Chapter Twenty Four

Wednesday 6:03 A.M.

"Harm so much as a hair on his head and they'll never find your pieces," Piper voiced, cold and harsh, even as one third of their Power of Three was already collapsing behind her in cold breath, and another third was rushing to her side.

Brett chuckled.

"Funny, seeing as how I'm in control of everything," he smiled. "'Cause...let's see. You try and kill me, and I'll kill him—" Brett paused as he took the time to twist Chris' left arm just a little more tightly. "—and if I kill him and you come after me, well...I'll have taken his magic by then and be more than strong enough to take you on..." he cooed, as he smiled smugly, in a sarcastic manner at Piper. "Gee, what are you going to do?"

Piper ground her teeth and both stared at each other for what seemed like the longest time, even as Piper's face clouded over every now and then with a show of emotion even Brett couldn't decipher.

Suddenly, Piper dropped to the floor—hands and knees first, so as not to hurt the baby—and rolled away, towards her sister, screaming, "Go for it!"

Distracted, Brett didn't realize his hold on Chris loosened just enough for Chris to orb away without taking Brett with him. He reappeared before Brett again and hit his chest squarely with a low-level Light Bomb, sending the smaller boy rolling to the center of the floor, sprawled and heavily panting.

Brett, literally, bounced back up and turned his body, arms crossed, ready to send another rain of jagged lights straight at Chris when a shadow moved in the corner of his eye. Brett turned viciously towards it and saw...Chris? He caught another movement and turned to see yet another Chris.

"Cute," he mumbled with a slight smirk. "What is this? Another attempt at a lame tactic?" he sneered. "Come on, Chris. I'm the king of illusions. This didn't work on me when we were kids, it sure as hell won't work on me now."

But when Chris answered him...Brett didn't hear it out loud. He heard it in his mind.

In triplicate.

Sorry, Brett, but this isn't an illusion, Chris "said." The one to the front of Brett lifted up his hand to Brett's face and a Light Bomb appeared, but before he could fire it, Brett jumped up and kicked that one's chest and used it as a supporting wall to propel himself backwards and kick the other two, before disappearing.

The Chris(s) eyes spread around wildly eyes looking for the slightest hint of an invisible presence before all three cocked their heads towards the center of the ceiling and looked up.

There! all three mentally screamed as they looked up just in time to avoid kicks to all three of their heads. They each orbed around Brett as he landed, forming a triangle and each raised his left hand forward, trapping Brett with their telekinesis, while their right hands glowed, a Light Bomb but extended to form a dome around where Brett was standing.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Piper screamed, "Yeah, yeah! Don't rush me!"

She linked her hands with Phoebe—who was still shivering on the floor—and Paige as the two began chanting.

Brett's eyes widened in horror.

Flashback

Wednesday 4:35 P.M.

"How do you know if that would even work?" Paige asked. "I mean, do we even really know what he's here for? 'Cause it would help us out more if we knew what he was after."

Piper snorted. "Hello? Yeah, you with the unfocusable eyes. Where the hell have you been? If you haven't noticed, the bad guy's kind of after my son."

Chris winced. "Can we not call him a bad guy..."

Piper's eyes narrowed. "Are you kidding me? He tried to kill you and still you're worried that he just might be a teeny weeny little bit...oh, I don't know...sociopathic?"

Chris scowled. "Brett's not crazy, Mom."

Piper sneered. "Oh, really? Yeah, I got three cuts and two scrapes that say otherwise, buddy."

Phoebe groaned. "This is getting us nowhere! The important thing is to know what he's after!"

Paige eyebrows furrowed. "Wait. Didn't Brett say he needed your help?" she asked Chris.

Chris froze.

"You saw that?"

Paige gave an apologetic smile.

Chris winced, but let it go, his eyes narrowing. "Yeah...so. He just kept saying that he wasn't strong enough to take Wyatt on his own," Chris shrugged, but his voice had a hard edge to it. "That's nothing new. No one can."

Phoebe got in step. "Yeah, but why would he need your help? I mean...your powers—as much as we've seen—are pretty much basic. How would that help Brett? I mean, he could've just picked up any ol' demon if he wanted back up."

Chris scoffed. "Oh, thanks."

Phoebe scowled. "You know what I mean."

Paige's eyebrows furrowed even more. "I get what she's saying," Paige nodded. "When Brett said he wanted to take you back...he mentioned something about light and dark, something about a third power..." she trailed off. "Do you know what he was talking about?"

Chris just waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "Don't worry about it. Mom used to tell us all the time that it was just a story. Brett and Matt were the only one whoever really believed."

"Still—" Phoebe began.

"Look, it's nothing." Chris said in final tone of voice, a little harsher than he intended, but he didn't apologize. "Just...let it go."

Phoebe nodded with wide eyes, but Paige just scowled a little bit more.

"He said that..." she started but trailed off. "Brett said that your powers were...bound," she stated uncertainly. "If that's true, then...then maybe that's what he came here for: an actual power boost..." she said as she trailed off. "He wouldn't even need you alive, he'd just need...your powers..." she trailed off, but then shook her head in confusion. "But, why would your powers be..."

Chris looked like he was about to be sick as his mouth opened and closed in nervousness, but Piper stepped in before anyone could notice.

"Look, it doesn't matter how or why Chris' powers were bound. All that matter is that they were," she said gruffly, turning to Chris and greeting him with warm brown eyes. "Do you think his potion would work? The one to free your powers?"

Chris glance was steely. "No doubt."

Piper nodded. "Do you have still have one?"

Chris nodded, pulling a vial out of his pocket.. "Yeah. Right here."

Paige thought out loud. "If it's true, if you're supposed to be stronger than Matt, or at least equal to him, then..." she trailed off. "We might actually have a chance at winning this thing."

Phoebe sighed. "Yeah, that's fine for now, but what about after?" she asked as she looked at the other three people in the room. "I mean, we can't send him back, and we sure as hell expect him to stay here, not with all the emotional baggage he's carrying. Realistically, we don't even know what his problems are, let alone ways of finding them out."

The room settled in silence.

Chris eyes darkened and his tone was low and dangerous.

"There's a way."

"NO!!!" Brett screamed as a barrier erected from around him, pushing on the Chris(s) barriers and telekinetic holds, throwing all three out to the separate walls behind them.

But he was too late.

"By sacred right and holy mark,

We ask for guidance and chance to see.

Light mind's fire and dispel its dark,

And force the sight of memories!"

Okay, I know that this chapter kind of sucked, but I wanted to finish it.

Yes, cloning is one of Chris' powers...after he unbinds them...(don't worry...I know how to explain the Charmed Ones' Kids' pasts that won't make them look quite as dorky...or lifeless) so I will explain.

Shout outs: ravenuk01 (I'd never kill Chris!) and CalfiforniaChick.

Hope you don't hate.

Thanks

Devil's Archangel.