Title: Shimmering lights.

Author: Sunniva

Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed or the shows characters. I make no profit on this story and only write for enjoyment.

Chapter: 8

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Chris and Bianca both dressed in record speed. Neither said anything but both knew something had happened to each other and needed to talk to the others.

Outside in the hallway they ran into Piper who had gone from room till room checking everyone. She was only dressed in her nightgown and a robe, with her hair uncombed. The expression on her face showed the two time travelers that something had happened to her too.

All three turned when Paige's door opened and the youngest sister walked out looking devastated. She paused when she saw them.

"Paige, you ok?" Piper asked. Her sister sniffed and for a second look remarkable like a fragile child. "You can see me?" Paige wondered.

"Yes, why?"

"Its just… I had this really horrible nightmare." Paige looked like she was going to break down.

"Oh, honey," Piper said and went to hug her, "I had one too."

Chris and Bianca looked at each other and could both see the question and answer in each other's eyes. "Us too," Chris said.

"What's going on?"

All turned and saw a very tired looking Phoebe standing in the doorway to her room. "I can't sleep with all the commotion going on out here. Who opened the door to my room? Whoever it was woke me up."

"Pheebes, did you have any nightmares?" Piper wondered. The middle sister looked confused by the question. "Well, does the one where Elise is chasing me saying I'm about to miss my deadline count as one?"

"You don't look to shaken up so I guess it don't."

"Hey, Elise can be really terrifying. Especially when she is dressed out as Xena Warrior Princess holding a whip in one hand and my column in the other and saying it isn't good enough."

"Your dreams are very morbid," Chris commented. Unfortunately his words made Piper and Bianca stiffen and Paige to close her eyes to stop the tears from coming.

Phoebe saw this and became serious at once. "Ok, what's really going on?" she wondered walking up to the group, all sleepiness suddenly gone.

Piper sighed, "let's go to the kitchen. I'll make you something. I have a feeling we'll need it."

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In the kitchen Piper made hot chocolate while the others sat around the table. While she walked around the kitchen gathering all the ingredients (not that much to gather) she spoke to the others at the same time.

"So everyone except Phoebe had a nightmare? One not normal." Chris and Bianca nodded while Paige said yes. "What were they about?" Piper asked.

No one seemed to want to tell first. Piper put a cup in front everyone and then poured the chocolate. While she did this she began speaking about her dream.

"I dreamt that I came home and the house was trashed, everyone dead and I was happy about it."

"Everyone as in…?" Phoebe asked.

"Everyone," Piper confirmed, "Paige?"

Paige moved around uncomfortable on the chair before she spoke. "I came home and found out that I was no longer considered a part of the family from neither you or the Book."

The three sisters looked at Bianca and Chris. Bianca started. "I killed demons and no matter what they looked like they turned out to be Chris in the end." Chris took her hand both as support for her and himself. "Everyone abandoned me," was the only thing he said about his own dream.

They all fell quiet thinking about their dreams, Phoebe about the others.

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"Hey, you ok?" Chris asked his fiancé. She was sitting on the bed with a far away look on her face. Although it was midday the mood in the Manor was still dark and depressed. After the gathering in the kitchen everyone had gone his or her own way. Phoebe had been like a Ping-Pong boll between her sisters offering support. Chris had suggested a different king of therapy, go down to the underworld and kill a few demons. Bianca refused immediately, her dream still vividly in her mind.

"Yes, its just… It was a stupid dream and I can't seem to get past the guilt." She got up from the bed and started walking around the room. Chris on the other hand sat down and listened. He knew she needed this just like he did.

"The dream was so real. I was there in the alley. I killed the demon and it felt real. When I turned it around and saw you… It was real to me. I killed you. Not once did it occur to me that it might be a dream."

She paused and turned towards Chris. "When Wyatt told me that I was to go back to the past and kill you my worst fear happened. We managed to avoid that, but now I'm dreaming about it instead."

Chris stiffened when she said worst fear and barely heard what she said next. His worst fear, except failing in finding the demon that turned Wyatt, was Bianca abandoning him and for some reason not be welcomed in the house any more.

"We have been played," he realized.

"What?"

"We have been played," he repeated and got up from the bed, "I can't believe no one of us thought of that last night. We all said it wasn't normal dreams." He walked towards the door but Bianca stopped him.

"Wait, Chris. What do you mean?"

"You and I dreamt our worst fears. I bet it was Pipers and Paige's worst fears too. What are the odds that the four of us dream them the same night and it's normal?"

Bianca quickly cut on his line of thought and repeated him, "we have been played."

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"So you're telling us a demon tempered with our dreams and made us dream our worst fears?" Paige asked. They were all up in the attic and Chris told them about his suspicion. "Who did it? Barbas?" Paige continued.

"Nah, we vanquished his sorry as some time ago so hopefully he won't be back for a while," Piper objected.

"Barbas, the Demon of Fear, right?" Bianca searched her memories (which made the Charmed Ones hope they vanquished him once and for all sometime in the future). "Could his power get to you while you sleep?"

"He uses a more up-front confrontation but I think he got to Prue once when she fell asleep in the bathtub," Piper said. She then stopped herself, "no wait that was another demon."

"So who then?" Paige wondered, "wait that's a dumb question. Sorry, but I'm so tired I can't think straight."

"Who has been after us the last few days?" Phoebe said in a it's-so-obvious-kind-of tone.

"Demon of Delusion."

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AN: Sorry about the wait but besides trouble writing I have gone through a surgery for my back and have to go through complications because of it. I'm still not all right but well enough to write and post this.

Bye till next time

Sunniva.