Just thought I'd let y'all know that I'm doing some revising. Right now it's just chapter two, but as that oh-so-crucial chappy changes, I may feel the need to mess with the others as well. Since I haven't updated in like FOREVER, and since I don't see this chapter changing much, here you go. Hope you enjoy it, and please know that I have not as yet begun chapter six, but I will, and know that yes, I believe Sam will finally come back in said chapter. But not in this one, mm'kay? All right! IT'S A BIRD! IT'S A PLANE! IT'S A BRAND SPANKY NEW CHAPPY! ENJOY AND PLEASE REVIEW!
"Are you out of your ever-lovin' minds?"
"I don't know of any other way, sweetie," Piper replied.
"Well, there's gotta be. I mean, the Elders is a big enough stretch, but the AVATARS?!"
"Addie, we don't like it any more than you do, but what other choice do we have?" said Leo.
"I don't know, but this-it-I-I don't know! It's just-it's not right. Leo, they killed you, okay, and they killed Kyle, and a lot of other people, and even if you both act like you're okay with it, I know you're not, and I know Paige definitely won't be. And what's more, I'm not. Okay? Now, I don't care what I have to do, but I will find another way. Excuse me," she said to Dean, prompting him to move over as she took over the Book.
"Addie, I really don't think you're gonna-" Leo began.
Suddenly someone downstairs shouted "Piper!", which was closely followed by a loud crash. Then frightened crying sent chills of fear down everyone's backs.
Addie looked at Piper and Leo. "Go help Paige and Phoebe. I'll get the boys." She orbed quickly to the boys' room.
Piper, meanwhile, turned to Dean. "Stay here with Leo."
"Not a chance. I've fought demons my whole life. I can help."
"Yeah? Got any magical powers?" Dean looked back at her silently. "Stay here. We can't do our job if we have to worry about you. Leo, you two should set up the crystals, just in case. Sounds bad down there."
"Don't worry. Go help your sisters."
Piper smiled and then hurried out as fast as her stilettos would allow.
Leo walked over to a small bookshelf and grabbed a box before moving to Dean's side.
Another crash jarred them. "This happen often?" asked Dean.
"Not as much as it used to." He opened the box and pulled out a few crystals.
"What're those for?"
"Protection." Leo handed Dean three crystals. "Put 'em in a circle around the room and they offer protection from evil."
"Huh." The two went to work setting up the crystals. "So..." Dean continued, placing a crystal in a corner. "This magic thing..." He set another one. "Seems like a pretty sweet deal." He put his last by some boxes, while Leo positioned one of his.
But at Dean's last statement, Leo froze and straightened slowly, holding the final crystal in his hand. "Some of it, yeah."
"What could be bad about it?"
Leo was quiet for a minute. "Let me put it to you like this: you really wanna know what could be bad about it? Try asking Paige sometime why she's never met her oldest sister. Try asking Phoebe why she almost gave up on love." He paused a moment. "Try asking Addie why she was in therapy for eight years."
"Magic."
"You know Dean," said Leo as he crouched down by the door, "magic has the power to protect." He set down the last crystal and they all glowed momentarily. Then he stood up and faced Dean, who was back by the Book. "But it can also hurt the people you care about. We've...lost a lot to get here. Magic is a gift. But it comes at a painful price."
"Seems like everything does," Dean said, glancing at Sam.
"Yeah. So, now we wait."
"Sounds like a party."
Meanwhile, Addie orbed into the boys' room. Chris was crying loudly, and she ran to his crib.
"It's okay, I'm here." She picked him up and then went to Wyatt's bed. "All right Wyatt, let's..." She stopped short.
The bed was empty.
She felt panic grip her chest, and she quickly sensed for the boy and orbed.
She reappeared downstairs, in the dining room. She looked around and saw Wyatt standing a few feet from the stairs. The poor kid was crying his eyes out. A demon turned toward the sound, smiled, and aimed a fireball at him. Addie ran to Wyatt and knelt in front of him so the fireball caught her in the back.
"Wyatt, orb you and Chris to the attic!"
The boys disappeared.
When the two reached the attic, Wyatt was still sobbing.
Leo and Dean went over to them, Leo picking up Chris and handing him to Dean.
"Wyatt? What happened?" Leo knelt down, and Wyatt threw his arms around his father's neck. "You're okay now." He broke the hug. "Wyatt, where's Addie?"
Thud.
Both men whipped their heads toward the sound.
Addie was lying frighteningly still on the floor, blood pooling around her.
Leo scrambled over to her. "Addie! Addie!" He checked her vitals. "She's not breathing, and her pulse has all but stopped."
Dean felt a small thrill of fear shoot through him. "Well isn't there anything you can do?"
"Not me." Leo turned to Wyatt. "Wyatt, come here."
Wyatt moved toward his father. "Daddy, what's wrong?"
"I'm going to be honest with you, bud. Addie's in real trouble. She's hurt very badly, and she needs you to help her."
"Okay." Wyatt sniffled and wiped his eyes before placing his little hands over Addie's still body. A golden glow emitted from them, and moments later, Addie gasped and sat up.
She looked at Wyatt, who looked back sorrowfully. "Well, that's twice in one day you've saved me. You must be my little guardian angel."
He was silent. "Wyatt?"
He still wouldn't say anything.
"Wyatt, what's wrong?" Nothing. Addie grew wary. "This wasn't your fault, Wyatt. I hope you know that." Wyatt gave her a look that said he obviously didn't believe her. "Listen to me, Wy. It is never your fault when we get hurt. It's the demons who hurt us, not you. Got it?" He nodded, and sniffled.
Suddenly the attic door was flung open, and the crystal there skidded across the floor. Everyone looked up to see Henry, Paige's husband, hurriedly slam the door shut.
"Big fight downstairs," he told them breathlessly. "A bunch of fireballs barely missed me."
"Fireballs?" said Dean, perplexed.
Henry looked at Dean, and then Sam on the couch. "Who're they?"
The door was thrown open once again, and Henry went flying into some boxes by the couch.
One of the demons from downstairs, covered in tribal tattoos and baring sharp teeth, stalked into the room. The ugly thing wasted no time in aiming several fireballs at the group.
Addie stood quickly and stopped the fireballs short with a white barrier of compressed air. The demon gaped, but recovered. Another fireball appeared in his hand, and he went to throw it, but it disappeared. He looked at his hand, shocked.
Addie whistled slightly, and he looked at her. The fireball, his fireball, was in the little bitch's hand. He snarled.
"Now that's an attractive feature." She threw the fireball at him. He evaded it easily.
He chuckled. "Is that all you've got?"
"Now that you mention it..." Addie stepped forward. "No."
Summoning up more of her power, she threw her hands to her sides, and two fire-swords appeared in them.
The demon's smile was gone.
"Wanna fight me for real?"
The demon, though obviously frightened, recklessly charged her. Addie smiled humorlessly, having seen the same move a thousand times before. She angled her body so her left side was facing her attacker, and readied herself.
Dean, never having seen Addie display her powers, was awestruck. As the demon reached her, she flew into the air, using a mix of her power over air and physical prowess to flip over the demon and catch him the back with her fire-swords. It was a move, Dean thought, reminiscent of Achilles, only even cooler.
The demon screamed as he erupted in flames and disappeared. The foe gone, Addie snuffed her swords and returned to the group by the couch.
"Trying out a new move?" Leo asked, eyebrow raised.
"Not at all. Don't you remember that weird demon with the spikes all over it, like some freaky blowfish thing?"
"Oh, right." He thought a second. "Though, if I remember correctly, it didn't go nearly as well the first time..."
"Hey, that was an accident, okay? It was a simple error in judgment."
"That nearly burned down the house."
"Keyword being 'nearly!'"
"Question," Dean said. "What the hell was that?!"
"That was a demon, what else?" Addie gave him a strange look. "I thought you fought them too."
"Yeah, the kind that possess people! I've never seen a demon like that. Where'd that thing come from?"
"The Underworld."
"Well, the only demons I know of come straight from Hell."
Addied shook her head. "Oh, I see. Hell and the Underworld are two different levels. The Underworld is above Hell, and not nearly as horrible. I never thought about demons in Hell, but I guess there must be some there. Huh. Oh!" Addie had heard Henry groan and went to help him up.
The sudden quiet from the first floor almost went unnoticed.
The adults exchanged wary looks, unsure of the fight's outcome.
They all breathed a sigh of relief, however, when a sudden array of blue orbs revealed the three Halliwell sisters.
"Everybody okay?" asked Piper. "Addie?"
"I'm fine. We're all good." She paused. "Well, Henry did get thrown across the room...but it was no big thing."
"Eh heh heh...say what?" Paige asked.
Henry stood up and walked over to his wife. "It's okay. She's right. I didn't get hurt. Don't worry about it."
"He landed on a bunch of boxes," Leo added helpfully.
"Okay, then," Paige said, hugging her husband. "Now, what's up with those two?" She nodded at Sam and Dean.
Addie stood up. "This is Dean Winchester. Dean, this is Paige. She's a half witch half whitelighter like me, and the youngest sister. The other one is Phoebe, and she's the middle sister." She sighed heavily. "Ladies, we need help." She motioned to Sam.
Paige went over to the couch. "This is the famous Sam, I'm guessing. What happened?"
"Someone stabbed him."
The room fell silent. Piper and Leo took Wyatt and Chris and went to put them back in bed.
"Wait a minute. Is there something I'm not getting?" asked Phoebe.
"What do you mean?" Addie asked, confused.
"Well, Addie, uh, he looks kinda beyond our help."
"We can't do resurrection. You know that," Paige told her softly.
"I know, but Piper and Leo and I have decided on who to ask for help." Addie looked contrite, remembering how the decision would affect Paige.
Paige and Phoebe were looking at her suspiciously. "Who?" asked Paige.
"The Elders."
"Oh, well that's not so bad."
Phoebe, however, knew there was more. "And?"
"And..." Addie took a deep breath. "...the Avatars."
The silence was awful.
Addie kept looking at Paige apologetically, while Paige stared back with widened eyes.
After a few more seconds of silence, during which Piper and Leo quietly returned, Addie spoke up. "Paige, I'm sorry. You know we wouldn't do this if it weren't necessary. But none of us know anyone else who's powerful enough and would help us. This is important. He's important. To Dean, and to me. Please try to understand?"
Paige looked away, crossed her arms, and sighed. "I do. If I had to do the same for Kyle, I would in a heartbeat. I'll try my best to behave, but no promises."
Addie went to the older witch and hugged her.
"All right. Let's get to it," said Piper, assuming the lead as was her way. "Pheebs, we're gonna need an Avatar summoning spell."
Phoebe grabbed a pen and notepad. "I'm on it. Power of Three, you think?"
"If Addie joins us, we should be fine. Paige, can you go get some Elders for us?"
"Yeah, sure."
"Try to get Sandra down here, okay? She's usually on our side."
"Right." Paige orbed out.
In the midst of the activity, Dean made his way over to Addie.
"So...will this work?"
Addie took a deep breath. "I hope so."
"You don't think it will?"
"Well necromancy isn't exactly routine for us."
"What is routine around here?"
Addie grinned slightly. "Kicking evil ass while looking hot and juggling a million other things. Daily. And dying. And turning into freaky things."
"Freaky things?"
"Yeah, you know, banshees, furies, nymphs. Prue even turned into a man once. Now that was freakin' weird."
"Who's Prue?"
Addie grew quiet. "The oldest sister." Dean waited for her to go on. "She was killed by a demon, about six years ago."
"Okay," said Phoebe proudly, "one Avatar summoning spell, perfectly written!"
Addie smirked. "Way to toot your own horn there, Pheebs."
"Can I help it if I rock at this after nine years?"
"No, but you could deflate your ego," quipped Addie.
"All right, can it you two. We've got work to do," Piper told them wryly.
They all returned their attention to the figure on the couch, growing quiet and solemn.
Leo readied some convincing arguments for both the Elders and the Avatars, fully aware that his knowledge of the inner workings of both parties was crucial to their goal. In the back of his mind, however, lay a few lingering doubts.
Piper wondered, glancing at Addie, if the girl had told them the truth about Sam. From what she remembered, Sam was important to her, but she had never known he was this important.
Phoebe prayed like hell that this would work. She couldn't watch Addie have another breakdown. She just barely survived Chris.
Dean gazed at his brother, trying not to let his emotions overwhelm him again. It had to work. It had to. If only so he could apologize for letting Sam down, and say everything he'd ever meant to say but hadn't.
Addie stared resolutely at the body of her best friend, her mental walls unshakable, at least for the moment. But try as she might, she couldn't hold back the rush of memories, from Sam laughing at a stupid joke she told, to Sam singing on the beach and Jess smiling while their marshmallows burned merrily in the roaring fire as the sun set. So much had happened, so much had changed. She wanted him back, but she knew in her heart things would never be the same.
Suddenly, Paige orbed back in, stirring everyone from their thoughts.
"Incoming! Is the spell ready?"
"Yup," said Phoebe, and Paige, Piper, and Addie gathered around her.
Dean moved to stand with Henry, who, being mortal and only having been around the sisters for two years, knew little about the Avatars and the Elders, and knew better than to get in the way.
"Ancient beings, dark as night,
Always waiting, out of sight,
Return from darkness into light,
And help transform this wrong to right."
"Nice one, Pheebs," Piper murmured.
Almost as if they'd planned it, the Elders appeared on the witches' right, and the Avatars at the same time on their left.
The Elders (excluding Sandra, who stayed still) took one look at those opposite them and turned imperiously to the witches.
"Leo, what is going on here?" asked Sandra calmly.
Leo stepped forward. "First of all, I want to thank everyone for coming. That shows us that you're at least willing to hear us out. Now, I know how this looks, and I know your position concerning the Avatars, but they're the only ones powerful enough to do what needs to be done."
"And what needs to be done?" asked a young, dark-haired Elder.
"See for yourself." Leo motioned to the couch, which was directly across from where he and the sisters stood.
Both groups turned and looked at the body on the couch.
"His name is Sam Winchester. He and his brother have a score to settle with a demon. Dean believes the apocalypse is on its way, and so far it's been their job to slow it down. I know it sounds strange, with them being mortals, but I have a feeling...actually, I think maybe we all do, that for once, the innocents are not so innocent, and know more about this than we do."
"That's impossible," dark-hair argued. "It's the responsibility of the Charmed Ones and other magical beings to fight evil and destroy demons. The idea that two humans," he spat, "know more about the current situation and are more equipped to deal with it is completely ridiculous."
Now Dean stepped forward, his temper flaring slightly. "So that's what you think? We're just a bunch of ignorant humans? Because I've seen a hell of a lot of things, and they're more than enough to prove you wrong. Sam and I have been hunting demons, hunting evil our whole lives. I've met hundreds of hunters, and there's thousands more all over the place. Maybe they don't pop up on your radar, but they're there. Staying in trashy motel rooms every night, sharpening weapons, risking their lives because they decided to fight back. Maybe we don't have powers, but we're sure as hell not powerless."
Addie moved forward. "Look, I know how all this seems, but it's a lot more complicated than you think."
"I believe you, Addie," replied Sandra, "but I cannot speak for my companions."
"No," said a short Elder with red hair. "I'm sorry, but we cannot work with the Avatars for one person, especially one we know nothing about."
"Alexis?"
"Everyone loses people they care about, and we have no evidence to say that this is anything more than an attempt to avoid loss," a young, blonde Elder explained quietly.
"Cáel?"
"Absolutely not," answered the outspoken, dark-haired Elder.
"At least give us a chance to show you-" Addie started.
"No!" shouted Cáel. "We do not have to stand here and-"
"Actually, Cáel, we do. Because I say so. I am a senior Elder, and this is what I command." Sandra's face stayed smooth, but her eyes flashed and became deadly serious.
The raven-haired Elder closed his mouth and glared at her sullenly.
Sandra turned back to Addie. "Show us."
"All right..."
Addie went back to Piper, Phoebe, and Paige. "Um...what do we do?"
"You don't have a plan?" asked Phoebe.
"No, I thought maybe one of you...wait. Phoebe. Do you think you could share a premonition with the Elders?"
"What, off of Dean?"
"No."
"Oh." Phoebe glanced at Sam, looking unsure. "Well, I don't know. I could try I suppose. But I can't guarantee I'll see anything. There may not be anything to see."
Addie took a deep breath. "Believe me, I know. That's what I'm afraid of. Just please try."
"All right." Phoebe stepped away from the group and moved toward the Elders. "Well, we're going to try a first for me: sharing a premonition. By myself, anyway. I have no idea if this'll work, but we may as well give a try."
"What do we do, hold hands?" scoffed Cáel.
"Actually yes," Phoebe said, looking him straight in the eye.
Cáel's mouth abruptly closed.
Paige looked at the Avatars. "Well, you've been suspiciously quiet. What's your deal?"
"Paige," Piper warned.
"It's all right," the head Avatar answered. "After our last encounter, we cannot expect Paige to react any differently."
"You're damn right you can't," snapped Paige.
"Calm down," Piper said, nudging Paige.
"Sorry, guess I'm having trouble keeping quiet. Wonder why." Piper nudged her harder. "All right, all right, I'll bite my tongue."
"Thank you." Piper turned to the Avatars. "So, what's your take on all this?"
"We have no doubt that this man is very important, and will do all we can to help you."
Paige snorted.
"I thought you were biting your tongue," said Addie, her annoyance with Paige beginning to show.
"I didn't say anything."
Addie looked at her with a dangerous expression. "Look, I asked you for help on this. You said you could handle it. Now if you can't, by all means, go elsewhere. I'm losing my patience. I want this fixed. If you're only going to be a problem, there's the door."
Paige clenched her jaw and didn't move.
Everyone looked at the two quietly, waiting to see what would happen next.
Dean couldn't help but feel overwhelming gratitude. Apparently, Addie was willing to do or say just about anything to save Sam. Just like him.
"Go ahead, Pheebs," Addie told her, tearing her glare from Paige.
Phoebe looked at Paige, and then walked over and knelt down next to Sam. She held out her hand to Sandra, who took it, and the rest of the Elders followed suit.
Taking a deep breath, Phoebe placed her other hand gently on Sam's forehead.
Dean saw Addie visibly stiffen as Phoebe gasped sharply. He found himself clenching his fists.
Piper was worried. Whatever Phoebe was seeing, it was big. She wasn't breathing.
The Elders' eyes were all closed, and they, of course, wore impassive masks, calm creatures that they were.
Then it was over. The Elders opened their eyes in astonishment. Phoebe fell backward onto her butt.
"Wow," was all she said.
Addie and Piper went to her and helped her up.
"Well?" asked Piper.
"Wow."
"So you said."
Piper and Addie led her over to a chair and sat her down.
Addie stepped toward the Elders. "What did you see?"
Cáel looked at her. "I...was mistaken. It's strange, but these humans are indeed quite important. They will accomplish much in the days to come."
Addie's breath caught in her throat. Could it really be that simple? "So, does that mean...?"
Sandra and the others glanced at the Avatars with slight distaste. "We...will work with the Avatars," said Sandra. "For the greater good."
"Thank you so much." The gratitude Addie felt threatened to overwhelm her. "Are you sure you can do it?"
"Well…yes."
"What does that mean?" Piper asked.
"We can save him…but we can't bring him back."
"What? What is that supposed to mean?" asked Dean, unable to stop himself.
Everyone looked at him. When Sandra spoke again, it was to no one but Dean.
"We do not have the power to resurrect your brother, even if we do work with the Avatars. If I'm not mistaken, the last time they were around, their collective power was weakened dramatically. Therefore, we cannot bring him back, but one of you can. We can combine our powers and send someone back in time to save Sam."
"I'll go," said Addie determinedly.
Now everyone turned to Addie.
"Are you sure about this?" Piper asked.
"Absolutely."
Phoebe and Piper exchanged looks. "All right, if you're sure you can handle it."
"Why wouldn't I be able to?"
Phoebe took over. "What's she's trying to say is just don't do anything you'll regret."
"What, like wasting the guy who killed Sam? Furthest thought from my mind."
Everyone exchanged apprehensive looks, but no one said a word.
Addie turned to the Elders and Avatars. "So, are we gonna do this?"
"Yes," said Sandra, disturbed. "Just...stand still."
"All right." Addie looked at Dean. "Hey, Dean. Don't worry. I'll take care of it."
He gave her a long look and nodded.
Piper looked between the two, suddenly conscious of the way they looked at each other. She nudged Phoebe, who nodded knowingly.
"You are going to take the place of your past self, so you will have all your powers," Sandra told Addie.
"Good."
Again, an uneasy feeling passed through the room.
The Avatars and Elders took their places beside one other, looking for all the world like they did not want to be there.
"Good luck," said Sandra.
Addie had no chance to reply.
For those of you who already read this, I made a mistake and fixed it. (Dean asks about demons and Underworld and big important explanation!)
