Yellow, cream and spots of orange, she lent down over the gutter throwing her stomach down the drain. The memories of horror filled with pain were too much, she had her own nightmares and now had to face with Chris's too.

Her body rested against the damp stone wall, the darkness her only company, 'how could he keep all to himself' she thought, all the mutilation; the destruction and fear, 'how did he keep himself together' all valid questions.

Chris lived in fear, and had done since she died, since his father was a no show, since Wyatt day by day became crazed with power and domination, since Matthew need someone to look out for him, since Bianca needed help from her dark side, since he was demonic enemy number one, since he had to protect all Whitelighters from the Titans, then Sauron, then Wyatt, his own brother.

There is only so much one man could take and Chris was at his limit, thankfully Piper only had the memory not the experience, she could cope, to be strong from him.

"Would you request my leave?" asked Gandalf entering from the corner behind Piper, she turned back to face him, rising from the floor and standing to attention.

"No, please, I could do with the company," she replied, her eyes fixed on his and asked the question she dreaded, "How is he?"

"There is no strength left in him, no counsel nor magic will bring him back, I fear the worst," he took up a seat on the railing opposite her, pulling on Glamdring for a clear seating, "Only in time can we tell. And what of you?"

"I think I could do with some counsel," Piper answered with a broken smile, "He was my son," the astonishment and shock still had not yet settled in, she played along when he was talking to her but it felt too weird, "he is my son, and I failed him,"

"You failed him not, you fought long and hard with all the strength you could muster and till your dying you fought for him, no ill deed have you done,"

"Then why have I lost him,"

"You know why," not an answer but why ask question to thing you already know, "He unleashed darkness and despair and now your son is paying for crime committed by the Dark Lord, he is a victim and we all are,"

"What can we do, he don't have an army we just a few,"

"There are those who will be willing to fight,"

"Aragorn must be heart broken, his world his kingdom, he worked so hard to unite everyone but we fell shattered and lead by the wrong people,"

"He left this land in the hand of his son and for as long as I recall he held his fathers legacy,"

"God I wish I could back then, things seemed so much simpler,"

"They were, and I gave thanks every day that the few corruption of Mordor hadn't spilt to the Shire,"

"Hobbits; they were the only innocent ones,"

"Unfortunately the greatest among them have not the strength themselves to fight along side use, the Ring destructions run deep into the heart then many know."

-x-

"No way!" shocked out of every ability to comprehend what Paige just told her Phoebe panicked, working through all her thoughts and the shock of the Paige Arwen and Eowyn all at the same time while they sat in their gossip circle.

"How could this be?" asked Eowyn, magic was never her strong point, as the Shield Maiden of Rohan and Lady of Minas Ithil her place was beside the warriors and beside her groom.

"There a craft among the most powerful of sorcerer's," came a whispers from Arwen, "Where man doesn't simple travel leagues of land but forth the hours of time,"

"Time travel," Phoebe shedding some light on the concepts, she explained how folds in space time can open doorways not in places in the world but different point in time, a difficult and complex procedure, some which she agreed only the most powerful of being can conjure. Speculation, nothing else, none knew the great power that this child had once wielded but he wielded it well, there was great power within Chris and hopefully till the final hour it will prove it's worth. Pointless as conversation had become about the magic and diversity of uses it was a calm peaceful topic that calmed their troubled hearts which grew weary of war and despair.

-x-

"What thoughts trouble you?" Legolas asked, with wood and blade and the get skill of the Eldar he forged his own breed of arrows, to replenish that which he lost in battle, strong and sleek they would skew the heart of a troll. Aragorn sat still against the wall shrouded in darkness, his pipe his own companion in the misery, and from the deep dark and wisp of smoke.

"There are armies, warriors of men which hold the greatest weapons and strongest soldiers, ten of millions armed to the teeth and as they are so well equipped they are so well divided." He angry and frustration grew with the hours of contemplation, weak had the dominion of men become for no one leader held all their loyalty. He left for the undying land, for the green fields of Valinor leaving Gondor in the hands of the capable and wise warrior and king of Minas Tirith Eldarion. The son of Aragorn and Arwen. "How did it come to this, where men fight among themselves and land and riches where their desires, where the blood on their hands where their own brothers and never did they care for it, where is the teachings of the Arda and the wisdom of the Eldar, the craft of the Dwarfs and the spirit of the Adan. What dark floods washed away the glory of the old kingdom?"

"I don't care much for the old kingdom," interrupted Piper making her presence known as she entered the room, all heads turned to her and silence, "This kingdom needs saving and who knows it might give us the opportunity to do something right with it," her hands confident and perched on her hips as she paced through the crowd, "for six year we have helped so many people, we did them a favour, it's time to ask for one in return, there are only, what? 20 of us? Call in all our favours round up anyone and anything that is loyal to us. Mordor may have declared war with us, but it's ends now, the Great Eye better watch out, cos we're coming with a vengeance, Cry Havoc!"