A Charmed Story - Part Four:
Marriage with Obstacles
Chapter 7
Cole and Chris walked along the grand hallway. No one said a word for about five minutes. Then Cole broke the silence.
"O.k. boy... Explain me that" he said.
"What?" Chris asked.
Cole sighed: "Why are you giving up? You never give up; you're Chris, the one that always fights!"
Chris shook his head: "I don't give up, believe me." And in his thoughts he added: 'I'm just tiered of all this.'
"And why did you tell me all those things?"
"Cole... there's a reason for everything I do, o.k.? Just remember that, and don't question me anymore." Chris sighed and turned away. "I have a plan, o.k.?"
"Then tell me!" Cole demanded. "Tell me what it is, so that I can know too! Chris, listen, none of us wants to lose you, and you know that we'll always be here for you, too. Plus, I would want to help you too. I owe you."
"Ahhh... there's no such a thing as 'owe' in my dictionary, Cole. Look, just let it go, alright?"
"No, I won't." Cole replied stubbornly. "Well, mister: since you've got such a great plan, why not sharing it with this less intelligent mortal here?"
Chris gazed in the far distance. "Cole... to tell the truth, I don't have a plan. I just... according to what Piper said, Zankou would torture me to get her to drink a potion that will cause her to lose my little self. I... Mom never said if I managed to withstand and survive those tortures, maybe I couldn't..." He sighed once more and faced Cole with glaring eyes, "there wouldn't be ME anymore! Don't you get it? This is the only way... I figured out that if I can get mom to swear never to give in... Even if I die from the torture, the little one will still live on. In other words, I will still live on, at least in a way. I won't be erased from existence or whatever; not completely... there would still be at least one version of me. It's the best chance I've got. We can't afford to lose both of me, can we?"
Cole was speechless. He understood where Chris was going and he empathised. In him, his inner self told him that Chris made perfect sense with his simple analysis, but his emotional self just could not even bear the thought of Chris speaking like this. Chris was, after all, his closest friend...
"If I am unlucky and I am gone before my wedding day... Tell Bianca that I truly love her, o.k.? And that I will continue to watch over her and the baby, always. Always and forever...
I can't tell her that personally now because I'm afraid I will hurt her. She's too vulnerable, this girl. Too emotional at times. But I suppose that is what I adore about her." He chuckled. "But of course, what am I talking about? As I said, I won't ever give up, unless necessary."
Both guys remained silent - Chris with a wishful smile on his face and Cole showing a serious expression.
"I... I suppose so, man." Cole softened. If Chris had decided, then so be it. He would respect any decision his best friend made. He smiled gently. "Come on, guy, you're the man. You're the groom! So why talk about such unpleasant stuff? Let's spend some quality time together, all right? Celebrate the last of your bachelor days!"
Chris smiled, but his eyes showed that he was still worried.
°°°°°°°°°°
"No! I insist on you going to the Magic School, Prue." Phoebe insisted. "It's safer there."
"But... But as I said, we're running out of time! We gotta do something and we have no time to lose." Prue sputtered. "Don't worry about me," flashing her 100 megawatt smile, she continued, "I'll be fine. I can take care of myself. It's Paige whom we should be concerned about." She stood up and dusted herself.
Leo and Phoebe exchanged short glances before Phoebe spoke, "You're right. At the moment, Paige is more important. No offence, Prue."
Prue grinned. "Oh, don't worry, 'bes."
Phoebe was taken aback, but she did not let it show. As far as she knew, Prue hardly called her 'bes. She remembered how Prue had given her a little talk a few years back on how we should treasure the names we were given when we were born, and not create silly nicknames. And no one had ever called her 'bes before. But of course, Prue had got over that matter since then. Nevertheless, it was just plain odd to find her sister extremely hyperactive and chirpy all of a sudden, especially since she had been attacked less than minutes ago, and Paige had been taken away right in front of her eyes.
"Great!" She managed a grin as her thoughts were racing. "So... what now?"
Leo, apparently tipped off by Prue's weird behaviour, said, "Well... I suppose we could... send Prue back up there for now... And if we need you again we could call you down, but for now, I think you'd be safer up there. What do you guys think?"
All three youths shrugged as an indication of their "no-opinion", while Prue looked like taken aback.
"B-But... w-why?" Prue exclaimed. "You shouldn't do that!" Then, sensing she was overdoing it again, she calmed down and explained with a huge smile, "I only meant to say, I would want to stay and help. After all, you couldn't possibly think I'm going to return up there now that I know that my half-sister is kidnapped? If you do, then you guys are seriously wrong! I'm staying to help! Period!"
"Well..." Leo began uncomfortably.
"Uh-uh." Prue shook her finger. "No more arguing, Leo. I'm the oldest here!"
Phoebe felt something was weird. It just did not make sense if the usually responsible Prue was actually using her age to command authority. That was just too childish - unlike Prue's character.
Leo coughed. "Actually, I am. Forgotten? I'm an Elder!"
"You are?" Prue appeared astonished. "Really? Oh my... How long have this - I mean, I, since I died?"
"A few years?" Phoebe offered.
"Oops!" Prue giggled. "Sorry, I simply forgot!"
Phoebe merely raised her brows. "All right, cut the crap. Let's get down to some serious business. I'm gonna go around here to see if I can get a vision of what happened, or how Zankou looked like. And -"
"No! Don't!" Prue looked flustered. "Don't bother, I mean. I can easily describe or sketch out how he looked like. I suppose you could... could do something more productive."
"Like?"
"Like... check the Book of Shadows? Make potions? Come up with spells? Simply, just do your usual whatnots - what you do usually."
"My dear sister... do you remember, the Book of Shadows is at the magic school? Besides, without knowing anything about this demon Zankou, how can we make potions or write spells?" Phoebe rolled her eyes. "I'll tell you what. I'm gonna save you the time from sketching. I never trusted your artistic talents, anyway. No offence. So, if you don't mind, I'd like to..." But she was interupted.
°°°°°°°°°°
The doorbell rang through the entire house. The man waiting outside was going impatient. He figured he had to hand this letter in as soon as possible, but on the other hand, it was late and he knew Sheila would not take his lateness pleasantly. He bit his lip, deciding that if the sisters did not answer by the third time he pressed the buzzer, he would leave.
Just as he was reaching up to touch that button once more, the door was yanked open. Phoebe's face came into view.
"Erm.. hey," he began.
"Oh hey Darryl! What is it?"
Darryl glanced behind her and saw a troop of people following her. There were the three teenagers, Leo, and... "Prue?" he gasped, astonished.
"In the flesh," she smiled. "Hi Darryl."
"You're... you're alive?"
"Well... not exactly. Let's discuss this another time, would you mind?" she answered somewhat uncomfortably.
"So, what's the matter?" Phoebe asked, drawing his attention back.
"Oh, well, I... " Darryl considered his options. On his way to the Halliwell manor earlier, he had somehow figured that the e-mail had something to do with either Prue Halliwell or Piper Halliwell, being the "eldest". Then, he narrowed down the options to Prue, as she was the only one "gone". He would definitely like to hand the printed e-mail over to Phoebe right now, but then there was the presence of Prue to consider. What if the source of the e-mail was right? What if there really was... was something... unnatural... about Prue?
After a moment, he continued, "Well, nothing much really. Just wanted to drop by and say hi since I've not seen you guys lately." Carefully, hoping that he would do it unnoticed, he folded the printout and placed it in his pocket. "Except... could I see Phoebe alone for a moment?" Mentally, he kicked himself for being so obvious.
"Uh... yeah sure." Phoebe replied, confused. "I'll just step out for a moment, o.k., guys?" She turned back to the lot and stepped out the door. Then, she gestured for Leo to close the door.
"Look, I know this sounds crazy but... I just received some sort of e-mail... it seems like a tip-off, but anyway, it says something like Prue is not who she is. I know this is too painful, but it says that Prue is gone and remains gone, and quite possibly, the current Prue we have standing here is not Prue herself."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Here. Look at this." Darryl handed her the printout. "This... this whoever-it-was, sent me this e-mail just a few minutes ago and I figured it was better if I'd let you see it. Of course, you guys are the experts, and I just... well, I was merely trying to make sense of this message... so... yeah... Anyway, I gotta go. Sheila's waiting for me and I'm quite late. I should leave first, all right?"
"Yeah yeah, sure. Uh, thanks a lot, Darryl." Phoebe answered, still deep in thought.
Darryl bounded down the steps and left. Phoebe carefully folded the paper and placed it in her pocket, just to be careful. Then, slowly, she entered the house again, wary her in facial expressions.
"Now, what just happened?" Prue asked suspiciously, knowing something had been going on.
°°°°°°°°°°
Cole sighed. He still was confused about Chris's behavior. He was sure the fighter was still in him, he just had to wake him up. Then he had an idea: "You know... there is something I never told you, too."
Chris frowned: "What?"
"When your brother was here, and you both had that little fight... he told me the reason for his visit." Chris raised his eyebrows but kept silent. "He told me that you and that little one... well, you know the story on your own, I think." Chris nodded.
"So... what I mean is...," Cole went on, "he told you and me that you'd become a very nice old man, right? So... I think you... you have to go through this..." Chris sighed. "And he told you should not work always on your own... you promised that to him," Cole went on, "and you told me that you would keep to that promise, right?"
Chris nodded: "Yeah I know... But... who knows how much the time has changed... I just want to..."
"No, definitely not," Cole laughed, "your adult older brother is as stubborn as you... If there had been something wrong in his time, he would have returned again, believe me."
Chris smiled: "Yeah, maybe you're right."
"Oh, I'm sure I am... And you? You will not give up, right? You will fight for you, for your own family, for your little-self, and eventually for Wyatt, right? You know, he needs you!"
Chris nodded with a smile.
"Alright," Cole nodded, "So stop saying that you're not going to marry today... alright? You will!"
Chris sighed, then nodded: "Yeah, you're right... Come on; let's go back to the others."
Cole smiled, glad that he had finally cheered him up a little, to make him return to his strength again. Chris smiled back: "Thanks, uncle. Thanks for everything."
"Boy, you've done much more for me than I could ever do for you... So no need to thank me, alright...?" Cole took his arm around his nephew and together they walked back to the library.
°°°°°°°°°°
Phoebe smiled: "Oh... it was just about a gift for Chris and Bianca. And... anyway he gave me a list with that food which is already prepared... Bianca will need that, and I think it's good if she gets some distraction..."
"Distraction?" Leo asked while Prue seemed to be really confused.
"Yeah," she went close to him, smiling. Then she turned him a little around so that he had Prue in his back, and the faked spirit of her siter couldn't see her face. "That isn't her," she whispered almost inaudibly. He frowned, and then nodded.
Meanwhile, Phoebe went over to Tom and Nicki. "You should also come with me, Nicki, we could look up the books again... Tom, could you shimmer us?" Tom nodded as he looked in her eyes. Something was going on.
"What about Paige?" Prue asked.
Also Steve noticed that Phoebe acted in a very weird way. He stood a little aside. Then Phoebe turned to him without reacting on her sister's words. "Meanwhile you could scry for Paige, till we're back," she said to him. Steve nodded.
"But..." Prue started again.
"We'll be right back," Phoebe interrupted her smiling. Then, Tom shimmered with Nicki and Phoebe back to the school.
°°°°°°°°°°
When Chris and Cole returned Piper was lying on the lap of her father while Bianca leaned on his shoulder.
"Hey," Chris said.
Bianca jumped up and hugged him. "Oh, honey," she sobbed.
Chris held her tightly: "Don't worry. Everything will be alright, I swear."
From the corner of his eye he saw the worried look of his mother. He smiled at her; then he turned to Bianca again, kissing her tears away.
"Hey, sweetie you should stop crying... Or will you marry me with red and swollen eyes?"
Bianca smiled. And then she noticed the change in his eyes. She didn't know what Cole had said to him, but she knew that her Chris was back. "I love you," she said.
"I love you too."
Also Piper smiled now a little. Cole sat down next to her and Victor, with a very satisfied look on his face.
"What have you told him?" Victor asked.
"Nothing special, I just reminded him of something..." Cole answered and Victor nodded.
Bianca and Chris were still hugging and kissing. "What do you think," he said to her, looking deep into her eyes, moving his hands slowly down her back, "should we go to our room to have... a little break?" She smiled full of love for him and nodded. Chris smiled back and took her hand. They were about to leave, when Tom and the others shimmered in.
"What's wrong?" Chris asked, knowing that something was going on.
"Prue isn't Prue," Phoebe said.
"What?" everyone exclaimed at the same time, also the teens.
"Here, Darryl got this mail," she said, and handed the print to Chris. Then she turned to Tom: "Contact Steve, we need to know what's going on at home." Tom nodded.
"But Phoebe, this massage is very..." Chris said and handed it over to Piper.
"I believe it's from those people who want to help us," she explained.
"But... I mean... I think that was Prue... She..." Piper remarked.
"Well... when we were at home," Phoebe explained, "she was acting very weird. And she absolutely didn't want to come here..."
"That's really weird," Cole remarked, looking at the e-mail, too.
"Except if she is a demon," Phoebe added. Then she turned to Chris: "Do we have a computer here? I mean, we could answer to that e-mail, right?"
Chris nodded: "There is one, but I don't know if it's connected to the internet." He made a short break, and then asked: "What about Paige?"
°°°°°°°°°°
It took Phoebe only a few minutes to fill the others in with all the news. Now they all felt kind of helpless. They didn't know what to do...
"It's my sister, I'll go down and..." Piper said weakly, but determined.
"You'll stay Piper. With the rest," Cole answered quickly.
"But... if they want me and..." she tried.
"No buts, sweetie..." Victor intervened, caressing her hair. "Even if she's not my daughter... I also love her. But if you go there you'll give them what they want."
Phoebe nodded. If she knew something about premonitions was that they were there to be avoided. "And that way you'd risk everyone else..."
Tom stepped forward: "Steve and I will go. With Leo, perhaps. They won't expect us at all."
Chris stared at him, not knowing what he should do. Risking the kids was too much. He couldn't do that. What if they died instead of him... That wasn't fair; he wouldn't be able to live with that.
But Bianca took the word: "I think you three should go alone down there again, and do what you were supposed to do, so that the demon that is faking Prue doesn't suspect anything... And we here should go to that computer, now."
She grabbed Chris's hand and pulled him towards the door. He smiled back at Cole and then his mother and Victor, and nodded. After that, he simply orbed them both to the above-mentioned computer.
Wyatt started to cry again at the distance. Piper realised for the first time that the little child wasn't there and was scared. But her father and Cole laughed.
"He was right there a few seconds ago... don't worry, Piper... I haven't taken my eyes from him in all this time," Victor said, "well, at least until he orbed... right now."
Piper got up and ran to the crying voice.
The child had just orbed to the canteen... He was hungry, but there was nothing he could eat because everything required some preparation, so she decided to do the cooking. She took Wyatt on her arms and sat him down on a chair.
"You've got a bad mommy, sweetie... I had forgotten what time it was." At her voice, the child soothed and chuckled.
In the library, meanwhile, Phoebe turned to Victor and Cole right before Tom shimmered them back again: "Let us know as soon as you get some response or clue about that e-mail. I guess it comes from that witch that told us about all this stuff from the very beginning... That messenger and his master. And don't worry dad... We won't get Piper or Chris involved. Whatever happens, they won't be caught."
°°°°°°°°°°
Belthazor paced frenetically in front of the computers, as Julian stared at one of the screens on a wall attentively.
"Did he get the message?" the demon asked.
Julian frowned: "I'm sure he did... But you could just go there and..."
Belthazor shook his head: "I can't risk them, none of them good or evil, discover this."
Julian chuckled: "I guess this is the first time you're not sure for whom you're working..."
Belthazor cast a furious glance at him: "I don't work for anyone... This is all for my own sake, and you know that. Otherwise, you yourself would be dead..."
"But you need me," the witch asserted.
"Your knowledge... To save the Underworld..." Belthazor was really furious, "That Zankou and that stupid order... They don't realise what they're just doing. Whatever the power this Chris has got, and his little self joined, they're nothing compared to the future that awaits us if they're killed."
The witch smirked but said nothing. He knew a lot more. He knew that Belthazor wanted to save that family just because he couldn't kill them anymore. There was something that prevented him from doing that... Something that was weakening the will of the source of all evil, and that would give power to Zankou in the end, he thought sadly.
That was the only reason why Julian was helping him. Because he knew that deep inside, his intentions were good. There he was: A demon in the border of good and evil. Really funny. Belthazor glared at him. "What are you thinking about?" he asked suspiciously.
Julian shrugged: "Nothing."
"I'm not stupid, I know you. I let you see my memories... You know the family too well."
'Yeah,' Julian thought. That's why he had known that Piper wasn't there. That it was Leo: Much calmer, much quieter... and apart from Paige, and Chris, the only one able to glamour. "And you know me... But don't get me wrong. I know what you do, and just, stay to the terms... Or else you'll die."
Julian was going to answer, when the computer made a noise. There was a message.
°°°°°°°°°°
Chris and Bianca were staring at the screen, waiting for an answer. Chris had taken her to Gideon's office. There was an old computer there, no one used it, and it was safer, because all the information would be kept in secret.
But there was another reason... Chris looked out of the corner of his eyes at the mirror, covered by the curtain. No one knew that he was still rendering visits to his other self there. Now he wanted to say goodbye. Even if he was going to fight, as he had promised... He had that feeling and wanted to say goodbye. Or maybe good luck and congratulations.
He smiled as he looked at Bianca.
"What?" she asked.
"Nothing.. it's just... you're so beautiful."
She couldn't help blushing a little bit. "Don't joke. Now I'm everything else but that."
Chris chuckled.
°°°°°°°°°°
The massage they've got was simple: "Thanks. Who are you?"
Belthazor looked at the letters on the screen for a few minutes, while Julian observed him.
"And?" the witch asked finally.
"What?"
"Will you answer?"
Belthazor was just mumbling. He wanted to help them, he wanted to safe Chris... But could he tell them another demon's secret? That wasn't reputable, that was wimpy.
But what should he do? He had to give them at least another hint.
"Tell them about Zankou's last death... not HOW, but THAT!" he ordered to Julian.
The witch nodded and wrote a short massage. He smiled while writing. He was just a small and unimportant witch, but... now he was involved in something big, something huge.. and that felt good...
°°°°°°°°°°
Chris was still staring at the screen. He tried not to look to the mirror. He was afraid that Bianca could notice that. 'She would kill me,' he thought.
Bianca was meanwhile caressing his neck.
Chris shivered: "Hey... That's ticklish."
"I know..." she whispered to his ear.
Chris turned his face to her, smiling: "Do you want to seduce me, or what?"
"Maybe..." she whispered and kissed his cheek, and then his lips.
Chris embraced her still kissing her. He loved to kiss her, to taste her. She was so beautiful. She was the light in his life, always and forever.
Bianca kissed him deeply, intensely, strongly... A little too strongly maybe, because they lost the balance and fell down from the chair.
"Ouch," Chris complained smiling.
"Sorry, honey," Bianca replied.
He laughed. She loved his laughter... it was as bright as the sun. She looked smiling into his wonderful green eyes and then kissed him again.
His hands were wandering around all over her body. She moved her hand under his shirt, touching and feeling his skin. They were still kissing.
Then, there was suddenly a little beep from the computer which made them stop their action.
Chris sighed: "That's why I hate these technical things!"
Bianca just laughed, he was so cute.
Slowly they rose from the ground, put the chair back to the right position and sat down again. Then, Chris opened the new e-mail.
"Interesting," he said after reading it, "let's see if the printer works."
It did. A few moments later, Bianca was holding the print in her hands.
"Go back to library and show it the others," Chris said to her.
"You should come with me," she replied.
"I'll follow you. Look, I will write an answer and..."
Bianca smiled: "I don't think that they will answer you again... They wrote..."
"I know, but..." Chris answered and looked to his watch again, "... it's one o'clock in the morning already... there is not much time left till the pastor arrives... so..."
She nodded: "I know..." She was about to leave the room, but then she turned around again and looked into his eyes: "You will not leave, don't you?"
Chris just stared at her. 'Why did she have to ask this?' he thought. He really didn't want to... but... "I'm always there for you," he answered.
She smiled and left the office.
°°°°°°°°°°
A few moments later she was handing the print over to Piper who was back from the kitchen.
Victor was feeding Wyatt, while Piper and Cole read the e-mail.
"Don't reply! We just want to help. Zankou has already been killed twice, but again he came back! That's all we can tell you. Don't reply!"
"Interesting," muttered Cole, "not what we wanted to know... but..."
"So there must be some information about him somewhere," Piper added.
Cole and Bianca nodded.
Then, the witch jumped up: "O.k. let's take a look through the books again!"
Cole smiled; then he took a book from the floor.
Bianca sighed and did the same.
"Should I go on?" Piper asked her father.
Victor shook his head: "No, it's o.k., Piper... I still know how to do that."
"I think, that's something you never forget," his daughter answered smiling.
°°°°°°°°°°
Chris hit the 'send' button. That was the second e-mail he had written. The first, to their helpers; the second one to their own address.
Then he sighed and rose from the chair. Quietly he closed the door and went over to the mirror.
When he took away the curtain he looked into a pair of sad green eyes, same as his own.
"Hey," his evil-self said. Chris just nodded.
For a moment they just looked at each other silently. Both didn't know how to start.
"I just want to..." they then started to speak at the same time. They smiled.
"Your turn," our Chris said.
"O.k.," the other one sighed, "Do you really believe Wyatt could save you if it's necessary?"
"Do you?" our Chris asked back.
"That's not fair, I was the one who asked first," the evil Chris replied.
"Right... so... I know that the adult one did it... and I hope the young one will be able to, IF it is necessary." The evil Chris nodded.
"But... I'm not sure if I can do this... if I can leave..." our Chris said.
But the evil one interrupted him: "Because you've been about to have sex, just a few moments ago?"
Chris was shocked for a moment, even if he should have known that his evil-self had experienced the same things.
"No," he answered then, "because we're going to have a baby... I shouldn't leave her!"
"Look," the evil Chris went on, "if wouldn't be Paige, alright... But she was too important for us in our time... Even if we've saved the future and most of the things we lived will never happen this time... we don't know what will happen if she dies... Everything could break down again."
Our Chris nodded: "I know."
"Hey... You're really a... a good person," the evil Chris said with a sad smile.
"Your hair isn't that bad... I think, I really like it," our Chris replied, and smiled too.
Then he closed the curtain and orbed away, down to the underworld.
(Chapter 7 written by Chrissy.W.x, aKaNe-MiZuKi and Belén)
