A Charmed Story - Part Two:
Brothers Love Through The Times
Chapter 11

Belthazor was getting closer to Phoebe again: "Well, I did what you told me... would you now do what I'll tell you?"
"I don't know," answered Phoebe smiling, "depends on what you want..."
Nicki and Steve were still working at their back. Suddenly Nicki rose a sheet of paper. "Need his blood" was written on it. Phoebe nodded slightly.
"So, maybe let's start with a kiss?" Belthazor asked meanwhile.
"Phoebe just smiled, trying not to show him how disgusting this was for her.

°°°°°°°°°°

Wyatt and Bianca had changed positions. Now he was leading the group through the dark ways. Suddenly he stopped.
"Everybody gets as close to me as possible," he commanded.
"And now?" Paige asked after they did, a little worried again.
"Just wait," Wyatt answered. So they did.
But they didn't have to wait for long. A few seconds later they all felt a little wind. Piper touched around herself, trying to find out where it came from. But there, where seconds before had been a way, was now a wall.
"Everyone still here?" Wyatt asked.
"I'm here," Cole said.
"Me too," that was Paige.
"Yeah," Bianca added.
"Tom?" asked Wyatt.
"He's here," answered Piper.
"O.k., so let's go on," Wyatt commanded again, and led the group into a direction where seconds before had been a wall.
A few minutes later the came against a door.
"There it is," Wyatt remarked.
Piper went closer. "So let's get in," she said and opened the door.
They all entered and stopped surprised.
Wyatt smiled: "Dad! Hey, it's good to see you!"

°°°°°°°°°°

As soon as the images stopped flashing in his mind, Chris gasped for air and stepped backwards out of the alcove. The images had been too much for him to retain them. They had flashed quickly and now he couldn't remember what he had just seen.
'You're afraid, Christopher? Because you're not good enough to decipher the enigma? Yes, your cousin was always the best at this... You meant nothing to her... Nothing!'
Chris was about to yell, scream, cry and kick something, whatever...
But he stopped. He took breath and tried to calm down and think about what he had seen when touching the number.
He felt really down now... Nothing.. he was nothing for everyone. That was the sad truth.
Suddenly one of the flash memories appeared again: He saw himself in a cage, and Leo threatening him with a sword. That day he had been really nothing for him... He meant nothing for his own family. Then he remembered the moment, when Piper wanted to blow him up... Chris felt like crying.
He wanted to die, suddenly. He really felt as if he was a zero on the left of the numbers... That's to say, nothing at all. Nothing...
Chris rubbed his temples nervously. He had to fight that. Whatever it was, it was taking him, driving him mad. He made an attempt to think clearly...
And after some seconds, he frowned, pensive... He wanted to be nothing, he was nothing, just a zero... on the left. He rushed to see the numbers again, and realized the one on that door was a 1. Then he quickly turned to the door on the left and saw it... It was a 0. He rushed to open it.
But he stopped suddenly. He had to be careful... He went to the other doors, and looked at the numbers. On the left of that 0 there was a 2 and then, on the left of this, opposite the other 0, there was another 0... He frowned even more confused. He looked down. The number was a 3 on the door which was on the floor. Therefore, the number on the ceiling should be a 0... So... this made those 0s be on the left of a number but on the right of another!...
Of course. hell! It was a cube! His arm started to ache again... It was even worse than before.
"Dad!" he called, desperate...
Who had taken him there? He had felt a person beside him, then he had been knocked out, and when he awoke he was there...
"Take me outta here! Whoever you are.. This isn't funny anymore, ok? I give up! Don't know what the hell this enigma's solution is!" he yelled, almost crying out of desperation.
"Ok, I admit it... I don't deserve to be part of the power of three! Are you happy now? huh?"
Suddenly his heart seemed to stop. The power of three...
He was a 0 on the left for the power of three? He ducked quickly to study the door on the floor, the one with the number three. He looked for the appropriate position to see it straight, and then, turned his head to the left... One of the doors with a 0 was on the left wall, in relation to the door with the 3... That was his door... He rushed to it, and started to open it. The wheel moved, and this made his heart skip out of joy. He had found the exit!
But no... something was wrong... He felt it. What if that was a trap? What would he find on the other side... if that wasn't the correct answer.
'You're nothing, Christopher Perry. Nothing to them...'
Perry... Perry... He wasn't Christopher Perry at all. This voice was calling him Perry almost all the time. He wasn't Perry. Christopher Perry meant nothing for the family, he was nothing for them. Nothing for the power of three, for the Halliwells... Christopher Perry didn't exist anymore... He was... a 0...
But HE wasn't Christopher Perry... He was Christopher Halliwell. He DID belong to the power of 3.
'I am one of them... whoever you are... you were wrong. You won't get me... You won't have me!'
The door with the 3... He went back there, shivering. He had been about to open the wrong door, now he knew it... because when he stared at the number 3, he realized that if he turned it, if he looked at it from the other side, from the top... it was the letter E. Exit...
He didn't hesitate this time. He started to move the wheel, sweating, his arm aching, and trembling. If he was wrong...
But he couldn't be. Because he wasn't a 0. He belonged to the power of 3. And he had just defeated one of his worst fears, and found the exit...
"Yes!" he exclaimed, when he saw the light, and something else.
He jumped through the door...

°°°°°°°°°°

Leo jumped from the seat and ran to them. "Are you all ok?" he asked.
Piper couldn't help embracing him tightly: "Honey, I was so scared! I'm so happy you're ok!"
Cole looked around, frowning, wondering about everything he saw there.
Paige went to Tom and hugged him. "Hey, you see? You're with the right team, we're gonna get outta here veeeeryyy soon, sweetie," she said. Tom smiled slightly at her.
Wyatt had started to inspect the room carefully, just as his father had done before.
Leo shook his head when he saw him: "No way out! I couldn't find it..."
"But there must be a way, sweetheart..." answered Piper, worriedly.
"Hey... none of you wonders where Chris is?" asked suddenly Bianca.
Leo frowned. He hadn't seen her... "You ok?" he asked.
She nodded.
"I thought... Chris had found you. I lost him when he was looking for you, actually," Leo went on. He was really scared now.
Piper was starting to panic too. What if Belthazor had taken advantage of the confusion and taken him? What if...?
Everyone turned to look around them as a creaking noise disturbed their thoughts.
They didn't know where they came from. Tom swallowed, scared.
"Yes!" that was a very familiar voice.
They looked at the ceiling right at the moment Chris was jumping in the middle of the circle they had formed.
"Ouch!" he exclaimed as his wounded arm made contact with the floor.
Some of the people inside looked at the ceiling, surprised since they hadn't noticed that there was a small and cloaked door there, which was now opened.
The others stared at Chris, shocked.
"Where the hell did you come from?" asked Paige, taken aback.
He raised his head and grinned, but then grimaced painfully: "Hey! Nice to see you all, too... But if you don't mind, some healing here would be fine, dad!"

°°°°°°°°°°

Phoebe's mind was working very hard. 'His blood...? How would she get it?' she thought. On the other hand, she thought that those kids were amazing. She wasn't sure about their plan, but she knew they'd try their best.
"So... sweetie... What do you think, shall I order the smoke back?" Belthazor asked.
Phoebe smiled. "No, no no," she said. Then she closed her eyes and gave him a kiss. She wanted it to be a small soft kiss, but he kissed her back passionately.
Nicki and Steve looked bewildered at that scene, that was disgusting!
Then Steve looked to the girl: "What about Cole?"
"Well I don't think that Phoebe..."
"I'm not talking about them. I mean what if we use the blood of Belthazor to banish him from here... What will happen to Cole? In a way they are the same person, right?"
Nicki frowned, then answered: "So we have to change that spell a little."
Meanwhile Phoebe freed herself from his kiss. "Wow," she said, still smiling... even if she felt like shit.

°°°°°°°°°°

"Thanks, dad," Chris said, after he finished the healing.
"Where have you been?" Bianca asked, sitting next to him.
"Don't ask, sweetie, just don't ask," he answered and kissed her lovingly.
Paige turned to Wyatt: "And now? Where is the way out?"
"Do you know that, Wyatt?" Chris asked surprised.
"I'm not sure," he explained, "I've been here before, but for me that's over 15 years ago."
Chris nodded. He stood up and went over to him. "Can I help you in some way?" he asked.
Wyatt shook his head: "No, thank you."
Chris nodded and went back to the others. "What about Belthazor?" he whispered to them, trying not to disturb his brother in his searching.
"None of us have seen him," Piper answered.
"And Phoebe and the other kids?" he asked again.
Paige sighed: "We don't know. Hopefully they are still outside, and hopefully Belthazor hasn't caught them."
Cole was shivering. He knew very well what his other half was able to do. And he felt fear, when he thought about Phoebe being alone with him.
Chris noticed that. He hugged him: "She's alright, I'm sure!"
"Thanks, boy" Cole answered with a sad smile.
"Hey, I think I got it!" Wyatt called.
The other went over to him. "So?" Piper asked.
"In the real office," Wyatt started to explain," the entrance to the cellar is behind that shelf. So here the exit must be at the opposite side." He went over to a wall with a large painting on it. It showed a scene where two demons were having a fight.
Wyatt took it off from the wall, Leo helped him. Behind the painting was a door.
"I can't believe I didn't see this," Leo said.
"Did you take the painting off completely?" his son asked.
Leo shook his head.
"So maybe that's the reason," Wyatt answered.
"Are you sure this is the exit?" Paige asked after they opened that door and then looked into another dark way.
"Yes, it is, directly and without any other traps," the blonde man answered with a wink.

°°°°°°°°°°

Belthazor grinned openly. "Just better than I remembered, sweetie..." he said with a harsh voice, pressing Phoebe against the wall.
Her eyes turned worriedly towards the kids. She was starting to feel really scared. She needed that blood for them, but how was she gonna get it? 'Ok, Phoebe, breathe and think...' But she couldn't breathe without smelling the disgusting odour of the demon's mouth. nevertheless, she tried to make her best smile.
"I knew you were looking forward to something like that... I know you well..." she didn't want her nerves to show up in her voice, so she tried to control herself. "I could give you more, as much as you desire... But before..." she pushed Belthazor sweetly, so she didn't run out of breath, and then put her arms around his shoulders, "I need you to let them go. All of them. Just tell me where they are, and I'll be yours... forever."
"What about Cole?" he asked suspicious, without noticing what she was doing.
She had leaned her head on his left shoulder, and reached to a hairgrip she was using. She intended to prick his skin with it...
"I love Cole, Belthazor. Ok, you know that too... But you must know that I'll do whatever is necessary to keep him safe. So if that means going with you... I'll do."
The teens were staring at her hands on the back of the demon, holding their breath back.
"Perhaps you should go on thinking about the spell... Write it, Nicki, fast!" Steve said, without taking his eyes away from Phoebe's hand.
Suddenly, Belthazor pushed her back harshly against the shelves, and grasped her hand. He saw the object she was about to prick on his back, and yelled: "Did you think I'm such a fool, witch?" He slapped her strongly on the face, making her fall down, moaning.
Nicki and Steve stepped backwards scared. That was the end.
"Run!" Phoebe cried.
The kids did as she said, and ran outside the office. They had to find someone else. They had to.

°°°°°°°°°°

"Cool..." muttered Chris, swallowing, and grabbing Bianca's hand tightly. "If you're so sure..."
Wyatt felt his fears, and smiled. He patted his shoulder and winked: "Come on follow me. As I told you, Chris... I always find a way."
Chris felt more reassured, smiled back, and did as he was told to do.
Paige followed the three of them, then Leo and Piper, and Cole was at the end of the row, holding Tom.
At the end of the corridor, there was a door, a simple door.
"This is the door Gideon himself must have used to get out of here, and to let the punished kids get out, too. Once they passed their trials!" explained Wyatt as he touched the wood looking for a mechanism to open it.
"Help! We need help!" It was Nicki's and Steve's voices.
Cole tensed. Where was Phoebe? He and Tom ran to the door, next to Wyatt.
"Get out of there!" cried Piper, and without waiting for an answer, she blew the door up. She was fed up with stupid sealed doors, things were easier that way... And it seems her powers did work this time, in this place.
Cole had to embrace Tom to prevent the splinters from hurting him. Instead, they scratched his own skin, making him bleed, but he was too worried to ask for healing. Moreover, no one else noticed.
They were all out in a second, running after Nicki and Steve.

°°°°°°°°°°

Nicki explained everything to them as they ran, and Steve guided them to the office, where Belthazor was.
"So... you need Belthazor's blood to make that potion?" asked Cole, pensive.
Nicki nodded, running out of breath.
"And... could you take mine?" he frowned.
Nicki turned to look at his shoulder... He was bleeding.
"The spell could affect you if I do so."
"My blood is the same..."
"But we planned to change the spell so that it didn't affect you..."
"Well, do it."
She shook her head: "With your own blood, I'm not sure if that will work at all..."
"It doesn't mater, Nicki. Do it," he was determined, "we can not waste more time!"

°°°°°°°°°°

Phoebe was running out of air. Belthazor had grasped her neck and pressed her to the wall.
"You shouldn't try to trick me, little stupid girl" he yelled.
"I swear, I just wanted to save the k..."
Belthazor held her stronger. Phoebe was unable to speak now. She felt that she was going to lose her consciousness.
Suddenly Belthazor felt a potion-bottle crashed to his back, but nothing happened. Then a few voices appeared in his back and made him turn around. There were the rest of the sisters, the kids, Bianca, Chris and Wyatt, and together they cast a spell:
"Belthazor - the demon, the Source - hear our voices
we'll not accept your evil attack!
You have to leave that school and all witches' houses
and you're never allowed to come back"
Belthazor grinned when nothing happened: "You can't force me to do anything, I'm the source."
Phoebe's eyes were turning white.
"Just wait," Nicki said. She was sure that this would work, it had to.
Then, suddenly, a kind of storm appeared around the demon's feet. Surprised, he let Phoebe off. She fell down to the ground.
The storm got bigger and bigger, then he went out, and took the demon with it.
Chris ran over to Phoebe and healed her. Seconds later she was fine again.
"Damn, I'm so happy to see you, how could you do that? Where is Cole?" she asked.
Nicki and Steve looked at each other. They didn't know where Cole was, they had left him with Leo.
Suddenly some orbing-lights appeared, and with them Leo, who had taken little Wyatt back from the Elders, and Cole.
As soon as she saw him, Phoebe jumped up and hugged him, and kissed him.
"Girl, I think you've written a good spell," Paige said to Nicki who turned red.
"Yeah, even if he's still alive, you saved not only the school, you saved the homes of all witches out there. That was a real good job. You all did a real good job!" Piper added. The kids smiled.

°°°°°°°°°°

About half an hour later, Wyatt sat on top of the Golden Gate Bridge, when Chris orbed there.
"Hey, I thought I would find you here," his brother said.
Wyatt smiled sadly.
"Dad says you have to return to your time now, before you get stuck to this time as I am."
"I know," he answered, "but before I have to talk to you."
Chris nodded and sat down next to him: "Me too... so... who shall start?"
Wyatt made a move with his hand, to show is brother that he should begin.
Chris nodded again: "Well... I was always afraid about what would happen if I returned to my time and see you, the changed one. Cause I kind of hated you for such a long time, that... I wasn't sure if I could be able to feel for you in a different way."
Wyatt nodded.
"And I think this has been the reason why I was so... unkind to you. I'm sorry! I really am... 'Cause now I know how much I love you, how much I always did."
Wyatt smiled and hugged him: "I know Chris, I know."
"And..."
"What?"
"I'm very thankful that you saved me, believe it or not... you brought me back from death in that cave."
"Chris, that's..."
"No Wyatt, it's true. I don't know how, but I know it's true."
Wyatt looked at him for a while, then he nodded: "Yes, I... I know it, too."
Chris smiled: "That power is a great gift... you can be proud of that."
"I'm proud of being your brother..." he answered.
Chris smiled: "I'm proud of being yours... Now it's your turn."
"Well... another rescue, hopefully," Wyatt whispered more to himself. Then he sighed: "I came here to ask you a favor. One that will be really hard for you 'cause you have always been that kind of person who wants do to everything on his own... same as your younger version."
Chris smiled, he knew how true Wyatt's words were.
"Chris... Some day far in the future, you will have the chance to go and kill a demon called Molduras, together with your little self... Chris I beg you not to do it... not alone. 'Cause the demon is more powerful than you thought and if you try, both of you..." he stopped talking, his voice broke. He had tears in his eyes.
Chris swallowed. He felt like falling into a hole without any ground. He had died in his future... But his brother was there, he came back for him... So he still had a chance.
Wyatt took a deep breath and went on: "You know, I can't live without you, nor without the other Chris. That's why I came. I need you, and your family needs you too."
Chris nodded and hugged him lovingly: "I swear to you I will never do that. I swear..." Both men started to cry.

°°°°°°°°°°

"Where is he?" Bianca asked.
"He'll come," Piper answered.
And shortly after that Wyatt orbed to the attic.
"Hey son," Leo said, "everything is ready for your return."
"What about Chris?" Bianca asked him.
Wyatt shrugged: "I'm not sure, he's still at the bridge."
"Is everything alright?" his mother asked.
He nodded and hugged her: "See you in about 22 years."
Piper smiled and cried at the same time.
Then Wyatt said goodbye to all the others and also to his father and to his little self. It was crazy in a way. He held himself in his arms and hugged him.
"Wyatt, please, make sure that no one comes to the past again from your time, that whole thing is getting very dangerous," Leo told him, as he had been doing a hundred times before during the last minutes.
Wyatt nodded. Then he sighed and threw a little potion, he had hidden in the attic after his arrival, to the triquetra painted on the wall. Right after that the door to his time was open.
Wyatt was about to go trough it, when he heard a voice.
"Wait a second!" Wyatt turned around and looked in Chris's eyes.
He smiled: "Send some greeting to myself, o.k.?"
Wyatt smiled back: "I will."
Then he went through the portal.

°°°°°°°°°°

Seconds later, Wyatt returned to the attic, his attic in his time. He looked around. Everything was like he had left it. Then he turned to the door.
There stood a man, in the middle of his 40s, with dark hair and some gray streaks, bright green eyes and a smile that was spread over his whole face.
"I have to send you some greetings!" Wyatt cried, ran over to the old Chris and hugged him full of love.
"I know," Chris said laughing.
Then both men started to cry.
"I swore I would be here, and so is your little brother," the old Chris remarked.
"It's so good to have you back," Wyatt replied, "now everything will be alright."
"Yes, it will," Chris whispered.
Both men kept silent for a while, they were just hugging each other.
"Damn, little Nicki, give me my shirt back," they heard Patricia yelling at her sister downstairs. Then they heard some glass breaking.
Wyatt smiled: "Well... I think nearly alright!
Both men began to laugh. They put their arms around the others' shoulders and went down the stairs.

(Chapter 11 written by Chrissy.W.x and Belén)

Alright... That's the end of Part 2... We hope you've enjoyed reading it... Next week we'll start with "A Charmed Story - Part Three"... So stay tuned...