Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize.

A/N: It was brought to my attention that I never gave exact ages. So I went through and put their ages. There may be mistakes about ages in the story; I think at one point I say that Wyatt is twenty-four, but there shouldn't be any big differences. Also, I noticed a typo in the powers section that I fixed. Jamie has the echo effect with Matt, not with herself. Enjoy, and review!

Characters:

Wyatt Halliwell (25)-power over earth, telekinesis, telepathy, healing, orbing, magical shield, sensing friends and family

Chris Halliwell- (23)-telekinesis, power over water, orbing, sensing

Laura Halliwell-(12)-molecular manipulation-freezing time and blowing things up, power over air, orbing, sensing

Elisa Halliwell-(18) seeing into past and future, power over fire, empathy

Matt Halliwell-(8)-orbing, far-seeing-he can see things far away using his magic, echo effect with Jamie-the two of them can join their powers and amplify them.

Jamie Halliwell-(8)-orbing, teleportation, echo effect with Matt

Billie-telekinesis

Kari-(4)-telekinesis

Morgan-(21)-power over the dead

Alyssa-(25)-telepathy, power over light

Chapter 5

Potion-making was not going well. The three witches kept bumping into each other and getting in each others' way. Chris stepped on Morgan's heel, accidentally knocking her against the counter. A potion vial fell to the ground, making them jump. Morgan hissed in pain as glass cut her skin. Piper poked her head in and watched them amusedly. "Too many chefs in the kitchen." Leo came in after Piper and healed Morgan's hand. "Chris, why don't you go give your sister a hand?" Chris orbed upstairs. Laura was sprawled out on the floor as she studied the Book. Chris sat cross-legged next to her. Laura gave him a look that wasn't exactly welcoming, but wasn't angry either. "Are the potions ready?"

"We spent more time spilling the potions than making them," Chris answered dryly. "Mom said there were too,"

"…many chefs in the kitchen," Laura finished with a giggle. She stretched like a cat. "Have you found anything yet?" He frowned at the book. "Other than the fact that Wyatt has really bad handwriting." Laura grimaced and propped her head on her hand. "Nothing. The family has never come up against anything like this." Chris sat quietly while Laura flipped through the book. Try as he might, he couldn't remember anything about Dead creatures from his other lifetime. "What about you," Laura asked. "I don't really know anything. Wyatt didn't like necromancy. He thought the magic was too uncontrolled. I don't think he ever used it." He frowned. "So what is Axel after? Does he just want Morgan? Or is there something else?"

"Like what, world domination?" Chris rolled his eyes at the twelve year old's flippant tone. He frowned suddenly. "Maybe so." Laura raised her eyebrows. "There was something Alyssa said to me once…"

"We need to tell Wyatt," Laura interrupted. The two siblings ran down the stairs. "Wyatt!" Laura yelled. Half the family converged on them. "What's wrong?" Elisa demanded. "Chris thinks he knows something."

"Right," Wyatt said. "Laura, help the twins finish the wards." Wyatt, Chris, Elisa, and Lyssa gathered in a group. Chris gave a summary of his conversation with Lyssa. She frowned a little. "I remember absolutely nothing of this." Wyatt shrugged a little and gave her a half-hug. "So, why exactly does Chris have his old memories? Was it intentional or accidental? And how does it connect to Axel?" No one had an answer. Wyatt sighed in annoyance. "Well, I'm sure we'll figure it out too late. In the meantime, we need to figure out how to beat Axel. I'm pretty sure he wants more than just Morgan. Axel never does anything for just one reason." Chris had the feeling he was missing something here, but this didn't seem to be the time to ask. He didn't want to admit, even to himself, that he was still nervous around Wyatt. He looked up to meet Wyatt's steady gaze. "Something wrong, Chris?" Chris looked away and shook his head. "I'm fine." Giving him a look that said they weren't finished, Wyatt turned the discussion to battle plans.

Chris couldn't shake the feeling that this plan would turn out badly. He tried to talk to Elisa about it. "Wyatt knows what he's doing, Chris, and so does Morgan."

"I know, but…"

"But what?"

"Never mind," Chris sighed.

That night they were ready to move. Wyatt, Morgan, and Elisa wore old long-sleeved shirts and jeans. Lyssa wore a t-shirt and black stretch pants. She briefly hugged Wyatt before leaving to set up a diversion. Chris swallowed. "I think we should call this off." The other witches stared at him in shock. "Do you have any particular reason for thinking so?" Chris heard the low undercurrent of tension in Wyatt's voice. "You didn't have anything to say earlier," Elisa said questioningly. "Do you have another plan," Wyatt asked calmly. "No…"

"Then we're going with this one," his brother said flatly. "Are you coming or not?" Chris swallowed. "I'm coming." They orbed out.

The four witches appeared in an empty warehouse. Elisa briefly closed her eyes and reached out with her empathy. Gasping in shock, she stumbled. Chris caught her and held her upright until her legs steadied. "The innocents..he's been torturing them. Three are still alive."

"Can you sense Axel or his minions?"

Elisa shook her head. "The diversion Seth, Leah, and Lyssa set up must have worked."

"Let's get this over with," Chris said anxiously. Elisa led the way.

It took every ounce of self-control Chris possessed not to throw up as he saw Axel's victims. Elisa turned pale and clung to Chris. He realized she was having the worst time of all-she was an empathy. A cold fury replaced shock on Wyatt's face. Morgan's face was expressionless. Her dark eyes stood out in her pale face. Elisa took a breath to speak. "Cut them down," she whispered harshly. Wyatt pulled out a small knife. Chris stared at Wyatt cut the metal chains using a knife. Magic, he realized. "We need to get these people out of here," Wyatt stated. Morgan and Elisa stood ready to fight as Chris and Wyatt prepared to orb the victims to safety. An inhuman screech pierced the silence. The witches formed a protective circle around the victims as they searched for the source. Three Dead creatures appeared, formless shadows that seemed to emanate death. "Shadows," Morgan hissed. She pulled out a small flute and began to play an eerie melody. The Shadows began to twist and writhe. Elisa pulled out a match from her pocket and lit it. As she tossed it into the air, it became a stream of fire. The Shadows screeched in agony. Chris extended his senses, but found no running water he could use. Seeing Wyatt use telekinesis to manipulate the firestreams Elisa created, Chris did the same. "Orb out, we'll follow," Morgan yelled. Wyatt and Chris grabbed the victims and orbed out. A moment later, Morgan and Elisa appeared in a burst of cold wind.

Leo and Paige appeared to help Wyatt with healing. "Did everything go well," Piper demanded. "Everything's fine, Mom," Wyatt reassured her. Piper scowled worriedly. "Since when are things ever this easy?"

"Maybe we just got lucky." They all turned to see Alyssa standing there, leaning against a wall. "Did he fall for it?" Wyatt asked. Alyssa nodded. "We didn't manage to kill him, but we hurt him pretty badly."

"Well, as long as you're sure," Piper said. Her tone suggested she still worried. Wyatt shrugged. "We weakened him, so finally destroying him will be that much easier. Everything will be fine."

Later that night, Chris found Wyatt looking through the Book. "Something wrong," Chris asked. "I'm not sure Axel was the one Alyssa fought," Wyatt admitted. "She sounded pretty certain."

"It just doesn't feel right."

"I told you that," Chris said without thinking. Wyatt's face tensed with anger, then he took a breath and relaxed. "Right action, wrong timing." Chris raised an eyebrow. "Chris, that's the point of making plans and discussing them. So if someone finds a weakness, they can point it out while there's still time to fix it. Understand?" Chris nodded slowly. "So what do we do?"

"All we can do is wait for Axel's next move."

"Great," Chris said unenthusiastically. Wyatt shook his head, amused. "Hey, Wyatt," Chris asked as he left. Wyatt looked up. "If Axel didn't fall for the diversion, where was he?"

The three victims seemed dazed and uncertain. All three were witches. Piper brought the three of them something to drink. Two of the innocents were siblings. One was twelve, the other sixteen. Laura, sitting on the floor leaning against Morgan, sent a sympathetic smile to the twelve year old. "It's OK now, you're safe." The girl stared at her mug of hot chocolate. Her brother stroked her hair gently. He gave the Halliwells a grateful smile. "I don't know how to thank you for saving our lives." Elisa smiled warmly. "It's what we do."

"We really should be getting home," the sixteen year old said reluctantly. "I'm not sure it's safe," Piper said hesitantly. "We'll be fine. We can set up warding crystals," the boy reassured her. The girl suddenly lifted her head. "I'm scared to go home. Can't we stay?" Her eyes pleadingly locked on Piper. Her brother put an arm around her shoulders. "Don't be silly, Bonnie, we'll be fine." The girl instantly dropped her eyes. "Thanks again for everything," the boy said. Piper said she would drive them home. Phoebe looked uncertainly at the third victim, a young woman of about twenty. She had not spoken a word. Her eyes seemed unfocused. "Leo, are you sure she's all right," Phoebe asked. Leo looked at the girl curiously. "I healed everything I sensed. She's just in shock right now. It's no wonder."

"I'll orb her home," Leo said.

He returned a few minutes later. "I left her with her parents. I think she'll be fine." Piper pulled up fifteen minutes later. "I walked them up to the door. He said he would tell their parents in the morning."

"They were sleeping?" Leo asked in surprise.

Piper shrugged. "The house was dark. He promised to set the warding crystals."

"She was really scared," Laura said suddenly. "Well of course she was," Piper answered. "Don't worry sweetie, everything we'll be fine."

"I'll find out who their whitelighter is tomorrow, make sure they're OK," Leo reassured her. Laura looked unconvinced, but nodded. They all went to bed. In the basement of a palatial mansion, a girl cried herself to sleep as she lay in chains. New cuts, bruises, and welts replaced the ones that had been healed. Her parents and brother were dead. She found herself praying for death. Upstairs, Axel lounged on a sofa and watched TV. He couldn't believe how stupid the Halliwells were. Being brought into their house negated any protective magics they had put up. "Old friend, little sister, I expected better of you," he murmured amusedly. He thought he had taught Morgan better, but apparently the years she spent being raised by good witches had softened her brain and dulled her instincts. He considered ordering his minions to further torment the little girl, but decided against it. She was close to the breaking point, and he had plans for her. Waving his hand, he brought up an image of the little Halliwell girl, Laura. She lay sleeping on her bed with Matt and Jamie curled up on either side of her. He had cells prepared for the three of them. They were young and malleable enough to prove useful. The older ones would die, of course. If possible, he would try to bind Alyssa. He could draw power by killing her mortal form and capturing her immortal form. It was a perfect plan. He would give them a few days to relax and lower their guard.