Chapter Five

The sisters and Leo had scarcely begun their interrogation of Merlin and Penka; mostly, they had again been subjected to Penka's demands for money and protection. The demon's face had fallen with disappointment and relief when he spotted Chris and Wyatt down the hall.

The two boys stopped in their tracks as Piper stormed toward them, the others following behind.

Chris could find no voice. He had agreed to keep everything a secret, but he couldn't get away with lying to Mom. It was impossible. He did the only thing he could do: He looked to Wyatt. Fortunately, so did everyone else.

"We were out —" Wyatt started.

"Don't even try to lie to me, Mister," Piper cut him off. "We've got a demon here who claimed to know where you were, and apparently you" — Chris jumped as she turned to him — "summoned it, and you," she said, returning to Wyatt, "should have been looking out for him, and oh my God, is that blood on your shirt?"

"It's not mine," Wyatt answered. "And it wasn't even a fatal wound. We were attacked."

"This is supposed to make me feel better? Who or what was it?"

"Some girl. A witch, I think."

"Ah," Penka said. "That's probably why I couldn't read her."

"That's what you knew?" Paige asked the demon. "That someone had attacked them?"

"I knew that someone was planning on it … Hey! I'm not telling you anything until —"

"Penka," Merlin interrupted. "I will guarantee your safety, but you are getting nothing else from these people. You're agreed he can go free?" he asked the Halliwells. After the grudging nods, Merlin said to the demon, "So tell them what you know."

Penka looked put-upon, but complied. "I saw what I thought were two demons ending a conversation, but I could only read one of them, so the other must have been the witch. I just caught a little bit before the demon split, but they had been talking about this plan to kill the Charmed One's son, and the demon was thinking about how that was impossible, 'cause Wyatt's in the Underworld all the time and no one ever hurts him. He just vanquishes some demons and everyone else gets out of his way …"

"Excuse me?" It was Phoebe who spoke.

"You don't know about …" Penka stopped, finally noticing the glare from the older Halliwell boy. "Sorry," he squeaked.

"You've been going to the Underworld," Phoebe said to Wyatt, "and that's why Leo hasn't been able to sense you."

"Yes, he can," Wyatt said indignantly. "I'm not down there twenty-four hours a day!"

A voice of studied detachment intruded: "May I ask what's going on here?"

"Gideon," Leo greeted his mentor.

The headmaster seemed to skirt the edge of the group to avoid Wyatt as he walked to Leo, who seemed hesitant to explain. "I must admit," Gideon said, "I heard the last part of the conversation. Have you encouraged these activities?" The question was directed at Merlin.

"Excursions to the Underworld? I wasn't even aware," Merlin replied mildly.

Phoebe inwardly cringed at the hostility she felt from the Elder, despite his aloof demeanor. She sensed fear as well, but she wasn't sure if it was Merlin provoking that. The wizard, on the other hand, was as usual damn impossible to divine his feelings and …

Her train of thought was halted when she noticed Penka, whose gaze was darting between the Elder and Merlin with confusion, until his eyes widened with dawning realization.

"Oh!" he blurted out, and stared with consternation at Gideon. He looked away almost as quickly — trying to look anywhere else, in fact, and he caught Phoebe's eye. He gave her an apprehensive grimace and Phoebe couldn't help but respond with a sympathetic shrug and half-smile. She didn't know what he had read, but she knew what it felt like to get more information than you wanted.

Gideon, meanwhile, said, looking at Penka, "Who is that?"

Piper gave no one a chance to respond. "Look, it doesn't matter. We've got all we're getting out of him, haven't we?" Penka nodded vigorously as she continued, "The boys are safe. And I'm sorry we came here and disrupted your school, but this is a family matter, Gideon."

"Leo," Gideon said, "I'm concerned …"

"I know," Leo said as he held out a quieting hand towards his older son, who seemed on the verge of an explosion. "But Piper's right. It's our responsibility, no one else's."

"I think," Piper said to her sisters, "that dinner is canceled. Paige, can you take Phoebe home?"

"Sure," Paige said.

"You know," Piper said to her sons, "that we're not finished with this. So — home. Now. To the living room."

Parents and children orbed away, leaving the aunts with Gideon, Merlin, and a cowering Penka.

"I must say," Gideon said, "this is troubling."

Gideon was still calm by all outward signs, but Phoebe again felt that fear from him. She herself feared for her nephew — for his safety, for his emotional well-being, and yes, what he could inadvertently do to others. But like hell this Elder had the right to fear Wyatt himself, and though sensing the emotions of any Elder was always a hazy exercise, she was near certain this was what she was getting from Gideon.

"I know it's not the wisest thing Wyatt could have done," she said sharply, "but guess what, he's fifteen. Kids do stupid things, and I ought to know."

"But repeated visits to the Underworld — I fear it may be a sign of …"

"Of what?"

"Of more profound problems."

"He's been vanquishing demons, and pretty successfully, right?" Paige said. "Isn't that what you Elders want?"

"I understand that you want to defend your nephew, but you are also a teacher at this school, Paige, and you have a responsibility to protect your students as well."

"From Wyatt?"

"It's dangerous to have exposure to that kind of darkness, especially at his age. And especially considering what he went through — we don't know what kind of latent influence that might have had on his mind."

"I've heard enough," Phoebe declared. Gideon's mind had by now effectively shut her out, which left her with the demon Penka, whose agitation had been growing throughout the argument and was by now screaming in her head.

"Merlin," she said, "can you get Penka out of here? There's no reason to keep him, is there?"

"No," Penka said gratefully. "I've told you all I know."

"Find out more," Merlin said.

Penka groaned. "What?"

"Report back to me if you learn anything new." Merlin waved his hand and the demon vanished. "I'll let you know what I find out," the wizard assured the sisters, pointedly ignoring Gideon, before he disappeared into his office, shutting the door behind him.

Feeling lightheaded and with her arm in increasing pain, Wyatt's erstwhile pursuer had shimmered directly to her bedroom at home. She didn't want to talk to her mother yet, but her wound needed cleaning and she didn't keep first aid supplies in her bedroom. Maybe from now on I ought to, she thought. You never know.

For now she had no choice but to sneak across the hall to the bathroom. She turned the water on low and began to dab gently at the scratches with a washcloth.

Her stealth was no use. Within a minute there was a knock at the door.

"Bianca? Why are you home so soon? What happened?"

The girl wanted to reply to her mother, snap back with something along the lines of "Leave me alone," but she found herself voiceless. Her throat felt constricted and the bright white bathroom was dimming before her eyes …

She fell to the floor, knocking down the first aid box in a noisy clatter as her mother, in sudden alarm, pushed open the door.

In the living room of the Halliwell Manor, it was Piper who started in with the boys. "In case we haven't made it clear," she said, enunciating every word, "let me make it clear now: It is not acceptable for you to go to the Underworld, under any circumstances."

"Especially not on a regular basis," Leo added, his voice subdued.

This was a new wrinkle. Chris was guessing that he might come off easily in this situation if his parents focused on what Penka had let slip about Wyatt.

The older boy did not respond to his father's comment, and merely said, "Merlin told me he heard a rumor that someone was after me. He didn't think it was that serious, so I didn't, but I went down there to check it out."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Leo asked.

Piper added, "Why didn't Merlin tell us?"

"Because I asked him not to! I didn't think it was a big deal —"

"Someone attacking you is a big deal, Wyatt," his father said.

"I didn't think I would be attacked. And we don't even know what that girl was really up to. She was hardly some professional assassin. She couldn't even hurt Chris."

"And that's another thing," Piper broke in. "You brought your little brother along?"

"I didn't bring him along – he just showed up!"

Despite the fact he knew it was better not to draw attention to himself, Chris interjected, "He didn't make me come along. I wanted to help."

Not taking his eyes off Wyatt, Leo said, "Chris, I think I need to talk to Wyatt alone."

"What are you trying to protect him from?" Wyatt scoffed. "Me?"

Leo looked not accusatory, but pained as he said, "Do I need to?"

A moment of stunned silence from mother and sons followed, and Chris felt suddenly cold. A moan escaped in a voice that was barely a whisper: "No…" It was unheard as Leo and Wyatt began speaking simultaneously.

"I'm sorry …"

"I can't believe you just said that. I saved his ass down there. I didn't invite him along, but I did save his life, because he couldn't think to use his powers to save his own. You want to worry about someone, worry about him. It's not safe being a member of this family, and left to his own devices … he would have been dead if not for me."

"He wouldn't have been in danger if he hadn't been following your example," Leo said.

"Tell him to stop following me then."

Piper cut in, her voice strained. "We don't need to worry about that, because you are not going to the Underworld again. And neither are you, Chris. Do I make myself clear?"

Both boys nodded, and Chris wondered how sincere Wyatt's grim assent was, but his mother seemed to accept it. Not that she has a choice, an unbidden thought told Chris.

"Fine," she was saying. "I'm going to go to the kitchen and try to resurrect dinner. I want you all in the dining room in a half an hour." And she left.

Leo said, "Chris, why don't you go help your mother."

There was no point in arguing: His father wanted him out of the room. Chris heaved himself off the couch morosely, and left without even the glance of sympathy he might usually have thrown his brother's way.

Wyatt waited. But instead of further accusations, Leo only closed his eyes, his fingers pressed to his temples as if in pain. When he opened his eyes again, he said only one word.

"Why?"

Wyatt's reply was uncharacteristically small. "I don't know."

Leo nodded slightly and gazed at the ceiling for a moment before looking his son in the eye again. "It's not … good, Wyatt."

"I vanquish demons there."

"I realize that. But will you please just stop … can you stop?"

"Can I? Of course."

"Then will you? For our peace of mind. For your own peace of mind."

For my peace of mind. He has no idea what's good for my peace of mind …

"I already told Mom I'd stop," Wyatt said aloud. "I meant it."

"Okay. Thanks. Why don't you go change — clean up — for your mom's dinner?"

There was the gentle voice that Wyatt couldn't countenance. Leo wouldn't yell, wouldn't even act disappointed. Just saddened. And Wyatt was unable to argue with that voice, unable to shoot it down. It was all he could do to convince himself that his father was wrong.

It felt like flight when Wyatt retreated to his room.

Chris hovered outside the kitchen door, watching his mother fight back tears as she fiercely banged pots and utensils while trying to revive the half-cooked meal. He awkwardly announced his presence: "I'm sorry. Are you really mad at me?"

"Yes. Yes, I am, Chris. Your father and I work hard to keep you safe, to stop the demons and danger from touching your lives, and you two go and seek it out!"

"I was trying to help Wyatt," he said for what felt like the thousandth time.

"And that's where you should have come to us and let us deal with it. That's our job — we're your parents. You're too young. You both are."

"Okay," Chris sighed. "Can I help with dinner?"

Piper softened a little. "You can cut up the vegetables for the salad."

They worked in silence, and Chris brooded over all that had gone wrong. He was vividly reliving one moment: the girl, the athame, and his utter failure to defend himself.

Chris's own powers were so limited compared to his older brother's. But Mom had told him about Aunt Prue, and Grams, and how proud Chris should be to share their power of telekinesis. That was special, she said, and it was his. He had met Grams and Aunt Prue a few times. They could both be a little intimidating, but Prue was kind, not mocking, when he was moody or tongue-tied in her presence.

And Grams … Grams was always intimidating. But when they had told her that Chris could use telekinesis, she had said, "My darling boy. You see, I knew he would take after me." She had never made any such prediction that Chris knew of, but now she stated it as inarguable fact. She would ask how his control of the power was coming along, and would tell him, "You are going to do great things." She could make him believe it. He would live up to that somehow.

But the first time he was put to the test in a life-or-death situation, he had choked. He had let Grams down, let Aunt Prue down.

He did not feel his mother's eye on him, taking in his gloomy expression as he chopped vegetables and carelessly threw them into the salad bowl. So it seemed out of the blue when she asked conversationally:

"Have I ever told you about when I first got the power to blow things up?"

"No."

"I had no control over it at all," she said. "I was scared to death. I was blowing up furniture, fruit, random appliances — you name it. I was terrified I would blow up your dad — and if he had given me one more of his "It'll all work out; you'll get a handle on it" speeches, I just might have on purpose." Chris laughed in spite of himself, and she continued, "But he was right. It takes time to learn to use any power, let alone while you're under attack, needing to think on your feet. Now you, of course, need to stay out of those situations — I mean it, Chris. But the control will come when it's necessary. When you're older. Got it?"

"I got it, Mom." He couldn't completely forgive himself, but his heart felt a little lighter. Light enough to remember something good: "Hey! Guess what I did: I sensed where Wyatt was and was able to go right to him."

"Sweetie, that's wonderful! Now that's a terrific power to have. Did you tell your dad?"

Chris ignored the question. "Hold on," he said, and closed his eyes and aimed for Phoebe. "Oh! Aunt Phoebe's home. And … Aunt Paige is back at Magic School, in her office."

"That's good to know," Piper said wryly. "But you can work on sensing the location of every relative, friend and distant acquaintance after dinner. Come on, help me set the table."

Author's Note: Just one more chapter to go. I'm pretty sure. And a belated thanks to my reviewers AutumnAngel and, especially, Bluley for the insight and good questions, and, of course, Mark (though he has bowed out for this story at least)!