Charmed Again: Spellbound
iv (four): Slide, Slide, Electric Slide
Last time on Charmed Again: Spellbound: Winnie is taken to Magic School where everyone discovers she is on par with Chris and Wyatt in demon training. Melinda doesn't seem to like that and snaps on Winnie. Melinda confesses to her mother that she's jealous of Winnie; seeming to have her life together. Piper gives her some advice about trying to find a balance between a magical life and a normal life. Henry Jr gets some hope from Winnie about possibly practicing 'mortal magic' so he can help his mother and sisters.
"So tell me some of the herbs associated with protection," Winnie asked Henry Jr as she sat on the couch above the young boy. They were in Paige's and Henry Sr's home nearby the manor, in the room designated for magic work. She held an open small brown book to her chest watching the teenage boy concentrate.
"Um," Henry Jr pursed his lips, sitting on the floor in front of her. "Betony, birch, burdock...cumin, dianthus, dill leaves, fennel, fern, marjoram," the boy paused. He tapped his foot as his fingers drummed in rhythm on the table in front of him. "Do I still have some M's left?" He asked his teacher.
Winnie snuck a look at her notebook and smiled. "A few, but I won't tell," her eyes glistened with mischief.
Henry Jr groaned. "Can you at least tell me how many I have left?" He tried.
"Well that's the thing, Junior," Winnie began. "There are so many herbs that are associated with protection, so I can't exactly tell you a number. You can stop at M and move on down the alphabet, or you can try to remember from this specific list that we studied," she shrugged. "It's what you need to see fit."
Henry Jr nodded and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and began to concentrate. His eyebrows furrowed as he gathered his thoughts. "Mint, mugwort, mustard," he fired off rapidly, his eyes opening in triumph. "Uh...parsley, sage, white heather...wormwood aaaand black pepper. From the list we ran through," he smiled as he successfully ran through it.
"Good," Winnie nodded, smiling in approval. "Now tell me why mugwort shouldn't sometimes be used in spells," she tested.
Henry Jr's eyes widened. "Uh...you lost me," he chuckled.
Henry Sr, holding a bottle of beer and a bowl of popcorn, walked by the room. "Mugwort is harmful to pregnant women. Can cause miscarriages," he told his son.
"And the A goes to Henry Mitchell Sr!" Winnie laughed as she clapped.
"Daaad," Henry Jr groaned. "I would've gotten there eventually!" He protested. "How did you even know that anyway?"
The older Henry laughed. "I help you study, kid. It was bound to stick in my head sometime," he smirked.
Winnie raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Say Henry," she called out to the detective. "Give me some oils that aid with…" she thought for a bit. "Eh, what the hell, psychic powers." She offered.
Henry Sr tilted his head, accepting the challenge. He set his popcorn and beer down and took a seat on the next, sitting next to his son. "Let's see...oils right?" At the nod of Winnie's head, he as well nodded. "Uh, acacia, anise, cassia, lilac, hhhhhheliotrope…" he shut one eye as he struggled to remember the last one. He turned to his son. "Junior?"
Henry Jr smirked. "Mimosa."
"A pluses for the Henrys," Winnie smiled.
"You're good at this teaching thing," Henry Sr pointed out.
"Thank you," Winnie smiled. "I sometimes work as a teacher's aide/substitute teacher at the elementary school by my home. I should hope I'm good at this," she joked. "Well, that's all I have for you today, Junior. I don't have any further lesson plans yet."
"But you will, right?" Henry Jr asked. "It's not like you're giving up on me," he shook his head.
Winnie smiled sadly. Poor guy thought she was giving up on him. "No, I'm not, Junior. It's just that you've exceeded all of my expectations and you've learned all this on so quickly that I ran out of lessons for you," she laughed. "You're really good at this, guy," she gently punched his shoulder. "You too, Henry," she complimented the elder Henry.
The two Henrys shared a similar smile. "Thanks," the two men said in unison.
Winnie's phone chimed and she reached into her large shoulder bag and grabbed her phone. Her eyebrows furrowed as she read the message. "It's Chris."
Son and father shared a knowing look and a smirk as they nudged each other. It was no secret to the Charmed family that Winnie and Chris were headed to romance pretty fast.
"Demon. At the manor. They can't orb for some reason. They want my help. Why didn't they ask Melinda?" Winnie furrowed her brow. The last bit she muttered under her breath, knowing the tension between her and Chris' younger sister. She looked around, trying to find a safe place to shimmer out.
Henry Sr got up and called for his twins. "Tamora, Kat!"
Tamora was the one who came down responding with a towel wrapped on the top of her head. "What's up dad?" She had a toothbrush in her hand and white foam from the toothpaste around her mouth.
"Orb Winnie to your Aunt Piper's." Henry Sr told his older twin daughter. "Demon at the manor," he explained.
"Ooo," Tamora waved her hand, watching bright white and blue lights surround the tan skinned witch. She pointed to the spot Winnie previously sat in. "Should we be helping?"
"Nah," Henry Sr shook his head. "Your cousins can handle it. And now with Winnie there, they'll be fine. Plus, it's a school night for Junior and you and Kat have that big placement test tomorrow," he grabbed his bowl of popcorn and half finished beer. "Who's up for watching the game with me?"
"Ooo, me!" Henry Jr jumped up from his place on the couch, his 'mortal magic' studies, as they've began to call it, put away since Winnie left.
"Can't," Tamora grinned. "Mom, Kat and I are doing facials."
"Ooo, is it that green cucumber one or the avocado one? Those are my favorites!" Henry Sr told his daughter.
"Dad!" Henry Jr was appalled by his father's excitement with face masks.
"What?" Henry Sr turned to his son. "They not only make my skin soft like your mother likes, but they smell really good! You should try it, Junior," he nodded at his son.
Henry Jr narrowed his eyes at his family, taking his choices into consideration. "No pictures?"
"No pictures," Tamora promised and held up two fingers. "Scout's honor."
A beat passed before a "Fine, fine! Let's have a spa day!" came from Henry Jr.
Winnie landed in the kitchen of the manor, a little wobbly on her feet from the orbing. "Whoa," she grabbed a chair by the small table. "I prefer shimmering," she said through gritted teeth. She tucked her head down as she removed her shoulder bag. She could hear a crash coming from the foyer and she removed her button down flannel and ran into the hallway. Entering the foyer, she should see Chris laying on top of the now broken table that once held a vase of flowers. "What happened?"
"Shocker demon," Chris groaned. He held his side as he struggled to get up. He heard footsteps and looked up to see Winnie standing in front of him, her hand outstretched. "Thanks," he took it as she helped him up.
"You okay?" Winnie made an amused face as she pulled out a lily that was intertwined in his hair.
Chris smiled at her as he grabbed the bent flower from her hand and placed it behind her ear. "I'm okay," he confirmed. He let his hand remain by her ear as his fingers softly ran down her face.
Winnie blushed as she leaned into his soft feather like touch. She reached up and grabbed his hand, holding it against her face. "Good," she looked up into his green eyes.
Chris blinked, his demon worries suddenly gone. He licked his bottom lip, slowly leaning in.
"As much as I hate to interrupt this lovely moment, but we have a demon to vanquish. A demon who's currently kicking my ass," Wyatt groaned as he limped in from the solarium. His red sweater was singed and had small electric pulses running through it.
"Book of Shadows?" Chris asked his brother.
"Book of Shadows," Wyatt confirmed. He accepted his brother's arm around his shoulder as Chris helped him walk across the foyer and up the steps. "Try not to go near anything electrical," he warned Winnie who was already running up the stairs.
Winnie entered the attic and quickly walked over to the Book. She heaved open the heavy green cover and she rapidly flipped through the aged pages. She was almost halfway through the book when she found the Shocker Demon entry. A blue figure drawn in electrical outlines filled the left side of the page. Shocker Demon was written down the side in perfect calligraphy. She lifted her head as she heard the boys come in. "The Shocker Demon is a being composed of pure electricity. It moves through electrical outlets and devices to surprise and attack its victims. Those who touch the demon will be electrocuted, though it can dispersed when hit with an object that doesn't conduct electricity. It can only be vanquished with the Power of Three spell.* Welp, we're screwed." She told the boys who stood on either side of her. "Power of Three is not we," she attempted in a bad rhyming joke.
"Damn it," Chris ran his hand through his hair as he came to stand beside the caramel skinned girl. He was looking at the Shocker demon entry, shaking his head.
Wyatt stayed silent for a bit, his brain trying to rack through ideas on how to use the spell. He sat on the old, weathered couch across from the Book of Shadows. He clasped his hands together, his thumbs tapping at an unknown rhythm.
Winnie bit her lip. "It can only be vanquished with a Power of Three spell?" She questioned.
Chris nodded.
"And there's no other way around using a Power of Three spell?" Winnie asked, again biting her lip.
Chris smiled, lifting his hand to her chin. "Stop that," he whispered, using his thumb to release her bottom lip from her teeth.
Winnie gave him a small smile, crinkling her nose. "Answer me," she playfully bumped her hip on his.
Chris chuckled. "No. There's no other way around it," he circled his arm around her waist.
"Damn it," Winnie repeated his earlier statement, again biting her lip. A bad nervous habit of hers.
"Winnie…" Chris whispered. "I said, stop that," he again used his thumb to release her bottom lip.
"Or what?" Winnie coquettishly asked, raising her eyebrow in challenge.
Chris lifted both of his eyebrows, turning to face Winnie. He placed his hand on the small of her back and pushed her body into his. His other hand rubbed at her bottom lip. He looked at her for approval and smirked when she nodded. Finally...he thought as he leaned in. He could feel her breath on his lips when -
"Ew gross, please save that for when you're alone," Wyatt's voice broke the two lovebirds from their bubble.
Winnie jumped and squeaked, pushing away from Chris.
"Yeah, I'm still here," the Twice Blessed child waved comically.
Chris snorted and again wrapped his arm around Winnie's waist, not caring about his brother's reaction. "And we're still screwed over the not having the Power of Three ability." He sighed.
"No, we're not," Wyatt grinned in triumph.
"Uh," Winnie turned to an also confused Chris. "Yes we are. Do you see the book?" She pointed to the tanned pages. "It says Power of Three spell. Your mom and Aunts are nowhere near here."
"It doesn't matter," Wyatt shook his head, getting up from his seat on the couch. "We're Charmed children," the blonde told his younger brother. "Any one of us can tap into the Power of Three because we have it in our blood. We're direct descendants." He pointed in between him as his brother.
Chris nodded, agreeing where his brother was coming from. "Well that's great and all, but we only have the Power of Two right now. Melinda's off in her weekend trip to some museum for class." He raised his eyebrow.
"We have Winnie," Wyatt told Chris, gesturing to the short woman.
"Winnie's not Charmed," Chris told his brother in a tone that questioned his brother's sanity.
"Hey!" Winnie playfully protested, a cute pout coming across her face.
"You're charming," Chris smiled at Winnie, trying to save himself. "But not Charmed. Still doesn't take your own charm away," he flirted, his hand rubbing at her hip.
Winnie blushed. "I'm only kidding," she giggled.
Wyatt smiled to himself, watching the two. But he decided to play the big brother routine. "Again, sorry for interrupting the cute moment and stuff, but demon, remember that," Wyatt reined them in. "Look at the wording in this spell; we three witches," he stressed. "I'm Twice Blessed; I can count for two Charmed powers, Chris, you make three for the Power of Three, and Winnie is the third witch from the wording." He pieced together.
Chris took a moment to think through his brother's logic and pursed his lips. He could admit that he saw the sense in it. "You really think this could work?" He asked Wyatt, his eyes narrowed.
"We don't have a choice, do we?" Wyatt pursed his lips. "The shocker demon is loose in the manor, Mom is out at the restaurant, our Aunts have their own lives and I'd rather not bother our young cousins with this," Wyatt shrugged. He turned to Winnie. "You up for this?" He asked her.
She tilted her head and shrugged. "It's worth a shot." She looked up at Chris. "Can't know if it'll work if we don't try," she pointed out.
They could hear electricity cracking and they each turned to a different side, turning to look for the demon. Chris waved his hand, flicking the attic light on. It worked like a charm. The demon was attracted to the sudden surge of electricity and the figure traveled through the light switch and flew forward towards the young adults. Wyatt tried to deflect the electricity with his telekinesis but it only drew a lightning strike back to him. The three ducked, allowing the shocker demon to fly behind them towards the window. The demon doubled back.
"The spell! Say the spell!" Chris yelled as he watched the demon close in on them.
The three looked at the book, memorizing the words of the spell. In unison, they chanted, "Vanquish, we three witches cry," The boys continued the spell as Winnie suddenly was cut off. "One final shock and then you die," Chris and Wyatt shouted. They turned as they noticed that Winnie didn't finish the spell. Winnie was in the air, being electrocuted in the air by the demon.
Chris jumped, tackling Winnie's body, effectively removing the shocker demon's grip on her. "Dammit," he groaned as they landed on the floor. "Are you okay, Winn?" He looked down her body, making sure she wasn't hurt or burned.
"Ugh," Winnie shook her head, her hand trying to smooth out her hair. "A little...j-j-j-jjittery," she shook, feeling the aftershocks of the electric current run its course through her body. "Sorry I couldn't finish guys," she frowned slightly, looking up at Chris and Wyatt. "I was a little busy being attacked," she pouted again, upset that the demon caught her off guard like that.
"It's okay," Wyatt shook his head. "You're the only one that he hasn't attacked yet. You were new blood to him." He helped his brother and Winnie up. He also checked her for any burns or singes. She had none. When the shocker demon attacked him, pieces of his clothes were singed off. "We have to find a way to subdue him long enough to be able to say the spell."
"Please do," Winnie laughed as she allowed Chris to guide her to sit down on the couch Wyatt sat on before. "I don't wanna get electrocuted again unless it's necessary for bait," she jokingly raised an eyebrow at Wyatt.
"Not funny, so not funny," Chris furrowed his brows and reprimanded Winnie, his finger wiggling in her face. "I'd rather not see you almost shocked to death, literally." He wrapped an arm around her waist and hugged her close to his body.
"Don't worry, I don't want to feel that again any time soon," Winnie leaned into his body and patted his chest slightly. "Besides, I think I have an idea," she told the brothers, crossing her legs.
"What is it?" Wyatt asked. He tried to hide his smirk as he watched the two get comfortable with each other very quickly.
Electric zaps crackled through the air, a grateful warning that the shocker demon was coming back.
"Ooo, oh!" Winnie slapped Wyatt's arm as she jumped up. "Your circuit breaker! Basement?" She asked, looking around as she tensed up in fear, waiting for the demon to attack.
"Yeah, what does that have to do with anyth—"
Winnie shushed Wyatt. "Orb! Orb to basement, now!" She grabbed Wyatt's arm and tightened her grip on Chris. Her vision was filled with blue and white lights as they were orbed down to the basement. Once they landed, Winnie looked around the dark basement. "Turn off the circuit breaker! Turn it off, turn it off, turn it off!" She yelped, trying to find the object in question.
Chris turned around, almost making a full circle, until he spotted the circuit breaker. He lunged forward and pulled it down.
"Melinda, hey…" a dark skinned boy grabbed her elbow. "Are you okay? You seemed...out of it today in class," his eyes showed concern.
Melinda looked up at her summer program classmate. "Hey Trav, yeah I'm fine," she lied, continuing to walk through the courtyard of the school.
Travis arched his left eyebrow. "Wanna try again?"
Melinda laughed. Not a humor filled laugh. An exasperated laugh. One that just lets out a breath out of your nostrils. "I...I'm just going through a lot right now...lots of decisions to make," she answered honestly.
"Anything I can help with?" He offered kindly.
The youngest daughter of Piper Halliwell and Leo Wyatt smiled. "I don't think so," she told him. "I'm still trying to fix my head around it," she shook her head, trying to clear all her issues from her mind. She wanted someone neutral to talk to, but Travis was mortal. She wanted to talk to Cal, another magical child she semi-grew up with but he was on a magical assignment. She tried layman's terms for Travis. "I'm trying to find a balance between possibly taking over the family business or having a normal life; going to school for what I want," she said. "Then there's Winnie," she sneered.
"Ooo," Travis laughed as he took a makeshift seat on one slabs of marble, holding up a gargoyle. "I know this Mel," he smirked. "Who's Winnie?"
"What do you mean you know this Mel?" Melinda whipped her head around to the tall teenager.
"Don't worry about it," Travis tried to hold back his laughter. "Who's Winnie?" He repeated.
"Chris's new girlfriend," Melinda rolled her eyes.
Travis blinked and his head twitched in surprised. "Chris has a girlfriend? I thought he was asexual?" He furrowed his eyebrows.
"Thank you!" Melinda laughed, previously holding the same opinion towards her brother. "But no...apparently he's straight and practically drooling over Winnie," she again made a face at the new witch's name.
"Oh he's straight? Tommy will be so depressed," Travis laughed as he mentioned his twin brother.
Melinda giggled at Tommy's mention. Chris had quite a following with the gay population at Baker High School.
"But Winnie?" Travis brought her focus back.
"I don't like her," Melinda frowned.
"Why?"
Melinda shrugged. "I don't know. I get bad vibes from her? ...No that's not it," Melinda corrected herself. "I don't like that she's dating one of my brothers? ...No I don't care about that unless she was a bitch. And I mean she is a bitch, then not like a bitch. I just don't like that she seems to have this whole life thing balanced and I don't. And it comes so easy to her and it's not fair," she rambled.
Travis laughed. "You done?"
Melinda glared at him. "No, I'm not. She has amazing self defense skills and she's so talented and smart and amazing and she has an amazing body and she's so pretty and she is so sweet and my family loves her and she's so balanced and I'm not and she's already so accomplished, she graduated and started school early, she has a teaching degree, she's so pretty, she has these amazing violet eyes that you just want to sink into and it's not fair that my dad put her in advanced classes and I'm still remedial classes and...and I just..." she released her breath. "Can't."
Travis raised both of his eyebrows and his eyes were wide. But his eyes were shining with mirth.
"What?" Melinda was angry.
"You so have a crush on this Winnie," Travis concluded.
"What? No I don't!" Melinda objected quickly. "I don't like her."
"You don't like her because you like her," the dark skinned teenager teased.
"But I have other issues with her!" Melinda protested. Inside, she was panicking. I don't have a crush on her. I don't. I don't like girls. I like boys, right? I do like boys, but I remember I felt the same tingle that I felt with Tony when I kissed Cassie. Oh man, now I have to balance trying to figure out my sexuality on top of everything else? Destiny is so, so unfair.
Travis thought for a bit. "Okay, I'll give you that. You do have other issues with her; this whole balance thing," he looked puzzled at that. "I won't pry because I can tell it's personal, but you envy that she can balance this life thing, that she has her stuff together and you don't. Plus you're at the very least attracted to her and that's confusing to you."
Melinda pursed her lips and thought for a bit. "How do you think that? That I may be attracted to her?" She could see it, but she didn't want to admit it. Besides, if Travis could see it, could her family see it too?
"Tommy went through the same issues when he discovered, and accepted, that he was gay," Travis shrugged. "I recognize the signs in you too," he smiled.
"But why her?" Melinda sighed. "She's Chris's," she smiled sadly.
"I don't think it's her per say, but because she's the new kid around you," Travis offered. "Think about it, you've been around the same girls all since childhood. You're not the type of crush on your friends, so there's not many options for you. She's new around you and you know she'll probably be around you for a while and that's maybe when it started to bubble," he deduced. "Right or wrong?" He asked.
Melinda blinked. "Right. Really right," she laughed. "It makes so much sense," she smiled. "Remember when Cassie transferred into Baker High? It was the same thing there. I got a crush on her," she admitted. "Only with Cassie, I actually went through with it," she smiled sheepishly.
"You hooked up with Cassie? Dude, I'd been trying to hit that for so long!" Travis chuckled.
"Well I didn't have sex with her," Melinda blushed. "We just made out a few times," she admitted. "But we didn't have anything in common. She was just..."
"New pickings," Travis nodded. "The guys talk about it too. For most of us, we all grew up together so it either feels weird, or we're all used to one another. So whenever someone new comes along, they're automatically a 10. It's the weirdest phenomenon," he mused privately. "So you're...a lesbian?"
"No...I like guys. A lot," Melinda laughed. "But I don't know. I guess I gotta add that to my list of worries about my life," she sighed angrily.
"Hey, I'm here to help if you need it. All you need to do is reach out," Travis offered to her.
Melinda smiled at him. "I'll definitely take it. You're a really good person to talk to. You should major in Psychology, not pursue the NFL," she laughed and punched his shoulder. "Baker High MVP all four years," she jested.
"Well you'll be glad to know that I'm doing just that. I've decided that I'm gonna major in Sports Management, minoring in Psychology and a full ride to UC Berkeley," Travis grinned.
"That's so good! I'm so proud of you, Trav," Melinda gave him a supportive hug. "So why are you in this summer program then?"
Travis rubbed the young girl's back in thanks. "Tutoring," he said. "Mr. Bennett is helping me and watching you guys definitely helps."
"Well my offer is here too. Any time you need a tutor, I'm here," she smiled.
"I'll keep that in mind, Halliwell," Travis tussled with Melinda's brown wavy locks.
Melinda clicked her tongue in annoyance as she giggled. Maybe this was a mortal friend she could trust and confide in? Maybe.
"What was the purpose of this?" Chris panted from his panic. He had just turned off the circuit breaker at Winnie's demand.
"It can only travel through an electrical conduit, right?" Winnie started. "Can't attack us if there's no running electricity for it to go through." She grinned deviously.
Wyatt nodded, running his hand through his hair. "Okay, so what's your plan?"
Winnie blinked. "That was it." She looked at the two brothers.
"Oh, great plan, Winnie," Wyatt said sarcastically.
"Hey, it was the best I could think of in the moment!" Winnie stood on her tiptoes and smacked the back of his head.
"Alright you two," Chris grabbed Winnie's waist and pulled her away from beating up his brother. "Let's think of a plan." He sat on one of the steps that lead in and out of the basement as he pulled Winnie close to him.
"Preferably in the light," Winnie pointed out as she sat on the step directly below him.
Wyatt nodded, waving his hand and throwing light yellow orbs in the air. "So what's the plan?" He asked sharply.
"Alright, calm down there, snippy," Chris stared at his brother strangely.
"Sorry," Wyatt sighed. "I'm still a little jittery from all the shocks he gave me," he repeated Winnie's earlier sentiment. He grabbed a plastic bin and took a seat on it, sighing deeply as he did so. "So what do we know about the shocker demon?" He asked. He leaned his elbows on his knees, his face falling into his hands.
"It obviously attacks with electricity," Winnie sneered. "Hence, the shocking part about it," she said, her head making a movement that screamed 'obviously'.
Chris rested his hands on Winnie's shoulders and rubbed slightly to calm her down. "Okay, being shocked does not benefit the two of you, clearly," he chuckled. He sat and thought for a while. "You can deflect him by hitting it with something that doesn't produce electricity," he finally said.
"Okay, but it's the 21st century," Wyatt groaned. "Almost everything has some sort of electrical current." He twitched slightly.
Winnie stared at him weirdly.
Wyatt shook his head. "Aftershock," he explained.
Winnie nodded and accepted it. "Well we took care of step one," she pointed out. "We shut off the power so until we turn it back on, he can't come back." She licked her lips. "That gives us the advantage."
Wyatt pursed his lips. "I could try to control it with my voice manipulation while you guys hit it with one of our bats or something else. While it's down, we say the spell and then it's gone," he offered. He noticed one of his hands slightly shaking and he placed his other hand on top of it, holding it down to stop the tremor.
Winnie thought about it and nodded. "Well first, voice manipulation? That's awesome," she complimented him on his power. "And second, I think it could work. We have a two distractions, one of them being a fake one, and then the big boom."
"No," Chris shook his head. "You already tried the voice thing and he shocked you for over three minutes until I came to," he stressed. He thought for another moment and sighed deeply. "I know you two were electrocuted by the shocker demon and you can still feel its effects. But...when he shocked me...it hurt, but it didn't...feel painful." He furrowed his brow in contemplation. "Maybe because of my electrokinesis?" He questioned.
Winnie turned her head up to look at him. She stared at him carefully as he hummed. She knew how she felt. Though being shocked hurt like hell, it didn't feel like she wanted to skin herself alive like most people claim it makes them feel. It made her feel more energized...like it was energizing her instead. It could be that the electricity in the shocker demon felt the electricity in her, the electricity in her that created her energy balls. "Did it make you feel...energized?" She pretended to guess.
"Yeah," Chris nodded. "Don't get me wrong, like I said, it still hurt. But…" he sighed. "It felt like the electricity in the demon connected with the electricity in me," he looked up at his brother.
Wyatt had a face of concentration. "You think…" His eyes connected with his younger brother.
"That if I can use my electrokinesis, I can hold the demon in place," Chris nodded in agreement, his mind following his brother's immediately. "We say the spell and then demon be gone." He shrugged nonchalantly.
"But someone still has to turn on the circuit breaker in order to summon the demon," Winnie pointed out.
"Me," Chris said.
"No," Wyatt told his brother, firmly. "You need to be in a position to concentrate on your electrokinesis. Winnie or I need to be on standby with the bat and the other has to...be the bait," he carefully said, not wanting to anger his brother. He twitched once again.
"No, absolutely not," Chris shook his head. "We're not using Winnie as bait." He placed his hands on the woman in question's shoulders.
Winnie watched Wyatt carefully, watching him shake at the idea of possibly being electrocuted again. "Chris," she reached her hand up and held his. "Look at him," she nodded her head towards the blond man. "Wyatt can't handle getting shocked again if the demon gets him," she shook her head. "I'm faring a little better. I can handle being the bait."
"Winnie," Chris tried, pleading with his eyes.
"Chris," Winnie shook her head, rubbing his hand slightly.
Wyatt watched the two communicate silently, slightly shocked. He'd only seen his parents and his Aunts and their husbands do that with one another.
Chris shut his eyes, sighing. His free hand held the bridge of his nose. "Fine. I don't like this, but you're right," he told her. "No offense Wyatt, but you look like crap. There's no way you could handle being shocked again," he addressed his brother.
Wyatt let out a dry laugh. "Thanks Chris."
"Alright, so here's the plan," Chris began. "Winnie flips on the circuit breaker and waits for the demon to get her. Once he does, Wyatt calls out for him and hits him with the bat causing him to break apart. The three of us get in formation and say the spell, vanquishing the demon." He nodded. "If needed, I'll hold the demon down."
"Hopefully my theory about the spell is right," Wyatt sighed.
"It should be," Winnie nodded. "It's a loophole. The one flaw in the wording. There are no repercussions in a loophole." Her one shoulder lifted in a shrug.
"And you would know that how?" Wyatt inquired.
"My dad was a lawyer before he died," Winnie said without a second thought. Her eyes then widened, fearful that she revealed too much. "Um, he told me about possibly using loopholes in spells to maybe help. It was just a silly idea he had."
Wyatt nodded, accepting this answer and not thinking anything of it.
"Alright," Chris sighed, standing up, causing the two adults to look at him. He held his hand out and pulled Winnie up as they walked down the few steps. "We ready?" He looked around.
Winnie nodded and took her place by the circuit breaker.
Wyatt got up and grabbed a bat from one of the corners of the basement.
Winnie narrowed her eyes. "Uh, Wyatt? Use a wooden bat," she suggested, eyeing the metal one in his hand. "Electricity flows through metal and unless you want to get shocked again, your best bet would be to grab another weapon."
"Oh," Wyatt threw the metal bat away from him, grabbing an old wooden bat. "Thanks Winnie," he replied gratefully. He turned to his brother. "Chris...concentrate," he stared at his brother.
Chris nodded, taking in a deep breath. He closed his eyes and relaxed his shoulders. After a few deep breaths he slowly opened his eyes. "I'm ready," he confirmed. He looked from his brother to his...girlfriend? Potential girlfriend? He didn't know what to call her yet.
Winnie nodded and turned to face the circuit breaker. She used her telekinesis to flip the switch. Almost immediately the familiar humming of electricity turning on throughout the manor flowed to each other their ears. Then came the crackling and popping of the shocker demon conducting his way through the wires in the home. Winnie watched as the white and blue streaks of lightning surround the gray metal box, and then immediately fly towards her. Her eyes widened and she squealed as she levitated in the air, trying to dodge its aim. It didn't work. Part of the shocker demon's lightning surrounded and went into her, trying to electrocute her. She shook as it flowed through her body.
"Hey, jackass!" Wyatt shouted. "Over here! You know I can't handle you, so come after me instead!" He braced himself, tightening his grip on the baseball bat.
The shocker demon materialized into a human outline, dropping Winnie to the floor as it charged towards Wyatt. Once the demon got close enough, Wyatt took his swing. This was the part where the three of them hoped that the demon would implode on itself, giving them a chance to come together to say the spell. But the demon didn't implode into thousand of electrical lightning. Instead, it threw him towards Chris.
Chris widened his eyes and braced himself. He held his hand out as if to catch the demon. Once the flying flash of electricity got close enough, Chris used his electrokinesis to have his own lightning bolts to combat the shocker demon. He grit his teeth as he concentrated on keeping the demon in its place and tried to push it further back from him. "Now!" He shouted.
Winnie got up from the floor, grabbing Wyatt who held his arm around her waist, helping her up faster. They ran to Chris' side, each putting a hand on his shoulder.
Together, they again chanted. "Vanquish, we, three witches cry. One final shock and then you die." They watched as the shocker demon screeched in pain, almost trying to hold itself in pain before it finally imploded. Permanently.
"Ha!" Winnie cheered. "We did it! Oh my god, we actually did it! It worked." She grinned.
"I can't believe I was right," Wyatt muttered under his breath.
Chris weakfully chuckled, feeling a little dizzy as he fell back onto the steps.
"Oh Chris!" Winnie turned around and leaned down, putting her hand on his forehead. "How are you feeling?" She asked worriedly.
"I'll be okay," he laughed weakly. "Just glad Wyatt was right for once," he teased his older brother.
Wyatt feigned offense. "Hey! Careful there or I might not heal you."
The three looked at each other, laughing, sharing in their relief that the demon was gone.
"So you and Chris tapped into the Power of Three by using your birthright, and manipulated the spell to be able to add Winnie into it because it required three witches? And it worked?" Piper raised her scarred eyebrow, her bottom teeth showing and bottom lip lowered in a deep pout. They sat in the dining room, take out from Halliwell's on the table in front of them. Winnie stayed back to help the boys tidy up the house. And Melinda was home for the first time in a long time, glaring at the unrelated witch sitting in front of her. Apparently Piper's talk with her daughter was forgotten already.
Wyatt nodded, shoveling his mother's pasta in his mouth. "Loopholes, gotta love them," he said with food stuck into his mouth.
"And Chris, you used your electrokinesis?" Leo asked his second son, warily. "I thought you didn't like using that power."
Chris shook his head. "I don't, but I had to. I felt a connection with the shocker demon through the power of electricity we shared. I didn't want Winnie to go through that again, and Wyatt barely recovered from when the demon first attacked. It was the best option," he shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal.
"Well, I'm glad you three were able to take the demon down," Piper told the three young adults. "And thank you Winnie for staying and helping the boys clean up their mess," she gave her sons a stern look, showing her displeasure of the broken table.
"Oh come on, mom," Wyatt chuckled. "You and the Aunts broke way more things than Chris and I or any of the other kids have."
"That's because we learned our lesson," Piper rebutted back at her eldest child. "Plus your father used to be a handyman. He fixed a majority of the things we broke."
The table (minus Melinda) shared a laugh. Melinda tried to hide the dirty look towards Winnie, but Piper noticed. The eldest Charmed One braced herself for the inevitable confrontation. She shook her head at her daughter, trying to think of ways to stop it from coming or find a way to have the girls get along.
"So Winnie, what do you do all day that makes you available at my brothers' whim and also be able to apparently tutor my cousin in...what do you call it? Mortal magic." Melinda unkindly said.
"Mel," Wyatt sighed.
Chris stared at his sister, begging her with a look to not start a fire.
"No it's okay," Winnie smiled falsely. "I work as a teacher's aide at a school sometimes. When they need me, I sometimes substitute," she shrugged. She wasn't lying. She didn't really need to work; her home had been fully paid off when her mother passed away and she still had a nice amount of money in her bank account for utilities and food. She worked because she enjoyed to help people.
"Hmm," Melinda pursed her lips, not satisfied with that answer. "How old did you say you were?"
Winnie furrowed her brow. "I'm 23." She looked to Chris, her eyes conveying confusion.
"Mmm, seems a little young to already be a teacher," Melinda challenged, fiddling with her fork. She spun the pasta around the utensil, feigning innocence.
"I took dual enrollment courses when I was still in high school," Winnie retorted. Her eyes blazed with held back anger. She didn't want to fight with Melinda. Especially because she was Chris and Wyatt's sister and Piper's daughter. Not when they have been so welcoming to her.
"Still seems unrealistic to me," Melinda shrugged, flipping her long wavy hair behind her shoulder. Her lips formed a smirk and her eyes shined with confidence.
"I started school at an early age," Winnie shot back. "Is there a reason why you're interrogating me?" She arched an eyebrow at the youngest Halliwell, tilting her head to the side.
Melinda narrowed her eyes. "Do I need a reason?" She said hostilely, gritting her teeth.
"Yes, you do," Winnie glowered down at the sardonic woman. She watched the young girl for a bit before smiling cunningly. "Especially if you're just letting your insecurities be your voice," she reached for her glass of water and took a sip. Her eyes met Melinda's, challenging her and flipping the script back on her.
Melinda blinked, her head moving back as if the insult was physically thrown at her face. "Excuse me?" She laughed scornfully, not wanting to believe that Winnie was actually challenging her.
"From magic school to now," Winnie waved her hand in the air before placing it underneath her chin, her fingers flat and holding her chin in place. She was conveying an air of uncaringness, before giving Melinda another blow. "Clearly you're insecure because obviously you should be working with your brothers to take down demons, but instead this girl, me," her index finger beneath her chin pointed to herself. "Is doing what you should be doing." She said unkindly.
Melinda glared at her, her jaw snapping as her teeth grit in anger.
The rest of the Halliwells watched this metaphorical volleyball game take place, their eyes shifting back and forth between the girls. Melinda started off the 'game' aggressive, but now Winnie just spiked the ball back to Melinda. They fidgeted with their food, the silverware clinking against the porcelain plates.
"But it's understandable," Winnie smiled innocently. "You're in a place we've all been in before. The ever present decision between a magical life and a normal life," she empathized. She had to make that decision too. It's not an easy choice for witches. She rolled her eyes not at the girl, but at the situation all witches eventually have to come to have. "You should be able to have the time to choose what you want," she spoke to the young girl, knowing exactly how she was feeling. "But don't take it out on me when you're the one who is consciously making the choice to not be involved with magic right now," she narrowed her eyes at the girl, her left eyebrow arching up.
"Uh," Melinda was stunned. Winnie just spiked the ball into her face. She didn't know what to say. She felt insulted, especially with the mocking tone Winnie took in the beginning of her comeback. But the way Winnie ended it with niceties, Melinda knew if she were to say another rude thing (like she wanted to), her family would think her unkind. Her nose flared, angry that Winnie somehow managed to flip the situation on her own benefit. Her eyes tightened as she got up from the table, her chair screeching against the floor. "I'm not hungry anymore," she threw her napkin that previously laid in her lap on the plate in front of her. She stomped her way back up the stairs.
The dining room sat with an awkward silence.
Winnie blinked and looked down. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I shouldn't have responded to her," she shook her head. "I should go," she sighed, also throwing her lap napkin on the plate in front of her. She quickly walked into the foyer, grabbing her shoulder bag and leaving the manor.
"Winnie, wait," Chris got up and tried to follow behind her.
"Chris," his mother called out.
The brown haired man turned around.
"Let her go," Piper sighed.
"Mom," Chris shook his head.
Piper smiled sadly. "She's running off quickly for a reason. I don't think she wants to be chased to talk about this right now. Give her some time," she advised her young son.
Chris sighed, turning back and staring back at the opened door.
*from Charmed wikia
that's chapter 4 guys! let me know what you guys think!