Black smoke filled the room, in the cliché sense, with all the world obstructed from view, and only the coughing told where each person was. Their whitelighter was not coughing, but moving through the haze, toward the reason of the chaos.
He didn't think, something he actually liked about fights, and pounced on the demon, knocking it to the ground. The movement had pushed the danger away from the three coughing girls, and as Chris struggled to fight the demon, he was silently happy that he had done that.
But that was until the claw of the beast made its presence known in his chest, and then in his side. Finally, sound escaped his throat. A wet, high pitched shrill.
Even through the pain, he fought, perhaps slowing down some, but not giving up. His fist met the hard hide of the dark crimson demon. Each pull brought more crimson onto the man's hands. It was not from the demon.
Light flashed out of the sea of darkness, from behind the struggling pair. The man didn't stop, or even pay attention, all focus on the beast.
Flames licked the bloody hands of the white lighter, as the beast consumed itself, with its defeat.
The floor met Chris' body.
"LEO!" Bellowed the eldest, Piper, as she moved toward the fallen guardian. Her hands pealed the sticky shirt away, catching glimpses of dark wounds. But light consumed them quickly, and clean, unharmed skin replaced the mangled. Chris didn't open his eyes when he spoke, from the floor.
"It's alright, he doesn't need to come." As he finished his sentence, a blue swirl of lights began to appear that quickly formed into a figure of a man.
"What's wrong?" Piper shook her head at Leo's question.
"Nothing anymore," she turned toward Chris again, addressing him, "so, you can heal yourself, but you can't heal others?" Piper began helping him up, and didn't see the sadness in his eyes.
"No." He responded shortly.
"Care to explain why?" Inquired Leo. Chris sighed, noticing how the family built a barrier for him to cross to get out of the room. He idly wondered if they noticed what they were doing.
"No."
"It's not like it's going to change anything. I has nothing to do with Wyatt. I'm just curious why we are stuck with a whitelighter that can't heal, and knowing us, it's not a good thing," spoke Piper.
Chris' shoulder straightened and his arms crossed over his chest, but he said nothing.
"Guys…" The sister, Phoebe, warned.
"I died and became a white lighter. I could heal- I did heal. But, not that many months later, the very cruel man, who destroyed my world, took that from me, as sort of a horrid joke."
"Why?" Asked Leo. Chris eyes turned towards Leo's, and answered without hesitation.
"Because it is the one power I would give all powers for." The brief silence the held the room after his confession was broken by another question. This time it was Paige.
"Why didn't he just kill you, the cruel man.-I mean, he had to be close enough to take that power, so why not just kill you?" Chris didn't look at her, like he had with Leo. His head tilted down, avoiding, but then shot up as he pointed toward where the recently vanquished demon once was,
"This demon-," he stuttered, "was after the power of three. You should research it, find out why. I'll go- see my contacts."
He pushed passed the broken barricade, and made is way downstairs before he threw his hands up, crashing a vase to the ground.
It didn't help.
He left in a dazzling shower of disassembling blue lights.
"Find anything?"
"Only that my eyes hurt if I try to read without my glasses."
"In the book, Pheebs."
"No, Piper." The oldest sighed,
"I'm getting tired of this."
"Getting?" After a few moments she asked her sister where Leo was.
"Out scouting Chris, I'd imagine. He's not here." Phoebe shook her head, and placed her head on the shoulder of her sister.
"He needs to give that up. I mean, look what happened today; he wasn't even there to begin with, when the demon came, but he orbed in, and just went for it. Chris is either insane, or just insanely good."
"You're noticing that too, huh?"
"I thought you were the one that didn't like him."
"A few days ago, I didn't get much out of him, but it was enough. His actions are shady, but I trust his motives." Pheobe's eyebrow raised.
"What happened?" Piper shook her head, and straightened up.
"Nothing, don't worry about it."
Blue orbs interrupted any continuing conversation, they solidified into Chris.
He was wearing scraps, bruises and dirt. His clothes were scuffed with dark marks, and a dark crimson color, blood. Worry wore his face.
"It was part of something bigger. There's a plan."
"Of course there is."