Bianca slowly opened her eyes as she felt a beam of warm Californian sunlight hit her cheek. With a tired groan, she rolled over, and was initially shocked to see another figure beside her in bed.
Chris.
She realized suddenly. Chris was beside her.
The memories of the previous evening came flooding back.
Chris was a whitelighter…he knew her secret…they had spent a wonderful night together. Bianca could not suppress the satisfied smile forming on her face; it had been a day that she would never forget.
"Bianca?" Chris muttered, shifting slightly so that he could look into her eyes.
"Yea?"
"I was wondering when you'd wake up. Tired you out, did I?" He grinned in his typical Chris way.
With a giggle Bianca leaned forward and kissed the tip of his nose. "I guess you did." She paused. "You know, after last night I'm beginning to wonder why more witches don't fall for their whitelighters. You certainly were…heavenly, Chris."
He laughed quietly and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Why thank you…you were pretty amazing yourself, my fiery little phoenix."
"Oh God, Chris, we're so pathetic. Shall we lay off the bad jokes for awhile?"
"I think we shall."
Smiling, and feeling happier than she could ever remember, Bianca got out of bed and grabbed Chris' discarded shirt off the floor.
"Hungry for breakfast?" she asked, putting the shirt on and slowly doing up the buttons.
"Yes, but I'm cooking. I insist. My mother was a chef you know, I did pick up a few things." He too got out of bed, and pulled on his boxers.
"So your mother actually was a chef? I thought she'd have to do the vanquishing thing full time."
Chris sighed, and Bianca could tell that the memory of his mother was something that still caused him a great deal of pain. She too had lost her mother, but unlike Chris and his mother, they had never been close; her mother had always been disappointed in Bianca's reluctance to kill.
"Yea. Not too many people know that the charmed ones didn't even realize they were witches until they were in their late twenties. Their Grams bound their powers, to protect them from constant attack, and raised them as normally as she possibly could. So my Mom trained as a chef, thinking that she could pursue it as a career…and she did for awhile, until the charmed duties got in the way. All she ever wanted was a normal life…" he trailed off and looked down at the wooden floor, avoiding Bianca's gaze.
Feeling sorry for bringing up the subject, Bianca instantly rushed to his side, sitting down next to him on the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry Chris." She whispered.
He gave several slow nods, and looked up to meet her eyes. "It's okay. We need to talk about these things. I'm so glad I can finally tell you the truth, its been so hard to keep it all in." he paused "She didn't really die in a fire-"
"I kind of figured."
"It was a demon. A powerful one. It wasn't even after her, it was after me and Wyatt, he wanted our powers…but Mom wouldn't let him take us. She intercepted a fireball meant for me. Wyatt had been knocked out. Dad wouldn't come. And I couldn't heal her…I didn't know how. It was all my fault." Bianca could see that his eyes were now lined with red, and tears were threatening to fall.
"Oh Chris." She said soothingly, placing a gentle arm around his back. "You were only a kid; there was nothing you could have done…"
"I could have learned to heal.' He replied, his green eyes so full of sadness. "But I used to hate going 'up there' to learn, so I didn't… After it happened, I forced myself to develop the power, and I've helped as many people as I can, but none of it will ever bring her back."
There was a long pause.
"She just wanted to be normal, Bianca" he whispered, looking back down at the floor. "But she was cursed with this horrible fate, and there was nothing she could do to get out of it. She had to fight evil every day, risk her life for the good of everyone else. She wanted a regular job, and a husband, and kids…but instead she married a man who had been dead for the past 50 years, and had sons that were anything but normal. And in the end, that is what got her killed. If she hadn't become a witch, if she hadn't fallen in love with my father, if she hadn't had me…she'd still be alive."
Bianca stared at him in disbelief.
Had he been holding this on his chest for all of those years?
He couldn't really believe what he'd just said…could he?
"Chris, that's not true. She must have had some choice in it all…it's not your fault. You were her son, I'm sure that she loved you…"
Chris gave a small sniffle, before making his face revert back to a neutral expression. It was clear that she had not changed his mind.
"What about you?" he asked quietly. "I'm guessing that you mother didn't die in a car accident."
"Nope. But I don't really know what happened, she went off on a mission and left me at home with her sister Elizabeth…and then she never came back. The others never told me what had happened; most of them had died too."
Chris gave her a sympathetic nod. "That must have been horrible. I was glad that I knew who did it, so I could kill the bastard."
"Not really. " She shrugged. "I never had a close bond with my mother; she was always a bit cold. Most phoenixes are. I suppose if I ever found out who did it, I might want my revenge too, but I've never obsessed over it."
"I see." Chris replied. He gave her another quick kiss and stood up, heading for the door. "So, what about that breakfast? Should I get started?"
"Please do. I'm exited to see if your skills in the kitchen are as good as your skills in bed."
Grinning once more, Chris walked out of the room to prepare a magnificent feast.
Wyatt calmly surveyed the work going on in the dark cavern.
In truth, he found it slightly unnerving to be in a place so full of darklighters. The putrid smell of the poison hung thick in the air as the creatures worked to produce it at maximum speed.
He could not, however, let anyone see his discomfort. It would be a sign of his weakness, and he had worked too long, and too hard to lose even the smallest degree of respect.
"When will you be ready?" He barked at the leader of the group. "There is a gathering approaching soon, and when I find the exact time, I will need you to be prepared."
"Of course my liege." The leader said with a bow "We shall be finished before the next moon."
"Excellent. Have your men equipped, you will not have much time once I create an opening."
"Of course my liege."
Wyatt nodded and gave another glance at his surroundings. "Do you think you have enough men to complete the task?"
The leader hesitated slightly. "I believe so…but once we have eliminated them all, we may need more to help with the over throw of the city."
"Yes, I am rallying more for that, but we need not worry yet. One task at a time. Continue the work and await my call." He paused. "I will check back later, now, I have a very important visit to make."
And with that, he orbed out, his bright blue lights a contrast to the surrounding darkness.
"We will leave none alive, my liege." The leader muttered as he returned to his work. "None at all."
A/N Well there you go! I hope this isn't moving too slowly, I really want to build the plot up gradually.
Reviews are always welcomed!! I'd love to hear what people like best- Victor and Chris, Leo and Chris, Bianca and Chris...as long as it includes Chris its fine with me:) I do have a plot worked out, but if you have any input as to whatI should focus on, that would be great!!
Shall update soon.
