Chris separated himself from Bianca, the feeling of her lips still on
his. He stroked her soft hair. Bianca smiled at him, but her smile was
distant and sad. She looked around at their Spot, one of the few places
Wyatt hadn't destroyed. Bianca sighed, looking back at Chris again.
"I'm sorry . . . about Melinda. But I'm sure you'll get her back. Your mom and aunts wouldn't let anything bad happen to her," Bianca said, trying to sound encouraging.
"They already have let something bad happen to her. Wyatt has her, and if that isn't bad I don't know what is," Chris countered, a hint of anger in his voice. "I just hope getting my dad to come down and help was the right thing to do."
Bianca frowned. "Why wouldn't it be? He's an Elder. He can help."
Chris shrugged, stroking Bianca's hair again. "He and my mom haven't seen each other in five years. I doubt she even knows that I go up to see him once in awhile."
"You did the right thing, Chris," Bianca said softly, "You were only trying to help Melinda."
"But I didn't. Wyatt has her now and her life is in danger. What kind of brother am I? I should have been watching over her and taking care of her!" Chris fumed.
Bianca frowned again. She wasn't really sure what to say to that. But she had to say something. "You did the best you could. Who knew this would happen? You can't blame yourself, Chris."
Chris looked away. He didn't want Bianca to see him crying. Once he had his tears under control. He looked at her again. "If anything happens to her, I don't know what I'd do."
Bianca hugged Chris. "Don't worry. She'll be okay. Everything will be okay."
Leo orbed back into the attic, where the sisters were waiting impatiently. As soon as they saw the white and blue orbs, they jumped up from their seat and stared at him. He sighed and shook his head.
"That's impossible!" Piper cried hysterically. "How can she not be in the Underworld? She certainly isn't up here! We'd be able to scry for her if she was, and we can't. And you can't sense her. So where is it? Leo, what did he do with her?" she growled, clenching her fists.
"I don't know, Piper. But we'll find her and we'll get her back. I'm going to go talk to the other Elders and see if there's anything we can do." Leo orbed out.
Phoebe and Paige exchanged glances, then nodded. Phoebe took a deep breath and stepped closer to Piper. "I know this is probably a bad time to ask, but what happened between you two in the kitchen? You seemed . . . weird."
Piper narrowed her eyes at her sisters, then looked away and sighed. "We . . . kissed."
"You what?" Paige asked, dumbstruck. "But you've been divorced for five years now!"
Piper shrugged. "I know. It just happened." She cleared her throat. "Look, this really isn't important right now. We have to figure out what happened to Melinda and find her. Fast."
Phoebe and Paige nodded.
"Hey, where's Chris?" Piper asked, suddenly worried. "He didn't go after Wyatt himself did he?"
"We, uh, don't know," Phoebe replied, stepping back. "We haven't seen him."
"Chris? Chris!" Piper called.
Chris didn't come right away, but about three minutes later, he orbed in, faint traces of lipstick on his mouth. "What?" he asked, obviously annoyed.
"And you were where?" Piper demanded, glancing at his lips and the lipstick on them, then into his eyes.
"Out." Chris replied"
"Out where?" Piper asked.
"Mom, stop. It doesn't matter and I really don't need the third degree right now," Chris snapped.
Piper narrowed her eyes at him.
"I think I have an idea of how to get Melinda back," Chris said after a moment of hesitation. He then began telling them of his plan.
Wyatt set a chair down in front of Melinda and sat in it. He smirked at her as she stared at him, looking scared and helpless.
"I'll make you a deal, little one. If you swear not to scream, I will remove your gag," Wyatt said.
Melinda thought for a moment, then nodded. Wyatt simply flicked his hand and the gag disappeared. Melinda gulped, whimpering in fear.
"H-how did you do that?" She asked, her voice shaking.
Wyatt smirked. "Mother certainly has hidden magic from you very well. I must applaud her for that. But she didn't do a very good job protecting you, otherwise you wouldn't be here now."
"Why do you keep talking about magic? I don't know what you're talking about and I just want to go home!" Melinda cried.
"Because, my dear little sister, I have bigger plans for you than that. First, I need to send Aunt Phoebe a little . . . message," Wyatt replied, grinning. He closed his eyes and concentrated, opening them a few moments later. "There we go . . . Now, as for you," he said, looking at Melinda with a grin on his face. He stood and moved close, materializing a dagger in his hand. He kneeled in front of Melinda. "Time to make that premonition become reality. Only the outcome isn't what they think it is . . ."
Phoebe gasped, her eyes snapping shut, and a vision hit her; A girl, Melinda she realized, chained to a stone table. Someone cloaked by shadows – but who Phoebe guessed was Wyatt – held a dagger over the little girl.
And fast as the vision had come, it ended. Phoebe opened her eyes and gulped, looking from Paige to Chris, to Piper.
"What is it? What did you see?" Piper asked Phoebe, worried that Melinda was in danger.
Boy, was she right.
"I-I saw Melinda." Phoebe paused, then continued, "She was chained to a stone table and someone was holding a dagger over her." She paused again. Piper looked sick to her stomach. Phoebe sucked in a breath. "I think it was Wyatt."
"We can't let him do that to her!" Piper cried, her voice shaking as tears slid down her face. "We can't let him hurt her! She's just a little girl."
"So we do what I said we should do," Chris suggested.
"Chris it's too dangerous," Paige said, shaking her head.
"Do you have a better idea?" Chris asked. He looked as if he wanted to yell, but was trying to contain himself. "It's all we have. If we don't do something now, we might not have another chance."
Phoebe chewed her lip. "I agree with you, but Paige is right. We don't know what could happen if we go through with it."
"And if we don't go through with it? What will happen then?" Chris snapped. "Melinda will die if we don't!"
"Melinda is lost to you," came a voice from behind them, "She belongs to me and mine now."
Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Chris all spun around. Wyatt stood behind them, Melinda at his side. She didn't look scared or hurt. She looked angry, almost evil. She looked as if she wanted to kill someone.
And her eyes were locked on Piper.
"I'm sorry . . . about Melinda. But I'm sure you'll get her back. Your mom and aunts wouldn't let anything bad happen to her," Bianca said, trying to sound encouraging.
"They already have let something bad happen to her. Wyatt has her, and if that isn't bad I don't know what is," Chris countered, a hint of anger in his voice. "I just hope getting my dad to come down and help was the right thing to do."
Bianca frowned. "Why wouldn't it be? He's an Elder. He can help."
Chris shrugged, stroking Bianca's hair again. "He and my mom haven't seen each other in five years. I doubt she even knows that I go up to see him once in awhile."
"You did the right thing, Chris," Bianca said softly, "You were only trying to help Melinda."
"But I didn't. Wyatt has her now and her life is in danger. What kind of brother am I? I should have been watching over her and taking care of her!" Chris fumed.
Bianca frowned again. She wasn't really sure what to say to that. But she had to say something. "You did the best you could. Who knew this would happen? You can't blame yourself, Chris."
Chris looked away. He didn't want Bianca to see him crying. Once he had his tears under control. He looked at her again. "If anything happens to her, I don't know what I'd do."
Bianca hugged Chris. "Don't worry. She'll be okay. Everything will be okay."
Leo orbed back into the attic, where the sisters were waiting impatiently. As soon as they saw the white and blue orbs, they jumped up from their seat and stared at him. He sighed and shook his head.
"That's impossible!" Piper cried hysterically. "How can she not be in the Underworld? She certainly isn't up here! We'd be able to scry for her if she was, and we can't. And you can't sense her. So where is it? Leo, what did he do with her?" she growled, clenching her fists.
"I don't know, Piper. But we'll find her and we'll get her back. I'm going to go talk to the other Elders and see if there's anything we can do." Leo orbed out.
Phoebe and Paige exchanged glances, then nodded. Phoebe took a deep breath and stepped closer to Piper. "I know this is probably a bad time to ask, but what happened between you two in the kitchen? You seemed . . . weird."
Piper narrowed her eyes at her sisters, then looked away and sighed. "We . . . kissed."
"You what?" Paige asked, dumbstruck. "But you've been divorced for five years now!"
Piper shrugged. "I know. It just happened." She cleared her throat. "Look, this really isn't important right now. We have to figure out what happened to Melinda and find her. Fast."
Phoebe and Paige nodded.
"Hey, where's Chris?" Piper asked, suddenly worried. "He didn't go after Wyatt himself did he?"
"We, uh, don't know," Phoebe replied, stepping back. "We haven't seen him."
"Chris? Chris!" Piper called.
Chris didn't come right away, but about three minutes later, he orbed in, faint traces of lipstick on his mouth. "What?" he asked, obviously annoyed.
"And you were where?" Piper demanded, glancing at his lips and the lipstick on them, then into his eyes.
"Out." Chris replied"
"Out where?" Piper asked.
"Mom, stop. It doesn't matter and I really don't need the third degree right now," Chris snapped.
Piper narrowed her eyes at him.
"I think I have an idea of how to get Melinda back," Chris said after a moment of hesitation. He then began telling them of his plan.
Wyatt set a chair down in front of Melinda and sat in it. He smirked at her as she stared at him, looking scared and helpless.
"I'll make you a deal, little one. If you swear not to scream, I will remove your gag," Wyatt said.
Melinda thought for a moment, then nodded. Wyatt simply flicked his hand and the gag disappeared. Melinda gulped, whimpering in fear.
"H-how did you do that?" She asked, her voice shaking.
Wyatt smirked. "Mother certainly has hidden magic from you very well. I must applaud her for that. But she didn't do a very good job protecting you, otherwise you wouldn't be here now."
"Why do you keep talking about magic? I don't know what you're talking about and I just want to go home!" Melinda cried.
"Because, my dear little sister, I have bigger plans for you than that. First, I need to send Aunt Phoebe a little . . . message," Wyatt replied, grinning. He closed his eyes and concentrated, opening them a few moments later. "There we go . . . Now, as for you," he said, looking at Melinda with a grin on his face. He stood and moved close, materializing a dagger in his hand. He kneeled in front of Melinda. "Time to make that premonition become reality. Only the outcome isn't what they think it is . . ."
Phoebe gasped, her eyes snapping shut, and a vision hit her; A girl, Melinda she realized, chained to a stone table. Someone cloaked by shadows – but who Phoebe guessed was Wyatt – held a dagger over the little girl.
And fast as the vision had come, it ended. Phoebe opened her eyes and gulped, looking from Paige to Chris, to Piper.
"What is it? What did you see?" Piper asked Phoebe, worried that Melinda was in danger.
Boy, was she right.
"I-I saw Melinda." Phoebe paused, then continued, "She was chained to a stone table and someone was holding a dagger over her." She paused again. Piper looked sick to her stomach. Phoebe sucked in a breath. "I think it was Wyatt."
"We can't let him do that to her!" Piper cried, her voice shaking as tears slid down her face. "We can't let him hurt her! She's just a little girl."
"So we do what I said we should do," Chris suggested.
"Chris it's too dangerous," Paige said, shaking her head.
"Do you have a better idea?" Chris asked. He looked as if he wanted to yell, but was trying to contain himself. "It's all we have. If we don't do something now, we might not have another chance."
Phoebe chewed her lip. "I agree with you, but Paige is right. We don't know what could happen if we go through with it."
"And if we don't go through with it? What will happen then?" Chris snapped. "Melinda will die if we don't!"
"Melinda is lost to you," came a voice from behind them, "She belongs to me and mine now."
Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Chris all spun around. Wyatt stood behind them, Melinda at his side. She didn't look scared or hurt. She looked angry, almost evil. She looked as if she wanted to kill someone.
And her eyes were locked on Piper.