Only one more chapter after this one! (I think...) I want to thank you all sooo much for being such a supportive audience and helpful critics. You made this fun! Stay tuned for the sequel... :-) -abs
Chris and Leo approached the ceremony room with half trepidation and courage. "He's got to know we'll find him," Leo whispered.
"Not if he thinks we are still under Barbas's spell," Chris responded, "We'll still have the element of surprise."
Leo placed his hand on Chris's shoulder to pull him under the spell of his invisibility cloak as Chris laid his hand against the wall to disassociate it allowing he and Leo could enter undetected. Even Phoebe's and Chloe's premonitions could not prepare them for what they found inside the chamber. The room was dimly lit with a swirling black hole of energy, and sitting in the middle of the hole were Wyatt and a comatose Piper. The rage inside of Chris and Leo intensified tenfold. Chris broke free from Leo's hold and simultaneously lost the cover of his invisibility. But Leo was able to pull him back, "No, you don't want to blow our cover," Leo whispered harshly.
Gideon was levitating in the middle of the room surrounded by a crowd of mercenary demons. A blue haze surrounded Gideon as he chanted under his breath in Latin. Each of the mercenary demons eyed Wyatt and Piper with an edge of longing reflecting in them.
"Patience," Gideon sensed their eagerness, "they will be one of us soon. The portal reverses their morality. You will have new leaders."
"Dad, we have to get in there and save them. It is obvious that Gideon is chanting something that is closing the vortex," Chris pulled against Leo's grip, "Come on, what are you thinking?"
"A diversion," Leo made them both visible again. "You're a witch, start chanting something," he instructed with a wink as he made his way towards Gideon in the center of the room, "and stay out of the way. I don't want to worry about losing you, too."
"Gideon," he called boldly.
Gideon's eyes remained shut as he calmly replied, "Leo, I was wondering when you would join us." He continued to linger in the air.
Leo took more intrepid steps toward Gideon, formulating his attack in his mind. There were five mercenary demons forming the points of the pentagram—each with eyes glowing red with a lust for the destruction of Piper and Wyatt. If I shoot the two opposite of Gideon, then that will leave the vortex free for me to orb Piper and Wyatt out, he thought. Leo then deftly shot one of the demons into a fiery vanquish, but before he could turn to the other, Gideon had leisurely flicked his wrist and flung Leo against the wall.
"Do you really think it would be that easy," Gideon held Leo at bay as another mercenary demon took his brother's place. "Leo, Leo, Leo," Gideon was unable to finish his thought before he was shattered into a cloud of orbs.
"Shut up," Chris lowered his hands, "Come on, dad, fast" he held his hand out to Leo before Gideon could recollect himself. Chris and Leo ran towards the vortex as the demons turned to aim energy balls at them. Chris waved his hand and redirected the energy balls back towards the demons with an explosion.
"As I was saying," Gideon continued shaking his head, "do you honestly think that Batterak was able to summon and create the mercenary demons on his own? I was trying to distract you long enough to be able to get a hold of... well... you," he eyed Chris.
Chris sprang from behind a pillar, "Sorry to disappoint," he blew up the nearest mercenary demon before flinging three others out of the way. A new demon materialized in front of him as he spun kicked him in the breast bone sending him landing in the ceremonial fire in the room.
Leo's jaw dropped, "Chris?"
Chris shook his head as he orbed out of the line of fire from an incoming energy ball, "Who do you think Chloe practiced with?" he orbed back behind Leo. Gideon returned back to the center of the room and waved his hand—the vortex began to close.
"Mom!" Chris shouted running towards the vortex.
Gideon turned to him. Chris's arm flew instinctively hurling Gideon into the closest pillar with a skull cracking thud. Chris slid across the floor on his knees until his fingers were touching the outer rings of the vortex before he felt a shock that curled him into the fetal position. Gideon had risen to his feet with his head wound dripping. "I wouldn't touch that," he now towered over Chris, "I have no intentions of harming your mother. It is not her that I want, but the infant. The one that is still malleable."
Chris had regained enough energy to roll over facing his attacker, "That's me you, son of bitch," he popped his wrist shattering Gideon into thousands of purple-blue orbs before Chris, too, orbed out of reach. Chris recollected himself hidden safely behind a pillar, crouched on the floor, breathing heavily through his physical and emotional pain. "Dad, where are you?"
Leo stalked Gideon with the camouflage of invisibility—inching his way closer to Piper and Wyatt. When he reached within ten feet of Gideon, he threw the first vial of vanquishing potion. Gideon's ability to sense other whitelighters had alerted him to Leo's presence, and before the vial could hit him in the back, he had orbed away. "I tried to warn you, Leo. I have tried to convince you take your rightful place as elder. I have tried to impress upon you the importance of the cosmic balance, but you wouldn't listen. Surely now must begin to understand."
"Understand?" Leo's voice mocked and echoed through the chamber, "Understand that you have kidnapped my wife and oldest son with the hopes of delivering the other one in a swirling vortex? I understand...that you're sick—and a betrayal to all things good." Leo's voice hung in the silence of the room. Chris began to crawl more quietly back towards the center of the room.
"I am not a traitor, Leo. I am still good," Gideon now began pacing, trying to track Leo with his extrasensory perception as opposed to his eyes. "Chris and Wyatt are a threat to the balance of things. There must be order. With the birth of these two children, good will far out weigh evil and the world will be in chaos. You must understand this. It is a noble sacrifice."
"The only thing I intend to sacrifice is you," Leo's face flashed before Gideon in an instant before Gideon once again went flying through the air.
Gideon orbed away before once again slamming into the marble wall. "I am sorry, Leo, but you leave me no choice," he waved his hand as the vortex began to seal more quickly.
"No!" Chris once again yelled and began running towards the closing spiral.
With the fling of his wrist an athame flung out of Gideon's sleeve and into Chris's stomach. Chris fell to the ground with a groan and a cry. Violent bolts of lightning erupted from the corner of the room from which Chris had run.
Leo now fully visible charged Gideon with superhuman strength crashing into an altar. "Liar! Traitor!" Leo picked Gideon up and tossed him like a ball across the room. "You are sacrificing my family for your own twisted purposes and you expect me to let you get away with it?"
Gideon rolled to his back and wiped the blood from his lip laughing, "Do you think I would have been an advocate of your marriage and procreation had I known what kind of power would be produced? Leo," Gideon got to his feet as two of the mercenary demons held Leo still, "this cannot happen. If they are able to remain good, the balance will be disrupted."
"Screw the balance," Chris staggered to his feet and flung Gideon back across the room.
"I've had enough of trying to rationalize this with you, when it is clearly not going to happen," Gideon struggled to his feet and shot a blazing red lightning bolt towards Leo and Chris. Leo waved his hand and orbed Chris out of Gideon's fire but fell victim to the blast. Heaving heavily, with now his own wound oozing from his shoulder, Leo rose to his feet and shot his own blaze of blue lightning towards Gideon and did not relent.
Paige, Phoebe, and Chloe orbed into the chamber—all three shocked at the sight of Leo's aggression on Gideon. "Chris!" Chloe shouted noticing her cousin and dropping Paige's hand. Chloe ran to Chris and crawled to his side, "Chris? Chris, answer me."
"No," Phoebe grabbed her daughter's shoulder, "there are five mercenary demons in this room guarding the fight between Gideon and Leo who don't seem to notice Chris. You're only going to draw more attention to him. Chloe shimmered from beneath her mom's hand just to reappear behind the nearest mercenary demon shooting a fireball through his head. "Like daughter like mother," Phoebe sighed as she ran and kicked the next demon into the fire. Two more appeared at the loss of their kin.
"What? Do these things travel in fives?" Paige asked rhetorically, "torch!" she called and directed the torch into another demonic attacker.
Chloe was able to destroy two more mercenary demons before making it to Chris's side.
"Get my mom and Wyatt," Chris murmured, his eyes blinking back pain, while his hands held the bleeding wound in his abdomen.
"I am not going to leave you," Chloe put her hand on Chris's shoulder and shimmered them further away from the attack. Another mercenary demon noticed their new location, but not before Chloe could propel a fireball through his body, "Chris, I'm not losing you."
"The vortex, Clo," Chris's speech was labored, "reverses their morality, and consequently mine. You have got to get them out of there," his eyes still sparkled with purpose.
Paige and Phoebe had already noticed their sister's and nephew's plight in the vortex—now erasing them from sight. "How do we get to them?" Paige yelled to Phoebe as they both jumped in opposite directions to avoid the ensuing battle between Leo and Gideon. "The portal is closing and Gideon is the one in control of it."
"Not to mention the plethora of mercenaries that keep popping up," they dodged an incoming energy ball by leaping behind a fallen table. "Try to orb them out!" Phoebe instructed, "I'm going to help Leo and get him this vial of vanquishing potion," she scuttled to the next pillar.
"Take this one as well," Paige orbed her vial to Phoebe, "Just in case." Phoebe nodded. "Good luck!" Paige wished as she ran towards the closing portal and Phoebe darted towards Leo and Gideon.
Chloe slowly lifted Chris's hands from his stomach as he screamed in pain. The stab wound was deep and it was obvious Chris had lost a significant amount of blood—his face was becoming increasingly pale and his limbs were chilly to the touch. Chloe scrambled to grab a fallen banner and began to rip it into long shreds. "I did not come back to the past to save one cousin and lose another," she threatened him, "you hang on. Your dad will heal you," she packed one of the strips of banner into the wound, "This is going to help it clot," Chloe taught before wrapping another strip around his waist to hold it in place. Chris grabbed her free hand with his before letting his eyes drift back shut. "Hang on," Chloe whimpered.
Her mind jumped back to see herself chained in Batterak's lair writhing in pain, and Chris equally so on the kitchen floor with echoes of "I failed her," flashing through her brain. Chloe hadn't realized she had placed her head on Chris's shoulder, and one of his hands had made it to her hair. "I know how you feel," his voice whispered.
"You have never failed me," Chloe lifted her lips to his ear before sitting up, "and I'm not going to fail you. Hold on," she shimmered to the center of the room.
"This is for Wyatt," Phoebe's foot connected with Gideon's side as he was trying to strangle Leo, "I never liked you anyway," Phoebe taunted joining Leo's side, "That accent always made you a bit shady in my book. The villain always has a sinister English accent."
"How did you escape?" Gideon caught his breath looking around the room, "You've all escaped!" he noticed in horror.
"Can't keep a charmed one down," Phoebe retorted before kicking him once again in the stomach, "That was for Piper, Chris and everyone else you've hurt."
Gideon's fist connected with Phoebe's face with a crunch and she fell to the floor, "This wasn't your fight," he sneered and motioned for two mercenaries to join him. "Keep her occupied, please," he turned back to Leo.
"You're wrong," Leo stepped in, "you picked this battle with my whole family, and for that, you will die," he slammed his fist back into Gideon's temple.
Paige rushed to the portal as the last ounce of Piper and Wyatt was visible before being thrown backwards by an invisible force. She looked at her hands, no burned by the invisible electric force protecting the portal. "Piper! Wyatt!" she tried to call, but the portal sealed itself shut.
Suddenly a fireball erupted from behind her back and pelted the shield around the vortex. Paige turned to see Chloe hurling numerous fireballs at the vortex, "Hurry!" she ordered, "Try again."
"There's nothing there," Paige orbed beside Chloe, "the portal is closed."
"Doubtful," a male voice wafted through the air, "Unseal this hole, awaken the night. Open the portal, to fix what is right," Cole chanted. "I had to do some searching, but I found someone to help," he pulled his daughter closer.
"Nothing happened," Paige pulled the spell from Cole's hand, "Maybe it needs a witch's touch." Paige repeated the poem, as a black hole opened in the room. "It's a start."
A terrified scream filled the room originating from the corner in which Chris was safely stowed. "Chris," Chloe shimmered back to him. A mercenary demon had reformed and found Chris's hiding spot. Out of spite, he had thrown an energy ball at Chris's leg which was now injured and profusely. Cole followed Chloe's shimmer, "Go to Chris, I'll take care of the attackers," he instructed, "Go!" he concluded punching the demon in the face.
Chloe rushed to her cousin's side and immediately assessed his new wound. "Hold still," Chloe formed a small fireball in her hand.
"What are you doing?" Chris's eyes grew large and what little color was left in his face drained. His heart was racing.
With her free hand, Chloe took a balled up piece of the banner and put in Chris's mouth, "You're losing too much blood. I've got to cauterize it," she placed her other hand over the wound which began to sizzle. Chris's scream was muffled by the cloth in his mouth. Chloe gagged and started to cry.
Paige hurried back to where her niece and nephew lay, "Give me one of those strips of cloth," she ordered.
"Why?" Chloe handed her a piece of the banner as she now began to wrap Chris's leg as well.
"Pen?" Paige half-questioned half-called as one orbed into her hand, "Excellent. Remind me to thank the cosmos for that later," she began to write a spell on the tattered cloth.
"How's the jaw?" a familiar voice rang above Phoebe.
She opened her eyes to find Cole leaning down over her, inspecting the bruise across the side of her face, "Very painful," she took his hand as he helped her up.
"Still feel like fighting?" Cole asked with a wink.
"Always," Phoebe responded. Cole took her hands as he swung her around so that she took out three would be attackers in one kick. After looking at each other with a look of intense enjoyment, they continued attacking the mercenaries. Phoebe drew a sword from the sheath of a knight statue and beheaded on demon in a swing. Cole, with fists alight with fire, drove his hands into the face, stomach, or side of the nearest of attacker he could find. "Man, I've missed this," he commented as he killed another mercenary.
"You know," Phoebe called to him as another fell victim to her sword, "they are never going to stop coming until Gideon is vanquished."
"Then we better hope Leo does his job. Soon," Cole grabbed Phoebe and pulled her into him as another mercenary demon shimmered in behind her. Cole threw a fireball into his face. Phoebe looked up into Cole's eyes, they shared a lascivious look, and resumed their fight.
Gideon had Leo hanging midair, mid-scream, surrounded by red lightning. "I never wanted to kill you, Leo. I just wanted you out of my way. But if this is the only way to save us, then so be it." Gideon intensified his onslaught on the Leo, Leo's screams of pain echoed the chamber and rang in the ears of all of his family members.
Chris orbed out of Chloe's grip. "Damnit," Chloe jumped to her feet and ran towards where Gideon had Leo suspended.
Chris reappeared behind Gideon, face as pale as snow, blood soaked his shirt and pant leg, but anger fueled his strength. "Leave him alone," he threatened moving closer, using the wall as support, and dragging his leg.
"This has to be done, you and he are the only thing between me and saving the world. And you're almost gone," Gideon surveyed Chris with a wicked grin. Gideon's right hand erupted in a cloud of orbs. His grip on Leo only halved. He turned back to see Chris with his hands up. "It is a pity to lose you. You had such great potential. There's always the baby," he turned back to Leo and walked closer to him. Gideon raised his arms higher in the air. Suddenly Leo flew from cage of lightning and landed on a table with a crash.
"Just cause I can't blow up your ass doesn't mean I can't send my dad flying to safety," Chris flashed his Cheshire cat grin.
Gideon turned his fury to Chris and prepared to aim a lightning bolt into Chris, surely to finish him off, as a fireball shot through his shoulder causing him to fall to his knees. Chris collapsed as Chloe shimmered in behind him to break his fall. "I owe you," he whispered.
"I think we're pretty close to even," Chloe pulled him back towards the wall.
Leo struggled to his feet from the wreck of the table that broke his fall. He turned in time to see Chloe save his youngest son. As Gideon fell to his feet, Leo connected his foot with Gideon's head. "You were my mentor and my friend," Leo commenced his final descent on a downtrodden Gideon, "but now you are nothing to me," he flung his hands forward in a final attempt. Gideon was thrust into the ground as lightening bolts showered upon him.
"Leo," Phoebe called holding up a bottle of vanquishing potion, she tossed it into the air towards Leo. With one hand Leo held Gideon in place, with the other he motioned for the vanquishing potion and sent it soaring into Gideon. A final cry of pain filled the room as Gideon evaporated into a pile of garments and goo. Leo fell to his knees in thanks, remorse, and exhaustion.
Cole had been struggling with a mercenary demon who had him in a strangle hold fell forward gasping for breath. He surveyed the room. He saw Phoebe slouched down in a chair, Chloe cradling Chris against the far wall, Paige replacing the black candles in the candlelabra with white and lighting each as she went, and Leo. Leo knelt, hands cradling his forward, and weeping in the middle of the room. "It's over," he sighed rising to join Phoebe.
"Leo! Phoebe! Now!" Paige called from the other side of the open, and destroyed, sanctuary. Phoebe, still holding her jaw, pulled herself from her chair and grabbed her brother-in-law's shoulder as she passed. The two joined Paige, Chloe, and semi-conscious Chris in front of where the portal had once stood. Paige motioned quickly for Phoebe to join them. Then, all four linking hands they recited, "We evoke the powers of dark and light, to undo wrong and correct right. Reverse this portal, bring their morals back. Save our family from this wicked attack." Slowly the swirling vortex reappeared in front of them, turning from ebony, to gray, to silver, and finally white before disappearing completely, leaving Piper and Wyatt safe in front of their family.
"Are they good?" Chloe asked the question in everyone's mind.
She exchanged looks with Paige and Phoebe before Leo rushed to Wyatt, "Hey buddy," he cradled him, christening him with his tears.
Piper stirred awake and became aware of the destruction around her, "What happened? Where's Gideon?" she struggled to roll over. Paige and Phoebe went to her and helped her sit up before they too draped their arms around their big sister and cradled her. Phoebe kissed her pregnant belly.
"Gone, we don't have to worry about him anymore," Leo put his cheek against Wyatt's.
"Mom, Dad," Chris sank back to the floor.
"Leo, hurry!" Chloe eased Chris back to the marble floor. Leo rushed to Chris and put his hands first over the stab wound on his stomach.
"Oh, God!" Piper cried as she strained to make it to her baby's side. Paige took her arm and orbed them to Chris. "Chris, what happened?" her eyes welled up with tears. "No," she panicked.
"I love you," Chris's voice faded as his eyes shut, "Forever."
"Come on, Chris, come on. I will not lose you now! Wake up!" Leo placed his hands over Chris's stomach and leg in shock. "I love you, too," he cried.
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