Part 6: If I Die Before I Wake
Chris materialised in Wyatt's bedroom. The three sisters and Leo were crowded around the cot, talking in hushed voices.
He hated that he needed them.
Chris glanced down at the sleeping child, whose little face was calm and innocent, fair eyelashes flickering slightly in response to peaceful dreams.
He sighed, resignedly. It wasn't just his own life at stake.
"Is he safe?" Piper asked, anxiously, looking up from her sleeping son to turn to Chris. "Should I wake him?"
It was unsettling to have a frightened Piper asking him for answers and advice. Chris felt a strange falling sensation, as if the floor had disappeared from beneath him, though he did not move.
"Let him sleep," Chris replied, tenderly. "He shouldn't be in any danger. At least, not yet. However, the sooner I get back to sleep and know exactly where the Nightmare demon is, the better."
"What did you find out from your informant?" Leo asked.
"That what the Nightmare demon makes me dream should only be able to hurt me in reality if I believe it's real."
"Should?" Paige queried, noticing Chris's choice of words despite his confident tone.
"If something goes wrong, Leo will be on hand to heal me before things go as far as they did last time."
"What about vanquishing the demon?" Phoebe asked. "Finding a way to stop him killing you is a good thing, but it isn't enough. We need to know how to send him down."
"I'm guessing that the Nightmare demon's arrogance will make him reveal enough for me to work something out," Chris said, unconcerned. "And if he doesn't, I'll at least gain some more information by facing him again. I can always wake up, construct plan B and go back."
"You're guessing?" Paige queried the truth hidden behind his confidence again. "Are you also guessing that you'll be able to wake up if things go wrong?"
"The Nightmare demon may be the one that turns Wyatt," Chris said, in a businesslike tone that seemed to ignore Paige. "There are other possibilities I've been looking into as well. Navacar, a Carrion demon, is currently away gaining a following, in preparation to come after you and Wyatt. He should strike in two to three weeks from now. You may have some trouble from Rinide, Yelligh and Brecin. They're in the Book of Shadows. Instructions for vanquishing Rinide and Brecin are in there. Yelligh may take a little inspiration, but shouldn't be too tough a match for you three together. There's also a Scath demon that'll surface in a month or so from now. He's another possibility."
"Should I be taking notes?" Paige asked, bitterly.
"Chris, maybe we should wait until we know more about what we're dealing with," Phoebe suggested.
"No," Chris stated, firmly. He glanced again at the sleeping child.
"If Wyatt is threatened by this demon, it has to be stopped before it can touch him. Chris is here to protect Wyatt from evil at whatever the cost, it's why he came." Piper spoke with a faint hint of hesitancy, knowing she may well be condemning the young man, but her priority was her son.
"Sleep in here," Leo said, gesturing towards the full-size bed. "That way we can keep an eye on you both."
Phoebe sighed and handed Chris a piece of notepaper, as he settled on top of the bed.
"It's an adaptation of a spell we once used to fall asleep to confront the hidden meanings in our dreams," she explained.
"Oh, when the Tracer demon was killing the Sandmen and taking their sand bags," Chris said, nodding in comprehension.
"Are all our demon exploits in those future, history books of yours?" Paige asked, rather indignantly.
"Pretty much." Chris smirked. "You're a great read."
Paige tilted her head with a somewhat amused expression. However, her face fell again when Chris resumed his determined air and looked at the spell Phoebe had given him.
"I'm gonna get some coffee to keep the rest of us awake," Paige declared, not wanting to watch Chris submit himself to the Nightmare demon's deadly dreamland.
Lying on his side, Chris took a deep breath and read the spell.
" 'Let I who waken from my sleep, return at once to slumber deep.' "
Almost at once, his eyelids dropped and his head sunk into the pillow. His hand relaxed and fell to the covers, the paper drifting to the floor.
Phoebe picked up a blanket from a nearby chair and went to drape it over him. However, Piper caught her arm.
"Wait. Don't. We need to be able to see if the Nightmare demon injures him," Piper explained, uncomfortably.
Phoebe silently refolded the blanket and sat on the end of the bed, hugging it tightly to her as she watched Chris's eyes moving beneath their lids.
Chris found himself in the familiar endless corridor of doors. He shivered, the air piercingly icy, his breath visible as white mist.
The disembodied voice of the Nightmare demon greeted him, dark pleasure evident in the deep, haunting tones.
Welcome back to my Doorways to Oblivion, Christopher.
TBC...
(Author's Note: The spell Chris uses to send himself to sleep is an adaptation of that used by the sisters in Season 5's Sand Francisco Dreamin'.)