CHAPTER X: "Digging through layers."

Underworld.

Leo orbed himself to the underworld and did his best to sense his son; still, he was unable to do it. He could feel his heart beating so fast and loudly, he was sure the demons in the underworld will soon hear it and find him! He was panicking, he didn't want to tell Piper nor the rest of the family, but he was seriously panicking thinking that something might have happened to Chris.

"Come on, he's been in our lives for so little…please I don't know what I would do if they take him away from me again." Leo thought with glassy eyes.

Then he made up his mind, he wasn't leaving until he knew where Chris was. He sniffed once, swallowing all his tears and walked to the first demon he saw; willing to torture him until he got some information.

Leo spent the next hours torturing demons for information; he didn't stop until he gathered all he could about the whereabouts of his son.

"I don't know if I made myself clear." Leo repeated to the hundredth demon he had been pushing for information. "I am looking for my son, 6"1', skinny, brown hair, green eyes, whitelighter…TELL ME ALL YOU KNOW." He said choking him with one hand against the wall.

"They say there is a new power roaming in the underworld… someone wants to organize the underworld and take over the world." The demon sputtered in fear.

"Tell me something all the other demons I killed didn't tell me before, something that will be worth sparing your life for!"

"I know Chris! I am one of his informants!" He pleaded.

Something in Leo shook when he heard his son's name, but he didn't show it.

"Even better… so tell me how I can find MY SON!" Leo said threatening.

"The rumor is that this new source came from the future, with his wife and another demon! That they came searching for something they needed to conquer the world" The demon gulped in fear.

"And?" Leo roared.

"And that the first thing that he did was locking his wife in some protected chambers, that can't be found and nobody but him can get in or out of them! Apparently, she doesn't support his cause!" He smirked, teasingly, but Leo didn't find it funny.

"What does this have to do with Chris?" Leo asked, he knew the information he was getting was valuable one way or the other; but right now, until he could know Chris was safe, he couldn't care less if someone wanted to take over the world.

"I am getting there… there is this rumor…all these are rumors… I never saw the guy." The demon trembled and Leo looked at him sternly, like "Hurry up, the clock is ticking!" "Well… the rumor is that this new source has someone else in the chambers with his wife. For what I heard, he also has a man, a young man, they say he is sick… that he hurt him himself… but he won't let him die. They say these two people are the two only real weaknesses of the new source." The demon finished.

"And you think this man is Chris? Why would the new source want him? Why would he be his weakness?" Leo asked contemplative.

"I don't know…that's for you to find out…but it would make sense… If you can't find him anywhere, wouldn't it be logical to think that he is the man trapped in these untraceable chambers?" The demon said a little more relaxed.

"Ok… I will spare your life…just because I am magnanimous… but you hear ONE MORE thing that can be related to my son… and you CALL me… clear?" Leo said harshly, ready to orb away.

"Leo?" The demon called him.

"Yeah…"

"I can see where Chris gets it from." He said with a smile.

Leo smiled back at him, proudly.

"One more thing… call it an extra bonus, cuz I am a friend of your son. There is another rumor spreading in the underworld that the other demon that came from the future with the source, is planning to betray him. He is the one that revealed that the two people in the clamber are his Achilles' heal; he promised ultimate power and the possibility of being his right hand when he rules the world to the person that manages to enter that room and kill them both. That's why everybody in the underworld is looking for those two!"

&&&&&&

Manor -Attic.

"What is HE doing here?" Piper barked angrily. The LAST thing she needed! Two of her sons in danger and an ex-demonic-several times vanquished-probably evil- brother in law.

"I thought we had finally managed to vanquish you." She yelled irritated.

"Nice to see you too, Piper." Cole said sarcastically. "I can see you are as cheery as always!"

C.J looked at the man curiously, wondering who he was and why his mom was so upset. He saw Wyatt standing protectively beside her and he rushed to the other side.

"How cute! The little broods protecting their mother! You are a good mother I have to give you that, Piper." Cole said feisty "And what about your aunt Paige… are you going to leave her unprotected?" he mocked them, though his voice when he spoke to the boys had a softness, a loving sweetness that he didn't use with Piper.

Wyatt, who was a step away from Paige, grabbed her hand and lugged her behind him, covering her with his body, he glared at the stranger.

"Oh… how cute Wyatt, adorable!" he mocked him "But I am not going to do anything to anyone! So don't sweat it!"

"What do you want?" Paige said, moving away from Wyatt, she didn't know whether to be angry at him for assuming she wasn't going to be able to defend herself, or delighted that he had acted so protective of her.

"Despite what you actually think, nothing bad. Quite on the contrary… I came to warn you about some danger you guys might be in." Cole said seriously and concerned.

"Who is this guy?" C.J asked annoyed.

"Have you ever heard of Cole, C.J? Phoebe's ex-husband." Cole answered sweetly.

"Balthazor!" C.J glared at him, while Wyatt seemed to be trying to remember.

"You were always the excelling one when it came to magic; Well… you and Chris, but you are the same person. You have the brains C.J, you should be proud of yourself, that's what really counts in the magic battle field and world, not the powers, but the wits… and you have them." Cole told him calmly.

C.J couldn't help smiling, the guy was good, at least he had studied them, and knew what to say to each of them.

"How do you know so much about my sons?" Piper asked protectively.

"I know a lot about you all… I've been watching… I even helped save your life once, Piper… you just don't remember." Cole said softly.

"What? Watching where? What are you talking about?" Piper ranted.

"In the ghostly plain… I was vanquished there…" Once again, Cole told his whole story, avoiding mentioning the "coming back to life and getting Phoebe pregnant" part of it. "And that's when I decided I had to ran to Phoebe…" He finished.

"A new source wants to take over the world, and wants us to join him? He doesn't want to harm us?" Paige asked shocked. "That's new!"

"And he is after D.J? And revived you and Zankou?" Piper asked.

Cole nodded.

"How can we trust you?" Piper asked him distrustfully.

"I don't know." Was Cole sole answer.

"Why would he be lying?" Phoebe asked and Cole thanked her with a smile.

"I don't know… why would he be telling the truth?" Paige said in a neutral tone.

"Because I am in love with Phoebe? Because I always was, and always will!" Cole screamed resolutely, Phoebe smiled at him and gently and imperceptibly for the rest, caressed his back.

"Unluckily that CAN NOT be proven!" Piper said cuttingly.

"And what else do you know about this new demon?" C.J asked, trying to stay out of the emotional upheaval and staying cool headed.

Cole didn't answer, and looked down. Phoebe went to his rescue.

"He thinks it's someone impersonating Wyatt! He calls himself Wyatt, he looks like Wyatt and he told him he would have liked him as an uncle!" Phoebe explained. "Only he says he looks like he is twenty five years old."

Wyatt gasped and started shaking uncontrollably, almost like having a seizure, his breathing was erratic, it was a little scary.

"Wy… calm down… he is LYING!" Piper said wrapping her son in her arms, trying to sooth him down. She leaded him to a chair, mumbling comforting words.

"Bro… it's ok…" C.J didn't know what to say or how to act, he just squeezed his hand and was relieved to see Wyatt squeezed his back.

Paige went to him with a glass of juice, which he refused, shaking his head.

"Calm down Wy, he said someone is just trying to impersonate you, that's all." Phoebe said soothingly, they all knew about Wyatt's fear of being evil.

"Yeah… kiddo, how can he be you, if you are right here in front of us, right?" Cole said in such a paternal tone, they all turned around to look at him in shock.

Wyatt looked at him. "I don't know… but he is…he is me!" He said heartbroken.

"Wyatt… he is right… how can you be there and here at the same time?"

"I don't know… but that explains everything!" he said ever so sadly. "Oh god it was true." He let go a choked sob.

"What was true, sweetie?" Piper asked him concerned.

"My nightmare… my recurrent nightmares… are true." He tried to stand up abruptly but he got lightheaded and fell back down.

Paige forced him to drink the juice she had brought before.

"It happened… everything happened… it all make sense now!" Wyatt mumbled barely coherently, he was shaking out of fear and guilt.

"What makes sense?"

"My nightmares… why I lost my powers…Why Chris is missing…Why he wants you on his side… ruling the world and he doesn't want to harm you… did he said something like "there is no good or evil, it's all about power?"" Wyatt asked Cole desperate.

"Don't worry kiddo… lots of people say that!" Cole told him comfortingly.

"Did he say that?" Wyatt asked again, this time firmly. Cole nodded and Wyatt sobbed.

"Are you EVER going to tell us what your nightmares are all about?" C.J demanded a little annoyed, but still gripping his brother's hand.

"That he is telling the truth… that I am evil, and I deserve to be vanquished."

"Wyatt… stop with the nonsense and tell us ALL… and I mean ALL about your nightmares so we can start looking for Chris and seeing how to solve this, understood?" Paige said firmly, but because she feared that might be the only way he could snap out of his fear and self pity and talk.

So Wyatt told them about his nightmare from beginning to end, without missing a detail.

&&&&&&&&

Underworld Chris' Chambers.

Chris stirred up, Wyatt had just given him the antidote and it was refreshing to feel somewhere closer to normal again.

He stood up, smiling at Wyatt. Not really knowing why, part of him knew it was because he was planning a way out and he would probably need to be in good terms with him, another part told him to stop fooling himself, he actually WANTED to be in good terms with Wyatt.

Wyatt's reasons to smile back were a lot simpler; but then, life is simpler when you lost touch with reality, and complete contradictions make perfect sense in your mind.

"Feeling better?" The oldest one asked caring walking to his brother, who had taken a sit in front of the table that he had in his room.

Chris nodded and signaled him to sit beside him.

"Do you have to go now?" Chris asked him as his brother sat down beside him.

"No if you want me to stay." Wyatt said with a weak smile.

"Tell me what you are planning to do, Wy… please." Chris begged.

Wyatt caressed his hair and looked at him as if he was a little boy. "You don't need to worry about it, bro… I have it all cover."

Chris sighed, he knew it wasn't worth the fight right now.

"Wy… can you give me some pen and paper?" Chris tried to use his best loving tone.

"For What?" He said angrily "So you can write a spell to get out of here? No way…"

Chris shrugged.

"Or what are you going to tell me? That you suddenly picked up drawing? Or you are planning to write your chronicles? Dream on, dear brother… there is NO WAY out of here…I thought about everything…I am the only one that can get in, and I am the only one that can get out! The fastest you understand that, the easier things are going to be." He said indignant flaming away.

Chris closed his eyes and covered his face with his hands in frustration; he heard a soft knock in the door. When he turned around he saw Emma was standing in the door frame.

"Can I come in?" She said softly.

"It's your house… you are his wife, right?" He said tremendously bitter, she flinched "I mean I didn't have a choice in the matter… I was born his brother… but you… you chose having him beside you!"

Emma looked at him hurt. "I married someone else, Chris…you KNOW my real husband… and he is down there… underneath the spell… he is still there!"

"Well… you could have stayed in the future, but you tagged along!" Chris almost yelled at her.

"Whatever Chris… I am not going to have this stupid fight with you, just cuz you are angry at him! I came here to see if I could help you with your plans of getting out… but just call me whenever you are in the mood for something else than fighting." She said sternly, walking away.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Nathy1000000

"Hola! Ah bueno, decile a Emma que she has a deal, lo mismo a Chris, aunque no sé si tengo ganas de sacarlo...es too cute con Wy! Pero mejor para mí quedarme con mini Wy que con no Wy je je." Vos queres todo eh? Y bueno, encerramos a los 4 (Chris, C.J, Old y little Wy) ahí adentro y listo, no?
"Me encanta la relación entre Emma y Chris, los diálogos entre los dos son muy cómicos." Hehehe… que bueno… cada tanto tengo que mostrar que son mejores amigos !

" Me gusta también lo madraza que es Piper,...y un poco celosa también. como toda buena madre no?" Totalmente

"Y el recuerdo de Wyatt...fue tan tierno. Pobre Chris, a esta altura ya no debe saber si quiere dejarlo o no! Nunca tengo suficiente de esos dos!" Heheh que bueno que te haya gustado… Si es mas dificil para Chris que para Wyatt! Eso de ser el cuerdo en la familia no le viene bien.

Altaira

"LOVE the chapter- I like the way Wyatt is looking after Chris- Even if he did make him sick and the memory of young Chris was soo cute" Thanks I am glad you liked it… well it shows that he really cared about him when they were little and he still does, he is just a little off.

JadeAlmasy

Thanks! I am glad you like both sets of Chris and Wyatts and Emmas! I hope you liked this too.

Victorious Light

"Great chapter and I particularly loved this sentence: He knew there were a few marbles missing in his head, and it had never been his fault.
So true!" heheh thanks! I am glad you liked that sentence…it somehow kept on reminding me of Wyatt in imaginary friends asking "Is this before or after he swallowed the marble?"

"That little Wyatt and Chris story was adorable, more, more, more!" Glad you did… they are cute at any age, aren't they?

" I also like the way that you've taken Emma's powers away, very clever." thanks

"Glad that you found out about the A/N. Like I said before that rumour has been going around for ages." Yeah I guess I can't resign myself to stop answering.

phoebe turner

Thanks! Here it is… I hope you like it

Nikki14u

"AW my hubby is so sweet, crazy sometimes, but sweet none the less." Isn't he? Both versions, at any age… all the time, except when he is trying to take over the world!

"This was a great chapter. I love how you were able to show that Wyatt is still capable of love, even at his most insane hours. Great work like always and please update soon." Thank you very much! Yeah… I love that you feel I can portrait Wyatt as evilly nuts, but still capable of having feelings for his love ones.

teal-lover

"that was such a cute scene--little chris & wy--and then big chris & wy too. I love those future (or is it past?) scenes & the way you write them. Can you add more of them to the story?" Thanks! Yeah I should… I like them too… I'll try to do it… I had some free time today and wrote like 7 chapters in a row… but there are still bits and pieces missing in the middle and I can always add stuff in the middle, right? In what I wrote, Cole mentions a couple of short stories about the kids, but nothing else…

But I already wrote myself notes in the free spaces where I can squeeze them. Is like your memories in "of all people" that were soo awesome… I always wondered how Wyatt became from the cute teenager that hid Chris in the closet to that monster.

"I understand that you had a bit of writers block on this, but you cant keep me--I mean us--waiting too long on this. Cause if you do, I'm probably like one of the main reason's why hits to your profile page keep going up--constantly checking for new chapters. cause, sometimes I can find them there faster than in my email." Hehehe you are sooo sweet! Thanks

Wwolf

""What is HE doing here?" Piper barked angrily. JUST WHAT she needed! Two of her sons in danger and a demonic-several times vanquished-probably evil- ex-brother in law.
ultimamente estoy obsecionada con Piper/Cole no como pareja sino en la interactuacion de estos dos personajes
creo que podrian llegarse a llevar bien." Si es un duo interesante para escribir… en mi fic van a tener bastantes roces, pero eventualmente Piper va a darse cuenta that he really means no harm y ahí… van a ser mas felices.

"Dejando mis paranoias personales aparte, espero con impaciencia mas Pheobe/Cole( sobretodo con Pruepor el medio)" Hoy I was in a row… y escribi casi siete capitulos (yo no escribo linean… o sea que tengo 800 escenas que hay que ir ordenando - Por un lado escribo lo que pasa en el underwolrd y por otro en la manor- y llenando los gaps) pero escribi muchisimo de la historia de Cole con Prue y Phoebe, tan tierna…yo se que es mi historia… pero es tan tierno escribir a una nena que nunca tuvo padre y a un padre que siempre quiso estar cerca de su hija.
"La historia Chris/Wyatt es monisima, son tan cute los dos.me encanta como los describes. Realmente podría leer mil historias de estos dos." Totalmente.
"PD: Por aqui he visto que se hablaba,si lo del bebe demonio y su desaparicion fue un gran error de esta serie. Creo que es una constante con Charmed, olvidar a los muertos, no hablan casi nunca de Prue, Andy, Chris, elbebepheobe..." Siii… es triste no? Cual sera el problema en mencionarlo

Sparkling Cherries

""we are planning our underground, secret operation, that's why the low key, right?"

Oh yeah, most deff! We just need more poeple to realise they have a problem coughs I mean extra special reliance on a certain fan fiction." Heheheh you crack me up girl!

"Strange, this didn't feel much like a filler. Most fillers I've read are so boring, I wonder why I keep on reading, but this was pretty damn cool. loved it. Very impressive considering you were stuck and all, very impressive." Thanks! That's nice of you.

""Wyatt said smiling and then Chris thought that sadly a time had come, when he was actually scared if Wyatt was around."

That was quite sad." Yes it was… but it was a nice pun, and it was true.

" I know Wyatt has poisined Chris, but the story about their youth made me feel a lil bad for him, and then, like Chris, I saw the irony of it all. great last (well nearly last) line." Thanks

" Oh and love that you still use the Topher ref! makes me smile. )" Ohh I will use it till the end of the fiction… that's how Wyatt calls him:P! He is just following the instructions of their biggest idol:P!