Chapter 22

Katherine knocked on the bathroom door about forty-five minutes later. Christina hadn't returned and they had started to worry. 'Chris, it's me.' She said gently. 'Can I come in?'

'Doors unlocked.' Christina said from the other side. Katherine pushed it open and walked in, joining Christina on the floor, backs to the bathtub.

'You still sound tired.' Katherine commented.

'Yeah, I am.' Christina admitted.

'We're safe in here Chris, you can rest as much as you need to.'

'It's not just that.' Christina brushed the hair from her face. 'I'm tired of all of it. The demons, and the magic, and the…. Pain.' She whispered.

'Hey.' Katherine reached over and took her hand. 'We're all in this together.'

'I know.' Christina sighed. She looked into Katherine's eyes before deciding what to say next. 'I don't…..' She cleared her throat. 'I don't know how much more I can take.' She whispered.

'Oh Chris.' Katherine pulled her in for a hug as tears started falling from her cheeks. They pulled apart a few moments later. Katherine smiled at her. 'You know what I think about when I get sad?'

'What's that?' Christina asked, leaning her head on the side of the tub.

'You, and my sisters, and how brave and strong you all are. Then I remember why we were blessed with these powers and it all goes into perspective. We help people, that's all there is to it. Sure we get a little roughed up along the way but the end goal is always the same. No one has taught me that better than you.' Katherine said genuinely.

'I feel like all people have been doing recently is giving me pep talks.' Christina smiled.

'Is it working?' Katherine wondered.

'Yeah, it's working. You know you're my best friend.' Christina said.

'I better be.' Katherine smiled back at her. 'How do you feel?' She asked seriously.

'Almost back to normal.' Christina said. 'I want a list of everything she put in that damn potion.'

'I'll get it.' Katherine said. 'And it was my call. I couldn't stand to see you like that Chris. Don't blame Amy. She was the only one we trusted with the needle.'

'I'm glad it was her.' Christina said. 'And thank you, for being brave enough to make the call. It was a tough call Kath.'

'I really hope you don't turn into a demon.' Katherine grinned.

'Shut up!' Christina slapped her shoulder playfully, laughing.

'Come on.' Katherine stood and held out her hand. 'We still have some demons to vanquish.' Christina took it and let Katherine pull her up.

Xxxxxx

'Do you promise there's nothing in these that will hurt Christina?' Amy asked Wendy as she studied the orange syringes.

'I swear on my children, there is nothing sinister in there.' Wendy sighed. 'It's very hard to turn over a new leaf when you keep questioning me.'

'Excuse us for being careful.' Lisa said. 'How did you know we'd defeated Belial anyway?'

'Oh that kind of news spreads pretty quickly in the demonic community. When something powerful gets destroyed people want to know why, and how. Especially with the amulet resurfacing.'

'You had it all along.' Dani reminded her. 'We stole it from your safe.'

'I was hoping to keep it there forever.' Wendy said. 'Nothing that powerful should be out in the open, on either side. It's too unpredictable.'

'But Chris managed it, eventually she could use the power.' Lauren reminded her.

'It did seem to like being in your sisters possession. I'd be very interested to see what happens if she puts it back on.' Wendy admitted.

'Well that's not going to happen until we know she's healthy enough to do it.' Amy said.

'Does she get a say in that at all?' Christina asked as she and Katherine entered the room.

'Chris, of course you do.' Amy said as Christina pulled her into a hug.

'Thank you.' Christina whispered. They all sat down. 'Sorry, I kind of freaked out there.'

'It's okay, we get it.' Lisa assured her.

'And Wendy, we'd like a list of ingredients for that potion, just for some peace of mind.' Katherine said.

'Say no more.' Wendy said. 'I'll write it out for you later. But Chris, I'm very serious when I say you need to take another shot if you start feeling like that again.'

'Alright. But Amy is the only one allowed to come near me with a needle.' Christina said.

'Don't you trust us?' Dani asked, pretending to be hurt.

'Not with a needle, no!' Christina smiled.

'Speaking of the amulet.' Lisa said. 'When do you want to put it back on Chris?'

'Not right now.' Christina admitted. 'I still feel a bit off, I don't want to risk it.'

'It's fine Chris.' Lauren said. 'We can find other ways to fight them in the meantime.' Christina smiled at her gratefully. The phone began ringing in the background and Wendy got up to retrieve it from the kitchen.

'So what's everyone's opinion on Wendy?' Christina asked quietly.

'She seems fine to me.' Dani said. 'In the sense that she didn't try to murder us in our sleep.'

'Alright, anyone else?' Christina asked.

'She saved your life Chris, I'm kind of leaning towards trusting her.' Amy said honestly.

'You know, she said she wanted a normal life and it's all here. She loves her new grandchild, she's excited for her husband to come home. She won't ruin that now.' Katherine said.

'Okay, so we trust her, for now. But I want everyone to keep their guards up.' Christina said. Wendy walked back into the room with a serious look on her face.

'That was my friend from down the street. She told me to turn on the news.' Wendy said. 'Something strange is happening.' She picked up the remote and switched on the television. The news reporter was talking about a disturbance at the pier.

'The cause of the disruption is unknown, but waves are cascading onto the pier without warning. One man has already been rescued by the coast guards after being swept out to sea. This weather is isolated to the area surrounding the pier and no one knows what is causing it….' He stopped speaking and was replaced with images of the crashing waves and people running from the pier.

'It's Rex.' Dani said. 'It has to be.'

'Why is he exposing his powers like that?' Lauren asked.

'To get our attention.' Christina said. 'He knows we won't stay hidden if innocent people are being hurt.'

'It must be on Abaddon's orders.' Katherine added.

'So what do we do?' Amy asked.

'We can't all go.' Christina said. 'It's what he wants, to get us all in one place to try whatever it is he's planning.'

'Who is going then?' Wendy asked.

'I am.' Christina stood up.

'Chris is that a good idea?' Lauren asked. 'Without the amulet how do you know you'll stand a chance?'

'I don't know. Which is why Dani is coming with me.' Christina looked to her youngest sister.

'Seriously?' Dani said, a little too enthusiastically.

'Yes, but if you're that happy about getting into a fight I might change my mind.' Christina said.

'Sorry.' Dani said, but she couldn't contain her smile.

'And if Dani's coming, Lauren needs to stay here and make potions. You're the next best at it.' Christina said.

'Sure, I can do that.' Lauren agreed.

'And Kath, can you do research? Maybe there's something in Abaddon's history we can use?'

'Of course.' Katherine nodded. 'Which leaves Amy and Lisa.'

'I'll go.' Lisa said. 'Amy hates the water, I'm not making her go and fight a water demon. And I can write a spell in the car.' Amy smiled at her, Lisa nodding.

'Alright then, let's get down to the pier.' Christina started towards the door.

'Please be careful.' They heard Wendy say as they left the room.