Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize.
A/N: If you want to see the character list, refer to the earlier chapters.
Chapter 6
Leo went to check with the Elders the next day. "They found Axel's body. He must have been killed in the fight." Alyssa looked relieved. Wyatt, Chris, and Elisa traded high fives. "What about Bonnie," Laura asked. Leo looked at her. "Their whitelighter was apparently killed when they were captured. A new whitelighter will be assigned to them."
"See, honey," Piper asked. "Everything's fine." Laura smiled slightly and nodded. Chris found Morgan sitting outside. She smiled slightly at him. "How are you," Chris asked. "I'm fine. All I really feel is relief. I was so afraid of Axel." She frowned a little, rubbing a cut she had gotten during the fight against the Shadows. "The crazy thing is, I keep thinking that it's just a dream. That he's really still out there." Chris squeezed her shoulder. "I understand. But he's gone. For good."
Chris spent the next few days having fun with his siblings. He played softball with Laura and the twins. Laura seemed to be accepting the fact that Chris really was her brother. Her resentment towards him was gone. Chris enjoyed hanging out with Elisa and Wyatt. Chris was slowly starting to relax around his older brother. They played basketball, football, and dodgeball with Elisa, Morgan, and Lyssa. Many of their practice sessions turned into mock fights. Everything seemed perfect.
Morgan lay back on the bed and closed her eyes. She had spent the last few nights at the Manor. A strange melody filled her ears. She stood up and walked downstairs, searching for the source of the music. She seemed to be in a dream. The music intensified as she reached the living room. "Stop," a voice commanded softly. "Hold still." Morgan obeyed. A dark form moved towards her. A small part of mind screamed at her to run, but she couldn't even twitch. A cold hand grasped her arm as darkness took her.
Chris heard someone calling his name. Jamie. He orbed to her…and Shadows immediately wrapped around him, holding him prisoner. Wyatt, Elisa, Laura and Morgan were similarly bound. His eyes went to the still figures of Jamie and Matt laying helpless on the ground, tied up. The young girl that they had rescued stood nearby. She called out loud, "They're all here." Her older brother appeared in a blast of cold air. Axel. Chris knew suddenly that somehow he had survived. Wyatt swore softly.
"You switched bodies," Wyatt stated in sudden understanding. He laughed. "Did you really think you and your pathetic family could kill me? I made a deal with the stupid witch. I promised his little sister would live if he served me. It's such a shame he had to die," Axel said mockingly. "I do hope your little friends killed him quickly." He shot the little girl a mocking look. Morgan hissed in fury. "You make me sick." Axel laughed mockingly. "Apparently you've forgotten your place. I'll enjoy teaching it to you again.
"I'm beginning to think I should have studied genetics," Chris snapped. "And why is that," Axel sneered. Chris smirked. "Ever hear about linked genes? I think the evil gene must be linked to the bragging gene. Every evil dictator wannabe I've met loves to hear himself talk." Axel laughed contemptuously. "Perhaps I won't break you immediately. I'm going to enjoy this." He made a command to his Dead siblings. They locked the Halliwells in cages. "What about me", the young girl asked, voice shaking. Axel glanced at her casually. "Chain her," she said casually. "I still have some use for her."
"No!" The girl's scream had more in common with an animal than a human. "You promised me! You said after this you wouldn't need me any more!" Axel gestured at her, sending her flying against the wall. Her brief rebellion crushed, she obediently sat still while they chained her. The chains wouldn't let her lay down, but she brought her knees up to her chest and rested her head on her knees. Axel disappeared. None of the witches said anything for several long minutes. The girl sobbed softly to herself. Chris barely heard her whisper. "You promised you would let me die."
Chris struggled to focus his thoughts enough to think. There had to be a way out of this. Raising his head slightly, his eyes met Wyatt's. A fierce, determined light burned deep in them. Chris experienced a moment of disorientation. He had seen that light in the other Wyatt's eyes on the rare occasions he was confronted by something he couldn't immediately deal with. Chris suddenly realized that he had been thinking of the two Wyatts as two different people, but that wasn't true. This Wyatt was what the old Wyatt could have been, should have been. His brother. Chris gave him a grim smile, which Wyatt returned. Wyatt's eyes flicked to the young girl huddled in the corner. Chris nodded slightly in return. Wyatt closed his eyes and pretended to be unconscious. "Bonnie," Chris called softly. She raised her head and looked at him blankly. "Where is Axel?" She shrugged and put her head back down. "Bonnie, do you want to die?" She raised her head again and nodded. Chris swallowed. "I can help you." Her eyes flared with an emotion that he couldn't name. "No you can't. No one can help me."
"Bonnie, he will never stop using you. You are too strong for him to throw you away. Even if he kills you, he will trap your spirit here to serve him. If you ever want to be free of him, help us now." She bit her lip, then nodded imperceptibly. "We're stronger together," Chris told her silently. She was barely on the edge of sanity; there was a good chance that she would simply go to Axel and tell him about the conversation. But a long shot was better than nothing.
Axel summoned the girl to him. Chris wondered edgily what she was saying. Two hours later, Axel appeared in a blast of cold air. He tied Morgan to a sacrificial altar. Bonnie stood near Alyssa, who had been brought in earlier. Bonnie seemed to be talking to herself. The Shadows filled the air, turning it a murky gray color. The Dead creatures that served Axel waited in the room, eager for the coming sacrifice. Axel was concentrating on the preparations for the spell. He intended to sacrifice Morgan, Chris, and Elisa, using the power to bind Wyatt and Alyssa, making them his slaves. Axel suddenly smiled cruelly. "Unchain the younger brother," he commanded. Bonnie unlocked Chris' chains. Axel looked mockingly at him. "Pick up the knife," he ordered. The blood magic he had used on Chris forced him to obey Axel. In that instant, Bonnie acted. She shouted the last word of the spell she had spoken earlier. Alyssa's human form shifted to pure light. Axel flinched away in fear, momentarily losing concentration. Without really knowing what he was doing, Chris stabbed Morgan with the knife.
She screamed, a high-pitched, uncanny sound. The chains slid off of her as she slowly stood up. Her eyes had turned an uncanny silver color. Axel screamed a command at the Dead creatures. Morgan tilted her head back and gave another inhuman cry. Chris could almost hear music in it. The Dead creatures melted. Morgan turned towards Axel. She began to slowly walk in a circle around him, singing an eerie tune. Axel appeared mesmerized by the unearthly melody. She moved closer and closer. Axel moved forward and grabbed her shoulders. He began to propel her towards the dark pool. Morgan sang the last three notes. A force hit Chris like a tidal wave as Morgan's magic dragged the three of them into Death.
Chris found himself standing in a river. Axel and Morgan fought furiously, each trying to drown each other in the water. He watched helplessly, knowing he would be no use to Morgan here. They moved deeper and deeper into the water. Morgan suddenly caught Axel's arm and pulled him underwater with her. Heedlessly ignoring his danger, Chris dove into the water. He swam further and further, his fierce determination to save her fighting the desire to simply let go and travel down the river. Axel and Morgan seemed to be suspended deep under water. Chris grabbed Morgan's arm and tried to pull her to the surface. He was having trouble focusing. The water was strangely warm. Why shouldn't he go down it?
"Chris!"
That voice sounded familiar.
"Chris! Wake up."
"Please, Chris, I can't do this again. I can't watch you die."
"Chris! Wake up, baby, please."
"Come on, little brother. You have to fight this!"
Wyatt. That was Wyatt's voice. It was closer somehow. Hearing him, Chris remembered how to fight. He took a tighter grip on Morgan's arm and began swimming again. His head broke the water, and he gasped for air. Strong arms pulled him out of the water. "Wyatt?"
"Yeah. You owe me big time, little brother. Now let's go." Chris saw both Wyatt and Laura standing there, looking scared and angry. Suddenly they were back in Life again. Chris' knees buckled, and he knelt on the ground abruptly, holding Morgan against him. He lapsed into unconsciousness.
And next chapter:The conclusion!