A/N: Thank you all again for reviewing! A bit shorter chapter than my usual, but only because this seemed to be the perfect point in which to end the section. As always, just a gentle reminder that I've taken some of the Season 7 spoilers and put my own twist on them.
To all my reviewers: Thank you so much! I realize that reviewing isn't for everyone, so you bring me so much happiness when I see them...it's like getting presents; it's the thought that counts, but it is still exciting to receive some!
Lili20: Yep, he's all confused. Hopefully it will all become clear...
Crimson Amber: Hope Chapter 5 answered most of your questions. I'll address the Darryl and Leslie connection at some point...soon, I hope!
Ilovedrew88: Oops. No Chris in this chappie..sorry. Well, that's not true. Chris just doesn't have any lines in this chapter...but in chapter 7 I can't get him to shut up for some reason!
Sicklesword: I too, am anxious on where this story is going...heehee!
Teal-lover: This chapter should answer your question. I hope!
Freakygirl: Errr...no, Leslie definitely cannot be Phoebe's son, because the way I'm writing it...As Phoebe would say 'ewwww!'
Drewfuller4eva: I know! Took them bloody long enough, eh?
Kel: I'm trying, really I am. I just can't seem to type fast enough.
Melissa-P: Yeah, I'm sort of in denial as well. Thank goodness for fan fics!
Rhia: thank you!! I just hope I can meet everyone's expectations.
Chapter 6
Paige orbed into the library at Magic School. The place was empty, save for the books neatly shelved on the bookcases, and the cabinets lining the perimeter of the room. Making her way over to one of the cabinets, she searched its shelves, looking for vanquishing potions. Flipping open the messenger bag she had brought with her, she hastily began putting the potion bottles into the bag.
"Paige? What are you doing here?"
Surprised, Paige quickly turned around, her hands behind her back, as she tried not to look guilty. "Hi, Mrs. Winterbourne! I, uh, just thought I'd come by for some research material. You know, vanquishing demons and stuff." Paige laughed weakly.
Mrs. Winterbourne nodded. "Well, if there's anything that I can do to help...just let me know, okay?"
Paige smiled weakly and quickly tried to change the subject, "Sure, of course. Of course I will. Not that there's anything I need you to help me with though. Uh, where is everybody?"
"The Elders are having a huge meeting about the future of Magic School, and until they make their decision, the School has been shut down." Mrs. Winterbourne sighed.
"What? What do you mean? The future of the Magic School?" Paige asked, anxiously.
Mrs. Winterbourne shrugged, "Ever since Gideon...left...the Elders claim that the school isn't safe. Gideon was the driving force behind the school; he was passionate about it. The other Elders, well, they think its run its course."
Paige shook her head vehemently, "No, they can't shut it down. These kids need a safe place where they can learn about magic. Without guidance, they'll just run wild. And where will Wyatt learn to control his powers? And Chris? I can't believe that the Elders think that the School should close."
Odin, one of the Elders, suddenly appeared, "Mrs. Winterbourne, we've adjourned for the day. Could you please assist Zola with tomorrow's materials?" As Mrs. Winterbourne nodded and left, Odin turned to Paige and explained, "Forgive me for eavesdropping, Paige. But I overheard you and Mrs. Winterbourne discussing the School. You see, when Gideon first suggested the school, most of the Elders didn't think it would work."
"Odin, we need to keep the School open. These kids, they need us. It's not about what is or isn't feasible. It's about what's right for the kids." Paige pleaded.
"It was a noble experiment, Paige, but without Gideon, someone whom could both control the kids and be respected by them...it's just not feasible." Odin sighed. "I want to keep this School open just as much as you do."
"Well if you do, then you need to do something about it. Fight for it! You can't just expect other people to fight your battles." Paige lectured.
Odin slowly nodded. "Yes, yes. You're absolutely right, Paige. After all, we do owe it to these kids."
"I am? I mean, yeah, I AM right." Paige nodded assertively.
"I think you should fight for this School. I think you'd make a wonderful teacher. Good luck. I'm sure you'll do a wonderful job running the school," Odin smiled, and then dematerialized before Paige could say another word.
"What? Wait a minute! What just happened?" Paige yelled at the empty space in front of her. "Great. Piper is going to kill me."
"Any luck yet?" Piper asked Phoebe, looking over her shoulder as Phoebe bit the end of her pen and scribbled some changes, altering the spell.
"I think so..." Phoebe frowned in concentration, reading the spell over again. "It should work...what about Paige? Is she back yet?"
Piper shook her head. They had agreed that before they attempted the spell, that they needed to bring vanquishing potions. Lots and lots of vanquishing potions. So Paige had gone to Magic School to 'borrow' some. Leo had gone with her, taking Leslie, Victor and the kids with him, in hopes that they could leave the kids at Magic School in safety.
At the sound of orbs, Piper looked up expectedly, her look questioning as Leo and Leslie materialized in a swirl of blue lights. "Any problems?"
Leslie shook his head, "Nope, the kids are with Victor in the nursery."
Phoebe glanced up, "And what about Daddy? I thought mortals weren't allowed in Magic School."
Leslie and Leo traded glances, before Leo admitted guiltily, "Well, I might have...ah...forgotten to mention to Mrs. Winterbourne that Victor's a mortal."
"And what's going to happen when she founds out, Leo?" Phoebe demanded.
"Look, we'll worry about that when it happens. Right now, Magic School is the safest place for Dad and the kids." Piper settled the discussion. "Can we please get back to this spell?" Piper grabbed the piece of paper that Phoebe had been scribbling on and made a few adjustments. "Okay, now its perfect."
"Give me that," Phoebe shot her sister an evil glare, snatching the paper back. Looking over Piper's changes, "Oh, yeah, that does seem better."
"Told ya." Piper smirked, "Now where the heck is Paige."
Again, Leslie and Leo traded glances, "She should be along any minute..."
"Is there something you want to tell me?" Piper narrowed her eyes at the two men, "Forget it!" she stopped them, as they both opened their mouths, "If it doesn't have anything to do with saving Chris, than I can wait to hear about it later."
Leo nodded reassuringly, "Nothing bad, I promise. It's just...Paige may have found her new calling."
Leslie had walked over to the two sisters, and was now peering over Phoebe's shoulder, as he read the spell and said doubtfully, "Are you sure that's going to work? Is that going to bring all of us to Chris?"
"Of course it'll work," Phoebe snapped at him, "And what do you mean 'all'? This is a Power of Three spell, buddy."
"I'm coming with you," Leo insisted, as Piper opened her mouth to protest, "That's why I took the kids to Magic School, so that we'd know they'd be safe, Piper. You don't know what you'll be facing. I should come with you. I need to." Piper nodded silently, understanding Leo's need to do something, for she felt exactly the same way.
"And I need to come to," Leslie jumped in, "Like I said, I promised that I would protect you guys, and it's kind of hard if I'm not with you." He pleaded, "Please Phoebe. I might be able to help, you never know. And isn't the most important thing here saving Chris?"
"Alright, alright!" Phoebe threw her arms up in the air, as she rolled her eyes. "You can both come. Why don't we invite Grams while we're at it?"
"Hey, I'm back." Paige orbed in, carrying the large shoulder bag across her chest and another in her hand. Passing over the one she held in her hand to Phoebe, she patted the bag reassuringly. "Okay, I think we've got enough vanquishing potions to take on a small army. Or at least make a small dent."
"Everything okay?" Piper asked, suspiciously.
"Everything's just peachy!" Paige replied, a little too brightly.
Giving her sister a searching glance, Piper decided to ignore it for now. "Good. Then let's get this show on the road." Piper nodded to her sisters, anxious to find Chris.
"Okay, here's the spell." Phoebe came around from the table, and reached for Piper's hand as Paige grasped the other. Leo and Leslie quickly moved to stand behind them, placing a hand on each of Piper's shoulders, as they hoped the contact would allow them to be included in the spell with the sisters. Holding the paper aloft so that her sisters could read the spell with her, Phoebe began to chant, and her sisters quickly followed suit.
Blood to blood, I summon thee.
Blood to blood, return to me.
Lead us back from whence this came
Help us help Chris' pain
And the group dissolved in a swirl of golden lights.
Opening one eye cautiously, Paige took in her surroundings. "Well, this isn't what I was expecting..."
"And just what were you expecting?" Piper looked at Paige in question.
"I don't know...fire, hot oil, tropical weather..." Paige shrugged, looking at the empty, dark cave they were currently in. "Souls...it's downright chilly in here. Are we sure we're in the right place?"
"Oh my god..." was all Phoebe could say, her eyes fixated on the figure on the opposite end of the cave.
It was Chris.
Spying her son, Piper gave out a cry of dismay.
He was pinned against the wall of the cave. His head lay listlessly on his chest, his body limp; the sword through his gut keeping him from collapsing to the ground.
Rushing to his side, Piper touched Chris' forehead, hesitantly; there was no response. "Chris, sweetie?"
Not far behind her, Leo reached down to grasp the sword to pull it out, eliciting an electric shock that promptly tossed him across the room. "What the..?"
As Phoebe checked to see Leo was okay, Paige tried to call the sword, "Leo, stand by to heal. Sword!"
The sword remained embedded.
"Chris? Chris?" Piper's voice rose, as she tried to wake her son, "Why isn't he responding?"
Leo shook his head, still sitting on the ground where the blast had thrown him, dazed. "I don't know. It's like...it's like he can't hear us or something."
Suddenly, a demon shimmered in, "What are you doing here?" he demanded. "Get away from him, he's mine!" The demon threw a fireball at the sisters; Paige called for the fireball, aiming it harmlessly into the side of the cave while Piper froze the demon.
Slowly, she unfroze him, "No, he's MY son, and if he belongs to anyone, it's me!" Piper glared at the demon. "Don't try anything or I'll freeze you again. Now tell me what's wrong with him, now!"
Seeing Phoebe and Paige both hold a vanquishing potion aloft each, the demon swallowed, with an audible gulp, "I, uh, work for the big guy down here...Nothing personal, you know. Your, ah, son is one of my charges. Basically, I tap into his mind and let him create his own 'Hell.' Much better than anything I could ever actually do to him. Humans are interesting, that way." The demon shrugged apathetically, "The sword keeps him pinned to the wall and helps feed his imagination. His worst nightmare come to life, all in his own mind, if you like."
"Take it out. Now." Leo commanded, as he slowly got to his feet and moved threateningly towards the demon.
Throwing up his hands in protest, the demon babbled, "I can't! I didn't design these things. Basically, once it goes in, it doesn't come out. Except for the, ah, victim could pull it out themselves, assuming they ever snapped out of it. Haven't seen it happen yet, and I've been here for eternity."
"That is just sick. Sick and twisted." Paige glared at the demon. "Phoebe? What do you think?"
Phoebe shook her head. "I can't read him...he's a demon...too much other...stuff..."
Piper threw her hands up again, effectively freezing the demon, "Fine. Than we keep him like that until we figure out how to rescue Chris."
Leslie stepped forward, "Let me try. I could try to contact him telepathically." At Piper's nod, Leslie focused his eyes on Chris, intent on contacting the young man.
Without warning, suddenly Leslie slumped forward, and almost fell to the floor if it wasn't for Leo's quick reflexes. Catching the telepath, Leo gently laid Leslie on the ground, turning him over onto his back. The girls gasped; his eyes were dazed, his expression vacant.
"Leo, what's wrong with him?" Phoebe gasped.
Leo shook his head, "I'm not sure, but I think when Leslie was trying to reach Chris, he may have pulled Leslie in with him..."
"Pulled him where? What are you talking about?" Paige questioned Leo, impatiently.
"Telepaths normally just 'transmit' their thoughts, but to read someone else's mind, you have to touch their mind...I think when Leslie tried to touch Chris' mind..." Leo trailed off.
"Chris pulled Leslie into this mind?" Piper finished, questioningly. At Leo's shrug, Piper sighed. "I guess that's as good an explanation as we're going to get. Phoebe, do you think you can reach Chris with your power of empathy?"
"Well, I can try...I can feel...guilt, and self-disgust...it's like..." Phoebe edged closer to her nephew, as she strove to reach him with her mind.
She was dragged into a whirling maelstrom of guilt, self-doubt and pain. Lost in the sea of emotions, she felt like she was being tossed about, like a ship in a storm. There was nothing to hold on to.
Pain. Doubt. Guilt. Shame. Despair. My fault... Suicidal despair and killing rage emanated all from Chris, the shock of the emotions literally sending Phoebe to her knees. In panic, Phoebe yanked herself out from her trance, physically taking a step back from her nephew to remove herself from his range. "God..."
"What? What is it? What happened?" Piper asked, anxiously, as she helped her sister up.
"It was like being in a storm, and...there was so much guilt and pain, Piper. God, there was so much guilt." Phoebe shook her head, trying to clear it. "I don't think I can reach Chris, but I think I felt Leslie...I'm going back in..."
"If it looks like it's too much Phoebe, just get yourself out of there, and we'll figure something else out." Paige told her sister. Nodding, Phoebe took a deep breath, and then hesitantly, took a step forward.
Piper and Leo exchanged a worried glance, afraid for both Phoebe and Chris.
Again, Phoebe felt herself pulled in the storm of emotions emanating from Chris. Caught within the emotional whirlpool, Phoebe let herself be pulled along until she could feel Leslie, and then 'reached' for him and pulled.
With a convulsive lurch, Phoebe broke contact, collapsing onto the ground next to Leslie.
"What happened?" Leslie groaned, from his position on the ground.
"When you tried to make contact with Chris, I think he pulled you in –," Leo knelt beside both Phoebe and Leslie. "You guys okay?"
Letting out a sigh of relief at their affirmative nods, Piper looked at Phoebe, "So what do we do now? Phoebe, you can reach him, can't you?"
"I tried, Piper. It's...He's...the emotions are too strong. It's like he's destroying himself with his own negative emotions. God." Phoebe tried to shake off the effects. "There's just so much pain...he feels so guilty...like he failed everyone...I don't think I can reach him, Piper."
"We've got to do something!" Piper's voice rose. "I'm not leaving him like this! I'm not! I won't!"
Leo placed a hand on Piper's arm, trying to calm her down. She shrugged it off, stepping away from him, not wanting to be comforted. "Leo, we have to save him."
Leo nodded and then turned back to Phoebe. "You said he's being consumed by his own emotions, right? The sword must be feeding those emotions, something only he can see, in his mind. How about a mind-link spell?"
The three sisters looked at each other. "That could work..." Paige said, nodding slowly.
"It would let us see what Chris is seeing, maybe even take us to his mind...I think," Phoebe agreed, confused.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Piper held out each of her hands to her sisters, and the three linked their hands.
"I'll keep watch here," Leslie indicated himself and motioned to Leo, "Go, he needs you."
Nodding his thanks, Leo took his place next to Piper, as Phoebe made room for him. The four clasped their hands together.
Piper began to chant and her sisters quickly joined in.
Life to life and mind to mind
Our spirits now will intertwine
We meld our souls and journey to
The one whose thoughts we wish we knew
"Uh, where are we?"
"I think...I think we're in the future. Or at least, Chris' memories of the future..." Leo responded, looking around.
Phoebe shivered; the future felt cancerous, its slow death palpable in the air. The sky was grey, the land muddy, and ocean a sickening green. As the sisters began to move forward, taking in their surroundings, realization sank in.
"Oh my God. We're in San Francisco." Paige gasped, horrified. The downtown core was but a memory; buildings were ruined, still smoking from fires. As Leo and the sisters continued their way blindly down the street, they passed a group of people gathered around a small drum, warming themselves by its fire. Their threadbare, shabby clothes were barely hanging onto their thin frames, and their faces were blank and bleak.
"This can't be the future. It just can't." Piper muttered. "Is this really Chris' memories? Or is this just what he thinks will happen?" Piper asked her sisters, stunned.
"And more importantly, how do we find Chris in this place?" Paige asked. "After all, this is his mind. He's got to be around here somewhere, right?"
Waving her hands, Phoebe shushed Paige. "Wait, I think...I sense...something. Yes – yes, I've got him! I can feel Chris." The thread of Chris' sending was faint, but unmistakable to Phoebe; the 'thread' pulsed with guilt and despair. The same self-guilt and despair she had felt earlier. She caught hold of the 'thread', and began running after it, leaving Leo and her sisters to follow in her wake.
Running into an abandoned building, she ignored her sisters' shouts for caution and continued after the 'thread'. The emotions were getting stronger, and stronger, and more urgent. She raced down the darkened corridors, turning this way and that, ignoring her sisters' pleas for her to wait up.
Paige and Piper chased after Phoebe, hot on her heels, with Leo bringing up the rear. All attempts to get Phoebe to slow down were ignored, so they did the next best thing, which was following her. The long, winding tunnels were confusing, and one wrong turn, they could lose Phoebe in their sights.
They stopped short, nearly running into Phoebe as she abruptly stopped in front of a collapsed portion of the tunnel. She turned to look at her sisters, her eyes wild. "He's in there! I can feel him, Piper! We need to get in there!"
Paige and Piper looked at each other, and then back at the collapsed section of the tunnel. "I could try blowing it up?" Piper quirked her eyebrow at Paige, who, nodding her agreement, yanked Phoebe out of the way.
Piper stepped up to the rocks, and concentrated. After all, she didn't want to bring the entire tunnel down around them. Obviously, a controlled blast was what she wanted.
BOOM!
With a flick of her hands, a huge explosion echoed through the tunnels, following by a resounding thud. But when the dust settled, the tunnel was still blocked. In fact, it looked exactly like it had before, without one rock altered.
"Okay, did anyone else just hear me blow that up? Why is it still there? And why did nothing explode?" Piper asked, annoyed. About to flick her wrists again, she stopped as Paige grabbed one of her hands. "Paige? What's going on?"
"I think you DID blow it up, Piper." Ignoring Piper's puzzled look, Paige slowly moved forward, her foot passing through a rock lying on the ground in front of them.
"It's an illusion!" Leo realized.
Before Phoebe could take off running again, Paige quickly grasped her sister's hand. "Okay, no more running. We have to be careful."
And together, Leo and the sisters passed through the illusion.
To be continued....