Summary: This story is set in the future, sixteen years from the Season Six finale. Tasha, a girl whose past is unknown even to her, appears to the Charmed Ones, asking for help. Along the road to controlling her powers, an attraction springs up between her and Chris, but can their feelings for each other overcome the demons in her past--and future?
Dedicated to: LYDIA LEEEEEEEEE! HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY! I LOVE YOU! MARRY ME! What you want me to get you?
Disclaimer: Ho hum.
Thanks: to haslo, the person who said the charmed boards 'were nothing without me'. Shameless flattery may not get you everywhere, but it WILL get you a chapter.
Important Notes cough: is charmed over? Um, this is just random stuff cos I wanna see Tyler, and make chris jealous; and I wanted to include my smells cos me and Lyd spent ages coming up with them. Props to ChCh.
Chapter Nine
Chris came hurtling down the stairs.
"What's up?" he asked, before catching sight of Pearl. Sinking to his knees next to her, he quickly and efficiently took her vitals, and then looked back up at Tasha.
"She's alive. What got her, a demon?"
"I don't know! After Wyatt went up, Pearl and I smelled something that didn't belong, and were looking for it and then this dart came out of nowhere and it got stuck in her neck and she passed out and I'm rambling now, aren't I?" she trailed off, taking a deep breath.
Chris got to his feet. "What do we do?"
Tasha's eyes got huge and her voice got supersonic. "You're asking me?"
Chris glared. "Tasha,--"
"I got it, I got it." Tasha muttered, pulling the dart gently from Pearl's neck. "Here," she said, tossing it into Chris's hands, who recoiled from it slightly. "Upstairs. Book."
x0x
"They're called Gavrok demons. They are attracted to strong magic users, or an overload of magic in an area. This explains it, my spell must've backfired and brought one over!" Tasha looked close to tears, her eyeliner and mascara slightly smeared.
"You don't know that," said Wyatt.
"So stop moaning and read!" Chris cut in. Tasha gave him a slightly hurt look before continuing.
"'The darts they shoot are sedatives, which can knock a person out for an hour or so. They use this time to steal the magical being's powers, and take them for their own evil ends.' Wyatt, go get Pearl. Orb her up here, now!"
As Wyatt disappeared and reappeared in a flurry of blue orbs, Tasha continued reading.
"The Gavrok is an invisible creature, but can be made visible with a standard spell to reverse invisibility. A potion is needed to destroy it, unfortunately, while the potion is easy to brew, the ingredients are hard to find."
Tasha looked at Chris desperately. "Chris, we have all the stuff needed except one ingredient."
"What?" asked Chris in a high-pitched voice. Tasha and Wyatt both raised an eyebrow. "I mean, what?" he said, in a more normal tone.
"Firestarter hair. What's a Firestarter?"
"Elementals, one of four: Earthshakers, Waterbearers, Windwalkers, and Firestarters. They can command the elements they are in charge of, to the extent of ending the world. They're mortal, and very rare."
Chris looked around desperately. "Where the heck are we supposed to find a Firestarter?" His eyes roamed around the room desperately, until they settled on a picture frame with a photo of three smiling boys in it. Two were blond, the third with hair the colour of chestnuts. One blond child was older than the other two by a handful of years. Chris cast a glance at Wyatt.
"Cousin Tyler?"
"Cousin Tyler." Wyatt confirmed.
"Who's Cousin Tyler?" Tasha interrupted.
"Come on, I'll explain on the way. Wyatt, you collect the other ingredients and start mixing. Tasha and I will go get Tyler."
"Right," nodded Wyatt, moving into action straight away.
Chris grabbed Tasha by the hand and they raced to his room. Chris started throwing clothes and books around, seemingly at random.
"Are you okay?" asked Tasha, as though afraid for his sanity.
"I'm fine, I'm just looking for—ah!" Chris crawled out from under his bed, a laptop clutched against his chest. Tasha watched dumbly as he efficiently connected to the 'Net and sent an IM to a contact:
Help! Halliwells need you! Can I orb over?
-Chris
"Cousin Tyler isn't really a cousin. He's a Firestarter, who had some run-ins with demons and was rescued by the power of three." Chris said, talking fast. "We knew him when we were little, but we've gotten out of touch now. He's a little older than us, and working somewhere in LA, so there hasn't been much—yes!"
The famed 'Cousin Tyler' had replied:
I'm ready.
"I'll just be sec," informed Chris, but Tasha grabbed onto his arm. "Oh no. I'm coming with."
Rolling his eyes, Chris orbed. The two of them disappeared, and reappeared in a cushy apartment. A blond guy in his mid-twenties stalked up to them, worry in his eyes.
"Chris," he said, hugging his 'cousin' briefly. "And you are?" he said, gazing at Tasha curiously. Tasha's mouth dropped. Wow. She quickly snapped out of it.
"I'm Tasha, hybrid freak."
"Tyler Michaels, Firestarter."
"Nice to meet. Shall we?" she grabbed the extremely cute Tyler by the arm and proffered her own to Chris, who took it with a slightly disgruntled expression on his face.
When they touched down in Halliwell Manor, they raced up to the attic, Tyler looking very confused by now.
"Did y'all break some perfume bottles in here or something?"
"It's a long story," said Tasha. "I'll fill you in over some hot chocolate when you're free." She grinned flirtatiously.
Tyler blinked, then smiled back. "Be careful, I just might take you up on that."
"Focus, people," snapped Chris, shoving his hair out of his eyes.
"He hasn't got less anal-retentive, has he?" whispered Tyler. Tasha laughed and shook her head before becoming serious once more and filling Tyler in on the bare bones of the problem.
"How can I help?" asked Tyler, looking confused. "It seems pretty cut-and-dried to me."
"The vanquishing potion needs Firestarter hair to empower it," confessed Tasha.
"What!" Tyler's hand flew to his hair. He paused, and sighed. "I'm sorry, I'm a little obsessive about the hair."
"With good reason," said Tasha, tousling it and casting a sidelong look at Chris, who was glaring at her hand on Tyler's head. "Just a bit will do."
Tasha caught the pair of scissors Wyatt threw to her, and carefully snipped off a lock of Tyler's hair.
"All done," she said to the cringing Tyler.
"Thanks, man," said Wyatt.
"We really appreciate it," chimed in Tasha, grasping Tyler's hand in hers.
"Least I could do."
Hm. He really is cute…crystal blue eyes, boyishly handsome face, thick, tousled, golden hair.
Tasha's musings were cut off by Chris, who stormed over and grabbed Tyler by the arm. "Let's go, cousin," he proclaimed in a fake-bright voice, grinning inanely. "We really should be okay now onwards," he tugged at Tyler's arm slightly.
Tyler smiled charmingly at Tasha. "Get Chris to give you my email address, all right?"
Tasha blushed. "Will do."
Tyler called out a goodbye to Wyatt, and was immersed in blue orbs the next moment, disappearing from sight.
x0x
By the time Chris had returned, the potion was completed. Tasha had written a suitable spell, and the duo were waiting for the petulant Chris to return.
He orbed in, and glared at Tasha. "Sorry it took so long, Tyler was bugging me about our resident 'hottie' in a very teenybopper way."
He rolled his eyes to drive his point home, and then resumed glaring at Tasha.
"You think you could try concentrate on the matter at hand in a crisis?" Chris asked Tasha coldly. Tasha looked taken aback. "Chris! I was just--" she trailed off as he took his place next to the book.
"Chill, bro," said Wyatt, looking surprised as well.
Chris sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. "Sorry, Tash. It's just…Tyler has quite a reputation for being a ladies man, and I don't want to see you make a mistake."
Instead of mollifying Tasha, this incensed her. "It's my mistake to make though, isn't it?" she snapped. Chris looked bewildered, then angry. Before he could open his mouth to retort, Wyatt interrupted smoothly.
"Can we just say the spell and do the vanquish before it shoots one of us with its darts?"
Tasha unfolded a piece of paper and the three of them read it out in unison.
We are born to strange sights
Things other people don't see
Help us when we can't see all there is
Help us witches three
"It's the best I could come up with on such short notice," admitted Tasha. Chris muttered something under his breath about 'having more time if there hadn't been gratuitous flirting', and Tasha's mouth settled in a line.
Wyatt sighed. This could take a while.
x0x
Tasha sat on the balcony edge, just enjoying the sun. From inside the Manor she could hear Pearl shrieking as she threw things at Wyatt for some transgression or another.
Business as usual.
She didn't turn as she felt him come up behind her, and sit on one of the chairs.
"T, I'm sorry."
The use of her pet name got her, and she consented to give him a haughty stare.
"Are you still not talking to me?" Chris asked, looking miserable. Tasha ignored him—he could look miserable in Paradise if he wanted to.
Chris sighed heavily and got up. Thinking he'd left, Tasha turned around and almost fell off the balcony in shock when she realized he was directly behind her. He bent and looked her straight in the eyes.
"I'm sorry. I just thought that you were way too pretty for a guy like him." He gave a dazzling smile. Tasha blushed furiously at the unexpected compliment and the direct, soul-searching gaze.
"You forgive me, right?"
Dammit, he wouldn't stop looking at her!
Tasha tried to look away but he grabbed her chin with long, strong fingers. "Right?" a cocky grin laced his features.
Reluctantly, Tasha nodded.
"Thought you would." He kissed her on the cheek and turned, whistling as he sauntered off.
©WalkThruTheFire, Saturday 26th November
A/N: Argh, I think I may BURN that chapter. Oh well, it's 12.21 am (hey, cool!) and I'm really tired. Wrote a chapter for my HP fic, and two oneshots is proud of self. So I guess I'll sleep, and take a look at this tomorrow morning before I upload it. Night.