Disclaimer: Me no own. Me no get profit. Me no buy sea-front house. Me no like disclaimers. Me no pass Algebra 1 test. Dern. Me do find shiny thing on ground---WWEEEEE!
"We have to hurry. Now."
"Why?" asked Piper, filling the vials quickly now. "What'd you see?" She gathered them all up in her arms.
"I saw Chris --- being executed. And the Source was there, not three feet from him."
"The Source?" repeated Piper, eyes widening as the concept fully hit her. "As in the only Source ever in existence to move the underworld above ground?"
"That'd be the one," responded Phoebe, running to get Paige. "We're going to need some really strong stuff for him. Oh," she added, yelling from the top of the stairs now, "And see if we can get Leo to come with us -- Chris might need some serious healing!"
About three minutes later the sisters and Leo were gathered in the attic.
"Got all the potions?" asked Paige, checking her own as she sorted them into her rucksack. The others nodded. "Alright then, Phoebe, the spell."
The four held hands. Fingering Chris' lighter, Phoebe recited,
"Take us to the owner of this lighter,
Half witch, half whitelighter,
But make it so that we may be
A safe distance away from he."
Shining beads of light engulfed them, and the next thing they knew they were in a dark underground room. Around them was a foul, dank odor, and above them they could hear the roaring of the demonic audience. Exchanging looks, the four listened to the reading of the charges for a second as they edged toward the stone staircase and began their silent ascent.
"Vanquishing 19 first Primes, impersonating seven first primes, impersonating his majesty the Source himself, turning his majesty the Source's army into flightless ducks… leading and assisting the Rebel Forces…"
As if on cue the Charmed ones and Leo burst through the door. Instantly, three dozen demons shimmered onto the platform and they had just enough time to see Chris undo the second the second wrist clasp and fall forward to get the ankle ones before the fight began.
"Paige---" called Piper over the vanquishing explosions, "Get Chris his powers back! If he's part witch he can help us get--" she ducked beneath a fireball and vanquished the owner, "--to a safe spot to say the backwards spell!"
"Got it," said Paige, orbing to the metal table, which was already dripping with crimson. Chris was bent beneath the red beam, taking out the screws of the past ankle cuff.
"Alright," she said, announcing her presence,
"Powers of the witches rise,
Course unseen across the skies,
Give to Chris his powers back,
All that was taken from the attack!"
"Thanks," said Chris, waving a hand and the clasp released. He waved his hand again at the deadly beam and the laser spun around, vanquishing the demons in the audience. Paige help him to his feet-- and gasped.
"Oh my God," she said, seeing how the laser had burned at least four inches into, and straight through, his side. "Come on, I've got to get you to Leo."
She took his hand and orbed them to Piper, Phoebe, and Leo, who were through with the vanquishing potions and using whatever power or art they had or knew.
"Leo!" called Paige. "Heal, now!"
Pushing aside a demon, Leo reached them and held his hands over the wound. The demon, offended, threw an energy ball at Leo, but Paige orbed it back at him, vanquishing the demon. Leo's hands glowed in gold light and the bloody gash slowly healed.
"Thanks," said Chris.
"You can repay me by getting us somewhere safe," Leo retorted, snapping back into full hate-the-kid-that-replaced-me,-broke-up-me-and-my-wife-and-is-constantly-lying-to-us mode. "You're a witch; any special powers?"
"A few," said Chris and grinned. "But this is just so much cooler."
He tapped a demon that was fighting Phoebe on the shoulder.
"What?" snarled the demon, turning around, but when he saw who it was his eyes went wide.
"Boo," said Chris.
The demon leapt back, bellowing, "The kid's escaped! Get out of here!" He shimmered out. A scream went up among the others and flames, shimmers, black orbs, and dust winds were to be seen before everything disappeared, leaving only the Charmed Ones, Elder, and Future(now Present) Boy.
"Safe enough?" asked Chris, smiling.
"Looks like you have a reputation as quite the bad ass," noted Phoebe, leaning on his shoulder comfortably.
"Something like that," his unnatural blue eyes fell on Piper. "You know I'm really sorry I lied, don't you?"
"I know," she replied crossing her arms. "But that still doesn't change the fact that you betrayed our trust."
"I know," he said uneasily, searching her eyes imploringly. "But I was thinking maybe we could just start over? And I could try and get it right this time?" Even though you're the one who screwed up my life…
Piper studied the boy for a moment and he made sure the thoughts coursing through his mind didn't show on his countenance. After all the years in undercover work he pulled it of easily. The woman at last let a wry smile cross her features.
"Yeah," she finally conceded. "I think we can do that."
Chris beamed and held out his hand. "Hi, I'm Chris. I'm from the… present," he ended lamely, looking around indecisively.
Piper smiled, shaking his hand. "Hi, I'm Piper. I'm from the past. So, I understand you're a…?"
"Witch, whitelighter, fire deemer," he finished, nodding.
"Fire… deemer?" repeated Paige, looking for an explanation, but Leo interrupted, frowning.
"But that's impossible. All the deemers are extinct," he said. "They have been since the early 1400's."
"No," Chris replied simply. "Not extinct. The gene was just dormant for… several hundred years."
"So there are more?" Leo asked, strangely accusatory.
"Not exactly," said Chris slowly. "I'm the only fire deemer alive. But, actually, Wyatt is an earth deemer. And I think we're the only ones."
"Okay!" interrupted Piper. "What is a deemer? Should I be worried about my son?"
"Yes," said Chris same time as Leo said,
"No." Leo stared at him.
"What?" Chris demanded. "He caused quite a few earthquakes before mastered it. I think that's a cause to worry." He paused, thoughtful. "Wow, it feels good to speak in past tense again."
Still staring at Chris, Leo stated, "An earth deemer has the power to control and manipulate the earth-- like ground, rock, and most minerals. The same thing should go for fire deemers except with fire heat and… smoke?"
Chris nodded. "Very good, Leo."
"Cool," said Paige approvingly. "So you can make and shape fires. Awesome."
"Not make," corrected Chris. "Or at least not unless I'm really, really pissed. Which even then isn't a sure guarantee." Leo raised his eyebrows. "So I haven't mastered it yet-- give me a break!"
"So, Chris, you're a witch," said Piper, changing the subject. "What are your powers?"
"Telekinesis," said Chris, taking the hint and dropping his and Leo's arguing, "and two really -- uncommon-- forms of astral projections."
"Telekinesis and astral projection were Prue's powers," murmured Phoebe, giving Chris a strange look. The young half-breed couldn't meet her eyes.
"What do you mean 'uncommon'?" queried Paige, intrigued.
Chris cocked his head to one side, thinking. "Well, you know how Barbas astral projects ones that aren't solid? That would be one of the common forms. The uncommon part about mine---" He kicked his foot straight through the platform and brought it back and they saw his foot had left no mark whatsoever. "--I don't astral project to do it. It's called intangibility."
"So that time you fell through the wall when you saw the fish…" began Paige. "There was no portal?"
Chris shook his head. "I've had intangibility as long as I can remember but it's still the hardest to control. And growing up, it wasn't learning to walk that was the hard part, it was learning to walk on the floor that was kicking my ass."
Phoebe snorted, but she stopped at the distant look that had suddenly come across the young man's face.
"Uh… Chris?"
He held out his hand, silencing her, eyes distancing even further. His brow furrowed, eyelids flickering. He looked as though sensing or hearing something beyond their range of perception. "No," he muttered to himself. "Something---something's wrong… something's terribly wrong…"
"Chris, what---?" began Phoebe but the look of intense concentration deepened in his eyes and she halted.
"The Source…" he whispered. "… he's… right below us---" He gasped suddenly, snapping back into it with a look of horror in his eyes. "Bianca!"
With no further comment he tore off across the stage and down the stairs at a reckless pace.
A/N: I know I didn't tell his second form of astral projection--- evil me ;)
Read to find out!
PS, I know I'm not good at action scenes being suspenseful and all that. I just started eighth grade last month, so give me a break... or tell me how to make them better... I wouldn't object to that, either...