A/N: Sorry – one of the scenes had me stumped for awhile. Enjoy!
Thanks go to: Starry Sky 44, chattypandagurl, Charmed Ravenclaw, Musely, girl-with-the-green-eyes, mjp3, Nicole, connor, icanthinkofafnick.
The End of All Things
Chapter 7
Even as the blue orbs formed, Piper could hear Chris' voice ringing loud and clear.
And he sounded annoyed.
"Take DJ with you. And Kyle. Find out everything you can from that man. I need to know how he came across that amulet," Chris was saying, as he and Les materialized in front of his family.
As the two humans fully formed, Les nodded, "Understood. But I don't – Chris!" Alarmed, Les quickly reached out to grab Chris' arm, as his friend lurched unsteadily as they touched down.
Before Chris could say a word, Piper and Leo rushed forward, each grasping an arm of their son, worry clearly etched on their faces. Supporting their son, they gently steered him towards the nearby couch where he collapsed.
Fear for her son caused Piper's voice to emerge shrilly, "Chris! What's wrong with you?" Rounding on Lilah who quickly knelt in front of her patient, "What's wrong with him!"
"Mom," Chris interrupted, his eyes closed. "It's okay. I'm okay. Just winded." He shook off Lilah's attempts to heal him, "It's exhaustion, that's all. I had to use my powers."
Lilah straightened, frowning at her charge, "What did I tell you before, Chris? You can't keep using your powers. You have to save your energy. If we're going to beat this thing, you've got to keep your strength up."
Chris winced at Lilah's sharp tone, "Believe me when I tell you I didn't have much choice in the matter."
"He's right. We just barely avoided an all out fight between the humans and the valkyries," Les backed up Chris, his tone weary.
"What?" Phoebe blinked. "What do you mean, you barely avoided a fight?"
Clearly exhausted, Chris folded his arms on his knees, hunching over to rest his forehead on his arms. His voice was muffled, "One of the humans found Kate's amulet. There is no way Kate would have parted with that amulet willingly. Now the valkyries are out for blood."
Paige and Phoebe looked desperately at Les in confusion.
"Kate is…was…the leader of the valkyries. She disappeared a couple days ago. The valkyries were tracking her and it led them to the city, where they found her amulet in the possession of a mortal. Naturally, they assumed he had something to do with her disappearance," Les explained.
"Naturally, huh?" Phoebe's eyebrow rose in scepticism. "I don't think there's anything natural about that."
"Look, the fact of the matter is they gave us five days to find out what happened to Kate," Les continued. "And we need to move, fast."
"And then what happens?" Phoebe demanded.
Les shrugged. "They didn't say. But whatever it is, it can't be good."
"Enough with the chit chat. We're running out of time." Chris raised his head, his visage still grey. "Les, get DJ and head to the city and canvass the population. I'll go with Michael to the valkyries."
"You can barely move, let alone run off to deal with the valkyries," Piper pointed out. She sat down next to her son, her voice full of concern, "Isn't there anyone else who can go?"
Chris shook his head slowly. "No, it has to be me."
Before Piper could argue, Les interrupted, "He's right, Piper. Like I mentioned before – the valkyries don't trust a lot of people. Chris is probably the only one they would be completely open and honest with, let alone allow entrance to Valhalla. And if we want to find out what happened to Kate exactly…"
"Fine, but is there any reason why we can't go with him?" Piper demanded. "There is no way we're going back to the present until things are sorted out here." Seeing Chris open his mouth to protest, Piper added strongly, "And I'm not sitting on my hands until you get back from Valhalla either."
Chris rolled his eyes.
"Don't you roll your eyes at me, young man," Piper lectured her son automatically, as if she had been mothering Chris his entire life. "We came here to help, and by God, we're going to help you if it's the last thing we do."
"Actually, we came here to make sure Chris and Wyatt were okay, but who's asking," Phoebe muttered under her breath.
As Les choked on his laughter, he quickly swallowed his amusement as Piper turned her glare in his direction. Holding up his hands in protest, he said, innocently, "I didn't say anything!"
"Hello? Can we focus here for one minute?" Chris demanded, his tone filled with annoyance. "Look, if you want to help – ,"
"Of course we do," Paige nodded assertively as she glanced at both her sisters who nodded vigorously.
"Then," Chris continued, glowering at Paige's interruption, "I think you, Phoebe, Mom and Dad should check out if the magical beings know anything." As the quartet in question began to sputter protests, Chris held up his hand for patience. "Think about it. The magical beings may have heard something. And Riley knows you. And so do the ogres and wood nymphs, right? Didn't you help them at one time, Paige?"
"Well, yeah," Paige agreed, slight confused. "So?"
"So….they owe you," Chris drew out, obviously thinking out loud. "You could work that to your advantage. Ply on their gratitude and find out what you can, okay?"
Phoebe frowned doubtfully, "That sounds…almost like manipulation…"
"Do you want to help or not?" Chris demanded harshly. "We're talking about a life at stake here. Isn't that worth a little manipulation?"
Alarmed as the colour came and went in her son's face, Piper placed a calming hand on Chris' arm, "Of course it is. Chris, relax, honey. Everything is going to be okay."
Chris shook his mother's hand off, agitated, "Everything is not okay, Mom. We've got five days…five days to figure out what happened to Kate. Or there's going to be an all out war."
"We'll figure it out, Chris," Les replied firmly. "I'm going to get some stuff together, grab DJ and head out." Squeezing Chris' shoulder tightly, Les repeated, "We'll figure this out."
Chris nodded, waving Les away distractedly. "Go. If you need to get in touch with me, Jack's the liaison for the valkyries. You can reach me through him."
Moving towards the door, Les left the room, nodding to the others on his way out.
Clearing her throat, Lilah decided to take her leave as well, "I've a meeting I need to get to. Chris – remember what I said. You have to take it easy."
Chris acknowledged the advice, nodding, "I hear you."
"Then why do I think you still won't listen to what I've said?" Lilah looked heavenward. She swung her gaze to Chris' parents as she passed them on the way out, "Maybe he'll listen to you."
"Oh, he'll listen to me," Piper assured the whitelighter grimly.
"Uh…I'll be right back," Phoebe edged her way towards the door. "I just need to…uh…grab…something and then we can be on our way to see the forest nymphs." And before her sisters could stop her, she dashed out the door.
"Where do you think she's going?" Piper demanded, first glaring at Leo who shrugged. She then swung her gaze to Paige, who was studying the floor, wisely keeping her speculations to herself.
"It doesn't matter," Chris controlled the urge to roll his eyes again. Summoning his strength, he forced himself to get up off the couch, wincing slightly. He held himself perfectly still as he waited for the room to stop spinning.
Piper frowned in concern at her son, "I don't think it's a good idea for you to go off by yourself."
"I'm not going off by myself," Chris pointed out tiredly. He swallowed his queasiness as the room finally righted itself. "I'm taking Michael and we're meeting up with Jack."
"But you're not suppose to be using your powers," Leo argued. "Your mother's right. And so is Lilah. You shouldn't be going yourself."
Chris rolled his eyes, this time completely unable to help himself. "How would you like me to go then? It's not like Michael can orb us there. And there aren't any whitelighters to spare, what with all the demons still on the loose. We're spread thin as it is."
"I'm going with you," Leo said firmly, cutting off Chris' arguments. "It's non-negotiable, Chris. You heard Lilah – you shouldn't be using your powers. I'll orb you wherever you need to go. The sisters can handle the other magical beings on their own." Leo's tone clearly communicated he was not going to argue about this.
"Fine," Chris said sharply, his tone rankled. "Just remember, I'm in charge."
Leo exchanged a sharp look with Piper as she opened her mouth to protest this change in plans, her mouth snapping shut reluctantly. His eyes sliding back to his son, Leo said evenly, "Fine."
"Then let's go get Michael, " Moving towards the door, Chris turned back impatiently as he waited for his father to accompany him. "Dad?"
Leaning forward, Leo wrapped his arms around Piper in a strong hug, whispering in her ear, "Don't worry. I'll take care of him, Piper. I promise."
Nodding reluctantly, Piper returned the squeeze, "Just…you…be careful. And if you need me…"
Leo smiled into Piper's eyes as he released her from their embrace, "I'll holler for Paige, don't you worry."
The two parents looked at each other, silently exchanging all their fears, hopes and promises with that single glance. Nodding farewell, Leo jogged towards where Chris was waiting, placing his hand on Chris' arm. "Let's go."
As two of the most important men in her life turned the corner, Piper swiped at her eyes. Drawing in a shuddering breath, she turned towards Paige, "All right. Let's get Phoebe and get out of here."
Paige's eyebrow rose in question.
Piper shrugged, "The faster we find out who did this, the more time will have to try and help Chris."
"Piper…" Paige began hesitantly, "You heard what Lilah said. There…there isn't a cure for Chris' illness."
Rounding on her sister, Piper bit out, "I refuse to believe that, Paige! After everything this family has gone through? There has to be a way to cure Chris. And, by God, we're going to find it."
Knowing her sister needed her full support, Paige held back her true feelings, replying, "If there's a way, I know we'll find it."
Eyeing her sister suspiciously, Piper finally nodded, "All right. Let's get Phoebe."
The door opened with a bang.
Without bothering to shut the door, Les entered his room, rushing over to his dresser. Rooting through his drawers, he smiled triumphantly as his hand closed around the strap of a small backpack. Tossing it onto the nearby bed, he moved towards his shelves, searching for potions to take with him. After all, although San Francisco was populated with humans, it never hurt to be prepared.
The question is, prepared for what?Les sighed. Chris was right. Things were deteriorating quickly and were only going to get worse if they didn't find out what had happened to Kate. And worse, if it WAS true that the old man had had a hand in it…well, it didn't bear thinking what the valkyries would do on their thirst for vengeance.
Hell! Just once, just once I wish things would go our way!And then there was Phoebe.
He hadn't said much more than ten words to her, but he had been excruciatingly aware of her. Aware of her gaze on him, aware of the way her eyes followed him, aware of the way she tilted her head…When he'd headed out to see what the magical disturbance in sector seven was, the last thing he had expected was the Charmed Ones. Just the sight of her, a smudge of dirt on her cheek, her eyes blazing with humour at his discomfort while Piper accused him of being a fishwife(!) had made his insides tighten uncomfortably.
Uncomfortably because he knew nothing could ever come of his feelings for her. He smiled bitterly. It was too cliché…two people from different worlds or in their case, two different times. It was almost…farcical.
If it didn't hurt quite so much.
How pathetic was he? Turning maudlin, mourning something he'd never even had, wishing for things that could never, ever, be. The world was on a collision course for disaster, and here he was, selfishly thinking about his (nonexistent) love life.
He snorted. Concentrate, soldier! he thought grimly. You've got a job to do.
Firmly shoving the image of Phoebe from his mind, Les continued to pack, stuffing potions bottles wherever he could. So she was pretty…there were lots of other pretty girls out there too, right? It wasn't like she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. And didn't she have some kind of mole on her cheek? Marring that otherwise flawless, porcelain skin…
Oh hell, Les thought to himself, rolling his eyes. Have I got it bad.
Besides, it wasn't a physical attraction. Or just a physical reaction, he thought wryly. He also loved her for her intelligence, her kindness, her loyalty…she cared so much about her family. Something he strongly admired.
But it didn't matter. Because they weren't meant to be together.
And never would be.
A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.
There, standing in the doorway, was the girl of his dreams.
"Les?"
"Michael's room is just down the hall," Chris threw over his shoulder as he led Leo down the dimly lit corridor. "He…" A wave of dizziness hit the young man, causing him to blindly reach out for support.
"Chris!" Leo sprang forward, alarmed, as Chris started to slump against the wall.
"I'm okay," Chris muttered, his eyes closed as he breathed heavily. He allowed himself to continue leaning against the wall as he fought the nausea that swirled up threatening to engulf him. He swallowed convulsively, tasting saltiness. At the melodic sound of whitelighter healing, Chris' eyes popped open as he glared at his father, "I said I'm fine."
"You know, it's okay to accept help," Leo murmured, unperturbed by Chris' black mood.
Chris hesitated before saying simply, "I know."
"Do you? I seem to remember a certain witch-whitelighter who travelled to the past but wouldn't tell anyone what he was doing there. He wanted to 'protect' everyone, and ended up trying to bear the burden alone," Leo pointed out as the glow from his hands continued to pulse.
"Really? You've never mentioned him before," Chris replied innocently, a little more easily as Leo's healing did the trick.
"Don't be a smart ass."
Chris rolled his eyes. Funny, he seemed to be doing that a lot lately. "I'm not."
"Oh really?" Leo replied, quirking his eyebrow at Chris.
"Well, not entirely," Chris sighed. Pushing his father's hands away, he righted himself and continued down the hallway slowly. "Okay, maybe just a little," Chris admitted. He looked over at his father who continued to walk serenely next to him. "I just…I'm not…"
Leo looked at him in concern.
"I'm not use to…that is, to say…I can take care of myself, okay?" Chris' breath came out in a rush.
"Chris. We're your parents. I'm your parent. We want to help you," Leo tried to look stern. "Get used to it."
Chris nodded awkwardly, "Message received."
Leo smiled at his son sceptically, "But does that mean you'll let me help you?"
"I'm letting you come with me now," Chris said carefully, in way of a reply.
"That's not what I meant, Chris," Leo frowned, fully aware that Chris was expertly skirting the issue.
"I know," Chris rubbed his forehead wearily. "And yes – I'll let you help me. After all, it's not like I have a lot of choice in the matter," he added a little bitterly.
"Chris." Leo reached out to stop his son, forcing him to look Leo in the eyes. "You're going to get better. I promise."
Chris shook his head slowly, "Don't. Just…don't. Don't make promises you can't keep. It's not fair to me…or you."
Hearing the edge in his son's voice, Leo's own was heartbroken, "Chris…"
"Dad. Not now. We've got bigger things at issue here," Chris brushed off Leo's hand. He saw the pain and the hurt in Leo's eyes…for him. "Look," Chris sighed wearily, "… everything will be okay. I promise."
Leo's smile was forced, "Didn't you just tell me not to make promises you can't keep?"
For a brief moment, the pain and weariness seemed to leave Chris' face as his grin turned devilish, "This is one promise I'll keep."
Somewhere in the sewers beneath the city…
Elise's nose wrinkled at the disgusting smell of the stale water. Just what the hell have I gotten myself into?
She paused, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness.
Moving forward, she winced, the light splashes of water echoing off the walls sounded like the bellow of cannons as she waded through the knee deep water of the tunnel. She grimaced, stumbling, as her foot made contact with something underneath the murky darkness of the flooded passageway. Biting her lip to keep from crying out loud in fright, she pushed forward, her irritation and annoyance growing with every step through the abandoned tunnels.
The tunnels, used by the Resistance in the not so distant past, ran amok underneath the city. Still in disrepair, the emergency lighting barely gave off enough light to illuminate the patchwork of tunnels crisscrossing underground. The tunnels had all been abandoned once the war was over – likely because most of the population who had had to remain underground couldn't bring themselves to return there once it was no longer necessary.
Which makes it the perfect place for a clandestine meeting, I guess. Elise thought to herself rather dryly. She winced again as she felt her boot hit something squishy. Why, oh why can't these things happen somewhere dry and sunny?
So what am I doing here again? Elise rolled her eyes, as the hand she had feeling along the wall encountered something slimy. As Sheridan had requested, Elise had been hitting up all her old contacts, trying to discreetly find out who the leak was. One name had kept coming up. However, all she had to go on was heresay and she was too good a reporter to bring it to Sheridan without hard core proof. So here she was – out getting proof.
Elise had to admit, it was kind of fun. It had been a long time since she'd pounded the pavement, so to speak. She'd earned her stripes as a street reporter before landing the cushy job as editor for the Bay Mirror, all before the war. After waiting patiently for responses to all the little hooks she'd put out, she'd finally gotten a nibble. One of her more reliable sources had tipped her off to the secret meeting. Now, if she could only find the bloody place…
Abruptly, she came to a halt as her ears began to pick up something…
"Did we have to meet here of all places?" a man's voice asked.
Edging forward very slowly, Elise held her breath. She blinked. Facing her, the illumination from the emergency lighting was just enough to let Elise identify the man who had spoken.
"And where would you suggest we meet? The no orbing spell applies to demons as well. I can't shimmer into the city. This was the only meeting place we could both get to without you raising any suspicions," his companion pointed out tiredly.
The hair on Elise's neck stood up. Did he just say 'shimmer?' He must be a demon…
The man's tone was doubtful, "I guess."
"Enough," the demon replied, dismissing the other's concerns with a disdainful wave of his hand. "Tell me what has happened."
"As you predicted, the valkyries were sure the humans were responsible for the disappearance of their leader."
The demon hissed. "But not enough to engage them…"
"No, they were going to. I'm sure of it. But the Halliwell kid managed to control the situation before it got out of hand."
"…"
"My lord?"
The demon's tone seemed to drip with disgust, causing shivers to run up and down Elise's spine, "Never mind. And the others? Sheridan?"
If only he would turn around, Elise thought, her reporter's curiosity getting the better of her. If I could just get a good look at him…
"Completely clueless. She knows only what I want her to know," was the boastful answer. "I tell you, I have everything under control. Most of the humans are already prone to distrust. I only had to plant a seed here and there. The ID card is just one already bearing fruit."
I knew it! Elise thought triumphantly. I knew something fishy was going on. What did we use to say in the newsroom? If it smelled like a fish…
His back still to her, the demon nodded thoughtfully, "Good. The greater distrust you can create, the easier it will be when the time comes…"
Time to get back and tell Sheridan what I know, Elise frowned, still annoyed that she couldn't identify the demon. Never mind, she'd identified the leak – that was all that mattered. She'd let Sheridan handle the plugging. Carefully she began to edge back towards the way she came.
"…I will reward you greatly," the demon suddenly broke off. "Did you hear something?"
"No, I –,"
"Shhhh!" the demon whipped around, bringing his index finger to his lips, his eyes searching the darkness.
Shit! Elise's heart jumped into her mouth, her blood turning to ice in her veins. Oh please, God…
The demon's eyes swept slowly back and forth, studying the shadows of the tunnels.
"There's nothing there," his companion scoffed. "You're starting at shadows."
The demon relaxed from his position, his hand dropping back to his side.
Elise let out a silent breath of relief.
The demon smiled.
"I wouldn't be so quick if I were you," he drawled.
Oh fuck…
She studied him from beneath her lashes as he seemed to glance up at her in surprise. His brown hair was untidy, an obvious sign that he'd been running his hand through it in frustration. His eyes were clear as they met hers, as clear as on the day she'd first met him, back in the past.
Except…his gaze had been…warm.
Then.
It was probably just her imagination.
"Hi," Phoebe looked around uncertainly, "Can I come in?"
She watched as he opened his mouth, but no sound emerged. The awkward silence between them grew. Phoebe continued to look at him expectantly, when finally he cleared his throat rather loudly, "Of course."
Looking at him curiously, his hands full of potion bottles, Phoebe blinked, "What are you doing?"
"Packing," Les said, rather gruffly. Placing the bottles carefully into his backpack, "Look, I'm kind of in a hurry. Is there something you wanted?"
She flinched at his tone. She hadn't really thought out what she was doing when she'd left the others to seek out Les. She only knew that she had to. Something in her had drawn her to him, wanting to see him and to talk to him, without everyone else listening in. And now that she had what she wanted, she wasn't sure what to do. Phoebe's eyes slid towards the floor, studying her shoes. "I just…I thought…"
Les sighed, "What? What did you think, Phoebe?"
"I thought…maybe…we could…talk," Phoebe replied hesitantly.
Les laughed rather harshly, "Really? And what did you want to talk about?"
Phoebe floundered. This wasn't how she had envisioned this going. Back in the past, she was sure that they had connected…but here…it seemed like Les was different. "Back in the past…you…I mean, you weren't…I thought…"
"What? What do you want from me, Phoebe?" Les glared at her. "Spit it out."
"Don't you yell at me!" Feeling her own anger rise at Les' tone, Phoebe glared back, "I just wanted to see you. Is that so bad?"
"Jesus," Les swore passionately, turning his back on her for a second before swinging back around to meet her eyes. "Phoebe. There's a situation going on." Les held up his index finger and thumb a mere inch apart, "We're this close to having everything explode in our faces. Now isn't the time."
Phoebe threw her hands up in the air, slightly irritated by his response. "Don't you think I know that? But when is the time? I can't go on like this." Phoebe motioned with her hands the space between her and Les, "There's this…connection…between you and me. And I just…I just need you to acknowledge it."
"Don't you think I feel the same way?" Letting out a deep breath, Les shook his head. "Phoebe. Nothing could ever happen between you and me. We're, literally, from two different times. But having you here…in my time…with me…I know you have to go back to your time. And that I have to stay here." He shook his head. "This isn't easy for me."
"It isn't easy for me either," Phoebe whispered back. She decided to put her heart on the line. "But…I just wanted you to know…I miss you."
Silence.
"I guess…I guess I'll be going," Phoebe laughed weakly, motioning towards the door, trying to ignore the pain in her chest. "All those leprechauns and fairies to question – "
Les' arm snaked out to grab Phoebe's waist to stop her from leaving. She glanced up at him, startled, "Les?"
He bent his head, touching his forehead to hers, his low voice sending chills down her spine, "I miss you too."
Phoebe smiled tearfully, "That's all I wanted to hear." She looked up at him, his eyes reflecting all her hopes and fears back at her. The future was uncertain, but Phoebe knew right here and right now, this was where she was meant to be.
She would think about the consequences tomorrow
Tilting her head up, she grabbed both sides of his head with her hands, pulling him towards her. "That's all I needed to hear."
And they kissed.
To be continued…
The body count continues to increase as Chris, Leo, Les and the Charmed Ones try to find out what exactly happened to Kate…
