Chapter 8

"Jack, we have to go home, now!" Fi practically shouted. They were at a new teen club that had just opened in town, but for some reason she did not feel like partying. For the past hour, she had an unsettling feeling in her gut, like something was horribly wrong. She tried to fight it down, especially since that cute guy across the dance floor kept looking at her, but to no avail.

Unfortunately, her brother did not sense the urgency. "Fi, what's the matter? Did Mom call your cell?"

Realizing she had forgotten that she had her new cell phone with her, a present from Mom for her 16th birthday, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Jack!" Desperately digging through her bag for the small silvery object, she found it. But to her disappointment, the battery wasn't charged. "Never mind. We gotta go now!!!"

"Whoa Fi, slow down and tell us why you have this sudden case of homesickness." Carey put both hands on her shoulders to keep Fi from bolting out the door.

"I don't know why. For some reason I just know we need to go home!" Fi had to yell to be heard clearly over the noise of the club.

"Alright, if it means that much to you, we'll go. But if it turns out everything is fine, I am not letting you get away with it." Jack turned around and pulled Clu's sleeve, "Clu, we have to go. Family emergency," he explained hastily when he saw that Clu was talking to a very attractive girl. It would have been awkward to have to explain that his sister was a witch with a certain degree of ESP and had a feeling that they needed to leave.

"It's alright. See you around, Clu." The girl smiled sweetly and took a sip of her drink.

Unfortunately, Clu wasn't as forgiving. "Dude! I was just about to get her number!"

"Well, tell it to Fi. She has a very extreme 'feeling' that we all need to go home. And, given the events of this past week, I'm inclined to believe her." Reaching the others, all four teens pushed past the massive crowd and headed for the bus stop.

"Great, just great. The bus doesn't come for another half hour, and it will probably take that long to get home!" Carey whined.

"Then I guess we'll just have to sit here and freeze our butts off until the next one comes." Knowing 50 degrees was the average temperature for nights in October didn't make Jack feel any better.

"Actually, maybe we don't. Fi, how's your shape-shifting power coming along?" Clu asked suggestively.

Fi shook her head. "No, no way. I mean, I could probably do it, but I always feel exhausted a few hours afterwards."

"But you have to." Carey begged. "If this danger is as big as you say it is, shouldn't we do everything to get home faster?" Carey actually just wanted to not have to wait for an hour to get home, but he knew the spiritual aspect would appeal to Fi.

It worked. Fi sighed, "Alright. Let me concentrate." She closed her eyes, and the first animal with wings that popped into her head was an eagle. When she opened her eyelids, she was looking at three majestic eagles, otherwise known as Jack, Clu, and Carey. She looked down, and sure enough her feet were bird's feet, and she was covered in feathers.

"An eagle, Fi? Could you have been anymore subtle?" Jack teased.

"It was either that or a pigeon," she shot back. Spreading her wings, Fi flapped and was soon airborne. She could hear the boys' wings following behind her. Flying was the absolute best, she decided, and she would definitely do it more often. There was nothing holding you down, and it was amazing.

Unfortunately, the ride only lasted a few minutes before the four teens-turned-eagles landed in the Philips' backyard. Fi quickly turned them, and herself, back into their normal form. She didn't pause for a second before dashing into the living room. Jack, Clu, and Carey, after getting over their initial shock of flying, ran after her.

What greeted them was chaos. After Irene checked to see if Ned was still breathing, which he was, Molly had levitated him onto the living room couch. Irene had magically removed the dagger, since doing so physically would have done more damage. Rick was now trying to stop the bleeding.

"I don't see why we can't take him to the hospital." Irene cried.

Rick sighed. "And tell them what? That he was stabbed by a demon?"

"DAD!" Carey screamed, running immediately to his father's side, and was followed instantly by Clu.

Ned's eyes were closed, and he was barely breathing. Rick said that the only reason he had not been killed instantly was because Ned had actually been stabbed a few inches below the heart. Although if he wasn't helped soon, he would die of blood loss.

During this whole time Irene had been trying hard to put on a brave face. This was becoming increasingly harder to do, since tears would escape every few minutes or so. She couldn't lose her husband. Irene distinctly remembered what Molly when through when Rick died. She knew she wouldn't be able to survive without Ned. He was what kept her going when she was stressed over work, the boys, or just anything that bothered her that moment. And if Ned died, he would be gone for good – she highly doubted that he would come back to visit in 13 years. Suddenly she realized something, "Fi, heal him! Please!!"

Noting Irene's desperation, Fi ignored the fact that she was extremely tired after her flight. "Alright, I'll try. But I don't know how much I'll be able to do right now." She explained quickly how she and the boys had gotten home. When she finished, she silently put her hands over Ned's injury. They emitted a soft blue light, and the wound was immediately patched itself up and the blood around it was washed away. However, there was still a big, visible scar that would probably never fade. Exhausted and relieved, Fi fainted on the carpet.

"Fiona!" Molly screamed, and was instantly at her daughter's side. Meanwhile, Ned had slowly opened his eyes and looked around at his chaotic surroundings. "Did I miss something?"

"Thank God!" Irene hugged her husband the tightest she could, and there was no telling when she would let go. He let her, even though it was really hurting his scar.

Fi woke up with a start. What happened? she thought groggily The last thing she remembered was running into the living room after coming home from the club. Now, she was in her bed, carefully tucked in, and the lights were out. However, the afternoon sun was shining brightly through the bedroom window. She glanced quickly at the digital clock beside her bed. 2:30 p.m.! Fi thought disbelievingly. How...what...

Then the memories came coming back to her. Ned had been hurt, she healed him, then fainted. That must be why I'm wiped out. I guess I've learned my lesson – never use too much power at once. Fi sat still for a second. That's strange... The house was eerily quiet, especially since there's been non-stop noise ever since the Bells started sleeping over. Curious to see what was going on, she pulled her legs over the side of the bed and slowly stood up. Realizing she was wearing the uncomfortable outfit she had worn to the club, Fi hastily changed her clothes and went into the kitchen.

"Hey everybody..." Fi's greeting faltered as she realized her mom and dad were the only ones in the kitchen.

"Hey baby." Molly came over and hugged her daughter. "I'm so glad you're up – we were getting worried about you."

"Yeah, even I didn't think your powers would make you that exhausted." Rick kissed Fi on the forehead. "Want some, lunch, er, breakfast? I can heat up some pancakes."

"Thanks, that'd be great." Fi sat on the island and accepted some orange juice her mom offered her. "Where is everybody?"

Molly sat on the stool next to her. "Well, Irene decided that her family should, according to her, 'finally' go home since Ned needed to rest. Jack went with them to hang out with Clu and Carey, since nothing was going on here. I guess after all the excitement we've had in the past few days doing nothing would drive him insane."

Fi nodded as she took a bite of her pancakes. They were amazing, as were everything else her dad had made over the past week or so. The whole time she ate, Fi couldn't get over how weird, yet incredibly normal, this situation was. Her mom and dad were talking and laughing as if Rick had never left. If someone had told her about all of this a couple of moths ago, she never would have believed them. It was so unreal – for the past two years, she had been searching for contact with her father. Now, he was here, making her pancakes. It just seemed like an alternate universe.

Yet the peace and quiet didn't last for long. Just as Fi was scooping up the last bits of pancake and syrup, Jack burst through the kitchen door. He looked tired and sweaty, like he had run a few miles. His breath was jagged, and he leaned against the door to steady himself. "Carey...demons...missing..."

Rick went over and held Jack up. "Son, what happened?"

Jack took several deep breaths and put an arm around his father for support. "Carey was kidnapped."

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, and I'll try to update soon!