"What the hell happened?" Paige uttered in dismay as she followed Phoebe into the boys' room and saw blood dripping from the railing of Chris's crib. His yellow blanket, barely hanging over the edge of the railing, seemed soaked with it. "Omigod…"
Phoebe knelt by Piper who sat on the floor rocking back-and-forth with a screaming Wyatt. As Paige lifted Wyatt from Piper's arms, Phoebe quickly hugged Piper when Piper shrieked with alarm. "It's okay," she soothed, "it's okay. Paige has Wyatt. He's safe. Shhhh…."
"My baby's gone…" Piper broke down in her sister's arms. "Oh God, Phoebe, my baby's gone…"
Paige tried to calm her nephew but he was as distraught as Piper. "What happened, Piper? Did you see it? Can you tell us?"
Cocooned in the warmth and security of her sister's arms, Piper's sobs eased and, after a few moments, she stopped Phoebe from stroking her hair and peeked at Paige. She lifted her head from Phoebe's shoulder and stared at her son who had finally quieted down in his aunt's arms. She glanced back at Phoebe.
"I might've sent an extra dose of love his way to help calm him," Phoebe admitted, grateful she still had enough of her empathic ability to at least do that much.
"He can never have too much love," Paige quietly agreed while she continued to gently rock and caress Wyatt. "I think seeing Mommy so upset made whatever happened here worse."
"I wasn't here," Piper shamefully whispered. "Chris was napping and Wyatt was playing so I figured I had time to throw another load into the wash." She closed her eyes and tried to take some more strength from her sister's comforting embrace. But, instead, she sat up straight and cleared her throat. "I had the monitor with me but I didn't hear anything unusual until I'd just finished folding it all. That's when I heard the voices."
"What kind of voices?" Phoebe wondered.
"Didn't hear them well," Piper shrugged, "was sorta like the low buzz of a TV. I barely made it into the kitchen when I heard Wyatt scream. I think I flew the rest of the way and then I found…I found…"
Phoebe pulled Piper close when Piper began to cry again. "We'll find Chris, I promise. Paige, why don't you take Wyatt and Piper into her room?" She nudged Piper away, "Go on, sweetie, I'll be there in a minute."
"Why isn't Leo here?" Piper sniffled. "I called for him, I yelled for him. Why isn't he here? Doesn't he know? Couldn't he feel his own son being…being…"
As Phoebe dried Piper's tears, Paige suggested, "Maybe it's the Avatars."
"Paige…" Phoebe warned.
"What I mean is," Paige quickly explained, "maybe being an Avatar's messed with his senses or something."
"It's never been a problem for him," Piper argued as she allowed Phoebe to help her stand, "not unless either of us was in the Underworld." Wyatt reached for her but she felt too shaky to trust herself to hold him. Instead, she nuzzled his cheek before she leaned against Paige and walked slowly into the hallway towards her room.
Alone, Phoebe reluctantly turned back to the crib. Reaching out with trembling fingers, she hadn't even touched the bloody blanket when she was hit by a brief vision. "Paige! C'mere!"
Paige orbed into the room in time to see Phoebe sink into the rocking chair and place her head between her knees. Paige hurried to her older sister and asked in concern, "Are you okay? Was it a premonition?"
"Wyatt killed him," Phoebe whispered as she slowly lifted her head.
"Chris?" Paige uttered in shock. "No, it can't b--"
"Not Chris," Phoebe quickly interrupted. She took a deep breath to calm herself before she panicked Paige again. She gazed at her sister and explained, "Three demons attacked. Human forms that bleed red so they're upper level."
"I thought we'd protected this room," Paige shook her head. "What good's that spell if the boys aren't safe?"
"I'll work on a Power of Three one," Phoebe promised. "I meant the blood's not Chris's."
"Then whose?"
"Demon," she wearily stated. If anything happened to Chris that they could've prevented by having had accepted the Avatars earlier, she'd never forgive herself. Would the deadly cycle of demonic attacks ever end? Was Leo right that they'd never have peaceful lives unless the demons were wiped out?
"Pheebs?"
"Sorry," she sighed. "I saw Wyatt wandering in here to find a demon standing by the crib holding Chris. The other two were right behind." Phoebe closed her eyes, seeing it all again and wishing she didn't, "One of the two shot a fireball at Wyatt but it was absorbed by his protective shield. And then the demon holding Chris threw an athame at Wyatt but Wyatt deflected it back at him with…with enough force to nearly decapitate him. God, it was still stuck in his neck as the blood poured out."
Shocked that her barely-two-year-old nephew could wield such violent power, Paige asked, "What about Chris?"
"He fell from the demon's hands as it died but he was caught by the next closest demon who shimmered out just as Wyatt's shield absorbed another fireball from the last demon." Phoebe slowly stood, "Wyatt exploded that demon and then blew up the body of the dead one." She gazed at Paige, "The look on Wyatt's face, the rage. He's barely past being a toddler, Paige, but he knew…he knew what he did and he was happy he did it. I have to see him, reach him, somehow."
"They were sitting on her bed and Piper was gonna to read to him. Maybe we should perform a forgetful spell on him," Paige worried. "He's too little to be burdened with all this evil."
"Maybe," Phoebe agreed. "It scares me, Paige, to see him like that. What if this was the event that big Chris was trying to prevent? What if this's what scars Wyatt emotionally and changes him? What if it's already too late for us to help him?"
Paige patted Phoebe's arm, "We'll make sure it's not too late. We're gonna find Chris and shower both little boy with so much love and attention, Wyatt won't ever remember what happened here today."
Phoebe scanned the room and a shiver ran down her spine. "I think I'll perform one of the little rituals to cleanse the evil from this room."
"Good idea," Paige nodded. "Meanwhile, I'm gonna start scrying for the demon," Paige announced as she picked up the bloody blanket with two fingers and held it as far from her as possible. "I'll be in the attic," she added as she left the room.
"I'll be up soon to look through the Book," Phoebe nodded. "The demons seemed to be dressed in black leather but were definitely sleeveless so I could see the tattoos on their biceps. Weird squiggly things. Might help identify them."
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Paige dropped the crystal on the map in frustration. "Still nothing. What about you, Pheebs?"
Phoebe looked up from the Book and glanced at Piper who sat quietly on the sofa, arms wrapped tightly around a sleeping Wyatt. "I've been through the indexed sections on upper-level demons, fireball-throwing demons, and leather-clad ones but nothing yet. I'll try the tattoo section next."
Piper's eyebrows wrinkled as she questioned her sisters, "Who indexed the Book by fashion?" When both stammered, she shook her head and nearly smiled, "Never mind…Maybe we should try calling for Chris again."
Paige suggested, "Maybe if we have Wyatt hel--"
"No!" Piper sharply interrupted. When Wyatt stirred in her arms she closed her eyes and took a deep cleansing breath before telling her sisters, "Wyatt's been through too much already. We'll try again on our own."
But, just as Paige and Phoebe approached Piper to perform the spell, Leo orbed into the room. His shirt was ripped at his upper-left shoulder and scorched on his right sleeve. His hair was mussed and he had a dark smudge on his right cheek.
"What happened to you?" Paige asked as she watched him kneel before Piper and Wyatt.
Leo gingerly ran his fingers through Wyatt's soft hair and slowly met Piper's gaze. "I thought I could find the demons."
"Did you?" she asked, not yet willing to forgive his absence when she'd called earlier.
"No," he replied, "even if there are five less Krindling demons roaming the Underworld now." Wyatt stirred and Leo couldn't help but smile at the sleepy expression his son gave him. "Hey, buddy…"
"Make him forget, Leo," Piper demanded, unwilling to relinquish her squirming son even to his father.
"Piper…"
"Screw the rules," she snapped above Wyatt's whining. "You've used the dust for total strangers. We're talking about your son, Leo," Now, she practically shoved Wyatt at Leo and watched as the golden dust was sprinkled over Wyatt's head. If the situation hadn't been so deadly, she might've smiled at the way her baby boy giggled and sneezed and tried catching the dust with his tongue. Her baby boy….Chris...
"That's right, Wyatt," Leo encouraged as his son's eyelids began to droop, "it's naptime. You're safe. We'll find Chris. Mommy and I will protect you, both of you."
"They're not safe, they'll never be safe, not while demons still exist. You can't promise that," Piper croaked as tears stung her eyes, "not anymore."
"Perhaps we can…"
Piper looked up to see the Avatar leader standing in the attic and quickly pulled Wyatt back into her arms. She began to gently rock him to prevent his fully waking. "With all that talk of seeing the future, you couldn't warn us that my sons were in danger?"
"It is not our place to become involved in the day-to-day aspects of mortal living," he apologized.
"So not the way to get us on your side, pal," Phoebe retorted.
"And yet," he acknowledged, "I am here to offer assistance. Zankou's release was unexpected and you will need all available resources to defeat him and his legions."
"We've defeated the Source twice before," Phoebe stated. "Are you saying Zankou is even more powerful? That we won't be able to defeat him?"
When the Avatar nodded, Paige warily asked, "So what kind of help are you offering? What's the catch?"
Piper gazed down at her son and quietly wondered, "Does it even matter if my sons are in danger?" She looked at her youngest sister and wiped away a tear that escaped down her cheek, "I'll do anything to save them, Paige. Anything."
Still suspicious of the offer, Phoebe watched the Avatar's reaction, "This could still be part of some elaborate plan of yours to gain, I don't know, power over the world…"
"I apologize for not having had the sufficient time to work with you and earn your trust but, I assure you, the danger is grave and Zankou must be defeated." He focused on Leo, "You have witnessed the power of altering reality and manipulating time. You know that what affects you affects us all." Leo nodded so he continued, "You are being given a chance, a choice, actually. Seek out one, and only one, to help you in your quest to find your son and defeat Zankou. The consequences of your choice, of your actions, will ripple throughout the entire order and this current reality. You must understand, what you do cannot be undone. There will be no second chances this time. Choose wisely, Leo."
"And may the Force be with you too," Paige muttered when the Avatar immediately disappeared.
Kissing the top of Wyatt's soft hair, Piper added, "How the hell do we choose wisely when we don't know what we're up against?"
"This's gonna be just as bad as getting rid of Cole," Paige muttered.
Phoebe shot her younger sister an angry look but placed her hand on Piper's shoulder, gave it an encouraging squeeze, and suggested, "I'm thinking Grams. No one messes with Grams or her family and lives to tell about it."
As Piper perked up with a smile, Paige glanced from one sister to the next and almost couldn't find her voice to ask, "What about…um, Prue?"
Phoebe quickly hugged Paige, "Prue's a great choice. Thank you, honey."
Paige returned the hug and shrugged, "I know I've never been able to replace her and maybe if she was h--"
"Prue was one-of-a-kind," Piper interrupted, "but so are you, Paige. You're our sister and we love you."
"And we're so happy we found you," Phoebe added, "or you found us…whatever, we're family and that's that."
Paige smiled gratefully and stepped out of Phoebe's embrace, "So, wha'd'ya think? Power of Four?"
Phoebe turned back to Piper and grinned, "Sounds a helluva lot more powerful than Power of Three."
"Poor Prue won't know what hit her with two baby sisters around to steal her jewelry," Piper teased.
"Hey," Phoebe sniffed, "I never stole. I borrowed."
"Without returning," Piper chuckled before nodding to Leo. "Okay, Prue it is. Do you need a spell or can you just call for her?"
"No," Leo shook his head.
"Okay then," Phoebe nodded, "do you need anything for a potion? Just tell us how to help and we will."
Leo looked at them all with discomfort. Their bantering had been welcome relief from the pain over Chris's kidnapping but his decision was about to ground them back to harsh reality.
Piper recognized the signs in Leo's demeanor. He had bad news to share. "Is it Chris? You have to tell me."
"Not Chris…I'm sorry, Piper," he somberly apologized, "but Prue can't help. Not with this."
Piper waved away his comment, "Sure she can. You know Prue was the strongest of us. With her back, Zankou won't stand a snowball's chance…"
"Prue was powerful but she also had that Halliwell pride which tended to get in the way of her seeing things clearly," he quietly said. "I know you all miss her but I haven't chosen Prue."
Paige's gaze narrowed as she stared intently at him, "You haven't chosen?"
"The choice is mine, Paige," he answered simply, "and mine alone."
Paige clenched her mouth, "And we're left to suffer the consequences? Dammit, ever since the Avatars --"
"Leo," Piper intervened, "we're talking about our son. This should be a mutual decision."
"I'm sorry, Piper," he repeated. He reached out to her but she jerked away. Nodding grimly, he added, "I'll be back soon. Continue scrying but don't go after the demons until I get back. I mean it."
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Paige slapped her hand down on the crystal, "Got 'em!"
Phoebe hurried over and glanced over Paige's shoulder at the map to see where Paige was pointing, "That's P3!"
"Strange, huh," she acknowledged, "that they didn't show up earlier. Anyone in yet, Piper, or do we have the place to ourselves?"
Piper tucked a blanket around Wyatt who lay sleeping in the playpen and she stood straight before checking at her watch. "We'll have a couple of hours. Hopefully, we'll be finished cleaning up long before anyone comes in. Phoebe, stay here with Wyatt while Paige and I go there and take care of the demon."
Phoebe frowned, "Leo said to stay here 'til he got back."
"He's been gone for forty minutes and I'm not waiting another forty to get my son!" Piper quickly checked Wyatt and exhaled in relief that he hadn't woken from her outburst.
"Why don't we drop off Wyatt at Magic School so we can all go?" Phoebe suggested. "We might need the Power of Three."
"I don't want Wyatt left alone," Piper disagreed. "This's our power center and you'll be here with him."
"What if I called Kyle and asked him to watch Wyatt? That way we can all go and Wyatt'll still be safe," Paige compromised. Acknowledging Phoebe's outraged gasp, she said, "Look, Wyatt's never sensed he was evil before and we know he can touch the Book."
"That doesn't mean he's got an open invitation to visit it," Phoebe glared. "And now isn't the time to be convincing us of Kyle."
"But you're so convinced the Avatar's here to help?" Paige countered. "You're the one who said it could still be a setup. How d'you know Leo hasn't been tricked into choosing someone that'll make Zankou even more powerful? Or that it isn't a trap to get one of us? Or all of us? Kyle's got a vanquish and isn't afraid of using it."
"Exactly," Phoebe declared. "I don't want Wyatt caught in the crossfire if Kyle starts up with the Avatars. What if Leo co--"
"Enough!" Piper seethed. "Right now, I don't give a damn about Kyle Brody, the Avatars, or Zankou! I just want my son back!"
"Then by all means, let's get him back."
The sisters spun at the sound of the voice from their past.
He was disheveled and looked both exhausted and furious but Phoebe's heart still skipped a beat as she whispered his name, "Cole…"
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