***This chapter is rated R for violence, language, and some sexual
implications. On the plus side, Batterak will be dead by the end. ~abs
"Chris, you can lie to everyone else in this family, but you can't lie to me and you know it," Chloe scolded her cousin, "You love Leo, and I don't need telepathy or a blessed ring to know that. He's your dad."
"He's Wyatt's dad," Chris paced the attic.
"Chris," Chloe didn't know what else to say. She had tried reasoning with Chris, she had shown him Leo's own death, Leo had even stepped-up and was making an effort to draw Chris nearer... but just as things started to look like Chris would finally tear down his walls and accept his father, he began building them again. "Chris, he's come back. That's different. On our timeline, Leo never came back after Piper got pregnant with you, but now you've changed that and he has. He might even be at your birth. Things are realigning, why can't you see that?"
"Because I'm a realist," Chris was kneeling in front of the potions trunk.
"No, you're a pessimist," Chloe replied coldly and threw a low voltage energy ball at Chris as he shattered into blue orbs.
He recollected himself still kneeling, placed his hand on the floor, and smiled satisfied as she screamed following through the floorboards, "I told you not to do that to me!" he yelled down the stairs as he finished filling the bag.
Chloe landed with a thump onto Paige's bed, "I hate it when he does that," she fell over onto the bed and pulled a pillow over her head, "He's hopeless," she threw up her arms.
Paige had been changing into a more appropriate outfit for a vanquish when Chloe came tumbling through the ceiling. She looked at her niece who was laying in a pile on the bed, pillow still over her head, wallowing in her defeat with Chris, "Sweetie, did you make Chris mad?" she teased.
"When is he not mad?" Chloe mumbled from beneath the pillows.
Paige walked over to her and pulled the pillow away, "Good point," she smiled, "Wanna tell me what happened up there?"
Chloe sat up and hugged Paige, "You are great, you know that? You're always the first one we come talk to," she sat back and pulled her legs up.
Paige beamed, "Really? Awesome, I'm the cool aunt."
"Definitely," Chloe picked up the pillow and rested her chin on it on top of her knees while she talked, "I was trying to talk some since into Chris about Leo," she sighed, "He is so close to falling over the edge, Paige, I know it. He loves Leo, I just wish he wasn't so stubborn."
Paige leaned her head onto her niece's shoulder and ran her fingers through her hair, "Well, along with some kick-ass magic, the Halliwells also inherited some tight tempers and insane stubbornness... which you have your fair share of as well," she grinned sitting up, "You know the old saying, 'you can lead a mule to water, but you can't make him drink.' We all have to be patient with Chris."
Chris walked into the doorway, "You know, I might not be able to blow you up... yet..." he leaned against the doorframe, "without killing you... but I can still make you fall through the floor."
"What did you just say, Paige? Something about an ass?" Chloe threw the pillow at Chris's head as he waved his index finger sending it back at her—which she caught it and proceeded to stick out her tongue.
"I didn't call him an ass," Paige defended herself, "I said a mule."
"Same difference," Chloe pouted.
Chris tossed Chloe's cloak and bag to her, "Get ready. The rest of the family is already at the mausoleum. We need to join them." Chloe hastily pulled her cloak around her shoulders, unclasped and re-clasped the gold pin at the neck to secure it.
"Explain to me again why we are going to the mausoleum?" Paige asked.
Chloe situated her cloak, "Because Batterak is apparently feeding off the spiritual nexus so we can't be at the manor. It might give him more power if we're here."
Paige leaned up to her and examined the pin on Chloe's cloak, "I had never noticed you wearing that before. What is it? It's beautiful."
"It's the Avatar's crest," Chloe explained slipping her bag over her head and onto her shoulder, "It was... is... my father's. I'll see you later," she bode them farewell as she shimmered out.
Chris walked over to Paige and sat next to her, "I feel like she's my sister," he sighed, "I don't know how you do it with two—one's enough for me."
"Well, I didn't even find them until I was older than you," Paige kidded, "but give me another twenty-one years and I may be trying to find some way to make them explode, too." She watched Chris smile, "You have a beautiful smile, Chris, you should do that more often. She's trying to help you, as we all are. My parents died when I was seventeen, and I never got the opportunity to tell them how much I loved them. Then I met my birthfather a year or so ago, and he was a washed-up, drunk white lighter... great, I know. He met me, and he turned things back around. He found his powers again. And you know what he told Leo? He told him to take his baby in his arms, and never let it go. Take it from someone who hasn't had the opportunities to love family and let them know when I needed to, make things right with Leo. Before it's too late for you, too. You never know, this time he may not let go."
Chris sighed—he knew Paige was right, "I'm not ready to accept that yet," he looked into her eyes, "I don't know if I'm ready to forgive him and give him the chance to hurt me again."
"You'll never know unless you try," Paige put her hand on Chris's leg, "Man, I'm full of clichés tonight," she giggled to herself.
Chris took her hand, "Let's go join the others," he began to orb.
Paige pulled her hand back, "I've got to go pick up Richard. I'll meet you there."
"Right," Chris orbed to the mausoleum as Paige orbed to Richard's mansion.
"Richard?" she called walking through the huge, marble foyer, "Are you here? It's me, I know we haven't talked in a while, but I need your help," she called as she walked into his study.
Richard was sitting by the fireplace reading a Wicca book, he looked up and saw Paige enter from the hallway, "Paige?"
"Hey, Richard," she ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck, "I've missed you! And I've been thinking about you but was afraid to call. How are you?"
Richard took in the sight of his love and his face fell into a grateful smile, "I've missed you, too. It's been difficult adjusting to not having my powers. But I thank you for the distance." He sat back down into his chair and pulled Paige into his lap—who let out a small purr—as Richard cradled her face into a fiery kiss. "Just what I needed," he smiled.
Paige felt desires to be near him well up within her and she was half- tempted to try a quickie before orbing them to the mausoleum, but common sense conquered her lust for the time being, "As much as I would love to venture back to your bedroom and get reacquainted," she toyed with him, "I'm here on business. Magical business."
Richard's voice took a solemn turn, "Then why did you come to me? I don't have my powers anymore, remember?"
Paige sighed, broken-hearted that the only way she could save her boyfriend was to strip him of his powers, "I know, baby, but you're still a witch," she ran her finger down his cheek, "and we need all the witches we can get for this vanquish."
Richard raised his eyebrows, "How so?" Paige gave him a synopsis of the situation—Chloe's surprising visit from the future, her place in the Halliwell line, raising Cole, battling Batterak, and the eventual and hopeful demise of Gideon, "Wow, I've been out of the loop longer than I thought," Richard breathed out, "That's a lot of information for a guy to handle in five minutes."
"It's a lot of information to handle in ten days," Paige corrected with a smile, "but I didn't want to pull you in until I knew if we needed you. And I still don't want to pull you in without your consent—do you think you'll be able to handle it?"
Richard still clung to his Wiccan heritage. He read the books, he had friends that still practiced, he was still capable of making potions, but he was fearful. Fearful that actually participating in a vanquish, being back in the battle, would pull him further in than he was ready to accept, "You need me," he decided, "and when I needed you, you were there for me. I'll help."
"Come on. Everybody's waiting for us at the mausoleum," Paige leaned over to give him another kiss as she orbed them out of the mansion.
"Richard! Welcome to the party—hopefully it will turn into a funeral," Piper welcomed Richard.
"Who is that?" Richard pointed to Cole.
"That's Chloe's dad, Phoebe's ex-demon, ex-husband. The one we raised from the dead. Used to be Balthazar," Paige explained pulling the power crystals from the bag over her shoulder and handed them to Chris who was smiling.
"And he is Leo's and Piper's baby? That she is pregnant with?" Richard asked again.
"Yes," Paige was mildly annoyed, "and our white lighter."
"This is all getting to be too familiar a routine," Chloe kidded walking up to Richard, "I'm Chloe," she held out her hand for him to shake.
"No, don't do that," Paige pulled Richard's hand back from Chloe's.
"Spoiled sport," she stuck her tongue out to Paige, "I'm Phoebe and Cole's daughter. I'm from the future, too. I'm the youngest," she smiled joining Chris making the power grid.
"Why didn't you let me shake her hand?" Richard looked confused to Paige.
She shook her head offering him her hand to pull him up from his seat on the floor, "She has telepathy. She would have read you if you shook her hand. I'm trying to keep some parts of our life, especially our love life, secret."
"Oh, good plan," Richard looked surprised.
"Everybody over here," Phoebe gathered them all, "Here's the plan. We summon Batterak here, use this potion to weaken him," she took a vial from a bag and began to pass it around the circle, "but don't hit Cole because it will have the same effect on him. This spell will sever his ties with his future powers as well as breaking the bond on the amulet he has been wearing to ward off witches and demonic powers," she did the same taking a copy of the spell and passing it.
"Are we sure this is going to work?" Piper asked skeptically, "They are from Gideon."
"I checked the words and ingredients myself," Phoebe tried to ease the room's concerns, "they should work," she lifted and squeezed Chloe's hand, "Chris? Do you want to explain the rest?"
"Yeah," he leaned over and picked up his own bag, "Cole is going to attack him and continue to weaken him, using his own powers against him until we can trap him with the crystals in the grid. This is the spell to give Batterak Balthazar's powers," he handed it out, "and this," he took out a familiar bright pink potion, "is the vanquishing potion."
Cole laughed nervously and backed away from the circle, "If you don't mind, keep that as far from me as possible, too. I've had too many bad experiences with it."
Phoebe, Piper and Paige became warily tickled at his response, "Calm down, honey," Phoebe snickered, "You're not Balthazar anymore, and it's not your flesh that's in it."
"Still," Cole held up his hands in defense, "make sure I am far from the circle when you through it."
"Places," Piper clapped.
This time it was Chloe who stood back from the circle. When Chris approached her she shook her head, "I can't talk to you about this," her eyes watered.
"You talk to me about everything," Chris felt rejected.
"I can't," she sniffled and leaned against the wall.
Chris turned back and looked at Leo, then back to Chloe, "Will you talk to Leo? If we don't do this soon, Batterak will find us and we'll lose the advantage." Chloe nodded. "Leo, Dad, can you come here a minute?"
Leo had been standing talking with Piper when he heard his son call him dad. He rushed to him, "What's going on?" he approached Chloe and Chris.
"Can you talk to her?" he pointed to Chloe, "She's not talking to me." Chris backed away and went to join his mom, aunts, and others.
"What's up?" Leo asked concerned, "I know you and I don't have the relationship that I have with the girls, but I would be interested in trying. I'm still a white lighter, and I'm your uncle."
Chloe looked up to Leo with wet, tear-fill eyes, "I don't know if I can tell you. I don't know if I can tell anyone."
Leo put his arm around Chloe's shoulders, "Can you try?"
Chloe wiped her eyes with her free hand and looked away, "You will keep it a secret. You won't tell my mom, you won't tell my dad?"
"I promise," Leo assured her, "Tell me?"
Chloe looked back at her sandaled feet, letting the tears run down her cheeks. She hadn't told anyone what all Batterak had done to her while he held her captive. She had tried to avoid thinking about it by focusing on vanquishing him... but now she was going to have to see him again and think about what happened. "Leo," she started, "he molested me. I don't mean he beat me, I've had worse from other demons. I mean he molested me," she cried.
Leo couldn't resist his paternal feelings and pulled Chloe into a tight hug, and clinched his fists behind her back, "Chloe, we are going to kill him. And we are going to kill Gideon for putting you at risk like that," he had to hold back the tears himself, "why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell anybody? Are you ok?"
"I couldn't," she cried softly, "if I kept it to myself, then that meant it didn't happen. And I was afraid someone would try to become a vigilante and end up getting themselves killed if said anything."
"Chloe, this is never something you keep to yourself. Never. You tell me, Chris, your mom, your aunts, you crazy dad," he paused, "this is serious. You were violated and that is not meant to go unpunished, do you hear me?" Leo let himself cry and looked over her shoulder to see if anyone was watching. He noticed Chris's eyes focused intently on them, "How have you kept this from Chris?"
Chloe sat back and wiped her eyes again, this time she lifted her hand and showed Leo the ring on her finger, "This is my dad's wedding band. I pulled it out of the potion's basin after we resurrected him," then she pulled the necklace she was wearing out from under her shirt, "this is my ring that ties me to Chris."
Leo leaned his head against hers, "After this is all over, I'm going to take you to the doctor, the real doctor. And I think you should talk to Chris. Are sure you're ok?"
"No," Chloe laughed through her tears, "but thank you for asking. Let's kick his ass, talk about therapy. You are lovable, Leo," she kidded.
"Good to know," he took her hand and led her back to the circle. Everyone could see the redness in hers and Leo's eyes.
Chris walked over to her and lifted her chin, "Love 'ya, kid, whatever is going on," he pulled her into a hug. Chloe cried into his shoulder. "We're going to kill this guy, and then you and I are going out for coffee or something better."
"Right," Chloe smiled keeping his hand in hers and taking their places.
Piper looked over to her niece and son and felt a pain she couldn't explain or understand, "Alright, we're going to start. Everybody get ready."
Cole took his place behind Chloe and Phoebe, as Leo stood behind Chris and Piper. Richard joined the circle between Paige and Piper. "Forces of evil, lend an ear. Send the demon Batterak here," they chanted. Chloe turned her head from the circle as she clutched Chris's hand.
"You rang?" Batterak laughed as he took form in the middle of the circle, "Decided to beat me to the punch, I see." Piper threw the first potion at Batterak to weaken him so that he wouldn't be able to shimmer out before they cut his powers—the rest of the family followed. Batterak fell to the ground in pain, "What did you find?" he moaned.
"Powers come and powers go, we call upon magic to defeat this foe. Strip his powers, weaken this force. Allow us to beat him, and follow the course. To set what is right, to conquer all wrongs. And restore the future for which our souls long," they once again chanted as the amulet around Batterak's neck exploded.
Chris stepped up to Batterak who was huddled in pain on the floor, "I've been waiting to do this," he kicked Batterak in his face as he flew backwards. Chris then flung his arm as Batterak was thrown through the air and into the wall.
Batterak stood up and shook the blood from his lip before launching two fireballs at Chris who orbed out. Phoebe quickly channeled his powers and redirected the fireballs at Batterak.
"Now, it's my turn," Cole snarled pushing Phoebe back stepping up to Batterak. Batterak's lips curled into a wicked smile as he swung his fist at Cole. Cole caught his hand and threw him back with tremendous force. He materialized a sword in his hand which he swung at Batterak's head.
Batterak raised his hand and blocked the blow. The sword buried itself into his arm as he screamed in pain, "What did you do? I shouldn't be able to be inured," the blood dripped from his arm.
"Surprise," Cole growled taking another blow at Batterak who ducked out of the way this time.
He reached to grab Phoebe as a human shield, when she promptly twisted his arm and flipped him onto his back on the floor. She placed the heel of her boot across Batterak's windpipe, "This is for my daughter," she stepped on his chest as he gasped for air.
Cole rolled him over as Batterak staggered to his feet, "I'm not dead," he moaned.
"Not yet," Cole threw another fist at his face as Batterak swerved and fired an energy ball at Cole—which bounced off his chest. "Ouch," Cole said sarcastically as he formed a huge fireball above his head between his two hands and vigorously threw it at Batterak's chest as he hit the wall unconscious. Cole wiped the sweat from his forehead and telekinetically moved Batterak's limp body to the circle.
Chloe was huddled behind Chris and finally emerged as her father held out his hand to her. She pushed past and viciously kicked Batterak in the stomach and rolled him over to throw an energy ball at his face, "Son of a bitch," she wiped tears from her eyes, "I'll take pleasure in killing you," she recalled his words to her as she placed the last crystal in it's place forming the cage around him.
"Shouldn't we wait until he's awake to vanquish him?" Paige hesitantly asked, "You know, find out what he knows? He's trapped in the power circle, he can't hurt us."
Cole pulled Chloe into his arms and nodded, "We'll wait," he kissed Chloe on top of the head, "Paige's right," he looked down to Chloe—she didn't say a word and nodded her head.
*What did he do to you?* Chris thought but got no response from Chloe.
They waited for what felt like an eternity for Batterak to stir. "Am I dead?" his eyes fluttered open.
"You aren't that lucky, yet," Cole was bent over him.
"Not until you tell us who you're working for and with," Chris stepped up to the circle. "Details, now," he demanded.
"He'll kill me," Batterak coughed.
"He'll have to take a number," Piper yelled from her seat on the crypt.
"The elder, Gideon. Both here and in the future," his chest heaved, "He sent me back to kill the girl in hopes that he would be able to turn Cole in either the future and the present."
Chris nodded his head, "What about me? What is important about my birthday?"
Batterak's eyes conveyed his confusion, "Your birthday? I don't know what you're talking about. He has some new plan, here, but he won't tell me exactly what—all I know is it has something to do with all three charmed children."
Chris turned back to Cole, Leo, Piper, Phoebe and Paige, "He's starting to get strong again, we need to do this now." Chloe was still hiding in the corner.
"Get up," Chris ordered.
Batterak forced himself to his feet when he saw Chloe standing in the back corner of the mausoleum, "Chloe dear, was it good for you, too, love?" he laughed. Chloe threw an energy ball at his stomach which caused him to fall back to his knees. Chris's eyes widened in horror as he turned to look at his cousin's tear-stained face.
Chloe stepped up to the circle. "We call upon the ancient power," she began to chant, "to help us in this darkest hour," the others joined in, "to cast upon this evil one, the powers of one who's life's undone. Balthazar's powers we put in thee, to vanquish you, and set us free."
A swirl of black lights rose from the ground and filtered through Batterak's body, "You gave me Balthazar's powers?" Batterak laughed as he gained new strength, "You're fools!"
"I know you are but what am I?" Paige taunted as Chloe pushed past her and threw the first vial of vanquishing potion. Phoebe and Chris followed, then Paige and Piper... there was only a scorch mark left on the floor where Batterak had been standing.
Chloe fell on her knees in tears. Chris knelt beside her and put his hand on her back, "He's gone, Chloe," Chris sniffed, "He's gone." Phoebe, Piper, and Paige linked arms and stood behind them—supporting each other, and wondering how this one thing changes all their futures.
"Chris, you can lie to everyone else in this family, but you can't lie to me and you know it," Chloe scolded her cousin, "You love Leo, and I don't need telepathy or a blessed ring to know that. He's your dad."
"He's Wyatt's dad," Chris paced the attic.
"Chris," Chloe didn't know what else to say. She had tried reasoning with Chris, she had shown him Leo's own death, Leo had even stepped-up and was making an effort to draw Chris nearer... but just as things started to look like Chris would finally tear down his walls and accept his father, he began building them again. "Chris, he's come back. That's different. On our timeline, Leo never came back after Piper got pregnant with you, but now you've changed that and he has. He might even be at your birth. Things are realigning, why can't you see that?"
"Because I'm a realist," Chris was kneeling in front of the potions trunk.
"No, you're a pessimist," Chloe replied coldly and threw a low voltage energy ball at Chris as he shattered into blue orbs.
He recollected himself still kneeling, placed his hand on the floor, and smiled satisfied as she screamed following through the floorboards, "I told you not to do that to me!" he yelled down the stairs as he finished filling the bag.
Chloe landed with a thump onto Paige's bed, "I hate it when he does that," she fell over onto the bed and pulled a pillow over her head, "He's hopeless," she threw up her arms.
Paige had been changing into a more appropriate outfit for a vanquish when Chloe came tumbling through the ceiling. She looked at her niece who was laying in a pile on the bed, pillow still over her head, wallowing in her defeat with Chris, "Sweetie, did you make Chris mad?" she teased.
"When is he not mad?" Chloe mumbled from beneath the pillows.
Paige walked over to her and pulled the pillow away, "Good point," she smiled, "Wanna tell me what happened up there?"
Chloe sat up and hugged Paige, "You are great, you know that? You're always the first one we come talk to," she sat back and pulled her legs up.
Paige beamed, "Really? Awesome, I'm the cool aunt."
"Definitely," Chloe picked up the pillow and rested her chin on it on top of her knees while she talked, "I was trying to talk some since into Chris about Leo," she sighed, "He is so close to falling over the edge, Paige, I know it. He loves Leo, I just wish he wasn't so stubborn."
Paige leaned her head onto her niece's shoulder and ran her fingers through her hair, "Well, along with some kick-ass magic, the Halliwells also inherited some tight tempers and insane stubbornness... which you have your fair share of as well," she grinned sitting up, "You know the old saying, 'you can lead a mule to water, but you can't make him drink.' We all have to be patient with Chris."
Chris walked into the doorway, "You know, I might not be able to blow you up... yet..." he leaned against the doorframe, "without killing you... but I can still make you fall through the floor."
"What did you just say, Paige? Something about an ass?" Chloe threw the pillow at Chris's head as he waved his index finger sending it back at her—which she caught it and proceeded to stick out her tongue.
"I didn't call him an ass," Paige defended herself, "I said a mule."
"Same difference," Chloe pouted.
Chris tossed Chloe's cloak and bag to her, "Get ready. The rest of the family is already at the mausoleum. We need to join them." Chloe hastily pulled her cloak around her shoulders, unclasped and re-clasped the gold pin at the neck to secure it.
"Explain to me again why we are going to the mausoleum?" Paige asked.
Chloe situated her cloak, "Because Batterak is apparently feeding off the spiritual nexus so we can't be at the manor. It might give him more power if we're here."
Paige leaned up to her and examined the pin on Chloe's cloak, "I had never noticed you wearing that before. What is it? It's beautiful."
"It's the Avatar's crest," Chloe explained slipping her bag over her head and onto her shoulder, "It was... is... my father's. I'll see you later," she bode them farewell as she shimmered out.
Chris walked over to Paige and sat next to her, "I feel like she's my sister," he sighed, "I don't know how you do it with two—one's enough for me."
"Well, I didn't even find them until I was older than you," Paige kidded, "but give me another twenty-one years and I may be trying to find some way to make them explode, too." She watched Chris smile, "You have a beautiful smile, Chris, you should do that more often. She's trying to help you, as we all are. My parents died when I was seventeen, and I never got the opportunity to tell them how much I loved them. Then I met my birthfather a year or so ago, and he was a washed-up, drunk white lighter... great, I know. He met me, and he turned things back around. He found his powers again. And you know what he told Leo? He told him to take his baby in his arms, and never let it go. Take it from someone who hasn't had the opportunities to love family and let them know when I needed to, make things right with Leo. Before it's too late for you, too. You never know, this time he may not let go."
Chris sighed—he knew Paige was right, "I'm not ready to accept that yet," he looked into her eyes, "I don't know if I'm ready to forgive him and give him the chance to hurt me again."
"You'll never know unless you try," Paige put her hand on Chris's leg, "Man, I'm full of clichés tonight," she giggled to herself.
Chris took her hand, "Let's go join the others," he began to orb.
Paige pulled her hand back, "I've got to go pick up Richard. I'll meet you there."
"Right," Chris orbed to the mausoleum as Paige orbed to Richard's mansion.
"Richard?" she called walking through the huge, marble foyer, "Are you here? It's me, I know we haven't talked in a while, but I need your help," she called as she walked into his study.
Richard was sitting by the fireplace reading a Wicca book, he looked up and saw Paige enter from the hallway, "Paige?"
"Hey, Richard," she ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck, "I've missed you! And I've been thinking about you but was afraid to call. How are you?"
Richard took in the sight of his love and his face fell into a grateful smile, "I've missed you, too. It's been difficult adjusting to not having my powers. But I thank you for the distance." He sat back down into his chair and pulled Paige into his lap—who let out a small purr—as Richard cradled her face into a fiery kiss. "Just what I needed," he smiled.
Paige felt desires to be near him well up within her and she was half- tempted to try a quickie before orbing them to the mausoleum, but common sense conquered her lust for the time being, "As much as I would love to venture back to your bedroom and get reacquainted," she toyed with him, "I'm here on business. Magical business."
Richard's voice took a solemn turn, "Then why did you come to me? I don't have my powers anymore, remember?"
Paige sighed, broken-hearted that the only way she could save her boyfriend was to strip him of his powers, "I know, baby, but you're still a witch," she ran her finger down his cheek, "and we need all the witches we can get for this vanquish."
Richard raised his eyebrows, "How so?" Paige gave him a synopsis of the situation—Chloe's surprising visit from the future, her place in the Halliwell line, raising Cole, battling Batterak, and the eventual and hopeful demise of Gideon, "Wow, I've been out of the loop longer than I thought," Richard breathed out, "That's a lot of information for a guy to handle in five minutes."
"It's a lot of information to handle in ten days," Paige corrected with a smile, "but I didn't want to pull you in until I knew if we needed you. And I still don't want to pull you in without your consent—do you think you'll be able to handle it?"
Richard still clung to his Wiccan heritage. He read the books, he had friends that still practiced, he was still capable of making potions, but he was fearful. Fearful that actually participating in a vanquish, being back in the battle, would pull him further in than he was ready to accept, "You need me," he decided, "and when I needed you, you were there for me. I'll help."
"Come on. Everybody's waiting for us at the mausoleum," Paige leaned over to give him another kiss as she orbed them out of the mansion.
"Richard! Welcome to the party—hopefully it will turn into a funeral," Piper welcomed Richard.
"Who is that?" Richard pointed to Cole.
"That's Chloe's dad, Phoebe's ex-demon, ex-husband. The one we raised from the dead. Used to be Balthazar," Paige explained pulling the power crystals from the bag over her shoulder and handed them to Chris who was smiling.
"And he is Leo's and Piper's baby? That she is pregnant with?" Richard asked again.
"Yes," Paige was mildly annoyed, "and our white lighter."
"This is all getting to be too familiar a routine," Chloe kidded walking up to Richard, "I'm Chloe," she held out her hand for him to shake.
"No, don't do that," Paige pulled Richard's hand back from Chloe's.
"Spoiled sport," she stuck her tongue out to Paige, "I'm Phoebe and Cole's daughter. I'm from the future, too. I'm the youngest," she smiled joining Chris making the power grid.
"Why didn't you let me shake her hand?" Richard looked confused to Paige.
She shook her head offering him her hand to pull him up from his seat on the floor, "She has telepathy. She would have read you if you shook her hand. I'm trying to keep some parts of our life, especially our love life, secret."
"Oh, good plan," Richard looked surprised.
"Everybody over here," Phoebe gathered them all, "Here's the plan. We summon Batterak here, use this potion to weaken him," she took a vial from a bag and began to pass it around the circle, "but don't hit Cole because it will have the same effect on him. This spell will sever his ties with his future powers as well as breaking the bond on the amulet he has been wearing to ward off witches and demonic powers," she did the same taking a copy of the spell and passing it.
"Are we sure this is going to work?" Piper asked skeptically, "They are from Gideon."
"I checked the words and ingredients myself," Phoebe tried to ease the room's concerns, "they should work," she lifted and squeezed Chloe's hand, "Chris? Do you want to explain the rest?"
"Yeah," he leaned over and picked up his own bag, "Cole is going to attack him and continue to weaken him, using his own powers against him until we can trap him with the crystals in the grid. This is the spell to give Batterak Balthazar's powers," he handed it out, "and this," he took out a familiar bright pink potion, "is the vanquishing potion."
Cole laughed nervously and backed away from the circle, "If you don't mind, keep that as far from me as possible, too. I've had too many bad experiences with it."
Phoebe, Piper and Paige became warily tickled at his response, "Calm down, honey," Phoebe snickered, "You're not Balthazar anymore, and it's not your flesh that's in it."
"Still," Cole held up his hands in defense, "make sure I am far from the circle when you through it."
"Places," Piper clapped.
This time it was Chloe who stood back from the circle. When Chris approached her she shook her head, "I can't talk to you about this," her eyes watered.
"You talk to me about everything," Chris felt rejected.
"I can't," she sniffled and leaned against the wall.
Chris turned back and looked at Leo, then back to Chloe, "Will you talk to Leo? If we don't do this soon, Batterak will find us and we'll lose the advantage." Chloe nodded. "Leo, Dad, can you come here a minute?"
Leo had been standing talking with Piper when he heard his son call him dad. He rushed to him, "What's going on?" he approached Chloe and Chris.
"Can you talk to her?" he pointed to Chloe, "She's not talking to me." Chris backed away and went to join his mom, aunts, and others.
"What's up?" Leo asked concerned, "I know you and I don't have the relationship that I have with the girls, but I would be interested in trying. I'm still a white lighter, and I'm your uncle."
Chloe looked up to Leo with wet, tear-fill eyes, "I don't know if I can tell you. I don't know if I can tell anyone."
Leo put his arm around Chloe's shoulders, "Can you try?"
Chloe wiped her eyes with her free hand and looked away, "You will keep it a secret. You won't tell my mom, you won't tell my dad?"
"I promise," Leo assured her, "Tell me?"
Chloe looked back at her sandaled feet, letting the tears run down her cheeks. She hadn't told anyone what all Batterak had done to her while he held her captive. She had tried to avoid thinking about it by focusing on vanquishing him... but now she was going to have to see him again and think about what happened. "Leo," she started, "he molested me. I don't mean he beat me, I've had worse from other demons. I mean he molested me," she cried.
Leo couldn't resist his paternal feelings and pulled Chloe into a tight hug, and clinched his fists behind her back, "Chloe, we are going to kill him. And we are going to kill Gideon for putting you at risk like that," he had to hold back the tears himself, "why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell anybody? Are you ok?"
"I couldn't," she cried softly, "if I kept it to myself, then that meant it didn't happen. And I was afraid someone would try to become a vigilante and end up getting themselves killed if said anything."
"Chloe, this is never something you keep to yourself. Never. You tell me, Chris, your mom, your aunts, you crazy dad," he paused, "this is serious. You were violated and that is not meant to go unpunished, do you hear me?" Leo let himself cry and looked over her shoulder to see if anyone was watching. He noticed Chris's eyes focused intently on them, "How have you kept this from Chris?"
Chloe sat back and wiped her eyes again, this time she lifted her hand and showed Leo the ring on her finger, "This is my dad's wedding band. I pulled it out of the potion's basin after we resurrected him," then she pulled the necklace she was wearing out from under her shirt, "this is my ring that ties me to Chris."
Leo leaned his head against hers, "After this is all over, I'm going to take you to the doctor, the real doctor. And I think you should talk to Chris. Are sure you're ok?"
"No," Chloe laughed through her tears, "but thank you for asking. Let's kick his ass, talk about therapy. You are lovable, Leo," she kidded.
"Good to know," he took her hand and led her back to the circle. Everyone could see the redness in hers and Leo's eyes.
Chris walked over to her and lifted her chin, "Love 'ya, kid, whatever is going on," he pulled her into a hug. Chloe cried into his shoulder. "We're going to kill this guy, and then you and I are going out for coffee or something better."
"Right," Chloe smiled keeping his hand in hers and taking their places.
Piper looked over to her niece and son and felt a pain she couldn't explain or understand, "Alright, we're going to start. Everybody get ready."
Cole took his place behind Chloe and Phoebe, as Leo stood behind Chris and Piper. Richard joined the circle between Paige and Piper. "Forces of evil, lend an ear. Send the demon Batterak here," they chanted. Chloe turned her head from the circle as she clutched Chris's hand.
"You rang?" Batterak laughed as he took form in the middle of the circle, "Decided to beat me to the punch, I see." Piper threw the first potion at Batterak to weaken him so that he wouldn't be able to shimmer out before they cut his powers—the rest of the family followed. Batterak fell to the ground in pain, "What did you find?" he moaned.
"Powers come and powers go, we call upon magic to defeat this foe. Strip his powers, weaken this force. Allow us to beat him, and follow the course. To set what is right, to conquer all wrongs. And restore the future for which our souls long," they once again chanted as the amulet around Batterak's neck exploded.
Chris stepped up to Batterak who was huddled in pain on the floor, "I've been waiting to do this," he kicked Batterak in his face as he flew backwards. Chris then flung his arm as Batterak was thrown through the air and into the wall.
Batterak stood up and shook the blood from his lip before launching two fireballs at Chris who orbed out. Phoebe quickly channeled his powers and redirected the fireballs at Batterak.
"Now, it's my turn," Cole snarled pushing Phoebe back stepping up to Batterak. Batterak's lips curled into a wicked smile as he swung his fist at Cole. Cole caught his hand and threw him back with tremendous force. He materialized a sword in his hand which he swung at Batterak's head.
Batterak raised his hand and blocked the blow. The sword buried itself into his arm as he screamed in pain, "What did you do? I shouldn't be able to be inured," the blood dripped from his arm.
"Surprise," Cole growled taking another blow at Batterak who ducked out of the way this time.
He reached to grab Phoebe as a human shield, when she promptly twisted his arm and flipped him onto his back on the floor. She placed the heel of her boot across Batterak's windpipe, "This is for my daughter," she stepped on his chest as he gasped for air.
Cole rolled him over as Batterak staggered to his feet, "I'm not dead," he moaned.
"Not yet," Cole threw another fist at his face as Batterak swerved and fired an energy ball at Cole—which bounced off his chest. "Ouch," Cole said sarcastically as he formed a huge fireball above his head between his two hands and vigorously threw it at Batterak's chest as he hit the wall unconscious. Cole wiped the sweat from his forehead and telekinetically moved Batterak's limp body to the circle.
Chloe was huddled behind Chris and finally emerged as her father held out his hand to her. She pushed past and viciously kicked Batterak in the stomach and rolled him over to throw an energy ball at his face, "Son of a bitch," she wiped tears from her eyes, "I'll take pleasure in killing you," she recalled his words to her as she placed the last crystal in it's place forming the cage around him.
"Shouldn't we wait until he's awake to vanquish him?" Paige hesitantly asked, "You know, find out what he knows? He's trapped in the power circle, he can't hurt us."
Cole pulled Chloe into his arms and nodded, "We'll wait," he kissed Chloe on top of the head, "Paige's right," he looked down to Chloe—she didn't say a word and nodded her head.
*What did he do to you?* Chris thought but got no response from Chloe.
They waited for what felt like an eternity for Batterak to stir. "Am I dead?" his eyes fluttered open.
"You aren't that lucky, yet," Cole was bent over him.
"Not until you tell us who you're working for and with," Chris stepped up to the circle. "Details, now," he demanded.
"He'll kill me," Batterak coughed.
"He'll have to take a number," Piper yelled from her seat on the crypt.
"The elder, Gideon. Both here and in the future," his chest heaved, "He sent me back to kill the girl in hopes that he would be able to turn Cole in either the future and the present."
Chris nodded his head, "What about me? What is important about my birthday?"
Batterak's eyes conveyed his confusion, "Your birthday? I don't know what you're talking about. He has some new plan, here, but he won't tell me exactly what—all I know is it has something to do with all three charmed children."
Chris turned back to Cole, Leo, Piper, Phoebe and Paige, "He's starting to get strong again, we need to do this now." Chloe was still hiding in the corner.
"Get up," Chris ordered.
Batterak forced himself to his feet when he saw Chloe standing in the back corner of the mausoleum, "Chloe dear, was it good for you, too, love?" he laughed. Chloe threw an energy ball at his stomach which caused him to fall back to his knees. Chris's eyes widened in horror as he turned to look at his cousin's tear-stained face.
Chloe stepped up to the circle. "We call upon the ancient power," she began to chant, "to help us in this darkest hour," the others joined in, "to cast upon this evil one, the powers of one who's life's undone. Balthazar's powers we put in thee, to vanquish you, and set us free."
A swirl of black lights rose from the ground and filtered through Batterak's body, "You gave me Balthazar's powers?" Batterak laughed as he gained new strength, "You're fools!"
"I know you are but what am I?" Paige taunted as Chloe pushed past her and threw the first vial of vanquishing potion. Phoebe and Chris followed, then Paige and Piper... there was only a scorch mark left on the floor where Batterak had been standing.
Chloe fell on her knees in tears. Chris knelt beside her and put his hand on her back, "He's gone, Chloe," Chris sniffed, "He's gone." Phoebe, Piper, and Paige linked arms and stood behind them—supporting each other, and wondering how this one thing changes all their futures.