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Leo and Chris walked through a demonic market, trying their best to fit in before anyone noticed they did not belong. "Over here," Chris directed as they approached a tent, "This is one of my sources on Wyatt," turning to the demon and lifting him up off the ground with a wave of his hand, choking him in the process. "Hi, Goran, have you missed me? No, don't answer that... you might run out of air. I'm going to loosen my grip, but not let you go, and you're going to answer some questions for us, ok?" The demon nodded his head as best he could.
"Tell us what you know about Batterak," Leo began.
"Batter—ack?" Goran choked as Chris tightened his grip, "I'll answer," he squeaked.
"Chris," Leo nudged Chris encouraging him to loosen up. Chris backed off slightly.
"Batterak is after a girl. I don't know why—apparently followed this girl to San Francisco. He came to me looking for instructions and ingredients to conjure up mercenary demons, so I helped him. That's all he told me," Goran struggled, waving his feet above the ground as if that would help him land.
"He followed the girl to San Francisco? As in she was here before him?" Chris asked puzzled.
"From what I could tell, yes. Do you mind putting me back on the ground? I'm a little scared of heights," Goran requested.
Chris raised him a few inches out of spite, "You're keeping something back. Does he plan on attacking again?"
"Demons always plan on attacking again," Goran sneered.
"The girls," Leo orbed out.
"Don't think I'm finished with you. If I find out you're lying to me, I will vanquish you—no questions asked," Chris orbed out letting Goran fall to the ground with a painful thud.
"Phoebe, duck! Butcher's knife!" Paige orbed a knife in the direction of her would-be attacker who exploded in fire.
Piper looked at it with disgust from behind the toppled over kitchen table, "Oh, I hate cleaning up scorch marks!"
"Scorch marks are going to be the least of your worries, lady, if we don't get you and Wyatt out of here," Phoebe remarked, "Paige, can you get them to the door?"
Paige looked over to the door to the Magic School that had appeared on the landing, nodding she orbed over to Piper and Wyatt, and turning back to Chloe who was fighting another mercenary "Can you cover us?"
"Not a problem," Chloe responded hurling a fireball from her right and left hand at the two mercenaries approaching from the foyer, "I love my work! Go!" Paige orbed Piper and Wyatt to the door. Piper opened the door, cradled her son, and ran through before another demon could get near her. "Hello, boys," Chloe called, "Paige, there's two behind you. No worries, I got 'em," she concluded as the demons became smoke. A look of pain swept Chloe's face as she felt her back with her hand. She searched her back with her palm, finding nothing, she headed towards the kitchen.
"Thanks. Phoebe, how are you doing?" Paige asked running down the stairs and back towards the kitchen.
"Peachy!" Phoebe yelled back as she twirled into a roundhouse kick knocking the last mercenary into the table that Piper and Wyatt had been hiding behind. "I hate fighting in my pajamas," she commented picking up the Butcher's knife and flinging it into the demon's heart, "It gets them all dirty with demon goo."
"I'm betting the demons don't like it too much either, considering they are toast...if you will," Chloe smiled giving Paige a high-five.
"Good fight," Phoebe complimented.
Chloe blushed, "Thanks, same to you," still massaging her back.
"Awh, I think we just had a bonding moment," Paige pointed out.
"Good show, good show. I would have to agree. This little threesome is quite a group to be reckoned with," a sinister male voice floated through the manor.
The girls ran from the kitchen and into the living room where a demon, with the stereotypical evil pointed mustache and goatee lounged on the sofa. He looked rather suave, stretched out there, relaxing. He wore a red satin shirt, black leather pants and jacket, and black boots with a pointed toe. Earrings dangled from his ears. "Who are you?" Paige quizzed.
"Oh, I think your young friend should be able to answer that," the demon coolly snarled.
"Batterak," Chloe replied curtly.
"We've been waiting for you," Paige wittily informed the guest.
"Really? Have you now? That surprises me. This one here hasn't been able to anticipate my moves before, have you Chloe dearie?" Batterak taunted with mock endearment in his voice.
"I have," Chloe looked away, "you just seem to know my moves before I make them."
"Back off," Leo commanded joining the crowd in the living room.
"My, my, don't you have a hot temper?" Batterak growled at Leo.
"Is he always this full of rhetoric?" Paige whispered to Chloe.
"It's usually worse," she responded.
Three vials of potion flew through the air and hit Batterak in the chest with a small explosion, yet not injuring him. "Ah! You stained my jacket! That will cost you, Mr. Halliwell," everyone turned to see Chris standing in the doorway, "You should know better. Your silly little potions do nothing to me. Ever" and he shimmered out.
"Where are Piper and Wyatt?" Leo looked panicked to Paige, Phoebe and Chloe.
"They're safe at the Magic School. Paige orbed them to the door and out of harm's way," Phoebe assured him with a pat on the shoulder, "No need to worry, Papa." Leo and Chris sighed in relief.
Chloe started the waver, "I think I need to sit down," and began to fall to the ground.
Paige grabbed her arm pulling her back up. "No you don't, I gotcha. You stay right here, I'll go get you some water," Paige balanced Chloe on her feet and left for the kitchen.
"No, I really need to sit. My legs just don't feel right" Chloe took a step and began to fall.
*Oh, God, Chloe* Chris waved his hand, caught her, and moved her to the sofa. Paige's eyes lit up as she mumbled in the kitchen, "I heard that."
"What happened? Where is she hurt? Dad, do something!" Chris rushed to Chloe's side and turned her over. A spiked metal ball was lodged in her lower back directly over her spine. Blood soaked Paige's night shirt that Chloe was wearing. Leo, entranced that his son had finally called him dad, stood motionless. "Leo, do something! Now!" Chris jolted him back to reality.
"Right," he answered and rushed to Chloe's side. "Pull it out," he directed Chris.
Chris braced himself for dislodging the object. There was a sickening crunch as he pulled it from her back. "I think I've got to leave the room," Phoebe informed them covering her mouth and heading towards the sunroom, "Tell me when she's healed." *Oh, no you don't. You're not going to die on me. I'm not losing another member of my family.* Chris stroked Chloe's hand. There was the sound of shattering glass as Paige entered the room, hands open, water and glass shards covering the floor in front of her. "Ok, you can't give me a hard time about breaking glassware anymore."
"Right," she smiled nervously then thinking, *What did you just say?*
Without looking at her Chris responded, "I said you can't give me a hard time about breaking glass anymore. Leo!"
Leo placed his hands over the open wound on Chloe's back. Gold light emanated from his hands as the wound sealed and the blood disappeared. Chloe's toes started wiggling. Paige was still standing mouth agape in the doorway. "Is it over?" Phoebe yelled.
"Yeah, it's over," Leo smiled helping Chloe roll over to her back.
*Don't do that to me again,* Chris hugged his cousin. There was no response from her. "Chloe, you in there?" he leaned back, looking her in the eyes.
Chloe closed her eyes absorbing the information from Chris and Leo's visit with Goran. "Yeah, crazy. It didn't affect my brain. Maybe yours though," Chloe sighed reopening her eyes in response.
*Hey, Chris. Over here,* Paige waved her hand at Chris then pointed to the ring. Chris jumped off the sofa.
"What? What's going on now?" Chloe searched him, confused, still groggy from her injury.
Chris was at a loss for words. He motioned to Paige then back to Chloe—waving his arms wildly. A book flew across the room causing Paige to duck. "Are we playing charades now?" Chloe asked sarcastically, "I'm not following," then she looked at Paige and remembered letting her borrow the ring. "Oh yeah, now I'm following. Oops."
"Oops!" Chris finally managed to say, "Oops," he repeated.
"Chris, son, how about we fill the girls in on what we found out from Goran. We can play games later," Leo interceded.
"No! She and I need to talk, now," he put his hand on Chloe's arm and orbed out.
"Where'd they go?" Phoebe asked coming back in the room.
"I don't think Chris and I are the only two with issues anymore," Leo rocked on his heels, and looked up.
"Oh, the drama," Paige rolled her eyes, "glass pieces," and orbed the broken glass to the garbage can. "The garbage man is going to wonder what we've been up to this weekend with all the broken glass." "With that, I'm going to bed. Long, weird, weird day. Even by this house's standards," Phoebe nodded and retired to her bedroom—leaving Paige and Leo in the living room.
Leo closed his eyes for a second, searching for Chris and Chloe; then looked back to Paige. "Can I have the ring?" he asked holding out his hand.
"I don't think you need to know what Chris is thinking right now, Leo. And you definitely don't need it to track him," she said taking it off her finger and unclasping her necklace. She slid the ring on the necklace and re-clasped it around her neck. "I'll just hold onto it until they come back," she patted him on the shoulder.
"I need some way to reach him, Paige," Leo pleaded.
"Talking. Try talking first. Not being invisible and spying, or using a blessed ring, but talking like a father does to his adult son." Paige began up the stairs, "do you know about Chloe? That she's family, too?" She turned to Leo who met her gaze with a startle.
"Yes, how do you know?"
"Chris. While Chloe was laying on the sofa unconscious, Chris thought 'I'm not losing another member of my family,' which implies two things. One, he's lost members of his family before; and two, she is family," Paige looked to the pictures of lost family members on the wall and touched the one of her mom. "I wonder who all ends up here in memoriam."
"Don't worry about that now. We know that you don't. Not anytime soon anyway," Leo walked up the stairs to her, "Chris changed that when he saved you from being a stone statue forever when the titans attacked. Try not to let that bother you right now, Paige. We have other demons to fight. Chris and I will fill you all in on what we found out in the morning," he kissed his sister-in-law sweetly on the forehead.
"We've missed you, Leo," she touched his cheek and headed upstairs. Leo watched her safely disappear down the hall before orbing out.
Leo and Chris walked through a demonic market, trying their best to fit in before anyone noticed they did not belong. "Over here," Chris directed as they approached a tent, "This is one of my sources on Wyatt," turning to the demon and lifting him up off the ground with a wave of his hand, choking him in the process. "Hi, Goran, have you missed me? No, don't answer that... you might run out of air. I'm going to loosen my grip, but not let you go, and you're going to answer some questions for us, ok?" The demon nodded his head as best he could.
"Tell us what you know about Batterak," Leo began.
"Batter—ack?" Goran choked as Chris tightened his grip, "I'll answer," he squeaked.
"Chris," Leo nudged Chris encouraging him to loosen up. Chris backed off slightly.
"Batterak is after a girl. I don't know why—apparently followed this girl to San Francisco. He came to me looking for instructions and ingredients to conjure up mercenary demons, so I helped him. That's all he told me," Goran struggled, waving his feet above the ground as if that would help him land.
"He followed the girl to San Francisco? As in she was here before him?" Chris asked puzzled.
"From what I could tell, yes. Do you mind putting me back on the ground? I'm a little scared of heights," Goran requested.
Chris raised him a few inches out of spite, "You're keeping something back. Does he plan on attacking again?"
"Demons always plan on attacking again," Goran sneered.
"The girls," Leo orbed out.
"Don't think I'm finished with you. If I find out you're lying to me, I will vanquish you—no questions asked," Chris orbed out letting Goran fall to the ground with a painful thud.
"Phoebe, duck! Butcher's knife!" Paige orbed a knife in the direction of her would-be attacker who exploded in fire.
Piper looked at it with disgust from behind the toppled over kitchen table, "Oh, I hate cleaning up scorch marks!"
"Scorch marks are going to be the least of your worries, lady, if we don't get you and Wyatt out of here," Phoebe remarked, "Paige, can you get them to the door?"
Paige looked over to the door to the Magic School that had appeared on the landing, nodding she orbed over to Piper and Wyatt, and turning back to Chloe who was fighting another mercenary "Can you cover us?"
"Not a problem," Chloe responded hurling a fireball from her right and left hand at the two mercenaries approaching from the foyer, "I love my work! Go!" Paige orbed Piper and Wyatt to the door. Piper opened the door, cradled her son, and ran through before another demon could get near her. "Hello, boys," Chloe called, "Paige, there's two behind you. No worries, I got 'em," she concluded as the demons became smoke. A look of pain swept Chloe's face as she felt her back with her hand. She searched her back with her palm, finding nothing, she headed towards the kitchen.
"Thanks. Phoebe, how are you doing?" Paige asked running down the stairs and back towards the kitchen.
"Peachy!" Phoebe yelled back as she twirled into a roundhouse kick knocking the last mercenary into the table that Piper and Wyatt had been hiding behind. "I hate fighting in my pajamas," she commented picking up the Butcher's knife and flinging it into the demon's heart, "It gets them all dirty with demon goo."
"I'm betting the demons don't like it too much either, considering they are toast...if you will," Chloe smiled giving Paige a high-five.
"Good fight," Phoebe complimented.
Chloe blushed, "Thanks, same to you," still massaging her back.
"Awh, I think we just had a bonding moment," Paige pointed out.
"Good show, good show. I would have to agree. This little threesome is quite a group to be reckoned with," a sinister male voice floated through the manor.
The girls ran from the kitchen and into the living room where a demon, with the stereotypical evil pointed mustache and goatee lounged on the sofa. He looked rather suave, stretched out there, relaxing. He wore a red satin shirt, black leather pants and jacket, and black boots with a pointed toe. Earrings dangled from his ears. "Who are you?" Paige quizzed.
"Oh, I think your young friend should be able to answer that," the demon coolly snarled.
"Batterak," Chloe replied curtly.
"We've been waiting for you," Paige wittily informed the guest.
"Really? Have you now? That surprises me. This one here hasn't been able to anticipate my moves before, have you Chloe dearie?" Batterak taunted with mock endearment in his voice.
"I have," Chloe looked away, "you just seem to know my moves before I make them."
"Back off," Leo commanded joining the crowd in the living room.
"My, my, don't you have a hot temper?" Batterak growled at Leo.
"Is he always this full of rhetoric?" Paige whispered to Chloe.
"It's usually worse," she responded.
Three vials of potion flew through the air and hit Batterak in the chest with a small explosion, yet not injuring him. "Ah! You stained my jacket! That will cost you, Mr. Halliwell," everyone turned to see Chris standing in the doorway, "You should know better. Your silly little potions do nothing to me. Ever" and he shimmered out.
"Where are Piper and Wyatt?" Leo looked panicked to Paige, Phoebe and Chloe.
"They're safe at the Magic School. Paige orbed them to the door and out of harm's way," Phoebe assured him with a pat on the shoulder, "No need to worry, Papa." Leo and Chris sighed in relief.
Chloe started the waver, "I think I need to sit down," and began to fall to the ground.
Paige grabbed her arm pulling her back up. "No you don't, I gotcha. You stay right here, I'll go get you some water," Paige balanced Chloe on her feet and left for the kitchen.
"No, I really need to sit. My legs just don't feel right" Chloe took a step and began to fall.
*Oh, God, Chloe* Chris waved his hand, caught her, and moved her to the sofa. Paige's eyes lit up as she mumbled in the kitchen, "I heard that."
"What happened? Where is she hurt? Dad, do something!" Chris rushed to Chloe's side and turned her over. A spiked metal ball was lodged in her lower back directly over her spine. Blood soaked Paige's night shirt that Chloe was wearing. Leo, entranced that his son had finally called him dad, stood motionless. "Leo, do something! Now!" Chris jolted him back to reality.
"Right," he answered and rushed to Chloe's side. "Pull it out," he directed Chris.
Chris braced himself for dislodging the object. There was a sickening crunch as he pulled it from her back. "I think I've got to leave the room," Phoebe informed them covering her mouth and heading towards the sunroom, "Tell me when she's healed." *Oh, no you don't. You're not going to die on me. I'm not losing another member of my family.* Chris stroked Chloe's hand. There was the sound of shattering glass as Paige entered the room, hands open, water and glass shards covering the floor in front of her. "Ok, you can't give me a hard time about breaking glassware anymore."
"Right," she smiled nervously then thinking, *What did you just say?*
Without looking at her Chris responded, "I said you can't give me a hard time about breaking glass anymore. Leo!"
Leo placed his hands over the open wound on Chloe's back. Gold light emanated from his hands as the wound sealed and the blood disappeared. Chloe's toes started wiggling. Paige was still standing mouth agape in the doorway. "Is it over?" Phoebe yelled.
"Yeah, it's over," Leo smiled helping Chloe roll over to her back.
*Don't do that to me again,* Chris hugged his cousin. There was no response from her. "Chloe, you in there?" he leaned back, looking her in the eyes.
Chloe closed her eyes absorbing the information from Chris and Leo's visit with Goran. "Yeah, crazy. It didn't affect my brain. Maybe yours though," Chloe sighed reopening her eyes in response.
*Hey, Chris. Over here,* Paige waved her hand at Chris then pointed to the ring. Chris jumped off the sofa.
"What? What's going on now?" Chloe searched him, confused, still groggy from her injury.
Chris was at a loss for words. He motioned to Paige then back to Chloe—waving his arms wildly. A book flew across the room causing Paige to duck. "Are we playing charades now?" Chloe asked sarcastically, "I'm not following," then she looked at Paige and remembered letting her borrow the ring. "Oh yeah, now I'm following. Oops."
"Oops!" Chris finally managed to say, "Oops," he repeated.
"Chris, son, how about we fill the girls in on what we found out from Goran. We can play games later," Leo interceded.
"No! She and I need to talk, now," he put his hand on Chloe's arm and orbed out.
"Where'd they go?" Phoebe asked coming back in the room.
"I don't think Chris and I are the only two with issues anymore," Leo rocked on his heels, and looked up.
"Oh, the drama," Paige rolled her eyes, "glass pieces," and orbed the broken glass to the garbage can. "The garbage man is going to wonder what we've been up to this weekend with all the broken glass." "With that, I'm going to bed. Long, weird, weird day. Even by this house's standards," Phoebe nodded and retired to her bedroom—leaving Paige and Leo in the living room.
Leo closed his eyes for a second, searching for Chris and Chloe; then looked back to Paige. "Can I have the ring?" he asked holding out his hand.
"I don't think you need to know what Chris is thinking right now, Leo. And you definitely don't need it to track him," she said taking it off her finger and unclasping her necklace. She slid the ring on the necklace and re-clasped it around her neck. "I'll just hold onto it until they come back," she patted him on the shoulder.
"I need some way to reach him, Paige," Leo pleaded.
"Talking. Try talking first. Not being invisible and spying, or using a blessed ring, but talking like a father does to his adult son." Paige began up the stairs, "do you know about Chloe? That she's family, too?" She turned to Leo who met her gaze with a startle.
"Yes, how do you know?"
"Chris. While Chloe was laying on the sofa unconscious, Chris thought 'I'm not losing another member of my family,' which implies two things. One, he's lost members of his family before; and two, she is family," Paige looked to the pictures of lost family members on the wall and touched the one of her mom. "I wonder who all ends up here in memoriam."
"Don't worry about that now. We know that you don't. Not anytime soon anyway," Leo walked up the stairs to her, "Chris changed that when he saved you from being a stone statue forever when the titans attacked. Try not to let that bother you right now, Paige. We have other demons to fight. Chris and I will fill you all in on what we found out in the morning," he kissed his sister-in-law sweetly on the forehead.
"We've missed you, Leo," she touched his cheek and headed upstairs. Leo watched her safely disappear down the hall before orbing out.