HALLIWELL 2024 –Eppy 1

The familiar blue orbs materialize in the dark, dreary surroundings of P3 as Chris orbed in with Bianca. No sooner had they arrived, did they hear a cry as Tag came sliding toward them on his backside from across the room. They had no time to react before he knocked them down like bowling pins, causing them to land in a heap on top of the small boy.

"What the…?" Chris began angrily as he rolled to the side and jumped to his feet. Turning his attention to Bianca, he reached a hand out to her, helping her to her feet.

"Are you OK?" he asked.

"I'm fine." She replied, brushing the dust off herself. "Is he?" she asked, pointing Tag who was still sprawled out on the floor.

Chris rolled his eyes, knelt down, and hoisted the boy up by his armpits.

"Get up." He said angrily. "What the hell are you doing?"

"It's not my fault!" Tag whined. "He did it!"

He pointed across the room to where Mace stood with Nikki and Jess.

"Mace! How many times have I told you not to practice your powers on your little brother!" Chris hollored at him.

"I didn't hurt him!" Mace replied defensively. "We even lined some boxes up for him."

Of Chris' confused look, Mace pointed to the far wall behind him where there were, in fact, several large broken boxes blocking the wall.

"…so he wouldn't get hurt. See?"

"Are you frickin' kidding me? What an idiot!" Chris replied, shaking his head.

Bianca was also shaking her head. She was shocked at what she was witnessing. At 20, Chris was practically a child himself, yet here he was, clearly the only authority figure for this unruly pack of kids. She instantly felt sorry for him. She felt sorry for all of them.

"You didn't tell me you had little kids here." Bianca said, turning her attention back to Chris.

"Hey! Who are you calling a little kid?" Tag asked her, crossing his arms across his chest defiantly.

"Yeah. Who the hell are you anyway?" Mace chimed in.

"I was about to ask the same thing." Jessie added.

"She's with me." Chris replied.

"Well that's obvious." Nikki said. "But it doesn't answer the question."

"My name is Bianca."

"She's a witch…just like us." Chris explained. "Wyatt's demons are after her. One of them nearly killed her today."

"And he would have succeeded if Chris hadn't been there." Bianca said. Then, turning to Chris she added. "You saved my life."

"So you brought her here?" Jessie said, ignoring Bianca. "That's…brilliant. Like we don't have enough problems of our own."

"She had no where else to go!" Chris insisted.

"Not our problem!" Mace shot back.

Furious now, Chris advanced toward Mace, getting right in his face.

"Excuse me! But the last time I checked, this was still P3. As in Pheobe, Prue and Piper! Who…oh yeah…just happens to be my mother! So technically, that makes this my place and you are not going to tell me who I can and can't invite here. Got it?"

"Is there a problem?"

The calm voice came from behind where the group was standing. They all turned to find Bryan standing in the entrance to the hallway that led to the back office.

"What's going on?" he asked, walking toward them. "I could here you arguing all the way in the back."

"Oh, arguing he hears. Where the hell was he when they were using shorty over here for a human bowling ball." Bianca wondered out loud, not hiding her sarcasm.

Chris had to stop himself from smiling as he held up his hand to her, indicating that she should keep quiet. Bryan, being the oldest, was usually the most reasonable and Chris definitely needed someone on his side right now. He figured that insulting him right off the bat wasn't the best way to achieve that.

"I'm sorry." Bryan said calmly as he advanced toward where Bianca stood next to Chris. "I don't believe we've met."

"Bryan, this is Bianca." Chris said warily, desperately hoping Bryan would be a little more accepting than the others.

"Bianca." Bryan repeated. "Well Bianca, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm…"

"Bryan" Bianca finished for him. "Yeah. I got that."

She held out her hand to greet him and Bryan noticed the small red birthmark on her wrist. He pretended not to notice as he shook her hand.

"So Bianca, tell me. What brings you to our humble home?"

"I brought her here." Chris replied sounding a bit annoyed.

"I was asking Bianca." Bryan said sternly, flashing him a warning look that took Chris by surprise.

Bianca turned to Chris who merely shrugged as he looked at her apologetically. It was then, that Bianca realized she was wrong. Chris was not the authority figure here…Bryan was. And while Bryan was definitely older, and perhaps more suited for this position than Chris…she certainly did not like the way Bryan had just spoken to him. She instantly began to feel uneasy as she wondered what was triggering this reaction to her presence.

"So Bianca…" Bryans voice brought Bianca's attention back to him. "I'll ask you again. What brings you here?"

"Well, like Chris said. He brought me here because I am being hunted by Wyatt's demons." Bianca said coolly, trying to mask the apprehension in her voice.

"I see." Bryan said, nodding. Then turning his attention to Chris he said, "Chris, can I speak with you in the office…alone."

Chris looked at Bianca, then to the other's, who hadn't made a peep during this entire exchange, before finally turning to Bryan.

"Um…sure."

"Great!" Bryan said, reaching out and grabbing Chris by the arm. "Let's go."

He yanked Chris away from Bianca with such force that Chris nearly stumbled.

"Shit Bryan!" Chris protested. "Yank my arm off why don't you?"

"Just move it" Bryan ordered, shoving Chris forward. "You get into the office and stay there." There was an urgency in his voice now that alarmed Chris, who turned around just in time to see Bryan reach down and retrieve an athame from his boot.

"Bryan…" Chris began. But before he could get the words "what are you doing" from his mouth, Bryan had hurled the athame at Bianca.

Things seem to happen in slow motion as Chris watched the athame headed straight for Bianca. But just when it was about to strike her, Bianca shocked everyone, by shimmering out of the room. Everyone except Bryan, that is.

"Oh my god!" Jessie screamed. "Did you see that?"

"She shimmered!" Nikki replied, pointing out the obvious.

"Son of a bitch!" Mace fumed. "She's a demon!"

"A demon! A demon!" Tag said as the panic in his voice grew. "You brought a demon here!"

"I…She…" Chris stammered. Still not believing what had just happened. "She told me she was a witch."

"I am a witch."

In all the confusion and chaos, no one had notice Bianca shimmer back into the room.

"Demon!" Tag screamed as he ran toward brother.

"Blast her Jess!" Mace hollored, pulling his brother behind him.

As Jessie raised her hands to attack, Bianca quickly raised her own.

"No! Wait! Please wait." She pleaded.

"Jessie stop!" Chris ordered – not really sure why. After all…she had lied to him. But he wanted to hear what she had to say.

"Let me explain. Please. I'm not lying to you. I swear I'm not. I am a witch!"

"Liar!" Tag hollored at her, poking his head out from behind Mace's back.

"She's not lying. She's definitely a witch." Bryan stated.

"But she shimmered!" Nikki wailed. "Witches don't shimmer."

"Some witches do." Bryan said calmly as he made his way across the room toward her. "Pheonixes do. Isn't that right Miss Bianca?"

"Yeah." Bianca replied coolly, standing her ground. "That's right."

"I don't understand." Chris replied. "What's a Pheonix?"

Bryan smiled at Bianca before asking her…

"Do you want to tell him or should I?"

"Well, since you seem to know everything…why don't you go ahead."

Bianca and Bryan stood there, staring each other down until Chris finally spoke up again.

"Bryan…what's a Pheonix?"

Bryan gave Bianca and icey stare before turning to face Chris, who looked not only confused, but hurt as well. It almost broke Bryan's heart to have to tell him that this girl that he had befriended and clearly trusted was…

"An assassin Chris. An assassin."

To be continued…