Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed, but I do own Kern's soul. I bought it off the black market last week for fifty cents. It seems it's so used and worn, it's not worth much any more.

Chapter 11

Chris paced impatiently. He was fighting to resist the urge to break something besides the chair, still lying in a few pieces in the corner, when Leo orbed back in. Instantly all three were upon him, shooting off questions at the same time. Leo just stood there gravely, waiting for the clamor to die down before speaking. His silence made the girls more worried and Chris turned away, angry. He already knew what Leo was going to say.

"The Elders wouldn't give Chris his powers back. They say the choice remains the same." He said, his voice eerily void of emotion.

"How can they do that? Did you explain what happened to them?" Phoebe yelled.

"They are fully aware of the situation. They used it as their justification. Wyatt is here and he's virtually unstoppable. They said they can't risk baby Chris growing up like that too, even at the cost of the power of three."

"Are you serious? But-" Paige started, but was interrupted by Chris, unable to hold in his anger any longer.

"What the hell's the matter with those morons?" He shouted at the top of his lungs. "Don't they know they're signing their own death warrant? Can't they see past their own egos long enough to realize they're going to need the power of three? They can't just sacrifice Piper after all you guys have done for them! Leo, how could you let them just turn their backs on her?!"

"The Elders wouldn't reconsider." Leo continued, as if he hadn't heard a word of Chris's outburst. "So, I made the call."

"I can't believe this!" Chris growled. "Whatever happens now that Wyatt is here, it's on their heads. They can- wait. Did you just say you made the call?" Leo nodded, tears coming to his eyes. "What call did you…"

But Chris never got to finish his sentence. His back arched involuntarily and his mouth opened in a silent yell. A white light started emanating from within his chest and his feet slowly left the ground. Quickly the light became so intense that the girls and Leo had to shield their eyes and turn their backs to him. It was like looking at the sun from two feet away.

Piper glared at the monster her son had somehow become. No, not her son. She refused to think of him that way. She couldn't believe that she could raise a man so horrible that he killed his own family. "Chris and Leo will find you." she said, "And when they do you're going to wish you'd never come back to the past and threatened your brother."

Wyatt smirked. "Dad will never find us here. In case you hadn't noticed, we're in the underworld in a cave with no entrances. No one's finding us or getting in or out of here unless I want them to. Dad's just going to have to sit this one out, not that he ever had a real problem with that. No, like I said, Chris is the only one invited to this family reunion. I wonder what's taking him so long. I would have thought he'd be right behind us. I can't imagine he would willingly leave you in my hands any longer than he had to."

Piper paled as she realized this was a trap for Chris. But thankfully it was a trap he couldn't fall into. Without his powers, there was no way he could sense Wyatt and orb here. The thought gave her strength and she briefly smiled to herself.

Wyatt noticed her reaction and was instantly suspicious. "What are you smiling about, Mother? You know why Chris hasn't come yet, don't you?" Piper didn't answer; she just leveled her gaze at him. It was a look that had terrified many a demon in the past. Wyatt just ignored it.

He paced back and forth along the cave, deep in thought. Piper caught her breath. God, he looked like Chris when he did that!

"Why wouldn't Chris be here already?" he muttered to himself. "The only reason he would be waiting is if Leo talked him into it, to come up with a game plan. For Leo to have the chance to do that, Chris would have had to stick around after I orbed out with Piper. But Chris wouldn't have waited. He's impulsive, he would have orbed out as soon as he sensed where I was." Wyatt stopped and his eyes widened. He turned to Piper. "Chris doesn't have his powers." He said.

Piper flushed, scared that Wyatt might decide to go back to the manor to attack Chris while he was defenseless.

Wyatt threw back his head and laughed. "Of course! He's here, the baby's not. He somehow switched places with him and now he's blocked. I'll have to thank the Elders for that once more before I kill them again." He turned towards Piper, a hard glint in his eye. "Powerless or no, Chris will figure out a way to get here. He's not going to let me kill you again. And when he does, he's going to try and bluff his way through this situation. He was always so skilled at that." Wyatt smiled. "But not this time. He's not going to get the chance."

Piper sat down and wrapped her arms around her legs. This had to be her worst nightmare. She had never really wanted to believe how bad Chris's past must have been, but now she had no choice. She finally understood how Chris had come to the conclusion that the only way to save Wyatt was in the past, that he was a hopeless case in Chris's future. She knew she was about to witness her sons fight each other to the death. Her family was going to be turned on its head unless she could get out of here and stop it.