A/N: Is it just me, or are updates getting fewer and farther between (Not just with me, the entire category is dead. Not a single So Weird story has been updated recently)? I'm so sorry about this, but at the rate school is going expect an update once or twice a month until the end. Actually, I have the chapter after this written (almost), so that rule will be in effect after chapter 11. If any of this makes sense, explain it to me.
Oh, and for those who are curious, there should be about…I dunno…if this is chapter 10…maybe five chapters left plus the epilogue? The point being that this is far from over. By the way, I haven't seen So Weird (except for the three Fi episodes I taped) in, like, years, so right now I'm struggling to stay in character. Bear with me.
Fiona12690: sighs Alright, fine, I'll do it. From now on, the parts with the little star thingies () before and after them were written especially for you. Thanks for staying with the story, though!
B Oots: Lol, glad you liked it. I was trying to figure out some way to link Molly and Bricriu's pasts, and I came up with that.
Jessica: Hey, great to see you again I'm glad you kept up with the updates, and I'll try to write more often (famous lasts words…).
It looks like I lost some people. looks around the review board I know you might be reading, but please review after every chapter to tell me how I can make my writing better!
Last Chapter: The gang has been walking around the woods trying to find Carey for an extremely long time when, out of the blue, Bricriu comes along. He and Molly start arguing, and eventually reveal a story about both their pasts and another reason why the Protector is after the Philips'.
Chapter 10
After about twenty minutes went by, Irene, who was leading the group (who had filed into a straight line after the woods began to get dense), stopped short. As a result, Molly bumped into her, who was bumped by Clu, who was bumped by Carey, and so on and so forth. Jack called, from the back of the line, "Why'd we stop?"
Irene shushed him, then listened. She whispered, "Something's on the other side of those trees."
"I'll go check." Molly crept up to the row of trees and peered through. It was the demon she had seen in her vision. He even had the cut on his shoulder. She motioned for the others to come over and look.
"I say we roast him." Irene suggested. Anyone who hurt her baby deserved to be tortured and burnt to a crisp.
"No, Irene. We have to follow him. He knows where Carey is." Rick put his hand on Irene's already outstretched arm.
Irene compromised, "Ok then. He leads us to Carey, then we roast him."
Fi sighed, then softly exclaimed, "I have a better idea. Bricriu, when you possessed Jack, you had access to all of his memories. Well, if you took over the demon's body, we could follow him, er, you, to the Protector's hideout without worrying about being caught."
"And, as an added bonus, we can find out anything he knows about his leader." Rick became quiet, then whispered, "Get ready, Bricriu, here he comes. Oh, and remember everybody, don't say Bricriu's name while he's in the demon's body. We don't want him to go away."
Everybody kneeled down behind the trees, some of them holding their breath for fear that the demon would hear them. Bricriu zipped among the forest after him, who was obviously hurting. The demon was gripping his right shoulder with his other hand, but he still moved swiftly and soundlessly. Bricriu tried not to laugh – This is going to be ridiculously easy. Possessing someone was always easier when the victim was at their weakest.
The spunkie flew over so that the demon was eye to, well, body with him. As the hooded figure stared, as if in a trance, at the spirit, Bricriu shivered. There was no face. It was a black, seemingly bottomless pit. Resisting the strong urge to fly away, he took a deep breath and plunged in.
This body is colder than Ireland in winter, Bricriu thought. It felt like he was locked in a subzero freezer. It was also pitch black. He couldn't even be sure if he was facing forwards or backwards. Well, what did you expect in a heartless demon? Bricriu meant that literally – he couldn't find a heart anywhere. Another thing he noticed was that he couldn't feel the cut. That wasn't surprising. Spunkies usually healed their victims, but only so that they don't have to feel the pain.
The "demon" shook his head to clear it, then turned back towards the others. He motioned with his arm and called, "Come, this way."
Fi and her companions looked up in surprise. Whatever they had expected him to sound like, it certainly wasn't this. It was deep, menacing, hallow – like the slow beating of a drum. The effect was lightened, however, by the trace of Irish accent. Naturally, no one wanted to answer him, for fear of causing him to speak again. However, Jack remembered their previous plan and asked nervously, "So, is there anything new you can tell us about the Protector?"
While everyone gave him murderous glares, the demon didn't even turn his head as he answered, "Nothing you should know." Nobody dared to question him.
"Finally," Clu muttered to himself. The previous hour had been spent traveling in tense silence until just now had reached the area they had been trying to find since this morning Each member of their small tribe had been lost in his or her own thoughts and barely noticed that they had been moving at all. He himself was unusually restless, worried incessantly about his older brother.
Clu hated not knowing what was happening to him. He had immediately resolved that Carey was hurt – there was no doubt in his mind, especially after how trashed Carey's room had been. Now the question was, how hurt was he? Was Carey bring tortured? Had he given up hope? Could the impossible have happened – was he dead?
From the look on his mother's face, Clu could tell that she was asking herself those exact same questions. All day long Irene had been trying to keep her emotions in check, but Clu knew that given the opportunity, she would be bawling her eyes out. But she never let her tears fall. Instead, every once in a while she would hold Ned's hand and lean against his chest as they walked, or put a comforting arm around her youngest son.
Fi's taking this especially hard, Clu thought suddenly. He had always sensed a spark between her and Carey, and now it was clear that that spark was getting as big as lightning itself. He knew that Fi was wrestling with her feelings, and had even indirectly asked Clu about them a few times. Truthfully, he had been a little disappointed when he found out she wasn't crushing on him, since for the longest time Fi was the object of his affections. But all of those feelings had disappeared, even more so when he understood how much Carey loved Fi too. When they finally did realize that they were made for each other, they would have his blessings.
"Finally," Clu whispered again, this time with more feeling. It had been a long day for everyone, and he was eager to get this nightmare over with.
Molly gasped in awe as she looked around the cavernous clearing. The leaves of the wide oak trees formed a kind of ceiling over the enormous grassy area, creating a dark shadow. That shadow alone was enough to make her want to run home to her bed and hide under the covers. But there was something…more. Like some kind of…ominous undertone. Not exactly the "someone's watching you" feeling, just….evil. There was no other word for it.
She looked around to see if the others felt was she was feeling. She couldn't tell if the men sensed anything unusual. All four of them seemed to be feeling what they should be right now – impatient, worried, and a little scared. But, Fi and Irene were different. Each looked scared out of their wits. Fi even stumbled backwards as she entered the clearing, like the evil presence had knocked her off her feet. Irene was more in control, which was to be expected, being the probably most experienced witch of the three. She put a steadying hand on Fi's shoulder and looked at Molly, "Mol, do you feel that?"
When Molly meekly nodded her head yes, Jack asked, "Feel what?"
Irene shook her head. "Never mind." She sighed, then asked anxiously, "Ok, where's Carey?"
"Through there." Molly responded. She was pointing straight ahead at a tree that none of them had noticed earlier. It appeared to be taller than the others, situated in the center of the perimeter of the clearing. The trunk must have been at least five feet wide, its roots spreading and intertwining with every other tree. The most noticeable thing about the tree was not its size, however. There were hundreds of incomprehensible symbols carved into it, each completely different from the one next to it.
Whilst everybody was transfixed by the tree, Bricriu/demon had unobtrusively went up to it. So they all jumped when they realized he was there. Now they watched as Molly's vision came to life – the symbols glowed, he pressed them in order, and then vanished through the now-purple trunk.
The two families looked at the other for a few, unbearable seconds, as is mentally conversing. This was what they had been waiting for, searching for, all morning. Yet each person had a tiny voice inside of them, commanding them to turn back, to come back later. At last Molly feebly suggested, "Maybe we should come back later…" As an empathic, her apprehensiveness was six times as strong – she felt everyone else's doubt and fright.
"No. Absolutely not." Ned said firmly, causing everyone to jump again. He had been silent for most of the day, feeling many of the same things as his wife and son. Only he had an even rougher. He was the support system of the family. If he showed any sign of weakness and uncertainty, there was no hope for Irene or Clu. "We're going now."
Rick nodded in agreement. No one noticed until he spoke. "Ned's right. I know we're all tired, emotionally drained, and hungry…" Rick said guiltily. As a ghost, he never got tired or hungry. But he still had feelings. He only really knew Carey as a little kid, but he cared just as much as anyone else. "But now's the best time if we are going to do this. We don't know how much longer Carey's going to last in there," Rick instantly regretted those words when Irene and Ned's faces became a few shades paler than they already were. He hastily added, "Besides, the probability of us being able to find this exact clearing a second time would be pretty slim."
"Alright," Fi said after a few seconds, "I'll go first."
"No, Fi." Jack protested, "You don't know what's in there."
"Neither do you." Fi retorted, "And besides, I have magic. You don't."
"But, Fi, I'm your big brother. It's my job to protect you – "
"When did I say that I wanted your protection – "
"You know what, I'll go first." Irene snapped. No one had the courage to argue, but Molly and Fi moved behind Irene so that they could run in and back her up, if need be.
Irene stared at the still-glowing tree for a little while, mentally preparing herself for what might be on the other side. A small part of her was thinking of all the possibilities. What if Carey's not in there? Or what if he's there, but… She quickly shook her head to clear it of such outrageous thoughts. She looked back at Molly and Fi for reassurance. When they gave her relatively weak smiles, turned around, closed her eyes, and walked through the portal.
Once inside, in God-knows-where, Irene realized that closing her eyes was probably not the smartest thing to do. There could have been demons waiting for her, and it would have been very easy to kill her with one blow. Luckily, she didn't see any as she slowly opened her eyes. What she did see was a huge cave, much bigger than the clearing outside, made of dark earth (a typical hideout for a demon). She duly noted the sunken-in wall to her right, which displayed a 4-foot tall silver, two-tonged spear. But to her, that wasn't important. What was important was the jail cell on the opposite wall and who it contained. "Carey!" Irene shrieked, then ran the long distance to the cell in a matter of seconds.
The rest of the group came running through the tree once they heard her scream. Bypassing Bricriu, who had retreated into a dark corner, they surrounded Irene at the bars of the cage. Contrary to their belief, Carey was not half-dead. Granted, he had a few bruises, his clothes were torn, and he looked extremely tired. But he was not as bad as they all had originally thought – unconscious and barely breathing.
"Carey…you're…okay." Jack said, with a great amount of surprise. Then his cheeks turned red and he added, "Not that we're all not thrilled, I…we…just expected you to be - "
"Jack!" Carey pressed himself against the front of the cage and gripped the bars. "You're all in danger! Get out while you still can!"
"Honey, don't be ridiculous. We aren't going to leave you. Now stand back." Irene backed up a few steps, and motioned for the others to do the same. When Carey, slightly confused, moved to the side, Irene held up her hands. Fire slowly came out of them, coming together to form a ball.
Carey's eyes got really wide as he flattened himself against the side wall. "Mom, let's think about this for a second - "
"Shut up and let me concentrate." After a decent-sized fireball had been created, Irene shoved her hands forward. The ball shot through the thick, iron bars, narrowly missed Carey's head, and disappeared when it hit the back wall. There was now a massive hole in the middle of the gate, the edges of the bars black from the blast.
"Uh…thanks." Carey easily stepped out of the cell. He was greeted with a good amount of hugs from everyone, and his mother didn't want to seem to let him go. "Mom, too tight, too tight."
After Irene released him, Fi jumped into his arms. "I'm, so glad y-you're okay." Fi stuttered, her voice a whisper, her arms around his neck. "I-I wouldn't have been able to bear it if you had – " She cut herself off and took a deep breath. Finally she said, "I was really worried about you." With that, she gave him a long, passionate kiss on the lips. Embarrassed, she walked away, leaving a jubilant and bewildered Carey in her wake.
"You know, if I were you, I would have listened to the boy and left when I could." The group gasped, and turned around. The Protector was floating in the area where the scepter had been. He stretched from floor to ceiling, maybe some twenty or thirty-feet high. The demon was the same as before – a shadow, almost, all black, with three heads at the top. Only now he had nearly transparent, monstrous claws, with long, black nails at the ends of each of the five fingers. Clutched by the two hands was the spear, seemingly longer than before. His voice was even worse than Bricriu/demon's voice had been, a mixture of nails as big as his being scratched against a chalkboard and the sound of too-loud static on a TV.
He was about to say something, but instead of doing so looked to his far left. Bricriu nervously came forward, his feet shaking with each step. "Ah, my newest minion." If the Protector had a face, it would have been wearing an evil grin.
"'Minion'?" Rick asked, stepping closer to the possessed demon, disgust on his face. "I knew you couldn't be trusted."
Fi came to stand behind her father, equally disgusted but also feeling betrayed. "How could you do this to me?"
The smaller demon turned toward the two, his voice seemingly less menacing compared to the bigger demon near by. "I-I'm sorry, if I had a choice I wouldn't have. B-but h-he threatened to k-kill me if I didn't help get you here."
"So you endangered our lives to save your butt?" Fi shouted, "Typical!"
"I'm sorry, Little Duck."
"You're sorry? And don't call me Little Duck!"
"Shut Up!" The Protector roared. He pointed the spear towards Bricriu. "I've had enough of you and your wavering loyalty." The tongs of the spear glowed dark purple, and a purple laser beam shot out, striking Bricriu. The next thing anyone knew, he was gone, not even a pile of ashes left behind.
Fi gasped, then glared at the Protector. "Why did you do that?"
"Isn't it obvious? He failed to pledge all of his black heart to me. And more to the point, I didn't need him anymore." The Protector said simply. "Besides, I thought you hated him.
"I-I thought I did. I should…" Fi didn't get it. A minute ago, she had been screaming at Bricriu at the top of her lungs. I guess in a sense we are…were…friends. Well, maybe not friends, but we had some sort of weird relationship. It's not it matters now anyway. He's gone.
"Now, I must warn you, before our little therapy session goes any further…" As the Protector had been talking, he had waved his spear over his domain. Demons seemed to sprout from the ground. At least a hundred of them surrounded the eight terrified prisoners, clutching onto each other for dear life. "…my rates are killer." Fi tried her hardest to keep from rolling her eyes at the lameness of his words.
Rick stepped a few feet away from the group and stared down the Protector. Ignoring a "What the hell are you doing" from Molly, he shouted, "Leave them alone! They haven't done anything; they don't deserve this! It's me you really want. Just take me."
"Don't flatter yourself." The Protector sneered, a hint of amusement in his tone. "They - " The demon pointed the spear in the general direction of Fiona and Molly. "They are who I really want. You're just an added bonus." He stopped for a second, then said, "On that note, I think I'll collect my bonus now." Before Rick knew what was happening, demons had gripped his arms and legs.
"Dad! No!" Both Fi and Jack exclaimed at the same time, and everyone tried to run to his aid. However, around twenty large demons stepped in front of them, blocking their path.. Fi and Jack would have fought them, had not Ned, Clu, and Carey held them back.
Rick warned, "No, stay there! There's too many." The last thing he wanted was for them to be killed in vain.
The Protector gave a menacing laugh. "Aw, how sweet. You really are a family. Now where was I? Oh yes." He targeted the spear at the middle of Rick's chest, and fired the purple lightning beam. Instead of destroying him with one strike, however, Rick was lifted into the air, as if the spear was some sort of twisted magic wand. The Protector turned the spear in his hands, a deafening boom was heard, and Rick was gone. He turned toward the now-furious and grief-stricken group, and gave a single command to his demons. "Kill them."
Instantly, every one of the dozens of demons lunged at captives. They tried to fight their way to the cave entrance, but as more time went by, the door seemed to be farther and farther away. These demons were huge – not as huge as the Protector, but each had muscle and daggers. The worst part was that when you finally managed to kill one, two more appeared. "This is impossible!" Clu exclaimed.
"No, wait, we're almost to the door!" Jack shouted, and after a few seconds, both boys were safely outside.
"Dude, we made it!" Clu cried, and gave Jack a congratulatory pat on the back.
"We did, but everyone else didn't," Jack said with worry. He poked his head through the tree-shaped entrance. "Hold on, here comes your mom. At least, I think it's her. There's so much fire I can't tell."
"Yep, that's her." Clu laughed, "And Dad, and Carey, and Fi! Guys, over here!" The fire kept getting closer, and soon Ned, Irene, Carey, and Fi were stumbling through the opening and into the clearing.
They were about to run for their lives when Fi noticed something. "Wait! Where's mom?"
Ned stared at Clu and Jack. "I thought she was with you."
Getting a bad feeling in his stomach, Jack responded, "No, she wasn't.
Fi anxiously looked back through the tree. "Oh my God. She's trapped!"
Taking a deep breath, she declared, "I'm going in."
However, Irene stopped her. "Fi, you can't go in there alone. I'm going with you." Before the guys could protest, Irene told them, "You have to stay here. You might not be able to get out again."
"Oh, and you can?" Irene ignored Ned's question, and she and Fi disappeared into the cave.
At first, when Fi and Irene came out the other side, they weren't exactly sure where Molly was. The entire floor looked like a sea of black. Finally, they spotted her slumped up against the wall on the floor in a corner. "Mom, don't worry, we're coming!" Fi shouted above the noise. She instantly regretted those words when about a hundred pairs of eyes turned on her. "Oops."
Making their way over to Molly wasn't easy. They both were tired, and it seemed like the demons were getting stronger. When they were about halfway there when Molly regained consciousness. Somehow she noticed her rescuers, she barely managed to lift up her head and call, "No, Irene, Fi! Go back while you can! I'll be fine!"
"Are you insane?" Irene yelled, "We're coming to get you, and there's nothing you can do about it!"
Yet a half hour later, Fi and Irene found themselves in the clearing once again, each in worse condition than before. "We couldn't help her…there were so many…and we're not strong enough to…" Fi broke down into sobs before she could finish her sentence.
"It's ok, Fi." Jack put an arm around his sister's shoulders and gave her a hug. "We'll come back for her. I promise."
A/N: Ok, maybe not one of my best chapters. But it's seven pages long, that's gotta count for something. I promise the next chapter will come sooner. I already started working on it.
Next Chapter: Fi, Jack, and the Bell worry about how they are going to get Molly out of the Protector's clutches and how they would feel if they lost her. Then, a surprise visitor comes and gives them new hope. Hint: There is going to be one or two Charmed references in the next chapter. Can you find them?