"She IS Wyatt, isn't she?" Paige asked, sitting down and looking to Chris
for an answer.
"No, she's Prudence Melinda. Well, yes, she's Wyatt...depends on how you look at it."
"I'm so confused!" Exasperated, Paige ran her hands through her hair.
"I don't know why she'd come back for him though. I'm just as confused as you are,
Paige," said Chris.
"She must have been the one who turned him into a boy," said Phoebe.
Piper looked confused now too. "Why the hell would she want to do that?"
Chris answered her question. "Because she probably counted on her powers being bound
that way, like I said. Think about it: if her one-year-old self was powerless it would
almost guarantee that she could take him and make sure he turned out exactly as she
wanted him to. My guess is she's on a quest to rule the underworld."
"Who's not?" snorted Piper.
"We should make a vanquishing potion, just to be safe," said Paige.
Chris gave Paige a sharp look. "You would vanquish your own niece?"
"She wouldn't hesitate to kill any of us."
"True..." Chris's voice trailed off.
The room was silent for a minute until Phoebe spoke. "She's evil. Any way you look at it,
she's evil. We thought if we changed him...her...whatever...back into a girl, she would
be good. No such luck. It seems no matter what happens, Mel is destined to be evil."
"Not only that, but Queen of the Underworld at the rate things are going," said Piper.
"You're not giving up, are you?" inquired Chris.
"No, Chris, I'm not giving up," Piper said as she lifted her son into her arms. "I'm just
beginning to realize we may not have a choice. We can't change fate."
"But what if your fate is to save your daughter? Did you ever think about that? What if
fate's on our side?" said Chris.
Piper was about to argue, but before she could open her mouth, Wyatt vanished from
her arms in a dark orb.
"She's here!" shouted Chris, as a fireball shot past his head.
The woman appeared behind him, raised her hand, and everyone in the room, save for
Chris, suddenly froze. Chris slowly looked around the room, then turned to face the
woman. She held Wyatt in her arms. His shield was not up, and he seemed perfectly
happy.
"If you knew what was good for you, you'd give up now," Melinda told him. "You've
seen what happens, you know I win."
"Where are you taking Wyatt?" Chris demanded.
Melinda blankly stared at him, then answered, "Might as well tell you. You'll be dead in
a few minutes anyway." She paused, adjusted Wyatt in her arms, and then continued. "I
have two friends...demons. They want a child. I promised them they could raise Wyatt,
on the condition that they raise him right. I'll give them the spell and the potion to make
him a girl again, and then I'll return to the future. When she is twenty- three, she will
rise to power and become your queen."
"Why do you have to take him? You can't accomplish that on your own?" said Chris,
sarcastically.
"Actually, no, I can't, because of YOU. Until YOU came back, I was this close to
having the entire underworld in my power. Then one day, I find myself fighting for the
greater good. So I ask myself, 'What's wrong with this picture?' I don't know how I
remembered and no one else did, but as time went on, I slowly put the pieces together,
and realized what I had to do. I had to undo YOUR mistakes."
"I'm not making a mistake," insisted Chris.
A fireball appeared in his sister's free hand. "You know what? I'm tired of your crap."
"No, she's Prudence Melinda. Well, yes, she's Wyatt...depends on how you look at it."
"I'm so confused!" Exasperated, Paige ran her hands through her hair.
"I don't know why she'd come back for him though. I'm just as confused as you are,
Paige," said Chris.
"She must have been the one who turned him into a boy," said Phoebe.
Piper looked confused now too. "Why the hell would she want to do that?"
Chris answered her question. "Because she probably counted on her powers being bound
that way, like I said. Think about it: if her one-year-old self was powerless it would
almost guarantee that she could take him and make sure he turned out exactly as she
wanted him to. My guess is she's on a quest to rule the underworld."
"Who's not?" snorted Piper.
"We should make a vanquishing potion, just to be safe," said Paige.
Chris gave Paige a sharp look. "You would vanquish your own niece?"
"She wouldn't hesitate to kill any of us."
"True..." Chris's voice trailed off.
The room was silent for a minute until Phoebe spoke. "She's evil. Any way you look at it,
she's evil. We thought if we changed him...her...whatever...back into a girl, she would
be good. No such luck. It seems no matter what happens, Mel is destined to be evil."
"Not only that, but Queen of the Underworld at the rate things are going," said Piper.
"You're not giving up, are you?" inquired Chris.
"No, Chris, I'm not giving up," Piper said as she lifted her son into her arms. "I'm just
beginning to realize we may not have a choice. We can't change fate."
"But what if your fate is to save your daughter? Did you ever think about that? What if
fate's on our side?" said Chris.
Piper was about to argue, but before she could open her mouth, Wyatt vanished from
her arms in a dark orb.
"She's here!" shouted Chris, as a fireball shot past his head.
The woman appeared behind him, raised her hand, and everyone in the room, save for
Chris, suddenly froze. Chris slowly looked around the room, then turned to face the
woman. She held Wyatt in her arms. His shield was not up, and he seemed perfectly
happy.
"If you knew what was good for you, you'd give up now," Melinda told him. "You've
seen what happens, you know I win."
"Where are you taking Wyatt?" Chris demanded.
Melinda blankly stared at him, then answered, "Might as well tell you. You'll be dead in
a few minutes anyway." She paused, adjusted Wyatt in her arms, and then continued. "I
have two friends...demons. They want a child. I promised them they could raise Wyatt,
on the condition that they raise him right. I'll give them the spell and the potion to make
him a girl again, and then I'll return to the future. When she is twenty- three, she will
rise to power and become your queen."
"Why do you have to take him? You can't accomplish that on your own?" said Chris,
sarcastically.
"Actually, no, I can't, because of YOU. Until YOU came back, I was this close to
having the entire underworld in my power. Then one day, I find myself fighting for the
greater good. So I ask myself, 'What's wrong with this picture?' I don't know how I
remembered and no one else did, but as time went on, I slowly put the pieces together,
and realized what I had to do. I had to undo YOUR mistakes."
"I'm not making a mistake," insisted Chris.
A fireball appeared in his sister's free hand. "You know what? I'm tired of your crap."