P3

Chris orbed into P3 with Claire by his side. The moment he had touched her he had known it had been a mistake. He had felt his strength pouring out of him. As soon as the orb was complete he stumbled backwards, away from Claire.

"I knew it," he scowled, at the now grinning Claire.

"Yes you did, and I should ask how, boy. Few know me, and live, so how is it that you knew?" Her face was now becoming wrinkled, decrepit, and decidedly an 'evil dower' face.

"None of your business," Chris retorted, getting into a defensive stance.

Enraged Clarithiana hissed, and lunged at her prey. He would pay for his arrogance.

Dodging her blow he used telekinesis to throw her against the wall, shattering the plaster in the process. 'Good it still works,' he thought with relief. He just needed to keep her at bay for a few more minutes! No sooner had he thought this she was back on her feet, and faster then the eye could see she was racing towards him. He was just barely able to dodge the blow, but she had expected this, and had gathered about her a fireball which she then thru at him while he was off balance.

Stumbling backwards, Chris gave a cry of pain, clutching his side where the fireball had struck. This did not look good. How did she become so fast all of the sudden? In his moment of weakness Claire lunged at Chris, pushing him to the ground with a strength that knocked the wind from him. She would have to make this quick. The Charmed Ones would be here soon. Stretching out her hand to his chest while holding him down with the other she began to feed.

A pitch black glow began to emanate from her hand and seep into Chris, but no sooner had the black glow been absorbed into him, then a pure light came from his body and began to seep into her hand. Chris screamed in agony. He felt like his very being was being ripped apart.

Chris tried in vain to TK Clarithina off of him but his power would not work. 'No, not now!' He though as a deep panic began to surface. He tried desperately to orb out, but found he was too weak. Desperately, he grabbed at her hand, trying to pry her off of him, but suddenly he was so weak. His limbs were becoming numb, his thoughts a jumbled mess of pain. In a last effort he kicked out his foot, but he was only rewarded with a harsh slap to the face that made his world swim.

Meanwhile, Clairthinana was in ecstasy. Never had she tasted such a pure and immense power. The raw force of it was overwhelming, and yet she drank it in still. She yearned for all of it. All of this glorious energy. She was so enthralled that she neglected to notice three sourly pissed off witches orb in, one of whom was an easily enraged, power packing, pregnant mother.

Her lust was suddenly interrupted when she was ripped away from Chris by an explosion.

BOOM!

"THAT'S FOR LIEING TO ME!" Piper screamed as she stormed towards the demon attacking her son.

BOOM!!

"THAT'S FOR KILLING ALL THE PEOPLE YOU'VE KILLED!!!"

BOOM!!!

"AND THAT'S FOR HURTING MY SON DAMNIT!!!!"

Now thoroughly bruised by Pipers enraged magic wielding fit, Clairithania stumbled to her feet with an angry snarl. "You can't kill me witch. You still haven't made the vanquishing potion."

"Oh really." Piper said with an equally snarling voice, and with a very satisfied smile, she pulled out her vanquishing potion.

"WHAT!?! HOW CAN THIS BE! YOU HAD'NT MADE IT YET!"

"Correction, you thought we hadn't made it," Paige piped up. Cairithana snarled realizing her error, "You didn't honestly think that it would take us two hours to make a stupid potion did you?" Paige said with a hint of scorn.

"But—how did you know!"

Now it was Phoebe's turn to speak, "Um, hello, empath here. You were packing some serious hunger issues that defiantly weren't human."

"We first knew that something was up when you fell on that piece of glass in the alley, and there was no blood. Only a demon could be pricked and not have any blood." Paige continued.

"So—so the conversation in the kitchen was—"

"A lie, lie, lie," Piper concluded, "Doesn't feel so good now does it!"

"But—why?"

"We needed to make sure that we were right. You're a very good actor you know. We weren't certain until Uban ratted you out."

"That sniveling little—"

"ENOUGH!" Piper screamed, "MY SON IS DIEING OVER THERE! I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR YOUR OBSENISTIES!" Throwing the potion vial, Clariathana burst into flames and was vanquished.

"Well that was anti-climatic," Paige said, sarcasm clearly evident.

Piper ran over to Chris who lay limp on the ground. Phoebe and Paige were quick to follow.

"Chris, Chris honey, wake up," He made no response. "LEO! LEO! YOUR SON NEEDS YOU!" Piper screamed.

The familiar jingle of orbing filled the club as Leo orbed in, "Wyatt is he---Chris! What happened?"

"Explain later, heal now!" Piper commanded in panic. Chris was slipping away too fast. The potion must have not worked.

Leo quickly laid his hands over Chris's wound and after several tense seconds he had healed it completely.

"Why isn't he waking up?" Piper pleaded in worry.

"The potion must have not worked," Paige said sadly.

"No! Don't you dare tell me that!" Piper yelled.

"Potion? Wha—What happened here?" Leo asked, looking down at the boy he had so many mixed feelings for. Distrust, love, worry, quilt, pain, happiness.

Slowly a groan slipped from Chris' lips. Piper almost lunged at him she was so happy, "Chris! Chris, are you alright? Chris?"

Slowly, he opened his eyes, then closed them when a horrible head ach came rushing over him. Soon it subsided however, and he opened his eyes once more to see his, "Mom?"

"Yes, Chris I'm here."

His brain was foggy. What had happened? Slowly his memories returned. Kitchen, potion, demon, orb, clarithana, attack, pain. "Ugh, did it work?" he asked, sleep heavy on his voice.

"Well, she's vanquished at least, but I'm not sure if the potion worked yet."

Chris nodded in understanding, reaching into his coat pocket he pulled out a small potion vial.

"What's that?" Leo asked confused.

"Anti-Binding potion," Chris responded while downing the contents of the vial.

"You bound your powers?" Leo asked, a bit startled.

"Yeah, I didn't want to loose them," Chris responded as if it were second nature. Leo looked to Piper to explain, but instead she only felt Chris' forehead.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

"Tired but—" Chris moved his hand to TK a chair and to his great relief it work, "oh thank god."

"So the potion did work." Paige said happily.

"Apparently, but it sure left me drained."

"Well, of course, the potion was only meant to bind your powers so she couldn't have them not bind your energy." Paige said with sarcasm.

"We're just glad you're ok Chris," Phoebe said with a happy smile.

"Yeah and damn Piper, you sure kicked ass," Paige added.

"Thank you," Piper said with a smug smile.

"WHAT IS GOING ON????" Leo screamed so that he could finally get everyone's attention.

"Ok well it goes like this:" Paige took a long gasp then began

"We met this girl named Claire who claimed that she was being chased by this demon named Uban. She claimed to be human but we knew differently because when she was cut she didn't bleed meaning she was demon. At the time, it seemed like nothing special but later, when Phoebe was talking to her she sensed a major yearning for food that defiantly was not human."

"When I had asked her about it she said that she wasn't hungry," Phoebe continued, "But I could sense that she was lieing. In fact, her whole story was a big lie, but what I couldn't figure out was why she would be lying."

"By that time we knew that something was up, so we had Chris distract her for a few minutes so we could conclude what we knew. Turns out that she was actually a demon name Clairithana, and she can 'suck your life and your powers' out of you." Paige said, cutting in.

Chris who had been silent for most of the conversation finally spoke up, "I remebred a vauge reference to a Claire that I had read in the future, but I couldn't remember any details. After Phoebe gave me the signal that it was alright for me to leave, I orbed up the attic and did some research to try and find a weakness for this Claire girl."

"Right," Piper said, speaking up then, "Apparently, if he used a binding potion on himself then she wouldn't be able to steal his powers. After we had made the vanquishing potions for both Uban and Clairithana, we cast a silencing spell over the kitchen and called Chris down from the attic so we could discuss our plans and not have her listening in. Against our wishes," She continued with a motherly glare towards Chris, "he drank the potion, claiming that if he needed to orb her out he would not be in danger of loosing his powers."

"Yeah but the only problem was, that in doing so he would have no powers any way. A fact that if he had listened to us, would have saved himself from getting his ass kicked," Paige said with a sarcastic laugh.

"Hey, if I hadn't taken the potion, I'd have been in a lot worse shape then I am in now, be grateful." Chris piped in.

"Yeah whatever," Paige said rolling her eyes at her nephew.

"Anyway," Phoebe said claping her hands together to gather attention again, "Some how Claire heard us and she came in to the kitchen, just narrowly missing Chris orbing out. She made a stink about how Chris had left her and so I called him and gave a very lecture so she wouldn't be suspicious."

"Yeah, good job by the way," Paige said rolling her eyes with a smirk, "you might have over done it a tad bit though."

"You think so?"

"Just a bit."

"SO," Piper said, trying to conclude the conversation as fast as possible so she could get Chris home, "When Uban attacked, Claire demanded that she be orbed out, just like we suspected she would want, and so Chris was forced to orb her out. After we had vanquished Uban we then orbed to P3 because that's where Chris had agreed to orb if need be, I kicked ass, vanquished Clairthana! Chris almost died, you saved him. The end." She gasping dramatically for breath.

Leo stared from face to face speechless for a moment then said, "Ok first of all, why is this sounding like a Matlock case and second of all, why couldn't you just vanquish her in the first place and have done with it?"

The three sisters all stopped where they stood, and looked at each other in surprise. "First question: coincidence, second question: that probably would have been a better idea..." Paige mused.

Leo's eyes bulged in disbelief, "You—I—uh I give up." After checking on Chris again he orbed back 'up there.'

ONE MORE CHAPTER TO GO FOLKS! WE'RE WINDING DOWN!!!WOO HOOO!!