, black and white, right and wrong, good and evil. She was never permitted to stop the swinging and hover in the middle. Since that day, it seemed that all Peyton witnessed was devastation and loss.

Devastation and loss-would that be Eddie's burden to carry now? Would he grieve for her the way she and Chris had for their family? Had she made the right choice when she allowed him to become a part of her life?

Those memories filtered through her consciousness, but they didn't seem to sink in. It was as though someone else had been hired to handle her memories because she was too busy with the other things-like surviving the night. She was in a bad place, she knew, and the odds of making it out alive weren't in her favor. There were people she might never get to see again and loved ones whom might not know how much she adored them, but none of that registered.

It felt strange to admit, even more bizarre to consider, but she wasn't afraid. She wasn't even panicked but rather overwhelmed with a moment of peace. Life vibrated around her with the stillness of a spring night, warm and ripe, as the earth itself merged into an exquisite expression of promise and joy. It was one of those rare moments where her emotions and the atmosphere were harmonious with one another and anything seemed possible.

Anything was possible...that was a thought that Peyton had long abandoned. To some, magic was nothing but endless possibilities and enchantment. When she was little, her mother would tell her stories of fairies and princesses who used magic to make the world better. Her mother created worlds where magic was a wonderful gift to cherish, but throughout Peyton's life, she had come to see it for what it was. A burden and sometimes a curse.

That was why it was so surprising that she felt soclear. Things made sense to her for the first time in a long while; a sliver of hope coursing through her like the blood in her veins. Such a weird thing to say considering her current predicament, but true all the same.

There she was, in the least likely of places, experiencing a moment where there was no burden on her to fulfill her destiny. It was almost cathartic. It was as though, despite the demons scurrying around her and the torture imposed on her sporadically throughout the day, the world still possessed a joy that Wyatt had depleted from their future. Peace. The pulse of a life not overseen by machines and destruction. It was something she barely remembered, and then only as an afterthought or the preface to some story passed down through time.

Too bad it wouldn't last. The clarity would pass and the Scorios would return ready to go another round with her. She would remember why she was there, the part of her that was broken and required mending. She would recall who she was, the duty that came with her name, and do her best to get control of the situation. However futile it seemed in nature.

The Scorios had broken their deal. No one was supposed to get hurt. It was supposed to be a quick transfer of powers. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now she was regretting not following her gut instinct. The magical binds holding her were made of something that blocked her powers out. They had brought her through a portal, leaving her clueless as to where she was and guessing that no one else knew where to find her. Not that she expected anyone was looking for her. Wyatt would figure her motivation out quick enough and retaliate in anger, Eddie didn't have any way to figure this out or anyone to help him, and Chris was somewhere else.

Chris said he was coming for you, she thought. She had a nagging feeling that Chris had been there with her a little while ago.

She wasn't sure if her imagination had taken over in a moment of duress or if she and her brother had somehow connected with one another again. The logical side of her brain told her that was impossible. Chris was gone. Chris had sacrificed everything to save Wyatt and the rest of the worldand she was left to fight the remaining evil alone. It was their deal, the pact they had made, and she had let Chris and her mother's memory down. She had failed. The Scorios were going to take all of her powers and do god knew what with it. It might end up being a larger disaster than she could have anticipated from Wyatt. To make matters even worse, it would be her fault, her legacy. She would die alone in the dark in a time that wasn't her own with nothing but her guilt to hold onto.

Peyton shut her eyes against the harsh truth of it all and let out a slow, methodic breath, a balloon that had been pricked and was slowly deflating. She stayed like that forshe wasn't suretime had stopped mattering since being imprisoned by the Scorios. There was no change from day to night as minutes turned into hours without her knowledge. Time had become an indiscernible thing to her.

It wasn't until she felt a hand resting on her forehead and the bristling tingle of energy coursing up and down her arms as her magic returned to her that she opened her eyes. The sounds and vibrations of loud blasts shook the cavern walls and fluorescent colored lights flashed overhead. The energy crackled around her and she could smell the tinge of blood in the air. She rubbed her eyes, sure that she was dreaming, or that this was the Scorios latest mind game to weaken her. There was no way her brother was there. She muttered, "Stop."

"Peyton," he replied. He shook her gently and said, "C'mon Peyton, get up."

He lifted her off the ground and as she took in his disheveled appearance, studied the familiar stance she could pick out from a mile away, and the worried smile plastered on his face, she said, "Chris?"

"Hey squirt. How are you feeling?"

"Chris," she repeated again. When she realized that he was really there, she wrapped her arms around him and said, "You're here."

"You were in trouble. I couldn't leave you to fight these bastards alone, could I? I would've been kicked out of the big brother secret society."

She hugged her brother tighter and said, "I've missed you so much, Chris. So much has happened and I'm not sure-I thought I could handle Wyatt on my own, but I'm not strong enough-"

"Hey, hey, stop that," Chris said. He pinched her cheek affectionately and replied, "Wyatt is a head case, Peyton. I didn't expect you to work miracles while I was away." Peyton's words replayed in his head and as they sunk in, he felt a strange surge of energy coming off her that she quickly attempted to squelch. Rage thundered through him as he processed the possibilities behind it all. He asked, "Did he do this to you? Did he send you here to suffer like this?"

"No, I didn't mean-"

"I'll kill him. I'll kill him before-" Chris was interrupted as one of the Scorios ran at them. Before Chris even had a chance to register the fact that he was being charged, Peyton sent an energy ball flying into the demon's chest. It shrieked and became enveloped in a wave of fire. Chris nudged his sister and said, "Your powers appear to have returned."

"Not a minute too soon either," she replied. She held out her hand, drew one circle on the ground around her and Chris, and one above their heads in the air. A green force field surrounded them right as a group of Scorios appeared from out of the blue. She glanced at her brother and said, "We're a bit outnumbered here, Chris."

"Not exactly," Chris replied.

Peyton noticed how her brother's eyes focused on any area of their surroundings that hers weren't. Chris was the master at avoidance when he didn't want her to be able to read him. That could only mean one thing-he was up to something. She nudged him in the side and said, "Come again?"

"I said 'not exactly', Peyton."

"But why would you say that?" she paused, shooting him an appraising glance that he managed to evade, and replied, "Christopher Victor Halliwell, what did you do? It's not bad enough that you jeopardized your own safety and the mission-"

"Mission? It's a mission to save a psycho, Peyton."

"Our brother."

"Whatever. I'm much more concerned with keeping the sibling I can tolerate alive."

"We don't know that what happens to Wyatt is entirely his own doing-"

"Right now, I don't care."

"Chris, what if it was me? Would you still feel that way?"

"What?"

"You heard me. It could as easily have been you or I."

"It's not you, Peyton. This is all Wyatt. He's a power hungry megalomaniac. I'll do what I can to save him, but not at your expense. Got it?" he replied. He shot a stream of energy at a Scorio in the distance, which only seemed to aggravate the others rather than send them scurrying off. He said, "This isn't normal Scorio behavior."

"Tell me about it," Peyton replied, rubbing over the burn marks on her arms. His eyes followed her and he grabbed her arm. She shrugged and pulled back. It was her turn to refuse to make eye contact. There was too much going on, too much Chris didn't know yet, and she had hoped to keep it that way. She said, "You shouldn't have come here, Chris."

"What did they do to you?"

"It doesn't matter."

"The hell it doesn't, Peyton."

"Can we focus on getting out of here?"

"What are you trying to hide from me?" Chris questioned, peering at her dubiously until she met his gaze. He sighed and said, "You know you can trust me, right?"

"Of course."

"Then you need to talk to me, Peyton."

She motioned around the cavern and replied, "Are you kidding me? Talking isn't going to get us out of here."

"Fine."

"You might not be able to save everyone, Chris. You're going to have to accept that at some point."

Chris was reminded of his conversation with Eddie. He had told Chris how Peyton had given him one of those preparation lectures, and if he was uncertain before, Chris was now more convinced that Peyton was up to something. Chris shot another Scorio that had fallen to the ground in pain from the force field in the chest and realized that she was right about one thing: now was not the time to get answers. He turned around, taking in the immediate area where Scorios were starting to swarm. He could hear his aunts calling for him and he said, "I know how much you enjoy a good lecture, but can this wait until later?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"No," he answered firmly. He took a deep breath and stated, "I brought a few people along to help me. Actually, they sort of insisted on coming so I don't think it's fair for you to hold this against me."

Peyton turned toward her brother. She folded her arms and glared at him. She said, "Tell me you didn't, Chris." Before he could respond, her eyes darted around the area. She practically fell over when she saw her Aunts sending Scorios flying left and right. She was about to interrogate her brother: what was going on, how did they get there, and more importantly, how were they breathing? Of course, logically, it made sense that if Chris was here, the Scorios had brought her back in timebut why? What purpose did it serve?

Those questions fell aside though when she noticed Eddie out of the corner of her eye. He was holding his own against a rather massive demon. She punched Chris in the stomach and, ignoring his groan, she said, "I'm not even going to ask what you were thinking because it's obvious you weren't."

"I think you broke my rib."

She sent an orb flying at one of the Scorios trying to burn his way through their shield and said, "Yeah, call the sibling abuse squadand watch your nine o'clock."

Chris didn't get a chance to respond before Peyton orbed over closer to Eddie and took the protective shield with her. He struck one Scorio before moving himself out of the line of fire, muttering, "No, 'thank you, Chris' or 'you're the best brother in the world, Chris'what the hell" Chris paused as a portion of the cavern wall gave way and crumbled around him. He coughed up the dirt that he had inhaled and brushed the rocks and debris from his head. "Wonderful." His eyes darted across the room. He saw Peyton fighting off a few Scorios, but she had it under control. Unlike Phoebe who seemed to have pissed off a rather spry three-foot demon of some sort. He orbed over, grabbed her, and transported the two of them over to Paige.

"About time, Chris," Paige commented between breathes. She glanced at her sister and said, "I vanquish, but they keep coming. Demon Energizer Bunnies!"

"It's as though every time we kill one, two more replace them."

"They're not like those worker bee type demons are they? Because those were a pain in the ass," Paige complained.

"I don't think they're the same thing. These are all different types of demons," Chris paused to stop an energy ball heading toward them. He glanced at his aunts and said, "But the Scorios do steal powers from groups of demons so it's possible that they are replicating. That might explain the weird behavior."

"What do you mean?"

"Both Peyton and I noticed it. The Scorios are renowned in our time for their cowardice. They usually run at the first sign of trouble. They're not doing that today."

"Lucky us," Paige muttered.

"I'm not sure it's luck. There are demon clans that regenerate in similar fashions-rising from the ashes of their dead."

"Like a phoenix?" Phoebe asked, kicking a Scorio into the air and then vanquishing it.

"Sort of. It's no secret that Scorios are the type of demons who aren't beyond stealing another creature's DNA if it would further their quest for power."

Phoebe ducked a beam of energy focused on her and threw a dagger at a Scorio that managed to get through Paige's massive attacks. She glanced from her sister to her nephew and replied, "You're telling me that these creepy buggers stole some other creature's regenerative powers and that we're basically screwed?"

"Yeah."

"Wonderful."

Paige groaned, sending energy ball after energy ball at the demons, and asked, "How are we supposed to stop them then? Is it even possible?"

"We can't worry about that right now. Peyton has her powers back and she looks okay," Chris paused, making sure he could find his sister. He smiled when he saw her throw an unsuspecting demon across the room and continued, "We should get out of here and regroup. We need to find a way to thwart whatever plans they have for Peyton and get her back to the future. Otherwise they're going to keep coming back her and I won't let that happen."

"Maybe they've learned their lesson?" Paige offered though she didn't really believe it.

"I doubt it. I couldn't get a good read on my sister, but something's up. I think Wyatt might be responsible for this."

Phoebe and Paige nodded in understanding. Knowing what their sweet little nephew grew up to be was a bit overwhelming, especially once it became clear that family was no safer from him than anyone else. Phoebe searched the growing numbers of Scorios and asked, "Where's Peyton?"

Chris pointed and said, "That's her. Over there."

"You two look alike," Paige commented.

Phoebe rolled her eyes and Chris replied, "We're twins, Aunt Paige."

"Yeah, but" she met her sister's gaze and said, "Nevermind. Not the time for this conversation. Can you get her attention?"

Chris waved at Peyton, but he wasn't sure she saw him so he waved his arms more exaggeratedly, almost losing his balance and toppling over.

Peyton did notice her brother gesticulating and mouthing something at her. She rolled her eyes and wondered why he hadn't tried to talk to her telepathically or even orbed over. She snapped telepathically, happy for the link back to him again but unwilling to admit that, do I want to know what you're doing?

We're getting out of here.

I need to get Eddie first.

Okay, but I'm going to need a little help if we plan to get out of here in one piece.

Got it.

As the thought crossed her mind, she observed one of the Scorios sneaking up on Eddie with a dagger. That wasn't good. She knocked through the few demons left separating her from him and pushed him down onto the ground just in time. She glared at the demon and sent it flying across the room with wave of her arm.

Peyton knelt down next to Eddie, creating another of her fields around him, and shook him lightly to see if he was still conscious. She ran her fingers over his chest to make sure that he wasn't hurt and smoothed the wrinkles out of his shirt as she went. He blinked up at her as if he wasn't sure how she had gotten there and she smiled at him. She said, "It's okay, Eddie. You're gonna be okay."

He smiled at her. "You're alive."

She caressed his face, kissed his forehead, and asked, "What did you think you were doing?"

"Saving you."

"Uhgood job, honey."

He rolled his eyes and replied, "You're welcome."

"I thought you were going to let me handle this."

"You didn't tell me what this" he paused to emphasize the full magnitude of the environment surrounding them before continuing, "entailed, darling."

"Eddie-"

"I had to get Chris in order to find you. I couldn't leave you to face god knows what alone. I wouldn't do that."

"There's no time to argue right now," she replied. She pushed her palms into his chest and said, "You don't look hurt. You'd tell me if you were though, right?"

"Nothing bruised but my ego." He traced his hands over her arms and asked, "How about you? You okay? No gaping wounds or anything?"

She rose from the ground and replied, "I'm fine. Though you and Chris won't be once I'm done with the two of you. I expect this sort of thing from him, but you should-"

"I should what? Let you die?" Eddie shook his head and stood himself up. He wanted to frown at her, shout out in anger at her stupidity sometimes, but he was too relieved to see her standing there unscathed. He sighed, "Wyatt wasn't going to help me, Peyton."

"I know."

"You know? But I thought part of your-"

"It doesn't matter. We need to get out of here and I need to go create a diversion so that Chris and my aunts can escape. I'll be back to get you. Don't move until I get back."

"What?"

"Stay there, Edward, or I'll kill you myself."

She went to move back over in Chris' direction, but Eddie grabbed her hand and pulled her to him. He wrapped his arms around her and said, "Be careful, okay? You scared the hell out of me once this week already."

"I'm sorry," she said. She kissed him and said, "I love you."

"Be careful, Peyton."

Peyton smiled at him and spoke slowly, "I'm fine. I always am, aren't I?"

Eddie rested his forehead against hers for a moment, bringing their lips together for a brief kiss, and said, "I'd like to keep it that way."

"And I plan to keep you safe," Peyton replied. She glanced around the room and noticed that the number of Scorios was swelling and that a large group of them had Chris and her aunts cornered. She wondered if they'd be able to orb out in time, but she didn't want to take any chances. Things had already spiraled far enough out of control. This was her mess and she needed to clean it up. She wasn't about to risk their lives or the future. She motioned in their direction and said, "I need you to stay here while I go help Chris."

"Peyton" he began, but she dissolved into a blue light and disappeared. He tried to run over in the direction he had seen Chris hurry off to earlier upon hearing a loud blast and Chris shouting something, but Peyton's force field not only kept the bad guys out, but also kept him from moving anywhere else. He made a mental note to shake some sense into Peyton once they were all safe, pointing out that she was his wife, not his mother.

Eddie sat there for a few minutes, straining his ears to hear anything else, but the caverns had become oddly silent. He knew from experience that long hushes were never a good sign and that thought was reaffirmed when Eddie noticed a stream of smoke rising out of the corner of his eye. He inched in that direction only to be shocked and thrown to the ground by the shield surrounding him. He cursed under his breath as Chris appeared in front of him. Eddie glanced at him and that was all it took to know that something was wrong. He stood up and asked, "Where's Peyton?"

"Paige orbed her and Phoebe out. I came to get you," Chris replied. He motioned in the direction of the smoke, which had metamorphosed into large red embers at the other end of the cave. He said, "We have to get out of here. Right now."

"Orbed her out?"

"Eddie-"

"Why would Peyton need someone else to orb her out? What's going on, Chris?" Chris flicked his hand and Peyton's force field dissolved, allowing Eddie to step closer to Chris. He studied his best friend's tense posture and tightened jaw. He repeated, "What's going on?"

Chris sighed and met Eddie's gaze. He replied, "You're not going to be able to help my sister if you die of smoke inhalation." Chris grabbed him and the two of them orbed out of the caverns. Eddie felt the world tilt slightly as his feet landed firmly on the ground. He wasn't used to orbbing so much in one day-he preferred normal methods of transportation like walking. Yeah, walking was good.

Piper rushed at the two of them, hugging Chris and then Eddie and back to Chris again. She kissed the top of his head and said, "I was getting worried."

"You're cutting off my oxygen," Chris complained.

"I'm your mother. I'm allowed."

Chris gasped for air and moaned, "I'm going to pass out."

Piper relented and pulled back a little bit. She studied his face and asked, "Are the two of you okay?"

"Fine."

"I'm not just talking about the physical, Chris."

"I'm fine," Chris reiterated coolly. It didn't take a genius to pick up on how not fine Chris really was, but he didn't give anyone a chance to press the issue. His eyes darted around the parlor and he asked, "Where's Peyton?"

"Let me have Leo take a look at the two of you first. You won't do her any good if you collapse from exhaustion."

"Mom, I know you mean well, but for the last time, I'm okay. No cuts, no bruises, nothingI'm perfect except for the fact that my sister needs me and I'm not with her. Now where is Peyton?" Chris replied.

Piper glanced at him. She had never seen him quite so dour before. She was used to aloof Chris, determined Chris, even angry Chris, but this side to him frightened her. Piper understood the horrible pain of losing a sibling and she could see through Chris' flimsy wall of hostility. He was torn up, but he wouldn't let her help him. It didn't appear that he was going to let anyone help him, which meant that not only was Piper worried about losing her daughter, but also what that loss would do to her son. She motioned up the stairs and said, "Leo moved her upstairs to my room."

Chris started to move toward the stairs, but Eddie grabbed a hold of his arm and spun him around. He questioned, "What the hell happened back there? She was fine when she left me."

"I have to go upstairs, Eddie."

"You have to talk to me, Chris."

"Let go, man."

"Not until-"

"Let go."

"What's-" before Eddie could finish his thought Chris had shoved him onto the floor and orbed out of the room.

Piper hollered after him, but it was useless. She focused on Eddie and smiled sympathetically. She said, "He's worried about his sister."

"I know. He only gets like this when he's trying to be the big protector of the family."

"Big protector? Really?" Piper replied. It did fit Chris' personality and she smiled, "I'll have to remember that."

"Don't worry. You will," Eddie said.

"He and his sister are close?" Piper replied. It wasn't so much a question as a statement worth verification.

"Yeah. It's hard to break through the wall the two of them put up around themselves. It got even harder after Wyatt began going on his rampages-" Eddie paused when he saw Piper wince and replied quickly, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be talking to you about this stuff. Chris would kill me."

"Chris uses the future as an excuse to avoid dealing with things."

"Well, he has a reason to," Eddie said. He glanced up the stairs and said, "Our future isn't a very nice place to live. Chris and Peyton see it as their problem. Their brother, their job to fix it, you see." Eddie attempted to shake some of the tension he was feeling out of his muscles and joints, but to no avail. He wouldn't be able to unclench until someone explained what happened. He took another deep breath, attempting to keep himself calm, and he asked, "Can you tell me what the hell happened? Where's Peyton? I need to see her."

"I'm not sure of that myself yet," Piper replied. She pointed to her stomach and said, "I think the plan is to keep the pregnant lady from stressing." She raised her voice so that it carried up the stairs as she continued, "Not working very well though."

As if on cue, Paige came running down the stairs and said, "Leo thinks she's going to be fine. He's not sure he understands what happened so it made healing her a bit difficult, but she appears to be getting better. It might take awhile for her system to recharge after the ordeal she's been through." Paige patted Eddie on the shoulder and said, "Chris wanted me to send you upstairs."

"How kind of him to let me see my own wife."

"Take it easy on him, Eddie. He's blaming himself for this."

"I don't even know what he's blaming himself for," Eddie muttered.

Paige shrugged and nodded to the stairs. She replied, "Why not go find out then?"

Eddie took a deep breath, his mind reeling with horrible what ifs. He couldn't help but harp on the word "thinks." Leo thinks she's going to be fine. No certainty. No guarantees that she was going to wake up and that was incomprehensible to him. He met Piper's gaze, who smiled at him reassuringly. Peyton had her mother's smile. He never noticed it before. He returned the smile and said, "You remind me a lot of Peyton. I didn't realize how much after all this time, I guess, but it's so obvious to me now."

Piper hugged him and said, "I'm hormonal, my children are spazzing out, and your sweetness might push me over the edge. Do you want to make a pregnant lady cry?"

"Uh"

"None of us want that, Piper," Paige commented glibly.

Eddie pulled away and focused on Paige. He said, "Thanks for helping her."

"She's my niece. I've always got her back," Paige replied. She nudged Eddie in the side and winked, "And yours too."

Eddie nodded, grateful for the help her family had provided, even if Peyton was likely to murder him in his sleep for contacting them. He took each step one at a time, becoming more and more resolute in his plans to ream Chris for that scene downstairs as he moved toward the room. He understood the weight Chris carried around, the promises he made to his mother, and everything else, but Peyton was as important to him as she was to Chris. He was a part of this mess, despite Peyton's objections. Eddie wanted to shout that from the rooftops, but the problem he found he was having was the same one he had with Peyton so often: he could never stay mad long enough.

Eddie noticed Leo and Phoebe standing outside in the hall, discussing something in hushed whispers. He had learned from years of experience with Peyton and Chris how to handle a situation like this and he immediately began clearing his throat to announce his arrival.

Phoebe smiled at him, while Leo remained steely-eyed, and asked, "How are you doing?"

"A bit confused. What happened?"

"I think Chris wants to tell you, honey," Phoebe replied with another reassuring smile.

"Is she okay?"

"She is now," Leo answered curtly. He glanced at the floor and scratched his head before going on in a much less terse tone, "I'm sorry, but-she's not in good shape, Eddie. I want to warn you before you go in there."

"Have we figured out why they're after her?"

"Chris thinks it was Wyatt. He said Peyton hinted at it," Phoebe said.

"I can't believe he would hurt his own sister," Leo replied. It was nothing more than a sigh as a flutter of disappointment or disbelief coursed through him. It was apparent from Chris' behavior and even Peyton's when he reached out to heal her, that he hadn't been father of the year. He couldn't help but wonder if he was part of the reason Wyatt went over the edge, if he was responsible for all the anger his children carried around.

Eddie knew Leo was having trouble processing all of this. He couldn't imagine it was an easy thing to learn that your son was the cause of so much destruction, but he didn't have the energy left in him to humor anyone. Normally, he was nothing if not tactful, but his mind was racing with horrible thoughts of Peyton suffering under Wyatt's command. She was his main priority and he couldn't focus on anything else. He snapped, "You never could believe Wyatt did anything wrong. It was part of the problem."

"What?"

"Chris came to you, on more than one occasion, and you dismissed him. The same way you dismissed Peyton. Wyatt doesn't care about anyone. When are you going to get that through your head?"

"Eddie, sweetie, I realize you're upset, but Leo-"

Eddie cut Phoebe off and said, "It doesn't matter. Can I see her?"

Leo didn't respond, merely nodded and pushed the door opened. Eddie didn't move at first. He willed the muscles in his legs to work, to take steps, but he was afraid of what awaited him beyond that door. He reminded himself that both Peyton and Chris had been through their fair share of narrow escapes in the time he had known them and they were always okay. That had to remain true. He couldn't accept the possibility of anything else.

Eddie finally managed to gain control of his muscles and cautiously entered the room. He noticed Peyton laying there. She looked so peaceful, but pale and strange. It wasn't the serene expression he was used to, like the times he found himself studying her when she fell asleep on the sofa during a movie. This was something different, as though death was circling around her and the only thing keeping it at bay was the expression on Chris' face as he sat in the rocking chair with his arms crossed.

"Hey," Eddie said, nothing more than a squeak.

Chris didn't remove his eyes from his sister's slumbering figure and said, "I'm sorry about downstairs."

"We've done worse to each other over the years."

Chris nodded and replied, "I should be the one laying here, not her."

"If I've learned anything from your sister, it's that things happen for a reason."

Chris laughed bitterly. He said, "God, you even sounded like her when you said that."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"When it makes you blind to things? Yeah, it is."

"What?"

"I'm the reason for this, Eddie. We both know it. I needed to play hero and save the day. I left you, Bianca, and my sister behind to handle Wyatt. I knew he'd be impossible. I knew if he figured out that Peyton and Bianca helped me-did Peyton tell you about the talk we had before I left?" Eddie shook his head and Chris went on, "She was worried that she couldn't handle Wyatt on her own. She told me she had a bad feeling about the situation and I blew her off. I told her to trust me to handle thisand she did. She always trusted me completely."

"Because she knows she can, Chris. You're her brother."

"So is Wyatt."

"And we both know why it's different."

"Is it? She still trusts him, I think. She won't admit it, not even to us, but she still harbors a sliver of faith in him in that mind of hers. I think she holds out hope that whether or not I succeed in altering the past, he can be saved."

"It's not wrong to hope, Chris. That's all a lot of us have left."

"Hope destroyed my family. It was a death sentence for my mother and my aunts. They held out hope to their dying day that more good could be accomplished and that one day they'd all have normal lives. It never happened, Eddie. My father's faith and hope in people, in the possibility of good always triumphing, was why he was never around, why he refused to see what Wyatt was becoming before it was too late," Chris paused and stared down at the floor for a minute. Eddie could see him mentally counting to ten and fighting to maintain the neutral expression that he was programmed to wear on his face.

Chris shook his head, as though his ears were water logged, and continued, "And look at Peyton. She had faith that things would work out even though she's seen firsthand how unlikely it is. Look at the results of hope, Eddie." For emphasis, he waved his arms over Peyton and added, "She could've died today. I'm supposed to protect her. I promised our mother and I promised her, but I let her down today. I should've known that she would concoct some plan of her own and try to sacrifice herself."

Chris glanced at his sister and covered his face with his hands. Eddie watched him take calculated breathes and try to calm himself down. Eddie hated this, hated what was happening, and hated seeing Peyton lie there so still. She was the only one who would be able to get through to Chris, to calm him down and force him to stop blaming himself for everything. Peyton was the one they all depended on. Eddie sighed, "We won't let her sacrifice herself."

"I haven't done a very good job of stopping her though, have I?" Chris laughed mirthlessly and added, "I haven't done a very good job of anything recently. I should've pushed the readings I was getting from her in that cavern."

"What readings?"

"I got a bad vibe from her concerning Wyatt. She tried to evade the topic and I didn't press her for more information. I figured we'd have plenty of time-"

"You will have plenty of time, Chris. Do you hear me? If I have to keep Peyton with us by sheer force, I'll do it."

Chris cracked a small smile and replied, "I believe you would."

"It's not some noble gesture. It's because I can't live without her."

"I know."

"And neither can you."

"She's all I have left, Eddie. If I can't fix things for our future, I'll be going back to a desolate world where Bianca is dead and-"

"You're going to fix things, Chris."

"Am I? We don't have much more time for me to figure this out. Whatever happens to Wyatt happens before Peyton and I are born. That's only a little over a month away and I'm no closer to figuring anything out than I was before I left. I thought that I allowed for plenty of time, but what if I was wrong? What if Peyton was figuring that out and took it upon herself to do something? What if I've failed my family?"

"Have a little faith in yourself."

"I leave the faith to my sister. I'm the cynical one, remember?" he said with a small laugh. He glanced away for a second before refocusing his gaze on Eddie. He went on, "Peyton's my best friend."

"Mine too."

"I don't think I can go back to a future where she's not around."

"Your sister will be there."

Chris nodded. He didn't say anything else. Eddie was used to that behavior by now. Both Chris and Peyton were infamous brooders, going within themselves and only talking when they felt comfortable broaching the subject without allowing any emotion to pour out. Always so worried about being brave and strong for everyone else, no matter what it did to them. Eddie knew better than to try to persuade Chris to see what he was saying was true. Chris needed to accept it in his own time.

Eddie took the opportunity to close the last of the distance between himself and Peyton. He sat down on the edge of the bed and ran his fingers over her face, a terrain he knew by heart after all this time. He kissed her forehead-so cold, too cold-and whispered, "Time to wake up, sleeping beauty." When she didn't stir, he rubbed the weariness from his eyes and asked, "What happened, Chris? She was fine. I saw her. We talked and I touched her."

"My aunts and I were cornered by a group of aggressive Scorios. We realized a little too late that by destroying one, two more rose from their ashes. We're still not clear on how they managed to do that, butone of the Scorios was draining my power. Peyton orbed in right in the middle of it. She pushed me out of the way and-I don't remember ever seeing her so angry. She wasn't herself. She said something to one of the Scorios. It replied to her too before starting toward me again and that's when it happened"

"Wait. She was talking to a demon?"

"I don't think they were exchanging recipes, Eddie, but yeah, she was talking to it."

"What happened next?"

"Her aura was glowing so bright-I'm surprised that you couldn't see it from where you were. Her eyes narrowed into tiny slits and the color changed. They were black and empty-it was like a scene out of the Exorcist or something. And she did something I've never seen from her before. She said some incantation and this wave of dark light came out of hershe turned them all to ash with the flip of a wrist."

"Peyton can't-"

"That's why I freaked out. I know how powerful she is. She tries to hide it from everyone, but not this time. It poured out of her. I've always believed that she's more powerful than Wyatt, but she's never attempted to unleash it. She's always been scared of it, seeing how it affected Wyatt. She wasn't scared this time."

"I know, but ash? You're telling me she vaporized a cavern full of demons?"

Chris nodded. He leaned forward in his chair, causing the floor to creak as he reached for his sister's hand. He squeezed it and met Eddie's gaze. Even if Eddie couldn't believe what Chris was saying, the look in Chris' eyes spoke volumes. Chris let out a small groan and replied, "It scared the hell out of me andI think it scared her. The only thing left of any of the Scorios was the flames and that's when this happened. She looked at me. Her eyes were normal again, but she was so shocked by what she had done andshe said my name and collapsed. I had Paige orb them home immediately and that's when I came for you."

"So what happened to her? Did she blow a fuse with her powers or something?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure what to make of any of this. Has she been having trouble controlling her powers? Or has she been acting strange lately?"

"I told you about the talk she made me have."

"She almost forced one down my throat in the caverns."

"What?"

"She said that I shouldn't have come after her, but that's typical Peyton."

"I don't know about that, Chris. None of this screams 'typical' to me."

"True, but what I'm talking about is different than that. Have her powers appeared to be amped up recently? Anything out of the norm?"

"Not that I've noticed, but Peyton tries to keep that part of her life separate from us. She seems to think that I only love the nonmagical part of her-"

"That's not true, Eddie. No one in our family has ever made a relationship with someone outside of the magic world work for long. She's scared of losing you."

Eddie shook his head and replied, "Like that could happen. As I've told her numerous times, she's stuck with me."

Chris nodded and said, "That's good to hear because what I said before your wedding still stands. As much as I love you, if you ever make my sister cry, I'll be forced to kill you and it'll have to hurt."

Eddie laughed and rolled his eyes at the comment. He stroked Peyton's cheek and said, "Ever since that incident with Wyatt, she's been careful about the magical things I'm exposed to. She worries about putting me in danger."

"Speaking of Wyatt-how about my brother? How has Wyatt seemed around her?"

"Nothing that" Eddie's voice trailed off. He glanced at Chris and said, "Wait. They had a fight a few weeks ago. It was a bad fight too from what I could make out. Wyatt looked scared and Peyton disappeared for a few hours after it was over with. I tried to follow after her, but she insisted I give her some space. I thought it was best at the time since she looked visibly shaken up by the argument. When I prodded her for more information later, she told me not to worry about it. That she handled it."

"Any idea what it could've been about?"

"I don't know-but she looked awful. Physically, I mean."

"Do you think Wyatt knows about the amount of power she possesses?" Chris questioned. He let go of Peyton's hand and replied, "Something must've happened. If you're rightWyatt doesn't scare easy. He's too smug to fear anyone else, but that might change if he knew there was someone out there stronger than he was, someone who could put a stop to his plans. And, in a case like that, he'd want to get rid of the person, but he can't in this case," Chris stopped to try and make sense of his thoughts. It was hard at the moment when his emotions wanted to guide the situation. He could imagine his sister chiding him, calling him a hothead, and forcing him to take a few deep breathes. Always so self-possessed, which was why her metamorphose in the caverns petrified him so much.

Chris covered his face with his hands, his lame attempt at regaining a clear head, and went on, "Combine Wyatt's behavior with the vibe I was getting from Peyton and it equals something screwy."

"If Peyton is up to something, there's a reason for it."

"I don't care about her reasons. I care about my sister's well being and what happened today? That wasn't good, Eddie. It was extremely bad. That kind of usage of power could kill her."

"You really think that could happen?"

Chris shrugged and answered, "I don't know, but whatever is going on with her, I get the distinct impression that it's not good."

Eddie shut his eyes against Chris' grim outlook and admitted, "Me too."

"She's up to something."

"Did she say how she ended up in with the Scorios?"

"No, but I can't imagine how they could get so close to her without her being able to fight back."

"If she was overpowered by a large group of them, it might've been hard to fight them all off."

"Something's not right about this. There is too much that doesn't add up, which screams Peyton has a plan and that never bodes well for anyone," Chris replied. He sighed and said, "But there's nothing I can do until she wakes up."

"And then only if she tells us what's going on."

"Oh, she'll tell us. I don't care if I have to use a spell to retrieve the information," Chris stated matter-of-factly. He stood up, brushed his fingers over the top of his sister's hand one last time, and said, "I'll give you some time alone with her."

"Thanks."

"I'll go handle the parental units, answer some of their questions and see what they've come up with. Once she wakes up, we're going to have a lot to get done in a short period of time," Chris said.

Eddie blinked and Chris was gone. He wasn't sure if he was grateful for the time alone with Peyton or anxious about it. At least when Chris was sitting there with him, he didn't have time to focus on the negative or the fact that Peyton looked so fragile.

Eddie slid down until he was lying down next to Peyton. He sidled in close enough to feel her heart beating against his chest and it provided a small amount of comfort. She was still with him and that was a good sign, that was all he could ask for right now. He let out a loud breath, emptying out the chaos going on inside of him. He had been going on pure adrenaline for the past few days, guided by the one goal of getting Peyton back, but he was starting to feel the heaviness of exhaustion set in as he breathed in and out heavily. It mixed with the tapping sound of rain on the glass pane and the hiss of a fan on its swing to the left, blowing small frays of hair onto his forehead.

The moment was anything less than extraordinary. He was achy, panicked, and exhausted, but determined to wait those out until Peyton smiled at him again. There was nothing spectacular about the ambiance or the situation or even his emotions. If anything it was cockeyed and depressing, full of mistakes and things he wished he had done differently. But it was a moment all the same and Eddie embraced it completely.

There were so many times Peyton had tried to break things off with him. She swore that she would end up hurting him, either physically or mentally, but he refused to listen to her. It wasn't that he didn't see where she was coming from. On a logical level, he knew she was right. Prudence told him that a life with her would be full of chaos and the possibility of loss looming around him the same way it did to her and Chris. Eddie even attempted to act on that fear once when they were eighteen, worried that if he stayed with her much longer it would be that much harder to let her go. He recalled actually uttering the words, "I think we need a break" even though he didn't want it at all. He just knew that was what he should've wanted-to be free of the pandemonium that came with caring for a Halliwell-and acted on it.

It was the stupidest thing he had ever done and thank god she took him back. Thank God. She was his everything, most likely had been from the first time they met though he didn't understand it then, and losing her because of stupidity would be far worse than any alternative. He had realized that despite all of the craziness and danger and whatever else, it was worth it to love her and have those feelings returned. Her smile, the smoothness of the skin on her stomach, the sparkle in her green eyes when she played a practical joke on him. It made everything okay. It provided that important connection to life and he knew he wouldn't die unfulfilled if he loved Peyton. That was an impossibility.

It didn't make watching her motionless form any easier though and it wouldn't be enough to get him through a life without her.

Eddie remained lost in his thoughts, not sure of how much time had passed, until he heard a slight rustling of the sheets beside him. He tilted his head and saw Peyton staring at him. Relief coursed through him, causing renegade tears to fall against his best attempts to stop them. He wrapped her up in his arms, pulling her as close as he could, sure that if it was possible, he would pull her inside of him to keep her safe, and said, "Please tell me this wasn't part of your stupid plan."

"It wasn't a stupid planexactly."

"You could've died, Peyton."

Peyton didn't say anything at first. She laid there, against him, tracing her fingers over his forearm, lost in thought. Eddie was grateful she didn't attempt to offer some excuse because he was pretty sure he would lose what little control of his temper he still had. She nuzzled her head in under the crook of his chin and finally said, "Chris knows, doesn't he?"

"He knows you're up to something."

"What did you tell him?"

Eddie gritted his teeth together and forced out, "It's not like you told me much, love."

"It's best if you don't know."

"Best for whom?" he questioned. He ran his fingers through her hair and kissed the top of her head before adding, "Have I gone on record as stating that this is not a good idea? Chris mentioned that whatever you did back there-"

"That wasn't part of the plan."

"That was quite obvious, sweetheart," Eddie replied, intertwining his hand with hers. The shock of everything that happened the past few days started to hit him as he felt her pulse against his palm. His voice became thick with emotion and he said, "You scared the hell out of me, Peyton. We had a deal."

"I didn't-"

"You promised that this 'great idea' of yours wouldn't put you in harm's way," Eddie cut her off. He chucked her chin and said, "Chris would help you if you'd let him. For the life of me, I'll never understand why the two of you behave like stubborn loons, insisting on going about things half-assed and all alone when it's obvious to everyone else that you work best as a team."

"The power of two."

"Pardon?"

Peyton sighed and said, "My mother used to call it the power of two, going on about how important it was that we work as a team-that where one of our powers ended, the other's began."

"Your mother was a smart lady."

Peyton nodded and for a brief second Eddie thought that he had gotten through to her, but it quickly dissipated as she replied, "Chris can't know about this, Eddie. Chris isn't ready for what has to happen."

"And what, pray tell, has to happen?" Eddie questioned with a rise of his eyebrows and calculated stare in Peyton's direction. He didn't have a good feeling about any of this, but he was too tired to argue with Peyton right now. All he wanted to do for the time being was hold her in his arms and try to sleep away the image of her so close to death.

"Nothing you need be concerned with."

He crossed his arms and replied, "Is that a fact? I bet your brother would disagree."

"You swore you wouldn't say anything."

Eddie shook his head and replied, "Again, I'm going to point out that you barely told me anything. For example, I don't ever recall you mentioning that you were going to sacrifice yourself for Wyatt."

"I wasn't planning to sacrifice myself," Peyton countered. She retook his hand, squeezed it, and asked, "What has Chris figured out?"

"If you're asking if he knows that you sought out the Scorios, then no. He doesn't know. I believe he's blaming Wyatt at the moment."

"That's not good either."

"Your brother is fairly intelligent, Peyton. He's going to put it together soon enough."

"I expected as much," Peyton replied. She sat herself up. Her breath momentarily caught in her throat when she realized where she was. Eddie picked up on it immediately and kept a steady hold on her. Peyton pushed aside a few tears that fell and croaked out, "My mother's-why did Chris bring me here?"

"You didn't leave him much choice, sweetheart, when you passed out like that."

Peyton stood up, fingering a photograph of her parents and Wyatt at his first birthday. She glanced upward before focusing on Eddie's gaze and stated, "This changes everything."

(to be continued...)