A/N: Sorry for the delay in this chapter. I couldn't sign on to my account on Friday and yesterday was just a busy day. Anyway…hopefully I'll be back my regular daily weekday updates if all goes right.
JadeAlmasy- Thanks for reviewing! I was wondering where you'd been. Hopefully Wilma was the hurricane for awhile, at least. Glad to have you back!
Altaira- Yes! I finally made someone laugh! Woohoo! I'll put this warning on just for you, ok? Eating tic tacs while reading this story may be hazardous to your health. LOL
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"Ok, Aunt Piper. Ready for the claw now." Phyra said as she mixed her pot of potion on the stove.
Piper held the claw nail away from her body, dropping it carefully into the bubbling pot. Instantly a blast erupted and a plume of smoke shot up from the pot. "It's done!" Phyra called out cheerfully. She pulled out a round potion bottle, her favorite kind because of the way it fit in her hand, and carefully ladled the potion into it.
"HEY! We're ready! Let's go get Wyatt & Chris!" She yelled at the ceiling. Paige and Patrick orbed into the kitchen with Phoebe and Paisley.
"Wait a second, Phy. We've got a little tweak to the plan. See Paisley and Phoebe have a spell to separate the powers of the dragon. That way we'll be doubly covered with the elders as far as harming a dragon. If we separate his powers into three separate entities, then we don't have to bother with the dragon, just with the demon and witch part. Then they made another spell to bind the witch part's powers. The best part of that is that it's not a Power of Three spell. Any one of the Charmed Ones can do it, so I'll read it as you're holding the dragon's fire and Patrick hits the demon with your potion. That way all we'll have left is a dragon, not a demon-witch-dragon." Paige explained quickly.
"But how is the spell to separate the powers going to work? I'm guessing that is a Power of Three spell, right?" Phyra asked slowly.
"Yeah, but we'll just cast it right before we orb. It should work ok. I mean, the spell specifically mentions the dragon's lair, so it won't work on just any demon."
Phyra nodded. "Alright, but let's hurry. Chris and Wyatt are getting annoyed. They want out of those cages. Plus our time is running out."
Paige ran her hand lovingly over her daughter's head. "I know, sweetie. They'll be okay."
Paige shared a glance with her sisters, and at their nods, walked over to them, and they read in unison:
Mixed breed in the demon's lair,
Deal with witches, you should beware.
Split the types, separate the power,
Do it by the end of this hour.
Let dragon be safe, the rest set free,
To learn not to mess with the Power of Three.
"Ok, seriously, you guys. We really need to work on some more serious spells here!" Piper griped aloud as Paige, Phyra and Patrick orbed to Nogard's lair.
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"Hello. So nice of you to join us." Nogard said pleasantly as their orbs touched down. "I presume to bring me the Power of Three?"
"Absolutely." Phyra smiled. "It's right here in this bottle." Phyra threw the bottle as hard as she could, smashing it on Nogard's chest. Nogard instantly fell to the floor as he was gripped with a pain that felt like he was being torn apart. Chris and Wyatt also fell to the floors of their cages.
Nogard reformed into three separate beings, a demon, a dragon and a witch. The demon had a hole in its chest, oozing and sizzling as the potion ate away at his flesh. He started to form an energy ball only to have it fizzle out on his hand as he crumbled into dust. The cages Chris and Wyatt were in erupted with a loud BANG! Patrick ran using his speed to knock Chris and Wyatt back to the walls of the cage. The dragon screamed with a hiss of rage and instantly shot fire out of his nose. Phyra deflected it by holding up both hands and sending it towards the floor, harmlessly extinguishing it on the rocks.
Witch powers of Nogard,
White magic has been marred.
Bind them fast, hold them tight,
Till he meets his eternal light.
Paige quickly read the spell, effectively binding Nogard's witch powers.
Phyra cried out, "I can't hold this much longer! Hurry, we've got to go!" Her hands wavered, at the power of holding back Nogard's fire.
Nogard screamed in rage, and turned quickly, aiming his fire towards Patrick, Chris and Wyatt on the other side of the cave. "NO!" Phyra screamed, trying to deflect the flames away from her cousins. Her powers slowed the flames, but didn't stop them, as she had used too much of her powers trying to deflect them earlier. Patrick dove in front of Chris, letting the stream of fire hit him.
"Patrick! Patrick, NO!" Chris screamed, trying to beat out the fire that enveloped his younger cousin.
"ORB HIM TO PEYTON!" Phyra screamed. Wyatt wrapped his arms around both Chris and Patrick and orbed to the manor. Paige and Phyra quickly followed, leaving what was left of Nogard in a furious rage in his cave.
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"Peyton! Quick, put out the fire!" Wyatt yelled as before the orbs stopped. Peyton gasped at the sight of her cousin engulfed in flames. "PEYTON! NOW!" Wyatt roared. Peyton quickly raised her palms and created a waterfall over Patrick, extinguishing the flames.
Wyatt immediately put his hands over Patrick's charred skin and waited for the healing to begin. The familiar golden glow started weakly then quit. "What the hell? Chris! Quick, you try."
Chris laid his hands over Patrick, to the same result. "Our powers aren't working. Dad! Aunt Paige! You guys try." Chris ordered harshly.
Leo looked at Paige quickly sharing a glance at her. "Chris, you know we can't heal what already gone."
Chris' eyes filled with tears. "Please, Dad. Please, just try. Please! Maybe it's just us because of being in the cave so long."
Leo knelt down and nodded. Paige knelt next to him and both tried to heal together. No light shone from either of their hands.
"NO! No! No, not Patrick. NO! My baby…boy..." Phoebe cried out brokenly, falling down onto the floor, cradling her son in her lap. She glared at her sister and nephews. "Try again! Try to heal him again! You brought him there, now you bring him back. TRY AGAIN!" She screamed, rocking in place.
"Aunt Phoebe… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I…I thought I could…keep him safe. Instead, he… he…k…kept me…s…sa…safe. I'm so sssorry. "Chris stuttered, tears running down his face as he stared at his aunt cradling his cousin's lifeless form.
"Oh, sweetie, it's not your fault, Chris." Piper gathered her son in a hug. "It's not your fault. It's Nogard's fault. Not yours, never, never yours." She held tight, hugging him close like she had when he had been plagued with nightmares after his first demon vanquish at four years old.
"Patty…Pat… Come on. This isn't funny. Come on, wake up little brother. Please? Please, wake up. Please? Please?" Paisley dropped to her knees next to her mother. Her voice was stuffy with unshed tears.
Wyatt gently moved Paisley out of the way. He raised his hands over Patrick again. He murmured under his breath. "Come on. Please, c'mon. We never ask for anything from you people. Please… please work… please." He clenched his hands into fists at his sides as no lights appeared. "Ch…Chris… Come on. Try with me. Maybe together…"
Chris broke away from Piper's hold, and knelt beside his brother. Wordlessly, they both tried together to heal Patrick's body. Again, no healing lights came through. They continued the process over and over again.
Patience slowly weaved her way through her crying family to look down at her brother. "Stop." She touched Wyatt on the shoulder. "Stop it. You can't heal the…dead. He's gone. You're just killing yourselves trying to bring him back. It's not going to work." He nodded weakly, and finally gave up, sitting hard onto the floor, never taking his gaze off his cousin.
"Chris, c'mon. Stop it. We already lost Patrick… we need you. Chris, just stop it!" She finally shook his shoulder when he showed no signs of quitting. His hands were still laid out over Patrick, trying with every bit of magical power in him to will it to work. Patience instantly got a premonition off his shoulder.
Nogard screamed in rage, and turned quickly, aiming his fire towards Patrick, Chris and Wyatt on the other side of thecave. "NO!" Phyra screamed, trying to deflect the flames away from her cousins. Her powers slowed the flames, but didn't stop them, as she had used too much of her powers trying to deflect them earlier. Patrick dove in front of Chris, letting the stream of fire hit him.
As quickly as that one ended, another came over her.
Chris looked over his shoulder, making sure the attic was empty. He grabbed the chunk of chalk off the trunk, anddrew a triquetra on the wall. "Don't worry Aunt Phoebe. I'll get your baby back." he whispered softly.
"Hear these words, hear the rhyme.
Heed the hope within my mind.
Send me back to where I'll find,
What I wish in place and time." (A/N: this spell is from Chris-Crossed.)
"Chris! You can't!" Patience gasped.
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The police had already left, taking their statements. Phyra had gone outside and blown up Patrick's car with her fire power, after Wyatt had crashed it into a tree while astral projecting, making Patrick's death look like he had died in a horrific car crash. Phoebe had gone up to her room to lay down, not able to handle anything else. Paisley was gone with Ryan to try and relax. The rest of the family was trying to talk Chris out of changing the past.
"No! Absolutely not, Chris! You are not going to the past to save Patrick. It sounds harsh, but if he was meant to die, we can't mess with that. You can't play God, Chris." Piper lectured.
"I can save him, Mom. All I have to do is not be stupid this time around. I go in, warn myself not to go demon hunting unprepared or someone I love will die. Then I send myself back here. Simple." Chris argued, warming to the idea of changing the past few hours.
"Chris, she's right. As much as I want 'Trick back, you can't just mess with the timeline." Patience interjected softly.
"How can you say that, Patience? Don't you want your brother back?" Chris asked coldly.
Patience slapped him hard across the face. "Don't you EVER say anything like that to me again! If it was just me that would be at risk by sending you back, I'd tell you to do it in a heartbeat. But it's not just me. You go back, and Lord only knows what kind of time rifts you'll cause. Maybe if you don't go with him, Wyatt would go alone, and he'd be the one fried up and in the morgue, then good magic would be without the Twice Blessed. Maybe the Charmed Ones would all be dead because they'd have to face Nogard in his most powerful form, because you and Wy didn't get caught and we didn't separate his powers. There are so many things that could happen, and all of them bad, Chris! And there's also the chance that when you appear someone wouldn't wait to see who it is coming in and just vanquishes you before you get a chance to explain why you're there. Then what happens, huh? We still have Patrick dead and you too. NO! No more!" She screamed, finally letting the tears she'd been holding in flow freely down her face.
Chris immediately took her in his arms, hugging her close.
"I need you to promise me, Chris. Promise you won't try to change this." Patience cried brokenly into his shoulder.
Chris sighed. "I promise. I won't go back and change things." Chris broke down, and sobbed, still holding Patience tightly. Wyatt orbed out, not able to handle watching his family tearing apart any longer because of his own cockiness.